Spinn It

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

SPIN IT

Someone finishes first in the Iowa caucuses but not really because she didn't have a whole lot more votes than the guy who finished second so you see he really was first.

The second placer then claims he was the victim of shenanigans on the part of the first placer and therefore he really won.

Not to be outdone, the third place finisher claims he really won because he came from the farthest behind and surprised everyone,

Another guy announced BEFORE the caucuses was over he was headed out of town and wasn’t going with everyone else to New Hampshire to campaign for the next primary nor was he going to South Carolina, where the third event would take place. You see he had to go to Florida to pick up some clean clothes.

Well the press jumped on that as an obvious “I am considering leaving the race.” But then a second press announcement comes out reminding everyone he isn’t quitting just getting a change of underwear. This came as a great surprise to storeowners in New Hampshire who see mens’ clothing.

Along comes New Hampshire where there is a big fight over whether Governors make better presidents than Senators. That seemed to take up a lot of time for discussion, the bottom line of which suggests that Governors have a lot more experience than Senators. Then New Hampshire elected a sitting Senator by an overwhelming margin. The other winner wasn't a Senator or a Governor-EVER.

New Hampshire is so sophisticated that they believe if you are a candidate with a border that touches there your are the overwhelming better qualified.

So now this traveling circus is off to South Carolina for the next primary. Of course the pundits are making all sorts of predictions about how people from the South will have a great advantage over those from the north. I have lived in the South and I can tell you that most Southerners think the Civil War, whoops, War of Northern Aggression, is still being fought.

I am going to close with the observation that the political process of the Greatest Nation on Earth leaves a lot to be desired.

Shouldn’t we just be looking for the candidate whose philosophy and stated opinions demonstrate clearly a superiority over the others running?

‘

I do think it only fair though that we let a guy have a few days to change his underwear, don’t you?

LOSS

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

LOSS

A long time ago Joe Biden, a very young man at the time, won election to the United States Senate. No one thought he had much of a chance. I am sure his family: wife, two sons and one daughter, were proud of him and looking forward to this new experience.

One week before he was to be sworn in as a U.S. Senator his family was in a horrific car crash. It took the lives of his young wife and young daughter. His two sons were injured and hospitalized. The Senator-elect is said to have refused to leave the hospital beds of his sons and his swearing-in took place in the hospital. There were some things written about his resigning his seat and looking to his family. Few could believe he would find a way to overcome such a tragedy.

But he did.

Unlike most Senators he did not rent a living space in Washington, DC. Looking back on it I can imagine he decided to fulfill all his responsibilities, personal and professional. So he kept the family home so he could be there to kiss his young sons goodnight, every nite, and to wake them and breakfast with them every morning. In order to accomplish this he had to take a two hour train ride, each way, from home to his Senate office.

I suppose there are some who felt he could not keep this up. Others who may have thought he would do it just for a short time. The fact is he did it every day until I am told he moved into the official quarters of The Vice President of the United States.

For those who felt he would not be able to be an outstanding Senator, let me tell you candidates for president don’t worry about picking a vice presidential candidate because he can deliver Delaware. Biden was selected because of his excellent work, his ease with people, and the kind of dedication to duty that four hour a day train ride took.

Just a few weeks ago a young lady in her ate thirties succumbed to breast cancer. She had a twelve year old son. She had fought hard, lost her hair and proudly went without a wig or cloth covering,  attended church, weddings and social events. We knew her as a baby. We saw her again about two years ago at a wedding and she was as upbeat, vibrant and happy as one could be. I am attending her wake this week.

A couple months ago my cousin, best man at our wedding, living in North Carolina was moved to hospice. I spent a week with him and helped his family move him to what would be his last home. He approached his end with dignity, without complaint, and with the joy that family and friends were there.

We all have stories of loss. It really doesn't matter the cause of one’s demise or even the unfairness of the timing. We have no explanation how people are able to enjoy the gift of years and live into the hundreds while others are taken as infants, teenagers, young mothers or fathers. No matter how we try we cannot find an acceptable reason for dying. Yet we all know that is the common goal we all have in our lives.

Also, some families are hit harder than others. The Kennedy’s come to mind. But they are not alone. During the wars you can see the Gold Stars on the windows of neighbors’ homes. Hardly a graduation weekend goes by that is not marred by the tragedy of losing a young person just starting out on a career.

Loss is part of living.

Accepting loss is part of recovering.

