Category Archives: Service Activities

A Noble Partnership

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Family, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Travel

September 24, 2024- A groan came from the back of the taxi, and I turned to see my sister-friend trying to stomp a cockroach, which scurried out of harm’s way-toward my beloved, who also tried to stomp and missed. Being the man in the party of three, Filipino culture dictated that I sit in the front passenger seat, so despite my annoyance at the insect being near my friends, I could do nothing-but wait and see if it came towards my space. Somehow, it stayed hidden under my seat-and we all refocused.

We had been on an outing, first to the Philippine-American Cemetery, where 17,000 men and women, who died fighting the Japanese invaders, between 1941-45, are laid to rest. Those Missing in Action are named also named on a Wall of Honour. This wall is in three segments, each of which has several columns. Kathy wondered if any of my family members died in service, during World War II. None did, but my late father-in-law was a prisoner of war, in Berga, Germany, for five long months, in 1945. As a Jew, he was given “special” torment. Two of my maternal uncles were in the Navy, during the Battle of Midway. One of them served with valor, when his ship was shot out from under him and crew mates. He received a Silver Star for his actions. One of my paternal aunts served in the Women’s Naval Corps, the only member of her family who was able to serve at the time. I did find a distant relative, a Robert Boivin, USN, who was killed in action in the Philippines. There may be others, as we did not go to the Army, Marines or Coast Guard sections, which we will visit another day.

We viewed a film about the sequence of events There were so many heroic figures, among the Filipino and American forces, including many of both who acted as guerillas, constantly harassing the occupants. Filipino civilians also acted in wily fashion, many operating right under the noses of the overconfident Rising Sun. All those who died, made the soil of the Philippine nation fertile, in the best of ways. My head is bowed in tribute.

Here are some scenes from our visit to this hallowed spot.

The Home Front of America sprang to action.
People of colour were in the forefront of the battle for the Philippines, and elsewhere.
Kathy and Norlie are among the grateful.
So am I.
Norlie’s grandfather was one of the above.
I still stand ready.
This cenotaph honours the fallen, collectively.
Robert Boivin, Signal Corps, USN, was a distant cousin.
Three of Penny’s distant maternal cousins, Anthony, Ervin and Kyee Faust, were also in the forefront of the battle-at Leyte Gulf (1944).

Here is another view of the Cenotaph. It is actually a chapel, with a statue of St. Mary inside.

Afterwards, we went to one of the legacies of Philippine freedom: The new financial center of Manila: Bonifacio Global Center. There, we met another friend and I became the lovely ladies’ paparazzo.

Bonifacio Global Center
Norlie, Kathy and Ylona at “BGC”.

We got a late start today, but it didn’t matter.

Metro Manila, Day 6: Transcending Limits

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 16, 2024- “Every exit is an entrance to someplace else”-Sign in the Rooftop Restaurant, at Ola! Hostel. I am nearing the end of the first Manila phase of my visit here. It’s just as well. My friend needs to get on with her day job, and I have promises to fulfill, in the outlying areas. After hopefully helping one of the other Manila friends with filing a claim, tomorrow, I will try to get to Corregidor on Wednesday and head for Baguio, in central Luzon, from Thursday to Sunday. The first few days of next week are uncertain, especially given my dearest friend’s work schedule, but I will head to Palawan, for five days, on Sept. 26. Visits to Mindoro and the Bicol region may follow, as October gets underway.

Every trial, every effort one makes, comes with a valuable lesson. Those lessons are what allow for transcendence. One such lesson was with respect to the One SIM card I tried using. It cannot receive text messages from the United States, so it ended up being useless and I have gone back to my regular number. The other thing about trials is that they call me out on whether I mean what I say. I do, but there is always a need to prove that to those who are important to me, but don’t know me all that well.

A long day has come to a close. My intuition, with regard to K, is ever spot on and I will continue to be her rock. The woman has so much to offer this world. That’s all I can say.

