‘What a day to be at the beach…the cool breezes are blowing and the water is calling my name,’ said Jane as she ran toward the inviting waters of Pounds Hollow. ‘Did you see Jerimiah as he exited the dressing room…he has his Bible with him. When I asked him if he was intending on catching up on his scripture reading he answered that he was determined to convert some souls before his hot dogs and hamburgers lunch,’ Chet noted. ‘He spoke to me the other day at school and when I told him that I was a Christian he disagreed with me and said that I would be lost if I did not accept the teachings of his church,’ Billy B. said. ‘When I asked him if he thought that only the members of his church would see Jesus…he said yes and that everyone else was lost,’ Billy B. continued. ‘Look over there at the man under the big beach umbrella…I think that it is Mr. Seagraves,’ said Neva J. ‘He looks different without his three-pieced suit,’ Brenda laughed.

It was Friday and the Hollow was full of kids out of school for the summer and nature enthusiasts. A black bear had been sited in the woods surrounding the swimming hole but that did not appear to frighten the summer revelers any more than the knowledge that Water Moccasins were known to swim with them in the cool and cloudy water. ‘Who wants a hot dog and some smores,’ Chet asked? ‘Merlot for all,’ Neva J. proclaimed as she poured it out of the picnic cooler to hide its alcoholic potential. Along came Jerimiah with a wide grin on his face as he said, ‘I would love a hot dog and a more. He had his Bible with him and a look of subdued superiority. ‘Please join us Jerimiah…do you drink Merlot,’ Neva J. asked in hushed tones. ‘No alcohol crosses my lips…our church prohibits it…but it is permitted to eat smores, he said.

Jerimiah ate his hot dogs and smores and smiled contentedly. ‘How long have you been a member of your church,’ Chet asked? Oh…I was born into it…my grandmother was a member as all of her daughters, of which one is my mother, became members as well, he said. ‘We work at helping the fellow human beings that surround us who are hungry and poor and wanting of the basic necessities,’ said Neva J. ‘We seldom give thought to their church affiliation or doctrine or even if they are Christians,’ Jane added. ‘We believe that the Earth is going to be consumed by God’s wrath and the fires of Armageddon…where the scripture says that the blood will run to the horse’s bridle, said Jerimiah with a sad look for the majority of humanity who were not members of his church who boasted a membership of ten thousand people. ‘So God is unhappy with most of his creation and is subsequently going to destroy them if they are not in your little group,’ Chet asked with a slight smile. ‘Yes we are the elite of God…his only children and we will rule on Earth when it is transformed by God, Jerimiah answered.

‘Time for hiking,’ said Billy B. ‘Please join us Jerimiah,’ said Neva J. As Robert Frost said, ‘The woods were lovely dark and deep….’ Roar said the black bear as he emerged from behind a massive oak tree. ‘Stop in the name of the Lord,’ said Jerimiah. The black bear charged him and bit a sizeable chunk out of his leg…and the blood flowed. Chet and Billy B. and Jane and Neva J. all took a limb of the fallen Jerimiah and carried him to their car and rushed him to the hospital. Jerimian almost died from his wound. They sat with him all night and he awakened to see the concern on their faces. ‘You know if you had not jumped in front of the bear he would have certainly killed me, Jerimiah said with tears in his eyes for the fearsome four. Greater love hath no man than he would lay down his life for a friend,’ said Chet solemnly…

‘

The summer days are getting shorter and it is only the second day. It has been said that what you are going to do…do quickly. I mentioned to MJ that we should try the new Peach Beer for July 4th and she said that we do not want to get it too early for Thanksgiving…and we stared at each other with a smile on our faces. Eldorado was booming yesterday with the police out near the old Orpheum Theatre and a general feeling of goodwill. I continue to travel to my hometown for the purpose of snapping some photos and I enjoy each set more than the last.

We humans like color…thus we like light…without light, there is no color. When I receive a compliment on my photos I often hear that the person enjoyed the color. Color and variety and change enliven our outlook and quicken our spirits for additional discovery. The Creator made a bouquet of colors for his human family.

