While not comprehending the dictionary meaning of the word mysterious completely, I stand in awe of some of the world's mysteries. The definition was 'eluding explanation, while simultaneously arousing inquisitiveness.' I have never seen so many three dollar words put together in one sentence!
I believe the word mysterious needs to be just that, mysterious. Just think how boring this world would be if we knew everything. I like a good challenge every once in a while and definitely do not want to know everything about everything.
I truly believe some things are better off being left mysterious.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Tradition
Jean and I make new traditions every once in a while, like picking blueberries on the fourth of July. With us both having lost our parents, and with us having no children, many would consider our traditions unusual, but we don't. Come Christmas Eve, we were always doing something with my side of the family, but this year will be different. Christmas day was always at Homer and Sue's, Jean's folks, but this year things are different. The traditions that I had, as a young man, have all but vanished, but that is all right.
This year, with almost three weeks off, a new tradition just might begin. We have decided to take the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville all the way to its end in Mississippi. There will be so much Americana to take in, on this trip, and other two or three day trips to come, that we feel a new, special event just might be born.
The traditions of shooting fireworks on Christmas Eve, and not being able to go to sleep in anticipation of a visit from St. Nick, have been replaced. We now enjoy eating finger foods and all the baking that the holidays bring. If you see smiles on our faces, you will know it is from all the sights, sounds, and smells, rather than from all the presents we received. As Hank would say:”it's just a family tradition”.
This year, with almost three weeks off, a new tradition just might begin. We have decided to take the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville all the way to its end in Mississippi. There will be so much Americana to take in, on this trip, and other two or three day trips to come, that we feel a new, special event just might be born.
The traditions of shooting fireworks on Christmas Eve, and not being able to go to sleep in anticipation of a visit from St. Nick, have been replaced. We now enjoy eating finger foods and all the baking that the holidays bring. If you see smiles on our faces, you will know it is from all the sights, sounds, and smells, rather than from all the presents we received. As Hank would say:”it's just a family tradition”.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Nap
This week's word is something I have very much experience with. I am a nap taker. As a kid, I never remember being very good at quietening myself, and taking a rest, but when I turned thirty, I discovered naps, and am real glad I did.
What is wonderful about my situation, is that my naps have no effect on me sleeping at night. I can get a good night's sleep, get up in the morning, eat breakfast, open up a newspaper, wake up a coupla' hours later, do a few chores, eat lunch, open up a newspaper, get up after a few hours nap, go out and do a few things, and my night of rest is never affected.
Before he passed, my father-in-law, Homer, used to tell me that I got way too much sleep. I would argue with him that I did not get too much sleep, that I got just the right amount of sleep. I look at it this way, there is a lot of evil in this world, I am off in a major Metropolitan area, with time on my hands. I can spend that time running the streets, taking a chance on getting into trouble, or I can spend that time napping. My choice is napping. I very seldom have nightmares, and often have pretty neat dreams, and they are free!
For many people in the world today, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Taking a nap is such an unheard of luxury for so many. A rested body and a rejuvenated mind is so much more efficient that a person CAN afford a little downtime, and get just as much done.
Well, I guess I could go on, but, I feel a nap coming on. Maybe my dream will continue!!
What is wonderful about my situation, is that my naps have no effect on me sleeping at night. I can get a good night's sleep, get up in the morning, eat breakfast, open up a newspaper, wake up a coupla' hours later, do a few chores, eat lunch, open up a newspaper, get up after a few hours nap, go out and do a few things, and my night of rest is never affected.
Before he passed, my father-in-law, Homer, used to tell me that I got way too much sleep. I would argue with him that I did not get too much sleep, that I got just the right amount of sleep. I look at it this way, there is a lot of evil in this world, I am off in a major Metropolitan area, with time on my hands. I can spend that time running the streets, taking a chance on getting into trouble, or I can spend that time napping. My choice is napping. I very seldom have nightmares, and often have pretty neat dreams, and they are free!
For many people in the world today, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Taking a nap is such an unheard of luxury for so many. A rested body and a rejuvenated mind is so much more efficient that a person CAN afford a little downtime, and get just as much done.
Well, I guess I could go on, but, I feel a nap coming on. Maybe my dream will continue!!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Seasons
The word 'seasons' brings back memories that were probably gone forever were it not for these blogs. I have memories of not having anything to do in Paris, but never memories of not enjoying the beautiful, ever changing seasons that Paris and Henry County have always afforded.
