Season’s Greetings

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 18, 2018 in children, Community, Family, impediments, Inner Struggles, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

December 18, 2018, Prescott-

So now, my full days of school, for 2018, are in the rear view mirror. Three abbreviated school days remain, before we all take a break for the period which, for many, is a time of celebration and revelry. For others, it will be a time of remembrance of a Great Being, Whose sacrifice and teachings are fully intended to bring peace to those who understand them. For still others, it will be a time of lying low and making do with very little. Then, the Gregorian clock will reset itself, and we will have 2019 AD/CE. (I am old school, and prefer the former, in figuring time since the Birth of the Christ. Further disclosure: We Baha’is determine our place in time, dating from the Declaration of al-Bab, in May, 1844 and thus will refer to next year as 176 Baha’i Era, or B.E. For general social purposes, though, I will continue to date my posts by the Gregorian system.)

During this period of revelry, rest, reflection and resilience, I wish these things, to the following:

Seniors (75 and onward): May your curiosity continue and may it bring you the recognition and relevance that ought to come with accrued wisdom . The elder among you raised our generation and can take large credit for the best that we have been able to offer the world, through your parenting. The younger among you are our older cousins, siblings and mentors. It would have been harder growing up without your shared experiences and occasional babysitting. You remain friends, and vital presences in my life-Mom, Uncle Jim and Aunt Jackie, Aunt Janet, Aunt Carol, both Aunts Helen, Aunt Gail, Uncle Jerry, and my online friends and older cousins, (you know well to whom I am referring).

My Contemporaries (55-74): My siblings, many cousins, classmates, immediate elders and juniors, and a good many of my friends-We have gone through many of the same experiences, hard times, great celebrations, triumphs and tragedies, victories and losses. We have seen Woodstock and the Men on the Moon; the gradual “shrinking” of Planet Earth, and changes that we never anticipated. Considering that my first phone call, to my late Aunt Hazel, was aborted by a shrill voice telling me to get off the phone, as it was a party line “used by grown-ups, for important matters”. I did as I was told, and remember my mother’s eyes rolling, as she quipped, “important matters, like everyone else’s business!” Now, the picture phones and calls between vehicles, of which I once dreamed, are de rigeur. May our days not be hamstrung by health-related woes, to the extent that we can use natural remedies, exercise and a well-varied diet, to keep us going. May we continue to love those older and younger than we; and because we first know to love ourselves.

Millennials and Generation X (20-54): You have brought many of the ideas of which I once dreamed, as a child and teen, into being. Many of you were my students and counselees. I helped a fair number, confused some and let others down, but loved all of you. Among you are my nieces and nephews, and my own beloved son and daughter-in-law. You grew up in my hometown of Saugus; or in the woods of central Maine; or in the elite families who sent you to a boarding school in the midst of the Sonoran Desert; or on the Navajo and Hopi nations, reared by loving, but often struggling extended families, who gave me more than I could ever repay; or in the western Sonoran Desert, a string of communities that gave newcomers a wary, if cordial, welcome-even when several were newcomers, themselves; or you grew up, as our son did, moving from town to town and making the best of life, even when it felt lonely. I wish you a future far better than the recent past has shown you, and know that you have it within, to make wondrous things happen.

Generation Z (Newborns to 19)- I am thrilled to see the older among you come of age, shed the misgivings of your elders and take on the challenges that the Universe has sent your way, either because of the nature of life or because of what the rest of us have managed to create. Every generation hands down both blessings and banes to its progeny, so do forgive us and know that you are also very much loved. You have come into my life, as my working years are winding down and you have given me the confidence, the sense that my volunteer, travel and, quite possibly, grandparent years will be as bounteous and fulfilling as all that has gone before. May we all greet and nurture the generations that come after you, as well.

To all, I treasure my time among you and may it long yet continue. A Merry Christmas, Bountiful Kwanzaa, Joyful Solstice and Healthy, Prosperous and Happy 2019, to each and every one.

December’s Ides

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 15, 2018 in American Legion, collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual

December 15, 2018, Prescott-

In Renaissance times, as we know from Shakepeare’s Macbeth, the dividing point in a month was called “the Ides”. This hearkened from a time when all months, save February, had 30 days, and the 15th served as the dividing point.

