"The Sun'll Come up Tomorrow"

             

                                           "The sun'll come up Tomorrow" . . . Annie

                                                     

Was she just plain 'nuts', overly idealistic, maybe even a tad psychotic and greatly out of touch with 'reality'?  In what has become a kind of Seasonal ritual, watching the sunrise over the Atlantic for several mornings, I have decided that  Annie was on to something profound. December 21 was the year's shortest day or , if you prefer, the longest night of the year.  Now we begin the gradual movement towards the Summer's solstice.  In the meantime, the body feels the urge to feast on carbs ...aka, cookies, cakes, and other assorted baked goodies with the 3 plus or so pounds that  we average adding during the holidays.  Then often follow" Naps", the human variation of hibernation.

     Hibernation .  A dictionary calls it : "an adaptive process which is designed to protect individuals from the challenges of  winter time, particularly as it relates to energy  regulation".  Another source labeled the phenomenon as passing the  winter  "in a torpid or resting state",While we humans   do not  hibernate like other mammals, for various reasons our nervous  system transmits signals that cause people to indulge ravenous appetites and gain pounds resulting in lowered energy and sleepiness. As such, it isn't the same state as SAD ...Seasonal Affective Disorder, sometimes called "Winter Blues".

   "The Blues"  Is that term used  any longer other than as a musical genre ?  When someone is experiencing 'the blues', oldtimers might say that they were "down in the dumps".  In the last post, I noted that for many  this year's Christmas is "different" with a kind of  torpor or lethargy prevalent... a kind of emotional hibernation, perhaps.  

   Prolonged cold can kill, not only vegetation but people as well. So, too, can prolonged darkness.  And, for me, that is where Annie and her assertion enter.  Maybe it is akin to the Psalter's observation that while tears may mark the night, joy comes in the morning . . . the potential for a fresh start, kind of signal that there is more than just "right now". These recent mornings have also reminded me that 'not all sunrises are alike'.  When the recent cold blast swept in, clouds hid the multi-hues of brilliant light; then on Christmas Eve, I thought the sun's orb paused briefly on the horizon like a promise of Hope:

Recently I discovered a hymn that expresses that promise, New Every Morning is the Love:  " New Every Morning is the love

                 Our wakening and uprising prove,

                 sleep and darkness safely brought,

                 restored to life and power and thought.

    It now occurs to me that "morning" might just be a metaphor for Hope and not just a time on a clock.

    Good Morning ! to you .

       

            Satchel

   

"I'm not finding much Christmas spirit this year"

           "I'm not finding much Christmas spirit this year" my client said this week.  She suggested that such sentiment was not specific just for her; rather, she sensed a general malaise all around.  And she was one of several clients offering their version of the same sentiment. Now before dismissing these as "the perspectives of therapy clients who likely are already feeling anxious and/or depressed", consider that these are high functioning persons not disposed to a jaundiced view of the world. My subjective opinion says that there are fewer Christmas decorations displayed this year.  

   While everything and everyone is not "Humbug" or "Grinch-y" and "No, no, no !" has not totally displaced "Ho, ho, ho !", something seems, feels different for many this year.  "Naughty" children were once threatened with 'lumps of coal' in their stockings. Accordingly, in some quarters, there is a sense that we are all receiving a scuttle bucket full of coal this year.

    If this is a pervasive viewpoint, "WHY ?" is such the case this year ? A couple of years ago, Sean Dietrich published a collection of articles in a book entitled The Absolute Worst Christmas of All Time. Coming as it did at the conclusion of the first Covid year, the title likely captured the experience of  many.  But now, here we are two Christmases out from that horrendous year. Why now the less- than- enthusiasm that many are experiencing, regardless of formal religious identification or not ?  And, I acknowledge that I have but partial hunches about Causes and for that matter, Cures.

   Among the nominees for causation that I have heard: covid weariness; grief for what and who we have lost; a protracted political nastiness culminating in a recent mid-term election; war in Ukraine; economic uncertainties; diminished sense of safety in the face of mass shootings; loneliness and social isolation. In his novel Littlejohn, Howard Owen has a character lament that "no one should be made to endure Christmas within at least one  year of a personal catastrophe."  No doubt there are other  nominees.

    "Is there a balm in Gilead ?" to paraphrase an old spiritual. A long ago comedian often proclaimed, "Don't tell me your doubts. I have enough doubts of my own. Tell me something you believe in!" Or, you might call it HOPE (differing from 'Wishful Thinking') for something that transcends the immediate malaise. Not just, 'pie in the sky in the sweet bye and bye'. Instead, something that fortifies us to deal with the right now  without  giving way to despair.

