My country 'tis of thee...wait a minute!

One day, I will get there. And what better time?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8784845.stm

Traveling Back in Time...

It is a great dream and fear to be booked on a canceled flight. However, I believe the traveler in me would take over if I were ever to be dropped in such a situation, especially if it turned out to extend my stay in some foreign land for a day or more. I feel for those who get trapped before they even left and contemplate if I myself would be caught up in dismay if I could not find an alternative route or if I might keep myself in stand-by mode while I find another adventure to fulfill a bit closer to home and port. Maybe indulge in a site or activity overlooked except in days gone by and times that were perhaps a bit slower paced. In this city alone I know of many things in which I have yet to partake, even taken a bit fore-granted, so many places to explore, so what holds me, and so many others, back? Various excuses, of course. By far, excuses too numerous to list here. But what if our world traveled back in time? What if our future traveled to a time in our past? A time with out air travel? "A world without planes?"

From the Mouths of Babes...

...or one babe, a boy of about four, to be a bit more precise. From this fatigued wee one, I heard a faint yet urgent plea, "Mommy, I don't wanna go!" as families filed out of church post Easter Sunday Mass. I cannot say that I blame him really. The service was beautiful and energetic, even quite edgy at times with respect for tradition. Plus, it is not all too often that the homily begins with Bruce Springsteen. Joe (the Parish Director at Ss. Peter & Paul in Kiel) continued by incorporating several national and international events with today's readings, interlaced by lyrics from "The Rising," and making quite a memorable homily. To paraphase Joe (and subsequently Bruce), cast out the old, dead yeast, give time to let God work the dough, and come on up to the rising.

Turkey Day=34 Days...

...the time in which I will be on the road (or rather in the air) again traveling, but until then...

So as most all Americas sit down for a scrumptious meal with family and/or friends today, we devote time to sharing what exactly it is for which we give thanks. Yes, to many who have not experienced an American Thanksgiving celebration, the food seems to be the focal point. Even with the traditional gathering being half the normal size at my parents' this year, we still had all the homemade trimmings: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce (both whole and jellied), candied sweet potatoes, biscuits (a few burned and sacrificed, as per our usual holiday accident), cauliflower with cheddar cheese, and choice of dessert: cranberry-cherry pie or pumpkin pie served with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream. In all reality however, I think it is more or less the excuse to gather: a great meal, or two or three, to gather friends and family in order that we might give thanks for all that we are grateful. What better, more enjoyable way to do so?

As I give thanks for the enumerate blessings bestowed upon me while I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade followed by the Packers @ Lions game, I am ever-aware of those things which remain elusive yet for which I am eternally grateful. *Let us toast to just that!*

Editorial

A Thanksgiving Toast

Sitting down with friends and family today, there will be thanks for the steady currents, flowing out of the past, that have brought us to this table. There will be thanks for the present union and reunion of us all. And there will be prayerful thanks for the future. But it’s worth raising a glass (or suspending a forkful for those of you who’ve gotten ahead of the toast) to be thankful for the unexpected, for all the ways that life interrupts and renews itself without warning.

What would our lives look like if they held only what we’d planned? Where would our wisdom or patience — or our hope — come from? How could we account for these new faces at the Thanksgiving table or for the faces we’re missing this holiday, missing perhaps now all these years?

It will never cease to surprise how the condition of being human means we cannot foretell with any accuracy what next Thanksgiving will bring. We can hope and imagine, and we can fear. But when next Thanksgiving rolls around, we’ll have to take account again, as we do today, of how the unexpected has shaped our lives. That will mean accounting for how it has enriched us, blessed us, with suffering as much as with joy.

That, perhaps, is what all this plenty is for, as you look down the table, to gather up the past and celebrate the present and open us to the future.

There is the short-term future, when there will be room for seconds. Then there is the longer term, a time for blossoming and ripening, for new friends, new family, new love, new hope. Most of what life contains comes to us unexpectedly after all. It is our job to welcome it and give it meaning. So let us toast what we cannot know and could not have guessed, and to the unexpected ways our lives will merge in Thanksgivings to come.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/opinion/26thur1.html?em

Sign in to Recommend Next Article in Opinion (21 of 30) » A version of this article appeared in print on November 26, 2009, on page A38 of the New York edition.

Patience is a Virtue...

Yes, but is it really worth having all of the time?

I am amused by the number of times I have found myself pondering patience the past few days, and, subsequently, I am currently in a deadlock. Patience is a wonderful virtue to have mastered. Or so the saying goes. But, with mastery, is it not implied that one should not only know when to have/practice patience but also know when to throw caution to the wind, forget about keeping emotions in check, and go at life with wild abandon? I mean, plans are great. And being patient tends to yield more beneficial results than the alternative. I should know: most of my life reflects arduous planning and perseverance and not becoming frustrated at obstacles; however one cannot know the future nor does "perfect information" truly exist and being fastidiously patient can be rather predictable and boring. So, every-so-often, is patience not a virtue for which it is not worth waiting (at least statistically speaking.)?

Buzz's Bench

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjJS7Bo7iQc&feature=channel

SHOUT!!!!

One last shout out from MU Class of 2009...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtozdeVGEWE!
The video quality is not the best ever, but this is stellar!!
(And, yes, I can be spotted every now and again.)
=D
"Seniors 2009 - We're OUT!"

Switching Parts...

So I am sure you have experienced the thrill & greatness of a new hair cut. Not just any-old trim; removal of split ends; or cutting of bangs. But a brand-new styling. You arrive at the stylist's/barber's/etc. with a few pictures of the "do" you are going for; have the image of the soon-to-be new-found glory of the fresh cut and style emblazoned in your mind's eye, when your beautician innocently asks..."So how do you part your hair?"

"Uh...ummm??? Good question. NO. GREAT question!...How DO I normally part my hair?" races through your mind. "NORMALLY, I have a comb in my hand. And my hair is wet. And, I do not really THINK about it...my hair just kind of falls into place."

And out sputters, "On this side."
"I think?!"

And, inevitably, once you have returned home to stare in the mirror for a few brief moments you realize that, in fact, you used to part your hair on the opposite side.