Leaders fascinate me. We do not encounter leaders every day. Many arbitrary human quirks are mistaken for leadership. Rhetoric is not leading.

Moses was a leader but spent most of his life either in captivity or wandering in the desert. Christ was a leader and received crucifixion as his reward from the recognized religions of his day. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader and was assassinated as a result of his work.

MJ Jonathon and I heard a lovely talk from the NPR commentator and author Sarah McCammon. She spoke of her journey from an Evangelical church to a more liberal point of view. Her New York Times Bestseller is The Exvangelicals: Loving and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. Her comments regarding her youth were matter-of-fact, with her journalistic ability to not sensationalize her memories.

Ms. McCammon’s reflections reminded me that we need not be angry at those who do not see the world as we do but rather we should attempt to understand them. Leadership would be the hard and time-consuming work of not only agreeing to disagree but to learn from each other without the caustic comments of characterizing each other as enemies.

Our political system is called democracy. It is based on the principle of compromise, which is why it is divided into three components. The United States is not a homogenous people…it is a melting pot. The wisdom of the people ruling requires the tedious work of leaders who work for all the people and not their own interest or the interest of who has the most money.

‘I have been looking forward to this meal with Him,’ J said.

‘Now I will say things that not only will be hard for you to receive and that you will not understand until later,’ He said. ‘Here is the bread and when you eat it think of my body…and now for the wine and I ask that you reflect on my blood,’ He continued.

‘Why do you ask that we think of your body and your blood when you are here among us,’ P asked? ‘All is well…soon you will come into your kingdom and we will be emissaries throughout all of your domain…we will rule with an iron hand and reek vengeance on our enemies and bless our followers,’ P continued.

‘It would be better for him if he had not been born.’ Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’

‘Friend, do what you are here to do,’ He said…

‘It is good to see you, my friends…I am weary after the parade,’ He said.

‘How the people love you…I have never seen them so exuberant in their adoration, Mary said. ‘They were gathering palms before sunrise and the children were mesmerized by the sight of you, Mary continued.

‘Truly great events are in store for us,’ L said. ‘I know I feel like a new man, L advised as he danced a joyful dance!

‘I will visit the Temple tomorrow…it requires a good cleaning,’ He said. ‘They will not be happy to see me, He said in a soft voice.

‘You can see for miles and miles on top of this Mount…Jerusalem lay below us in all its splendor,’ The Fisherman said.

‘I will require 30 pieces of silver…when you apprehend Him you will know him when I kiss him,’ The Betrayer said.

‘We shall rest a little while longer as Passover is nigh…the next days will try our souls,’ He said.

‘Many believe after they saw what you did for me,’ L said. ‘Power over death and the grave is compelling, he continued.

‘My followers seek a miracle but fail to hear my words,’ He said.

‘Go and prepare the room for the Passover feast…there my mission shall be revealed,’ He said.

‘The Garden is lovely…will you pray with me for a bit,’ He asked?

‘I don’t want to do this thing that you have planned for me…I have more to tell them…and they are so vulnerable…they are but children and will not understand,’ He said as sweat dropped from him like drops of blood.

It is a lovely day in Little Egypt. There is a chilly wind that feels like spring. Yesterday it was so windy that I could hear limbs and trees breaking as I wrote on the Writing Porch.

Writing is a balm for me. If I feel a bit out of sorts writing centers me. I am in my 10th year of almost writing every day. As my British friends would say writing helps me sort things out.

We are a noisy people. We are never far from our beloved media. At times it is the third person in a two-party conversation. Listening has become a lost art. Sit with your friend or loved one for a season and see if one or both of you are uncomfortable with the silence.

We look to our mentors and leaders to tell us what is important. We are saving our brain power for the next meme.

It is amazing what you can hear when you are listening. The sound of a woodpecker busily about his vocation. The sound of wind as it makes its invisible presence known. The sound of hope emanated from the sick. The sound of desolation from the lonely. The sound of happiness from the loved.

Surrounded we are by the artificial. The jigsaw puzzle we have constructed for our lives does not allow the luxury of listening. A graveyard has a sound…the sound of memories…

Faith has sound of a sense of place and hope. Hope has the sound of the waves lapping against the shore.

Eyes have the sound of love or sadness or fear. Eyes speak volumes if we take the time to listen.

Hands have the sound of labor and love and caring.

Our bodies have a language if we will listen.

I love history. The study of where we have been captivates my imagination.

I watched a series on Netflix called 3 Body Problem. It is a rare event in current science fiction flicks in that it is based on what we earthlings will do if we are threatened by a species from another planet and we know that they will not arrive on Earth for 400 years.

We seem to have difficulty knowing what to do and the best course of action for human interaction events that are repeating themselves and have been well documented in history.

Some Christians have lost their way and we have in every home a Bible that describes Christ’s message of love and acceptance. Jesus did not wrap himself in the American flag the flag of Israel or any country’s flag. This is what the church calls Holy Week and the story of this week’s events is compelling. Christ rode on a donkey through Jerusalem’s streets, and the adoring crowd cast palm leaves in front of him and hailed him as a King. A few days later they called for his crucifixion. Jesus was not a Christian/Nationalist.