   Today I read a post about Phillip Brooks, long ago Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Boston and later Bishop of Massachusetts.  His poem that became "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is still a perennial part of Christmas music. The man's faith embodied both contemplation and action. Two lines in that song have offered Hope in the lives of many: "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee  tonight" referencing the Christ event; and, "O come to us, abide with us,  our Lord Emmanuel".  Many people have seen and experienced ugly &  hateful expressions of religion so much so that they are skeptical at best and downright dismissive at worst of the entire business,  whether Christian or otherwise.

   Something seems to be missing this year.  What do you think it is and what is needed ?

     Satchel

"What is your 'Password'"

 

   I just encountered the 'be-all words' of the digital world ! "Please enter your Password".  Well, the one that I remembered didn't provide the anticipated  entrance.  "To retrieve your password, please enter 'User Name' ". Struck out on that one also.  Found the correct answer for the 'mystery question'..."how many angels can dance on the head of a pin ?" Too many codes to remember and don't dare write and store them somewhere and better not use the same one for  every account !

   It seems that there is a malevolent species lurking for the unwary . . .  'hackers' and 'phishers'.  

It's because of these malevolent types that some sites have now added

another layer of security called 'double authentication'. DOUBLE !! 

There are those among us who find a challenge in remembering the initial key.  And while seeking to open an email just now from a health  care organization, I was greeted with this:  "Logging into your account has been temporarily blocked due to too many failed authentication attempts. For assistance, please contact this number (***-***-****)."

He used the wrong password 

      Friends tell me that their occupations now require 'encryption' of sensitive emails, especially those containing someone's PHI (another new acronym Personal Health Information), financial data, photographs, and other items "for your eyes only".  A former co-worker  related that he had grown so annoyed with one's platform's login procedures that he adopted the password  "PainNderBohunkus!" for transactions.

    A much more congenial "Password" has been a sporadically produced t.v. game show by that name. And, according to Wikipedia, there is a 2022 reiteration of that program.  Once upon a time (and maybe still so) there  was a play at home version.  You remember . . . partner A can give their partner only a one-word clue for THE CORRECT WORD.

Lightning quick word associations can sometimes be embarrassing as they were for a friend's response to the clue "Fondle".

   Almost proved to be as dangerous as being "blocked for too many failed authentication attempts".

  

      Satchel

" IN OTHER (POLYSYLLABIC) WORDS . . . "

 

     Dean Robert Cushman of Duke Divinity School was in "high gear" in his Theology Survey lecture. Barely pausing for breath, he unleashed a stream of multi-syllable words.  A fellow on the front row emitted an unexpected "Huh?" to which the momentarily startled scholar eventually responded, "Young man, do you have a dictionary ?"  A meek "Yes, sir"  answered by a supercilious "Look 'em up !"  Old-timers in this area described such utterances as "Fifty cent words", sometimes followed by the admonition "in other words, speak plainly." 

   Now, "big words" can be fun and can facilitate oral and written expression of thought . . . but not when used as weapons to create distance among persons nor to be ostentatious (whoops, show off). As a way to exercise brain function, I have begun receiving a "Word of the Day" from a dictionary company.  Some I recognize; others have been neologisms (darn, did it again; new  words). Several of the more recent offerings capture much of what is currently transpiring in American political campaigns.  So, as the late Jackie Gleason would have said, "Away we go !"  " In other words" when using a dictionary word, I will attempt my 'everyday' translations.

   We begin with the t.v. and print broadsides ["very harsh or strong spoken or written attack"]. Very few are breviloquent ["  marked by brevity of speech"] and seem more like the  invective ["insulting language"] or gibberish ["unintelligible or meaningless language] of policasters  ["petty, contemptible politicians"].  Several candidates have been cited for their blatherskite ["foolish talk; nonsense"] rendering their veracity juberous ["doubtful"] and creating kerfuffles ["disturbances"]  which tend to tenebrificate ["cause gloom and darkness"].   

    Then  there are the plenteous rapscallions ["worthless, idle persons"] who qualify as purse-leeches ["excessively greedy for money"] and pie-counters ["a political patronage or spoils especially when regarded as venal or corrupt"] as well as being termed an embusque ["person who avoids military service; a draft dodger"] . Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recently complained of  -aster candidates ["a suffix indicating 'inferior'"]. Doubtless, many aspiring to office hold dispathic opinions of the voters ["marked by a lack of sympathy"]. Worse still are those who barely conceal their epicharikaky ["a joy for the misfortune of others"].

