I have a new application on my iPhone that identifies different trees and bushes that I encounter on my Woods Walks. Today I crossed over the 50 new species that I have identified. I am now a Seeker. I like the title very much. I have considered myself a Seeker for most of my life. I have wondered what the Secret is…

As a youngster, I knew that there must be more to life than what was before our eyes. While many suffered terribly with illness and lack of resources and domestic strife…others seemed to fall into a barrel of shit and come up with a rose clenched between their teeth. Many people were pleasant while others seemed ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ determined to create as much difficulty for their neighbors as their strength would allow. So often good people were judged by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character…Dr. King told us.

An article in the Washington Post tells us that we have become a country where swear words are freely used in the general population and in front of children. This is at the highest levels including President Biden.

Acting ugly is not a beautiful thing!

We suppose that we understand a person’s motives without ever asking them what they are. Placing our enemies in a tight form fitting concrete container of our prejudice and bias. Our conspiracies fuel our endeavor.

Being a Seeker can not be boiled down to a catchphrase. Nor can an internet group or a church or a political party teach what it is to be an empathetic human being. You learn by doing.

The Truth Is Out There the X Files told us. ‘A soft answer turneth away wrath,’ the Bible tells us. The work is a bit ours. Why are we unhappy when we have abundance? Why do we believe that if everyone has a gun we will all be safe? Why do we consider that our little subset of human experience is the way that all humans should act and believe and that somehow we are chosen?

Perhaps there is intelligent life on many planets in a multitude of solar systems and each of them looks different than us.

How big is God…

Soon we will be around the table at the historic Giant City Lodge. MJ picked the venue…after all, it is her day. A little bird told us that they have Pappy Van Winkle. MJ says that she wants a shot. I will take a photo! When I think of all that MJ gives to our family I realize that I would be just a husk of a person without her. She has been by my side since I was 20.

My carer at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale was over 32 years. Of that 32+ years, nearly 20 were either on the evening or night shift. MJ taught Aaron and Jonathon at home for many of those years in order that I might have time with them. MJ is a certified school teacher.

When my step-father passed away in 2001 I was in a quandary on what to do with my mother who was already in the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. MJ told me that we would take her into our home. She resigned from her job at the University to care for her. We had her for a little over 3 years and finally had to place her in a nursing home when it was painfully obvious that we no longer had the skills to care for her. No one did more for my mom than MJ!

MJ loves a good detective show. She and I watch what we call our Programs in the evening and they are primarily found on BritBox or Acorn TV. We are currently watching Brokenwood which is filmed in New Zealand.

When we first married in 1978 I had nothing. It took some time to get into the ballgame…as I often say. Yet, MJ was there and acted as happy as a clam and sharpened her pencil for budget…almost daily. When I first returned from our Honeymoon which consisted of a weekend off work and a night in a hotel in Benton, Illinois that Margo and Jeff gave us as a wedding gift…I noticed that my lunch sack had two wonderful cheeseburgers in it. The same occurred the next night and I could not help but comment on how wonderful they were. MJ warned that I should not expect them every night…as we did not have the money for ground beef on a regular basis…

We say vacation in the United States. Our European friends say holiday. I love holidays. We have engaged in several and some were great and some were small but all were glorious.

‘I tell you, I could live in the United Kingdom,’ exclaimed Billy B. ‘London was wonderful and York and Edinburgh were sublime,’ he continued. ‘Did not you say that when we were in Oxford that you felt as if you had been there before,’ asked Chet? ‘Yes, I had the strong impression that I had been enrolled at University and all seemed familiar to me,’ Billy B. responded. ‘Edinburgh captivated my imagination…being there during the Fringe Art Festival opened my horizons,’ Neva J. proclaimed as she poured each of them another glass of Merlot. ‘I especially enjoyed touring Churchill’s War Rooms,’ Jeff said. ‘As I watched King Charles’s Coronation last week I saw several places in London that we had been,’ M.J. offered. ‘When I get home from a holiday I feel sad that I am no longer there,’ Jane said with a tear in her eye. ‘I have often wondered if I did not live in some countries that I have visited in a past life or an alternate universe,’ Chet ruminated.

