Precious Memories Not My Own: To The Grandkids

I feel duty bound to include a few of the things I failed to include about your respective fathers.  Some I, being their mother, though to cute.  Other, being their mother, I saw no humor in!

 

When Randy was very small (here in Sunray) Paw Paw led singing.  I sat on the second pew so he could help me.  Randy was small enough to stand beside me.  I heard some – a lot! – of checkles that the sermon didn’t merit.  Randy  was facing the congregation blowing gigantic spit bubbles, one after another!  He always led singing from his eat.  He put the song book on the seat, faced everyone and directed with all his might!  I didn’t stop him from doing that.

 

He always took his bath at night.  Mother (Alice Hale is my grandmother: Jamey) decided he needed one on Sunday morning.  He was appalled! She managed to get him in the tub, but not to sit down.  She began trying to wash him starting at the top.  The neighbors could hear him screaming, “You got my arm wet, you got my arm wet!”  He wasn’t Mother’s favorite grandchild for some time.  Mother had a cantankerous parakeet at one time.  She put him on the window box on the screened in back porch to sun.  We were having coffee in the living room.  Everyone but Randy.  We heard a commotion you wouldn’t believe.  Randy had turned on the hose, and was giving the poor bird a shower bath through the screen!

 

That child wore out more shoes than ten kids could, on the inside.  We went to Dumas every Saturday and bought him a new pair of shoes and a foot long hot dog.  He wouldn’t have it cut.  We had to hold one end while he at the other!

 

He hated to go shopping.  We were shopping in Dumas once, and he started crying.  A policeman, likely suspecting abuse, stopped to ask if anything was wrong.  Randy stuck his tongue out at him.  Only time Iever remember his doing that.  I hope his timing has improved!

 

He loved his first record player – primitive though it was.  It had two sets of needles, one loud and the other louder.  The louder one got lost somehow.  He had a French version of Brother John.  He thought they were singing “Brother Chocolate, Brother Chocolate, Johnny Poo, Johnny Poo, Rabbit has a peanut, Rabbit has a  peanut, Ding Dong Ding.  He might remember “Little Fir Tree” and “Toot Toot Toddles The Tug Boat” – I sure do.

 

When Jamey was about 10 months old, I set him beside me on the pew with the diaper bag as a prop on the other side.  Becoming briefly distracted by the sermon, I heard a lot of dreaded giggles behind me.  When I looked down, the contents of the diaper bad were flying everywhere.  He was emptying the bag with both hands, having a great time!

 

A little later on another Sunday, he was playing with a vitamin bottle, and somehow managed to throw a big league outfielder would have been proud of.  The bottle sailed over the heads of those in three pews in front of us, and clattered all the way to the front of the auditorium.  Needless to say, the service was disrupted by belly laughs.  The preacher quieted everyone and said, “Now, he didn’t mean to do that.”  Paw Paw, Randy, and I knew that was exactly what he meant to do!

 

We were visiting with Jack and Ann Roach (Jack was one of my Dads’ running buddies in High School: Jamey) in Shamrock one night.  Ann wasn’t confident about her cooking, and was self-conscious about it.  She had chocolate pie for desert.  When Jamey finished his, he told her it was really good – he really likes soggy crust!  Despite his help we remained friends.  Oh, Mercy!

 

A short time after painting his room, I found a vast mural of crayola drawing spread across one wall.  II made it pretty clear to him that my appreciation of art didn’t include that!  I learned a year or so ago that I just didn’t understand that he had drawn a weather map like on TV.  That certainly would have made a difference.

 

Bessie and H.A. Phillips (long time family friends: Jamey) were spending the night with us in Boise City.  H.A. had pushed back the recliner and taken off his shoes and socks – so relaxed.  Jamey’s head came about even with H.A.’s feet.  When he toddled by and eyed them, I knew wha he was going to do, but couldn’t do a thing about it.  He stopped in front of the chair, opened his mouth, and bit H.A.’s big toe!  H.A. and Bessie have never let him forget it.  He had never bitten anyone before and never did again.  We were all so startled and ticked that we weren’t able to reprimand him much. 