   Despite the current prevalence of chicanery ["the use of trickery to achieve a political purpose"], dare we dream of the repullulation ["budding or sprouting again"] of 'domestic tranquility' and other ideals of the United States Constitution. . . which was written "in plain English".

    Satchel

Scenes of the Season

 

                                                                Planted in 1963

    "Now October has come again which in our land is different from October in other lands. . . . The ripe, the golden month has come again . . ."  (Thomas Wolfe)

  Every Season has its predominant colors. . . the pastels of Springtime's blossoms, Summer's plush verdancy or brown (depending on rainfall) and even Winter's' whiteness and trees' dark bare limbs pointing skyward.  Still,  Autumn, especially October, tugs at my soul like no other time of the year.

  Devotees claim that the beach in the Autumn is akin to paradise. When I feel the pull to restore perspective and tranquility, the mountains beckon.  There is a kind of fullness or completion in observing the seasonal cycle's move to maturity.  If Winter is a kind of metaphor for death and endings, the transition to Autumn offers a time for reflection. Wolfe: "The ripe, the golden month".

                                  From our balcony a couple of years back

                                

Pumpkin pie, Pumpkin cheesecake, Pumpkin Latte

PUMPKIN EVERYTHING

                                                                                           

           Wolfe: "October is the richest of the seasons: the fields are cut, the granaries are full. ..."

                      On the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina several Autumns Ago

     Last October , we spent a week at a lodging atop Sugar Mountain near Banner Elk, North Carolina.  It was chilly but nothing like the scene photographed this morning (October 19, 2022):

And, in nearby Elk Park, this photo captured the transitions of the seasons:

  Such scenes cause me to paraphrase a poetry line of the late Shel Silverstein: "Must we always have Winter; Can't [Autumn] just stay ?"

       Satchel

NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT . . .

               Cartoon Bill Mauldin's World War II Up Front

      I can no longer drink the hard stuff. . .  regular or any other type coffee that has a caffeine kick.  Cardiologist said it is not good  for my health. But during Graduate School days (or more accurately, nights) strong coffee became a constant companion. An unnamed acquaintance had elevated blood pressure and his physician asked how many daily cups he drank.  "Six or eight.  That's too many, right ?"  For you, yes.  I don't know his consumption now but I hope that he drinks less.

  If it is for the  'taste' , I fare o.k. on the decaf types, sometimes called 'unleaded' rather than the 'leaded' or  caffeinated kinds. Hardly a purist or connoisseur of the many choices offered,  I apply the simple test:  "Do I like the taste?"  

   My former neighbor, Dick Rountree, has always been noted for his kindness and candor.  When I was imbibing a brand of 'Instant Coffee', I offered him a  cup. With one sip, he judged that "that is the worst cup of coffee that I have ever had!"

    Many names have been ascribed to the  beverage: Java, Mud, Elixir of Life, Cuppa,  Joe, ad infinitum. Among my favorite terms is Cuppa Joe.  Whether historically accurate or not, the term allegedly originate in 1914 when Josephus Daniel, a teetotaler, became Secretary of the Navy and prohibited any beverage stronger that  black coffee to be served on US vessels.

  Bob Bryant and I solved many 'world problems' drinking 5 cent coffee in the Student Commons when we were in Seminary at Duke. FIVE CENTS!!  Today a  small cup will equal the price of a nourishing meal in those long ago times.

  Baristas seem to be everywhere mixing their concoctions to a wide array of fees in excess of 5 cents.   Just a cursory scanning of 'coffee' entries on the internet led to a surfeit of information.  For example, I learned that one is not a "coffee addict" but rather a  "javaphile". And there  is a  website Fluentincoffee.com.  

  As the lowest ranking soldier at the 3d Army Flight Detachment in Atlanta in the early 1960's, it became my duty to make the large pot of morning coffee at the hanger.  'Awful' would be an accurate description and I was never considered a barista.

  We have found a few nearby shops that suit our tastes.  (The  following are not 'paid' nor requested advertisements.)  In nearby Sanford, NC, there is Kathy's Java Shop, an unpretentious gathering spot that  features a  wide array of concoctions.  A favorite is "Seduction", served either hot or cold.  The following is from the gallery of 'wall art':

               

                                                                                                                  

    

Nearer home, The Chatham Rabbit has been 

delighting customers with their array of brews for four years.  As this shot taken from the Facebook page shows, the CR has become an integral part of the local Arts Community.

                                                                                            

    According to my wife's finely honed taste buds, Jay at Cafe Root Cellar in nearby Pittsboro makes a world class Chai Latte.

