Remember, Rose & St. Paul

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Video: Remembering those who died in the line of duty in 2018

Thank you to Jim H. for sharing this.

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“With numbing cold, biting at my brittle bones

I feel many years giving me a wake up shake

Gripping my coat through the more gripping cold

I feel the world has grown old.

January I cried for my Mom the first time

She probably cried and then smiled for my tears

She surely is yet smiling for my thoughts through these years

For the tears that she shed were at giving me birth

January is the warmest time on earth.”

John Shea 

In remembrance of my Mom, Rose Marie.

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Calvin & Hobbes

“Calvin: Isn’t it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humour? When you think about it, it’s weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it’s funny. Don’t you think it’s odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us?

Hobbes: I suppose if we couldn’t laugh at things that don’t make sense, we couldn’t react to a lot of life.

Calvin: (after a long pause) I can’t tell if that’s funny or really scary.”

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Big legos would be fun to play with in my hobby room. 

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Take a look at my finished Ojibwa miniatures. 

Waasa Inaabidaa: "We look In All Directions"

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Thursday was the “Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales,” my patron saint. 

The patron Saint of all writers, authors and journalists. 

"It is not those who commit the least faults who are the most holy, but those who have the greatest courage, the greatest generosity, the greatest love, who make the boldest efforts to overcome themselves, and are not immediately apprehensive about tripping."

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Today, January 25th, is my birthday and it is also the “Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul.” 
Sometimes I wonder if God did this on purpose. Sort of a reminder that He is always with me.

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John Denver - “For Baby” (For Bobbie)

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes

Anishinabbe - The Good Beings

This is another of my North American native groups. They represent the Ojibwa which were, at the time of the early French settlers, one of the largest tribes in North America. 

Animkii is the war chief of of this group. He has led many successful war parties against the British. His warriors are just as experienced and are confident in his leadership.

They are traveling south from Fort Frontenac and plan on attacking a settlement just north of the Salmon River. 

The figures are Old Glory Indians FIW25-1.

Steven, Henri & Marty

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It’s Saturday morning and I’m reading Steven Givens blog, “Life and Death on Display: Midwinter at the Missouri Botanical Garden.” His blogs are always interesting, inspiring and full of beautiful photos. Today’s blog included information on George Washington Carver.

Quotes worth reading and spending time meditating on.

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.”

"No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it." 

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They called the winter storm Gia. She brought the wind, the snow and the cold. But we were spared as she bypassed us bringing 

light snow and icing conditions on Sunday morning.

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A view from my window, ice on the trees.

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“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” 

Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life

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Calvin and Paul Gauguin

From Pinterest

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I'm reading the last book in "The Lord Of The Rings” trilogy.

“Part Three, The Return Of The King."

This book has held up quite well. None of the pages are loose. However, as I read it there could be some surprises.

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Marty Robbins - “El Paso”

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A Birthday, Forty & Tyrion

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Our Government has been shut down for three weeks. More than 800,000 Federal employees are not getting paid.

Wouldn’t it be nice if our Congressmen could figure out a way to help them?

Just a thought.

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On Sunday we surprised our son Stephen and his wife Christina with a 40th birthday celebration. Stephen turned 40 on January 6 and Christina turned 40 on December 23.

Our sons Eric and Todd came into Richmond to join in the celebration along with my sister Kim, her husband Frank, my brother Tee with his wife Karen, my nephew Chad and my niece Lisa, her husband Clayton and daughter Kaylin. 

Christina’s parents Debra and Charlie along with her close friend Joanne and son Ricky, all from Richmond were also here. 

It was a full house and an excellent celebration.

Dee and Debra worked together on the party preparing plenty of food and drink.

The Birthday Banner 

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I got to thinking about the number 40 and became curious as to how many times it appears in the Bible. I found this information over at Biblestudy.org.

"Mentioning 146 times in Scripture, the number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. During Moses' life he lived forty years in Egypt and forty years in the desert before God selected him to lead his people out of slavery.

Moses was also on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights, on two separate occasions (Exodus 24:18, 34:1 - 28), receiving God's laws. He also sent spies, for forty days, to investigate the land God promised the Israelites as an inheritance (Numbers 13:25, 14:34).

The prophet Jonah powerfully warned ancient Nineveh, for forty days, that its destruction would come because of its many sins. The prophet Ezekiel laid on His right side for 40 days to symbolize Judah's sins (Ezekiel 4:6).

Elijah went 40 days without food or water at Mount Horeb. Jesus was tempted by the devil not just three times, but MANY times during the 40 days and nights he fasted just before his ministry began. He also appeared to his disciples and others for 40 days after his resurrection from the dead.

Jesus, just days before his crucifixion, prophesied the total destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1 - 2, Mark 13:1 - 2). Forty years after his crucifixion in 30 A.D., the mighty Roman Empire destroyed the city and burned its beloved temple to the ground.

The first three human kings over the children of Israel, Saul, David and Solomon, each ruled for forty years (1050 to 930 B.C.). After the united kingdom split into two separate pieces, King Joash served forty years as one of Judah's better kings.

Abraham tried to bargain with God to NOT destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if forty righteous people were found (Genesis 18:29). Both Isaac and Esau were forty years old when they were first married (Genesis 25:20, 26:34).

God flooded the earth by having it rain for forty days and nights (Genesis 7:12). After the patriarch Jacob (Israel) died in Egypt, the Egyptians spent forty days embalming his body (Genesis 50:3)."

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I was unaware of this ….

Catechism of the Catholic Church

“2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.”

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I downloaded and watched Season 6 and Season 7 of "Game of Thrones." 

An observation ...... why don't those in the north wear hats? They have huge, heavy animal skin coats, boots and gloves but no fur hats.

Yes, I see that someone does have a hood.

Tyrion Lannister, still my favorite ......

Season 8 - Maybe April 2019 and I'm ready.

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Is this Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice?

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Alan Jackson - “The Older I Get”

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

Casey, 50th & Dr. Zhivago

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“Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children

     shout,

But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.”

Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Sometimes we put too much emphasis on a team and its players.

Sometimes we forget about the hard work they endure.

Sometimes we forget that all the effort that players put into a season does not define them in a single game.

But not today … 

The Irish Lads had a great season and I’m willing to bet that Notre Dame fans are proud of the teams accomplishments.

 I am.

Pinterest

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Our friends Maureen and Jack celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary last Saturday. 

We all attended 5:15PM Mass at the Church of the Epiphany. Msgr. Shreeve presided as they renewed their wedding vows. It was a beautiful Mass followed by a dinner gathering for family and friends. 

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"It snowed and snowed, the whole world over,

Snow swept the world from end to end.

A candle burned on the table;

A candle burned."

 Boris Pasternak, “Dr. Zhivago”  

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Sometimes it's nice to ponder about things.

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Between Kelly and her “resolutions,” and Moira her “setting goals,”

I’m somewhat perplexed at what to do.

I am not the type of person that looks at the “New Year” as a starting point for improvement. 

No, I'm not perfect. I have faults. Some things I start but then loose interest. There are times I think of a particular direction I should go but then change. 

However, these two beautiful ladies do present some positive ideas that I will "ponder" and "reflect" on.

Perhaps we all should.

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Samuel Colt, is well known for the .45-calibre Peacemaker revolver. On January 4, 1847 he sold this pistol to the United States government. 

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Bob Dylan & Paul Simon - “The Sound of Silence”

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.