Forgetting loss is never possible but the pain of loss can lessen.

Hold close the ones you love. None of us has any idea how many more days we will be with them.

SILENCE

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

SILENCE

I am embarrassed by my country reaction to a completely legal election conducted under the rule of our constitution.

Donald Trump is the constitutionally elected President of the United States. He made all the qualifications, set by the rules  by the FoundingFathers.

Instead of accepting the decision of the people, outrageous behaviour has broken out.

At the end of an election we, as members of a democracy, are to accept the results, support the winner and hope for the best.

In this election 50% of the people did not even bother to vote.

The Democracy in which we live is at risk.

And the outrageous behaviour of many, most of whom did not vote. is a stain our on Republic.

Help Meet

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

“HELP MEET”

“One of the most frequently misunderstood terms in the Bible is the term "helpmeet" in the book of Genesis. Genesis 2:18 says, "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an helpmeet for him."

“The common way in which the term "helpmeet" is interpreted is to mean that Eve, unlike the other beasts of the earth, was "appropriate for" or "worthy"  of Adam and was to be his helper or companion on the earth. While there are some really good things about this interpretation, it doesn't do full justice to what the term "helpmeet" really means. The term, in its original Hebrew, means something much more profound and powerful than just a "helper," and when we understand what God was saying to Adam, we come to see Eve's role and the role of women on this earth in a much different light.

“Women are "saviors" to men by the fact that they give them life and nurture them towards the light of Christ. By conceiving, creating, and bearing mortal bodies, women make it possible for God's children to start on their mortal journey and have the opportunity to become perfected. Without women, there would be no gateway into this world and no opportunity for progress or exaltation.”

These quotes are taken from a source titled Women in the Scripture.

I wanted to write about “helpmeets” but to do so with the understanding that people have many different forms of religious beliefs, if they have religious beliefs at all. The purpose of this column is to highlight the importance of having a “helpmeet,” and I realize in the larger sense, having such a person in one’s life does not require a religious connotation. If in discussing this subject I can encourage my readers to look beside them, identify their “helpmeets” in life, and perhaps take a moment to acknowledge the importance of that person.

As my readers know, I am not a person who writes columns on religion. But I am a person who likes to acknowledge great contributions by Americans, especially when they pass from this life. And there are “help meets” in every walk of life. Obviously the biblical reference is not suggesting an inequality between a man and wife but rather referring to the major roles both can play. The man needs the support of the woman, so he can meet his goals and objectives and responsibilities. I see this as implying it would be difficult for him to accomplish this without the woman. Conversely, the woman depends on the man to fulfill his role and free her up to meet her own goals. 

Teamwork.

Hand in hand.

In this column I am choosing to acknowledge the death two weeks ago of a “helpmeet” who I think is a good standard for the title: Vonette Bright. Her name may mean very little to most of my readers because her husband, Dr. Bill Bright, was more in the spotlight. 

Bill died a number of years ago. But throughout their marriage Vonette was the “helpmeet” I think the Bible anticipated.

This husband and wife team dreamed of and formed what became known as Campus Crusade for Christ. The seed of their idea grew and grew, and now hundreds of thousands of people, almost all volunteers, are working throughout the world to meet the goals of this organization.

After Bill’s death, the name was changed to CRU. Some felt “Crusade” implied something militaristic. So in the US that organization, based in Orlando, FL, is now know as CRU if you wish to Google it and learn more.  

I met Bill Bright decades ago when a friend, Charles Stetson, took me to Orlando for an meeting Dr. Bright. We had a wonderful meeting in Dr. Bright’s modest office in an absolutely beautiful campus setting. I was impressed with him and with everyone on his staff. 

We invited him to speak at an event we were planning in New England, and he accepted.

Years later I went back as he had invited me to lunch. I was surprised that the lunch was just the two of us and was in his home. His health had deteriorated, and he needed to carry around a tank of oxygen. Movement was difficult for him. 

Having said that, he was as enthusiastic as when we first met, and we had a very personal discussion about faith. I was particularly pleased to learn he had studied and written about the faith of the Founding Fathers, and he presented me with a signed copy of that book and some others he had written.

Vonette was busy around the house, but it was clear she was writing another book of her own, traveling and speaking, and supporting Bill in all the activities of Campus Crusade.

The White House has a number of Christmas parties each year for important contributors to the health of the nation, and Bill and Vonette always were invited and loved to go. The year we met he felt he would  have to miss the event because of the difficulties flying commercially would cause with his health problems. 

