Sara by Stevie Nicks

Oh Sara, you're the poet in my heart
Never change, and don't you ever stop...

All I ever wanted
Was to know that you were dreaming
There is a heartbeat, no it never really died
You never really died (oh, Sara)...

All I ever wanted
Was to know that you were dreaming.

Thanksgiving 2018

The thanksgiving I observe reflects this sentiment:

'President Lincoln declared a thanksgiving day in 1863 on the last Thursday of November, which continued annually from then till now. This was done in the midst of the Civil War and was designed for thanksgiving for blessings, penitence for the nation’s sins, and prayers for the wounded soldiers and the widows and orphans of the fallen. Lincoln prayed that God would “heal the wounds of the nation and restore it.” '

I aspire to empathy and I am sensitive to those who would find offensive the construction paper pilgrim hats and war feathers of my youth. If that was all we knew and celebrated of Thanksgiving, it would indeed be a travesty.

Being grateful for one's life blessings is a universal value and celebrated in virtually all cultures and faith traditions. I refuse to feel guilty for being grateful.

In the spirit of Lincoln's proclamation, I have for the last 15-20 years or so - in my dotage - aspired to meditate and use this time for introspection and self-awareness.

Today, I spent with my Mom. We worked a jigsaw; we giggled; we planned; we evaluated our respective charitable contributions for the year; and we sympathized with others who we thought of during our time together.

I thank my God on every remembrance of each one of you who I call FB friend. (paraphrased from Philippians 1:3)

Here is the source for the quote I shared: (https://publicholidays.us/thanksgiving-day/).

Father's Day 2018

Everything I need to know to succeed in life, I learned from a man I called Daddy (and who hundreds of "shop" students called Mr. Ashby). That doesn't mean I learned them at the time he taught them. Many things have only become real to me later in life.

The most important thing I learned is to "use the right tool for the job". I only realized in my 40's that this applied to mental tools and maxims, too. That was when I had my "Aha" moment that all those Daddy-isms that seemed to contradict each other were never intended to be applied across the board. That moment was when I learned another lesson best expressed in this quote from Picasso: "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist."

Here are some of those seemingly contradicting Daddy-isms that I learned that make so much sense to me now. Now that I understand - it's not enough to have a tool box full of tools. One graduates from journeyman to master when one knows which tool to use.

From the best teacher I ever knew...

• Great minds think alike.

• A wise man changes his mind; a fool never does.

• If you want it done right, do it yourself.

• Anything less than your best is failure.

• Good enough for government work.

• Good enough for the girl I go with.

• Measure twice, cut once.

• Study long, study wrong.

• I was looking for a job when I found this one.

• If it is to be, it is up to me. (10 2-letter words to change the world.)

• You can get a lot more done if you don't stress about who gets the credit.

• My right to swing my fist ends at your nose.

• I may not like what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

• Well…a deep thought for a shallow mind.

• Your ignorance is showing.

• Never try to kiss a girl leaning away from you. Never try to climb a ladder leaning toward you. Don't spit in the wind. Always watch channel 5 News and Weather.

• Good fences make good neighbors.