Family stars

A week ago, we went to the first major family reunion of my wife's ancestors on her Dad's side. One of her cousins has traced the genealogy back to 1687 and has chronicled all the births, marriages, and deaths of every descendent right to our latest granddaughter born June 28 this year. In total there are more than 10,000 descendents of Christian and Anna Myer of Saugerties, Ulster, New York, listed in the 200 page document.

I think in every family, there are a variety of personalities and issues that often impact its cohesiveness. For some, they become a stumbling block, but for others, they are a unifying factor. Lois's Dad and his cousin Barbara, played together as children, but as they grew older and their own families grew, they seldom saw each other. Now well into their eighties, they are the last of their generation and were able to sit under the stars and talk about all the "remember whens."

I have about fifteen cousins, but I probably could only find one if I looked hard enough. It's very special to see our grandchildren get together as cousins now, and I can't help but wonder if they will be the "family stars" at another family reunion eighty years from now.

Spectators

One thing we often forget about entertainers is that they are just as entertained by us as we are them. Instead of us watching them, they become spectators. These very talented Honduran dancers were watching all the other evening entertainment from across the courtyard before it was their turn to perform.

In many respects we do the same thing every day. As spectators, we look at other people and wonder what kind of "dance" they did to get to where they are. We may look at their family, their position in business or the community, their house, their car, and in general all their stuff. We forget that regardless of who they are, or where they are in life, they are still people just like us. Perhaps, they are looking at us and wondering how they can get to where we are. Maybe our role models are not the models we expected them to be, but then what kind of role model are we?

Just say, "No!"

Remember when your parents said, “How many times do I have to tell you no, no, no!” I often wonder if we would have gotten the point if they had little circular flashcards to hold up with the picture of what we wanted to do (or in my case were already doing) with a line drawn through indicating “no.” There would be no need to explain and certainly no arguments. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. What could be plainer?

For example, before you go into your friendly neighborhood bank in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to make a deposit, or cash a check, you are reminded immediately that no sunglasses or cell phones are allowed, and there is no smoking and no guns permitted in the bank. There is no need to explain and certainly no room to argue. And if that were not enough, the armed security guard waves his magic metal detector wand over everyone that wants to enter before he opens the door.

I guess in the U.S., the gun restriction is taken for granted, but in Honduras, I wonder what the security guard at Wendy’s across the street does with his twelve gauge shotgun when he runs over on break to cash his paycheck.

Community Cable

Does this look familiar? One person pays and everybody plays. Once the cable TV junction box is open, it’s fair game at this apartment. Just climb out on the roof and plug in. Cable companies get a bad rap sometimes for their poor service and justifiably so. I wonder who calls for service if this cable goes out.

The cable company in our area actually has the word “communications” in its name. Unfortunately the prefix “mis” is missing. When I had an overcharging issue with this cable company, I went to their customer service office rather than calling India, again, and spoke loudly enough in the waiting room to get quickly escorted behind closed doors to the credit manager. He promptly took care of the problem and gave me his direct line in case there were any more questions. I asked him about those “memos” written by their customer service reps in India, and he said, “Oh, we get thousands of those and don’t begin to read them all.“

While I am not an advocate of “cable tapping,” to some an open box is open game.

Marlboro Man

The Marlboro Man, 45 year icon of masculinity, is alive and well in Central America. At least it sure looks like him.

I found him in Teupasenti, Honduras, this week just standing outside his house two hours from the nearest paved road. Horses and donkeys roamed freely in the streets and most houses have at least one light. Every street was rutted from daily torrential rains that dropped several inches of water in an hour or so. Some ruts looked like earthquake fault lines several feet deep, but no one seems to mind, and if they did, there's not much anyone could do.

There is a weather-worn sense of pride and confidence in his face. He never spoke while I was photographing him. He just stared, but there was a glint in his eye that, despite the abject poverty all around him, he was the Teupasenti's Marlboro Man without his horse or his cigarette.

 

Book interrupted

Hey! What are you reading?

Don’t you love it when you are deeply engrossed in a book and someone looks over your shoulder and starts reading, or worse yet, starts talking. “What are you reading?” “You’re only on page 132?” “Wait until you get to chapter 8, you won’t believe what happens!” “I read that book on the plane last week, and it really shook me up when all the main characters die in a plane crash in the last chapter.”

So, now that I have your attention, what are you reading, anyway?

Window watcher

I once worked for an interior designer whose favorite expression was, “Simplicity is the essence of design.” I guess that’s what attracted me to this window. It’s a simple, 125 year old window on the side of historic Meeker Hardware, in Danbury, CT. The simple white shutters are fastened to the wall ready to be closed in case of a bad storm, or even a hurricane.

It’s a window that has witnessed the evolution of transportation as generations of customers loaded saddlebags, bikes, wagons, cars and pickup trucks over the course of its life. The once busy railroad station, across the street is now a railway museum, doing its best to preserve the dignity of a bygone era. Yet the simple window never changes. It just watches everything else change.

My idyllic setting

Idyllic settings are peaceful and never change. They are simple places, relaxing, totally out of the mainstream of our daily activity. For me, an idyllic setting is represented by some Adirondack chairs beside a peaceful pond in the middle of nowhere. It represents a place where I can get away and relax anytime.

So what did you do on your vacation this year? How did you get away and relax? Cruises, safaris, theme parks, casinos, getaway resorts, and island hideaways all vie for our vacation dollars and time. If you’re like us, we’ve tried a few and enjoyed them. Sometimes we have wondered how cool it would be to stay at a venue for the rest of our lives. Then reality hits, the vacation is over and we return to our daily routine for another year.

How about you? Where is your idyllic getaway? Is it a real place, or are you still searching?

Today's weather.

Holy cow! It was just too hot for words today.

Doin’ the dishes

I hate to do the dishes, but everywhere I look I see dishes-dirty, messy, dishes. But wait a minute, which generation are we in? After all, thirty years ago, most of our dishes were in the kitchen either in the sink waiting to be washed, drying on the counter, or perhaps in the cupboard patiently waiting to be used again.

Today we see “dishes” everywhere. They are on our rooftops, porches, and brackets mounted to the side of our houses. They have opened a whole new world of entertainment and enlightenment to us. Like television antennas in the fifties, every house has to have one whether they are connected or not. We see them on palaces, million-dollar mansions, tenement buildings, suburban dwellings, and even in remote jungle villages. Unlike the dishes of just one generation ago, our lives have been transformed by high tech dishes that will no doubt remain a significant part of our lives.

Just remember next time someone asks you to wash the dishes, think twice before you respond.

Sunbeams

Wow! Everyday should start like this. There is just something mystical, or heavenly, about the way the early morning sun bursts through the trees in our front yard and penetrates the morning mist. You just know it's going to be not just a great day, but a significant day.

As I look at it, I'm reminded of so many key historic events that focus on the glory of God. Perhaps Moses is getting ready to come off the mountain with the ten commandments, or Elijah just ascended into heaven. Maybe Mary & Martha saw light like this in the garden as they approached the tomb on Easter morning, or is it like the light that blinded Paul on the Damascus road? Spectacular light, reminds us of significant events.

What does it say to you?   What lights up your life?  Think about it,  . . . let us know.