Last night we experienced a phenomena that last occurred thirty-three years ago.  The moon was a super moon and was closest to the earth in its oblong orbit.  The eclipse was the last in a series of four eclipse that spanned two years.  This unusual event can happen as often as twice in a century or it can skip a few centuries.  It is often called a Blood Moon due to the red orange color it becomes when it is in the Earth’s shadow.  Some religious leaders believe that the tetrad or occurrence of four eclipse within two years signals an event is going to occur that will change the world forever.  They point to several Biblical prophecies that state that the “moon will be turned to blood” in the end time.

Irvin Baxter who runs End-time Ministries in Plano, Texas notes that, “…Previous tetrads have had stark consequences for Jewish people.  The Spanish Inquisition took place before the tetrad of 1493-94.  The tetrad of 1949-50 occurred just after the founding of Israel.  The tetrad of 1967-1968 occurred as the Six Day War was fought in Jerusalem.”

John Hagee of John Hagee Ministries is on record since 2008 in saying the current tetrad signals major change.

NASA says not to worry about the current Blood Moon phenomenon as they know of no comet or asteroid currently on a collision course with Earth.

I can say that it was fascinating to observe.  A cosmological occurrence like the eclipse last night once again assures humanity that we are very small in an extremely large, complex, beautiful, and mysterious universe.  Yet, although we are small we have the ability to contemplate our position, place, and mission in something so much greater than us.

It was with great excitement and some fear that our family visited the storied city of New York fifteen years ago.  We called it our Great Eastern Vacation…and indeed at that time in our lives it was probably the most ambitious  journey that we had embarked upon accept for our Great Western Vacation, but that is for another blog.  One of the first things that I noticed was that traffic on the streets of Manhattan did not seem to follow any particular recognized rules of the road.  Car horns were honking  constantly…many times at me…and virtually all of my fellow drivers were either taxis, limos, police cruisers, or buses.  Many of the taxis appeared to be especially beat-up.  As I was attempting to park in front of a hotel, to check on reservation availability, a limo driver jumped out of his vehicle and began to vehemently curse the car just in front of me that had taken his perceived parking spot.  Whereupon the angry chauffeur then saw a friend of his and suddenly ceased cursing and greeted him warmly.  Mary Jane hurried into a Days Inn, the third hotel we had sought reservations at, while I tentatively waited with Aaron and Jonathon.  When she returned to tell me that we had reservations for the night but that the price went up June the first…I responded that whatever the price we must book the room for the second night and get off the road before we had an automobile accident.

The unusual sights and sounds of the city were almost overwhelming to our rural eyes.  Staying near Times Square and Broadway we traversed the evening streets and I was struck by the empirical fact that all of the major television news networks were within a few blocks of each other.  We passed many homeless and one poor soul who had a sign around his neck that stated people could curse him for a dollar.

Just the noise of the fire trucks and the crush of humanity below our hotel window was a sensory experience unlike anything in the mid-west.  Frank Sinatra sang that he wanted to wake up in the city that never sleeps…and I finally realized what he meant.  The excitement of being at the nexus of the financial and entertainment world in the United States was a strange and compelling elixir.

We attended our first Broadway show, “Taller than a Dwarf” with Matthew Broderick and Parker Posey.  As we sat just a few rows back from the front I looked to my right and there was Leonard Nimoy setting in the row adjacent to mine on the other side of the aisle.  As we walked back to our hotel after the conclusion of a wonderful production, although it seemed the critics did not agree, either Aaron or Jonathon exclaimed that Kevin Bacon and his wife Kyra Sedgwick had just walked passed us.  Low and behold it was the famous couple and so we did what country people do and stared from a distance at them.  As more tourists noticed who they were they quickly hailed a taxi and departed the area.

June 1, ‘2000’ was our bus tour of New York with the highlight being a tour of the World Trade Center. We toured the South Tower.  I noticed that I felt strangely uneasy the entire time that I was in the tower.  I had no idea why and usually I am not given to feelings of trepidation.  One year and three months and ten days later…the horrific tragedy of 9-11 occurred.  We all wondered if the tour that we had taken just a short time before was in the South Tower that sad morning.  We also thought of the many employees that we had seen and encountered and knew that certainly many of them lost their lives in the horrific tragedy.

As I watched the Republican candidates for President debate last night I could not help but wonder, where have all the Statesmen gone.  The posturing, preening, and pandering of the majority of the unwieldy group would be somewhat entertaining if you were watching a comic movie…but quickly becomes frightening when the reality is that one of the narcissistic cadre will be the Republican candidate for President of the United States.  How has our great nation lowered it’s aspirations for the preeminent elected leader of our country to the basement level of applauding bigotry and misogyny as admired speech in the spirit of the candidate being bold and saying what he thinks?  How is it that a candidate breaking unions and putting thousands of workers on the street or forcing members of the working middle class, which is the backbone of our country, into minimum wage jobs… progressive policies and courageous leadership?

