I was fascinated by a documentary on HBO last night that was based on the book by Lawrence Wright entitled Going Clear regarding the Church of Scientology.  L. Ron Hubbard the author of the bestseller Dianetics and the creator of a religion… was a complex individual.  The HBO piece went in to some detail regarding his charismatic appeal to his followers and his profound talent in creating a story that countless people have adopted as their faith reality. As I listened to the beginning of the program I was amazed at how rationale it appeared for the beginning disciple.  People were initially drawn to the precepts of Scientology by their desire to better themselves through a process termed auditing whereby they held on to two cans connected to a machine called an E-meter which measures electrical resistance that was described in the show as, “About a third of a lie detector,” where the needle registered emotional reaction to questions posed to them by a church sanctioned auditor.  The psychological proposition is that when the needle indicates a troubling thought in the person being audited that by repeatedly addressing that thought the needle indicates less resistance and subsequently the deleterious thought is finally cleared from the individual.  The goal of this laborious process is going clear or free from negative thoughts that are holding the person being audited back from success in either their personal or professional life.  It should be noted that this unusual process has some similarities to Freudian theory and talk therapy. Former Scientology followers mentioned during the film that what they had joined for the simple reasons of becoming more positive successful individuals and that over the years the religion revealed it’s deeper intentions to be what they would have never bought into if they had known the whole story at the beginning. One of the more bizarre, and not that unusual to more mainstream religions (at least metaphorically), was the formation of a prison camp that people who had fell out of favor with the leadership of the church were sent to for punishment.  This was an area that members were forced to work, according to the documentary, for thirty hours on and three hours off in the most menial labor conditions including scrubbing public restrooms with a toothbrush. Former members also told of their family and friends being forced to disconnect from them when they left the church.  This church edict was a requirement for loyal church members. The accounts became even more strange when former members of the leadership recounted that they were placed in two trailers with bars on the doors and windows and when the leader of the movement told them that they were going to play musical chairs that they fought and scratched to not be the one who did not have a chair when the music stopped…meaning they would have to leave what was termed “the hole”. About this time you are thinking… not in my church…I would not be so foolish as to have my faith walk be subsumed by a mind controlling dictatorial leader in the name of faith.  I would simply say that the process of letting someone do your thinking for you is insidious and could creep upon you while you are otherwise occupied.  For many years I have sought churches that are governed by a board of the church’s members.  No one has all of the answers and to allow yourself to believe that is the start of a long road that ends in a dead end.  If a church leader is making you uncomfortable or singling you out for criticism, especially public criticism, you are in something less than the journey of faith that Christ spoke of. Strong faith leaders welcome the oversight of their congregation and the solid strength of a cloud of witness.  “Power corrupts and ultimate power corrupts ultimately”.

During our recent Western Caribbean cruise we were looking forward to our stop in Belize.  Belize from 1862 – 1973 was called British Honduras and it is the only country in Central America who’s official language is English.  Belize is known as the birthplace of chewing gum.  Belize is 180 miles long and 68 miles wide.

Our bus tour began in Belize City where our very kind guides pointed out the upscale homes and businesses including the home of the Governor-General who is Queen Elizabeth II’s representative as she is the Queen of Belize.  Our guides asked us to note the one police officer who’s job it was to guard the Governor-General and as we passed we saw him doing what appeared to be washing the GG’s automobile.  After touring the high rent district we toured the working district and observed very poor poverty stricken housing.

The Mayan Ruins were thirty miles from Belize City and as we got closer I noticed that we had stopped in the middle of the road for no apparent reason.  Sadly we were stuck in the mud.  After waiting about thirty minutes a accommodating Belizean that was located nearby brought his tractor and pulled us out.  While we waited one of our guides gave us some delicious banana chips to munch on and the time passed easily.

The Mayan Ruins were very interesting.

I could not help but admire the easy friendly manner that the people of Belize greeted us with.  Their appreciation for life and it’s infinite gifts was inspiring.!  Belikin Beer is manufactured in Belize and we were admonished to try some before we left.  I would say in the favorite term of the happy people of Belize it is “unbelizeable”!