 

The first time Bill and Betty Osborne (He was the preacher) were in Spearman is the only time he couldn’t go to his class –at all.  Screamed.  Not a happy mother, I dragged him into class with me and sat by Betty.  She smiled at him, and he glared at her, making a noise that could only be a growl.  Ryan used to make that noise.  She was impressed.  A few years later he always walked to the back with Bill after the services to help him greet everyone.  He still does that.  I may have mentioned that later.  If so, don’t tell me.

 

We were excited that Glinda was coming to meet us.  Though she and Randy were engaged, we hadn’t met  yet.  However, some of us were more excited than others.  A friend was taking Jamey to the show – planned before.  He didn’t change his plans.  She said, “Hello” and he explained that he was going to the show – more emphatically than really necessary, I thought.  That was his welcome to our family!  It was hardly anytime at all that she was one of his most favorite people.

 

He endeared himself even more at their rehearsal dinner.  We had just met Lloyd and Louise (Glinda’s parents: Jamey).  The Dean of the college was there as he was to perform the ceremony.  It was a special time and everyone was pretty much on their good behavior – except Jamey.  There were scoops of sour cream in small dishes for potatoes.  When the waitress served ice cream, Jamey  switched the ice cream and sour cream of the groomsman beside him.  The boy took a big bite expecting ice cream – spit, sputtered and managed to swallow.  I’m just glad it wasn’t the Dean.  The party did liven up.

 

Each of them tell me I’ve always liked the other one better than him.  You can understand why I finally told them that I had never really liked either one of them! – and why I have to sing this –

 

Your Poor Old Grey Haired Grandmother

Precious Memories Not My Own: Introduction

Before you panic at the length of this, remember you asked for it!  There are thousands of things I haven’t included, so be thankful for that.  I’ve tried to think of the things that might interest you most.  The rest you might remember our telling you from time to time, probably over and over too.  Neatness, spelling, accurate dates and continuity of thought don’t count-just memories.

 

At the time I’m writing this Daddy is sixty four and I’m sixty three.  Sometimes it seems that all this happened last week.  You’ll understand that later.  Lots of things have happened in those years, both good and bad.  Some we would like to change, some forget altogether.  On thing we would never change, and our great accomplishment and pleasure is you varmints.  You might notice, I didn’t say it had been all pleasure, there were times!!

 

I do want to say a little more about your grandparents.  Their generation began at the end of the Victorian Age, went through World War I, raised their families during the depression under circumstances hard to imagine, gave up sons to World War II, and still held things together.  They grew up in horse and buggy days, and lived to see men walking on the moon.  Their parents were products of the Civil War.  They may not have been able to have a formal education, but in things that were really important they were brilliant! All of us have a hard act to follow.

 

And a word or two to Glinda and Janis!  This is about your family, because you are ours.  Though we never dream of trying to take your parents place in your hearts (we could never do that even if we try), we have wanted to make our own place.  We’re grateful that you have let us do that.  You are daughters the we never had.  Neither of us think of you as daughters-in-law, you’re more special to us than that.  We love you for making our boys happy, for being world class mothers, and for so willingly sharing your lives with us.  Most of all though, we just love you. 

 

How could I not love the girls I prayed for since the boys were babies!  I wish all grandparents could be sure, as we are, that no one could possibly give their grandkids better care o more love.  And you will know our fellings better when you have a daughter-in-law of your own.  I shudder to think of the mistakes we’ve made, but we’re still learning!

 

Ryan, Kyler, and Shawna-  I still can’t believe you.  You’re like there cherries on an ice cream sundae.  Each one of you is so special to us.  Shawna, because you were our first grandchild and a girl!  Totally new to us.  Ryan, because you were our first grandson, and we needed you.  Kyler, because you were Jamey’s first and we waited a long time for you!  If there are other, we’ll try to make room for them – squeeze them in somewhere.  That will be about as hard as putting another cherry on the Sunday!!  It will be a long, long time before you are interested in this, but I’m pretty sure that someday you will.  Maybe when your Mom and Dad are the age Paw Paw and I are now.  They they can tell their story.

