In the most recent edition of The Liguorian Magazine, Professor Lamin Sanneh was interviewed by Jeannette Cooperman (a writer) about his life and his conversion to Catholicism. Professor Sanneh, born and raised in Gambia, is considered to be one of the foremost scholars in both Catholicism and the Islamic religion.
Sanneh is the son of a Muslim who had many wives, his grandfather an Islamic scholar. And yet, even as a little boy he wanted to be baptized. His conversion was a quiet and personal journey, and that makes sense given that he admits to being shy and timid until his conversion.
His story is chronicled in a book, Summoned from the Margin. It sounds like a worthwhile read.
Here are a few snippets from the interview:
"Conversion didn't come with the idea that I had the answer to life's questions and others didn't. No, no, no. I just felt humbled by the experience, and it allowed me to understand why people were kind to me and did me favors. I knew what to do with that. People were not just there to fulfill my needs. They were put there by God to teach me something. Since that day, in every situation I've been in, every country I've lived in, I've always asked myself, 'Now what is it that God wants to teach you here?'"
How did he learn about the faith?
"The two books I read immediately were the Acts of the Apostles and St. John's gospel -- and then the epistle of Paul to the Romans. The idea of a God of love was so revolutionary for me that, at first, it upset me."
Sanneh returned to his family in Africa for the express purpose of telling them he loved them. His father had never said that to him. The idea of love was alien to Sanneh's upbringing. He says that once he discovered that love, everything made sense to him.
For Sanneh, becoming a Christian meant being able to love people in a way that he couldn't have as a Muslim.
An interesting portion of the interview is when Sanneh explains how there is a void that has to be filled in each individual. If not with faith, then what? In many cases, Sanneh has seen people adopt a nationalistic outlook, which almost always means that the individual can't accept the culture of others.
What he got from Africa -- that kindness to strangers is one way God measures faithfulness.
What he got from the Islamic faith -- the utter transcendence of God.
What he got from Catholicism -- the extravagance of the grace of God. God's generosity.
Our faith in a loving and merciful God shows us the way on our life's journey, allows us to go one day at a time without rushing, and tugs at our clothing to share what we know about God's love with others.
I'm reminded of two hymns -- Mercy is Falling is the first. "Mercy is falling, is falling, is falling. Mercy it falls like the sweet spring rain. Mercy is falling, is falling, over all over me."
And another one that says, "They'll know we are Christians by our love."
Our acceptance of others comes from the divine mercy of God towards us. We do not stoop down to love others. We kneel down with them. And mercy rains on us day by day.
Light of Christ
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Football
The BSC championship game was on last night and right now, I don't know if Auburn or Florida State won. We went to bed thinking about the people and cats out in the frozen air.
I've kind of fallen out of like with football. It didn't happen overnight, but gradually over the last several years or so. The pro game a couple of nights ago is a case in point. They were hauling guy after guy off the field with injuries! It was so bad the announcers were commenting on it. It was a slugfest out there on the field.
Some of the injuries might have been "mild" but one injury that has proven to be troublesome is the head injury. Older players are now coming forward in numbers stating that they suffer from various neurological problems because of the head injuries they suffered while playing in college or pros. One of them is Terry Bradshaw, who said he suffers from short-term memory loss.
We keep getting faster and faster -- remember the 100 yard dash in the last Olympic games? They break records all the time in the sprints, and football is basically a game of sprints. So as they get faster and faster, they hit each other harder and harder, particularly on punt returns but it happens on other running plays too. The game is violent, even with new rules that are supposed to protect the quarterback and protect players from head injuries.
In the next few weeks as players prepare for the NFL draft, they will participate in something called the Combine. The players are put through a series of drills that showcase their speed and agility. Some of them are so packed with muscle that they lumber down the track, their bodies encumbered by their mass. My son who is a speed and agility expert agreed with me when I commented on what I was seeing at last year's event, that they appear muscle-bound. At the combine players wear numbers and rotate among the various drills in groups.
At first glance, it reminds a person of a cattle auction. The would-be NFL players look like specimens on display, and commentators make observations on their performance as though they WERE cattle. In other words, the game has become one that objectifies the participants.
