Friar Tuck
I have been aware for some time that I needed to diet. However, Jonathon and I were ushers this morning at our church and a wonderful lady of the church commented that I reminded her of Friar Tuck. Now, the Friar was a portly fellow…and I could see the resemblance!
I wold prefer to be Robin Hood!
Being an usher gives the volunteer a birds eye view of the members of your congregation. There are many members of our congregation that are of great age! We have members that are in their 90’s, or are close to being so. When I see them walking in, haltingly, and with a big smile on their face..I understand what a dedication to the christian faith…means! Often we are buffeted by the political or social or religious whims of the moment…when a christian that is well into their golden years…can illustrate what a lifelong walk with Christ looks like. When I witness the elderly among us…present themselves at Sunday church service…no matter how difficult their mobility has become or how weary they may feel…I am inspired!
So often, we young people…of which I am 62, feel that we have other ‘fish to fry’…or something more important to accomplish than the weekly routine of attending church. We know that we need to have our ‘down time’….or time for our hobbies…or time to prepare for the next work- week…when it reality the best preparation for the incoming challenges of the week is Sunday morning worship.
Modern media would have us believe that we can seek and discover pleasure in; pharmaceuticals or the latest Hollywood movie…or a dedication to a political cause….or a hunger for knowledge. While all of these are a part of the human experience they really do not answer the persuasive question of…why was I born and what is my purpose on earth? Many of us strive to find that purpose of our existence in our work. We believe that if we will just work hard enough and long enough…we will have reached our calling in life! While, others of us know that the, ultimate, satisfaction and reward for a life well lived, is too to enjoy retirement and all of the pleasant vicissitudes that it affords to us. Travel and boats and automobiles and campers and motorcycles and more….is the panacea and balm for our hard working years and our dedication to keeping our noses to the grindstone!
Yet, there are the hungry and the homeless and children in cages and rampant and heartless bigotry and misogyny and xenophobia and cruelty….to our fellow human family! The earth is burning…and we are watching!
When someone tells me that I have helped them…in some small way….I have peace. When I travel across the world…I enjoy it…but it is not the same as helping another member of the human family!
Do You Know Your Horror Movies?
The perfect trifecta of movie attending bliss almost occurred today! I noticed on my AMC Stubs account, a theatre card that I carry that affords discounts based on how much money you spend, that I not only had a $5 reward off of the price of a movie…but also a free large popcorn and a free large soft drink…due to October 24th being my birthday! So, I entered,, triumphantly, the theatre lobby, whereupon a young man asked me if I had a ticket? I replied that I did not but that I was going to purchase one at the counter….that has a large sign regarding purchasing tickets. I handed the, friendly, attendant my AMC Stubs card and announced that I not only had a $5 reward but also a free large popcorn… Suddenly another person set down on the counter, hard enough to dislodge the popcorn from its large container, and a large beverage glass! I said, ‘One please for ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,’ and I thought that the title sounded familiar. As I gingerly juggled there humongous tub of popcorn and the giant Fanta soda, as I made my way to theatre #3 and seat F2.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
The movie previews were already on, so I settled in and prepared to be frightened…in the enjoyable Halloween sense of the word! About 2 minutes into the flick it occurs to me that Aaron and I had seen this movie earlier in the summer. I suppose that the theatre chain had brought the film back for a repeat performance due to the coming of Halloween? The first time that I viewed it…I mildly appreciated it…now I set forth to research it in greater detail…
It did not compare to the 1963 classic, ‘The Haunting!’
‘The Haunting of Hill House is a 1959 gothic horror novel by American author Shirley Jackson. A finalist for the National Book Award and considered one of the best literary ghost stories published during the 20th century, it has been made into two feature films and a play, and is the basis of a Netflix series. Jackson’s novel relies on terror rather than horror to elicit emotion in the reader, using complex relationships between the mysterious events in the house and the character’s psyches. Wikipedia.
The 1963 movie, ‘The Haunting,’ is by far the best film adaptation of the book. The film had Julie Harris playing the part of Nell…and it had a scene that has stayed with me since 1963…when I saw it in the theatre…and I was 6 years old. Nell and, Claire Bloom, playing Theodora were sharing a bedroom in the haunted Hill house and were sleeping in two single beds. They were members of a small group of people who were aiding a paranormal investigator in determining if ghosts could be verified in the scary gothic mansion. As Nell and Theodora were sleeping…Nell awakened due to someone holding her hand…which was dangling over the side of the bed. Upon being awakened…Nell began to speak with Theodora…who was lying in the other bed. Nell pleaded with Theodora to not squeeze her hand so tightly…and Theodora turned on the bedroom light…to reveal that there was no visible person grasping Nell’s hand!
