Category Archives: Inspiration

The Road to Diamond, Day 360: Love and Mercy

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

November 22, 2025- His voice cracking, and eyes starting to well, R stopped and recovered himself, then continued on with his account of the past five months, since I saw him last. R is one of the friends I will miss after leaving Prescott. He and his wife were among the first to welcome me, in 2011. Their restaurant is one of the mainstays of my life here, once a week, for breakfast or lunch. The shenanigans of the staff or of the locals that sit at the counter are always a hoot. I listened with rapt attention and reflective comments, as R filled me in on his so far successful fight for life. I want to see people win those kinds of battles.

Getting back to Home Base I, I arranged for the delivery of a piece of furniture that I have had re-upholstered. It had been in almost too sorry a condition to even invite people over. Now, it is in beautiful shape and I will be proud to hand it off to someone who needs a nice piece of furniture for their living room. As it happened, the delivery man’s schedule conflicted with my usual stint at Farmers Market, but as my cosmic advisor said of today-“It is a day to go with the flow, when life interrupts routine.” Delivery man and his helper were meticulous in bringing the piece in and getting it in place. They took their time folding their blankets and putting everything back in place.

I went to Farmers Market, anyway, and finding the crew dealing with a long line of vendors, I took care of cleaning and putting away the folding chairs and tables, then made headway in taking down at least some of the tents. It was then time for Baha’i Feast, so I left the nonetheless grateful crew, who by that time were finished with the vendors.

Feast was a cozy affair. We had our devotions and talked of community matters, then planned next month’s activities and enjoyed refreshments. This little community is also a group of people I will miss, having collaborated with them continuously for fourteen years, and having known many of them from our residence here in 1992 and 2000-01. The Baha’i Faith has only been an impetus for my positive growth as a human being.

Finally, I spent the evening at Raven Cafe, enjoying a light dinner and the music of a favourite local band, The Cheektones. Don and the boys have a knack for getting people up an dancing. I occupied an old wooden chair and had the company of a few friends of the band. After about 1 1/2 hours of bouncing in my seat, I got up and joined the dancing to the last two songs. Before I did so, the guys played a song that summed up today, and many days in my life: “Love and Mercy”, the Brian Wilson song from 1988. Here is an earlier performance by The Cheektones, from Prescott’s Summer Music on the Square series.

This is the last of my “two posts a day”, game of catch-up on this blog site. It has been sometimes a challenge, to find a theme for a given day, but from my readership, it seems there are plenty of you who identified with at least some of what has happened here, since my return from Europe.

Life is sweet.

The Road to Diamond, Day 359: An Ounce of Prevention

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

November 21, 2025- One of my least favourite phrases in the American lexicon is “It’s better than Crack!” The media’s, and our culture’s, seeming love affair with narcotics, itself an outgrowth of alcohol and tobacco dependency, has long disgusted me. The team with which I worked today had a point, though: “Most people are not addicted to drugs.”

The MATFORCE team was waiting, prepped and ready, for me and more importantly, for the four groups of students we would inform about the uses, caveats and dangers associated with prescription drugs and their illicit/illegal counterparts that are being sold on the streets or by unscrupulous members of the medical profession.

I was guided to take this half-day assignment, probably my last at Mile Hi Middle School, a place where I have had many successful turns as a substitute teacher, over the past fourteen years-and a fair number in earlier periods of residence here. The heading said “Life Skills”, so it seemed well within my purview. Upon arrival in the classroom, I was greeted by her co-teacher from the next classroom, and appraised of the format for the morning. Then I met the MATFORCE team. (The acronym means Mobilizing Action Together for Community Empowerment.) The organization works diligently, across Arizona, to bring factual awareness of the effects of substances on the human body, and on the families and communities that are comprised of those inside all these bodies.

Each person who sat and listened, participated or absorbed the information had a different take. Most took the folder with information home with them. Some didn’t, either because they had the same lessons last year (the 8th graders) or because they just didn’t want extra papers lying around their rooms or in their backpacks. A few may have been spooked by the talk of fake Fentenyl, barbituates and amphetamines. None, however, were unaffected by the lesson.