Years ago at The University of Akron, a former athlete would show up at virtually every sporting event drew numbers on campus holding a sign that said that UA used black players.
I don't think that UA "used" black players per se. Athletes get primo treatment at most universities and good coaches don't treat players like things. But in a sense, when you watch the combine and hear some of the TV commentators at the games, it increasingly seems to be the case.
The great benefit of being in college football is the scholarship -- the chance to get a degree. What an athlete really takes with them after graduation isn't a ticket to the pros but a ticket to a better and more fulfilling life. And that's another thing -- more and more of the "stars" leave the game early to try out for the pros. So that only adds to the objectification and diminishes the college performance platform to one of preparatory school for pro athletes. That doesn't sit well with me.
So I'm out of like with football and find myself watching less and less of it. My boss at UA for 17 years talked a lot about his aching knees and his messed up shoulder from playing a little football. And he never played in college or pros.
And next -- all we'll hear about in the next few weeks is going to be the Superbowl. Oh brother.
I've kind of fallen out of like with football. It didn't happen overnight, but gradually over the last several years or so. The pro game a couple of nights ago is a case in point. They were hauling guy after guy off the field with injuries! It was so bad the announcers were commenting on it. It was a slugfest out there on the field.
Some of the injuries might have been "mild" but one injury that has proven to be troublesome is the head injury. Older players are now coming forward in numbers stating that they suffer from various neurological problems because of the head injuries they suffered while playing in college or pros. One of them is Terry Bradshaw, who said he suffers from short-term memory loss.
We keep getting faster and faster -- remember the 100 yard dash in the last Olympic games? They break records all the time in the sprints, and football is basically a game of sprints. So as they get faster and faster, they hit each other harder and harder, particularly on punt returns but it happens on other running plays too. The game is violent, even with new rules that are supposed to protect the quarterback and protect players from head injuries.
In the next few weeks as players prepare for the NFL draft, they will participate in something called the Combine. The players are put through a series of drills that showcase their speed and agility. Some of them are so packed with muscle that they lumber down the track, their bodies encumbered by their mass. My son who is a speed and agility expert agreed with me when I commented on what I was seeing at last year's event, that they appear muscle-bound. At the combine players wear numbers and rotate among the various drills in groups.
At first glance, it reminds a person of a cattle auction. The would-be NFL players look like specimens on display, and commentators make observations on their performance as though they WERE cattle. In other words, the game has become one that objectifies the participants.
Years ago at The University of Akron, a former athlete would show up at virtually every sporting event drew numbers on campus holding a sign that said that UA used black players.
I don't think that UA "used" black players per se. Athletes get primo treatment at most universities and good coaches don't treat players like things. But in a sense, when you watch the combine and hear some of the TV commentators at the games, it increasingly seems to be the case.
The great benefit of being in college football is the scholarship -- the chance to get a degree. What an athlete really takes with them after graduation isn't a ticket to the pros but a ticket to a better and more fulfilling life. And that's another thing -- more and more of the "stars" leave the game early to try out for the pros. So that only adds to the objectification and diminishes the college performance platform to one of preparatory school for pro athletes. That doesn't sit well with me.
So I'm out of like with football and find myself watching less and less of it. My boss at UA for 17 years talked a lot about his aching knees and his messed up shoulder from playing a little football. And he never played in college or pros.
And next -- all we'll hear about in the next few weeks is going to be the Superbowl. Oh brother.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Bonus --- Bonus
It's 16 degrees and I heard the wind roaring through the trees last night at around 2:30 a.m. The polar vortex is here.
Usually, I skip Mondays but due to the weather and the fact that rather than babysitting this morning, I stayed home, it just seemed like the thing to do. School is cancelled and my son is there with Ella and Drew so they'll be fine. I'll probably go over one other day this week in the morning to get things going (to make up for not being there today).
Authorities are recommending that people do not go out if they don't absolutely have to. I agree.
Blackie is in the cardboard house by the front door, in the heated cat bed. I'm glad for that, and he got a whole can of cat food this morning too.