Summer enhances color. The lush green of the grass and trees against the azure blue of the sky and the fluffy white clouds floating by are indeed an En plein air delight for the artist. I am looking at our pond and see the sun rays reflecting off the mirror finish of the water. A few minutes ago I saw a man pull a sizeable fish out of the water.

Shadow and Sun work together to make nature beautiful. The same may be said for our lives.

We waited all winter for it…and now it is gone. I recall the days of zero and chill factors below. There were days that even I did not venture out of doors and I go out almost every day. There were the joys of Christmas and then the ringing in of the New Year and then wishing all that we encountered…Happy New Year…until February…
Snow and a considerable helping of ice were in store for us this past winter. 2023 was just getting underway and we knew that we had an abundance of time until 2024.

Then spring dawned with its hope for the future. I watched the trees in the Woods regain their leaves and the grass turn from brown to green. ‘The days are getting longer,’ Earl would say on about December 26th. Tomorrow is the longest day of the year. Although it is the first day of summer we have been enjoying the meteorological summer since the beginning of June and the children’s calendar for fun is about one-third done…almost before it began.

Summer brings the illusion of endless outdoor activities. ‘It once was cold…but that has passed, and now we are in the Kingdom of Light and Warmth,’ we say. ‘Coats we exclaim…and sweaters and gloves and neck scarves…not for me…not now that King Summer has arrived,’ we shout from the housetops! ‘More swimming…more hiking…more badminton…more picnics…and do not spare the old-time rock and roll,’ says the young man and his blushing bride. ‘We will build a beautiful house and fill it with kids…we will fulfill every career wish and attain the riches that eluded our moms and dads…we will fight all comers and wipe our brow for more excitement,’ Youth says.

The Fourth of July comes quickly and with patriotic fervor. We fought the battles and we won the wars and now we must enjoy the spoils of victory. Some of us seem to be lagging…some of us seem to be half-hearted in our approach to our ever-warm and promising day of summer… On July 4th it was unusually chilly. We wore our sweaters as we sat around the lake. We were thinking…autumn is coming…

‘It is a bit windy most of the time these days don’t you think,’ asked Billy B.? ‘Not so much like the old days when you seldom felt a cool breeze in June,’ replied Chet. ‘I remember fondly our trips to Pounds Hollow with Neva J. and Jane as we drove down the dusty streets in her 57′ Chevy,’ Chet said as he smiled to himself. ‘The frogs croaked and the Bluejays played over our heads as we swam in the cool water, ‘Billy B. noted wistfully. ‘We did not drink lemonade so much but rather Kool-Aid and at times Choc-Ola,’ said Jane with a wink. ‘Don’t forget the Candy Cigarettes…I always had some Candy Cigarettes with me at the Hollow,’ Billy B. exclaimed. ‘How about the time that we convinced Junior to buy us some Charles Deneby Cigars when we told him that we had flushed Earl’s down the commode,’ Chet laughed. ‘The blue smoke hung in the air for days and I got sick from coughing, ‘Jane offered with a wink.

The fourth of July is soon to be here and that is a simple fact. The epitome of gunpowder revelry in Eldorado will be obtained with illegal cherry bombs and firecrackers. Billy B. was accustomed to the black pill-shaped forms that when you lit unrolled into what was referred to as a snake…sparklers were legal as well and they had a nice effect once darkness had fallen on the magic night. However, the most fun Billy B. had was with Roman Candles. Once lit they shot off several rounds of explosions and produced a colorful display against the black sky. You could see the Star-Lite Drive Inn’s Fireworks well from Grandma Askew’s front porch. The elite seating and ready popcorn and Coke produced glee for Billy B. and Chet and Jane and Neva J. The gigantic screen could be seen in the inky blackness as clear as day when the patriotic explosions were at their zenith. There were both mosquitoes to smack…unless you wanted to observe their stomachs grow large with the blood that they sucked from you…and fireflies to catch.

‘That looks like a funnel cloud near the Drive-Inn,’ said Jane as the fireworks show over the July Fourth assembly of cars and people sitting on their hoods laughing and gesturing with awe at the magnificent explosions. ‘Oh my God…there goes the screen,’ exclaimed Grandma A.!

