It seems we were wishing each other Happy New Year a day or two ago. Now we look closely at the 6 month mark for 2024. We are a bit like the old silent movies where the actors move in hurried jerky motions. To outside observers, we must appear similar. The heat bakes our skin until the chilly winds of autumn soon arrive.

I heard recently that during our lives we are different people. Time and travail sun wind and rain mold us. The good news for we oldsters is that studies have shown that an aging brain is a brain full of experience and wisdom. We may get tongue-tied from time to time but we know where we are going and where we have been. Our fascination with our forgotten youth is a false hurdle that we have constructed on the track of our journey. We can be who we want to be. ‘Hope springs eternal in the human breast.

Today is reality. Tomorrow is hope. Yesterday was a lovely dream.

Nature affords a sense of place and time. We see ourselves as a player in the large theatrical production called Life. Nature illustrates the changes we go through.

Seek we do for others to understand our journey. Our story is unique and no one has it but us. Billions of images have crossed our field of vision. Sounds enter our ears constantly including the sound of silence. We are attuned to faces. Show us a new face and we will file the image away for further reference. Faces bring us comfort. Faces are like a mirror for our souls. In other’s eyes, we see ourselves.

We love a good story. Our lives are a story. Everything that moves us is based on a story. We follow our life’s road by our motivation of the stories we have heard and accepted as ours. Every trial comes down to who has the best story.

Political affiliations come from the stories that political parties and politicians tell. I heard the story of Christ and it warmed my heart. I felt and knew that there was truth in the love of Jesus. Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday or the birthday of the church. Church is a wonderful and peaceful place. Church is where we learn and absorb the story of, ‘beating our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks.’ The church is where we first hear the concept of the lion laying down with the lamb and nothing will hurt or destroy in my holy mountain sayeth the Lord.’

We desire faith. We want to believe in something bigger than we are.

Today’s world is full of extenuating circumstances. Acceptance and love is the answer. Acceptance of ourselves is what we seek. Acceptance of others who are different than we are is what we want if we follow Carpenter’s message. Deleting people or ignoring those who do not believe like us is not the message of peace.

A young man sat in the back pew at church. He emanated the air of humility. He sang the songs from the hymnal and his eyes searched the congregation for acceptance. It was a bit obvious that he had been dismissed and marginalized many times. His clothes were marked by soil. He parked his bicycle by the front doors.

I vividly recall walking through the little village of Elkville with pants that were termed ‘High Waters’ as I was tall and had grown out of them. My friends had fine cars and I had none. I was hungry and was ashamed to admit it. I felt like a failure and worked every day often 16 and more hours per day. It is easy to feel that no one cares and wonders why you do not have more. Alone is your companion. Want and deprivation is a constant reality.

Do we love the mentally ill? Is the stranger welcome in our midst? Is our story targeted to the elite and financially secure or do we have a message for the downtrodden and forgotten?

Political life and the crowning of those who are rich have been elevated to a leadership plotline in our story. Are we perceived as an elite club of the educated and well-off while we bemoan our shrinking congregational base?

We are comfortable…do we want to be uncomfortable for Christ?

It is hot in Little Egypt. Typical for the latter half of May. I was not a big fan of summer as a youngster as we had no air conditioning. When you have no AC and enter a business that has a drawing of Old Man Winter on the glass front door blowing cold air inside the Ben Franklin Dime Store on a hot June day you want to shop there often and marvel at the extreme chill as compared with the outside furnace.

That is where my love for Pounds Hollow began. When you were in the Pounds Hollow Lake it was heavenly. It did not matter if it was 100 degrees as long as you were immersed in the natural cool waters. It was another world. I was not a sports enthusiast but I loved swimming. When floating your ears are covered by the friendly waters and all of the world is yours.

‘Let’s swim out into the deep waters,’ Chet said with a gleeful laugh. ‘I have heard that there is a door in the woods on the other side of the Lake,’ he added.

‘What a fine red door,’ Jane said as she decided to swim into the dark deep with Chet and Billy B. ‘Who would have built a door in the woods and painted it red,’ she asked?