So -- one of the ideas I came up with for New Years was going through recipes. That's on the agenda for today! And then I have some photos to go through as well. And we have a jigsaw puzzle downstairs that needs to be finished. We've got food, electricity, heat, and shelter. We are indeed blessed.
I'll write again tomorrow. Be careful out there.
Usually, I skip Mondays but due to the weather and the fact that rather than babysitting this morning, I stayed home, it just seemed like the thing to do. School is cancelled and my son is there with Ella and Drew so they'll be fine. I'll probably go over one other day this week in the morning to get things going (to make up for not being there today).
Authorities are recommending that people do not go out if they don't absolutely have to. I agree.
Blackie is in the cardboard house by the front door, in the heated cat bed. I'm glad for that, and he got a whole can of cat food this morning too.
So -- one of the ideas I came up with for New Years was going through recipes. That's on the agenda for today! And then I have some photos to go through as well. And we have a jigsaw puzzle downstairs that needs to be finished. We've got food, electricity, heat, and shelter. We are indeed blessed.
I'll write again tomorrow. Be careful out there.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Boxes
Time to put away all of the Christmas decorations -- Christmas in a box. When I look at the photos in July, it will seem so long ago.
I read an article one time about how buying things can't compare to making memories, that is, doing things and going places. We've kind of gone over this before in the blog, that for instance, I can't remember my birthday presents very well but I can remember a lot of details about our trips to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland.
The house where we stayed most of the times was a Lincoln construction. In other words, a foundation with an A-frame roof. There was no garage but plenty of parking in the driveway. On the lowest level was a bathroom and a couple of bedrooms, plus a large recreation room. On the main floor was a kitchen, dining area, living room and bathroom. On the top level was three bedrooms and no bathroom, a definite disadvantage.
But the house was cozy and roomy and had a wonderful deck off the main floor. It was not "lake front" but we had lake access, a small windy little pathway through some woods to the dock and a small clearing where there was a fish cleaning table. In the morning before the boats stirred up the lake, you could see the huge boulders that lay under the dock.
The rocks in this part of Maryland were flecked with a lot of purples. People used the rocks as their yard in a lot of cases. I brought one home, a small one, to serve as a memory and it sits in a special spot in our yard even today.
One other time, we somehow won a weekend in Deep Creek and we stayed at a motel on the water's edge. Other times we stayed at an old motel that still offered a lot of amenities. At that time they had small cabins dotting the property that you could rent. The room doors in the back opened onto a huge deck that spanned the whole structure. There were walkways and of course, the lake. Down the street was a great deli that we often visited for quick grocery purchases.
The four and a half hour drive to Deep Creek went pretty fast, and yet we were always surprised that so few Ohioans visited there. We scanned license plates in the parking lots of various places we visited, as well as the lot at the motel when we stayed there. There were Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington DC plates mostly, but very few from Ohio.
When we visited there, one of the neatest places was a sanctuary on the lake, a section of land jutting out and rimmed with carefully tended evergreens. It belonged to the Catholic Church and it was a retreat. From our dock at the Lincoln house, we could see the tip of it especially when it was really clear. It was sold and huge expensive houses were built on the land. They built roadways into it where there had only been just the one.
Other changes are that more really expensive houses have been built and they are rented out for large family gatherings, such as what you might find on the Carolina coast.
So all of that for just a few weeks spent in another state. Lots of memories. If you are able to go places, do it. You don't have to run it into the ground. One of the reasons why I remember so much is that we don't travel very much. When we do, it's quite the occasion.
So Christmas is in the boxes, ready to go to the attic. But the memories of this Christmas are stored in my head. God Bless You, and please, be careful and stay warm. We're in for some really bad weather.
I read an article one time about how buying things can't compare to making memories, that is, doing things and going places. We've kind of gone over this before in the blog, that for instance, I can't remember my birthday presents very well but I can remember a lot of details about our trips to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland.
The house where we stayed most of the times was a Lincoln construction. In other words, a foundation with an A-frame roof. There was no garage but plenty of parking in the driveway. On the lowest level was a bathroom and a couple of bedrooms, plus a large recreation room. On the main floor was a kitchen, dining area, living room and bathroom. On the top level was three bedrooms and no bathroom, a definite disadvantage.