An ounce of prevention saves a pound of cure.

The Road to Diamond, Day 358: New Assignment

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

November 20, 2025- The farewells continued today-this time in Phoenix, with one last dental checkup by the people who have been caring for me and family since 2001. I had lunch with another friend, who I’ve known since 1992. The first gave me a new assignment: Up my dental care game, including making sure I change the head on the electric brush a bit more often. It goes without saying that I will also quickly find a provider once I move to Texas. The team in Phoenix has worked too hard on my behalf for any backsliding.

I have known LF, as a friend and mentor, so his message to always look past surface talk of friendship and support, weighing actions as well as words, will carry me into a new community. He may well be one of those who makes the journey out to visit us, and he will be ever welcome.

Back up to Prescott, after stopping at my late wife’s grave, there were two events left this evening. I stopped in at Post 6 and tended to an old favourite: The patty melt, basically a cheeseburger on toast, with special sauce (NOT Mc D’s). I enjoyed those years ago, at Friendly Ice Cream shops, a New England favourite in the ’60s and ’70s, that still has some franchises open. Of course, there was banter about current affairs, but we all respect one another’s views.

The last gathering of the night was Community Day of Thanks. This is the 13th such event, held since 2012, on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, at a different place of worship each year. The Coalition for Compassion and Justice is the host group for the event, which featured every major Faith Group in our area. Of course, Baha’i participants offered a reading, followed by a song. Here is Carl Brehmer, who led us in this song, offering homage to the angels that so many people find comforting.

It was truly a fine day, from start to finish. Now I have to keep working on the teeth and gums that God gave me.

The Road to Diamond, Day 357: Bright Farewells

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

November 19, 2025- I had my last haircut at Prescott’s Fantastic Sam’s, this afternoon. The mane doesn’t need trimming more than every two months or so, making this the last time I stopped in and visited with Brittany, an effervescent ball of fire who makes every stop at FS a joyful experience. She did her usual magic and smilingly wished me well with the coming adventure in grandparenting. I will miss her, and many others, who have been my support system in this Home Base I, for fourteen years.

There will be more of these bright farewells, over the next month or so. Nobody here in Prescott, or in other parts of Arizona, is being grumpy about the move. People are genuinely happy with what I have done here, and at the same time glad that my little family is growing. I am grateful for that. My beloved K, writing from the Philippines, is also happy for me, and has some dreams of her own that I sincerely hope will see fruition. At this age, one can dearly love another person and not be tethered to a set of schedules and procedures that are more conducive to establishing a marriage and raising a family. K and I can meet the needs of our respective families and not worry about preconceived notions of others. I will make time for a visit over there, provided my little family’s needs are being met, in the meantime.

That leaves the proper distribution of furniture and other items, like books and tools, over the next four or five weeks. Those, too, will be bright farewells. My belongings have served me well, and I am grateful. It’s time to pass much of the materials along.

The Road to Diamond, Day 356: Improvising

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

November 18, 2025- There were three activities on my schedule today. None of them happened as planned.

First, I went to Community Cupboard, a food pantry where volunteers were needed to fill Thanksgiving bags for people who are down and out. The event started at 8 a.m. I got there at 8:20. The bags were already filled. So, I was asked instead to organize shelves with canned goods, in a way that would allow for ease of access by the volunteers waiting on customers next week, during the pre- Thanksgiving rush. An hour later, there were dedicated shelves filled with corn, beans, tomatoes and mixed vegetables, plus one shelf for single cans of various items, like artichoke hearts, spinach and Lima beans. It should be fairly easy for the volunteer staff to meet customers’ needs.