‘What do they call this place…you told me once…but I seem to keep forgetting,’ Billy B. asked? Well…they made a television show about it called Lost…others call it Purgatory…I just call it the Waiting Room,’ Chet said matter of factly…

Another Father’s Day has arrived. I am often reminded of how much I loved my father as a small child. I say as a small child because, after the age of six, I never saw him again. He seemed to be really into me…as the kids say. He would hoist me on his shoulders and I felt like the king of the world.

When I became a father I determined that I wanted to be a good one. Of course, the reviews are still out. They say life changes when you become a parent…and it remains changed for the rest of your days. I read that the primary thing that kids need from their fathers is that they are present for them. I have never been a sportsman nor a fisherman but I did take Aaron and Jonathon to the Saluki Football games in the 90s’ and while they watched the game I watched people. Every now and then one of them would ask me if I was enjoying the game and I responded with a hearty yes! Then they would ask me if I knew what was going on and I would say, ‘Pretty good.’

One cold winter I decided that a perfect way to make some extra money was to deliver Telephone Books. We had Phone Books coming out of our ears! For three days I drove Aaron and Jonathon down snow-covered roads and then trudged up to each front porch to hand-deliver the Directories. When we had completed the Herculean task we each had $38 and MJ told me that she needed my $38 for groceries.

We traveled a lot for a working family. We took a Great Eastern Vacation and a Great Western Vacation. Gatlinburg was a go-to destination and for many years we were there on multiple occasions. I wanted my sons to go further than the DuQuoin State Fair.

MJ and I have the focus of our lives on Aaron and Jonathon. Their joys and triumphs resonate with us… We are all going to Maine this September with my brother Brock and my sister-in-law Marcy. Yes, we still take family vacations!

Dad is the greatest title that I have ever had bestowed upon me! It has meant everything to me to…do it right. I read another article that said that although we have the loftiest of goals as fathers…our kids see us 24/7. They see us in our most unlofty conditions. The experience us at our worst. I never read Bill Cosby’s popular book on how to be a good father…I simply put my heart into it with all of my awkwardness and ignorance…and love…

Discovery enlivens the mind and quickens the spirit. I set about discovering something every day. Whether it is a new species of tree or plant or an unusual photograph or a new way of expressing myself through my blog. It keeps me young at heart!

I have always been a bit of a rebel. The Party Line and the accepted truth have somewhat eluded me as I have had the blessing or curse of seeing fallacies in the doctrine that the majority follows at the expense of many who are left out of the success module. How is it that those who exclude great swaths of people who do not subscribe to their prescription for happiness…seem to be dismally unhappy?

I fancied myself a possible politician in my early days. Influential people have asked me why I do not run for some local office. I fear that I am too much of my own thinker to succeed at mouthing the ideas and beliefs of others. I can not countenance a closed society or group or clique of the elite and the well-informed. I love to hear the ideas of those that do not share my views…that is what life is all about. What I do not enjoy is hate speech or marginalization.

We live on a mysterious planet that is set in a magical universe and our life is a riddle from beginning to end. One day we appeared and the next day we exit…we did not buy a ticket and we have to learn as we go.

A closed mind is a closed door of opportunity. If your group is telling you something that does not sound right or that makes you feel nervous or uneasy…March to the tune of your own drummer…

‘Look on every exit as being an entrance to somewhere else.’ Tom Stoppard

‘It certainly is a cloudy day and hot as a coal stove,’ He said. ‘I have the bags for the grocery store,’ She said. ‘Do you remember when we used to cut the grass every week,’ He asked? Sometimes twice a week when the rains were plentiful,’ She replied. ‘Dust now is all the yard is,’ He said. ‘Don’t forget the Ration Coupons…if we do not have those we will get no groceries today,’ She said. ‘Last time that we went to the market the guards would not let us in even with the Coupons,’ He said.

‘This ‘New Think’ and ‘America For Americans’ is hard to get used to,’ She said. ‘At first, I thought that it would be great…until so many of our friends and neighbors started disappearing,’ He said. ‘No more fear of wrong opinions and hidden agendas,’ President For Life said. No more division was promised and no more worry as there would be plenty of food and shelter and freedom from hunger and want…easy it seemed to give all of the difficult thinking and research of ideas over to those who were genetically superior.

You would have thought that it would have been difficult when reading was abolished. No more books of any kind…most of them had been burned…it was believed that a few were hidden. Artificial Intelligence now determined what humans could watch over the government’s streaming platforms. The AIs never functioned consistently. They regularly disagreed with each other…much as humans did when they still lived under the form of government called Democracy.

‘Well, the Subaru will not start again,’ He said. ‘I am not surprised as it has to be 50 years old,’ She said. ‘First PFL decreed that we would no longer purchase items made outside our Country then so many of our folks became sick and died or went missing that there was no one to manufacture the automobiles any longer,’ He said.

‘I truly believe that Our Pandemic of 2053 was the ruination of our country…we no longer could collaborate with other countries…what was left of the United Kingdom after WW III had a vaccine but PFL said that we would make our own,’ He said. ‘He was too proud to admit that all of our academics and scientist had escaped our nation long ago and all we had left were poor uneducated and some angry warlike people,’ She replied.

‘I would kill for a blueberry,’ She said. ‘Or an apple or a peach…but those fruit fields were plowed under when we discovered that our people did not want to lower themselves to picking fruit,’ He said.

‘Did you know that I have personally seen PFL, she asked? ‘Oh about 10 years ago…he was speaking in Chicago and one of his aids began to have a seizure while PFL looked on with an amused look on his face,’ she said. ‘I was struck by how he obviously did not care about one of his closest aids…and I thought that it was Bull Shit that he cared about me,’ She exclaimed!

‘Hold it right there…where are you going…what is that in your pocket,’ Guard said! ‘Why that is my Gideon’s Bible,’ he said. ‘We were told in the last town meeting that the Bible was still approved to be read,’ she said. ‘Not anymore…PFL said that he will tell us what God wants as he is his messenger,’ Guard said as he struck both of them to the dusty ground…’

I was reading this morning that Americans are walking away from their churches. Less people identify as Christian. Sadly the title Christian often illuminates images of cruelty and exclusivity in the minds of those who are seeking love and acceptance. How did this happen to the disciples of the Prince Of Peace? How did Christ born in a manger and lauded by the Wisemen and shepherds and the Messiah who the ‘Common people heard him gladly,’ become so consumed with vitriol and hate?

Jesus was the advocate of the unseen and the unheard and some would say…the great unwashed. The attraction of Jesus is his love for everyone. The banner of Christ is what he told the woman who was being stoned for adultery, ‘Woman where are thine accusers? Has no one condemned you?’ Of course, he asked this revealing question after he bent and wrote in the sand as he observed the stoning ritual and one by one the stoners left their self-righteous vocation. What did the son of the carpenter write? Apparently, something that so dissuaded the righteous mob from their perceived holy duty that they felt the need to just leave in the midst of their religious cause…

People are hurting already without joining a church that makes them hurt and who marginalizes them. Jesus fed five thousand not counting the woman and children and the attraction was his message of love and inclusivity.

I watched the Pride Church Service this past Sunday and was struck with the loving and excited and anticipatory feeling that came through the Iphone screen. The Church of The Good Shepherd was full and everyone was glad to be there! The did not seem to be concerned about devoting a portion of their Sunday to Church…

People who cared about me…drew me to Christianity. I had no money but they loved me anyway. In the sermons I did not hear about anyone to hate or separate myself from…I only heard about love and acceptance.

As a manager/administrator at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale I always thought of the whole person who was my colleague. Many were going through divorce or marital separation. Many had serious physical and mental illnesses. Many felt that they had been kicked to the side of the road while the religious passed by on the other side. When you work with another human being they bring their entire self to the bargain. My axiom was what would Jesus do…

Could it be that the needy are evacuating their pews due to everything being alright and that there is no longer a need for God? I think that perhaps they are seeking God somewhere where they are accepted and loved and welcomed for who that they are…