But the house was cozy and roomy and had a wonderful deck off the main floor. It was not "lake front" but we had lake access, a small windy little pathway through some woods to the dock and a small clearing where there was a fish cleaning table. In the morning before the boats stirred up the lake, you could see the huge boulders that lay under the dock.
The rocks in this part of Maryland were flecked with a lot of purples. People used the rocks as their yard in a lot of cases. I brought one home, a small one, to serve as a memory and it sits in a special spot in our yard even today.
One other time, we somehow won a weekend in Deep Creek and we stayed at a motel on the water's edge. Other times we stayed at an old motel that still offered a lot of amenities. At that time they had small cabins dotting the property that you could rent. The room doors in the back opened onto a huge deck that spanned the whole structure. There were walkways and of course, the lake. Down the street was a great deli that we often visited for quick grocery purchases.
The four and a half hour drive to Deep Creek went pretty fast, and yet we were always surprised that so few Ohioans visited there. We scanned license plates in the parking lots of various places we visited, as well as the lot at the motel when we stayed there. There were Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington DC plates mostly, but very few from Ohio.
When we visited there, one of the neatest places was a sanctuary on the lake, a section of land jutting out and rimmed with carefully tended evergreens. It belonged to the Catholic Church and it was a retreat. From our dock at the Lincoln house, we could see the tip of it especially when it was really clear. It was sold and huge expensive houses were built on the land. They built roadways into it where there had only been just the one.
Other changes are that more really expensive houses have been built and they are rented out for large family gatherings, such as what you might find on the Carolina coast.
So all of that for just a few weeks spent in another state. Lots of memories. If you are able to go places, do it. You don't have to run it into the ground. One of the reasons why I remember so much is that we don't travel very much. When we do, it's quite the occasion.
So Christmas is in the boxes, ready to go to the attic. But the memories of this Christmas are stored in my head. God Bless You, and please, be careful and stay warm. We're in for some really bad weather.
Friday, January 3, 2014
No Hurry
No hurry to get out today!! The driveway is covered even though we did make one pass with the snowblower yesterday. Blackie, the cat, survived the night in his box by the front door. Today we may get the cat bed from the garage (that has a heating element) and put it in the cardboard box so that Blackie can make it through the frigid temperatures that are supposed to set in.
I found the cat bed on a website called Cozy Winters. It has padded sides and the whole thing is covered in a soft fabric we can wash. The heating element is covered up and promises to remain at an even 102 degrees which is optimal for cats. It's been working now for a number of years and has lived up to every promise. They also make a heated cat mat that is excellent for outdoor use. The price is around $60 but spaced out over the probably six years we've had it, that doesn't really seem like all that much.
The reason for it being in the garage is that Fred, our inside/outside cat gets a little "moody" sometimes and he needs a time out. With the cat bed, he is warm and cozy and has a great place to adjust his temperament.
So far, I've been following some of my own advice and getting the Christmas stuff gathered up. I went through all of the leftover stuff before putting it away. We rearranged our medicines and vitamins, etc. and got rid of anything out of code. We put the mugs and cups in the cabinet above the coffee maker, which seems much more efficient (as soon as we get used to it).
When I worked at The University of Akron, there seemed to be two schools of thought. A messy desk meant that someone was really busy and getting things done. Or a neat desk meant that someone was organized and on-the-ball, doing tasks and moving paper. I was the neat desk person. It gave me a sense of order and kept my ADD brain from overloading on clutter. I bought organizers for pencils and file folders and cleaned the office on a regular basis.
One of my favorite days (kidding) was Butt Mark Day. If you sit in an upholstered chair day in and day out, dust settles everywhere your rear end isn't. Right? So after a while, there is a butt mark on the chair and it is not attractive. So I'd bring my R2D2 indoor/outdoor vacuum cleaner to work with me (riding shotgun in the car) and wheel it from office to office, sweeping the office and desk chairs and going over keyboards at the same time.
The faculty members warmed up to the idea and it got so that on Butt Mark Day, faculty members actually wheeled their chairs out into the hall so I didn't have to work as hard. I guess they did appreciate the extra effort and it made the place look so much better.