After that, I headed over to a senior residential complex, where there was to be a Veterans Fair. I was planning to represent the Red Cross there, so off I went in RC attire. There was no Veterans Fair. No matter-as any visit to a senior residential complex finds people who are more than glad for the company. I enjoyed complementary lunch and spent time with a couple of friends who are residents there. We talked of my time in Europe and their upcoming surgeries. There was minimal repetition of stories, by any of us.

Finally, I was to meet some friends in the evening, for our usual Taco Tuesday. It was raining and dark, so no one showed except me. I can still see in the dark, but not everyone can. I just enjoyed a burrito at a comfortable table.

Some days are just meant for improvisation, to see just how sharp one’s cognitive functions still are.

The Road to Diamond, Day 353: Culinary

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Slow Food Prescott, Social, Striving

November 15, 2025- Bean gorditas, topped with Korean radish and cilantro, may not sound like much, in terms of preparation. Here, though, is what we had to do to keep up with a surprisingly heavy demand, over 1 1/2 hours: First, the dough had to be rolled into balls, then flattened into a thin cake, using my index and middle fingers. Then, the cakes were delivered, three or four at a time, to the grill cook. Second, I sliced radish pieces, thinly, using a slivering knife and cut the thin slices in small slivers, bringing to the sous chef as quickly as possible. The cilantro would have been sliced into slivers, as well, but we ran out, before time was up.

I am fair to middling, in terms of actual fine culinary skill. I can prepare well-liked lasagna or meatloaf, a fresh Caesar or fusion salad,tender steaks and so/so chili. My Thanksgiving dinners have gone over well, except for one near disaster, in 1998 ( a year that was full of disasters). This time, though, my hand was steady on the slivering knife’s top and I kept up with the demand. We ended with a bit left over, which went to the Farmers Market staff.

All in all, helping with food preparation, especially under the eye of an accomplished chef, is a fine way to gauge one’s mental and physical acuity. I kept up, and was able to monitor and adjust my work, according to chef’s critiquing. We have worked well together over twelve years, so today came as no surprise.

The Road to Diamond, Day 352: Choosing Home

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

November 14, 2025- A young friend asked me what the best strategy is for deciding where to live. There are three main factors behind my own choices: Family, good of the community and peace of mind. In 2011, I had to decide where I would live next, as my house was up for sale, and purchasing another one would have been foolhardy. A family home was available, in Prescott, I could serve the community in several ways and it is a very pleasant place in which to live. That made choosing this Home Base very easy.

Being a Sagitarrian, I find wanderlust is a constant refrain, but I am also mindful that there is value in establishing ties to community; thus, the idea of Home Base. I could have stayed with Prescott as Home Base I for several more years. The coming birth of my first grandchild, however, brings on a feeling far stronger than wanderlust, or the desire to be close to someone I also love dearly. So, Home Base I will shift to Plano, Texas, sometime in the middle or latter part of next month. There will always be other Home Bases: HB II, unless I hear differently from my beloved there, is Metro Manila ( or wherever she is); HB III, Prescott; HB IV, Nynashamn, Sweden; HB V, Dinetah/Hopi; HB VI, Exton/Oley, Pennsylvania; HB VII, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; HB VIII, Jeju, Korea; HB IX, northeast Scotland.

I hear you saying, why so many? One can only live in one place at a time and “serve only one master.” I also understand that there are those who turn away from someone who leaves their area. Some, in a few of the places mentioned, already have made their displeasure with me quite clear. I am sorry for any hurt you might feel, but know that family is always a priority for me-as it is for some of those who have expressed annoyance. The shoe fits equally well on both pairs of feet. I will be present for my grandchild as long as needed, especially once parents are both back at work. You will be fine and know that I don’t care for you any less than I ever have.

In Prescott, I (initially) served family, have done right by the community and found peace of mind. The same thing is true of several of the other Home Bases. It will be true of Plano.

The Road to Diamond, Day 351: “The Play’s The Thing”

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Posted by on in collaborating, Education, Entertainment, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Literary criticism, Personal Values, Social, Striving

November 13, 2025- It may well have been the last time I work in Chino Valley High School, but everyone made it count. The Career Exploration students took up the bulk of the day, researching and applying concepts like job descriptions and the expectations that go into their creation. The Drama students were more involved with a production that they are staging, in a few days.