We’ve reached this point in December, in which the work-a-day cares and tribulations of the first two weeks, being as they are combined with holiday planning, give steadily away to the mix of moods and accent on celebrating that characterize the period, right up to January 1.

I spent the first part of today helping to lay wreaths on the grave sites of those who served in the military or were married to those who did. There were about eighty people, of all ages, doing this, following a forty-minute ceremony of patriotic music and short speeches, culminating with a 21-gun salute and playing of “Taps” (Il Silenzio).

Wreaths Across America is a national program of wreath-laying at the graves of those laid to rest in military cemeteries, on the third Saturday in December. It began with a wreath-maker in Harrington, ME, in 1992 and became a national effort in 2007. One of my maternal uncles, who served with distinction in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, was among those who helped organize the national effort. I learned of his involvement in this, upon his passing, in 2010 and have been involved in this effort, myself, since 2011.

The rest of this Ides of December saw me get out the last of my family Christmas cards and put up a hand-made wreath on my front door. The weather outside is far from frightful, but I aim to keep the atmosphere, around home and work at least, delightful.

Back On Track

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 14, 2018 in impediments, Personal Values, Social, Travel

December 12,2018, Phoenix-

I got back in time to see the sun cast its brilliant hues, but being in the baggage claim area, with my camera in one of the bags- there are only the images left in my head.

The flight back was quotidian, with a curious, playful infant breaking the monotony, at the outset of our departure from Reagan National to Dallas. That’s fine; I’ll take a captivating child, followed by crickets, any day of the week.

Dallas offered a hearty Italian sub, as my combined lunch and dinner. I haven’t had a real Italian cold cut submarine, in about 30 years. I was surprised that, with the line at neighbouring Chik-Fil_A spilling into the concourse, there were only three of us at Campisi’s, which holds its own-to this child of a largely Italian neighbourhood in the Northeast.

Dallas-Phoenix was also a full plane, yet I scored a second window seat in a row. The middle seat went to the male half of a young couple, who were oblivious to anyone but one another, save for handing me my complementary coffee. I got further into Ken Follett’s “Winter of the World”, on this return flight, so it was win-win.

The drive back looks to be uneventful, now that the rush hour traffic has abated on AZ 51, north of Bell Road. I will take my usual Cave Creek Rd-Carefree Highway-7th Street-New River Road route to I-17, since AZ 101 is almost always in Crush Hour mode until nearly 7:30, on weeknights. Phoenix residents will know of which I speak.

Old Town, but Not Cold Town

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 11, 2018 in children, Community, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

December 10, 2018, Alexandria, VA-

In the years in which I was stationed at Fort Myer, VA and in the several visits I’ve made to the Washington area, since then, I had not been in Old Town Alexandria. The place was just enough off the beaten path that we always made to the National Mall, that I just never got over here.

The Metro has changed things and Alexandria took its rightful place on my itinerary, all the more so because our family dinner, the night before my mother-in-law’s interment, was held at The Warehouse, a fine dining establishment, in lower Old Town.

This would be one of the best meals I’ve had, in a long time, and that’s saying a lot, in a year of fabulous repasts. Yet, let;s get back to the start of this visit.

I took a Blue Line train to Alexandria’s Union Station, just after noon.

Being a bit hungry, and with dinner nearly five hours away, I stopped in at this simple, but charming, little cafe, across from the train station. As good as the coffee was, I relished the gyro sandwich, as well.

Old Town, especially on King Street, has a variety of shops with interesting names: Hard Times Cafe, Stage Door Deli, and this- a unique place, which was closed-it being Monday.

Here is an eastward view of King Street. The air was cold, but the vibe in Old Town is uniformly warm.

Even a broken bench was inviting.

I spent about ninety minutes enjoying the scenes along the Potomac Riverfront, one of the key ingredients in the Alexandria Story. This town was one of the first great shipbuilding and sail rigging manufacturing cities in the U.S., and continued in that role, right up through World War I.

In Waterfront Park, the lone statue is that of a shipwright.

Oystering is Alexandria’s other claim to fame, and Potomac River oysters are proudly served, both on and off the half-shell. These pilings are left from an old oystering wharf.

I could not resist zooming in on the U. S. Capitol, nearly six miles away to the north.