Next is what we are looking for. Continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results is a prescription for disaster. I have endeavored all my life to see beyond my nose. How do my actions affect others? Why is my way supposedly better? How do others perceive me?

Is it right and is God pleased that we kill untold men women and children to avenge an injustice that has been wrought upon us? Is famine just for people who were not involved in the injustice…but have the misfortune of living in the same area as the perpetrators?

Revenge is what we seek. God will kill our enemies we think. Our cause will be vindicated…we say…

Perhaps another world is coming and scratching their heads…knowing that we will be easy prey…

Shall we look to the Sad-Eyed Messiah who brought a message of love and acceptance and was met with hate and rejection…

‘They say he is a King,’ Children say. ‘He has a nice smile and sad eyes,’ Children continued…we feel safe when he is near.’

‘Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”

‘Listen to the shouts of happiness and joy at your appearance…the palms are cast in front of you to illustrate the love that all of your people have for you…you are their King forever,’ Twelve said.

‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death.’

‘Soon they will cry for my crucifixion…these same people who praise my arrival in the City…their ironclad faith and immutable resolve will evaporate like water on a stone in the sun,’ He said.

‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’

‘They seek a vanquisher…a hero in the mold of their oppressors…one who will exact revenge for all of their sufferings,’ She said.

‘Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.’

‘Sweet little Jesus boy, lying in a manger…Sweet little Holy child, we didn’t know who you were…Long time ago, they laid you in a manger…Long time ago, We didn’t know who you were.’

‘And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on the cross!’

I am sitting on the Writing Porch and it is still light. Of course, this should not astound me as it is now spring. I reminisce on Fridays in spring when I lived in Eldorado.

Friday is and was a big deal to me…the vestiges of its greatness remain with me in the Golden Years. Friday was the last day of school for the week, with an entire glorious weekend ahead. The Orpheum Theatre had the weekend’s first movie, followed by a Saturday matinee and multiple showings of a different movie on Sunday. Friday night was the night to see and hear the sounds of the motor city in Eldorado. The high school crowd drove their cars around the city square repeatedly. Constructing Model Cars was a big pass time for many kids. I preferred to purchase Universal Studios Monster Models glue them together and then paint them and put them on display.

Friday night movies were always a bit loud with all of the youth of the town in attendance. Often the movie would be a Monster Movie Science Fiction or even Disney.

The Dairy Queen was the eatery to go to after the movie if you like soft serve ice cream or Dilly Bars. In those halcyon days, DQ did not make hamburgers. However, they did sell Marlboro cigarettes. Dennis and I would avail ourselves of a pack to split between us and we would walk down the railroad track puffing like a coal-fired locomotive.

Friday night was the time to be at the Mall in later years. MJ and I and Aaron and Jonathon loved to visit Paducah, Kentucky and their Mall was so full on Friday night that it was difficult to walk down the shiny halls. The was a Candle Store that had Tom Clark Gnomes that we collected and we would stop in to talk with Elizabeth who ran the store. As Elizabeth would tell us the story of each little Gnome we not only felt that we knew them but that they must be a part of our family.

The University Mall was a Friday night destination for us in our early years. It was so fantastical and mysterious and jumping and jiving that MJ and I would drive from Elkville to Carbondale just to be a part of what was going on and coming down. Not only was there a multiplex theatre but also a host of restaurants. Folks from across Southern Illinois made the trek to Carbondale to see what was new and happening…

Friday is a good day to take a long weekend. We often did so once again in Paducah. The Executive Inn had a Two For One special and we enjoyed several Long Weekend stays. The indoor swimming pool was large and the water was cold one time Jonathon jumped in and swam the length of the pool under water and when he emerged he proclaimed, ‘I forgot my water wings!’ He no longer needs water wings but in those days he and Aaron were quite young. The Inn had the most wonderful breakfast and you could smell the bacon and other sundries wafting into your hotel room at around 4:00 A:M:. The Executive had many lovely shops and an excellent gift shop where I purchased a book of O’Henry Short Stories that I have to this day. We saw both Boots Randolph the famous tenor saxophonist in live performance as well as the Coal Miner’s Daughter, Miss Loretta Lynn.

Fridays are fun…

Sunday MJ and I will celebrate our 46th anniversary. That is a neat trick when we are both just over 50… The years have flown by. Aaron is 42 and Jonathon turns 40 in April. When I was young I thought that attaining old age was a lifetime away…I simply did not fully realize how quick life can pass before your eyes.

When we married on March 24, 1978, Jimmy Carter was President. The Jonestown massacre happened shortly after that. I had nothing and MJ was a saint to even consent to marry such a lackluster fellow. But I had the determination to do better for my new bride. Many of my friends and acquaintances could not believe she would be interested in me…46 years…

We were both dedicated to our Christian walk. I still had aspirations of becoming a minister. The message of Christ captivated my understanding.

Early on I knew that religious thought had to make sense. Faith is vital but the doctrine of self-serving pastors had to be questioned.