 

We love you.

 

 

Introduction: Precious Memories Not My Own

It was either Christmas of 1990 or 1991 that my brother Randy and I received the most extraordinary gift.  Our dear Mother, Gwen Foshee, took countless hours, and wrote by hand her recollections of her life.  She not only put pen to paper for one, she put pen to paper for both of us.  So as not to rile the children who so often claimed that “Mom Likes Me Best”, each page, of both editions, began and ended with the same word.  If there was a mistake made on a page of one edition, then the same mistake was made on the other.  Such is the mind of my Mother, which explains the mind of her children.

 

It is my intention to “blog” these 92 hand written pages, maybe with additional material, maybe not, so that you can see into a world that is fast passing from our collective memory.  For my family it is our life.  For you, well it will be for you to decide what it is for you.  Just know that these are special remembrances, written by a special lady, that helped shaped, in my own biased opinion, a very special family.

 

This is my Mother’s story, but since my mother was 14 years old, Darce Foshee, has been THE major part of her life.  At the time of my writing they have been married 66 years, so to not pay homage to the greatest man I’ve ever known, my Daddy, would be remise. 

 

Many things have changed since this was written.  Most significantly to the narrative will be my divorce, as this was written prior to then.  I know that if Mom were to write this now, she would write equally wonderful things about my dear Lisa.  I know this because Mom has told me how special Lisa is to her. 

 

Jamey Foshee

December 2012

 

 

My Top Ten Essential Albums

I have recently “rediscovered” my vinyl collection.  This causes my brain to revisit the idea of Essential Albums.  Certainly there are others that deserve to be in this list, but for tonight, this is Jamey’s suggestions to you for unbelievably good listening.

 

`10.  Chicago: Chicago Transit Authority.  From the opening song “Beginnings” through side 4’s “Liberation” the stage is set for what this band would be all about until Mr. Kath passed from the scene.  Blood, Sweat, and Tears is great Jazz/Fusion, but Chicago truly took Rock and Jazz and  “jammed” them together for some tremendously memorable music.

 

9.  Jefferson Airplane: After Bathing At Baxters.  Probably not of The Airplane’s most remembered works, but it truly is one of their greatest.  Presented in suites, the music is challenging to the traditional Rock listener, and yet engaging.

 

8.  Moody Blues: In Search of The Lost Chord.  Not usually listed as THE best, but certainly respected.  In my book this absolutely is their best album.  We get a great send off with “Departure”, ride a see-saw, go into the mind of Timothy Leary, and journey through a house with four doors, and that’s just side one!!  Side two kicks in, and then we get to hear my favorite Moody, Mike Pinder!!

 

7.  The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out.  This NOT an album for the average Joe.  If you like your music in 4/4 or 3/ 4 time, then Time Out will drive you crazy.  One starting in 9/8 with 4/4 in the middle (Blue Ronda ala Turk), the 5/4 of Take Five, and even one song, Three to Get Ready, that alternates 3/4 and 4/4 every two measure.  Some of the best recorded Jazz ever!!

 

6.  The Pink Floyd: Piper At The Gates of Dawn.  Notice my use of THE in the group’s name.  That’s what they were called in those days.  I love Psychedelia, and this is the genre at it’s best.  Syd Barrett is running the show at this point, and the “trip” we take on this album is magical.  Go find me an album today that that takes you through space, introduces you to a Gnome, and a black and green scarecrow!!

 

5.  Woodstock:  In recent  years there have been various releases of the famous three days of Peace, Love, and Music, but the best is the original three album release.  There’s a great “volume 2” album as well, but stick with the original.  Listen to every second, every word, and every song, and stay away from the brown acid!!