Metro Manila, Day 5: A Day of Study, Then A Deluge

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 15, 2024, Manila- There was an insistent parade of kids, in and out of the small conference room, as our study group continued on its course-looking into the Baha’i concept of Huquq’u’llah, or Right of God. This fund, which I have described before, is a voluntary obligation. Simply put, if a Baha’i accumulates a certain amount of money, above and beyond what is needed for expenses, it behooves the person to check into the current price of gold, and if s(he) has accumulated wealth equal to, or above, the value of 2.2246 ounces (69 grams), then 19 % of that amount may be paid to Huquq’u’llah. That satisfies the obligation, until another amount that meets that criterion is accumulated. One’s primary residence, primary vehicle and necessary household effects are exempt from this obligation. The bottom line is that such giving is between the individual and the Divine. Even those managing the fund have no business overseeing the frequency of giving.

My friend, Kathy, led the group study and discussion, setting a tone of gentleness and grace towards the children, who mostly just wanted to be sure their parents had not forgotten them, in the course of the meeting. The kids were in the capable hands of a separate instructor, but there is just nobody who can replace Mom and Dad. So, the in and out parade went on, as did our study, the two weaving around one another. It all served to increase my feelings of love and respect for her, and for Filipino culture.

We all dispersed, around 3 p.m., with the group members all going on with their family activities, and me going on, to do my laundry and post the photos from yesterday’s outing. The evening was quiet, at Ola! Hostel and the nearby Sasa Cafe, until it wasn’t. Around 10 p.m., the skies opened up, and the loud thunder that had been rumbling for over an hour, was accompanied by mildly flooded streets. This is nothing new to Manilenos, of course, and being up three floors from the ground level, I found nothing alarming, either. It just added an exclamation point to a mildly declarative day.

Metro Manila, Day 2: The World at 1 Ayala Place

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 12, 2024, Manila- It seemed to take forever, for one reason or another, mostly due to traffic, but another friend and I made it to The World on a Plate, a pop-up dining experience, in Ayala Mall. My friend, K, was already there, as she lives closer, so we chatted about a few things and perused the menu. It was about 50 pages, on a Tablet, but I saw what interested me, right away: Thai red curry with beef and jasmine rice, as well as a two-piece salmon and cheese roll. Along with fresh mango juice, that filled the bill. The ladies stuck with fried chicken-Korean and Thai varieties. We watched a rapid-fire set of images, from different countries. I was able to identify all but one or two.

Question of the evening was: “Why is Golden Gate Bridge red?” The answer is that San Francisco Bay was the gateway to gold seeking. Red is simply easy for ships coming in to see the suspension bridge.

Afterwards, we strolled around the patio of Ayala Place and spotted the different restaurants which contributed to The World on a Plate. In the early evening, my friends stood happily in the bright light.

There is an elegant mix of subtleties in Filipino culture, as there is many societies around the world. Being here is good for my soul, as I am being shown again that keen awareness of what surrounds us is ever important, if one is to live life to the fullest. It starts, as I reminded the caretaker of the Baha’i Center, earlier today,with being at peace with self. From that point, one can then be truly valuable to those with whom one is in regular contact.

Metro Manila, Day 1: Joy, in The Midst of Fatigue

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

September 11, 2024, Manila- The young couple must have been amused, watching me go through the same pockets of my well-worn pack, several times, before finding what was needed for a small task, whilst waiting for the final leg of my flight: Hong Kong-here.

Such things happen, after five hours of sleep on a trans-oceanic journey. I chose to do this, so will take full responsibility. It was still a lovely day. The flight was 2/3 full, and the ambiance was casually business-like. We even had a light lunch served-unusual, on a short hop.

My dear friend was occupied with matters of domestic drudgery, so I didn’t get to see her, but we communicated happily back and forth. There will be much time for get-togethers, in the days ahead. I did visit with one of our friends, after settling in at Ola! Hostel, which will be my Home Base for several days, while I am in Manila. I was able to help said friend with setting up an appointment, next week, to handle a long-standing concern. It took a little bit of memory jogging, to locate the Baha’i Center, after a year’s absence, and being a bit “on fumes”. I finally also was able to sort out the Philippine peso coins from random Euros that somehow got mixed in the Peso jar.

