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FROM WALLY’S POND … YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A(NOTHER) BIRTHDAY

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There is no quote to share, no wise words from a philosopher of the past or present, nor an epiphany that illuminates the mind, transforming it into a brilliant burst of multicolored hues. I am staring at what should be a simple blank computer screen, but instead, in my mind’s eye, I see a beautiful pond surrounded by flowers and shrubs, nestled in a small valley where animals and trees complete the serene image. This is my very own virtual place where I go when I want some peace and some thinking space. Where some of these writings have come to life and where my mind feels totally at ease and empowered to do just that … roam, think, create, suggest, discard, accept. There I sit, with my feet in the cool water while my head flies. Yesterday, I was barely fifteen and arriving in a strange land, where people looked the same, but spoke and acted in a way I was not used to. Where everything was similar, yet very different. Now, suddenly, I am marching to my 80 th birthday. A daunting,...
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REFLECTIONS ON A LICENSE PLATE.

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"Sometimes life does not give us what we want. It gives us what we are supposed to notice." One afternoon in April, as I was sitting right here, at my computer, and while trying to put some deep reflections -or something like that- on the blank screen, I looked out the window to our driveway where our cars were parked. It was raining hard, one of those quasi-storms that every so often grace the days of late winter into early spring, and as I looked, my eyes witnessed the very moment when a big branch fell off our front lawn tree … Right on top of my unsuspecting and trusting car. As my eyes took in the full picture, and since there was really nothing I could do at that very moment, my brain -a bit slow to react to that totally unexpected situation- simply forced my face to look down, stare at what I had been writing, and continue it to its bitter ( how’s that for an effect word!) end. I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that the bureaucratic proces...
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When hope begins to fade.

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This morning, Manuel was on my mind. It has now been some four long years since the last time I was able to contact Manuel ( real first name, I’ll hold the last name…). Last time, as it usually went, I sent a Skype message to him and, within 3 days, he would call back, send a message or communicate. That last conversation came in late morning for me, late at night for him. He was then in Vietnam, still pursuing the impossible dream and working in an environment that raised the hackles in the back of my head. He made it a happy call, telling me about his then-current purpose and showing me around ( virtually, of course ) the place where he lived and worked. This was a multi-room apartment shared with a good number of people who, I must assume, were pursuing similar purposes. This is -from my own past experiences- a highly volatile and frustrating environment, where a phone call can trigger any number of probabilities. Most of them harsh and explosive. We talked for a while, and he...
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LEARNING

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We often spend many  years of our lives trying to achieve a place of personal comfort. A “safe” place, where we can feel relaxed and where we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.   Then, eventually, we think we are finally there. And at that moment, we realize this “place” is but a figment of our imagination. That space where we thought we might feel safe, has changed. It has metamorphosed into something different or perhaps “teleported” to someplace else. A different space, a different plane, perhaps a different construct. But it is no longer there, where we were sure to find it. We then have a choice. We either stop the search completely and exercise our frustration, or start anew, armed with whatever know-how we may have accumulated in our previous exploratory exercises. Learning is much like that imaginary safe place. We look, we listen, we read, we study, we try to understand, and then, when we are sure that we have absorbed all we need in order to say “I know” … we...
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IT'S NOT A SETBACK ... IT'S A STEP BACK.

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  REFLECTION Today was one of those mornings where even optimism feels like extra work. I know. Too many things happened yesterday that should not have happened; last night’s sleep never quite developed into a pattern recognizable as such, and this morning my mind is somewhat befuddled with all there is to be done, and not managing to find the desire to make the effort.   Some people insist on saying that on a “cosmic scale”, these problems are but a grain of sand on a mile-long beach. Maybe so. But, on OUR personal scale, this registers as a major boulder sitting on our shoulders and standing in the way of accomplishing anything at all.   Frustration is a very human characteristic and, when unchecked, it can wreak havoc with our best intentions. More so when it is fueled by the actions (or inactions) of others, creating situations that get out of hand, easily becoming a spiraling, free-for-all fall.   It is at this time that we must stop. Yes, stop and revie...
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REFLECTIONS

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  REFLECTIONS “YOU DON’T SIT DOWN UNTIL YOU FINISH WHAT YOU GOT UP TO DO”. This is one of those old-time, folk wisdom maxims that sounds simple but packs a hard, direct hit to the gut. On first reading, anyone (as I did) can read it quickly and let out a little smirky laugh. Much like saying … “how cute!” Then we read it again, and little fangs come out, grasp and hold you. And your attention. Not so, you might say. “What do you mean by ‘little’ fangs?”   Well, they are the subliminal messages that are being sent out. “Don’t leave things undone that should be done” … “Finish whatever it is you have started”. Most of us are by nature procrastinators and a bit lazy. Not everyone, mind you. After all, somebody has to get things done! But in truth, we do tend to take the easy way out when possible. We start a project, and when the going gets a little complicated, we consider the possibility of taking a “short-cut” and getting to the finish line while leaving a few issues...
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FAITH, EXPERIENCE, AND THE QUIET ORDER OF THINGS

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 I  say this without hesitation, without hidden meaning, and without any attempt to soften or decorate the truth: I believe in God and in Christ. There have been moments in my life when I stood alone or, at least, believed I did. Moments when the ground beneath me seemed uncertain, when the path forward was not visible, and when the weight of circumstance could have easily pulled me under. In those moments, I did not fall. I have felt the presence of something greater than myself. Not in spectacle, not in grand signs, but in a quiet, steady strength that held me upright when I had no strength of my own. When I faced illness, when I endured hardship, and when I lived through the most devastating loss a parent can know, the loss of my son, I was not alone. I know this with certainty: had I been spiritually alone, I would not have made it through. Some will say that faith is an emotional support, a crutch for difficult times. That is a fair observation, and I accept it. B...
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