Hope you are keeping warm, dressing in layers, covering your ears if you venture outside, and drinking hot beverages. Every little thing helps. God bless the people working to keep our power on, and say a little prayer for Allie Rohr who is a patient at Akron Children's Hospital.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
I found the cat bed on a website called Cozy Winters. It has padded sides and the whole thing is covered in a soft fabric we can wash. The heating element is covered up and promises to remain at an even 102 degrees which is optimal for cats. It's been working now for a number of years and has lived up to every promise. They also make a heated cat mat that is excellent for outdoor use. The price is around $60 but spaced out over the probably six years we've had it, that doesn't really seem like all that much.
The reason for it being in the garage is that Fred, our inside/outside cat gets a little "moody" sometimes and he needs a time out. With the cat bed, he is warm and cozy and has a great place to adjust his temperament.
So far, I've been following some of my own advice and getting the Christmas stuff gathered up. I went through all of the leftover stuff before putting it away. We rearranged our medicines and vitamins, etc. and got rid of anything out of code. We put the mugs and cups in the cabinet above the coffee maker, which seems much more efficient (as soon as we get used to it).
When I worked at The University of Akron, there seemed to be two schools of thought. A messy desk meant that someone was really busy and getting things done. Or a neat desk meant that someone was organized and on-the-ball, doing tasks and moving paper. I was the neat desk person. It gave me a sense of order and kept my ADD brain from overloading on clutter. I bought organizers for pencils and file folders and cleaned the office on a regular basis.
One of my favorite days (kidding) was Butt Mark Day. If you sit in an upholstered chair day in and day out, dust settles everywhere your rear end isn't. Right? So after a while, there is a butt mark on the chair and it is not attractive. So I'd bring my R2D2 indoor/outdoor vacuum cleaner to work with me (riding shotgun in the car) and wheel it from office to office, sweeping the office and desk chairs and going over keyboards at the same time.
The faculty members warmed up to the idea and it got so that on Butt Mark Day, faculty members actually wheeled their chairs out into the hall so I didn't have to work as hard. I guess they did appreciate the extra effort and it made the place look so much better.
Hope you are keeping warm, dressing in layers, covering your ears if you venture outside, and drinking hot beverages. Every little thing helps. God bless the people working to keep our power on, and say a little prayer for Allie Rohr who is a patient at Akron Children's Hospital.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Wintry Thursday
The driveway is pretty much covered with a fine misty snow this morning, so that means we're stuck down here in the "holler." A good day for doing some straightening, cleaning, and cleaning out. And a good day for blogging.
Blackie, the feral cat that we've been feeding for about two years, has found herself a new home. It's been so cold lately and we know that she bunkers down somewhere near the house so I made her a cardboard home with an old towel on the bottom to keep her paws warm and a couple of my favorite old sweaters to nestle in.
She ignored it for about three days but this morning she's in the house and quite happy about it. Her paws have to be happy too. Life for a feral cat is not very long. Without shots, they most often succumb to feline leukemia or a virus, or they get into a fight with another cat or animal and get injured (and can't hunt). We'd love to help Blackie but she is really wild and won't let anyone get near her. So we do what we can.
Blackie is an innocent, a sad little cat that's just trying to get by. She doesn't trust us but she needs us.
Sometimes in helping others less fortunate WE are helped more than they are. The poor have much to teach us. A professor from The University of Akron once told me that the oft repeated verse in the Bible that says, "The poor will always be with you," should actually be translated, "You will always be among the poor." Interesting.
People who visit other countries and encounter the so-called poor are always struck by the joy and constant smiles of the people. They come back realizing that we need very little to find the wonderful gift God gives us -- JOY. One woman is trying to help by paying for tuition, uniforms and such for children in another part of the world. The orphans she assists would have absolutely no other access to schooling or a better life without this support.
Each day when we wake up and have another glorious day to do the work of God, think of this -- imagine looking down on the ground and finding a small stone. Smooth from first the river that ran over it and then from the hands that have held it. Imagine picking up the stone and knowing that within it was the JOY that would last that whole day. Imagine carrying that stone with you wherever you go and letting others hold it for a moment to share the joy with you.