Mary Jane and I throughly enjoyed visiting Oahu, Hawaii with our dear friends and family Ira Kaye and Ron.  This had been something I had dreamed about for years and wondered  if I would ever achieve my wish.  As I said in an earlier post Ron had picked out what I considered the perfect beach cottage that was located fifty feet from the pacific ocean.  It was idyllic.  The constant view of the majestic ocean along with the sound of it’s waves beating against the shore were beyond description and I could not believe my good fortune.  Have you ever experienced real life and it seemed like a dream?  This is how the unparalleled beauty of our paradise location impacted my senses.  I can readily see how the overwhelming ethereal beauty of Hawaii could captivate your emotions and compel you to relocate there for the remainder of your life! Ira Kaye and I are rabid Lost fans.  Nothing would satiate our fandom except visiting Kualoa Ranch where many of the scenes in Lost, as well as many other Hollywood movies, were filmed.  The terrain of the Ranch is unworldly.  It looks like nothing you have ever seen.  Jurassic Park was filmed there along with Mr. Roberts and many other film favorites.  We stood behind the tree that that the stars of Jurassic Park stood behind to escape the dinosaurs.

Above is the surreal beauty of the Ranch as well as the tree from Jurassic Park and a foot print from Godzilla with Matthew Broderick.  Also the submarine from Lost.

Kualoa Ranch was such a fascinating place that we took two guided tours and the second was appreciated as much if not more so than the first.  The second was given in an all terrain vehicle that required a big first step to get into.  Our driver and guide told me that since I was a big man I could ride in the front next to him.  I was experiencing terrible knee pain in my left knee pain over our entire stay in Oahu and doubted if I had the wear with all to step the first three feet step into the vehicle…however thankfully I was able to do so with ease.  This was a an extremely bumpy ride!  The roads were little more than mud paths and our driver traversed them as if he was in practice for the Indianapolis five hundred.  This tour was intended to show the participants the wild untamed side of the ranch.

The wild beauty of the Ranch was spellbinding.  Now when I watch Lost or many of the shows that were filmed on  Oahu I feel like that I am on the set and have a rich understanding of where the actors are.  The building behind the foliage in the first picture is a movie set for the new Jurassic film premiering this summer.

The extravagant beauty of Hawaii mesmerizes me and thus I leave you with some sunsets.

The author G.K. Chesterton said, “We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”

It was during the latter part of last September that Mary Jane mentioned to me that she had found an extraordinary price for a western Caribbean cruise in January.  When we were still working colleagues had admonished me that once I retired I would be happily available for the rock bottom low cruise prices that appear suddenly and have to be utilized by people who have virtually no commitments that burdens their calendars.  Although we have been faithfully looking over the past four years of being foot loose and fancy free…we have not seen that many offers that have caused us to drop everything and jump on board.  The cruise aboard the Emerald Princess disembarking from Houston, Texas and stopping in Roatan, Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel was the wonderful deal that we had been waiting on.

As we arrived in Houston Saturday afternoon, to be certain on being on time for our Sunday afternoon boarding, we noticed how chilly, rainy, and cloudy it was.  Although it was in the forties the Houstonians that we met expressed that they were darn cold!  After a flawless bus ride to the ship we boarded early with no problem.  I could not help but notice the enormity of the vessel, it holds over three thousand passengers, and it is one of the largest in the Princess fleet.  We leisurely toured the stunning ship and were more than ready for the obligatory safety drill prior to setting sail.  As the time for our sail away came and went we suddenly were informed by our Captain that due to fog the Galveston channel had been closed by the Harbor Master.  The Captain went on to estimate that we probably would not be underway before 4am Monday morning.  The fog did not lift until mid morning and we set sail finally at 10am.  Due to the seventeen hour delay, Roatan, Honduras was replaced with Costa Maya, Mexico.

Cozumel was our favorite port.  This lovely island is distinguished by its exquisite beaches and the beautiful crystal clear azure blue water that surround it.  Cozumel is known for its black corral which the residents dive for and subsequently fashion into rare jewelry.  The island’s residents are Mayan.  Our tour guide took us to a small Mayan Ruin that had an original entrance door of no more than four feet hight.  He told us that the original Mayan people were very short but that the Mayans we saw on Cozumel now looked very different due to interbreeding with the Spanish.  He went on to expound on how cold it was and that we were visiting them during their winter.  Although the temperature was 75 to 80 degrees he said that many of the children in the poorer section of the island were coughing and sneezing with colds due to the low temperatures.  During summer our guide told us that most Cozumel residents slept in hammocks very near a fan as the temperatures can be one hundred and fifteen degrees.  Hotel rooms during the winter run $190.00 per night and are booked solid while during the summer the cost falls to $90.00 per room per night.  During our boat tour around the island I counted seven cruise liners in port…while during the summer they have only one per day.

These are scenes from the beautiful rocky shore lines of Cozumel.

