Category Archives: Assistance

The Road to Diamond, Day 160: Windy City Calmness

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

May 7, 2025, Mishawaka- As I walked around the outside of the Baha’i House of Worship, in Wilmette, about 40 miles north of the Chicago Loop, it struck me that the air was a bit cool and the wind brisk. About halfway through my walk, the wind died down and I felt a lot more comfortable. Maybe it was just a matter of acclimation. The atmosphere inside the Temple was warm, and made more so by quiet prayer, said for all who are important in my life, and those who have gone on.

The day started in earnest with a drive up I-39, to the small city of Rochelle, and a satisfying lunch of soup and sandwich, at Sunrise Family Restaurant. The kids were all in school, of course, so the families were mostly people my age or older. The wait staff knew many of the patrons, giving the place a comforting ambiance. I was also treated very well.

After a winding drive through the farmlands and older suburbs of west Chicagoland, I managed to get to the House of Worship around 3 pm. 90 minutes were more than enough time to accomplish the circumambulation, prayers-and purchasing a fresh copy of Baha’i Prayers. I let my friends here in Mishawaka know when leaving the parking lot of the Temple, and started the drive through Chicagoland, fully anticipating a long, slow slog.

Likely due to the fact that it is midweek, that drive took a mere fifty minutes, from Wilmette to the Skyway, which is just shy of the Indiana state line. Another hour, and I was here at my friends’ new house. The Windy City showed an unusual calm, along the south and east bound freeway. For whatever reason, though, the north and west bound roads were bumper to bumper. I’ve been in that situation, countless times, so experiencing the opposite was a blessing.

It is always nice to touch base with V and M.

The Road to Diamond, Day 158: Small Service Bookends

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

May 5, 2025, Wellington, KS- Cinco de Mayo was marked at Mama Fina’s, in Plains, Kansas. The unofficial holiday has nothing to do with the United States, per se, but does commemorate the victory of the Mexican people over French invaders, in 1862, at the Battle of Puebla. It is said that we just love a good excuse to party-which seems to be human nature, and doesn’t hurt anything, unless carried to excess. Serafina produces both mild and spicy Mexican fare. Her smothered burrito is of the former variety, but filled the bill for the evening. A local high school student was the server, and spoke of her experiences at the small county-wide school. She also shared that she prefers watching Netflix to being on her phone-as a live action “Peter Rabbit”, featuring a kung fu Peter, was on the wide screen-with its video off.

Earlier in the day, I drove from Socorro to Mountainaire, NM, and found a small deli- cafe, nestled inside B Street Market, the town’s grocery store. The proprietor served up a fine breakfast sandwich. While I was waiting, a lady came in and asked me whether there was any hot food available-so I pointed her in the cafe’s direction. Ten minutes later, there was another satisfied local customer for the deli-cafe.

The day rolled out nicely, and connection with a Zoom call, over the phone and Bluetooth, proceeded, intermittently but basically well, as I rolled through the High Plains of eastern New Mexico and the upper Texas Panhandle, on the way to Dalhart, Guymon and Liberal (KS). Covering four states in a day, even driving fairly straight roads, is a good effort.

Kansas is often treeless, but seldom featureless. The glaciers of the last Great Ice Age did not spare this area, especially in the region known as Flint Hills. The red soil evokes some of the lower hills of Sedona.

Red Hills of western Kansas (above and below)

I rolled in to Wellington, around 10 pm and chose Travelodge, looking ahead to tomorrow’s breakfast, as a Penny’s Diner branch was next door. This is one of those properties where two separate hotels are managed by one desk, so I went to the Baymont office to register. Back across the street, i found a man looking in the window of the former Travelodge office, and scratching his head. I called to him to go over across the street, and ended up repeating the instruction in Spanish. He was happy to have his confusion resolved to say the least.

It was a fine thing, to be able to offer small services, in morning and evening.

The Road to Diamond, Day 157: Phalanxes

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

May 4, 2025, Socorro, NM- All along my drive through the Gila Mountains of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico- and into the grassy foothills, they stood, alternately grazing and watching me, from the safety of the road’s edge. They were veritable phalanxes of elk, probably four dozen in all, from just outside Alpine, AZ to just south of Datil, NM.

