I stood and watched, with tears in my eyes, our ROTC students stand vigil at our American Flag. The dedicated soldiers stood at attention with their heads bowed reverently. The gusty wind blew leaves all around them. Old Glory waved proudly in the wind.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ‘We have nothing to fear…but fear itself.’ He made this statement during one of the most frightening times in our history.

For many years now we have sat at home by the comfort of our fireside and had others do our fighting and dying for us. More than one generation has lost touch with the ultimate sacrifice of ensuring Freedom with their minds and bodies. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is rampant in our Veteran Community.

History has shown us that the day will come again when all of us will feel the scourage of war and the terrible price that it inflicts on each participant. All the more reason that we should honor our precious Veterans…each and every day…for their sacrifice of service.

Chet missed his dad. Carol, Chet’s dad, had passed away in the night. He had just been to the doctor for a complete physical and had come through with flying colors. He was a bricklayer. His skin turned almost black in the summer from the intense sun that he absorbed as he labored outside under its intense rays. Carol had purchased Chet the Lost In Space Robot suit for Halloween. Each time that Chet would portray the Robot…Carol would laugh so hard that his sides ached. Thelma, Chet’s mom, worshipped Carol. Whatever he said…was what she believed. When Billy B. came over to play with Chet’s Western Action Figures such as…Johnny West and Chief Cherokee as well as Daniel Boone and Stony the World War II Soldier…they would often speak of having been to town to ‘Do the Trading.’ Billy B. finally learned that ‘Doing the Trading,’ was shopping in Eldorado. So, Carol had passed away a week before Christmas.

Billy B. had grand plans for Christmas 1963! He wanted a Daniel Boone Action Figure…like Chet…and who would not allow him to play with on most occasions. He wanted to meet Santa Claus…personally. Billy B. wanted his mom, Neva Jane, to be happy as she had been so unhappy since she and his dad had divorced. Often he would find his mother crying when he got home from school. She felt that the responsibility for the separation and divorce of her and Jefferson…was her fault… Billy B. knew better and wanted desperately to convince his mom that they must move on and rebuild their lives and enjoy each day. A group of the third graders was going to meet in the woods and decorate a pine tree with Christmas lights. This had been discussed since Halloween. Jane would join them as well as Sally and Daryl and as customary…Daryl’s father…the Third Grade Teacher…who liked to be called The Wiz…

Jane was especially looking forward to the evening decoration of the Christmas Pine Tree. She had told Billy B. that she had been sad since Halloween. Jane mentioned that the joys of October did not seem to be staying with her in December. She said that although there was a six-foot Aluminum Christmas Tree in their living room at her home…she felt empty and disengaged from the joys of the Holiday Season. She said that although her family dutifully gathered for Christmas…they did not seem happy or energized by the family time together. Her uncle Ebenezer and her dad were on different sides of the political spectrum and agreed on little in politics…and mostly argued their political points until late in the evening. Uncle Jack Daniels did not seem to help. Her sister cried a lot about her lost boyfriend, Jacob, and her friends seemed consumed with ephemera.

Santa Claus…real or not? Billy B. always believed that Santa was real…Chet did as well. Some members of their class…had their doubts. Buddy had told them that his aunts, Wanda and Vema, had said with a laugh and a wink that there was no Santa and that there was no Easter Bunny…either. Jane said that her dad, which she loved completely, told her that she should believe in Santa…as long as she wanted to. Daryl said that his dad had told him that he had met Santa and that Santa Claus was his personal friend…and that he would bring him to the decorating of the Pine Christmas Tree…tonight.

So, the time had arrived to participate in the annual decorating of the trees in the woods. This tradition had been ageless…as far as anyone could remember. There seemed to be no beginning to the annual Christmas Pine Tree Decoration. Chet arrived pulling a Little Red Wagon that was full of Christmas Decorations. He had brought his deceased father’s work lights that he had used when he had to lay bricks after dark…and it got dark very early…a week before Christmas. Along came Jane and her beloved father accompanying her…as he was concerned about her being sad…for so long. Billy B. brought the silver dollars that his dad had given him just before he drove off in his Vintage Cadillac…and he never saw him again. His dad had pulled them off of the trunk of the automobile and handed them to Billy B….as a form of a permanent goodbye. The Wiz announced that he had invited a special guest…and out from behind a humongous pine tree stepped Santa Claus.