From the snowy hillsides and icy roads to the scorching summers and the wonderful Kentucky Lake, to everything coming back alive after a cold winter, to everything showing that death can be a beautiful thing, in the fall, I have seen some changes in Paris. My favorite season used to be fall, but, because of Jean, it is now spring. Back when we were dating, I asked her what her favorite season was, and without any hesitation, she said spring. I asked her why and she said 'rejuvenated life'. Fall is a beautiful season, but is beautiful because everything is dying, spring is beautiful because new life is beginning.
Several years ago I spent fifteen months in Los Angeles, and went through all the seasons. I arrived at the end of January and it was 60 and brown, then spring came and it was 75 and brown, then came summer and it was 85 and brown, then came fall and it was 75 and brown. I have not been there in a long while, so I don't know how it is now, but I did not like it then, and I imagine I would like it less, today.
As a sidebar, this year I witnessed the most beautiful, the greenest, the coolest, the wettest summer, in Paris, that I have ever seen. It was truly an amazing sight to have green all summer.
I think I am fortunate to call Paris home.
From the snowy hillsides and icy roads to the scorching summers and the wonderful Kentucky Lake, to everything coming back alive after a cold winter, to everything showing that death can be a beautiful thing, in the fall, I have seen some changes in Paris. My favorite season used to be fall, but, because of Jean, it is now spring. Back when we were dating, I asked her what her favorite season was, and without any hesitation, she said spring. I asked her why and she said 'rejuvenated life'. Fall is a beautiful season, but is beautiful because everything is dying, spring is beautiful because new life is beginning.
Several years ago I spent fifteen months in Los Angeles, and went through all the seasons. I arrived at the end of January and it was 60 and brown, then spring came and it was 75 and brown, then came summer and it was 85 and brown, then came fall and it was 75 and brown. I have not been there in a long while, so I don't know how it is now, but I did not like it then, and I imagine I would like it less, today.
As a sidebar, this year I witnessed the most beautiful, the greenest, the coolest, the wettest summer, in Paris, that I have ever seen. It was truly an amazing sight to have green all summer.
I think I am fortunate to call Paris home.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Soul
In the mid sixties, when my sister was in high school, I learned the one handed part of Heart and Soul, a three handed piano song. Linda would play the two handed part and I would come in with the one handed part. Still, today, I can play those notes. In the early seventies, the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, was a popular entertainer and I went to one of his concerts, in Memphis. Also, Soul Train, a popular dance show, came on the television. In the early eighties, I became buddies with a black electrician, named Eisenelle, who cooked me my first soul food. Turnip greens, soup beans, hog jowl, and corn bread made for a mighty fine meal for this southern boy gone north. In the very late eighties, I met my soul mate, Jean. At the time, I never thought of her as my soul mate, but that is what she has become, and that is what she will always be. In the mid nineties, Jean met a pipe fitter on her job, from Paris. His nickname was Soul Dog.
The soul, in religion, is the eternal part of a living being.
When I first became serious, thinking about Heaven and Hell, I came upon a Scripture that has meant very much to me over the years. Matthew 16:26 says, “For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” God has kept my soul, nourished it, kneaded it, loved it even when I was very unlovable. There is so much that this poor soul lacks in the knowledge of God and His Way, but as I pray, as I read His Word, as I meditate on His Truth, more of His plan is revealed.
I believe that when my time here on this earth is no more, that my soul will spend forever and forever in one of two places. I want to spend eternity, with God, in Heaven, so I need to spend my remaining days securing that goal. Satan is a wily character, and knows just what my weaknesses are, and wants me to spend my eternity with him in eternal damnation. I am very weak, in myself, so the only way to prevent the devil from taking my soul, is to believe in God, and ask for His help. I know that He is on His throne and cares deeply for my soul.
The soul, in religion, is the eternal part of a living being.
When I first became serious, thinking about Heaven and Hell, I came upon a Scripture that has meant very much to me over the years. Matthew 16:26 says, “For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” God has kept my soul, nourished it, kneaded it, loved it even when I was very unlovable. There is so much that this poor soul lacks in the knowledge of God and His Way, but as I pray, as I read His Word, as I meditate on His Truth, more of His plan is revealed.
I believe that when my time here on this earth is no more, that my soul will spend forever and forever in one of two places. I want to spend eternity, with God, in Heaven, so I need to spend my remaining days securing that goal. Satan is a wily character, and knows just what my weaknesses are, and wants me to spend my eternity with him in eternal damnation. I am very weak, in myself, so the only way to prevent the devil from taking my soul, is to believe in God, and ask for His help. I know that He is on His throne and cares deeply for my soul.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Riches
I have decided that riches, like visions of grandeur, are different for every person. The importance of riches has even evolved, for me, in the last twenty years. No longer am I concerned with having the best, but having a comfortable and safe world for Jean and I. No longer do I have to have the fastest, nor the most, I have learned a secret.....a secret to life itself!