The last pair, between Datil and Magdalena, were an adult cow and a juvenile bull, the latter of which tentatively decided to challenge Sportage for the road. As I turned the car to the left and gave him space, he decided that two tons of metal and fiberglass was more formidable, and moved backwards, sparing us both the grief of a collision.

There were near phalanxes of rabbits, also. Most of them scattered at the approach of the SUV. Only one ran under the car, and sadly met death. Rabbits being fodder for coyotes, I was pleasantly surprised to not see the canines out and about. Deer were also nowhere to be seen, though they tend to not compete with elk for forage.

This all took place after the second day of our Baha’i conference in Phoenix. We have discussed the matter of forming strong communities. The idea of a separate group of people setting the tone for the wider community only works to a limited extent. The community as a whole must be, and feel, included in decision-making-whether it be a matter of spiritual growth or material well-being. Further, there can be no separation, no us and them, in the process of community growth. The phalanx must be one.

It was thus a very full day, and I am most happy, relieved, at being in this comfortable room at Economy Inn. Socorro has had its struggles, but it is a nice town. I will rest well tonight.

The Road to Diamond, Day 156: Heroes, Super and Otherwise

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

May 3, 2025, Phoenix- The comforter on the bed I am borrowing for the evening is Superhero-themed. I am now safe from anything that could threaten the well-being of a six-year-old boy. Since he’s away, this seventy-four-year-old, overgrown kid can expect the same. Monsters and villains, be gone!

Heroes, in real life, come in many shapes, sizes and guises. The people who seem to stand in our way, and keep us from what what we think we might want, will sometimes turn out to be our best friends-and unlikely heroes in our lives. Remember the tale of Majnoon, searching for his beloved Layli (Layla, of the Eric Clapton song). His path was blocked by one or another watchman, until he vaulted himself over a wall-and found her looking fr a ring she had lost.

Heroes can be full of bravado, or they can be ordinary people (as in the Dave Grohl song). They can be constantly in action, in the limelight or just be around-for one day (as in the David Bowie song). Yes, we have been celebrating our deliverers and saviors from time immemorial. From the Epic of Gilgamesh, to the Iliad and Odyssey, the Tales of Hiawatha, Icelandic sagas and stories of the Samurai, all the way to the Marvel and DC characters, we derive much comfort in the idea that someone has our backs.

It is best, though, that we are our own, and one another’s champions. Acting in the interests of each person in our world-starting with ourselves, but not stopping there, can be challenging. The alternative, though, is to let someone else determine the entirety of our existence. That may seem easier, but recall the fates of those who acquiesced to tyrants, throughout history. Were they happier, in the fullness of time? Were their needs met?

Today, in conference with many of my fellow Baha’is, at the Center where Penny and I spent many happy hours, in the often troubled 2000s, I was reminded that “heroism” is hard work and that it is often not intentional, but the result of just putting oneself out there, on behalf of humanity-and of all creation. It most often involves teamwork, and always involves discernment and fortitude.

After our long day of consultation, my host and I joined several old friends, and many youth, in honouring a hard-working college graduate. It was a joy to see people I haven’t seen in fifteen years and to witness how several of them have grown from childhood and become successful adults, in various fields.

Heroes-some of them “super” come in all forms.

The Road to Diamond, Day 155: Ahead of Self

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

May 2, 2025- The proactive young lady cleaned the empty table and put the glasses on the counter, next to where I was sitting at the bar. I thought nothing of it, until another patron asked “Who took my wine?” I showed him the 1/4 full goblet and water glass, which he gratefully took back and finished imbibing. Nothing further was said, on the floor. I am sure the server/busser was gently admonished by the floor manager, but there was no embarrassment involved.

We all have probably gotten ahead of self, at one time or another. Ambition, pressure to produce-or to perform, the drive to out do the competition or just an overactive work ethic can lead to the cart racing past the horse. We have seen how this has worked, variously to the advantage, or more frequently to the detriment, of large corporations, government agencies or hybrids of the two (like DOGE).