Education is not our enemy it informs our thoughts. The Bible tells us that, ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.’ God is logical…

MJ is a schoolteacher and I was hired as a janitor at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. We set our eyes on the goal of baby boomers to own our own homes. Once Aaron arrived and then Joathon our focus has been their betterment and enjoying the joy of two wonderful sons…

When I began at SIUC I knew no one and no one knew me. I was hired from a list of over 700. People swore I must have the political pull to achieve such a good job.

Do not allow anyone to Pigeon Hole you. Casual observers have no inside knowledge of what you are capable of or what you will achieve. Much of their opinion is informed by their own prejudice and stereotyping. MJ told me not long after I was hired in 1978 that one day I would be the head of the department. I laughed as Sarah of the Old Testament did when she was told that she would bear a child long after her childbearing years. I hoped that I could obtain the first promotion of Building Custodian which was a Crew Leader.

For the last 13 years of my career, I was the Superintendent of Building Services and before those years I was the Assistant Superintendent of Building Services for 12 years.

God has been good to the Seeker.

The older I become the more clearly I see my journey. Many beliefs I had as a young man were those I adopted from my mentors and peers…and yet I always had questions. Questions are the lifeblood of improvement.

A dangerous path is to accept what a leader pastor or politician tells you as the gospel truth. It is easy to live the life that someone has planned for us rather than the one we want. Independence is a virtue.

Cults thrive on the total obedience of their members to the dictates of the leader. If a person has questions they are out of step with the doctrine and in danger of becoming an apostate.

When something does not make sense or seems illogical…beware. When people with whom you attend church seem intrusive…they are. If they believe that they have a better idea for you…they do not.

My good friend from England has written about, ‘Ashes being the result of a dark society,’…this is a powerful statement!

We humans have a bit of a herd mentality or a lemming outlook. Too often we follow the leader into oblivion.

Change is a good thing…especially positive change. The desire to follow the teaching of Christ has nothing remotely to do with the doctrine of hate. If Jesus were sitting in the back pew of many of our churches he not only would not be recognized but would be asked to leave as he would appear to be out of place with the group assembled.

‘Crucify him,’ they cried!

‘Give us Barabas…’

First is fun! Don’t we all like to be in on the first of something? Spring is special as we do not have an unlimited supply. So, each one is rare to us.

Spring and autumn are my favorite seasons but I used to say autumn and winter were my favorite. As I have achieved the senior class in my education I have learned that they are all special in their own manner.

Spring heralds the imminent holiday of Easter. When I was a youngster Easter meant the Easter Bunny and a glorious Easter basket with a solid chocolate Bunny in the middle of the cornucopia.

‘Climb on the donkey and we will begin the parade,’ Fisherman said. The people have palm branches to lay before you as you ride,’ Fisherman continued.

‘I wonder if they understand my message and what I have been sent to accomplish,’ J thought. ‘At times they seem to accept who I am and at other times I hear them speak of retribution, revenge, and justice,’ J thought.

‘Hosanna and blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord,’ They cried. ‘He is the Messiah and will soon be King of Israel and our suffering will be over…we will have revenge on the Romans and their heavy yoke,’ They said.

‘I see the future and it is not what I intended…my message is of inclusion and love…but a time will soon come when people will fight and kill and make war…in my name,’ J thought.

‘Look at the palms in your path…Lord…all before you certainly love you…they would die for you…if asked,’ Fisherman said.

‘We are against those who are not like us. If you are a different color or sexual orientation or political affiliation than us…you are not Christian…,’ F said in the name of their version of Christ’s message…

‘Jesus wept…’

The last day. It has been good but now we move on. Remember Christmas? Doesn’t it seem like yesterday? We had an arctic cold snap. It was the kind of cold that hurt. After that, it has been semi-spring conditions.

Like most Golden Years people I can tell you of the three feet of snow that I walked to school in…uphill both ways… We would fire up the coal stove until it glowed cherry red. If you were in the same room or proximity to the brilliant glowing embers you were hot…if you were in another part of the house you required a sweater.

I guess we can not say Happy New Year any longer.

It was about this time each year that we kids in Eldorado began to realize school does not last forever. Winter and its cold and snow kept us somewhat focused on our studies. But when spring arrived we knew that our redemption draweth nie.

The eclipse is coming in April. The last one was a religious experience for me… I saw that we are a bit of carbon-based life in a universe of mystical mystery. We putter around and struggle and strive when none of us will get out of this world alive…and yet the last eclipse illustrated the distinct possibility that indeed we are bound for greater things after the event of death.

We look through a glass darkly the Bible tells us. Our perception of reality is so far removed from what surrounds us that we could be likened to an ant on an anthill. There is much more that we do not know than what we know.

I as most of my generation was raised reading the ‘Dick and Jane’ books. We also received a periodical called the ‘Weekly Reader.’ The narratives taught us children the basics of living well with others. Share your goods…be kind…take a nap when you are tired…do not fight.

The last eclipse taught me that we are still in the Dick and Jane writings and need to re-subscribe to the Weekly Reader…