That secret is that God has a plan for my life. Why He ever revealed this to me, I cannot explain, but He has provided me with abundant riches. The richest gift He gave me was the promise that He would never leave me, nor forsake me. Another part of His plan to give me riches, was His promise to never put more on me than I could withstand. Another gift full of riches in His plan was to make me content, in whatever state I am in, but the gift He has given me, that makes me the richest, is His promise of eternal life. That one gift is so full of riches, that any disappointments, that any trials, that any temptations, that any earthly slights, are easy to bear.
A great amount of money, I do not have. The finest home, or the nicest car, or fine jewelry, I have not. I cannot go to the furthest parts of the world on vacation, or buy anything that strikes my fancy, but I feel that I am a man of great riches. Riches that moth and rust cannot corrupt, nor that thieves can enter in and steal, but riches that will stand the test of time, time eternal!
That secret is that God has a plan for my life. Why He ever revealed this to me, I cannot explain, but He has provided me with abundant riches. The richest gift He gave me was the promise that He would never leave me, nor forsake me. Another part of His plan to give me riches, was His promise to never put more on me than I could withstand. Another gift full of riches in His plan was to make me content, in whatever state I am in, but the gift He has given me, that makes me the richest, is His promise of eternal life. That one gift is so full of riches, that any disappointments, that any trials, that any temptations, that any earthly slights, are easy to bear.
A great amount of money, I do not have. The finest home, or the nicest car, or fine jewelry, I have not. I cannot go to the furthest parts of the world on vacation, or buy anything that strikes my fancy, but I feel that I am a man of great riches. Riches that moth and rust cannot corrupt, nor that thieves can enter in and steal, but riches that will stand the test of time, time eternal!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
My Maple Tree and Its Visions of Grandeur
When I considered the topic, Visions of Grandeur, my thoughts turned to a maple tree on Dunlap Street in what was once Mr. Clinton Mathew's yard and, more recently, Dr. Frank Sleadd's yard. I grew up with that maple. It was small when I was small and now, like me, it's middle aged.
In the winter, my maple has no leaves. It is naked, right there on one of the busiest streets in town. When the cold wind whips in from the west, I wonder if it would like to be clothed. Soon enough, buttercups sprout, the deer nibble at new buds and my maple tree dons a lovely, lime green dress. Her outfit turns a deeper hue as the weather warms, and although she is no longer naked, she looks pretty much like all of the other trees on Dunlap Street…large and sprawling and green.
I often wonder, "Does she want to stand out? Does she want to make the school children and their parents heading up to Grove and Inman jerk their heads and cry, 'Wow, look at that!' I wonder…does my maple tree have Visions of Grandeur?
Well, she's a tree, so we'll never know what she thinks, but if her desire is to rise above the rest, this is her week, indeed. Today, when I drove down Dunlap toward town, I had to slow to a crawl and take a good long look at her. The gold and orange and touches of red are so brilliant that I couldn’t stop looking. When the sun popped out, lighting her up, I wanted to wrap myself up in her. Her color and warmth were so intense; they seemed to radiate from another dimension.
So if my visions of grandeur have more to do with a fabulous maple tree that, for a week or two, is the most stunning tree in town, then so be it. I have no thoughts of being the president or a wealthy landowner or a CEO…I just want to be within sight of my friend the maple when she gets all gussied up for fall.
In the winter, my maple has no leaves. It is naked, right there on one of the busiest streets in town. When the cold wind whips in from the west, I wonder if it would like to be clothed. Soon enough, buttercups sprout, the deer nibble at new buds and my maple tree dons a lovely, lime green dress. Her outfit turns a deeper hue as the weather warms, and although she is no longer naked, she looks pretty much like all of the other trees on Dunlap Street…large and sprawling and green.
I often wonder, "Does she want to stand out? Does she want to make the school children and their parents heading up to Grove and Inman jerk their heads and cry, 'Wow, look at that!' I wonder…does my maple tree have Visions of Grandeur?
Well, she's a tree, so we'll never know what she thinks, but if her desire is to rise above the rest, this is her week, indeed. Today, when I drove down Dunlap toward town, I had to slow to a crawl and take a good long look at her. The gold and orange and touches of red are so brilliant that I couldn’t stop looking. When the sun popped out, lighting her up, I wanted to wrap myself up in her. Her color and warmth were so intense; they seemed to radiate from another dimension.
So if my visions of grandeur have more to do with a fabulous maple tree that, for a week or two, is the most stunning tree in town, then so be it. I have no thoughts of being the president or a wealthy landowner or a CEO…I just want to be within sight of my friend the maple when she gets all gussied up for fall.
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