Blog Archives

HOMO SUM

2/24/2013

                                                            HOMO SUM

                                            While working on a class project some
                                            years ago, involving the designing of
                                            a coat of arms, we ran across the term...
                                            homo sum, a Latin term that may be
                                            translated...
                                            "I am man; I regard nothing that concerns
                                            man as foreign to my interests."

                                            Indeed, the welfare and wellbeing of each
                                            man continually affects the welfare and
                                          and wellbeing of us alll.

                                            If one man suffers, bleeds, and dies, shall
                                            we not eventually do the same...especially
                                            if we do a little or nothing to alleviate or
                                            eliminate man's inhumanity to man?

                                            If our neighbor is in distress, how can we
                                            then say, "We are well off?"

                                            Homo sum...may we care.

MARBLE MONUMENTS

2/24/2013

                                              MARBLE MONUMENTS

                                        An unknown author has written:
                                        "Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble."

                                        To the dust we bequeath...
                                        Every slight received
                                        Every word that caused a frown
                                        Every act that sowed ill feelings
                                        Every thought that forced us down.

                                        In marble we shall inscribe...
                                       Every warm caress from our family
                                        Every word of encouragement from
                                       our friends
                                       Every act of kindness given
                                        Every blessing from God on high.

                                        Blow away old dust, as quickly as you can
                                       Let our monuments of marble eternally stand.

BOOKS

2/24/2013

                                                                BOOKS
                                             Books have been and still continue
                                             to be of great importance to us all.

                                             Since Gutenberg invented the printing
                                             press the printed word has shaped the
                                             destines of men and has directed the
                                             course of nations.

                                             It has been suggested that we become
                                             what we eat. But it is much more likely
                                             that we literally become what we literarily
                                             digest.
                                             Words that we consume become our food
                                             for thought, and thoughts move both men
                                             and mountains.
                                             Books...every word displays an idea, every
                                             pause reveals an ideal.
                                             Through books, we may hold the universe
                                             within our hands.

BIG BOY SWEETIE PIE

2/18/2013

                                                       BIG BOY SWEETIE PIE

                                            Big Boy Sweetie Pie was his full name,
                                            and he deserved every syllable of his
                                            moniker. He arrived at our backdoor
                                            some six years ago, a fully grown feline,
                                            weighing sixteen pounds.

                                            Big Boy Sweetie Pie had a sweet, easy
                                            going personality. He had a teddy bear's
                                            face. His light tan hair was softer than
                                            wool. Over time he became my best pal,
                                            usually lying near my feet or by my side
                                            on our couch. Words are inadequate to
                                            say how much I miss him.
                                            Bye-Bye Sweetie Pie, for awhile.
                                            (Witten February 18, 2013)

MIRROR, MIRROR

2/16/2013

                                                         MIRROR, MIRROR

                                             "The world is a looking glass,"
                                             wrote William Thackeray, "and gives
                                             back to every man the reflection of
                                             his own face."

                                             "Frown at it and it will in turn look
                                             sourly upon you; laugh at it and
                                             with it, and it is a jolly kind of
                                             companion."

                                            When we awakened this morning,
                                            what did we see as we peered into
                                            our mirrors?

                                            Did we see a kindly face or an angry one...
                                            A sweet countenance or a bitter one...
                                            A faith-filled figure or a discouraged one...

                                            While the world may be our outward looking
                                            looking glass, our own faces may become
                                            reflecting glasses for the inward thougths
                                            of our minds and hearts.

                                            Ah, mirror, mirror, on the wall, who really is
                                            the fairest of us all?

CHOMP, CHOMP

2/16/2013

                                                       CHOMP, CHOMP

                                            "And I will restore to you
                                           the years that the locust hath eaten."
                                            (Joel 2:25)

                                            Few of us escape having many of our
                                            years ingested by these destructive
                                            and devastating predators. And, there
                                            are so many of them. For instance...