 

4.  The Beach Boys:  Smile.  Finally I can put this in my top ten with its release this year.  Finally!  Don’t get the full “Sessions” box, just buy the album Smile.  Psychedelic Americana at it’s finest.  Oh wait!  It’s the only Psychedelic Americana album.  The album has Heroes and Villains, Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow (of Chicago Fire fame), we get good vibes, and we’re even encouraged to eat our vegetables.  Can it get any better than this?

 

3.  Frank Sinatra: Only The Lonely. Ever have one of those times in your life you just want to wallow in the mire of being lonely?  Frank made this just for you and for those times.  Pour up your gin and tonic, put the stylus in the grooves, dim the lights, sit in your recliner, and totally depress yourself!!!!! It’s fantastic!!

 

2.  The Beatles; Revolver.  That’s right Revolver, and not the Pepper thing.  One caveat here.  It has to be the monophonic mix, to truly appreciate the album.  It has such a great mix of music and lyrics, and then Lennon moves us into “the rest of the 60s” with Tomorrow Never Knows.  It’s this song that totally makes my case for listening to the mono version.  Get this one!!

 

1.  The Who: Live At Leeds (Deluxe Version).  Unfortunately most people’s exposure to The Who come from their studio work.  That’s NOT The Who.  THIS is The Who.  A complete concert, INCLUDING TOMMY, and if you want to know Rock at it’s finest this is it.  Keith Moon and John Entwistle make this performance.  The Who “live” was always an event, and this album proves it.

WHITE HATS AND BLACK HATS

If you know me, then you are aware of my obsession with Old Time Radio shows.  The Jack Benny Program, The Great Gildersleeve (A 1940’s version of spell check would not question my spelling of Gildersleeve), and my particular favorite is Gunsmoke.  Good guys, bad guys, and very clear lines of who was right and who was wrong.  In the movies and television, the “Good Guys” wore white hats, and the “Bad Guys” wore black hats.  These props were very convenient for the viewing audience, and for the bystanders witnessing the goings on of these people.   Interesting, the bystanders didn’t always wear the black or white hats.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if life worked that way?  The Republicans could wear White hats, and the Democrats could wear black hats, or even more fun for me the Democrats could wear the white hats!!  Better yet, each person we encounter could wear a white or black hat, and then we could be assured of who the good guys and bad guys are. (I feel the glare of the politically correct regarding my use of guys!!)  Wait!  I just saw the Black Hat open the door for a lady.  Oh No!!  The White Hat just crossed the street against the red light!!  Please let this fade to black and white so they’ll all look grey, and relieve my confusion!!!
Here’s the deal my Christian friends.  Jesus didn’t ask us to wear Black or White hats.  I know, he said “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”  As I read that passage in Revelation I don’t see anything about doctrine.  In the context, I see us being admonished to either be in or out for God.  I suppose that means we should be wearing white hats, but we aren’t perfect, nor do we see things perfectly, and we certainly don’t interpret everything the same.   Maybe we’re more like the bystanders, just having to be who we are, and doing the best we can to become more.
Here’s my suggestion: Let’s drop the Hat mentality, and realize that if two or more people are involved there is going to be disagreement somewhere on some level.  Jews and Gentiles didn’t agree on things, but Jesus accepted both. Grey hats?  I don’t agree with everything Southern Baptists teach, but I worship with them.  I don’t agree with everything Churches of Christ teach, but I’m grateful for my heritage with them.  I don’t agree with everything anybody says, but I still love them, respect them, and in cases where they tell me they follow Jesus, I call them my brother or sister (You’re welcome politically correct readers).  There are a great number of things that can cause us to point and scream, “Black hat! Black hat!”, but if that Black Hat is covered in the blood of Jesus, doesn’t that make it white?  And just for the record, we all wore black hats before He saved us. 