It’s humid here, but not as stiflingly hot as in the height of summer. I will do more walking as, despite the entreaties of a car rental tout, I have absolutely no plans to drive anywhere in the Philippines. The bus, jeepney and taxi drivers have my full confidence-they grew up here and can handle what seems to me to occasionally be chaos.

On this otherwise solemn, and fatigue-filled, day, I felt joy at being back in another happy place.

A Short and Important Day

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal goals, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Technical stuff, Travel

September 10, 2024, Hong Kong– What’s today’s date? That was not a “senior moment” question for me. Rather, it was one that was brought into my consciousness by the International Date Line. Longitude is our arbitrary tool for measuring time on Earth, as it helps track the “westward movement” of the Sun. So, we left Los Angeles at 1:15 a.m., PDT and crossed into September 11, a scant five hours into the day. Thus today “lasted” only until 6 a.m., PDT, or 3 a.m., Hawaii Standard Time.

One of my favourite ladies messaged me, with some ideas about at least the first few days of my visit across the waters. My first favourite lady would have turned 96 today. Both took up a goodly amount of my thought and heart energy today. The first favourite was fond of the second, though they never met. Mom just liked what she knew of K’s heart. For that matter, another favourite lady, my late wife, has sent only positive inklings about my newest friendship.

I handled the long flight (13 hours) by getting up and stretching, especially when the knees felt stiff after sitting for a stretch. Five hours of sleep at a time also kept me functional, when the short learning curve of navigating Hong Kong International Airport’s transfer system presented itself. It’s actually not that hard: Just go through security inspection again..This is a great crossroad of the world, and a city that is worthy of a visit, in and of itself-at a later date.

This has been one of the rare occasions when I have become closer to people from mainland China, and it was a pleasant revelation. Chinese people take care of themselves first, by and large, but are not ruthless or crass about it. They are not always intuitive, but I am not sure I would be either, if there were 1.1 billion compatriots underfoot.

Cathay Pacific Airlines has efficient counter and flight staff. The food is varied, and fresh-and in just the right portion size, for a sizable crowd that is mostly sitting for 13 hours. It was not a hard flight; at least not for me.

So a lot was packed into this short day-as it ever will be, as long as I have all my facuties.

While I’m Away…..

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Posted by on in Community, Entertainment, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Uncategorized

September 8, 2024- I had a full morning and early afternoon, with an excellent breakfast at Post 6, then ninety minutes or so of conversation with some line mates waiting for Empty Bowls to open their “gate”. The fund raiser for Prescott area Food Banks and Pantries has taken place every year since 1997. I have volunteered in the past, but today, I was one of the multitude who purchased a bowl, and two servings of soup. There were fourteen types of soup, from seafood gumbo to charred peach. I took a helping of gumbo, then an old favourite- garden minestrone. Local Girl Scouts were present in force-minding the recycling area and washing/drying our bowls-loudly advertising their services, for about two minutes, until they were gently advised to let the signage do the work.

I chose carefully, from a wide selection of beautiful bowls. The basin reflects life itself-half polished and half rough.

The outside evokes basket weaving, both First Nations and indigenous Filipino. It is, though, very much glazed ceramic.

Afterwards, I had a small meal with Hiking Buddy, introducing her to Lazy G, before heading back to Home Base to continue packing for tomorrow’s Prescott-Phoenix-Los Angeles leg, which will of course be followed on Tuesday/Wednesday, to Hong Kong and Manila.

Prescott in the Fall offers an almost continuous array of festivals, so local readers and would-be visitors, consider:

Hope Fest- September 14, at Courthouse Square. This day-long event features a variety of community services, from Legal Aid to haircuts, family entertainment and inspirational music. It’s free.

Prescott Powwow- September 20-22, at Watson Lake, has a theme of “Elders Embracing the Youth”. I have attended twice in the past, and found it a strong expression of First Nations values. There is a $5 parking fee, and food trucks are onsite.

Prescott Valley Harvest Festival- October 5, at Prescott Valley Civic Center, one of many Harvest Festivals in the area, in early October. This is the one that is presently being advertised. It, too, is free.

Prescott Plein Air Festival- This series of art exhibitions takes place from September 17-October 13, in locations from Yavapai College to Highlands Nature Center. No mention of any admission fee.