The twin beds, that had been pushed together, had been moved far apart…at either end of the large bedroom.
When I first saw the Haunting…I was 6…now I am 62…and I still will not let my arm and hand dangle over the side of my bed!
Photos from The Haunting are courtesy of Google search.
Haunted Anthony Hall!
Halloween is quickly approaching. When this ghostly time of year, appears, I feel compelled to write my best, true, account of a ghost story that I know.
During the latter 1980’s I was the assistant superintendent of Building Services on the campus of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. During those years there was a large Malaysian student population on our campus. In fact, our entire student housekeeping staff at Anthony Hall were Malaysian. Now, the Malaysian people are simply lovely human beings. I had a student worker whose name was Salman, when I was the crew leader at Parkinson and Allyn buildings, in 1980. I was training Salman, on the third shift and on the third floor or Parkinson Lab. I began my lecture by asking Salman to ‘run’ down to the other end of the hall and retrieve a dust mop. Salman sprinted to the far end of the corridor and sprinted back with the dust mop! I smiled and explained to him that he would encounter a lot of Americans who either speak in an exaggerated manner or metaphorically.
So, I received a telephone call from the custodial crew boss at Anthony…telling me to come over right away. When I arrived he told me that one a female Malaysian student had told him that when she exited the elevator on to the third floor of the building and proceeded to turn off the lights…she looked to her right and saw a woman, sitting, and dressed in a long black dress and a white blouse with a high collar that was buttoned to her chin. The student went on to describe the woman’s hair being pinned up on her head in a bun. When she said hello to the apparition…she received no answer nor sign off recognition from the strangely garbed visitor.
Anthony Hall is named after the famous suffragette Susan B. Anthony and was built, in the 1920’s, as a women’s dormitory. Jack, the crew leader, took me into the attic and showed me old photos of women who lived in Anthony Hall. They were dressed like the spectral woman that the member of our student staff described!
Not only did our Malaysian student in Anthony Hall resign…but the entire crew did so, as well. The word spread among the Malaysian community and soon, no Malaysian would work for Building Services if it entailed that they would be assigned to Anthony Hall. The superintendent met with me and informed me that the Vice President for campus services wanted a full report on the ‘Ghost of Anthony Hall!’ Thus, I began my investigation. Anthony Hall is the administrative center of our campus. It houses our chancellor and vice chancellors.
I discovered that many of our Building Services staff had experienced unexplained phenomena when they were working in Anthony. Often these ghostly happenings transpired late at night…when they were alone…or at least thought that they were alone in the building. Several of my colleagues had heard footsteps on the upper floors…but when they investigated…they found no one. Others described the eerie feeling that they were not alone and the hair standing up on the back of their necks!
Note: Victorian photos are courtesy of Google search.
62 Has Arrived!
And the question is…can the old man really write three blogs about turning 62? The answer is yes. My mother told me for years, until, she reached 40 years old, the she did not believe that she would ever see her 40th birthday. She was a single parent, until she married my stepfather, who was not very fond of me, and I wondered what would happen to Bradley Jay?
My dad, who I never saw again after my 6th year of life….died when he was 60. Often I pinch myself and wonder and I am grateful for some longevity! When I see Aaron and Jonathon who are 37 and 35…I contemplate the goodnesses of God!
Birthday wishes on Facebook are a real treat for me! Nikki, who has always been so gracious to me and Aaron and Jonathon, calls me Pop, and sent me a birthday wish with a photo of, my favorite beer called Dragon’s Milk. She has served me several over the years! Every birthday wish that I receive…is very special to me…and I treasure them all!
My pastor, Kerry, sent me a birthday greeting that warmed my heart!
My brother Brock and my sister in law, Marcy, sent me wonderful birthday wishes! They continue to be a bright Star in my golden years!
I have a fundraiser on Facebook for Mental Health America and, Natalie and Jim donated in the first hour of the posting. I was honored…and humbled.
I talked with our traveling partners, Ron and Ira Kaye, and it was a joy to hear their birthday wishes!
We made the journey to Cunetto House of Pasta, on the Hill, in St. Louis. I had my favorite drink, a dirty martini, and some delicious pasta! We have been visiting the restaurant for over 20 years! Often we have waited in the queue that stretched around the block of the eating establishment!
Each time I receive a birthday greeting from one of my. former classmates…I see them just as they appeared when we were in school together.
My former pastor, for over fifteen years, Janice, just sent me a note…and it made my day!
We visited Von Jakob Winery this afternoon. I quaffed Country Red while MJ and Jonathon enjoyed dark beer. We had the most delicious cooked chips and baked pretzel! MJ and I came home, each, with a handcrafted basket for our wares. We missed Aaron…who had to work.
My birthday is a stellar time for me to take stock of where I have been and what I have done and how I can improve my outreach to others…in some small manner. I was watching the memorial service for Congressman Elijah Cummings today. He was truly an inspirational figure! The Congressman was the son of sharecroppers and is the first African American to lie in state in the the Capitol. His dedication to excellence and his compassionate heart towards his fellow human family…was an inspiration to me!
Birthday cake and pizza, this evening! A special time to think about the days of my life!
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com
‘The Woods Are Lovely, Dark, and Deep, and I Have Miles To Go…Before I Sleep.’
A journey through an October Woods!
I enjoyed a walk through Southern Illinois University’s Campus Woods earlier today. It was majestic and serene, as always. A gaggle of geese were happily honking as the squirrels were gathering nuts.
I have always loved the Robert Frost poem from which the title of this blog is taken. How often we need a walk in the woods to re-set our compass and to renew our goals and fellowship with God’s creation.
And so I have an affinity for the fall and the woods and the ‘vintage monsters’ and science fiction movies of my youth.
Autumn is a perfect time to reflect on our pleasant memories and to plan new and enriching endeavors to exite our imaginations and energize our spirits!
We must work to outrun the guy, below, until it is our time to exit!
Go Have a Dragon’s Milk Stout
A heart touching blog from Jonathon. He and Aaron and Mary Jane are the lights of my life!
A special sort of appreciation ought to be given to the ones in our lives who have loved us unconditionally and have always been there for us throughout it all. When I was a small boy, dealing with asthma, my father would wake me in the middle of the night to hand off my inhaler to me because I was having an asthma attack. My dad has been there for all of my graduations. We have the pictures to prove it. When I was diagnosed with bipolar my father visited me every day I was in the hospital. Mom came with him. I don’t believe anyone else had parents or family or friends that visited them daily. My dad has always been there with a camera and a smile for myself and our family. In two days Dad will turn 62!
In honor of Dad’s birthday our family has already…
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62 Is Knocking On My Door!
I visited with with my lifelong friend, Steve, yesterday on the telephone. We share the the same birthday…October 24th. He is five years older than me. Steve and I became friends in the little village of Elkville, Illinois in the early 1970’s. Neither of us had two pennies to rub together. I still smile at the memory of Steve asking me if I would like an order of biscuits and gravy at the Maid Rite restaurant in DuQuoin, Illinois…as we were driving through town. I said that I most assuredly would and thought what a nice offer that my friend had suggested! When we entered the eatery and sat down at a table, the waitress asked us if we would like coffee, and we answered in unison…yes! We then proclaimed, ‘Two orders of your finest biscuits and gravy!’ When she departed…Steve said to me…’you are springing for this aren’t you?’ I replied that I was penniless and he replied that so was he! Needless to say…we rose to our feet and exited the, once promising endeavor, for our car and a speedy exit!
Aaron gave me a silver chain for my nearly 62 year old neck. Do I like it….I love it! Every time that I put it on…I feel like that I am 59!
Jonathon purchased some vintage LP’s for me, The Weavers and Hank Willams, along with some very special, Paris, long matches for the occasional cigar that I indulge in!
Often people hold the door for me, and I wonder is it because of my grey beard? I laugh when I consider that I seemed to go from, ‘one of the young people’…to senior citizen…and my middle age years are little more than a blur that is similar to peering out of the very fast locomotive that we rode in as we left London and traveled through the Chunnel to Paris, France. Houses and trees and landscape rushed by so quickly that it was disorienting!
I walked the campus of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale today, and I thought of how much I loved the institution and the pleasant memories that it afforded me….that go back over 41 years. Actually my enthrallment with SIUC goes back to the mid 1960’s when I was a grade school student in Eldorado, Illinois and the McLeod Theatre performers would travel to Hillcrest School to perform a Play for us. I was mesmerized by the expert performances and I determined that I had to learn more about SIU!
I reflect on my teenage years in a little non-denominational church in Elkville and the friendships that I made and some that are enduring to this day. I considered, yesterday, when Steve and I were reminiscing, that I think of my friends from the moment that they became my friends. If someone is my friend…I never forget them…the friendship is never over….no matter how long it is between our reunions.
I remember Chicago…and my mom and dad. I remember dad carrying me on his shoulders…and I was the king of the world! I remember Danny and Pauly and Steve and Susie and Ivy and Jim and George and Helen. I can see my mom, Neva June, dancing the twist as Chubby Checker sang.
I can see Jeff and Margo and our wonderful excursions around; France and Italy and the United Kingdom. I warm my heart by the great joy that our renewed friendship created!
Soon I will be retired from SIUC for nine years. Talk about time flying! I am enjoying every minute between; traveling and photography and writing, often seven days per week, and walking my beloved campus! The days pass quickly…but I notice them more. I watch the changes in the trees and I read daily…and I volunteer…and I think about….a wonderful life….
A minister, who is called by God, is a wonderful person to be around! Probably from 12 – 22…I wanted to be a minister. I have never stopped wanting to help people in some way.
I contemplate…and I try….to make a difference…daily. Nothing gives me greater pleasure!
Life’s stage has many scene changes.
Amazing Grace
‘Amazing Grace’ is a Christian hymn published in 1779, with words written in 1772 by the English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton (1725-1807).’
‘Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious conviction, but his life’s path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by other’s reactions to what they took as his recalcitrant insubordination.’
‘He was pressed (conscripted) into service in the Royal Navy. After leaving the service, he became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, so severely that he called out to God for mercy. This moment marked his spiritual conversion but he continued slave trading until 1754 or 1755, when he ended his seafaring altogether. He began studying Christian theology.’
‘Ordained in the Church of England in 1764, Newton became curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire, where he began to write hymns with poet William Cowper. ‘Amazing Grace’ was written to illustrate a sermon on New Year’s Day of 1773. ‘
‘With the message that forgiveness and redemption are possible of sins committed and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, ‘Amazing Grace is one of the most recognizable songs in he English-speaking world.’ Wikipedia
It is so easy to believe that our faith journey is the right journey and the only path to understanding God. We retreat into our christian/political corners…much as pugilist do in the boxing ring. When the bell peels out, for the next 3 minute round to begin…we rise from our stools with the cuts that we have received having been treated and our bruised and blue and blackened face…continuing to swell. We know that this time we will knock out our opponent and that we will receive the Champion Belt!
‘Amazing Grace’ is my favorite Christian hymn. It was for John Newton, the slave trader…it is for our political leaders….it is for all of us…in the darkest night of our soul!
‘As for Saul, he made havoc of he church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.’ Acts 8:3. KJV
Wonder
‘A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.’ Dictionary
Have you ever looked into a child’s eyes? If they are well cared for and loved…they are full of wonder! The world that they are surrounded by is all new and fresh and beautiful and inexplicable. They see the unexpected…everyday! Children do not want to go to sleep at night and they jump out of bed each morning, eager to begin a new day of exploration and discovery!
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Santa Claus is real to children due to the fact that virtually everything that they encounter is a new experience and a miracle and a mystery. Youngsters know that they can become anything that their hearts desire. It is easy to believe that a Leprechaun lives at the other end of the rainbow…and that he has a pot of gold with him!
We live on a planet that is comprised of approximately two thirds water. Most of it has never been seen by the human family. Not many of us have climbed Mr. Everest or visited the Antarctic or walked on a glacier.
We speak one language and understand little of other cultures or ethnicities, or have broken bread with a person of another race.
We are involved in our own belief system…that was passed down to us from our parents and that they inherited from their parents. We are suspect of other faiths…and yet we have never darkened the door to their church or mosque or temple. We have heard the gossip and the lies and the suppositions about our fellow travelers and we have been content to believe the whisperings and back-bitings and slander…rather than explore for ourselves to determine the truth.
Do we know our neighbor? I do not mean in the allegorical sense…I mean the person that lives next door to you? Have we investigated the wonder and beauty of not only feeding the homeless…but getting to know them?
When we look into the night sky, there are untold stars and planets looking back at us. If there is intelligent life on other worlds…perhaps they are biding their time…for the human family to first know each other…before they make their acquaintance?
I wonder what would happen if we would look into the eyes of our brothers and sisters….and see wonder…and ourselves looking back at us?
The Happy Traveler 