Tightrope Walking! — The Jazz Man
Phase 4 begins Friday…in Illinois. We can eat inside the restaurant of our choice as long as social distancing is observed and tables are spaced 6 feet apart. For standing areas restaurants need to limit capacity to 25%. Indoor theatre are limited to 50 people or 50% of capacity. Outdoor venues are limited to 20% capacity. These measures are […]
A Wonderful Father’s Day!
Yesterday was a fabulous and fascinating Father’s Day! It possessed the trifecta of the components of my perfect day…Mary Jane and Aaron and Jonathon! When those three musketeers are with me I have need of nothing!
We enjoyed a Mexican Feast from Don Sol! Then we settled back for a scary Kevin Bacon movie. It was a prime example of a quality movie that did not receive glowing reviews…
I can think of nothing that has inspired me more than my family. Since I was 20 years old my life has been revolved around them! Whenever obstacles were in my life path…they were my reason for surmounting the high hurdles. Aaron and Jonathon bring MJ and I…constant joy! We still see each other, almost, daily…and we value our sons counsel and opinions. We are planning on traveling to Maine in September if the pandemic allows…
I heard on the radio today that we are in the midst of a very active pandemic. Florida is becoming the new hot spot in the nation for cases of Covid-19 with many states in the South and west of the United States exhibiting concerning spikes in illness. For a while I was pleased to see that there were more people wearing face masks and practicing the 6 feet rule of social distancing when I did the grocery shopping…that is no longer the case. The majority of people in our section of Illinois are no longer wearing masks…and seem unconcerned regarding social distancing. Many speak of a fear of the second wave of the Coronavirus…I am still afraid of the first wave…which we are in the midst of! Simply because our 2020 pandemic has lasted a few months…does not signify that we get off for good behavior! We Americans did not believe that the plague or the pandemic would come to us…after all we have been raised to believe that we are the greatest country on the face of the earth! The audacity of a third world virus interfering with our first world lifestyle… But it has…and it is just getting started…
I heard a scientist and health professional speak of a growing movement to not believe science and to make light of its assertions. Our president said, last evening at a rally in Oklahoma, that the United States is testing to much for COVID-19…and that is the reason that we have so many cases… If that is the case…do pregnancy tests cause pregnancy?
I heard my friend, Rick, say the other day that he had been excited regarding his attendance at a Rolling Stones concert in St. Louis, Missouri…as well as the Doobie Brothers, on another date, but that both had been canceled due to the pandemic. He felt confident that they had done the right thing by canceling the performances! I identified with my friend, as MJ and I as well as Ron and Ira Kaye had tickets to a John Fogerty concert in St. Louis this summer…and it was canceled… Indeed businesses have to open up, at least in some manner, to facilitate the livelihood of so many Americans…but none of us wants to be the first test case…for a virus that can snuff out our life…like a candle in the wind!
I am the proud owner of a new Swiss Army knife that Aaron gave me for Father’s Day. It is a ‘Boss’ knife. The case of the cutting instrument is made of walnut. Jonathon gave me two vinyl LP’s…one of the recently departed…John Prine, and the other the new release of Norah Jones…two of my all time favorites!
We Baby Boomers are rebels and we wear our freak flags proudly! But we were also taught that education is vital to our success and our continued understanding of a complex and every morphing world! ‘Science is the intellectual and particular activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.’ Dictionary
New Ties and Bowling Balls and Father’s Day
Thank you, Jonathon!
My family is always looking for a good reason to celebrate life. Christmas and birthdays and holidays of all sorts are cause for rejoicing and cheer. So this weekend is a big deal of course. Tomorrow is Father’s Day! I guess this means it’s time for many to get their dad a new tie or bowling ball. Whatever the present or presents might be; the true gift is that of a great father.
I’ve always had a friendship with my father. He has always been cheering me on in my corner. If I send him a text message then I always know there will be a speedy reply. If I have a major life achievement then I can be certain he’ll be there to smile and take my smiling pictures. If I am sad then he’ll offer words of hope and wisdom. If I’m happy then I know he’ll be…
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Life Without Strings! — The Jazz Man
When I was a lad living in Sauk Village, near Chicago, my friend, Steve, had a group of marionettes. I was mesmerized by them! Steve lived across the street from me. He would bring them over and put on a puppet show for me and a group of my 3 and 4 year old colleagues. Steve was a few […]
A Sign Of The Times
As I walked through the small section of Morris Library that is open to the public I saw our iconic bust of Abraham Lincoln with his necessary face mask on.