    The single K-cup machine perhaps is not as ubiquitous as in times past. Today after my haircut, I noticed this set-up in the shop:

   

        Apparently there are lots of us like the soldier in the cartoon above.  Drink Up !

    Satchel

  

              

"What was it all for . . .?"

    He enlisted in the US Navy at age 19  - - - soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  Given his aptitude and intelligence, he gravitated  towards aviation and Officers' School.  Fortified with a strong sense of patriotism and courage, he was soon flying dangerous missions in the Southeast Asian theater of operations.  Lots of missions, dangerous missions.  Unlike many of his fellow servicemen, he survived and eventually returned home, proud that he had been a part of the victory ending Fascism.  

      Patriotism continued to run strong for a time post-war. Throughout the years of war, Americans had generally displayed support of the sacrifices and     dislocations brought on by the magnitude of  the conflict.  The advent of the "Cold War" contributed to the sometime souring of  'patriotism' into 'nationalism'.  The latter  has been described as a kind of glorification and unity of the culture, with emphasis on language and heritage . Those who do not accept that often skewered nostalgic viewpoint find themselves subjected to virulent and vile accusations of treason and such. An extreme example of this sentiment is found in the Holocaust. Patriotism on the other hand is based on an inclusivity of 'we are all in this together' emphasizing values and beliefs.

   Even a cursory survey of  American history since 1945 provides numerous instances of disenchantment and fissures within  this country's fabric. 'Lip service' to ideals of democracy, the dignity and worth of  people, justice, kindness and the like have been frequently replaced  with a cynicism and despair.

   Which brings the focus back to the idealistic young  patriot above: He opted to remain on  active duty with the Navy, ultimately reaching the rank of Admiral. Now still a lucid 99 year old, he has surveyed the current state of  American society and politics with their divisiveness, rancor,  violence, ad nauseam and sadly asked a friend, "What was it all for ?"

    His is a poignant query. No synthetic patriotism, please. The 'real thing'. As Samuel Johnson said in 1775, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." He spoke out not against love of country, etc. but a deliberate distortion of facts.

 And the American social critic, H.L. Mencken described the perversity that often postures as patriotism: "It's chief glories are the demagogue, the military bully, and the spreaders of libels and false history. Its philosophy rests firmly on the doctrine that the end justifies the means -- that any blow whether above or below the belt, is fair against dissenters from its  wholesale denial of plain facts."

   Abraham Lincoln urged his audience to resolve that the dead at Gettysburg  "shall not have died in vain--that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom --and that government of the people, by the people, for the people , shall not perish from the earth."

   That is 'what it was all for'.  Will it live ?

          Satchel

 

"I will be 96 on my next birthday !"

   Not I.  There are still a  few more candles before I reach that lofty plateau.  Aunt Rachel turned 95 yesterday. But, today should you ask her age, she likely would proudly say, "I'll be 96 on my next birthday." For many reasons, Rachel has been and continues to be an inspiration. Over the past few years I have written often of this remarkable lady who is a treasure to all her family. (To see just a hint of why we love her, check some of the earlier tributes [1] )  Being just ten years older than  I, she  along with my cousin, Clarice, is the only person to have known me all my life.

    Her daughter, Pat, wrote: "Well, today mom is officially 95. The celebration has continued all week   & isn't over. The other day she told that as  fast as time was flying she'd be 100  before we knew it. She tells us this so we are sue to have time to plan the next big party. Tomorrow (17th) when asked her age, she will say that she'll be 96 in her next birthday. She's in Webster's under eternal optimist." 

  

     Among her other gifts, she is a great story teller and repository of family lore.  She and all her siblings bore a strong  facial appearance, notably high cheek bones.  Her brother, Lewis, worked in the Engineering Department of UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. Once when Rachel was visiting a patient there, one of Lewis's co-workers whom she did not know got on an elevator with her, took one look and said, "Another damned Cooper !"  Lewis's daughter, Sharon,  went with her to her daily gathering of the 'Dallas Dolls' restaurant this week and the family similarity was  readily noticed.

                   A few pictorial tributes to this 'family treasure' :

                    With her son in green shirt and my brothers and me

                 With Clarice and her sister, Doni, in background
                 

                 With three of her great-nieces and  one great-great-niece

Cooking has long been one of her many talents. Here she gets to enjoy her supreme Chicken and Dumplings and a family get-together she hosted.

The oldest and the youngest . . . with her great-grand-child who is a few weeks old.

     Rachel,  I want to be like you when I grow up.