Animals make do with the weather they’re given. Here, a duck is grooming its mate, in the bracing Potomac waters.

Jones Point, named for an indentured servant of the Eighteenth Century, is Alexandria’s largest wilderness park, and the southernmost point of Old Town. It is the site of numerous archaeological digs, a couple of left-over border markers. From 1801-1847, the City of Alexandria was part of the District of Columbia. A retrocession was passed by Congress in 1846 and took effect the following year, returning Alexandria to the Commonwealth of Virginia. During the Civil War, however, the city was occupied by Union forces, thus temporarily reversing the retrocession.

This house was occupied by the keeper of a lighthouse, at Jones Point, in the nineteenth century.

On the walk back into Old Town, I noted the area’s awakening Christmas spirit.

The last forty-five minutes before dinner were mostly spent in Torpedo Factory, which is actually Alexandria’s fascinating three-story arts haven. More than fifty individual galleries are housed here, as are studios to encourage children’s art.

The bear reminded me to stop by the small, but heartfelt, Old Town Books, and look for a children’s book-for my ten- month-old grandniece, who was at the dinner. I found a flip book on horses, which she found most interesting, both to sight and to touch, a good early sign!

The superb dinner ended a day, the likes of which “Bunny” always approved.

Acker Night

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 8, 2018 in Community, Entertainment, Inspiration, Social

December 7, 2018, Prescott-

Every strong community has its special day of community gathering-whether it be a Founders Day or Day of Incorporation. Prescott has several days of community celebration, including Frontier Days, in July, and Tsunami on the Square, in September. Acker Night, in honour of local arts patron James Acker, is celebrated on the first Friday night in December, and features a variety of musicians, holding court in over 130 downtown businesses. The aim is to raise money for arts scholarships, and the donations are usually copious.

I’ve gone down there, for 6 of the seven years I’ve lived here continuously and for both Decembers that Penny, Aram and I lived here, previously. It’s always a incredibly joyful time, regardless of weather or temperature. I end up taking in at least three performances, usually more.

Tonight, the American Legion post had its annual Christmas Dinner, which took up most of the time allotted to Acker Night. I still managed to run into a trio of friends, in the heart of the Square. A couple of visits to performances in the Shops at Hotel St.Michael followed. I ended up at the shop of a friend: Ms. Natural’s and caught their guest guitarist winding up his act. Claudia’s apple cinnamon cake and a robust coffee topped off the evening, and I slipped out quietly, so the ladies could finish their closing activities.

On the way back to my apartment, these scenes caught my eye.

Over two thousand people, many from the Phoenix area, as well us locals, attended this evening’s festivities. It’s events like this which help give Prescott the moniker, “Everybody’s Hometown”.

Gratitude Week, Day 7: The Finest Fruits

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 24, 2018 in collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Uncategorized

November 24, 2018, Prescott-

I have decided to end this week of gratitude, by looking back at the ten best choices I ever made. I am grateful to the Universe for having placed these in front of me and I have a measure of self-gratitude for having made them.

10, Serving in the Army– At 18, I had little to show for my life. There was no discipline, of which to speak and my world consisted of drooling over girls and imbibing too much alcohol, too fast. Other-imposed discipline gave me a regimen, which I could add to the work ethic that my parents instilled in each of us and it set me on a course of self-reliance, which I still need and use.

9. Studying Psychology- It didn’t make me wealthy and barely got me a job, but knowing something of what makes the human mind tick has given me insight into myself and has made me more understanding of others.

8. Living on the Navajo Nation- I have a strong genetic memory of the Indigenous. I am not much, in terms of blood quantum, but my nature fairly burns with the feeling that I belong in the woodlands; that I am a gatherer and a sharer; that I am one with the Universe. Being on the same page, day to day, with Dineh (Navajo) and Hopi people reinforced that unity.

7. Blogging- Writing is a skill that three of my four high school English teachers saw as a talent that I needed to sharpen. They gave me the tools to keep on sharpening that talent. College brought it up another notch. As a caretaker, and then as a widower, far from extended family, blogging gave me an outlet, one step up from journaling (which I also still do) and a wider appreciative audience.

6, Returning to work, full time- In 2016, having been a substitute teacher, with a couple of other jobs, whilst being Penny’s caretaker, I found a niche at Prescott High School. My place there was, more or less, secure and I was urged to return full-time, for the years leading up to my retirement from education. That work has been fulfilling, and will remain so until I reach 70, two years from now.