Campus was quiet and serene as it patiently awaits for the 2020 pandemic to pass over. I saw my old friend, Ed, and he and I commiserated regarding how we have spent our shut in time. We agreed that it is not as hard on us retired people…due to our lives already being much slower than they were at one time.
I have noticed that everyone that I encounter has experienced a transformation…we have been changed! Life is not as simple as we one time believed… We are all re-thinking how we conduct our business.
MJ and I enjoy art shows. We have been art admirers and amateur connoisseurs for well over 20 years. We are accustomed to attending these events in St. Louis, Missouri or on cruises. The last time we attended an art event was on a Caribbean cruise in 2018. Beginning Thursday we will be attending one through the miracle of the internet and the comfort of our home.
I encounter a lot of happy people that appear to be free of the fear of COVID-19 and subsequently have neither face mask nor social distancing or knowledge of the medical fact that the Coronavirus has not taken a holiday… Through the pervasiveness of politics and misleading political rhetoric many have accepted that false premise that the pandemic battle has been fought and the enemy has been vanquished! I learned long ago that leaders, in politics and religion and business, pronounced admonishments of truth that were in reality hidden agendas that benefited them and not me. I recall a manager and a university administrator presenting their perception of departmental conditions As I attentively listened to their counsel I began to understand that the department or the university was failing…because they were failing. All was not lost for me, as long as I did my job and followed the rules of the organization, but in my bosses eyes everything was going down the tubes because they were circling the drain!
I had a minister that felt that virtually everyone in our little church was less than adequate and did not pull their religious weight. As I observed this faith leader over a significant period of time…I determined that the problem was not contained within the congregation…but in the frustrated preacher!
It is possible for a political leader to speak to us from the chaos of their soul and their compelling fear of rejection and defeat. An effective and powerful evaluation tool for determining the veracity of political leaders is their consistency of message. Have you ever heard from someone that you thought was a your friend…only to discover that they had a hidden agenda that served their own needs and had little to do with your wellbeing?
We are raised with a many stories. Those narratives that inspire us to be ‘people who need people,’ as the renown Barbara Streisand sang of, truly does make us ‘the luckiest people in the world!’ As we march forward in our troubled world…let us write our story with love and compassion and the courage to hold up our fallen brother and sister, and mother and father, and son and daughter…
We can choose to live our lives in fear and distrust and conspiracy theory…or we can live in love and forgiveness and the reality of God’s greater gift to the human family…each other!
A New Idea! — The Jazz Man
It a wonderful and temperate day in Carbondale! I am a bit like Goldilocks in that I do not care for the hard bed…or the soft bed…but only the bed that is just right! I laughed when I saw a posting on Facebook of a Golden Retriever who was carrying a long stick in her […]
A Present In The Present to Open
A wonderful Jonathon Brooks Blog!
The more I give thanks I find more and more things to be grateful for. I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for my family who are also my friends. I am thankful for my job. I am thankful for the weekends and the weekdays. I am thankful for any and all who have ever shown me an ounce of kindness. I practice the art of giving thanks daily for the large and small stuff this life has to offer. My divorce from pessimism and melancholy was many years ago. It was a difficult divorce, but I’ve never looked back and regretted it.
An attitude of gratitude leads to a joyful life. If you have good friends then be grateful for them because they are not forced or required to be your friend. If you have a job that pays nine dollars per hour then rejoice because you…
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Someone To Care
We enjoyed a wonderful visit with Ron and Ira Kaye yesterday afternoon. Each time that I am with them my spirits lighten and my sense of humor is re-found! We have had the great privilege of visiting with them in; Florida, and New Mexico, and Hawaii. They are the epitome of traveling companions! Whenever we are together, I think of all of the previous reunions that have been so enriching! It was a special treat to enjoy a glass of wine and MJ’s homemade peanut butter cookies…and it reminded me of our fun before the 2020 pandemic.
Two of my good friends have left very kind comments on my recent blogs…and they humbled me and I was honored by their appreciation! I believe that I remember every kind word that has been said to me…through my 62 1/2 years. I have heard it said that what we need today is not more successful people….But more kind people! I know that untold millions of our human family are thirsty and hungry for someone who cares about them. The company or the university that you work for can have a plethora of outstanding programs…but many will never be a part of them if they have not connected with another human being in the organization! Churches can have newsletters and bulletins and zoom meetings…but I may never be a part of the excitement unless I feel that someone wants me and has taken the time to ask me to be a part of the mission.
I wrote in a previous blog that I felt inspired by a Bible School that I attended when I was 8 years old, in Eldorado, Illinois. It was held at the First Christian Church…and I attended alone because I wanted to know God better. A few years ago when I was a member of our church board, called the session in the First Presbyterian Church, I and another elder were part of a confirmation class for a few of our young people. I was paired with a fine young gentleman who loved God and was very serious about his faith. We were tasked with sharing our faith with each other…and his testimony blessed and edified me! There are many young people that are young Timothys and Titus and Mary and Marthas…in our daily life…if someone will invite them to the feast.
I knew and worked with thousands of students during my career at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. The majority of them were looking for someone to connect with and who would be their friend. Many would love to participate in you faith walk…if they were asked…
We are surrounded by lonely people. In our journey back to Jerusalem…it is not about how can I fill my physical church…it is about how many people can I demonstrate the love of Christ…that I have experienced!
When Jesus was crucified it appeared that the church was over and done… The Master…the Rabbi…was dead and had been entombed. When the apostle Peter was singled out by a person as having been with Jesus…he said, ‘I know not the man !’ Thomas exclaimed that he would not believe that Christ had risen from the dead unless he could place his fingers in the nail holes in his hands and thrust his hand into his riven side… The church was not gone…it had been transformed!
What Is The Magic Formula That Brings People To Church? — The Jazz Man
Have yo0u ever thought about a pervasive problem so much that your head hurt? Or have you sought the counsel of experts who provided you with a plan for success that in some ways had no relationship to your institution or demonstrated mission? I recall the organization that I worked my career in, Building Services, […]
via What Is The Magic Formula That Brings People To Church? — The Jazz Man
How Is My Friend?
I began this Tuesday by pressure washing our screened in porch. It is amazing the hidden dirt that high velocity water can reveal. It has been a good spring for pollen…that is if you enjoy pollen! The focused water pressure and the hum of the motor of the machine has a bit of a serene melody…if you do not have to do too much of it. We are enjoying the gift of another day. As I have grown older it has dawned on me that there are no ordinary days. Just being a participant in the game of life is…extraordinary!
As a nation we are struggling with the correct formula of reopening our businesses and childcare facilities and churches. Our flagging restaurant industry and bars are proceeding with innovative ways to keep their staffs and the public that they serve, safe and healthy. The reason that we are struggling so much is because there is no manual on the perfect manner to survive a pandemic. We have no date certain when a vaccine will be created…and we do not know when there will be enough of the vaccine to inoculate all of the human family. There has never been a time that we need each other more than right now!
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It has been my habit, for many years, when writing an email to a friend, for me to ask, how is my friend? I enjoy open-ended questions… So many times I have been asked how I am doing…when in reality the inquirer had already decided how I was doing and had developed a plan for me to be better! Have you ever been asked how you were…and then your friend proceeds to speak at some length regarding the vicissitudes of their life…and never mentions anything that you have disclosed to them? Or, when you have lost a loved one and you are standing in the receiving line at the wake, whereupon someone counsels you that your departed family member is in a better place and that you should rejoice that their suffering is now over? Perhaps we find ourselves in a similar circumstance during our 2020 pandemic? Each of us are going through our own sadness and challenge and fear of the unknown future. We seek someone who cares. We hunger for a sounding board…and a centering that only comes through people that love us!
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Every African American that has been marginalized and profiled and abused…does not require we white people to explain to them the answer to their profound fear and anguish…their hurt, over generations, and their pain… They need white people to listen…and listen….and listen….and listen… Our black brothers and sisters thirst for white friends who will learn and understand…
The best counselors are the best listeners. If you want to be a friend that is more prized than the precious ‘gold of Ophir,’ that is spoken of in the Bible…listen to what your friend is saying and verbalize your’ heartfelt words with their concerns.
The Happy Traveler 