‘Are you ready to read history this morning,’ Chet asked Billy B.? ‘Yes, but I had a late night at the Bird and Baby with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. ‘We were discussing the mysteries of faith and fantasy and their intertwining together,’ Billy B. said. ‘I swear the pipe smoke became so thick and the pints so plenteous that I lost track of time…and even year,’ Billy B. exclaimed as he held his head as if it was very heavy.

‘I definitely recall being here…I remember the old stone structure and the surrounding woods,’ Abigail said. ‘Dear this is some of the ruins of what was once called…Illinois,’ Willam B. IV…said. ‘I know that but I can not shake the explicit memory of you and I having dinner here with our sons and in those days you called me…MJ…’

So I was in Eldorado again today and thought this was becoming a habit. Well you see I had been tasked with retrieving Take-Out for MJ and me at 2:30 P:M: and Giant City Woods is in a completely different direction than Marion…where the Cracker Barrel is located. So it was Eldorado first and then back through Marion for the fried chicken. Good fried chicken by the way. Marion has a Federal Prison and when it was first built I was told that it replaced Alcatraz. But that is another story. I noticed today on my halting walk…as a bad leg impeded my success somewhat…that my photographic paths are becoming familiar. MJ asked me if my leg hurt and I replied no it had just been naughty.

I drove by Washington School which was Washington Junior High School when I attended and it had a wonderful little market just across from it. Mr. Seagraves was the principal of Washington Junior High and he reminded me of a Mafia figure. He dressed in a three-piece suit every day and had a handsome head of salt and pepper hair which he wore slick backed…probably with Vitalis. He told me in a mid-year conference that he had with the eighth graders that I should work on improving my math grades. I then asked if they would impede me from graduating he smiled and said just keep working. Shortly before Commencement Mr. Seagraves met with the class and told us to examine our diploma envelopes when we got home to ensure that there was a diploma in them and not a note that said we would be repeating the Eighth Grade in the fall. I was pleased to see that there was a diploma in my envelope.

I received a stereo record player for my graduation gift and joined the Columbia Record Club where I purchased a Long Playing Vinyl Record a month. I gathered quite an assortment of good listening but lost them in the fire…of Mom’s Burn Barrel…when I moved. Since then I have worked to achieve as good as and in some ways a better Vinyl Collection as I had 50 years ago.

I drove down the Raleigh Road that goes through Raleigh. It has 1.8 square miles of land area. The population is around 300 people. It is a village. I lived in the Village of Elkville for 26 years. The villages are nice…very calm and centered. They are ideal for reflection and thinking and friends and napping. There was the most wonderful Ghost House on Raleigh Road between Raleigh and Eldorado. I did not see it today and believe that it has been torn down. At Christmas, the owners put one candle in each of the many multi-floored huge windows of the Victorian manner. Yes, I did say Christmas but it always engendered in me the thought of Halloween.

Eldorado had a sense of community. There were several family-owned restaurants and businesses. Both the Orpheum Theatre and the Starlite Drive-In were bustling. A town full of churches of which several remain today. They have a wonderful Museum that is dedicated to keeping the memory of this proud town alive in the hearts of those who love her. I remember the peaceful and easy feelings on the Saturdays that MJ and Aaron and Jonathon and I would visit Grandma Neva J and Grandpa Earl. Stress melted away and thoughts of work and all of the demands thereof seemed to evaporate. In their place were thoughts of Mimos Pizza and Franzia Boxed Wine…

Sometimes you just wake up and feel upbeat. You know the feeling it is one of those times where you can’t quite put your finger on it but you know something is different and in a good way. Routine and the aging process can cause life to be a bit of a battle until the light break in through the cracks of our souls. We know that there has been a change.

Chapters we read…and Chapters we live. Often we do not have a clear perception of where we are in the Chapter. Maybe we are at the beginning. Perhaps we are in the middle…or could we be on the last page and God’s Hand is already lifting the page?

Symphonic music fascinates me. I discovered when I was much younger than today…that at times I did not realize when the musical score had been completed. Yes, I applauded a little once or twice before it was time to do so. So it is with our journey.