         Satchel

[1]  "And then there was one"   August 8, 2013

       "My Grand-father's clock"  April 9, 2016

       "Family Treasure"               September 17, 2016

      "Chicken and Dumplings"   November 30, 2019

BUMPER STICKER WIT and WISDOM

                                           ONE OF THE BETTER ONES

"I might be slow

    but I 'm ahead of you !"

         "I brake for _________"

               "I love (heart) ________"

                  "Honk if you _________"

EXPRESS YOURSELF : POST A BUMPER STICKER

  One dictionary calls them "a label carrying a slogan or advertisement fixed to a vehicle's bumper."   The first ones attracted tourists to scenic sights, hence the ubiquitous  "SEE  ROCK CITY".  Then came the advertisements, e.g. "CHEW BROWN MULE".  Sometime in the 1950's, politicians got into the act with the likes of "I LIKE IKE" or "STEVENSON-SPARKMAN/ 

VOTE DEMOCRAT".  And off it went, seemingly restrained only by one's passions and imagination. Apparently, even 'vulgar' bumper stickers claim First Amendment protection. 

   Among those that have a "story" attached include :

   .A client once came into my office  hardly able to restrain her laughter. She had just seen a bumper sticker in the parking lot that she wanted: "MY MOTHER IS TOUR GUIDE ON GUILT TRIPS". 

  

 I  wondered about the driver whose bumper claimed "MY OTHER CAR IS A BROOM"

   This one reminded me of the day I was waiting at a red-light in Asheville and heard screeching tires and looked up to see a student driver's impending crash into my car's front end: "BE PATIENT; STUDENT DRIVER".

    My kids know that there is no stash that would cause me to display: "I'M SPENDING MY CHILDREN'S INHERITANCE".

  Having encountered instances of delusion among clientele, this might be an appropriate reality check:     "DON'T  BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK".

  A while back, a client sent this

   So many outlandish traits and behaviors are attributed to religion that  several cars display: "JESUS WOULD SLAP  THE  'STUFFINGS' OUT OF YOU".

   Occasionally, vehicles become rolling collages of 'messages'.   Dealers usually concur that  bumper stickers reduce a car's trade-in value.  But, ' what a ride' in the meantime !

  You can find lots of websites that promise to provide labels  of your own design. What kind of 'saying' is on your bumper ?

       Satchel

"Call from Name Unavailable"

 

  It seems to occur most often at meal times or early in the morning before the first coffee.  "Robocalls" or the old name, telemarketers.  With fewer people having land lines, such calls have proliferated.  Scant reliance can be placed on the veracity of the name or source that is announced when the telephone rings. A call reportedly originating from "Duke Hospital" was someone peddling aluminum siding for the house.  Very seldom do we pick up unless the caller is verified.  If just one call gets a response, the traffic increases. But  a sure bet to be ignored are those from NAME  NOT  PROVIDED. 

   When we do pick up and the caller is a ghost of the purported originator, the range of 'services' offered seems unlimited. Did you see the recent meme making the rounds .  .   . "On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell makes the first phone call ever and moments later he was notified  that his car's extended warranty had expired." Frequently, we get messages on our answering machine that we have over drafted on a credit card (which we do not in fact own). Apparently, many folks are concerned that we are not receiving adequate Medicare benefits and if we give them our Social Security number, they will update our coverage.  My wife who is quicker with a quip than I used her talent with a well timed response to a caller warning that our Windows computer needed repair: "Our windows are fine. Do you work on doors?"  (Haven't had a Windows computer in years.)

     Then, would you  be heartless and ignore a call from a 'grand-son' in distress?  An acquaintance was bilked of several hundred dollars when he responded to an "I'm in jail and need bail money" call.  At least he has a grand-son old enough to face that circumstance. Not I, and when I got a "Hi, grand-dad" call from my "grand-son", the call abruptly ended when he couldn't answer "which grand-son?". Again, my wife's talent shone: "Hello, Grand-ma". Immediately, she replied, "Well, hello, dear. What do you need? Are you in jail or the hospital? Do you need me to send you a specified amount of gift cards? Is your girlfriend pregnant?" CLICK !!! 

    These callers seem to lack a sense of humor. The comedian, Carl Hurley, offered a humorous array of responses to these intruders. (Can probably find on YouTube.)  Once upon a time, I decided to have a bit of fun with telemarketers. Like the solicitation for a donation to a 'Benevolent Fund' for law officers. "I can't donate" was my somber reply. "Why not?" My reply, "I'm a convicted felon" was followed by a long silence. "You're kidding?" he finally sputtered. "Yes; but I still will not contribute. Good-bye." Another 'robot' finished his spiel and I affected a child-like voice: "I'm so glad you called.  There is a car parked outside with blue lights going blink, blink, blink and someone in a blue uniform is ringing my door bell. Should I be worried?" LOONNGGG silence. "Well, I don't know, sir."  I: "You're just of no help at all !! Bye."