“Twelve Angry Jurors” is an updated version of “Twelve Angry Men”, a film that was done, in 1957 and again in 1997, and which graphically illustrates the intensity of jury deliberations, especially in ambiguous cases. It is more than just a mixed-gender version of the film. Being audience-facing, the play thus appeals to the sensibilities of those watching, as well as acting out the viewpoints of any given juror. There are other, more subtle differences, briefly discussed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q58Wxi20Frk&t=152s.

I haven’t attended nearly as many plays, over the years, as I might have liked. Small efforts, done in the round, have been my favourites among those I have experienced. A performance of “King Lear”, earlier this year is probably my favourite, if only because it stayed truest to the play as I remember having read it, in my senior year of high school. The themes of mistrust of a loving critic and the clouds of madness, followed by rage at being deceived are most cautionary. The human tendency to reward even the most transparent sycophancy also hits home.

The most appealing thing about live theater, though, is that the efforts of the performers-and of the stage crew may be seen close up. Human effort, at changing the scenery and moving about the room, even having to navigate the audience at times, also makes the play more intimate than even the most exhilarating IMAX presentation of a motion picture.

Movies can be fabulous, but for intimacy and connection, yet, “the play’s the thing”. Long may high school and college drama programs endure. Shakespeare may have used the term as a vehicle for Hamlet to trap his father’s killer, but it certainly sums up, in general, the appeal of the medium.

The Road to Diamond, Day 350: Attention to Detail

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Education, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

November 12, 2025- Someone I care about, here in town, mentioned recently that several health challenges lie ahead in the coming year. Having faced similar issues, within the past six years, I offered some recommendations and left it to friend to follow up. Caring has to be tempered with a respect for dignity.

I have learned, as a caretaker in the 2000s, and as a person in resilience in the 2010s and early part of this decade, that lack of attention to detail can very often come back to haunt-and at very unexpected times. Besides, being more present has helped relieve the level of autism that has gotten in my way. With less off-center behaviour, I also have less tendency to offer excuses for missteps-or to blame others for things that only I can control.

That is as true of physical ailments as it is of psychological issues. A lot of the progress I have made in both areas is also due to a greater focus on natural supplements. I have benefited greatly from do Terra products. Others use different companies’ fare, with results that work for them. The important thing is that a person knows self well enough to choose the right physiosocial regimen that meets her/his needs.

Each of us is important to the world, and the Universe, in some way. May details be seen as parts of a road map, and not as nuisances.

The Road to Diamond, Day 349: Parade

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Inspiration, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

November 11, 2025- We were in the middle of the Veterans Day Parade, three vehicles representing the American Red Cross, in this largest such parade west of the Mississippi River. I chose to ride in the cab of the second truck, having felt slightly enervated when it came time to decide who walked and who rode. Coffee took care of that, so no worries-but I stayed in the truck. We were greeted by a slightly smaller group than I’ve seen before, but the cheers were no less fervent.
It occurs to me that this is my penultimate Prescott parade, the last one will be the Christmas Parade on December 6. I will be a spectator for that one, which has its share of Santas, elves and Grinches. Rumour has it that there may even be a Krampus or two in the mix. Such fol de rol does not detract from the true meaning of Christmas, which is rightly focused on Jesus the Christ’s Message of peace. We do well to keep that message first in our hearts and minds, even in tough times like the one we are in now.

I didn’t partake of any of the freebies that are offered to military veterans on this day. Breakfast was at home; I didn’t really need lunch and I joined a regular group for Taco Tuesday, at El Gordo, which doesn’t offer any veterans’ discounts. My reasoning is simple-give the breaks to the homeless veterans-who shouldn’t be homeless. Use the resources available to help them get shelter and stabilize their lives.

I’m just glad to have been of service, and to have had my life stabilized by learning discipline.