It is in the 60s today in Little Egypt and it portends the coming of Spring. Have you noticed that once winter is done…the other 3 seasons seem to fly by? We have a holiday planned in Maine for September and that is less than 7 months away. Valentines Day is over and MJ’s birthday is less than 2 weeks from now. Next month is our 44th anniversary…and it seems like yesterday that we tied the knot. I used to see old people celebrate their 50th anniversary and I wondered how that could be possible…and now we are 6 years away…

I am an introvert that loves people. During my many years in management…and before that in ministry…I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone to facilitate my desire to help others. I have always been supremely comfortable sitting in the back of the church and my fellow congregants knowing little about me. Prior to my entry into management at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale, I loved being liked by everyone and being a live and let live soul… During my career, I noticed how each year seemed to go by quicker than the one before. At the onset of my promotion to the assistant superintendent of Building Services two of my colleagues told me that they felt sorry for me as I had the lions’ share of my career to work before I would reach retirement age…and that most managers at the University were never able to achieve so many years on the job. I determined that I was going to use my position to help others and to make our department more inclusive and welcoming of minorities and women and the intellectually and physically disabled. My last 26 years flew by as I was engaged in a mission that I thoroughly enjoyed…

This is my first day on the writing porch in many weeks. A cool breeze is blowing and all that I need to wear is a sweater for a winter garment. As I become elderly…I reflect more…I suppose that is normal… I wonder how our country forgot its’ mission of inclusion and hope for the hopeless? I wonder how our churches became country clubs for people who are members of our societal rank and income and education level…or how our churches became armed bastions for our hybrid political/religious tribal beliefs… I wonder how we forgot the Golden Rule…

The Universal Clock is ticking…our family is suffering…God is Watching… Jesus told Judas to do what he was going to do…quickly… We are all fascinated with the end of the world…but when we die…the end of this world has transpired for us. We live in a world of striking beauty and abject suffering. We live in a world of unlimited opportunity and slavery… We seek the blessing for our family and have been blinded that the human family…is our family…

It is a lovely Valentines’ Day in Carbondale, Illinois. We took Mylo for his first visit to the Vet…he did well and captured the hearts of all of the women there… He is quite a hit with the ladies! The temperature is in the 40s today and is forecast to rise to the 60s tomorrow. The geese have moved on from Campus Lake but I did see two serene ducks enjoying the warmer climate.

Love is one of the most used words in the English language. Prince Charles was quoted as saying that he supposed he and Diana were in love…’ whatever that is.’ Often you will see in movies or media that two people ‘made love’ when they in reality had sex. It is a stretch to say that each of these physical acts had a direct correlation to love. Many churches will preach about and proclaim God’s Love…but the fine print of their doctrine of love has many hurdles to jump and mountains to climb…to qualify. I have often been told by people that I barely know…that they love me…and a few months or years later…they disappear…

Love is the elderly couple that holds each other’s hands and they slowly walk in their favorite garden… Love is the church that makes Lentil Soup for the purpose of raising money for an Afghan Family that has been displaced by the violence in Afghanistan and who are taking refuge and sanctuary in Carbondale. Love is Mylos’ Kisses…

Love is not physical features that fade with age…and is not found in the heated moment of passion… Love is the quiet confidence that someone is there for you…and that they have always been there for you…and that they will never leave you or forsake you…

Love trips off of many tounges as naturally as any word…and then there are those who meditate and contemplate and consider the responsibility of such a powerful utterance…

Mylo has become accustomed to his new home in record time! He is smaller than most cats. He has sharp little teeth. He enjoys chewing on his mommy’s thumb. He looks like a little white bear in the face. He has transformed our home into a place of excitement and adventure and he plays until he is tired…and so are we… Mylo is full of spirit but has yet to have the physical capacity to fulfill his explorations.

As I attended church this morning via Zoom I was able to ascertain that Kerry was preaching about God’s love for the poor. This is a sermon that is right down my alley. I do not have a problem identifying with the poor…as I was poor. When I consider MJ and my life now…I wonder at the mystery of lifes’ intricate and inscrutable turns. When I hear my fellow Christians speak of wealth for those who serve Christ…I wonder what Bible they are reading? Jesus was attracted to the marginalized and the poor and the rejected of society. Those that had been forgotten by the religious and ecclesiastical world of his day…felt welcome to sit at his feet and receive his message of inclusion and love.

I often consider that all of the earthy wealth that we enjoy will return to dust and ultimately it will return to the atoms and molecules that make up the dust. Our physical reality will one day be a memory and will return to a dream. God is not a capitalist. He has no need for a collection of gold bars or dollars or fine cars or luxurious homes and swimming pools. The precious stones of our planet have intrinsic worth because we have assigned that worth to them. I wonder if we realized that the poor man on the corner of the street leading to our Aldis’ Market…is us…

Perhaps once we pass from this mortal coil we will understand that we humans were all members of the same family? As we watch our fellow man and woman and boy and girl…suffer…we are diminished and our purpose in life…is lost.