                                            The locust of the liver (otherwise
                                            known as alcoholic ridiculous)
                                            The locust of the lung (smokus pocus)
                                            The locust of the liabilities (greatus debts)
                                            The locust of licentiousness (mulsti lusti)
                                            And, perhaps the greatest locust of them all...
                                            The locust of lack...
                                            Lack of purpose
                                            Lack of direction
                                            Lack of determination
                                            Lack of consistency
                                            Lack of hope
                                            Lack of love

                                            The locusts have taken their toll,
                                            but the promises of the Lord are true...
                                            He shall restore our years.

TOPOGRAPHY

2/16/2013

                                                            TOPOGRAPHY

                                                What are the boundaries of our
                                                souls? Wherein lie our population
                                                centers? Our urban renewal areas?

                                                Do we have any deserts? How vast
                                                are they? Any rivers? how polluted?
                                                How clean and clear and refreshing?
                                                How about our mountain peaks? How
                                                high? How continuous?

                                                To what cliffs do we cling? In what
                                                caves do we hide? In what jungles
                                                may we be entangled?
                                                Into what new fronts or unchartered
                                                lands are we ready to venture?

                                               What are our natural resources? Our
                                               energy centers? Our Power Sources?
                                               What areas need improvement? How
                                               much time, money and energy are we
                                               willing to expend in the beautification
                                               of our personalities?
                                               May the topography of our souls always
                                               be grounded on the Rock, our Firm Foundation.

THE RECEDING RAINBOW

2/9/2013

                                                  THE RECEDING RAINBOW

                                         "To reach the height of our ambitions,"
                                         wrote Edmund Burke, "is like trying to reach
                                         the rainbow; as we advance, it recedes."

                                        Perhaps it is just as well that, for most of us,
                                        all things do not come to us instantly, overnight.
                                        Perhaps there is something to be said for the
                                       process of confronting problems, meeting
                                        frustrations and overcoming obstacles and
                                       inertia...over a span of years, rather than
                                        a mere few days.

                                        Perhaps one of the reasons the rainbow has
                                        remained so beautiful through the ages is...
                                        that it cannot be grasped or grabbed...
                                        it can only be "reached for."

                                        To live, as St. Paul, "content" yet always
                                       pressing forward or "toward the mark"
                                        is the secret...and the paradox
                                        of the receding rainbow.

GIVE OURSELVES AWAY

2/9/2013

                                                   GIVE OURSELVES AWAY

                                            "Make the most of yourself,"
                                            wrote Emerson, "for that is all there
                                            is to you."

                                            We are what we are...and we are
                                            becoming what we shall be.
                                            Hopefully, we are now better
                                            than we were (or soon will be).

                                            For most of us, this pilgrimage
                                            of progression is of a slow pace.
                                            And, we realize, as we occasionally
                                            view the frailties of others that "but
                                            for the grace of God, go I." (Because
                                            it used to be me)

                                            To make the most of ourselves,
                                            let us...
                                            light lanterns of love
                                            teach our children how to pray
                                            and temper with tenderness
                                            every word we say.

                                            To make the most of ourselves,
                                            this day, let us...give ourselves away.

FOR LOAFERS ONLY

2/9/2013

                                                    FOR LOAFERS ONLY

                                           Wrote James Thurber, "It is better
                                           to have loafed and lost than never
                                           to have loafed at all."

                                           To Mr. Thurber's epigram, we'd
                                           like to add..."A half of loafer is
                                           better than none."
                                           We also like the idea of Paul Terry
                                           who said, "When I feel like exercising,
                                           I just lie down until the feeling goes
                                           away."

                                           With these pithy and somewhat whimsical
                                           sayings before us. we thought it best to
                                           say something earnest and resolute.

                                           But, the more we thought, the tireder
                                           we got. However, since the following
                                           lines "effortlessly" popped into our mind,
                                           we shall leave you with them:

                                           One of the cheapest cures
                                           For an incurable grouch
                                           Is a soft-spoken wife
                                           And a comfortable couch