   Beware of the 'Robots' but if one sneaks through, have a little fun.

                    Satchel  

"I cannot tell a lie . . ."

 

   Did George really say that ? That is what I was told as a lad. When his dad asked why the cherry tree was on the ground, the cherubic boy fessed up, "I cannot tell a lie;  I did it with my little hatchet." At least that was the tale told by Mason Weems who wrote a biography after the death of the 'Truth-teller".

   I wonder if George knew the word mendacity. It is the opposite of "I cannot tell a lie."  Dictionary definitions include : "a habit of lying"; "deceit";"untruth"; "tendency to lie"; "feed someone a line"; "a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud".  You know, the opposite of veracity or truth or integrity. 

   I first heard the word from the mouth of Big Daddy played by Burl Ives in Tennessee  Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  (there are clips on YouTube) "Ain't nothing more powerful than the odor of mendacity", he bellowed in one scene.  The word undergirded most of the "point" of that 1958 movie and seems to be a constant in much of today's discourse ---public and private.

    Mendacity abounds in the world of  politics. Few politicians have been as bold as was Jimmy Carter in his campaign for the Presidency in 1976 when he vowed "I won't lie to you". I saw a couple of quotes whose sources I do not remember: "But if mendacity alone were grounds for resignation,  the halls of Capitol Hill would be eerily, and permanently, quiet." and "You can always tell a con man by his mendacity and desire to trick you out of your money."  Of course, politics does not have a monopoly on mendacity. I can recall several so-called preachers who fit that description.

  Truth, Big Daddy said, "is pain and sweat".  Certainly not always easy nor popular and can be costly, apparently to many political persons who dare to embrace it.

   If  Big Daddy spoke honestly when he said that mendacity has a STENCH, then during this time of "wild and wooly politics and electioneering" in the United States keep your nose clear to detect those for whom truth comes harder than a lie.   There is lots of that stuff around. And that's the truth.

     Satchel

   

"Bless Your Heart "

      

                        "Why do people keep saying 'Bless Your Heart' ? There is nothing wrong with my heart; I have breast cancer".  My wife's friend and colleague, Josephina, from Mexico had great difficulty understanding this multi-purpose  Southern idiom.

       Of the numerous unique expressions heard in the American South, 'BYH' likely holds the distinction of being the most versatile with multiple usages.     And, many writers have expounded upon the varying nuances inherent in those three little words.  Those offering their sentiments to Josephina likely were expressing genuine concern for her well being.  A change of tone and pacing can turn  it into an insult, polite or otherwise.             

    Two events of today reminded me of this staple of many Southerner's vocabulary. My friend, Jay, was remarking on  last blog's distinction between nice and kind and observed that sometimes nice was a veiled insult, "somewhat like Bless Your Heart."  Thirty minutes later I passed a  storefront with the above plaque (along with several other colloquialism) in the window.

   In 1960 while in seminary in Boston, my roommate, Wendell, from Pennsylvania, in time told me that for the initial two or three weeks of our acquaintance he understood little of my speech.  Being well mannered, I did not say, "well, bless your heart, I'm speaking phonetically".

    Rightly used, these are other 'translations' of the phrase:

Have you 'blessed' anyone's heart recently ?

       Satchel

                

" 'NICE' IS OVERRATED" . . .

 Others are also credited for this sentiment 

      Steve caught our attention during a Clinical Directors' case review when he ventured the opinion that 'nice' is overrated as a human behavioral motivation.  Pause.  Next: " I have never been concerned to be considered 'nice'." Another Pause . . . this one probably a bit longer. "But I am big on compassion."

     As best as I can remember the focus had been on 'Anxiety'.  I had recently completed Dr. David Burns's audio book, When Panic Attacks, in which he had commented that many sufferers of anxiety are considered 'NICE' by their contemporaries.  After I   offered that nugget to the conversation, Steve rejoined with his above noted perspectives.

   But, wait, aren't nice and compassionate (aka kind) synonymous ?!  No, actually,  they are not and a large   part of the difference has to do with motivation or why.  

   Some dictionary definitions can help make the distinction: 

  Nice . . . pleasant, agreeable, polite, following the rules of etiquette, not  being rude, the 'vanilla' of conduct. The motivation seems to be external validation, having the good opinion of other people, sometimes at the expense of one's own true nature.