Within each of us is the true-life essence from our Creator. Our human existence is a short test from God. There is a beautiful song entitled, ‘From A Distance,’ that has a verse that says, ‘God is watching us…from a distance.’ When we become senior citizens we believe that we have seen it all and lived a long time and have the wisdom of the ages…but it is all contextual. Our lives are but a cool breeze in the summer or a peddle on the foot turn wheel of the Weavers’ Shuttle… We stand in the Foyer of the Great House…we are experiencing our entry to eternity…and are about to be ushered into a reality that does not match our bias or prejudice or the platitudes that our fellow humans have developed to explain what life that they have concocted should be lived by Christians and believers…

Valentines Day is tomorrow…and love is the answer. The more that we focus on loving each other…the more we will hit the mark of what Christs’ message is…

The Snow and ice are melting away. What seemed like a serious challenge a few days ago is now becoming a distant memory. Next winter someone will ask if we had a hard winter last year…and the person being asked will respond… that they thought it was rather mild. Ira Kaye and Ron brought MJ and me some Miramar Beach and Destin Items that we purchased while there last month and that we could not squeeze into our ultra-modern tiny suitcases. Along with that Ira Kaye brought me some Milo Tea that we had heard about at Walmart in Destin. It comes in a gallon jug and it is sweetened to perfection…it is delicious! Thanks, Ira Kaye! I wore the Columbia light jacket today and with the 50-degree temperatures, it felt just right. I remembered fondly our January visit…and it already seems like six months ago.

MJ and I visited her Physicians’ Assistant, Meshia, at the Orthopedic Center. Again let me say that Meshia is one of the most caring medical professionals that I have witnessed. She is sharper than most Physicians that I have known and has a humanity that connects with her patients. You may be worried before you see Meshia…but she will calm your fears and fix you…at the same time.

MJ and I have been scurrying around to prepare for the coming of Mylo. We travel to St. Louis tomorrow and Friday…Mylo comes to his new home. We have been purchasing a small bed for him and a Doggie Playpen…and special Doggie Treats…along with a smart black and red sweater and toys and pee pads. His food came into our Pet Store today and they have ordered a hammock-style tiny bed for him that has yet to arrive. He requires a harness rather than a collar… a small neck…small neck bones… After 30 years of Boston Terriers…and a year off after the death of our last furry family member, our Black Lab…Parker…we have decided after a year sabbatical that we must have one member of the Canine Family in our Brooks Family.

MJ is excited about her new baby…Mylo… I am reminded of the stuffed dog that we had when we first were married. We called him, Delbert Doober, and we took him on vacations with us and he was the representation of our pet. We loved him…but he had difficulty loving us back. We rectified that over 31 years ago with Bruiser the Boston Terrier. Bruiser was the smallest of the litter…and he was a bit reticent and shy and introverted. Yet he was our captain and the leader of the pack.

Our church is sponsoring a refugee family from Afghanistan. I am so proud of the great people that are working to aid these precious displaced people. We will be enjoying a dinner of Lentil Soup and Nann Bread and Baclava this Sunday to raise funds for the family’s support.

As I was walking up to my office I saw a young lady driving slowly by our driveway and I thought that she must not be looking for us. Shortly thereafter I heard our doorbell ring and when MJ answered it I heard the person say that they had our Walmart order. I have been picking up our orders at the store but now they have chosen to bring it to us…’What a Country,’ as the Russian Comedian used to say in the 70s. Also, at times Walmart will ship some of our orders to us…from Florida… Often just one or two items that they do not have in stock. It is not unusual to see many partially or completely empty shelves in our markets in Carbondale, Illinois.

In Little Egypt we have become accustomed to ordering many of our clothing items and Christmas gifts and other sundries… online…due to the lack of diverse shopping opportunities in our area. Cape Girardeau, Missouri is about 60 miles away from Carbondale but it still has a functioning mall and other purchasing opportunities. There is also Paducah, Kentucky for shopping options…but it is roughly 70 miles from us…and St. Louis, Missouri is 100 miles away.

I used to help my mom at the grocery stores in Eldorado. At least I thought that I was helping when In reality I primarily looked at the comic books, which sold for 12 cents apiece, and lobbied for Totinos Frozen Pizza, 4 for a dollar, and sometimes Pepperoni Sticks…which I considered delicious… I did help load the brown paper sacks of groceries into the car and then from the car to the house. We primarily shopped at the two supermarkets, Big Johns and the Food Center. However, in my childhood days, there were small family-owned markets throughout our small town of Eldorado. These markets served neighborhoods and their customers often walked to their local market and either carried their groceries or pulled a small cart of them…back home. Many of our little former coal-mining towns paid their grocery bill once a month and the stores extended them credit to fulfill their daily commodity needs. The grocery store owners personally knew their customers as they were their neighbors and fellow members of their churches. It really did take a village to survive in our tiny and economically deprived town.

