I just had to make it rhyme....:-/

The stars don't sing anymore,

Like they used to do

Early in the morning

Back when the earth was new

And all the creatures don't join the symphony

Like they used to do

Lifting up their discordant voices

In the morning dew

But I know that one day

And it may be far away or soon

When we can join the stars and the beasts

In a new and joyous tune

Front Porch Reminder

Last night, the whole family was out in front of the house. We haven't been spending a whole lot of time out there as of late, since the heat has been just shy of oppressive. And since our monsoon season hit, it's been uncomfortably humid too.

But, last night, the cops were at the neighbors house, so we wanted to go out to watch. Right after we got out there, Our oldest daughter got back from a walk and the two of them sat on the red chairs and continued their conversation. Our oldest son was around too, so all six of us, plus Emily's friend, were out having a good old talk. 

Yes, it was interspersed with the quiet murmurs of the officers as they talked about what they were going to do and, after they left, two less than light ladies accusing one another, in so many words, of having a particularly plump posterior(which was, in both cases, true). But, in spite of some odd distractions, the time spent on the front porch with family and friends is really rather nice. Why not head out there yourselves?

I'm out there right now! Come join me.

Let's see if we can see what the neighbors are up to!

FYI....picture is of Diane and I at a Wedding (not ours) in 1999. Yes, we really did party like it was 1999, cause it was!

Frustrations and Rewards

 

On Thursday night, in a long overdue celebration of Abigail's birthday, we headed over to the Music Hall for an long anticipated evening at The Piano Guys concert. Well, it wasn't supposed to be as long anticipated for Abigail, but the surprise might have been diminished a little when I put on my Facebook page that I was going to the show.

 

When we arrived, the usher up front asked where we were seated. After telling her, she pointed us to the North side of the Hall, admittedly not knowing where our seats would be, but most definitely somewhere on that side. This should have warned me that things could get a little screwy.

 

Once there, we encountered another usher, who checked our tickets and said that he wasn't quite certain where our seats would be, but we would have to go around to the South side of the Hall to get to them. Things were beginning to seem a little odd.

 

On the South Side, the usher there let us know that the seats we had tickets for (and paid a few dollars more than we generally spend on anything) were for seats they no longer had available. At this point, I began to think that we might just miss this thing, since Ticketmaster had sold us non existent seats, or something, but she assured us that she would get another usher that would help us with our trouble.

 

The next usher that arrived said he check to make sure they could find us some other seats, even though the place was probably sold out. And now I was beginning to feel frustrated. But, we were all looking forward to the show, so we decided to press on, which happened to include a trip back to the North side of the Hall, where the original usher let us know that we had some wheelchair seats.

 

 

Did this mean we would be standing for the show, or that we would only get some folding chairs, or that we would have to go find wheelchairs for all of us? Fortunately not. Some other people already in this section shared our frustration by relaying how they too had no idea that his was a wheelchair section 'til they showed up. Fortunately, the usher was able to dig up some banquet chairs for us, and some people that we squeezed into this section with us that arrived shortly after we did.

 

Admittedly, I get frustrated easily at things like this. Especially when I already feel like I spent too much money anyways. But, I think I learned something that I think I will share with you. Let me see if I can make it sound sensible.

 

You see, we were there for something really cool that we were all looking forward to. And we did pay out a bunch, but it was because we were at something we really wanted to be at, a chance to see The Piano Guys live in concert. And to bring Abigail, who has been a fan of theirs for years.

 

In spite of our high expectations, we still ran head first into some frustrations. Yes, in the grand scheme of things, they were so minor, but aren't most of the frustrations we face, in the grand scheme of things?

 

 If we had chosen to storm out, or gotten testy with the staff or even let it leave a bad taste in our mouth, it would have changed our experience at the concert.

 

It did seem a little odd and I may have felt a twinge of guilt when we watched a lady nearly careening down the aisle, in a wheel chair, and when she had to shuffle awkwardly to her seat but instead of giving in to the emotion, we shook off the frustrations we had and really enjoyed the show.

 

Frustrations come much more than we think they should. The real test, I suppose, is not how well we can avoid them, but how well we can shake them off and enjoy the show.

 

In the mean time, if you aren't familiar with The Piano Guys, check out some of their videos here. They are most excellent:

 

http://thepianoguys.com/

Intentions

i feel as if I have been depriving you of my insights and advice by not writing anything on here for you in such a long time. That being the case, I intend on ramping back up the activity. Shall we say three or four times per week? Too much?

I think not!

This, of course, corresponds with my intentions to start distance training again, work on other writing and get some other stuff going.

I'm going to have to start getting up earlier.

What good intentions do you have?

Not All the Mighty Are Warriors

Reposted, but not re-edited:

How the mighty have fallen

and the weapons of war have perished.

2 Samuel 1 

Not all the mighty are warriors
Sometimes the most powerful thing a person can do, the most powerful weapon they have, is to bring a smile to someone else's face.

Not all the great feats are things that are done in the heat of battle
Sometimes the things that last the longest happen on a summer night when a few friends help each other get through some tough times.

Not everything that makes an impact for eternity is something that we can see.
Sometimes the things that last the longest are the way we cheered someone else, or boosted someone's confidence or maybe the most glorious thing we do is the way we welcome someone into our home.

Not all the mighty are warriors
Sometimes the mightiest people, those that make the most difference,
 are our friends

Independence (a work in progress)

INDEPENDENCE

(A work in Progress)

 

Raise your rifles

Rattle your Sabres

And

Roll out your rebel yell

Let all around you know

That the people in this land are free

And free they shall remain

Bitter or Better

Since it's nearly memorial day, I have been reading up on and considering the sacrifices that were made during our first war, the Revolutionary War. I also considered the disparate end of two of, who were considered at the time, our greatest generals.

You have heard of them both, George Washington and Benedict Arnold, and they were similar in many ways. Both men were fiercely patriotic at the beginning of the the war. Both were considered great leaders with fiercely loyal troops under them. Both were victorious in battle. Both were known for being volatile in their temperaments and prone to fits of rage and anger.

And yet, they had very different endings.

In battle, Arnold was considered one of the best tacticians we had. His leadership lead to several victories, including a major role in the battle of Saratoga. But, a series of disappointments in the people he had thought were on his side devastated him. Not small among them were a series of unethical actions by groups of "patriots", his being unfairly overlooked for a promotion he well deserved, his victory at Saratoga being accredited to another and a grievous injury that left him plenty of time to brood and blame.

Washington had major disappointments too. People he should have been able to rely on, including Arnold ultimately, abandoned him, betrayed him and plotted against him. Washington's deep emotions and ready anger nearly bested him on several occasions because of this.

But, while Benedict brooded, Washington understood that the cause was greater than his emotions and he learned and tried and worked and struggled to temper his temper. Perhaps he never overcame this propensity completely, but he learned that the bitterness that comes from replaying past hurts does not make you better.

Arnold, on the other hand, let his anger burn and turn into an ashy bitterness that led him to betray the cause he had loved. Now, when we think of a traitor, we think of him.

Have you learned to control your anger, or does it control you?

 Do you let it make you bitter, or do you let it make you better?

And for a couple of great works on the war:

The story of Washington and Arnold and the events that displayed their greatness and that led to their fates. On top of that, this guy is a really compelling writer.

I'm just starting this one, but its the largely untold telling of a largely forgotten unit that turned the tide time and again for Washington.