As we all know from our ninth grade civics class our government is designed by our founding fathers to be shared power.  The writers of our constitution did not want another king.  Thus they designed political decision making to be collaborative or a compromise system.  There is supposed to be a middle ground that statesmen and stateswomen can agree together for the good of our collective endeavor where each side gain some of their initiatives and loose others or modify them.

A prime example of dysfunction in government is our current Illinois mess.  Although we are supposed to have a new budget July first we have yet to have even the outlines of an agreement.  Our local University, Southern Illinois University, fears massive layoffs and course reductions while much of state services are being mandated by the courts to be paid at last year’s spending levels…resulting in the very real possibility of an eight to twelve billions dollar deficit by the end of the fiscal year.  The deficit being compounded dramatically due to our new Governor Rauner’s allowing state taxes to be reduced costing the states coffers over five billion dollars.  This fiscal nightmare is magnified by the fact that Illinois was, with the additional taxes, three to five billions dollars in deficit.

It was announced a couple of days ago that since there is no budget the state will soon cease to pay all employees and retirees health, dental, and vision insurance claims that are state funded.  This places the price of our elected leaders intransigence and fiscal malfeasance squarely on the backs of the poor working class citizens of Illinois.

The late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois was a Statesman.  Toward the end of his life my wife and I were at a book signing whereupon he greeted us warmly and inquired as to how we were doing.  When Mary Jane, who had gone back to school and earned her masters degree at age 40, mentioned that she was looking for work commensurate with her recent Workforce Education masters degree he asked her to make an appointment with his assistant for him to talk with her in his office at Southern Illinois University, where he would see if could help her.  Now let me say that we did not know the Senator other than he being a member as we were of the SIU community nor had we worked in one of his campaigns or donated any money to his political causes.  Senator Simon had been out of politics for several years and had become the Director of the Public Policy Institute at SIU.  This Statesman was respected on both sides of the aisle during his years in the Senate and at his funeral both Senator Edward Kennedy and Senator Alan Simpson spoke eloquently regarding Paul Simon’s political skills and his love for humanity.

Speaking your mind and the courage of convictions is indeed important in politics and as a mark of a strong leader.  President Ronald Reagan told Soviet Premier Gorbachev to, “Tear down this Wall,” and something great occurred that benefited humanity.  President Lyndon Johnson spoke his mind and the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 became the law of the land and we all our better for it.  Dr. Martin Luther King had a Dream…and was spat upon…and jailed…and killed…and he changed our world for the better.

Let each of us as voters…and the people responsible for our lawmakers and Chief Executive ponder our responsibility to obtain the leadership that we deserve.

As I look through the numerous pictures that I captured while on St. John I thought that I must share a few more with you.

I neglected to mention in my last post that one of the most exciting adventures of visiting St. John is the extremely hilly and winding…sharp hair-pin curved roads.  Our host Sam excelled in driving the challenging trails and throughly added to our holiday enjoyment

We lunched one day at a local favorite restaurant, Crazy Legs, which was a unique experience with delicious food and drink.  The burgers were exceptional and the Pain Killers effective.

The preponderance of large lizards on the island was not only enjoyable but nice company in the tropical paradise.  

Have you ever seen water so crystal clear that it appears to be dream like rather than reality?  The water surrounding St. John, Virgin Islands has that ethereal quality.  Last month we enjoyed a week’s stay with our dear friends on an island that truly can be likened to paradise.

The last three pictures were taken around the British Virgin Islands and I found the boulder that looks like a skull intriguing.  We traveled on a catamaran named the Bad Kitty to the British Virgin Islands where our friends scuba dived.  We also wadded ashore on to Jost Van Dyke, BVI to experience the home of the world renowned caribbean drink, The Pain Killer, at the Bar it was invented, The Soggy Dollar.  Although we had our mouths set for the original Pain Killer our captain admonished us to try the newest invention of the Soggy Dollar, the Nilla Killer.  So…when the captain gives an order…the crew must obey.  The Pain Killer’s ingredients are, premium dark rum, Cream of Coconut, Pineapple and orange juice, of which the proportions are secret, topped with fresh Grenadian nutmeg.  The Nilla Killer appears to be a vanilla pain killer.

The atmosphere is profoundly relaxing…or island time…as the friendly islanders say.  Truly this is a place that you can forget all of you cares and woes and where you may not want to leave.

On the next to last night of our stay at St. John we had dinner at the most wonderful restaurant with a resplendent view.

St. John is the kind of destination that gets into your thoughts and spirit…and will not let go.  It is such a different life than we enjoy on the mainland that it is compelling in it’s intricate simplicity.