RED LINES

There has been talk of red lines, or as I knew it as a boy, drawing lines in the sand, during the last few weeks.  The discussion has made me think of the Red Lines we have drawn as Christians in this election season.  The two that immediately come to mind are Pro Life/Pro Choice and Gay Marriage.  These two “issues” have become a litmus test for the Christian vote.  If our vote is to be based on what we believe as Christians, then I have a question.  If you do not believe Mr. Obama is a Christian (I believe he is), then this will not be as meaningful, but there are still some relevant things for us to consider.
I am a Protestant in the traditional sense of the word.  I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  I believe in the virgin birth.  I believe that salvation is available through Jesus Christ.  I believe The Bible is the Word of God.  These are core beliefs, and I do not take them lightly.  Here is my question.  If my vote is to be based on my core beliefs as a Christian, where do I put the check mark? 
Mr. Obama "cut his teeth" as a member of the United Church of Christ (not to be confused with Churches of Christ found in the Bible Belt).  Mr. Romney is member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 
To simplify this let’s consider the UCC to be Protestant, and the LDS to be as well.  The UCC is generally a very ecumenical group, while the LDS is not.  This is not a criticism, just a reality because of differences in beliefs.  Any comparison with a traditional Protestant group compared to the LDS is fairly simple at it’s core.  Traditional Protestant groups believe in The Bible as their guide, while LDS include The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price as revelations from God.  Most of the open canon of the LDS consists of the writings of Joseph Smith.  The LDS also operate under the doctrine of Continuing Revelation.  Under this doctrine The Heavenly Father leads the church, through the President of the church, and by giving him revelation necessary to the day.  The UCC is for Gay Marriage, and generally their membership is Pro Choice. 
I believe that being Pro Choice/Pro Life, and that our stance on Gay Marriage is important, but if my vote is to be based on correct doctrine (and I can write an article there too), and who the more correct Christian choice is, then I think we all have some deeper and more considered thinking to do.  I am not writing this article to sway your vote one way or another, rather it is to stir us to think about our motives, and about how we think and make our final conclusions.  If we as traditional Protestants believe our core values are the most important, then there is more to consider than just the traditional litmus tests.  

YouVersion.com Live Event Notes - Discovering LIFE - Doing Life Together

Discovering LIFE - Doing Life Together
Cameron Baptist Church
Sun, Jan 1, 2012 at 10:45am to Tue, Jan 31 at 12:00pm CST
http://bible.us/e/FtE

Focal Passage
===============
Acts 2:28 (NIV84)
---------------
You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence.’


Continual LEARNING
===============
Discovering and applying the timeless truths of God's Word.

Key Passage (LEARNING)
===============
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV84)
---------------
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.


Passionately INVOLVED
===============
Using my abilities to serve God by serving others.

Key Passage (INVOLVED)
===============
1 Peter 4:11 (NIV84)
---------------
If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.


Pursue FRIENDSHIPS
===============
Developing deep relational connections with other believers and non-believers.

Key Passage (FRIENDSHIPS)
===============
John 15:13 (NIV84)
---------------
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.


Willingly ENGAGE
===============
Helping everyone I meet take their next step in their journey with Christ.

Key Passage (ENGAGE)
===============
2 Timothy 4:2 (HCSB)
---------------
Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.


Live It Out
===============
Learning / Involve / Friendship / Engage

1.  Positionalize yourself to learn and lead by joining a LIFE Group.

2.  Take the next step in your journey and acknowledge Christ as your best friend.

Cameron Baptist Prayer Request
===============
Please let us know how we can specifically pray for you this week.

Cameron Baptist Online
===============
For more information about Cameron Baptist Church, please visit our website.
www.cameronbaptist.com (link)



Sent from my U.S. Cellular® Android-powered device

YouVersion.com Live Event - Notes

Rediscover Christmas: HOPE
Cameron Baptist Church
Sun, Dec 4, 2011 at 10:45am to Sat, Dec 17 at 12:00pm CST
http://bible.us/e/Eq0

John 1:14
===============
John 1:14 NKJV
---------------
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Story of FULFILLED PROPHECY
===============
The sovereign hand of God attended to the lineage and birth of Jesus. Joseph did not beget Jesus, Jesus was born of Mary. The virgin birth of the Messiah is essential to our faith. If you take away His deity from the cradle, you do not need His death on the cross.