What I thought of as my Golden Years chapter is really a section of my story. As there are numerous chapters in my middle years and younger ones as well…so it goes for the senior thesis. The secret seems to be the ability to adjust to your new chapter. The story is as rich as in the beginning and in some ways even more. Different but powerful and fulfilling and as real as the day that I drew my first breath and cried out lustily to get the show on the road…

Dad was a gangster. Not the illegal kind…at least usually…but a gangster nonetheless. He loved his Harley motorcycle and he loved a leather jacket and a motorcycle hat. He smoked L&M cigarettes unfiltered and he carried a concealed weapon…which was the illegal part. He wore a jaunty mustache and appeared to be the kind of fellow that you did not want to mess with. He fought in World War II in the Pacific Islands. Dad and Mom hailed from Southern Illinois, Ashley, and Mt.Vernon respectively. He learned how to be a mechanic and worked on the big motors of Semi Tractors. They moved to Chicago to find work and Mom found a job at the Hilton Hotel as a Switch Board Operator. No one helped them financially or in any manner…there was no one that they knew that had the resources to do it. They first lived in an apartment in the City and after saving their money they purchased a house in Sauk Village. There were cookouts and badminton…where Mom sprained her ankle. Mom enjoyed a Slo-Gin Fizz from time to time. When we came to Eldorado where many of Mom’s family had settled I noticed that they all loved ‘Junior’ which is what they called Dad. He stood out in the crowd. He was just different enough that you felt compelled to look twice. In those days we called a man like Dad a Man’s Man…which was a high compliment. Other men sought to emulate him.

My brother Brock referred to me as The Last Original Gangster…and I thought of our Dad. Both Brock and I seek to be our own individuals and not run with the pack. We both enjoy a Skull Ring and a fine hat. I have always worn the badge of being a bit different…with honor.

Truth is vital. When someone tells you that they are telling you the truth…they are probably lying. It is somewhat like when someone assures you that they are not racist…they are indeed racist. The most lovely buttercream iced birthday cake…may be filled with sawdust.

Lemmings are noted for at times following each other off a cliff to their death. Not all Group Think is good. Occasionally it is best to be a bit of an Original Gangster…

I never went out for Track but I know what hurdles are. Life is full of them. All are challenging. Some are fun. Some are onerous. At one time I dreaded some of life’s hurdles…now I realize that they are an essential part of the journey. Much as an Olympian…it is all about practice and rhythm. In a perfect world, you start with the short ones first. Sadly so many of our young people are not afforded that opportunity.

Everyone enjoys running the track coach said. You get an endorphin rush. Tom preferred to read. He loved reading and writing. If he did not have his nose in a book…he had his old Royal typewriter out and happily struck the keys to produce a new short story. Tom had an abundance of tchotchkes surrounding his writing desk and through the writing porch. Each spoke to his imagination and engendered plots for his next novel. There was the bronze bust of JFK which was also a bank. Tom never got enough of writing about the former President who had been assassinated when he was a small child. Sitting in the rocking chair was Mortimer Sneerd who was Charlie McCarthy’s friend in the days of Vaudeville and Edgar Bergan. Behind him was Laughing Santa. LS reminded him of Christmas past and the pleasure that LS had brought him on so many occasions. By the clock was the Statue of St. Francis of Assisi. Tom purchased the Statue when Pope Francis came along. In front of him was the Crystal Sailboat from the Waterford Factory that he purchased when he visited Ireland.

Tom had found a new passion…identifying the various trees and plants in the woods that he frequented on a daily basis. He had a wonderful application on his iPhone and found several new species each day. He liked Skull Rings…and did not understand why…other than they reminded him of the race to complete our earthly tasks before our mortality catches us…

People are fun in all of their shapes and sizes. We are all different. We have different hurdles to jump. None of us knows what our family and friends and neighbors are practicing their jumping skills for…give each other a break…love is the answer.

The summer heat has arrived in Little Egypt. Also, a dangerous storm yesterday. We are already a bit concerned this time of year as on May 8, 2009, we suffered a Derecho. It was the worst storm in my memory of living in Southern Illinois and I have been doing so since 1962. The power was off for over a week and at Southern Illinois University my department had to prepare McAndrew Stadium by flashlight for an outdoor Commencement to be held the next day…under a brilliant sky of lightning. Our home received over 27 thousand dollars in damage. As a Friday afternoon Commencement was underway at Shryock Auditorium when the Derecho struck. Ancient massive trees were uprooted around Shryock and across Campus. When the proud parents and their glowing children entered the Auditorium it was calm…when they exited it looked like a bomb had gone off.