  Kind = Compassionate . . .  arises from an internal sense of personal integrity that is derived from various sources.  It manifests as caring for others  not just as being polite but from an  internal nature or disposition as a person.   

   Kindness does not mean 'namby pamby' or 'wishy washy'.  Kind people can be assertive and set appropriate limits, a kind of 'toughness'.  For example, sometimes one of the 'kindest' response to someone may be 'no'.  "But you aren't being nice in not letting me have my way!" 

Response : "Not trying to be nice , but kind to you and to others who might suffer from your actions." 

   If the opposite of 'kind' is 'cruel' this aphorism applies not only to individuals "but a nation does not have to be cruel to  be tough."   

    [Disclaimer for transparency : as I was doing word searches prior to writing this, I experienced a confirmation of 'there is nothing new under the sun.'  I found an article by Dr. Marcia Sirota from Huff Post, September 6, 2011, in which she goes  into greater detail about the distinctions between Nice and Kind.  If so inclined, you can locate this by searching the internet.]

  Henry James gave this advice to his nephew: "Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind."

      Satchel                                                         

 

"I am at a loss for words."

   "I am at a loss for words" a usually articulate friend wrote this week. She was reacting to the vitriol that was all around her in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's  reversal of Roe v. Wade.

" I feel like I'm living on an island",  she said of the hateful and hate-filled sentiment.

  This post is not an invitation to provoke either a "debate" or "shouting match" with anyone who views these matters differently than I. If your mind is made up, I have no intention of attempting to change your viewpoint. I am aware that there are persons of absolute moral sincerity who concur with the Court's decision. My "sincerity" takes me in the other direction.

 'Family values' politics have long been a buzz word for marginalizing persons for either their sexual orientation, race, gender, national origin or any other group not part of the prevailing power structure. Critics have correctly observed that 'family values' rhetoric often neglects the well-being of a child after being born.

Justice Thomas's advocacy of the Court's reconsidering rights that go beyond abortion reflects a sentiment for further government incursions into individual life freedoms. (If interested, see Jennifer Rubin's opinion article "The Supreme Court declares war on modern America" in The Washington Post , June 26,2022.)

  Just today a news story relates a Congressional candidate thanking a former President for the Court's ruling that was a "victory for white life". Her campaign insisted she misread her text !

  So, while the issue is on "abortion", the ISSUE is far bigger. If 'Might makes Right', then God help the disfranchised, the minorities, those not deemed 'worthy' of inclusion in a free society. It's enough to leave us speechless, but too important for remaining mute.

   

"How Long, O Lord, How Long . . . "

LAMENT :  " a passionate expression of grief or sorrow"

Psalm 13 in the Hebrew Bible : "How long, O Lord? . . . How long must  I take counsel in my soul

  and have sorrow in my heart all the day ?

How long shall my enemies be exalted over me?"

   As you know, it has happened AGAIN !!  For the 245th time in the last 20 years according to a Facebook post by a woman named Eliza Kay Sparks . . . schools from Elementary and High Schools and colleges and universities !! And there have  been 27 school shootings thus far in 2022.

   And in American society at large, just today the Washington Post reports that already there have been Fourteen (14) mass shootings over Memorial Day week-end.

     Many times  the mantra has been trotted out that the best defense against a bad person with a gun is a good  person with a gun. How many idle 'good guns' were in the school in Uvalde while teachers and children were being killed?  It reflects the myth of  redemptive violence . . . guns will solve your problems.  ( the only probable exception being in self-defense in a shoot or be shot situation.) Death by firearms is rapidly becoming the Number One killer of American youth under the age of 20.

    What, then, can be done in this nation with the highest homicide rate, including school shootings, in the world ?  A complex matter, right? Wrong.  At least not for first steps . . . 

  ..reportedly 89% of Americans favor background checks to purchase weapons;

  .. laws to ban the sale of assault weapons in a civilian society;  

  ..an updated understanding of the purpose of the  Second Amendment ('A well-regulated militia doesn't kill school children.');

  .. holding accountable 'leaders' who apparently are more sensitive to the money of the gun lobby than to the protection  of teachers, school children and society at large.  They speak with all the sensitivity and empathy as buzzards devouring carrion.

   Tonight there are nineteen (19) Texas children dead who need not to be.  Mothers and Fathers are weeping for their children, lamenting their slaughter, echoing words attributed to the  Hebrew prophet, Jeremiah, :

   "Is it nothing to you, all you who  pass by?  Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow. . ."  Please do not say something like 'God caused it to happen' or  'it was God's  plan'.  Jesus of Nazareth whom Christians believe spoke authoritatively about the Holy One said  "It is not the will of my Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost."

