Night Revealtion

Night Revelation

I was walking my dog Jezebel last night.  Suddenly, she stopped, went stone still, statue in the night—piercing the darkness with eyes like a knife.  “What is it girl?  What’s there.”  She was immovable.  So I tried to look through her eyes. There was something there. A spectre-like form stood under a tree.  We took small steps toward it.  Then, it turned, showing only the flash of its tale—a fox!   

How many of us would have first ignored the dog and dragged her along?  And then, perhaps missed the fox itself as it quickly turned and vanished?  

Have we learned to look through the eyes of a dog?  Or, how about that fox looking at us? They see far more acutely than we can ever imagine. One time in Maine, I saw a fox trotting along.  I followed it.  Catching my scent, it ran off and down a hill and into the woods.  I stood there looking for some time without the benefit of the many ways that fox could see me.  As I made my way back toward home, who do you think was down the path in the underbrush watching ME?  That's right.  It did not run off. It back-tracked me to get a better vision of who this guy was that had tracked it.  

Annonymous Letter

Veteran's Day

November 11, 2012

 

Anonymous Letter

Left At The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier,

Upon this day of poignant reflection, we are humbled by your sacrifice;
No measure of recompense doth any possess which may serve to satisfice-
Our very liberty hath been your precious gift-your dutiful life, its price-
Our humble gratitude is all we have, no manner of quittance* would suffice!
                                                               

(*a discharge from a debt or obligation)

Winning Witness

Fred Gwyne as the Judge

The Winning Witness!
Marisa Tomei  as Mona Lisa Vito 
My Cousin Vinny



D.A. Jim Trotter: Ms. Vito, what is your current profession?
Lisa: I'm an out-of-work hairdresser.
D.A. Jim Trotter: An out-of-work hairdresser. In what way does that qualify you as an expert in automobiles?
Lisa: It doesn't.

Marisa Tomei won best supporting actress  as Mona Lisa Vito

D.A. Jim Trotter: Now, uh, Ms. Vito, being an expert on general automotive knowledge, can you tell me... what would the correct ignition timing be on a 1955 Bel Air Chevrolet, with a 327 cubic-inch engine and a four-barrel carburetor?
Mona Lisa Vito: It's a bullshit question.
D.A. Jim Trotter: Does that mean that you can't answer it?


 

DA Trotter challenges witness credenti

Mona Lisa Vito: It's a bullshit question, it's impossible to answer.
D.A. Jim Trotter: Impossible because you don't know the answer!
Mona Lisa Vito: Nobody could answer that question!
D.A. Jim Trotter: Your Honor, I move to disqualify Ms. Vito as a "expert witness"!
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Can you answer the question?
Mona Lisa Vito: No, it is a trick question!
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Why is it a trick question?
Vinny Gambini: [to Bill] Watch this.
Mona Lisa Vito: 'Cause Chevy didn't make a 327 in '55, the 327 didn't come out till '62. And it wasn't offered in the Bel Air with a four-barrel carb till '64. However, in 1964, the correct ignition timing would be four degrees before top-dead-center.
D.A. Jim Trotter: Well... um... she's acceptable, Your Honor.
 
COMMENTS FROM THIS FILM CRITIC
If you have watched this scene, then you know exactly why I say--Go watch it!   Good humor and real comedy shows sharp contrasts between actors.  The plot brings the actors into a a head-on collision--and humor erupts! In this scene, the sophisticated judge and DA run into the most unlikely witness in a "Yankee out of work hairdresser" with an accent to roll their ties around and a fundamental knowledge of auto mechanics that turns them on their heads. The least expected expert bails out the defendants (Ralph Machio), their attorney (Joe Pesci) and turns the status quo on it head. 

Believe it or not--I sometimes find Jesus as a comic figure turning the status quo of society around.  The first shall be last and the last shall be first.  Out of death comes life. A manger is the throne of the messiah. Check out the credentials of his disciples! 

This is a long way from the movie.  But frankly, I'd rather be the last in society named first by Jesus than the other way around.  And it starts because I regard others that way. 

The Power of ONE

The Power of One Solitary Life 

How often do we discount ourselves?  And little wonder as we walk off into a world of machines and apps--of course we are into finding ourselves with the "daily me" of facebook. 

Check out the deeply moving novel The Power of One or get the DVD.  The saga of this kid is amazing who grows up in in the apartheid of South Africa to be himself--and in so doing--he breaks out of the system. Just the power of one does it?  No--the belief in oneself does not have to change the world, but it can change your world. 

This poem hits the theme marvelously.  Can we offer the power of the one person who offers some of these gifts for the world? 

One SONG can spark a moment One FLOWER can wake the dream One TREE can start a forest One BIRD can herald spring One SMILE begins a friendship One HANDCLASP lifts a soul One STAR can guide a ship at sea One WORD can frame the goal One VOTE can change a nation One SUNBEAM lights a room One CANDLE wipes out darkness One LAUGH will conquer gloom One STEP must start each journey One WORD must start a prayer One HOPE will raise our spirits One TOUCH can show you care One VOICE can speak with wisdom One HEART can know what is true One LIFE can make a difference You see, it is up to YOU. Author Unknown

I just wonder....

Do you think the power of one, by being ourselves, goes back to that well-known saying about the "one solitary life" of Jesus? Or that being ourselves is being the one God created us to be? 


Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone, and today he is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of all human progress. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever were built, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has this one solitary personality
                                                                    from: One Solitary Life

The Patient Journey

 The Patient Journey

 Patience child, patience. Remember, life is a journey. If you got everything you wanted all at once there'd be no point to living. Enjoy the ride, and in the end you'll see these 'set backs' as giant leaps forward, only you couldn't see the bigger picture in the moment. Remain calm, all is within reach; all you have to do is show up everyday, stay true to your path and you will surely find the treasure you seek.

Mastin Kipp
Inspirational Author and Founder of The Daily Love

I loved this quotation even more once I spotted a tree stump on my walk.  Look at the rings.  Read into the life of the tree--the droughts, those plush years, the older years....  The story is all there and it tells so clearly what me miss so obviously in our own lives.  That we are always developing, adapting, growing in different ways--but the journey of life moves forward. 

The journey of a lifetime does more than begin with the single step.  It is each step we take as we grow up into who God calls us to be. 

The Question of ME

Rabbi Zusya was asked what is the most important thing to do with one’s life.   

He paused.  Then he said, “When I die I shall not be asked why I did not act more 

like Moses. I shall only be asked why I did not act more like myself.” 

                                                                                                                       Martin Buber, adapted

Pass It On!

Election Day Thoughts

When I was a kid, no election passed without my Dad saying to me, “Don’t let any election pass without voting.  People died to give you that privilege.”  Then as my wife and I raised our kids, we took them into the voting booth and allowed them to cast votes—and with no mishaps.  A democracy is always on the verge of extinction as it passes itself on to the next generation.  

I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work.  Of course it doesn't work.  We are supposed to work it.  ~Alexander Woollcott

People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people.  Of course, that is not true.  Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote - a very different thing.  ~Walter H. Judd

The most important political office is that of the private citizen.  ~Louis Brandeis