So each morning, let us start the day with a prayer thanking God for another day and then start the day's journey by glancing down on the floor and looking for that imaginary smooth stone -- your gift -- and start smiling!!
Blackie, the feral cat that we've been feeding for about two years, has found herself a new home. It's been so cold lately and we know that she bunkers down somewhere near the house so I made her a cardboard home with an old towel on the bottom to keep her paws warm and a couple of my favorite old sweaters to nestle in.
She ignored it for about three days but this morning she's in the house and quite happy about it. Her paws have to be happy too. Life for a feral cat is not very long. Without shots, they most often succumb to feline leukemia or a virus, or they get into a fight with another cat or animal and get injured (and can't hunt). We'd love to help Blackie but she is really wild and won't let anyone get near her. So we do what we can.
Blackie is an innocent, a sad little cat that's just trying to get by. She doesn't trust us but she needs us.
Sometimes in helping others less fortunate WE are helped more than they are. The poor have much to teach us. A professor from The University of Akron once told me that the oft repeated verse in the Bible that says, "The poor will always be with you," should actually be translated, "You will always be among the poor." Interesting.
People who visit other countries and encounter the so-called poor are always struck by the joy and constant smiles of the people. They come back realizing that we need very little to find the wonderful gift God gives us -- JOY. One woman is trying to help by paying for tuition, uniforms and such for children in another part of the world. The orphans she assists would have absolutely no other access to schooling or a better life without this support.
Each day when we wake up and have another glorious day to do the work of God, think of this -- imagine looking down on the ground and finding a small stone. Smooth from first the river that ran over it and then from the hands that have held it. Imagine picking up the stone and knowing that within it was the JOY that would last that whole day. Imagine carrying that stone with you wherever you go and letting others hold it for a moment to share the joy with you.
So each morning, let us start the day with a prayer thanking God for another day and then start the day's journey by glancing down on the floor and looking for that imaginary smooth stone -- your gift -- and start smiling!!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Late, Late, Late
Well, I never mentioned that we might have a day off from the blog today -- being that it's a holiday and New Year's Day (and we went to church). BUT, since I didn't, we'll have a short one to celebrate.
Last night our neighbors on Portage started shooting off some fireworks at around 10:00 p.m. and then at midnight, I awoke to a big boom and thought a tree fell. It must have been an M-80 or something, and that was followed by a bunch of gunshots. That's pretty unnerving. Never a good idea, besides the fact that the property was annexed to the city and now residents there need to abide by Canal Fulton's ordinances (that prohibit shooting a firearm in the city). I'm just glad that no errant ammunition found its way over here.
Years ago a farmhouse on Rt. 93 was hit by a bullet, a big one. It broke out the second floor window and embedded itself in the ceiling. The baby who normally slept in that room was not napping at the time, thank God, otherwise there would have been shards of glass in his/her crib.
We started investigating at the newspaper and my first thought was perhaps it might be the range off River Road where the police practiced. No one thought that made any sense, but it kind of did to me. They checked all of the ballistics of the weapons fired at the range that day and guess what? One of them matched, thus it was one of the police department's bullets that careened out past River Road, across State Rt. 21, and into the farm house ceiling about a mile and a half away. Scary, isn't it? They shut down the range after that.
One charitable organization is gathering together toy guns and giving kids some kind of reward for turning them in. You know, with all of the research that's being done out there, some of it dubious at best, I bet someone has done something on whether or not kids playing with toy guns are any more likely to use real ones when they get older. My first guess is NO. My brother and I each had six-shooters and played with caps all the time. The one rule was you weren't allowed to point the guns AT anyone. No matter that they were toys. It was my mother's rule and we usually obeyed, but if we didn't we THOUGHT about what we were doing.
I've never shot a real gun and don't have any plans on doing that any time soon. Yet, when I was little pretending I was Dale Evans was high on my list of things I liked to do. Could it be something like using a rake? A rake can be a pretty scary weapon in the hands of a disturbed individual, can't it? And yet, how many people use a rake as a weapon? Or for that matter a nail gun. Or a blow torch.
Just saying.