‘I swear it looks like the door to a church I attended many years ago,’ Neva J said with amazement! ‘For my memory, the Red Door could not be opened,’ she continued. ‘I always wondered what was behind the Red Door,’ Neva J said mysteriously.

‘Come in good friends,’ an old man said as he pulled the Red Door open.’ ‘I am Billy B and I have been waiting a long while for you…’

I was talking with a former colleague from my SIUC days this morning. Her reference to life was similar in many ways to mine. We are all more alike than we are different. We humans are cut from the same cloth. Believing we are special is a deception wrought by our ego.

I enjoyed the book Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen so much that I am reading it again. I have never read such a clear and accurate account of the devastation of the Nuclear War. The idea that deterrence is facilitated by which country has the most nuclear weapons is absurd. Our governments are a bit like Nero who fiddled while Rome burned.

Life’s Clock is ticking as we live lives of quite desperation. We want what we do not have and ignore the riches that surround us. I read a Washington Post article today that quoted a study that age is not a deterrent to leadership. Older folks are usually wiser and have more even temperaments. Forgetting someone’s name or the occasional word salad is not a marker for mental acuity.

Servant Leaders are needed! The clarion call goes forth for leaders who want to help others. Our world is full of Servant Leaders. People who give up their time and talents with no thought of remuneration or personal aggrandizement. When the spotlight is shining and the microphone is hot they are in the background working for their constituents. Most of us are not living in the fiery extremity of conservative or liberal passion. We have a sense of place.

Fight we do for our rights. Victory is a zero-sum game where one side wins and one side loses. We war with our neighbors to bring peace. We persecute those who are different from us to please our War-Like god. Millions are dying from hunger and we are fat from our Horn-Of-Plenty. Babies with bloated bellies stare at us with wide sad eyes. We erect Vomitoriums to purge our gluttony…

‘Oh my God we must get in the backyard bomb shelter now,’ Neva J screamed! ‘Grab the transistor radio and the batteries,’ she commanded! ‘The bombs will arrive in 6 minutes,’ she said with tears in her eyes.

‘I thought President Kennedy had made a deal with Kruscheve and that the missile scare was over,’ Billy B said. ‘Jane Chet get in the shelter…there is no time for you to return to your families,’ Billy B exhorted.

‘How did we come to this point what madness possessed us to believe that with all of the nuclear bombs that Russia and the United States have sooner or later one of us was going to try them out,’ Chet said. ‘The Nuclear Clock must surely be on Noon today,’ Chet whispered…

‘As I climbed into the shelter and shut the door there was such a brilliant light like the Sun at its zenith I stared at it a moment and now I can not see,’ Jane said…

‘I can not wait for school to be over,’ Jane said with a gleeful smile. ‘The Halloween in May idea is exciting we will all be able to wear our masks 5 months early and how they are constructed to fit over our heads we will not know who each other is,’ she continued. ‘I wonder if we would have peace on Earth if we all first met each other with our masks on and did not judge by our differences but rather from the content of our character as Dr. King said,’ Jane offered.

‘We are a bit parochial in our initial assessment of others and often do not take the time to know the people we encounter,’ Chet said. ‘The Star Trek model of various and very different intelligent life across our galaxy is not common on Earth,’ Chet continued. ‘Babies love each other for who they are and have no prejudice until they are taught to be so,’ he said with a gleam in his eye.

‘Some of my best friends are African Americans,’ Billy B noted. ‘They treat me with love and acceptance and no judgment,’ he said. ‘Political Parties are another false construct dividing people, Billy B observed. ‘Economic status is a horrible yoke to bear with those who are richer perceived to be better than those who are poor,’ he observed with a tear in his eye.

‘Women are discounted in our society when they can do anything that men do and often better,’ Neva J announced. ‘Their pay is less than men for the same job,’ she continued. ‘Men make laws governing women when they know little about them or what they endure,’ Neva J said softly.

‘My goodness this is fun I have no idea who you are but I am mesmerized by your wisdom,’ said Jane as she listened to the masked person. ‘Are you one of my classmates,’ she asked?