Our guide illustrating how low the original door was into the Mayan Ruin.

I was struck with the dignity and easy manner of our guide.  He recounted the original physical strength of his ancestors by talking about his grandfather who is ninety-five years old and still farming.  He mentioned that his grandfather does not need glasses to read the paper while he, our guide does.  He went on to say that when his grandfather comes in from the fields for the day that his wife not only takes his shoes off but goes on to undress and bathe him.

The more that I travel the more I am convinced of the rich diversity of people who inhabit our planet…and I wonder why do we continually fight each other during our short journey together.

As I mentioned in my last post our recent visit to Hawaii afforded us, due to my brother-in-laws careful planning, a beach house directly on the beach.  I could not believe our good fortune when it was apparent that the Pacific ocean would serenade us for our entire visit.  Two elements of nature fascinate me and they are large bodies of water and the sun and how the sun interacts with the water.  I simply do not become weary of watching both.

There is something mesmerizing about the vastness, movement, and majestic splendor of the ocean.  During our week-long adventure we were able to visit many points on the island of Oahu with the three ocean picture settings of; the north shore, which is noted for it’s extremely large waves and rocky shore, Ewa beach, which provided me with a limitless number of digital photos, and finally Waikiki beach.  I remember my first camera which was a Big Swinger Polaroid camera that I received for Christmas when I was a boy and now marvel at the visual clarity and seemingly limitless photo taking opportunity of the current generation of digital cameras.  Photos are really a bit of magic in our all to fast-moving lives where we can for a moment stop time and remember where we have been.

The North Shore.

Ewa Beach

North Shore

Our Hawaiian cousins.

Our beach.

As 2014 draws to a close I hope that each of you enjoy good health and happiness.  Let us try to remember that the truly valuable things in our lives money did not buy.  Is God a capitalist…or would he like for us to learn a better way while we are sojourners on this beautiful Earth?

After being associated with Southern Illinois University for over thirty-six years I am still spell bound by it’s natural beauty.  SIU Carbondale began as a teacher’s college in 1869 in beautiful southern Illinois near the Shawnee National Forest.  Contained within the campus is both Thompson Woods and Campus Woods which surrounds Campus Lake.

Under the presidency of Delyte W. Morris the teacher’s college was transformed to a nationally and internationally recognized university and grew in enrollment from 3,500 to over 23,000 student between 1950 through 1980.  During the phenomenal growth of the Carbondale Campus Dr. Morris emphasized the retention and development of the natural beauty of the physical location.  Upon Dr. Morris arrival at SIUC it was soon noted that he had a great interest in the trees on campus and said in one of his first tours of campus that the library and the greenhouse were two of the two most needed facilities.

It is often said by both new student and their parents that SIU is the most lovely campus in the state of Illinois.

The following is a photo of President Morris planting a tree at the Edwardsville Campus during his tenure.  Indeed he not only grew the Carbondale Campus but added a Campus at Edwardsville and a Medical School in Springfield, Illinois.

A commemorative bronze statue of the man responsible for much of not only the growth of SIU but also it’s continued physical beauty.

Have you ever known a person for whom Christmas lasts the whole year round?  How about someone who sings Christmas carols in July?  Or indeed a person who enjoys seeing the first Christmas trees and the other holiday revelry in the merchants windows before Halloween.  That would be me and thus it has always been.  For some reason or reasons Christmas has always elicited the warmest and fuzziest emotions in me.  I am transported to a more peaceful and happier world where peace on earth and good will toward men seems possible.

As a child I recall a stuffed toy Santa Claus that had a wind up crank protruding out of his back and the most joyful of smiles permanently affixed to his face.  When I turned the crank…peal after peal of side splitting laughter emerged somewhere from his belly.  We called him laughing Santa.  Another memory was of Santa Claus visiting my house.  There he was in his red suit, his long white beard and his red cap!  It was simply incredible and I could not believe my good fortune!  Finally I recall fondly the temporary pervasive happiness that filled my childhood home in Chicago on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  It seemed that there was a special dispensation for these two days…a time out…for trouble and strife…and uncertainty.

I later discovered that Santa was really one of my Dad’s friends dressed up in an impressive red suit and beard.  Also, my Mom and Dad went on to separate and then divorce…and it was terribly sad…and caused uncertainty…fear…and the rapid acceleration of maturity for one small boy…and laughing Santa.