(Matthew 18:14).

    Indeed, O Lord, how long . . . .

       Satchel

   

    

"Kill the Ump ! "

 

   Home Plate: " a 17-inch square ...with two of the corners removed so the one edge is   17 inches long,   two adjacent sides are 8 1/2 inches each and the remaining two sides are 12 e=inches each and set at an angle to make a point"   an internet definition of dimensions of Major League home plate.

  

 Angel is behaving like his usual non-Angelic self.

Or so many professional baseball players and their fans are proclaiming loudly.  Angel Hernandez, a major league baseball umpire,  has long been   reviled as perhaps the worst umpire ever.  The season has barely begun and already he has made several controversial calls.  (If you find this an interesting topic, check YouTube's many entries for him.)

   Whatever the accuracies or inaccuracies of his calls, Hernandez joins a long list of 'men in blue' disliked by players and fans alike.  "Kill the ump!" is not considered a literal call for homicide, although in the early years of the sport, umpiring was considered so dangerous that some apparently carried weapons. Years ago, an elderly man told me that he and his brother regularly attended local minor league games primarily to heckle the officials.  Leo Durocher, one of the all-time leading umpire antagonists, claimed that he had "never questioned the integrity of an umpire. Their eyesight, yes.".

   Calling balls and strikes should be easy, right? But standing behind the catcher, judging the trajectory of a sphere traveling at a rapid rate of speed can be challenging at times.  And, the exact location of the strike zone frequently becomes a matter of  opinion. Bill Klem, a legendary umpire who was posthumously inducted in Baseball's Hall of Fame, claimed, "It ain't nothin' til I call it".  On another  occasion after he was shown a photograph of a blown call, he retorted, "Gentlemen, he was out  because I said he was out".

   From  my own basebal'career', I recall only once when I believed that I had received a 'bad call'.  Having missed the coach's 'steal' sign on the first pitch, I then missed that he had removed it and took off for second base.  Clearly safe,   I was furious that the local citizen drafted to call bases proclaimed me 'out'.

   In the 1970's, I often umpired high school age Recreation League games, receiving the hefty  pay (for the time) of $25 for a Saturday afternoon double header.  In an earlier post from  August 2018 ("Rabbit Ears"), I told of a spectator who regularly questioned the legitimacy of my birth until one day when I shamed  him into a subsequent apology.      

  Rather than tallying the count on my fingers or relying on memory, I carried a small clicker device that I would update with every pitch. However, during one game, I 'messed up' and said, "Strike Three" to which the young man protested that he had but two strikes.  "You're out", I said, and he quietly took his seat.  Reflecting later, I realized that he was correct.  Many years afterwards, I saw his name on the outside bulletin board as the Minister of a large United Methodist Church.  I wrote an email reminding him of the incident (which he had forgotten) and my long overdue  apology. 

  Then there was the game in which John hit a home run but failed to touch home plate. That is an  appeal call and the umpire can rule only if it is protested.  It was and I called him out.  Four or five years thereafter , he was a student in a Freshman History course that  I taught at the local college.

    One beautiful Saturday afternoon, after a break in the play, I looked up to see the pitcher ( a large boy) throw the ball full force into the heckling opponent's dugout. I promptly ejected him from the game.  When his coach asked if I might have been a bit severe, I noted that had the ball stuck someone in the head, the outcome could have been tragic.  Quite coincidentally, I was umpiring a game for the same team the following week.  When  I called  this same player out on strikes, he walked away about 10 feet before turning around to tell me "You are crazy !".  I replied, "I might be but you are out of this game."

   In recent years, we have attended local games of young athletes whom we know and with whom we have connection.  'Sportsmanship' or its absence, especially with the rancor expressed for the umpires, seems to have reached great depths.  Maybe it is part of the 'tradition' to 'rag the umpire' but civility and being role models for the kids have been severely wounded.  Last year I saw a sign with this message posted at a youth league field:

        "  REMINDERS FROM YOUR CHILD: 

.I'm a KID

.It's  just a GAME

.My Coach is a VOLUNTEER

.The Officials are HUMANS

.NO COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS WILL BE HANDED OUT TODAY.

    Thank you and have fun "

  I thank my cousin, Tom, who was once a professional pitcher for this timely reminder :

In the meantime, be another kind of 'angel' and don't 

'Kill the Ump !'

     

      Satchel