5. Working as a counselor- As a school counselor, I was able to impact thousands of lives, over the span of eleven years, between Tuba City and Keams Canyon/Jeddito, and some of those lives were saved. I am haunted by a few lives that weren’t and by those I couldn’t reach. The majority, though, learned life skills and resilience, and knew that someone had their backs.

4. Settling in Prescott- The job aside, moving here after Penny’s passing was a lifesaver. I had the anchor of a house, for the time I needed it, and of a Faith Community with whom I was already familiar and who were not intimate with Penny’s suffering. That last was important. I could not have the constant reminders of all that we had endured together. Since then, I have made many new friends and branched out in several directions-all healthy.

3. Widespread travel-Besides going back and forth from Arizona to the East Coast, for family visits, my wanderlust has taken me to western Europe, Hawai’i, the Pacific Northwest and southeast Alaska. I took in a small swath of eastern Canada, last summer and am likely to cross our northern neighbour again, in the summer of 2020. California, Nevada and Colorado have also seen a lot of me, these past seven years, as have the South and Midwest. This is an essential part of who I am.

2. Getting married- I have always been crazy about girls and women. There isn’t much about the opposite gender that I don’t like, though I am proud to be male. Self-dislike got in the way, though, when I found myself drawn to one young lady after another. Penny didn’t fall for any of that, and we built a solid foundation, by which both of us were able to tame most of our demons and raise a fine young man, who has taken his full place in the world.

1. Recognizing Baha’u’llah- I received a solid spiritual foundation, having been raised in the Roman Catholic faith. As I matured, though, the rituals and practices began to feel automatic to me, and I have always known that there is a continuity to Divine Revelation, superseding any one of the faiths or denominations that are commonplace. In 1972, I heard of Baha’u’llah, and the Baha’i Faith, for the first time. Nine years later, I embraced Baha’i as my own. I have found its precepts teach everything in which I already believe, and the teachings regarding health are exactly what I needed, to tame the demon of alcohol dependence. Far beyond those, however, are the vision of planetary and human unity-dispelling the darknesses of racism, nationalism and excessive materialism.

I am sure I will have other choices to make, in the coming days, months, and years. Perhaps a life-changer will be among them, as well.

Gratitude Week, Day 5: Family

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 22, 2018 in Community, Family, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual

November 22, 2018, Prescott-

There is no more important institution in this world than family. I have spent time, this year, with people who cherish their families and those who despise their families. Counting myself among the former, I enjoyed communication with one of my siblings, and left messages for my mother and two other siblings. Son and daughter-in-law are on for tomorrow, by Messenger phone.

My family also includes those close to me here. In late morning, I went with one of my better friends to an early holiday meal. A young couple included me in their noon Thanksgiving gathering, so five of us enjoyed a perfect, complete traditional dinner, in the couple’s comfortable home in Dewey, a twenty-minute drive from Prescott. The meal had a British, rather Celtic, touch to it, having been largely prepared by a delightful young lady form England, who is a co-worker of the husband. I ate with relish, but in moderation, knowing there was another gathering in store for me, later on. After a wide-ranging, two-hour conversation, following the meal, I headed home for a brief rest.

Towards evening, I headed out again, for yet another perfect gathering, at the forest home of another of my best friends. The family, whom I have known for five years, was joined this year by my friend’s older daughter and her bright, engaging 2-year-old grandson. It’s always a sublime pleasure to watch a child experiencing things which we may regard as commonplace, for the first time, and with great enthusiasm. He had great joy showing me each of his toy vehicles and telling what they were. His other pleasure was in helping decorate his grandmother’s Christmas tree. My friend pulls out all the stops in her holiday meal, with plenty of help from her two daughters and a sister. After the meal, we all watched “The Greatest Showman”, which reminded me of the very basic commitment that is family and how easy it is to lose track of what matters.

I have had my variation on the dilemma faced by P.T. Barnum- Does career matter so much that family becomes trivial? My choice was similar to his; when career threatened my marriage, I pulled back from work. When Penny’s health declined, work became nearly irrelevant, much to the consternation of my superiors and their politician-benefactors. Like Barnum, I bounced back and survived.