For the past five years we have been making an annual trek to Destin, Florida.  Sweet members of our family have graciously invited us each year to join them in this idyllic location of the globe.  Except as a child, when I throughly enjoyed swimming at our local ” swimming hole” (Pounds Hollow), I have spent the preponderance of my adult life in air conditioned comfort.  I have admired those brave souls that love beach life…but have not until recently been an active participant.  That began to transform in the late spring of 2011 when I encountered the cool white sands and emerald green water of the Gulf of Mexico at Destin.  There is a peaceful essence associated with the sand and surf of this now highly sought out location.  I have noticed a subtle spell engulfs me upon my arrival each year.  One of the signs of the coming of the magic is less worry, more smiling, and more reading, under the expertly placed umbrellas and chase lounges strategically located by the proficient, friendly staff.

As you lounge in shaded comfort and gaze upon the endless emerald sea you cannot help but reflect on the enormity of God’s creation and your good fortune to be a part of it.  Problems that seemed immense suddenly appear in their proper perspective.  You know there is a reason we humans seek to live near water…it’s therapeutic properties are infinite.

As you can see sometimes it was a little stormy…but that was no problem as it only added to the mystery.

One of my favorite walking paths on the Campus of Southern Illinois University is the path around the Campus Lake.  Even though I have traversed the well worn trails for many years…yet they constantly seem new to me.  I am struck with the paradox that has happened many times before and once again is occurring.  The Sate of Illinois is in an abysmal budgetary mess.  This has happened primarily do to the poor management and oversight of previous and current governors and legislatures.  Although extreme budget cuts have been transpiring since the latter 1980s until the present, the latest proposal by new governor Rauner is a draconian cut in excess of 30% for the SIU Carbondale Campus.  This unconscionable  proposal, should it be endorsed by the legislature, will leave such gaping holes in the quality of education that students receive, and the support systems in place to ensure that quality, that the deterioration of the  continued academic viability of the University will become a forgone conclusion.

Southern Illinois University, in days gone by, was often referred to as the second jewel in the crown of Illinois.  The first jewel in the crown was the University of Illinois.  In 1948 Southern Illinois Normal welcomed a new president Delyte Morris.  Dr. Morris transformed what was a small teacher’s college into an internationally respected University with a campus at Edwardsville, Illinois, a Medical School at Springfield, a Dental School at Alton, and a School of Law on the Carbondale Campus.  His plan for vitality and growth included reaching out in the very impoverished southern Illinois region to people who had not been thought of as candidates for a college degree, and causing blue collar families and farming families to send their first generation children to SIU.  This happened while at the same time students from over seventy nations attended the beautiful rural Carbondale Campus.  SIU became a miracle of academic growth and quality and fulfilled the vision of a college education for everyone who sought it…and not just the privileged elites.  This vision exemplified by the G. I. Bill and the strength of character of former statesmen of the past was seen as nothing less than the key to the future success of our nation.

The spring fever that is two fold is first the extreme thoughtless budget cuts brought forward by our elected leaders…with no rationale thought as to the outcome coupled with the paralyzing fear in the hearts of students, faculty, and staff as to their academic and financial well being.  While the second example of spring fever on the Campus is much more settled and unchanging…that being the beauty of nature on an exquisite Campus.

As I have written in an earlier blog Dr. Morris was as concerned about the beauty of the natural surrounding of SIU Carbondale as he was about it’s academic strength.  SIU’s spring beauty illustrates the optimism of a famous campus that was built where no one thought it could exist and the cycles of that natural beauty are not subject to the political whims or hidden agendas of fickle politicians.

For the past fifteen or more years our family has made our annual trek to St. Charles, Missouri the Friday after Thanksgiving for the profound purpose of entering the Christmastide of Charles Dickens.  St. Charles is the third oldest city in Missouri and was founded in 1769.  It was the first capitol of Missouri from 1821 to 1826.  Its’ cobblestone streets and quaint ancient shops are a joy to behold at any time of the year but the festivities surrounding Christmas add an ethereal glow to the hamlet.

In an effort many years ago to escape the crush of shoppers and general stress associated with Black Friday we visited for our first time in the late 90’s.  Our spirits were elevated, when we had no more than began our day, by being encountered by Tiny Tim and his doting father Bob Cratchit.  The streets were adorned with victorian Christmas decorations, marching bands, and carolers.  Have you ever tried roasted chestnuts?  A tall man in authentic attire for the time is roasting them in what I am sure must be the manner prescribed in victorian England.

Children and children at heart eyes sparkle as they interact with the many diverse characters depicted including numerous Santa Claus, St. Nick, and others from all over the world.

After attending for many years we thought our sons must surely be tired of the same destination each year and decided not to go.  We quickly found that they were not only disappointed but indeed some of the shine from our Christmas festivities had been diminished by our untoward abrupt change.  Nevertheless we returned the next year and every year since.  Aaron and Jonathon are now in their thirties…but still we look forward to our annual holiday tradition of St. Charles.

The Christmas season is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year for a multitude of reasons but none more important than the additional effort…if but for a short while…of peace on earth and good will good will to our fellow pilgrims on our shared life journey.