The decade of the 60s in Southern Illinois was about having enough money to reach the end of the month and saving up for any big purchase item. Credit cards were for the well to do and nothing was worth going into debt for. When your black and white television ceased to function you called the TV Repairman and they came to your house and replaced the vacuum tube or tubes that had gone bad…the only time that you might replace the TV was in the event that the Picture Tube went bad…as it was expensive. If your shoes developed a hole in their sole…you took them to the Cobbler and had them repaired. If your socks developed holes…you darned them. Physical needs for the family of the 60s did not include air conditioning.

Somewhere along our life path, we became interested and then obsessed with making money without the production of real goods. At times these endeavors are referred to as Finance and at other times they are called Pyramid Schemes. I especially took note in the 80s and around the Christmas Season the many cashiers’ lines that I was in where virtually everyone was paying with a credit card…and if the first five offered were not accepted…the sixth one would be. It occurred to me that almost everything that I had observed being bought…was not being purchased with cash. Or, when I became aware of new homes being bought by people with little to no visible means of paying for them…and with no money down…I realized that our obsession with having more than our parents had…and having it quickly…would lead to economic downfall.

The booming 80s and 90s…led to the Great Recession of the 2000s… I wonder if we are seeing a pendulum swing to the purchase of real goods and services…or living within our means?

The melting has begun. After 3 days of being homebound, I was ready for a short sojourn yesterday to observe the winter wonderland that had been produced by our Great February Ice and Snow Storm.

Peaceful and serene are the visual delights of snow covering the earth. Just the beautiful appearance of snow tends to calm the stresses of life. I think that there is a bit of a reason that we all hope for a White Christmas…as it is planted in our culture and in our brains as the physical manifestation of the beauty of the season.

White Christmas is somewhat of a rarity in Southern Illinois. Snow has become a special event in our region. I passed a father sledding with his children yesterday and the look of sheer joy on each of their faces…with the dad having the widest grin of all…was priceless!

Stress has surrounded us over the past 3 years with our Pandemic and economic turnaround and the new normal of our worldwide plague. The snow has brought our little corner of the world a moment of respite and reflection…and a time for planning for better days ahead.

Billy B. was experiencing a difficult choice as to what to buy his friend and perhaps his girlfriend for Valentines’ Day. Chet and he met after school to discuss the conundrum. Chet said, ‘Why don’t you get her a fancy Valentines’ Day card…you know…the kind that cost a dollar or more?’ Billy B. responded, ‘But what if she thinks that I am a bit silly…and she wonders when and where I started to think of she and I and more than just good friends?’ Chet noted that Jane accompanied them on all of their Halloween and Christmas adventures and that she laughed at all of Billy B.’s jokes. Billy said, ‘Yes she is a good friend…my best friend…along with you…Chet…but she is so much smarter than me…and she is pretty…while I am ugly…’

Jane walked up in the midst of Chet and Billy B.’s Valentine Planning. ‘Do you two handsome gentlemen want to accompany me to the Valentines’ Day School Party, Jane asked? Billy B. responded, ‘Oh yes we would love to!’ ‘What time and where is it being held,’ asked Chet? Valentines Day evening at 6:00 P:M:,’ Jane answered. ‘It will be especially fun with my fellow adventurers… and my two best friends,’ Jane exclaimed…

Billy B. asked Chet what should he do…and perhaps Chet should be the one to give her the fancy Valentines’ Day card. Chet said, ‘No, you should give Jane the Card and the Maltese puppy that I heard her speaking of…the other day.’ Billy B. said that he did not know if he had enough money saved for a Maltese Puppy. Chet replied, ‘They are $25 and I will give you $10 toward it…as a silent partner…’

Large red cut-out hearts were on the door to the gymnasium when Jane and Billy B. and Chet entered the Valentines’ Day party. In the corner was Buddy dancing with himself…and appearing to enjoy it. Daryl was dressed in a mini Tuxedo and came up to the group and took Jane’s hand and then kissed it…as she blushed…and Billy B. thought that ‘I am losing points with Jane!’ Chet had brought Mylo the Maltese in a small Dog Travel Bag…and he placed it in the cloakroom of their Home Room. Suddenly you could hear Mylo barking his little but mighty bark. Billy B. told Chet, ‘Go and get Mylo and I will give Jane the Fancy Valentines Day card just before you present her with her favorite pup…

The snow and ice have finally ended. Some areas of Carbondale received over 10 inches. Southern Illinois University has closed its doors for two and one-half days…which rarely happens. I read a Facebook posting from one of my friends that mentioned that a Snow Day was like any other day of retirement except for the snow…

As I have heard it said…We went and did it…Mylo The Maltese is coming to our home a week from today. We have been informed that he will probably be 5 pounds at full growth. Around Christmas I began talking about Siberian Huskies…and then Boston Terriers…and recent discussions have been transpiring regarding Toy Poodles…but Mylo won the contest…

So after 30 years of Boston Terriers…our house will have a new look…Mylo! We are excited about our new Furry Baby and Jonathon and Aaron are enthused to receive their new canine brother. A new Kennel and a new bed are in order for Mylo The Maltese. We took a year off upon the death of our last dog…Parker…but I detected that we were ready for an element of our lives that we have been actively engaged in for over 30 years. I like the idea that Mylo will be so small…if he pulls on his leash…no one will know…but him…