Prescott Highland Games and Celtic Faire- September 28-29, at Watson Lake. Tickets are $15 for an adult day pass and $30 for an adult weekend pass, at the gate. Discounts for on-line booking and for seniors/students/military. https://www.prescottareacelticsociety.com/ticket-prices/

Besides these, there are several concerts featuring Country Music, Christian Music and several other genres. Home Base is never dull.

Re-opened Skies

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

September 7, 2024- It was only a matter of time before September Swelter gave way to the beginnings of autumn. This afternoon was that time, and a good soaking rain came to us. The phenomenon of late summer heat, known in the East and Midwest as “Indian Summer” is about as welcome as a Spring snowfall, but year after year, the Earth releases pent -up heat into the atmosphere, which is drying out after the monsoon- and so it stays, sometimes into October, which then may be called Aug-tober. The heat, of course, generates its own moisture, so here we are.

Elsewhere, rain comes late (Texas and Oklahoma experience September thunder showers) or comes early and hangs on (The Philippines and the mainland of southeast Asia are getting this weather now, much of it caused by typhoons). The Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are also prone to heavy rains, about now, though this year’s hurricane season has seen fewer, but more powerful, storms.

Today’s rain came in two stages: Very early this morning and around early afternoon, just as we were finishing breakdown at the Farmer’s Market. I will be away from this service, for six weeks, so am hoping that at least one person returns from his hiatus. More is anticipated tomorrow, and I am hoping for a fortuitous “scheduling” of the wetness, to spare Empty Bowls, between 11-2, about which more in the next post.

Staying Centered

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 31, 2024- After running into a couple of Prescott’s elite, this evening, and being greeted with a nod and a sneer, I used Next Door.com to speak to those who would promote Progressive values, many of which are laudable. The progressive elite in this community tend to speak from their heads, not their hearts. After absorbing this, and “sucking it up”, for thirteen years, I finally had enough and let them know. Anyone who wants to foster the community has to first love the people. Having intellectual knowledge of what would be useful does nothing to help, unless the heart is in sync. We have seen the effects of a purely intellectual approach to social discourse and common issues, time and again: Soviet Communism, Kampuchea (Cambodia), North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela-none a bit better than Hitler’s Germany, apartheid-era South Africa, or the enslavement culture of the Antebellum United States, in my book. The heart and head have to be in synchronicity, or the best ideas will die on the vine.

I will shortly be headed to the Philippines, and will spend 5-7 weeks in heart-focused work, all the while keeping a clear head. Some days, I will be in modern accommodations; other days, in small huts, or maybe sometimes in a lean-to. At all times, though, my heart is looking to my mind for direction-and vice versa. In a time of rapid change,which will only accelerate in the final months of this year, such centeredness is the only guarantee of real sanity. One of my well-wishers here in Prescott told me, this afternoon, that there is nothing I have done, in the past three or four years, that is “ordinary or uninteresting”. That may be an overstatement, but it is comforting. It also underscores my need for staying centered.

So does a long month come to an end, and my preparation for a time of lightning-fast change begin. May all be in harmony.

No Scrap Heap

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

August 29, 2024- “What of us, who are also your friends?”, the voice from 7,500 miles away came, through the medium of the printed Message. This was in reply to my statement that I surely must consult with my dear friend and with Faith community sponsors, before setting an itinerary for service work and other visits, a scant fourteen days from now.

That, however, does not inherently leave anyone out of my life. The Universe has a way of bringing people together when they are supposed to connect. My activities, both here at Home Base I and across North America, especially this year, have fallen into place at precisely the right time for all concerned. I have no reason to believe it will be any different during the upcoming sojourn in the Philippines. The only thing for certain is that, as always anymore, I am determined to not be a burden to anyone. Consultation will help obviate such a state of affairs.

The bottom line is, no one need feel consigned to the scrap heap. We need one another, more than ever, in this time of rapid change, which is likely to only accelerate over the next sixteen months, or longer. Lack of consultation and dearth of appreciation, breed conjecture, false narratives, conspiracy theories and outright mistrust. I will most likely have time to visit with the querulous friend. The visit will fall into the place that it is meant to occupy.