In the long term, my son is doing well, as are my siblings. Mother is holding her own. I am in a good place, in terms of work and in terms of friends. The bedrock, though, is in how I was raised and in the importance I have given to those closest to me. That will only get stronger, as time goes on.

Gratitude Week, Day 3: Health

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 20, 2018 in Family, Personal goals, Personal Values, Slow Food Prescott, Social, Striving

November 20, 2018, Prescott-

The last day of work before Thanksgiving came and went, with barely a hitch. The students are surrounded by people who want to be working with them. That has not always been the case, and the kids know when it isn’t.

Health, both physical and mental, depends not only on one’s genes and personal habits, but on how connected one is to those around us. I have been in good health for over ten years now, even counting the infections contracted whilst I was Penny’s caretaker and the recent knee strain. It has been being surrounded by a largely independent, but genuinely loving, network of friends, to whom I paid homage two days ago, and to extended family, to whom I will pay similar tribute on Thanksgiving Day, which has brought me home, in terms of radiance and stamina.

A good daily balance of work and play, rest and activity, socialization and solitude has kept me in recovery from whatever ailments are brought on by aging and occasional stress. I am grateful to do Terra essential oils, Planet Fitness and our systems of forests and parks, at all levels of government and of private landowners (Nature Conservancy, various local trusts) who allow access to their treasured sites. I am indebted to those who provide healthful food and beverages, often but not always, free of Genetically-Modified Organisms and sometimes meatless.

I have much towards which to work, both gainfully and as a volunteer, over the next several years. My health community is a key component of the process.

Tomorrow, I will offer a shout-out to those who have kept our communities, states and country safe and to those who work towards a safer world.

Gratitude Week, Day 1: Eight Valuable Groups of Friends

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 18, 2018 in collaborating, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

November 18, 2018, Prescott-

I am devoting Thanksgiving week to specific reasons for gratitude. Each day will address a theme that is cause for praise and happiness. Today, I want to look at what I’ve gained, from friendships with people in ten different groups.

Senior citizens: Those over 75 years of age (my arbitrary definition of senior citizen) have accrued the life skills and practice to address even the most anomalous of occurrences. Those who have all their faculties intact have consistently pointed me in the right direction.

Teenagers: Having worked largely with teens, over the past forty-two years, I find their honesty and energy have been life-affirming and have kept me very much in a place of integrity. A teen’s “BS Meter” is equal to that of a senior citizen. The current generation of youth, at least those with whom I work, seem to know that much will be expected of them, in the very near future.

Children under twelve: Like those immediately older than they, the current generation of children has a sense of most likely needing to clean up messes made by others. They tend to have a strong sense of destiny and are the least likely to “be seen and not heard”. I find their honesty also very refreshing, even when it is seemingly adversarial.

Happily married (both genders): I have many friends, both male and female, who are at a good place in their marriages. The perspective brought by a married person, with no ax to grind, actually is a blend of both their opinion and that of their spouse-thus being more grounded. I am more likely to become friends as well, with the spouse of a friend who is happy in wedlock.

The firm in faith: A person who is well-grounded, but not dogmatic, in their faith is most likely to be open to the commonality of spiritual truth. As this commonality is the basic teaching of the Baha’i Faith, to which I adhere, I find this firmness a compelling basis for my friendships with many who adhere to other faith traditions.

The happily engaged: Whether in gainful employment or in acts of voluntarism, a person who is happy in what s(he) is doing with time, is an affirmation of my own concept of acts of service. Happily engaged people tend to be more trustworthy and connected with others.

Lifelong learners: Students of life, of every age group, present fresh perspectives to any given situation. They also challenge me to keep on looking into new issues, or to look at old matters, with fresh eyes.

Special Needs people: Whether simple in nature or full of complexity, my friends of special need are always up front about what addresses those needs. It takes intuition, to understand the feelings and wants of a special needs person. Anything that hones intuition is a good experience.

Having friends in each, and sometimes several, of these categories is largely what has contributed to the richness of my life.

	Patty Wolters on Limits of Responsibility
	Sagittarian Seeker on Limits of Responsibility
	Patty Wolters on Limits of Responsibility
	Sagittarian Seeker on Limits of Responsibility
	slmret on Limits of Responsibility

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: