New Year meditation-A culture of dependancy

Something to think about for the new year:

I hear it everywhere. I am (we are) so incompetent I (we) can no longer take care of my (our) own needs. Be they physical, psychological or material, I (we) need some sort of help to manage or I (we) will experience trauma of such great consequence that I (we) will either die or never fully recover.


Is this a true statement?
Are we accepting the assumption that we can no longer fend for ourselves?
What happens to society when such complete dependency exists?
Does society become weaker or stronger?
How can I use this subject to improve my quality of life?

New Years resolutions

Happy New Year!

The new year is often a time many of us choose to change our lives for the better by taking on something good and/or healthy. Sometimes it takes on the challenge of giving up a habit or lifestyle choice that is somehow interfering with our quality of life or relationship with others. Some of my acquaintances have shared their goals with me and I wrote them down:

Giving up smoking.
Not tailgating the car in front.
Stop drinking Soda pop
Bathing more often
Using the treadmill he bought 4 years ago but never used yet.
Start seeing a psychiatrist
Start using the bus to get back and forth to work
Get hair plugs
Look up her ancestors as far back as possible
Apologize wherever possible to anyone they hurt in the past
Find God
Eat a live bug on purpose
Start saving money
Read more books
Go back and graduate from high school
Learn how to knit
Stop gambling
Buy an antenna and cancel cable TV

I hope every one sees some sort of success. We all need goals to experience a sense of achievement don't we? Resolutions are personal and we may not understand those of another person but if it helps us in the quest for better lives it bears merit. I wish you success and happiness in the new year.

Me and Pope Francis. Merry Christmas!

Being Pope is a huge responsibility. I could not even come close to guessing the complexities of it all. Some Popes in the past have handled it well, some not. Imperfect Humans leading God's own perfect church. Wow! I keep Pope Francis in my prayers, he may need them.

During a discussion with an really, really smart acquaintance a while ago the topic of conversation was language and proper interpretation. He had spent over 5 decades studying written and spoken languages. Being a man of deep faith he combined his career with his love by studying biblical translations in minute detail. He enlightened me regarding a few common mistakes in common word usage.

According to his research, In the commandment: Thou shalt not kill- the actual translation is Thou shalt not "murder" It does make a difference.

Another point he made was one that has affected me very much. In the Lord's Prayer the first line, in most cases, reads: "Our Father, Who art in Heaven". He has another, much more surprising translation. Because he was surprised himself with his discovery he spent a lot of time making sure he had it right. Even though it makes most people a bit uncomfortable because we are dealing with our God. The correct translation he found was far more intimate in nature when it was taught to us by Jesus himself. The first two words, if translated in their pure meaning become much more personal. It then becomes one word, in today's common language, "Daddy" It's intimate a prayer.

When I read about Pope Francis and his desire to be open. personal, non-elitist and caring for even the least visible in our world, I see a person filled to overflowing with the love of God. In contemplating the translation of the Lord's prayer and the address of "Daddy" I wonder if thinking of the Pope as a more familial "Frank" would be disrespectful. Just in thought you understand.

Merry Christmas!

Prayer for adults

I made it through Thanksgiving Day without gaining more than 5 pounds. That's quite an accomplishment for me. That success is due in no small part to a life change I began almost two years ago. The change included but is not limited to less and smaller portions regardless the occasion. It takes real willpower to keep the program going. But I am here to tell you, sticking to the program and timeline has helped me lose a full 12 pounds and keep it off. Thanksgiving means different things to different people. A friend locks himself in his house, turns off the radio and TV and watches movies from dawn to dusk. He wants nothing to do with the holiday. He has his reasons. others shop, others travel and others volunteer to help the less fortunate. We are all unique and have our own stories. One thing I enjoy doing is writing a new prayer on each Thanksgiving. It's a good reminder of what life is all about for me. This year I wondered about posting it. So, here goes.

God and our Holy Father,
Help guide us as we wander through our journey of life. You always show mercy to those who seek you and love you. Remain with us, your servants and open our eyes to your will. Shelter us with your protection during the day and bring us the light of your grace at night. Be our companion on this journey and welcome us to the safety of our final destination when that time comes. We ask this through Christ our Lord.........Amen


I wish you a fine day and exciting Christmas holiday season.............Joe

Thanksgiving traditions

Probably thousands upon thousands of well meaning folks such as myself attempt to pontificate on blogs about Thanksgiving. So, here I go. I certainly don't want to  miss an opportunity like that. Blogs are a little like a mini presidential podium aren't they? Here I sit, typing one letter after another and no one can do anything about it. The main difference is that all of you can simply go to another site if you don't like this posting. With the President we are stuck with whatever until the next election and even then it may be too late. At least I don't reach my hand into your wallet. What's all that got to do with Thanksgiving? I'd say that, if you have nothing else to be grateful for, you can certainly be grateful that I am not behind a presidential podium. It goes up from there.

Since I was a kid, Thanksgiving has been a series of traditions. With my folks it was church in the morning as early as possible. That was usually 6:00 or 6:30 in a chapel with mostly farmers or other working people like my parents. Then my dad went to work while my mom prepared whatever food was available for our feast. We never had an empty table although the turkey may not have been present once or twice. Rabbit, duck, and squab (pigeon) made their appearances too. I'm grateful for that. Whatever we ate after my dad got home from work was what we had and I learned to accept that what was important was us being there together. It still is!

As a teenager I still enjoyed the early church service, watching the Thanksgiving day parade on TV, the meal itself and the traditional nap afterward. But, what with friends and motor driven vehicles and the introduction of girls being more than a nuisance, the afternoons were spent with almost anyone but my family. Although it was great fun, I learned from those restless years just how much I wanted to be with my family. I'm grateful for that lesson in life. (I certainly could have used the counsel of my folks a bit more back then.)

One year I spent Thanksgiving in Detroit while working. No family, no friends! On Thanksgiving Day I stopped in at the restaurant around the corner owned by a Greek immigrant. "The American Kitchen". It was closed! I didn't know of anywhere else to go. As I walked past the side door the owner saw me through the window, opened the door and asked about my day. After a few words he invited me (a regular customer) in to join his family for Thanksgiving. It would be good to be with a family he said. They celebrated in the restaurant because the home was too small. Although I missed my family I had a wonderful time with them. I did find out that there are some types of dancing I just should not do. I'm grateful for the restaurant owner and his family.

getting married and having children brought even a stronger desire to be with family on Thanksgiving. Now it was a combination of two large families and even a few friends. The challenge became in having proper seating for all of us. I so wanted everyone to be together we hosted Thanksgiving every year. Filling the kitchen, the living room and even a re-arranged bedroom with tables and chairs so everyone had a place to eat. I guess the proper term would be organized chaos with 40 or more people in a two bedroom bungalow. Being a pretty good cook and watching everyone enjoy the food was all I needed. I am grateful for all of those crazy Thanksgivings when it was difficult to hear and I went to bed totally exhausted.

Several of my uncles and an aunt or two served in the military. They were some of my heroes. Any time I saw someone in uniform I remembered how much we owed to their sacrifice. In my early 20's I developed a tradition of visiting some of those veterans who had no family for whatever reason. Starting after church on Thanksgiving morning I would go from place to place and bring some sort of trinket, some cards and a few rolls of pennies. We'd play cards and do some talking and tell a few jokes and I'd be off to the next guy. I carried on the communication throughout the year by either a visit or a phone call but I feel it was the Thanksgiving Day card game that seemed most important. There are only two of those guys left after over 35 years,they are way into their 80's. and living long distances from here. A visit is no longer possible but I will be spending an hour or two on the phone with them before dinner today. I am grateful for those people and the experiences they have shared with me.

As circumstances change for whatever reasons, traditions change too. The definition of exactly what is or is not a tradition is left to the situation of that particular time isn't it? I believe that this year is the beginning of a new tradition for Thanksgiving. I do have my phone calls to make, mass to attend, and a visit to make but other than the traditional feast and nap it's all up in the air yet. This year activities need be spontaneous due to circumstances beyond our control. It won't make any difference as to the enjoyment though. Over the years I've learned to accept whatever presents itself. I am grateful for those people that taught me the importance of that.

Wherever you are, whomever you are with, whatever you do, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

Facebook

Well, I finally have a couple spots on Facebook. One for my shop: J&S Car Care Center, and the other for me personally. Mixed blessing those are. Social media has changed far beyond anything I could ever have dreamed of. Because of my time restraints, as I am sure others have also, viewing time is limited to a few short sessions from time to time. Knowledge of Facebook's working is gathered slowly, more by hit and miss than anything else. For the most part, Facebook is a way to stay in touch with whomever. Networking and advertising stand alongside political statements and religious views so a person has to learn fast how to pass over postings not of their liking and move on. It's also important to remember that anything written is viewable to most anyone, anywhere, at any time and cannot be taken back. In only the short time I've been involved I've seen postings that may have been written without keeping that fact in mind.

Over the past year, business and personal responsibilities have become much more intense and time consuming and I haven't been able to blog as much as I wish and now there is the Facebook thing. Choices, choices. What has my life become other than a journey between choices? Not complaining here, I welcome these opportunities and the richness they add to my existence. With Facebook my vision is expanded far beyond my physical surroundings. I find it very interesting the value of humor on social media. One minute a sense of tension can be felt when suddenly, the next minute someone pops up with a joke or humorous picture of an animal making a funny face with a caption putting you into fits of laughter. Five minutes of viewing a Facebook page can give you a moment or two with 20 other people. That's nice sometimes.

Veteran's Day

Monday is set aside as a tribute to our Veterans. It's our way of saying thank you and we recognize your efforts and sacrifice. We  need a reminder sometimes I think. The United States didn't come to where it is easy or by chance. It's been a hard fought battle every step of the way. Freedom has a price doesn't it?

My parents, uncles, aunts and friends made sure us kids knew that veterans were special. That's the way I learned it anyway. We visited many of them in the apartment complexes built just north of 28th street by Kalamazoo. About three stories high with no elevators, those apartments were filled with veterans coming back from service along with their families. I was too young to understand the economics of the situation but I could feel the importance. My folks would bring little things for the kids and maybe a casserole or other dish. My dad would give rides to job interviews or doctors or sometimes just a ride on Sunday afternoon for the whole family. The apartments are long gone now. There is a golf course there instead.

The movies at the time highlighted the heroism of our armed forces. In school we started the day with the Pledge of allegiance. Downtown was the community hub and it seemed that whenever we went there people could be seen wearing a uniform of one branch of the armed forces or another. I had several heroes in my own family from the navy, the air force, the army and the marines. I was in awe of them. The whole family held them in esteem. I haven't forgotten that.

Every day of the year we live in a free country preserved by our armed forces. Every day of the year it may be a good idea to remember the huge price paid for our freedom. A society such as ours is only as good as the morals and integrity of the people living in it. All too often I hear people who have no concept of what we are all about. Our veterans do. I do my best to live my life as a real tribute to our veterans and their sacrifice. We all enjoy rights and freedoms because of them. It's best we don't allow those rights and freedoms to disappear. Sometimes I feel as though more veterans might just be what we need in politics. They know the price.