While I was there, he learned that someone had offered a private jet to take Bill and Vonette to be with the President, and The White House had arranged a scooter for him to use while there. Afterward Bill loved to talk about riding up and down those sacred halls in his scooter. 

As Bill’s health continued to deteriorate, Vonette became more and more involved in working with those who ran Campus Crusade, while still caring for her husband and helping him with his writing. At the same time, her own commitments were growing.

One day the dreaded news came that Bill was now confined to his bed and did not have much time left to live.  My wife and I were invited to come to say goodbye.

When we entered the house, we had to take off our shoes and wear face masks as we were led into the bedroom. Bill had a face mask and tubes inserted in parts of his body but was propped up with pillows and welcomed us without mentioning the heath problems, complimented my wife, and we had fifteen minutes of good interchange. He was as excited and enthusiastic as ever. He had to parcel out his final hours and tired easily, so those who were visiting him had to keep the conversation short.

Now throughout all these visits and talks, I knew Vonette was on top of everything. I learned from Bill how they met and how this idea took place when they were in college. He always saw it as an equal partnership. Clearly, Vonette saw it biblically-she was his helpmeet. And Bill saw no definition of “helpmeet” that in any way contemplated one of the team as more important than the other.

So this column is dedicated to Vonette Bright with appreciation for the great woman she was, the fantastic writer and speaker she became, the organization to which she and her husband gave birth, and to her understanding and acceptance of the role of “help meet.” 

A “help meet” might well not be a spouse. All of us have someone who probably occupies this role. 

I am blessed to have had a “help meet” for 50 years who has fulfilled the role as defined in our religion. For this I am grateful. 

I urge my readers to think of this concept, not necessarily in a religious sense, but rather to discover and acknowledge your partners in life.

The Written Word

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

The Written Word

Is a picture worth a thousand words?

I think not.

A picture allows us to determine our own explanation of what is shown. It is a very helpful tool in creative thinking. It adds often beauty to our lives and often exposes us to that which we have not viewed with our own eyes.

But give me a good book anytime.

 Immersing oneself in something written by another, who fully tells a story or lays out an idea is my idea of pleasure. Good books present all sides or possibilities. A writer who can spin a tale that captures the reader and his mind is the gold standard for me.

Most books present ideas. Some books present alternative ideas to the one being more fully explored. All books permit the reader to use his own mind, to reflect on what is written, to consider arguments from his own experience in favor or against the thrust of the story.

A lot of people in my generation love to own and to keep books that have meant a great deal to them. Often they return to books they have read, only to find in the re-reading even more discoveries than the first time through. They create personal libraries in their homes.

For those who cannot buy books or build personal libraries, public libraries fulfill their desire to read. One reads to relax, or to grow intellectually, or to be challenged by new ideas, or just to escape for a short time the vicissitudes of life.

During our lifetimes we have seen the inventions of the world make hard copy books seem more cumbersome. The internet has championed electronic books. Various devices have enabled readers to carry as many as 700 books with them wherever they go, in a small handheld device.

I am going to resist the usual lament of the older folks: things were better in the past. Further, I can remember as a young student having to go to the local library, sign in, check the card catalogue to find the location of the book I sought, get it from the stacks, sit at a cold steel table in an uncomfortable chair, and search the book for what I sought. Of course I could take the book home if I had a library card, and if I failed to return it in the required period of time, I would be fined.

I once had a very large collection of books. My library was something I enjoyed. However, over the years I have given away almost all of my books. In so doing I have learned first hand how times of change.

In one instance I gave a number of books away to a school. Thinking that their library would appreciate such a gift. Imagine how surprised I was to find all my books in a local second hand store being sold cheaply. I was able to accept that the books would eventually reach someone who would read them and appreciate them. But getting there took me a while.

I also watched as schools closed their libraries completely and used the space for something else, often technology. Clearly, around the country some were trying to recognize the changes taking place and accommodating the needs of their students who resisted the old way of finding material, or doing research or just expanding knowledge.

Some years ago I knew a Headmaster who loved books. He was an avid reader. As this new trend was developing his school decided to build a library and name it for him. He agreed to let them use his name but on one condition: that there be set aside a room, with a roaring fireplace and comfortable leather chairs which could only be used for pleasure reading.

It would be interesting to know today, decades later, if students still use that room but can be found looking at their Kindles or iPads rather than actually reading a hard copy book.