‘I sit next to you each day in class sometimes you do not see me,’ He said. ‘Once you told me that I had a voice like the ocean,’ He continued. ‘Some places at school I am welcome while other places I am not,’ He continued. ‘Often I sit next to you in the pew at church we sing merrily the hymns,’ He observed.

‘Why are you not welcome everywhere in school,’ Jane asked with wonder? ‘Certainly, you must be welcome at church,’ she asked with some passion!

‘My clothing is a bit rough at times I do not eat for a day or two,’ He said. ‘Congregants fear that I might be a panhandler or a terrorist,’ He said. ‘I am sad when the church members go to fellowship and I am not invited I would only eat a little and perhaps enjoy a cup of coffee…I love a good cup of coffee,’ He said.

‘Do you have a family,’ Jane asked beseechingly?

‘I bring my kids with me to church they love the uplifting music and the gospel message about us,’ He said. ‘They especially enjoy the scripture where Jesus said that if you are kind to the little ones you are kind to him,’ He said.

‘How would we recognize you when you are beside us without your mask,’
Chet asked?

‘My skin is bronze and I have a bit of an injury in both of my hands,’ He said…

Another rainy day in Little Egypt. I like it! I was pondering that I have witnessed both types of faith in Christianity. There is the school of thought that we Christians are not of this world and thus what is going on around us is not our problem. We are either looking for Heaven as our home or for Christ to set up an Earthly Kingdom that he will rule and reign over which the wolf will lie down with the lamb and none shall hurt or destroy. I have heard ministers say that lying is alright if you are trying to perform God’s Business. This is a slippery slope as was exemplified by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his posse standing to defend having sex with a prostitute and then paying hush money to cover the affair up to protect the Presidential candidate’s chances of winning the election. Mr. Johnson and his groupies then said by rote their disdain for the justice system and their hatred of the Judge’s daughter. Now indeed the former President is innocent until proven guilty but the automaton pronouncements of several congressmen and women as well as senators each morning to get around the judge’s gag order is an abdication of Christian principles and fidelity to the justice system under which we all abide.

Or, Christians can be so Earthly minded that they are bound to their surroundings education, and the concreteness of reality. It is difficult to factor in the guidance of the Holy Spirit which is throughout the Bible into mundane daily affairs and church life. Indeed when we pray we are talking to a being whom we do not see with our eyes.

The eroding of Christian principles and allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which it stands is dangerous. We have become a society obsessed with winning at any cost. Principles that just a short time ago we revered and ran from political candidates who did not abide by them are now thrown in the dustbin in favor of political expediency. The political Christian Soldiers marching off to war are marching in the wrong direction.

One of the first critical life skills I learned was to tell the truth. I found it was a good habit especially if I did not go down the Lying Road of Perdition. Once you start lying it is difficult to recall being consistent with the lie you told when questioned regarding the prevarication. There was a time not so long ago when the truth had value. It still does in some venues. But, in many hallowed halls of our government and among the ‘Honorable’ elected leaders it has been twisted and melted down to suit the agenda of those who are manipulating the facts.

I had a friend once who chose to lie when the truth would have been easier. It could be said that perhaps my friend was fashioning fiction stories for further publication. Have you ever been lied to and when the person is caught in the untruth they simply switch lies to facilitate the first lie’s false veracity.

None of us like being lied to. We trust our colleagues friends and neighbors until we have the lie revealed. Then trust becomes the fungible fragile victim of the expediency of the moment. A former supervisor of mine told me that the first thing that he learned when he became a manager was that he had to ‘lie his ass off’ to survive.

So, the dog really did not eat your homework? Is it right to say that all politicians lie… it is right and just and God’s will to pick the liar that he is backing?

When January 6, 2021, happened it was for the most part agreed that it was not only terrible but an insurrection. The Event had few public backers. Now many of the guilty and in prison perpetrators are called hostages… Their claim is that they were defending their President from an election that was stolen from him.

Lies can be terribly effective…

‘School is almost over or as Neva J says…’ Schools out teacher let the monkeys out,’ said Billy B. The next few days will be like the beginning of summer vacation only with the restrictions of being in school during the day,’ he continued.

‘The trip to Giant City State Park yesterday was exciting,’ Jane exclaimed! ‘I especially enjoyed eating fried chicken at the Lodge and seeing George sitting by the bar,’ Jane laughed. ‘He spoke to me and asked me what I was studying and if I had been hiking,’ she stated.

‘I told George that I was searching for a walking stick and he directed me to a new bunch that had just come in and were laying next to the checkout counter,’ Neva J said with a laugh. ‘He reminded me of my brother Gene and is a funny old guy,’ she said with a wink and a nod.

‘George helped me pick out a walking stick that was just my size, you know that they are supposed to come up to your chest,’ Daryl noted. ‘He left his chair by the bar and walked into the main lobby of the Lodge and visited with everyone that came in until I finished my chicken dinner he is a big hit with the Lodge visitors,’ he added.

‘George is a facsimile of a country gentleman,’ Chet said. ‘Not so long ago he would have been called a ‘Dummy’ like Charlie McArthy or Mortimer Snerd, Chet said. ‘He is not real…he adds color to the establishment he is for fun and a conversation starter,’ he added with a sly grin.

‘Well I don’t know about Charlie McArthy of Mortimer but George is coming for dinner tonight and we should be on our best behavior,’ Neva J admonished. ‘He said that all of his family except his sister have gone on to their reward and at times when the restaurant is closed he gets a bit lonely,’ Neva J noted.

‘George is bringing his only family member who is still living with him, he says she works at an antique store in Murphysboro,’ Chet said with a grin.

‘George’s sister works in retail while he works in Hospitality,’ Chet laughed…

It was a lovely Mother’s Day in Little Egypt. We all want our Mothers to be proud of us. We seek their approval. We desire their blessing. After all, they are the first to teach us how to negotiate the hurdles in our confusing world. We were not born with our combat boots on or our briefcase in our hands. We came here crying and using the restroom in our diaper. We might still be doing what we did in the beginning if it were not for Mom. Mom thought we were the most handsome or pretty baby that had ever been born. She knew we were possibly geniuses by the way our eyes followed her as she made our oatmeal. We did not know if it was day or night and Mom stayed up with us until we learned the secret. As the new mother on Seinfeld said to Jerry Kramer George and Elaine…’You got to see the baby!’ Now the actual sight of ‘The Baby’ brought cringes and turning away from the figure with Kramer pronouncing that ‘The Baby’ looked like Lyndon Johnson…

I often marvel at MJ’s love and concern for Aaron and Jonathon. She is a wonderful mother. MJ taught our sons at home for several years for them to have some time with me due to my working nights. I was looking at her today as we sat for lunch at Feather Hills Winery and I said to Jonathon and Aaron, ‘What a pretty lady mom is.’

When I look back on MJ and my life I know that I could not have made it without her. She has always been there for me. In my darkest days, she has been a constant light.

A Lighthouse is known for its beacon. MJ is the beacon for our Lighthouse…

MJ and I were at Mary Jane’s restaurant in Cape Girardeau, Missouri around noon and marveled at how busy they were. MJ remarked that it probably was a good day to be out of Carbondale due to it being Commencement and also the Saturday before Mother’s Day. It was not long before I noticed that many of the large groups in Mary Jane’s were a mixture of the old and the young with the young having a look of accomplishment on their bright faces and the old having the proud misty eyes of parents and grandparents at the accomplishments of their progeny. The University is across the street from the restaurant.

A young woman had a tiara pronouncing her accomplishment of graduation. I reflected on the joy of youth and all that may be coming. The easy laughter of the graduates was musical. The watchful relieved eyes of the parents said much.

When I was a graduate age I was often told to enjoy my youth as life passes rapidly. That seemed an adage of the elderly. Now I know it is true.

Life is a bit like driving to Cape Girardeau in that it seems longer to arrive at your destination than the time it takes to drive back home. I recall how many events in life seemed interminably long when I was anticipating them, but the time of them has compressed into minutes rather than years as I look back down the road.

Forward we look throughout our lives. We strive to accomplish the next task. We hope at the end of the day we can wear the tiara and the cap and gown. We will look for our parents and our grandparents too as we proudly and humbly enter the next phase of life.