It starts, though, with the individual. How one learns from overkill largely determines the longevity of a career or the implosion of same. One can be a quick study and avoid the pitfalls of hyper-ambition and a false sense of superiority. One can also be a stubborn, arrogant fool, succeeding for a while, but then letting self-concept be the cart that flies past its draft animal, careening in the wrong direction. In the latter instance, the fool can sometimes recover, with the passage of time and a use being found for his/her skills allowing for a second chance-or even a third.

It all depends on how open a person is to learning from mistakes.

The Road to Diamond, Day 154: No Worries

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

May 1, 2025- I woke this morning with a minor headache. After drinking a liter of water, the headache was gone. I greeted the month of May with a renewed sense of purpose. Staying extra-hydrated is a key part of that, as the weather will soon warm up.

As I get ready for a visit back east and down south, over the next 2.5 weeks, there are priorities to be set, but also a need to have a path open to electronically assist those here who contact me by Messenger and IM while I am away. The need to be acknowledged does not stop at the city limits or state line, so I have time to assist some friends who seem to have nowhere else to turn and point them towards those here who can help-and probably be of more help than I am when at Home Base I. For that matter, I have done the same for people in other parts of the country and in other countries, whilst here. That, to me, is one of the prime purposes of the digital realm.

There were about twenty of us who celebrated the Twelfth Day of Ridvan, marking the 162nd anniversary of the departure from Baghdad, by Baha’ullah and his entourage. They would cross the mountains and desert of Anatolia, modern-day Turkey, going by land and sea to what is now Istanbul. It would take them a little over three months. We celebrate, because we know that they made the journey successfully, joyfully, with a sense that their journey was in service to the Divine. Every place that Baha’ullah was sent, ostensibly in exile and as a punishment, was made better by His presence.

That is the reason why, on this day, and in this Day, I feel no worries. No matter how difficult things may sometimes get, the right thing happens in the end.

The Road to Diamond, Day 152: Far-flung Family

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

April 29, 2025- A lone patron sat on a stool at The County Seat Restaurant, when I walked in this morning. I knew instantly who it was- a cousin whom I hadn’t seen in 31 years. (Spoiler alerts: I had been in contact with him for a few weeks, and had arranged this lunch meet-up; besides, LinkedIn cued me to his present appearance.) I have been in his “summer community”, in the Twin Cities area, a couple of times in the past several years, but he was not there at the time. During the colder months, he and his wife are at home in the Phoenix area.

Our conversation focused, quite a bit, on the subject of family reunions. We used to have those, organized by one nuclear family unit or another, when the majority of aunts and uncles were still around. Now, there are four aunts on my paternal side and one aunt on my maternal side. We cousins connect, to some extent, with our siblings-and occasionally with those further afield.

I was able to visit with several cousins, on both sides, last summer during our farewell to my mother. The idea of an annual reunion was bruited about, but it occurs to me that the best way to connect with extended family is to just make arrangements, on an individual basis. That worked the past few summers and again today. It will likely work again, in a week or two, when I get back to New England for several days. Then, too, there will be stops in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee-and on to Texas, and my little family, if only for a weekend.

B and I compared notes. We have both pretty much blanketed the United States and have been to a smattering of other countries. Our far-flung family has made its presence known in just about every country where there is a French diaspora. We each have Irish blood, so that, too, has given us connections. My German ancestry also has ties to a good many parts of the world.

I won’t likely connect with every member of the brood, but it’s fun when connections do happen.

The Road to Diamond, Day 150: Hard Lessons

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

April 27, 2025- It was reported this morning that a Chilean man, involved in the theft of luxury goods, had been arrested in connection with a theft from a government official, last weekend. The thief apparently got more than was bargained, with some of the items taken making it easy for him to be tracked down and captured.

This is frequently the way that such heists end-and games of cat and mouse only favour the perpetrator when his/her caper is “sponsored” by someone else who is in power or in whose favour s(he) stands. There are few thieves and grifters who are favoured by the leadership team now in power. Those who might be hiding behind the leaders are likely to find themselves facing justice, “thrown under the bus”, if you will, and sooner rather than later. The central concern of any elected official, or appointed officer for that matter, is to keep on with the stated mission. That means staying in office, and keeping the power to accomplish said mission.