Now I sit in my comfortable chair, go to a search engine, type in my question, and hundreds of possibilities appear on my screen. I select the one most applicable, click on it, and the material appears immediately on my computer. So I acknowledge that I have accepted the new ways to reed and I acknowledge that they save a great deal of time and make access to good stories so much easier

So I acknowledge that this kind of change makes sense. I do not want to be like the horseback rider who refuses to give up his faithful horse in favor of the new Model T Ford. If I were to take that position, it would be silly.  No matter one’s preference, one has to acknowledge that things do change and that progress continues to move us forward.

When I retired I set a goal to read 40 books a year. I have successfully done so over these past years. I understand that this would have been harder if I had tried to access books and read them in the old way. I have my iPad with me everywhere and I find even during the night, if I awake, I have only to push the “on” button and whatever I am currently reading is available to me.  Certainly when I travel the new methods are much more convenient. When I was younger I would take paperbacks with me on trips, ones that I could simply discard when I finished the book and replace it with another discardable paperback bought in various cities while I traveled. 

It saddens me to see libraries close, especially in schools. But they are being replaced by the ever-present laptops that young people have available today.  Towns across the country continue to try to fund their local libraries, but I fear it will ultimately not be feasible.

I have friends who refuse to give up reading hard cover books. These are people who can understand change is happening; they can even accept that it is inevitable. But they reserve to themselves the right to continue their own practice of reading.

Word crafting is a very special art. Authors who master it develop large followings. I can see that the readers of the future will continue to value the written word, but they will receive it in a different form. 

This does not lessen the importance of being well read. It does not require those of the older generations embrace the change. But they must also realistically understand that just as the primary mode of transportation went from horses to automobiles, the reading of books appears to be racing toward the online versions, not the hardback collectibles.

Let me go back to my comment on pictures lest it be thought I do not appreciate art in its various forms. I have had the opportunity to visit many of the largest and most significant art galleries in the world from the Louvre to the Uffizi to the Prado. Impressive canvases and sculptures. Well worth the time and effort.

But in no way do these treats for the eyes match the challenge of a good book. In the past they have survived side by side. Renaissance man appreciates and learns from them both. 

Hopefully this will continue.  But the delivery of art and the written word is changing rapidly. It is wise to accept and master these changes.

It is called progress.

WHERE"S THE BONNET?

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

WHERE’S THE BONNET

I am writing on Easter Sunday.

Having attended events at two churches, I am ready to declare that the Easter Bonnet no longer exists!

When I was growing up, the ladies, especially on Easter, could be found at church with the most beautiful and colorful bonnets. Some were expensive, some were homemade, but they sure brightened up the occasion. 

They were the most beautiful and colorful bonnets.  Made from straw, or linen, or other fabrics, they were graced with roses and camellias, violets and daisies, even the occasional magnolia blossom.  

You could see lace trim, bits of mesh or veils, and ribbons of all hues, fashioned into bows or streaming down the back of the wearer.  There were feathers: pheasant or peacock or dyed and unidentifiable.  Occasionally, one could even find a bird perched among the greenery or flowers.  It was a veritable burst of brilliance, fluff, and femininity

.I am from a generation that thought women looked beautiful in hats. I cannot imagine who convinced them otherwise. If we knew who he was we could make him wear a bonnet every Sunday for a year.

In fact I am thinking of organizing a march to oppose this loss of tradition.

 It would be held on a Sunday. 

Participants would skip church. Everyone who misses seeing Easter bonnets in church would gather in Washington, wearing beautiful bonnets, and we would march on The White House where I will have convinced Melania Trump to appear on the Truman balcony in a festive bonnet. I doubt that this effort would bring bonnets back, but since in a recent column I encouraged people to speak out and demonstrate peacefully, this seems like a good suggestion.

The participation of radicals would not be encouraged, and we would absolutely not burn all our bonnets at the gate of The White House.

Seriously, in my two church events this Easter, each held in a large church with a large assembly of people, I saw THREE bonnets.  I made sure to speak to each of these ladies to compliment them. One of them actually said if I liked hers so much, she would let me wear it. I think she missed the suggestion of feminine beauty in my argument.

At my church, I noticed as I approached for Sunday service a lot of kids engaged in an egg hunt on the church grounds. They were running here and there with their little baskets filling up with eggs.  

I thought to myself, maybe I should encourage a bonnet hunt for next year.