Santa winked his eye and stepped forward with a confident gate. He seemed neither in a hurry nor reluctant…but rather a man on a mission. Santa beckoned Jane forward. He told her that she was beloved by Santa and her father and mother…and to be sad… no more….because great things were in store for her. He then motioned for Chet to step forward. ‘Chet,’ he said, ‘Would you like to see your dad again?’ Chet answered, ‘There is nothing that I want more!’ Carol came out from behind a pine tree and grinned and hugged his son. ‘Billy B….do you miss your father?’ Santa inquired? ‘I miss him all the day long,’ said Billy B. ‘Well…he has come to spend Christmas with you,’ said Santa.

That night in the woods in Eldorado…was magical. Santa told the children that he only had special powers during the Christmas Season and that things would return to their natural normal…on January the 1st. He noted that the natural normal…was what they chose it to be…and that the future was up to them…

Chet and Billy B. met at the door of the Third Grade classroom at Hillcrest School in December of 1963. Chet asked Billy B. if he recalled what had happened at the Christmas Pine Tree Decoration…last night? Billy B.said that his dad was staying with him and his mom…through the holidays…and that his father had told him how much that he missed him. Chet mentioned that he must have had a nightmare that his father, Carol, had passed away…as he had breakfast with him…this morning. Jane walked up with a massive smile on her pretty face. She said that she had not been so happy in a long time. She went on to say that her mom and dad were so happy…that it had made her happy…

Santa Claus awoke from a deep North Pole Slumber…the kind that he enjoyed just before…Christmas…

MJ and I were watching a show on Netflix which was a taped live performance of Steve Martin and Martin Short. It was exceedingly funny. We had purchased tickets to see the show live at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri on December 1, 2018…but it was just a few days prior to MJ’s back surgery and she was not able to attend. So we sent Aaron and Jonathon and Dawn and another lovely person to the performance in our place. I have not laughed so much…in a long while. The jokes were so plentiful that it is difficult to remember them all but needless to say it was almost impossible for us to catch our breath from the sustained laughter…

Steve Martin is a proficient and professional banjo player. He has played for fifty years. I noticed the look on his face completely changed when he began to play…the comedy was over…and he was patiently immersed in his musical craft. As I watched him play I thought of how patient a person must be to become good at what they do. It seems that there is nothing that is valuable in life…that does not come to us without daily dedicated work.

I began as a manager in the Building Services department…with fear and trepidation. I simply knew that I had a high percentage chance of failing at what I perceived was a job that was much too big for my meager abilities. For the first year, I was nauseated each day when I reported for work. But I did not give up. I double my efforts and worked harder and longer and determined that I would immerse myself in every aspect of the large housekeeping department and become as much a master of each…as I had the ability to do so.

Writing has been a primary retirement project for me. I am closing in on 11 years retired…and I treat my writing like my employer is expecting daily production. If I take a day off of my writing…I feel that I have missed my mission…I have neglected my passion…I have failed to patiently apply myself to my chosen retirement craft…

Sadly there seems to be a spirit in our nation today of ‘Live fast and die young…and make a beautiful corpse.’ Or to be more specific there is the misplaced vision that if I can just purchase the right Lottery Ticket…my troubles will be over. I am dismayed that it is difficult to find young people who will not mow grass or wash dishes or work as laborers. I thought that this was a myth…but I am beginning to believe that it is reality. The old saying that, ‘When I was a kid…I walked two miles to school and two miles back home…in four feet of snow…,’ is tiring…but somewhat true. The greatest leaders…have humbly served others. My older colleagues said that you have to pay your dues. When that working spirit is lost…we are in decline as a nation…

Billy B. was excited when he thought of Christmas 1971. He and Chet were freshmen in high school and both wondered if they would be drafted once they graduated in less than four years. Gene, Billy B.’s cousin had been drafted directly after he completed his senior year at Eldorado High School…and Danny, his cousin Brenda’s fiance, had been drafted as well. Chet and Billy B. were not above Holiday adventures and in fact, had planned a Christmas Party with Jane and Sally for that night. It would be a Christmas Eve Party…and they had already sub-contracted Lanny, who had been in some scrapes with the law, to provide the Peppermint Schnaps and Vodka for the festivities. Billy B. had erected a magnificent aluminum Christmas Tree with a multi-colored light strobing on it. Each party participant was to bring a Secret Santa gift. The Party was to be held in the high school auditorium and Lanny…and Daryl had borrowed the 12 foot tall Santa that stood outside the bank on the town square. Twelve foot Santa was extremely difficult to get into the doors of the auditorium and so they had to remove the center post between the doors to facilitate the entry of the giant elf.

And a new one just begun

I hope you have fun

The old and the young

For black and for white (if you want it)

Sixty-eight degrees makes for a nice November 8th. A gentle breeze is blowing and the multicolored leaves are yielding their place on the branch. Today…it is difficult to imagine that winter is around the corner. I think of our canine family…two of which were still with us at this time last year. They appreciated the nice weather. The Boston Terriers did not like the cold…no fur. We had little jackets for both of them…that they proudly wore on cold days. They did not like rain. The only way to convince them to do their business outside was to accompany them…until the mood struck them. When Aaron lived in Fishers, Indianna we often took Brody along with us to visit his brother. He was 11 then…and still a flirt with the ladies… He pranced down the long hallway to Aaron’s apartment and stopped right at the proper door. He knew where his favorite human resided…

Travel plans warm my heart. I think about them on a daily basis. They are somewhat like the Holiday Season…half of the fun is in the anticipation. I have always loved travel….even from my much younger years. I recall traveling with our good friends, Faye and Steve, for many two-day vacations. We took two-day vacations…because we could not afford three. Steve and I worked together at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale…on the evening shift. We decided on more than one occasion to leave directly after our shift concluded rather than wait for daylight to dawn. We enjoyed traveling at night…which now that I have entered the Golden Years…I no longer enjoy it. Simply staying overnight in a hotel was an adventure for me. I had grown up in Eldorado, Illinois…and the big event for me was our once-a-year journey to the DuQuoin State Fair…and we did not spend the night.

Maine is a destination of prominence for we Brooks. We have been there 4 times and are planing the 5th for 2022. I think that Maine is my favorite State in our Country. When I am there…I feel at home. MJ is calling the Ocean Point Inn @ East Boothbay to book our late September too early October stay. That may seem like a long way off…but it is right down my alley…as I will think and meditate on it daily until the time of departure is at hand. We particularly enjoy staying at the Ocean Point Inn…it is right on the Atlantic shore. ‘Founded in 1898 by Captian Edward Burnham, the Inn started with 20 rooms and a 40-seat dining room. The Main House and Annex (today’s Inn and Lodge) offered ‘rooms with electric lights and access to public bathrooms.’ For a number of years the Main House itself was the Ocean Point General Store and Post Office. Guests would journey to Ocean Point by steamship, train, taxi or motor car over log roads.’ Ocean Point Inn & Resort.

Edinburgh, Scotland was one of our favorite destinations…in 2016. We want to return but not until the Fringe Festival is held again, in August and along with the Military Tatoo that is held at Edinburgh Castle. The Signature Event at Edinburgh in 2016 was a Tour of Haunted Edinburgh. We enjoyed the experience so much that we have booked a tour of the Haunted Lemp Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri. This ‘Black Friday’ excursion will be accompanied by a night in the Lemp Mansion as well as dinner in the home.

Scenery change is good for the soul. Something to look forward to…lifts the spirit. When I am in Maine…I feel like Brody did when he visited Aaron…I hurry down the long hallway to the spot that is my home…in spirit…

Thanksgiving was only 18 days away. Jane was busily making lists and shopping for just the right food items to make the festive feast a Horn of Plenty for all of her and Billy B.’s family. There would be roasted turkey and Honeybaked Ham…and mashed potatoes that would be created by her loving brother…as he made the best mashed potatoes in three counties. Billy B. and J.D. had erected the Christmas Tree a week before Turkey Day…as had been their custom since the Pandemic.

Today is pleasant and mild. We had a thoughtful church service this morning where Pastor Kerry spoke of stewardship and its many facets. I have heard it said that where a person’s heart is…is where you will find them spending time and resources. Indeed…there are many ways to help your fellow congregants and your fellow women and men. I think that the mission outreach of our little First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, Illinois…was one of the first things that captured my heart. Words are wonderful…but actions speak for themselves. ‘And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warm and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth profit?’ James 2:6. KJV

My friend, Rob, spoke of the scripture where the man buried the talent that had been given him by his master…in the earth. I have been guilty of this folly. Rob pointed out that all of the talents that had been given to the servant… were intact and not diminished…in the earth. It is so easy to say and believe that others are more talented and gifted and adept at the ministry to the needy… But the reality is that every one of us is made out of the same substance and all of us are children of God and helpers of each other. There is not a person who has been given the gift of life who does not have a gift to share with their brothers and sisters.

Miracles greet us every morning. We are not ordinary. Each of us is unique in all of Creation. We are all part of the Grand Human Story. Do you know someone who is hungry? Buy them some groceries. Do you know someone who is helpless? Help them find warmth and a roof over their head. Do you know someone who is sad and lonely? Make that person your focus for friendship. The Apostle Paul said that we peer through a glass…dimly… But…one day…the picture will be clear. We will see why we were placed on earth and how well we used our…talent…

Aaron began MJ and my day with breakfast biscuits from Hardees. It is a beautiful fall day. We made our Sams Journey this afternoon and purchased a little Bullit Rye for slow sipping…after all, it is the Holiday Season. MJ also bought 12 Mary’s Restaurant tickets…and I knew that we were on for our Christmas Eve Dinner at our favorite Southern Illinois Eatery. Carsie Blanton is live now… online…and she is a wonderful singer and songwriter. If you have not heard her…Google her…she is one of my favorites and has a unique voice and is a courageous social activist for poor and disenfranchised people.

So, everything is not centered around politics or religion or our much-needed technology and infrastructure needs. Many of us admire Religious Studies and Political Science and Chemistry and Engineering and Technology…some of us are Liberal Arts. We love literature and art and creative writing and music and Social Work…and Theatre. We walk a mile to hear a good poem…or hear a Jazz Quartet…or a philosopher speak to us about the meaning of life.

Nature is important. It is where we live. The earth is our only home…we have nowhere else to go. When we die…we return to the very soil that we seem to have little concern about…at present. When I say we are not all into religion or politics…I expressly mean the faux religions of cultism and separation of people. We are not into the politics of hate and fear and the idolatry of conspiracy theory…

Heart emerges as the focal point of so many of us. We go out into our world each day looking for good things to happen. We look to love people…we look for people to love us…we seek an understanding heart and a listening ear…and an open soul… Kind eyes are a winning therapy for the soul. Mental health is real and relevant for every human being. We all are connected by inextricable cords…and we run into significant mental issues and physical issues and emotional maladies…when we seek to sever the cords that we were born with and which are meant for our peaceful and happy survival as we travel home…

Creativity is a gift that we all have. Creative human efforts wrote every song that we enjoy. The spirit of creation wrote the Bible and gathered countless millions to the following of its writings. We read our stories and we are inspired and we are transported and we love our fellow man and woman and child…and those who look different than us or love different than us… or who worship differently than us…or who speak another language…we suddenly realize…are us…

We are here…and then we are gone…be kind along the way…

‘The body turns to dirt…but love goes on and on,’ is a verse from a Carsie Blanton song…

Christmas was only a few days away and Billy B. was ready. He and Chet were planning a Christmas Party that would be like none that anyone had ever experienced. Jane and Sally were coming as well as Daryl and his dad who was the third-grade teacher…and who liked to be called the Wiz. Also, Jeff C. and Jimmy were coming and Lanny…his neighbor. They were going to have it in the Assembly Hall of Washington School and Neva Jane and Thelma had been decorating for a week…it seemed. The Holiday Party was for grades 1-3…and even Mrs. Blackwell was smiling when she heard of the festivities. There was going to be Christmas Punch and Pudding made from recipes that Billy B.’s mom had given to her by her mother who was from England. Along with the Pudding and Punch would be all sorts of English Meat Pies and a roasted goose. Thelma, Chet’s mother, had hired Bill Winters, the town mechanic, to dress up as Santa Claus and surprise the kids. He had a wonderfully authentic red suit and his own homegrown long white beard that rested on his chest. When he laughed his ‘Santa Laugh’ his ’round little belly shook like a bowl full of jelly.’

Lanny, who was a freshman at Eldorado High School, had promised something special for the Christmas Punch…Billy B. shook his head knowingly…but he really did not know. Many of the 1st-grade class were attending as Santa’s Elves…and they had practiced a dance routine to accentuate the Christmas Vision. Chet had decided that he was going to ask Santa for a pocket watch for Christmas. He had wanted one since he had seen the English Detective, Sherlock Holmes, pull one out of his watch pocket in the movie, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Chet was coming as Sherlock Holmes and his English Bulldog was going to accompany him as the famous detective’s side-kick…Dr. Watson. Of course the Christmas Pary…was a Costume Party…

Jane was excited as she stood by the door of the Assembly Hall just before the Party was to begin. She told Billy B., as he walked up, that Santa could not make it…as he was down with the flu. ‘What are we going to do, Jane asked? Chet winked and said, ‘We will improvise!’ So the fun began with the authentic English dinner and was finished with the Flaming Plum Pudding. Throughout the three-course meal, Billy B. had continued to pour his guests more of the wonderful punch. When the music began it was, ‘Santa Claus is coming to town,’ and indeed at that moment the large double doors swung open and in came the happiest Santa that anyone in the auditorium had ever seen… Walking in front of Santa Claus was Daryl’s Dad, The Wiz, as he led him to the great chair that had been provided for Bill Winters…before he became ill. In Mr. Claus’s entourage were 12 elves and 12 reindeer…who were doing a lot of snorting and pawing at the floor of the magnificent room. Santa called out to Chet, ‘Bring me a cup of your outstanding Christmas Punch…Chet!’ Chet gave him a 12-ounce tumbler full…and he brought the pitcher that had enough of Lanny’s fortified Punch…for 3 more refills…

Santa seemed to be feeling in the Christmas Spirit after his third tumbler full of Punch. He asked Chet what he wanted for Christmas and Chet replied…’Not a Red Rider BB Gun…but a pocket watch like Sherlock Holmes had in the movie’. Santa laughed and said…’Would you like a magical pocket watch?’ Chet said that he would be most pleased to own a magical pocket watch. Santa reached into his great red coat and pulled out a glistening gold pocket watch and handed it to Chet. Suddenly Chet awakened and saw that he was in his own comfortable bed and covered with a heavy quilt…and he had apparently dreamed the entire Christmas Party event…but a glistening gold pocket watch lay on his night-stand.

The walkers are out in Little Egypt. Abundant sunshine and cool and crisp autumn air is an excellent prescription for what ails you. We had the first freeze of the season, last night. Grass cutting will soon be over. We enjoyed Polar Whip double-loaded cheeseburgers for lunch accompanied by fried green beans. Polar Whip, in Herrin, Illinois, is 90 years old. As Samuel L. Jackson’s character said in the movie ‘Pulp Fiction’…they make a ‘Tasty Burger.’ Of course, a ‘Tasty Burger’ is what many of us are seeking.

A former boss of mine loved to pan for gold. He went out west and spent countless days engaged in the possibility of discovering small nuggets of the precious metal. About that same time, I purchased a Tom Clark Gnome of an ecstatic seeker of gold…with his head thrown back and a wide and open smile on his face…as he held his pan with gold in it…

Some of our richest fellow citizens are seeking the mystery of space. If you are very wealthy you could book passage on their rockets for a 12-minute ride…of a lifetime. We all are looking for something that we do not have…including the singer Jimmy Buffett…who is looking for his lost shaker of salt…

Dissatisfaction is part of our DNA. We want to see what we have not seen and hear what we have not heard…and become who we are not. Courage and purpose and a sense of place propelled us to leave England and seek a new home in the Americas. The story of Thanksgiving is the story of inclusion. and working together…for a bit… ‘In the fall of 1621, 90 Wampanoag Indians and 52 English colonists gathered for a three-day harvest feast. How did Americans get from that celebration to the Thanksgiving ‘traditions’ we observed today?’ The Christian Science Monitor

‘We as native people [traditionally] have thanksgiving as a daily, ongoing thing,’ says Linda Coombs, associate director of the Wampanoag program at Plimoth Plantation. ‘Every time anybody went hunting or fishing or picked a plant, they would offer a prayer or acknowledgment.’ But for the 52 colonist-who had experienced a year of disease, hunger, and diminishing hopes-their bountiful harvest was cause for a special celebration to give thanks.’ The Christian Science Monitor

Seeking is a part of our lifestyle…and has been ratcheted up by the uncertainty that surrounds us. Two years of our Pandemic has all of us on a knifes edge. and we have been sitting under the Sword of Damocles for the entire time. The January 6 Innsurection at our Capitol was disconcerting and a semi-permanent placement in the land of Conspiracy Theory. Last evening I was watching a newscast that there are a significant group of people who traveled to Dallas, Texas to await the resurrection of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr….who they believe will run with Donald Trump in the next election. Some of us are seeking bizarre places and fantastical fantasies…

Stories are immensely enjoyable and refreshing and enlightening. We live for stories. We toil and labor and sweat to provide a wonderful story for our kids and our loved ones…

‘Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ Luke 24: 5-7. KJV