The real problem with guns in our society is the disintegration of the family unit. Throwing money at the problem, confiscating toy guns, and making more rules for registering the real ones just doesn't get at the heart of the problem.
Family, or the lack of one. The family unit, even when it isn't perfect, is the means by which we raise children. When the dad is missing, or there are drugs in the house, or no one can be counted on for anything -- we end up with kids that are neglected physically and emotionally and who are actually raised on the streets by their peers.
So we're starting the new year today, and I hope you found one or two of my helpful hints from yesterday useful. I think maybe this year I'm going to really pray about what I can do to help families.
Oh, and one other thought. Last night, two members of The Five, the talk show at 5:00 p.m. on Fox ushered in the new year with their own show. It was really awful, I've got to say. They interviewed a few of the partyers about their resolutions. One young woman actually said, "I'm going to try and eat less cheese." Oh, my gosh. That's it? Eating less cheese? Well, what does that do for others? How does that move a person from self-centered to others-centered? It doesn't, does it?
So this was going to be short and now it is rather long. Sorry about that. Tomorrow maybe I'll have something more positive to say about 2014. God Bless You.
Last night our neighbors on Portage started shooting off some fireworks at around 10:00 p.m. and then at midnight, I awoke to a big boom and thought a tree fell. It must have been an M-80 or something, and that was followed by a bunch of gunshots. That's pretty unnerving. Never a good idea, besides the fact that the property was annexed to the city and now residents there need to abide by Canal Fulton's ordinances (that prohibit shooting a firearm in the city). I'm just glad that no errant ammunition found its way over here.
Years ago a farmhouse on Rt. 93 was hit by a bullet, a big one. It broke out the second floor window and embedded itself in the ceiling. The baby who normally slept in that room was not napping at the time, thank God, otherwise there would have been shards of glass in his/her crib.
We started investigating at the newspaper and my first thought was perhaps it might be the range off River Road where the police practiced. No one thought that made any sense, but it kind of did to me. They checked all of the ballistics of the weapons fired at the range that day and guess what? One of them matched, thus it was one of the police department's bullets that careened out past River Road, across State Rt. 21, and into the farm house ceiling about a mile and a half away. Scary, isn't it? They shut down the range after that.
One charitable organization is gathering together toy guns and giving kids some kind of reward for turning them in. You know, with all of the research that's being done out there, some of it dubious at best, I bet someone has done something on whether or not kids playing with toy guns are any more likely to use real ones when they get older. My first guess is NO. My brother and I each had six-shooters and played with caps all the time. The one rule was you weren't allowed to point the guns AT anyone. No matter that they were toys. It was my mother's rule and we usually obeyed, but if we didn't we THOUGHT about what we were doing.
I've never shot a real gun and don't have any plans on doing that any time soon. Yet, when I was little pretending I was Dale Evans was high on my list of things I liked to do. Could it be something like using a rake? A rake can be a pretty scary weapon in the hands of a disturbed individual, can't it? And yet, how many people use a rake as a weapon? Or for that matter a nail gun. Or a blow torch.
Just saying.
The real problem with guns in our society is the disintegration of the family unit. Throwing money at the problem, confiscating toy guns, and making more rules for registering the real ones just doesn't get at the heart of the problem.
Family, or the lack of one. The family unit, even when it isn't perfect, is the means by which we raise children. When the dad is missing, or there are drugs in the house, or no one can be counted on for anything -- we end up with kids that are neglected physically and emotionally and who are actually raised on the streets by their peers.
So we're starting the new year today, and I hope you found one or two of my helpful hints from yesterday useful. I think maybe this year I'm going to really pray about what I can do to help families.
Oh, and one other thought. Last night, two members of The Five, the talk show at 5:00 p.m. on Fox ushered in the new year with their own show. It was really awful, I've got to say. They interviewed a few of the partyers about their resolutions. One young woman actually said, "I'm going to try and eat less cheese." Oh, my gosh. That's it? Eating less cheese? Well, what does that do for others? How does that move a person from self-centered to others-centered? It doesn't, does it?
So this was going to be short and now it is rather long. Sorry about that. Tomorrow maybe I'll have something more positive to say about 2014. God Bless You.
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