There has long been a catalog of tales that tie those in power, in almost every country, to that nation’s underworld-and every country has a criminal element. It’s not just the rich and powerful, either, who have a soft spot for rogues. Folk tales celebrate thieves and ruffians. Robin Hood was among the earliest, followed over the centuries by Dick Turpin, and the Slovak, Juro Janosik. There was Claude Duval, the Gentleman Bandit of Normandy, who charmed the ladies even as he robbed their coaches. Americans are of two minds about Butch Cassidy, Jesse James, “Billy the Kid” Bonney, Bonnie and Clyde Barrow, and Al Capone. There are many who style themselves as “The Teflon Don”.

Maybe this is all a matter of us coming to terms with our own lower nature. There is something about sticking it to the rich and powerful that seems to appeal to those who see themselves as struggling. Here’s the deal, though. We invariably get back what we dish out. In the eyes of the Divine, is there really much difference between people who are wealthy and those who are destitute? It seems more a matter of who is deserving of merit and who is deserving of a hard lesson. None of us can make that judgment, as individuals or even as ad hoc groups.

Having been a victim of thieves, who were later caught and punished, my sympathy in this case goes to the government official. I can only hope that, as I have been since that loss, seven years ago, she is more careful about safeguarding that which is hers alone.

The Road to Diamond, Day 149: A Slight Mismatch

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Personal goals, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

April 26, 2025- Four of us gave a concerted effort, in trying to put a tent inside a bag, at the end of the school district fundraiser. Realizing that the bag was too small, we found the equipment manager, who remembered how easy it was to put a smaller tent into another bag, earlier in the day. Mismatch!! Two of us took the smaller tent out and put the larger tent in the big bag. Then came small tent reunited with small bag.

Many of us go through mismatches in life-usually, as with the tents, a combination of feeling hurried, thinking there is no alternative and thinking “I know I can make this work!” So, jobs don’t get done quite as well as they might; relationships founder and end up either broken or stale; programs are left to grow sclerotic and useless. A handy equipment manager can’t always come to the rescue.

So, it becomes a matter of proactivity. Plan, one must; plan, we must. As I consider what lies ahead, calling on those who are on my team-for Baha’i community activities, for Red Cross events and responses to emergencies; for get-togethers during my time back East, seeking rightness of fit is a big item. It has been a fairly good run, these past several years, with few mismatches. Much of that was from what I learned in marriage-“Consultation is finding out”, was Penny’s mantra. It still serves me well.

The Road to Diamond, Day 148: Silken Affirmations

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

April 25, 2025- The wind was a bit brisk this morning, as a group of us prepared a fund-raising pavilion, on behalf of Prescott’s school district. Zip ties and clips became the saving graces, keeping the necessary signage in place. A few road barriers blew down and were promptly put back up. Keeping vehicles out of the area is important, both for the many pavilions and for the safety of those whose annual event is the impetus for this fund-raiser. Hundreds of mountain bike riders have converged on Prescott, for the annual Whiskey Off-Road bicycle marathon.

I had several small tasks to do, before going to the pavilion site, to help set up the tables and secure the tents. I learned, a few years back, to just go and do errands, rather than overthink and end up making a mess of things. Self-confidence came hard in my life, but it’s here now, and is not going away. The reward to self was another delicious French omelet at Bear and Dragon.

I got confirmations on two service posts, this week: Again serving as Corresponding Secretary for the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Prescott. After a meeting this morning, I was also asked to serve as Sheltering Coordinator for the Northern Arizona Chapter of the Red Cross. Much of my hands on work, for both positions, will be done during the summer months. Many other aspects of the duties may be done remotely. The Red Cross Disaster Response Coordinator for the Chapter further said that there is no reason to cancel any travels, next month or later in the year. I will continue to be faithful in making an effort to connect with people here, via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, or by phone, when the need arises.

There have been little hiccups, the past few days, but taking things slowly and carefully correcting matters have kept the missteps from having much effect. Life this week has been full of silken affirmations.