Life is funny when you think about it. The Shryock Attendees had only the joy of the special moment in their lives when they crossed the threshold of the Commencement Venue…when they exited over the same threshold…all around them had changed. We map out our lives and expect the map to be a faithful GPS. At times it is forced to recalculate… We are searchers on a Quest for spiritual meaning and purpose and the answer to The Secret. I enjoy hearing preachers and expositors and self-anointed prophets tell their congregations and whoever will listen to their passionate speech…that they have the answer and that they know for certain what awaits beyond this life.

The work required to recover after our Derecho was massive and time-consuming. There were no easy or pithy answers. No one called out and said follow me and I will rebuild your house or re-roof it or re-side it. No prognosticator cried out to the masses of we hot and tired people to just imagine that the trees were replanted and it would happen. Magical Thinking was not utilized.

So it goes with our Quest for Spiritual Understanding. The more we join hands and hearts together…the closer we get to…The Secret…

The One hollered at the Other! ‘You kicked me out of the house and never even checked on me to see if I was alright,’ One said. ‘Nobody kicked you out…you simply left,’ Other replied. ‘I was just a kid and knew nothing of the world and its dangers…you should have cared, One said. ‘You seemed to have all of the answers when you left,’ Other replied. ‘I was left to live on the streets of the City…I slept on rooftops to avoid being mugged or harassed or worse,’ One said. ‘I prayed for you each night,’ Other replied. ‘You and your religious friends did not seem to mind that I was hungry and cold and naked,’ One said. ‘I was watching and waiting,’ Other replied. ‘You disowned me and filled my space with your tradition and Tchotchkes,’ One said. ‘I was always watching,’ Other replied. ‘You were too hard…your rules were too strict…your love was conditional,’ One said. ‘I never moved…I am just where you saw me last…my love is unconditional,’ Other replied.

Sis said to Sister, ‘How did we become so far apart?’ ‘You are hardheaded…and obtuse…you changed,’ Sister replied. ‘I am the same…you scared me when we were young…you bullied me…you were mean,’ Sis said. ‘I was a kid just like you…I have grown…just like King Charles,’ Sister replied. ‘I think of you often,’ Sis said. ‘Well you never call…you do not even email,’ Sister replied. I wish things were different,’ Sis said. ‘Much too late for that now…after all I have my dignity to think of,’ Sister replied.

Friend said to Old Friend,’ I never cared that your politics was different than mine. Old Friend replied, ‘It matters when one political party is on God’s Side while the other is of the Devil. ‘We were biscuit-eating Pals and we worked side by side,’ Friend said. ‘Who is on the Lord’s side is my primary concern these days…you have changed…for the worse,’ Old Friend said. ‘I have been a Christian most of my life…and I feel it more now than I did then,’ Friend replied. ‘God will be the judge of that…the Bible is to be taken literally…word for word…and God has political leaders who help us to understand where to draw the line,’ Old Friend said. ‘Jesus loves the little children…all the children of the world…red, yellow, black and white all are precious in his site,’ Friend said. ‘All the little children that follow his Doctrine…some are tares among the wheat,’ Old Friend said. ‘Pray for me,’ Friend said. ‘If you repent and return to the Fold…I will,’ Old Friend said…

‘I simply can not believe that we are really in London to see the Coronation of King Charles,’ Neva J. said with a broad smile. ‘Dad wanted to bring us all over to be an eyewitness to something that has not occurred in 70 years,’ Daryl said. ‘I love hearing the drums and the practice sessions under the window of our flat in the middle of the night,’ Jane said. ‘You know I think I saw the King as he was being driven to a rehearsal,’ Chet added.

‘England and the monarchy and Queen Elizabeth intrigue me,’ Billy B. said. ‘I followed King Charles since he was a lad and all the happenings surrounding him,’ Neva J. mentioned. Queen Elizabeth was a study in class and dignity and rock solid leadership over many decades,’ Jane added. ‘Remember when we toured Parliament and the House of Lords as well,’ Billy B. asked? ‘Often I enjoy watching the BBC News on television more than our own news,’ Chet commented.

‘I had the strange waking dream last night…I was watching the Coronation Practice from our balcony and swore that I saw Queen Elizabeth standing along the sidewalks that were filled with onlookers…and when she saw me looking at her…she smiled her little smile and waved at me,’ Neva J. said with tears in her eyes…

‘There was a young woman standing next to Queen Elizabeth…she was beautiful and elegant…she looked up and smiled a smile that I remembered seeing many times…Princess Diana…’!