When Aaron and Jonathon came along Christmas took on its’ former significance once again.  We decorated our little four room house with a seven foot Christmas tree that dominated the small living room that its’ majesty was contained in.  We traveled to St. Louis to the headquarters of Famous Barr and then to the seventh floor to see the magnificent Christmas village that took up a large area of the entire floor.  The boys eyes were always wide with awe and wonder…all three of us.  The gifts were always purchased with great care and aplomb.  In those early days we still had the Sears catalogue or wish book and much perusing of that occurred.

During the latter part of the nineteen nineties we began attending First Presbyterian Church just before Thanksgiving.  I could not help but notice shortly after our arrival the emergence of a beautiful Christmas tree in the narthex.  That year we began attending the Christmas Eve Service at the church and have done so for almost every year since.  Presbyterians do Christmas right.

When we moved to the New House…although we have now been here over thirteen years…we were overcome with the additional room we had.  We discovered that our basement was larger than our former home.  Thus when Christmas time arrived… not one tree but two.

We enjoyed a Christmas Season gift exchange with some special friends for many years…and marveled at the splendor of their Christmas tree…and the rich holiday appropriateness of Irish Coffee.

This year is good.  My sons are employed.  Mary Jane and I are retired…health reports are good…and travel is in our future.  However…I do miss laughing Santa.

In January of 2012 I faithfully kept my vow of going somewhere for holiday every January during my retirement.  Since January 2012 was my second month of January of retirement, as I retired at the end of 2010,  I was on a roll.  Ron, my brother-in-law who is much more like my brother accompanied us.  Ron had some minor trepidation prior to disembarking due to his having never cruised before.  This soon yielded to happiness and the sheer joy of the beautiful accommodations and delicious cuisine along with the uniquely singular experience that cruising offers.

We first flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico and stayed at the San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino on Condado Beach.  The next day we embarked on a walking tour of old San Juan until we happened upon a tobacco store.  I subsequently rushed in as Mary Jane and Ron followed and announced with some savvy traveler glee…” I would like your best cuban cigar”…to which the proprietor replied…sir you are still in the United States.  Somewhat chagrined, but not defeated, I replied that I would like a quality cigar.  The astute storekeeper instructed his assistant to give me a Churchill…on the house.  Being more than surprised I began to professionally puff what was indeed an excellent cigar while Ron proceeded to purchase one as well.  As I mused among the cloud of delicious smoke…that perhaps Ron was going to join me in my vice…the friendly cigar aficionado began to show me moderately priced box sets for shipping home.  By this time Mary Jane and Ron had exited the building and I was left alone with my generous new friend and under the influence of cigar delight.  Mary Jane said that it was at this point another tourist exited the store and told her that I was just about to be talked into a large purchase of cigars…with no one to protect me.  She quickly entered and announced that we must go and pulled me from my revelry.  As we proceeded through an extremely busy open market I told my party to go ahead and that I would catch up after Churchill and I had completed our visit.  Later I discovered that Churchill had a brother that had been purchased for me.

As we prepared to leave our short pleasant stay in San Juan a fellow guest told us of the sinking of the Costa Concordia on January 13, 2012.  A terrible tragedy…and a sobering occurrence happening just prior to our boarding the Caribbean Princess for our vast ocean journey.

I never tire of the majestic beauty of the ocean.

The Caribbean offers such a variety of cultures and peoples that it is astounding to me that although many of the islands are close in proximity to each other…the people speak often a different language than their neighbor and have a totally different culture.  For instance the island of Saint Martin in the Northeast Caribbean and 190 miles east of Puerto Rico is divided between France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  France has twenty square miles and the Netherlands has thirteen square miles.  St Martin is the smallest island divided between two nations.  The northern French part is referred to as the Collectivite de Saint-Martin.  We shopped in the French portion of St. Martin and had a lovely experience doing so.  The very friendly store owner encouraged us to make a toll free telephone call from the store’s phone to our sons.  We did so and got voicemail.  Following our purchases he invited us to partake in some small Heinken beers for the returning bus ride to the cruise ship.  When we asked if this would be all right with law enforcement he replied that we were not in the United States anymore.

A preponderance of the pleasure of cruising the Caribbean in January is the sure knowledge that it is winter at home.  An assistant in this joyful period is the daily inquiry as to the temperature back home and finally the discussion of that abysmal temperature with friends old and new.  Cruising is somewhat like Disney World was to me and my family many years ago.  It is the transference into a world of luxury and seemingly worry free atmosphere for a few days.  Or as Ron commented the first morning at breakfast…”they heated my milk for my oatmeal…they do not heat my milk at the Corner Cafe!”