Honest Abe Indeed

President Abraham Lincoln, 1865, public domain/fair use claimed, full cite below in sources

Greetings All:

This past week marked the 206th birthday of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.  Lincoln is clearly one of our better known Presidents.  His image is on the penny and the five-dollar bill.  His monument is one of the best known in Washington, D.C. and his "Gettysburg Address" is one of the most famous oratorical works in American history.  His life was cut short when an actor turned assassin, John Wilkes Booth, gunned him down at the end of The Civil War.  

Lincoln was not (ahem) universally loved as President.  The South, of course, despised him enough to rebel.  That's not a surprise.  What did surprise me was the both the breath and depth of visceral anger there was to him in the North.  Some thought him a tyrant, others a wild-eyed abolitionist.  Meanwhile, the actual abolitionists viewed him with disdain, as nothing more than a spineless politician.  I've got a number of links below to Lincoln's life and the circumstances that gave rise to the lack of universal affection for him.

Another surprise for me was that Lincoln likely suffered from mental illness.  He referred to it as melancholy.  There has been significant work on this subject and I have some links placed below if you'd like to learn more about this subject.  

Lincoln had a rough life, as most of us know.  Born poor, his mother died when he was young.  Self-taught in the rough frontier that was Kentucky, he made his way to Illinois.  Sure, he had some successes, but more failures.  His election to President was a surprise to most.  The anger of many soon followed.

Lincoln, despite all the odds against him, found a way to persevere.  When at times it seemed all were either against him or certainly doubting him, he found the strength to believe in himself.

How did he do it?   

Faith cannot be discounted.  One of Lincoln's better known quotes (and one cited by our current President in his 2012 convention speech) is the following: 

"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go..."  

Yet there was more to Lincoln's way ahead through the fog of his despair.  I found this passage from Joshua Wolf Shenk's The Atlantic article to provide at least a partial answer.  He writes, discussing how Lincoln found his own way to deal with his depression:

"Lincoln responded with both humility and determination. The humility came from a sense that whatever ship carried him on life's rough waters, he was not the captain but merely a subject of the divine force—call it fate or God or the "Almighty Architect" of existence. The determination came from a sense that however humble his station, Lincoln was no idle passenger but a sailor on deck with a job to do. In his strange combination of profound deference to divine authority and a willful exercise of his own meager power, Lincoln achieved transcendent wisdom"

I think another way to look at it was Lincoln's ability to be honest with himself.  To recognize he had this condition and he'd admit to himself it was part of who he was.  It is a shame that he did not have access to the modern treatments available today.  Then again, if that was around, he might not have been able to have given us the speeches, the leadership, the plea for forgiveness and reconciliation after the blood spilling stopped.  We are the beneficiaries of his suffering. 

I'd be remiss as not to leave you with another of my favorite Lincoln quotes:

"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves..."

I like to think that Lincoln, for all the faults that befall all mortals, found a way to be honest about his melancholy, at least to himself.  In doing so, he found his own path to freedom.  This is important.  Consider how many other leaders in history were held back, perhaps paralyzed by their illness, unable to get help and get better.  They denied themselves the freedom to get better, to suffer.  How better a leader might they have been had they chose another way.  How different history might have been.

From everything I've read about Lincoln, it appears that he had the courage to admit to himself he was not well.  To him, he was "Honest Abe" indeed.  

As for the rest of us, let's look to draw inspiration from Lincoln, to have the courage to be honest with ourselves about what's truly going on with ourselves.  If everything's cool, great.  If not, then decide to either make it better or make peace with what it is.  That might be the best to hope for.

As I wrap up this blog post, my mind wandered to Jimmy Buffett's wedding band, The Eagles and one of their lyrics from "Already Gone:"

"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key."  

Something to think about as we honor a President who freed others...and himself.

Be well my friends,
Jeno

Sources:

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm 

http://www.shenk.net/lincolnsmelancholy/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln#mediaviewer/File:Abraham_Lincoln_O-116_by_Gardner,_1865-crop.png

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2005/10/lincolns-great-depression/304247/ 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_and_mental_health_of_Abraham_Lincoln

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4976127

http://www.abilitymagazine.com/abe_story.html

http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln78.html

http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5020&context=mulr

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860.0004.103/--anti-lincoln-tradition?rgn=main;view=fulltext

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/17/the-rancid-abraham-lincoln-haters-of-the-libertarian-right.html

The Lincoln quote at the end of this blog post:  The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume III, "Letter To Henry L. Pierce and Others" (April 6, 1859), p. 376. 

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eagles/alreadygone.html 

The Snow Princess

 

"The Snow Princess," photo by J. Berta

Greetings All:

This past week, we got walloped by about 13 inches of snow.  It actually started Saturday night, after raining all afternoon.  By Sunday morning, we were covered in snow.  Not just any snow, but the think, sticky kind.  The kind that makes shoveling and snowblowing a pain.  I mean that in both the figurative sense and in the literal, as in I was in pain on Tuesday.  I had to laugh (so as not to cry) at how ridiculously long it took me to tie my shoes.  Bending over to get the paper was high adventure.  

We, as adults bemoan (or another word beginning with "b") about winter and especially snow.  It is inconvenient.  Now that it's well below freezing, what did not get scraped off the sidewalks and driveways will be here to stay for a while.  I saw today someone who had no choice but to place his/her garbage can on top of a snow mound.  It reminded me of a medieval turret rising from a castle of snow.

Yet for kids, snow is truly a grand gift from above.  They will play in it for hours.  With the proper gear, they'll stay out in it for hours, rivaling the baddest 11Bravos at Fort Drum.  Yup, they love it.

My daughter Carly started building a snow man and quickly determined that it was unfair that these creations always are men.  "Why not a girl?"

Why not indeed?

So she and her friend Laelagh decided to create not just a snow woman, but something special- The Snow Princess.  The opening photo is their final creation.  I think it's pretty cool...and cold, clearly frozen by now.

Their creation and determination to love winter and the snow was the inspiration for the following poem.  Thanks ladies.

The Snow Princess by Jeno Berta

Snow, heavy snow, as far as the eye can see.

Branches bend, some cracking from it.

Streets are covered, tires spin.

Down the street, a snowblower moans.

A plow truck rumbles.

Us grown-ups mutter at the mess.

Then there are the wise amongst us.

Those who not only see the beauty in this snow, but what it offers.

Its gift.

They strap on snow pants and boots, hats and gloves,

They cannot wait to get out into it.

Our mess is their paradise.

After they are done sledding, they get onto the business at hand.

They create.

From the mass of the thick, perfect snow, they bring it to life.

They roll and pack, shape and carve.

The head may crumble, but they are not deterred.

They simply start again.

This next time is better than the first.

There it stands, in the yard, in the cold, in the still falling snow.

A snowman.

“Not a snowman, Dad!” I’m corrected.

“Just wait ‘till we’re done.”

So I watch.  I’m no longer cold.

A carrot becomes a nose, Ritz crackers let the snow…person see.

Then sticks for arms, and a scarf for warmth.

A wig and a tiara as a fitting final touch.

It is done.  Behold, The Snow Princess.

My daughter and her friend pose with their new friend. 

Three “Mighty Girls” indeed.

This, my friends, is how to deal with winter,

To create a memory.

One that will last long after The Snow Princess has melted away.

Be well my friends,
Jeno



 

Packing it Away...Until Next Season

My Green Bay Packers sweat shirts "Packed" away.  Photo by J. Berta

Greetings All:

You likely know the Super Bowl is today, February 1st.  The defending champion Seattle Seahawks face off against the New England Patriots, also former champions.  I expect it to be a great game.

And I could not be more disappointed with the match-up.  

The reason?  Simple, I am a Green Bay fan.  I've been one for as long as I can remember.  Unlike other teams and sports where I have strained a muscle jumping on whatever band wagon was rolling through "Firstplaceville," I've been with the Packers...for a while.  

Yes, my friends, I've been a fan, through the "wilderness years" of the 70s and 80s, when Green Bay lost regularly.  When our arch-rivals, the Chicago Bears, would pummel us without pause or pity, reflection or restraint.  Through the late 80s when we got the first faint hopes that the post-season might, just might, include our team.  Not since Bart Starr had been under center did the Packers have a quarterback who could engineer wins.  Enter Don "Majic" Majkowski.

The "Majic Man" arrived in Green Bay in 1987, by way of the tenth round, hailing from the University of Virginia.  Two short years later, a turnaround was clearly apparent.  The Packers even found a way to savor victory against the Bears in 1989.  Like a candle in the darkness of the room of "losses and no post-season," a bit of light could be seen.  

However, it was not until the 90s that the "Pack" was truly back.  Led by the gun-slinger Brett Farve, the Packers returned to greatness.  It culminated with winning the 1997 Superbowl.  From then on, the Packers fielded competitive teams, making the playoffs most years and even winning the whole thing again in 2011.

The iconic image of any Superbowl team is lifting the trophy, "The Lombardi Trophy."  More on that and the namesake in a moment.

So as a Packers fan, I both hope and yes, expect, they will not only play in, but win the Superbowl.  All was in order to get back to this year's the big game two weeks' ago in the NFC Championship Game.  Green Bay had a solid lead late in the game.  Then disaster struck and Seattle engineered a comeback that will be (sadly) recalled for years to come.  I can still hear the cackling from the various bars and Irish pubs on Rush Street at how the Packers let this one get away.

It was painful to watch, to say the least.  Still, I was mildly proud of myself (being an only child, I'm easily impressed with my accomplishments) for not moping around the house after the loss.  There was a time when that would be par for the course.  Chalk it up to getting older or having other stuff to worry about.  Or, perhaps, (dare I say it) recognizing that I can neither take credit nor shoulder blame for the Green Bay season, so any disappointment should be kept in perspective.  I was able to (mostly) let it go and move on.  

"Let it go, let it go.
And I'll rise like the break of dawn.
Let it go, let it go..."

Read more: Idina Menzel - (Disney's Frozen) Let It Go Lyrics | MetroLyrics

 Yes, I went there...Frozen lyrics.  Sorry about that, I had a moment.  I'm back and better now...

As I mentioned a few lines ago, the Superbowl trophy is named the "Lombardi Trophy," after the football coach Vince Lombardi.  Even as a hopelessly biased Packers fan, it is both fair and accurate to say he is synonymous with football excellence.  This man sought out victory the way Arthur's knights quested for the Holy Grail.  

Coch Lombardi, 1962, from Wikipedia, public domain/fair use claimed, full cite below in sources.

He has been known for any number of memorable lines.  One of my favorites was recently re-told in a great blog post by James Clear (citing to David Maraniss' book).   In the post, Clear tells how Lombardi began training camp by holding up the ball and saying:  "Gentlemen, this is a football."  There are others.  However, the one I'd argue he's best known for his musing on being #1.  It's worth presenting in full:

What it Takes to be Number 1 by Vincent Lombardi

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he's got to play from the ground up - from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization - an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win - to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there - to compete. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules - but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the ‘brute' nature of men or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour -- his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear -- is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."

Pretty powerful stuff.

There are a number of books, I suppose, written on Lombardi.  I have only read one but this one is enough.  When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss is that book.

Here is what Allen St. John of The New York Times surmised, in part, regarding his book review back in 1999:

"In his biography, When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss searches behind the slogan for the man who started it all. Lombardi has been characterized as (pick your stereotype) a success-obsessed tyrant, a great leader, a bully who browbeat his players into submission, a masterly motivator who drew the best out of his team. Maraniss insists that he was all of the above."

There is something to be said for pursuing victory.  We live in a world with plenty of ugliness, of people who would gleefully do us harm.  In those situations, we best fight back and, to quote Coach Lombardi, "...to win, and to win, and to win."  I've commented on such situations before and expect to again.  However, for purposes of football, that is not one of those.

It's OK to be disappointed when your team loses. I view that as a sign of loyalty and loyalty is something I'll pay full price for.  However, keeping things in perspective is key.  This is especially important regarding things we cannot control.  I'll go so far as to call it a virtue.

I'm reading a great book, Dying Every Day Seneca at the Court of Nero, by James Romm.  It tells of how the great stoic writer and teacher was caught in the quicksand that was Imperial Rome.  It was against this backdrop of selfish excess and narcissistic (and murderous) impulses that Seneca wrote some of his best work.  One in particular is De Brevitate Vitae (On the Shortness of Life."  In it, Seneca offers some sage advice on dealing with disappointment caused my matters not of our doing.  He writes:

"Withdraw yourself into calmer, safer, and greater things...to learn what substance God is made of, what experiences await your soul..." (citing to Romm, p. 53).

A bit much?  Maybe.  Then again, there's some applicable wisdom in both the approach of Seneca and Lombardi.  It might come down to this:  Pick your fights, fight like hell to win those you can, and know when it's not your fight.  When it's over, accept the reality for what it is.  Then put away your team colors.  That way, you'll know exactly where to find them for next year.

Be well my friends,
Jeno

Sources:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MajkDo00.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Majkowski 

http://www.metrolyrics.com/disneys-frozen-let-it-go-lyrics-idina-menzel.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Lombardi 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Lombardi#mediaviewer/File:Vince_Lombardi.png

http://jamesclear.com/vince-lombardi-fundamentals

http://www.vincelombardi.com/number-one.html 

http://www.amazon.com/Dying-Every-Day-Seneca-Court/dp/0307596877

https://www.nytimes.com/books/99/10/10/reviews/991010.10stjoht.html 



http://www.stoics.com/seneca_essays_book_1.html

 

Of Bread Bags and Piles of Shoes

Some of the (many) shoes in our house.  Photo by J. Berta

Greetings All:

Last week, I wrote about that uniquely American tradition known as "The State of the Union Address."  I thought President Obama gave a solid speech.  I also thought he won the "zinger" award of the night when he quipped, "I know, I won both of them." This was to the some grumbling by "The loyal opposition" regarding his comment about being done with elections.

We then moved onto the Republican response.  There were a number of them given.  The official one came from Iowa's own, Senator Joni Ernst.  There is almost a "Hunger Games" quality to the response to the SOTU address.  It's way shorter, given to an empty room sans staff and teleprompter and its watched only by the media, the other party's fans and political junkies (like me). 

Senator Ernst gave, in my opinion, a very good and sincere response.  One part of her speech stuck with me.  Here it is:


"You see, growing up, I had only one good pair of shoes. So on rainy school days, my mom would slip plastic bread bags over them to keep them dry.  But I was never embarrassed. Because the school bus would be filled with rows and rows of young Iowans with bread bags slipped over their feet."

My opinion was not universally shared.  Peggy Noonan has a cleaver blog post calling out the "eye-rollers" who took issue with Ernst's tales of her youth.  I've got the link to her blog post in the credits below, it's worth a read.

As someone who worked in New York City slinging permanent life insurance (er, I mean, being a "financial consultant") and hailing from "flyover country," I can understand their point of reference.  After all, who'd do that?  Wear bread bags on their feet?

People in Iowa, that's who.

I think I might have even done that as a kid myself.  However, I cannot recall.  Truth be told, I had plenty of shoes growing up.  Now, even more so.

I remember as I watched Senator Ernst give say the line about her "...one good pair of shoes," I looked over at the assortment of shoes gathered in our living room.  For our family of four, we're all good, really good with shoes.

We are truly fortunate.

I don't know why, but for some reason as she told her story of the bread bags keeping her one pair of shoes dry, I thought of a pile of shoes.  Not the small collection in my house, but the mountains of shoes many miles away in D.C. and in Europe.

Those piles reside at the National Holocaust Museum in our nation's capital and throughout Europe in the museums that were once killing factories.  

Those piles are shoes, countless shoes!  When I see photos of the piles of shoes, I cannot help but think that the last living person to wear them had but minutes of life left before the steel door slammed shut to the gas chamber.

My God, the horrors man can do.

A pile of victims' shoes, fair use claimed, http://collections.yadvashem.org/photosarchive/en-us/2626.html

Now, lest anyone think I'm now on the Joni Ernst bandwagon from a policy standpoint, I am not.  In her speech, she touched on a number of issues, many I clearly disagree with her on, with a bunch of separation.   Come to think of it, with the exception of her pledge to support Veterans, I probably am on the other side of just about everything else she said last week.  Yet on her story of the bread bags, I believe her, I take her at her word.  

And to those who would mock that story, think about this:  Are you mocking her because you think she's a hick or you just don't like her politics?  Either way, you're befalling a stereotype.  

Stop it.  Please, I'm asking nice.

By all means, challenge her on policy issues.  Get informed, get active, vote, volunteer, read, write a blog (it's easy, even I can do it) and advance your agenda.  Register folks to vote and help them get whatever ID they need to vote (interesting the Constitution says nothing about state-issued proof of ID to vote, yet I digress) and whatever else you can think of.  But please, do not succumb to cheep shot attacks against someone you don't even know.

Here's why:  When people make generalizations, come to assumptions without the facts, or just engage in snarky comments, it does not help our society move forward.  

And we need to move forward, like now!

A few days' ago (January 27th) marked the liberation of evil personified, Auschwitz.  Although this was sadly not the only crime scene of the Third Reich, it is the best, most chilling, ugly image of the Holocaust.  When I hear, "Never again," I shake my head.  Since 1945 there have been plenty of atrocities across the globe.  The grandmother of the last perpetrator of "Walmart-scale" evil has not yet been born.

So if I might suggest, let us all endeavor to look for the sincerity in what others say, offer them the benefit of the doubt.  Let us focus on all we have.  Let us shamelessly and joyfully practice audacious acts of gratitude for that plenty.  Let of never forget that the stiff arm salute became the ashes of Auschwitz.  It didn't happen overnight but happen it did.  

When people ask me, "Could something like that (the Holocaust) happen here, in America?"  I answer, "No."  I say, "no," not just because I'm a perpetual optimist, but because we have systems in place strong as a Spartan shield wall to protect others.  Specifically,  the minority, from the whims of the majority.   I also answer, "No," because unlike the bully regimes that infected the decades of the 20th Century, we respect the rule of law and right to hold both beliefs and memories...including rides on school buses with bread bags strapped to one's legs.  

Be well my friends,
Jeno

Sources:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/white-house/full-text-joni-ernst-s-republican-response-to-the-state-of-the-union-20150120

http://blogs.wsj.com/peggynoonan/2015/01/26/bread-bags/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30996555

http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-features/special-focus/liberation-of-auschwitz

http://digitalassets.ushmm.org/photoarchives/detail.aspx?id=8637





 

The State of the Union, Our Union

 

President Obama beginning the 2015 SOTU Address, photo by J. Berta

Greetings All:

Tonight, a political ritual is unfolding in our nation's capital.  As I type this, The President (our President, for those of you who are Americans) is performing one of his many Constitutional responsibilities to report to the Congress.  Article II, Section 3 is where it is found.  I have a link to The Heritage Foundation with the specifics. 

I also have a link to the whole speech below for those want to check it out.  And, of course, there is a full buffet line of cable news networks to chose from for whatever your take is on the current state of the American body politic for commentary.

I would be horribly remiss not to mention that the official Republican response is being given by a fellow Iowan, Senator Joni Ernst.  If you have read my blog during the election, you might recall I spoke of my support for then Congressman Bruce Braley.  Still, I am proud that a freshman Senator from my state and an OIF Veteran added her voice to the discourse of democracy.  My only critique of her speech would be the following:  Senator, there are no "ordinary" Iowans...or Americans for that matter.

Back to POTUS' speech, I thought it was great.  Biased?  Sure.  After all, I voted for the guy twice.  Still, I did think it was the type of speech a leader gives.  I also thought he went out of his way to reach across the aisle to the other side.  And that is good, considering that the folks on the "other side" are in charge.

We have a ton of problems to deal with in our current nation and world.  There is no getting around that.  However, we've been here before, and we've bounced back.  I do have to wonder if one of the reasons we've been (how should I put this...) adrift in our nation is that perhaps we don't have a common cause to rally behind.  Oh sure, there is ISIS.  But as vicious and evil as they are, they are not Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan or the Soviet Union.  Perhaps we haven't gotten along as well as we are capable of because,...well, we have not had to.

I'll submit the following:  We now need to.  We have to find common ground.  We have to view compromise not as an affront to our principles but an example of our principles.  We have to recognize that the state of the Union is based on how we all interact with each other.  It is, in short, our union.  

I believe this union, our union, is strong.

Now, let's make it stronger...together.

Be well my friends,
Jeno

Sources:

https://medium.com/@WhiteHouse/president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address-remarks-as-prepared-for-delivery-55f9825449b2 

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/2/essays/94/state-of-the-union

Tragédie à Paris

One of the better political cartoons I have seen, fair use claimed, full cite below. 

 Greetings All:

We've all been reeling from the shock, then anger at the events in Paris of the past week.  Over a dozen souls were lost in murder due to the demented logic of a few demented men.  

I have been gently accused of writing blog posts that are w-a-y too long.  To that charge, I plead guilty.  After all, I am an attorney and an only child.  It's a challenge not to go on (and on and on) about subjects that matter to me.

And trust me, this one does.

First off, I'm angry.  I am angry at the cowardly act that occurred in Paris.  There is neither courage nor honor (any effort, for that matter) of walking into a building of unsuspecting, unarmed civilians and emptying the clip of an AK-47.  That's not courage, just a muscle movement.

Second, I'm frustrated.  I am frustrated that we live in a world where such horrors can occur.  I'm frustrated that while the whole world was slugging down the "Big Gulp" of constant cable news of the Tragédie à Paris, there were but a precious few drops of news about the hundreds, if not thousands murdered in Nigeria at the hands of the cowardly thugs known as Buko Horan.  (Not sure if it's spelled right and don't care, they don't deserve spell-check.)

So here we are, about a week removed from the carnage in the "City of Lights."  What have we learned?  That's a question I'll kick back to those with higher GPAs than me to answer.

Here is what I will say:  We're not going to let these bastards win.  We're not going to cower, to give up, to stop living our lives.  I (expletive-deleted) love it that over 3 MILLION people showed up in Paris in peaceful, powerful protest to the bully jihadists and said, "Here we are, do what you will."  

A photo from Paris after that massacre, New York Post, fair use claimed, full cite below.

It is a tragedy that which befell Paris last week.  It is easy to be both angry and frustrated, as I've admitted to.  And yet, let us not play into the terrorists (lower case on purpose) plans and over-react.  Let us not let our anger and rage and grief cause us to lash out against those whom have harmed us not.  Let us not punish those whose only crime is to be Muslim.  And that, my friends, is exactly what the cowards want.  

So yes, let us grieve.  Let us recall this tragedy.  Let us be angry but move forward.  We simply do not have the luxury of seething rage.  Instead, let us fight back with honor and in the spirit of our principles.  We can win and in doing so honor those who fell in Paris...and in the distant jungles of Nigeria.
 
être bien mes amis,
Jeno 

Sources:

Opening cartoon, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11331506/Cartoonists-show-solidarity after-Charlie-Hebdo-attack.html 

http://nypost.com/2015/01/08/je-suis-charlie-message-unites-the-globe-after-paris-attack/ 

A Melancholy Task

The "wrap up" (that was bad, sorry) of our holiday decorations.  Photo by J. Berta

Greetings All:

"All is quiet on New Year's Day."   

U2 from their song, "New Year's Day," from their 1983 (My God, has it been that long?!?) album, War.

New Year's Day, 2015.  Welcome to the new year and farewell to the holiday season, at least in our house.  It's kind of an unwritten rule that come January 1st, the decorations come down, get packed up and returned to the basement.  This was something my Mom did and we've continued the practice in our place.

There's something a bit sad, melancholy actually, about the end of the holidays.  Gone is the season of food, fun, the same songs sung by artists across the generations, and of course, the decorations.

I am a sucker for outdoor lights.  I love looking at them and having them up at our house.  I think I did a not-too-terrible job.  I never figured out how to set the timer on the power strip thing, so every evening and every night I would venture outside to plug and unplug it.  When I turned it off there was something kinda neat about being outside in the cold.  That quickly passed and I scooted back inside to the warmth of the house.  Still, experiencing the cold was worth it to catch a glimpse of the neighbors' lights still on.  (I told you I was a sucker for lights.)

When the holidays end, there is a degree of sadness.  Here's a link to an article that sheds some light on this subject:

http://greatist.com/grow/shake-off-post-holiday-blues

For me, part of the sadness of the holiday season being over is that things need to go back to the way they were prior to Turkey Day.  There is the issue of packing up the stuff and carefully, I might add.  We have a number of things that need extra care.  The one that comes immediately to mind is the nativity scene given to me by my neighbor, Mrs. Van Severn, when I was a little boy.  It's a minor miracle its survived this long.  I'm determined to keep it that way.

It is sad to say goodbye to the holidays.  That is why I am convinced that the best way to deal with the end of the holidays is to pack up stuff ASAP.  Now, full disclosure, it is the evening of th 4th and the decorations have not yet been moved downstairs.  They are packed, however, and that is the important part.  It's important because for me, it's too tempting to leave them up.  I simply love the holidays.

Twenty years ago, Martin Zellar released Born Under, still one of my most favorite albums.  One of the songs is "East Side Boys."  The opening verse contains the following lyrics:

"Well they grew up on the side of town where the Christmas lights hung up all year round, and the sidewalks went un-shoveled, and the dogs barked all night long."

True, you should let your dog in and deal with your snow.  Yet, would it be such a crime to let Christmas stay with us all year long?  No.  Then again, we would not have the joy of the season, the surprise of seeing the lights again if they were up all year long.  They'd just be like the streetlights.  Comforting, of course, yet not unique.

I suppose we have to experience the melancholy task to taking down the decorations to experience the joy the following year.  Perhaps this is "paying it forward" at its finest. 

Be well my friends,
Jeno