Matthew 1:22
===============
Matthew 1:22 NKJV
---------------
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

The Story of GOD WITH US
===============
Immanuel means "God With Us", telling us of His PERSON. This baby recorded in the first chapter of the New Testament is none other than the God recorded in the first chapter of the Old Testament.

Matthew 1:23
===============
Matthew 1:23 NKJV
---------------
23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.

The Story of SALVATION
===============
The name JESUS means "Jehovah Saves", telling us of His PURPOSE...to seek and to save that which is lost.

Matthew 1:21
===============
Matthew 1:21 NKJV
---------------
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

Live It Out
===============
1. Do you personally know the HOPE of Christmas (Christ)?
2. Do you need to "reset" Christ as the center of the season...as the reason for your HOPE?
3. Who, or where, is God prompting you to share the HOPE of Christmas?

Cameron Baptist Prayer Request
===============
Please let us know how we can specifically pray for you this week.

Cameron Baptist Online
===============
For more information about Cameron Baptist Church, please visit our website.
www.cameronbaptist.com (link)

SURPRISED BY HOPE

My latest read is SURPRISED BY HOPE by N.T. Wright.  The cover sleeve gives a good synopsis: "Wright convincingly argues that what we believe about life after death directly affects what we believe about life before death. For if God intends to renew the whole creation—and if this has already begun in Jesus's resurrection—the church cannot stop at "saving souls" but must anticipate the eventual renewal by working for God's kingdom in the wider world, bringing healing and hope in the present life."

I've not "bought into" Bishop Wright's theology yet. I may or may not.  Nor have I read the whole book, but the first two chapters raise some very interesting thoughts for me.  I'm a social progressive at heart, and this quote from the book intrigued me. "The classic Christian doctrine, therefore, is actually far more powerful and revolutionary then the Platonic one.  It was people who believed robustly in the resurrection, not people who compromised and went in for a mere spiritualized survival, who stood up against Caesar in the first centuries of the Christian era.  A piety that sees death as the moment of "going home at last," the time when we are "called to God's eternal peace," has no quarrel with power-mongers who want to carve up the world to suit their own ends.  Resurrection, by contrast, has always gone with a strong view of God's justice and of God as the good creator.  Those twin beliefs give rise not to a meek acquiescence to injustice in the world, but to a robust determination to oppose it."

I'm a social progressive, but this is not to be viewed as political, however my politics are derived from my beliefs.  As I read I'll post some things from time to time, so you'll have a better idea of what I derive as I'm reading.  Stay tuned!!

Take Time To SMILE

Brian Wilson's "Teenage Symphony To God" has been a long time coming.  Over forty years actually, and I for one have been SMILEing most of the day. The album is both touching and whimsical, and in this day of unrest (much like the time it was recorded in the late 1960s), Brian and The Beach Boys have given us all a reason to SMILE.  SMILE was supposed to be the album that surpassed "Pet Sounds", but no one ever knew if it really would have or not. In my humble expert Beach Boys/Brian Wilson opinion, they made Pet Sounds sound almost amateurish.  (If you really know me then you realize what I'm saying.  I love Pet Sounds so much I took all the original backing tracks and did all the vocal overdubs on my own.  That's loving an album folks!) Rolling Stone calls this album, "the most most famous unreleased album in history", and now that it is finally released I can see the monicker was earned.

You can read all the reviews on the net to find out what it's all about, but the only way to SMILE is to experience it for yourself.   Yes experience it.  Everything from the sweetness of the acapella Our Prayer to the vibrations you get from the last song (gee I wonder what that is?).  In between you will feel "Wonderful", on "Fire" from  Mrs. O'Leary's cow, you'll discover your favorite "Vega-table", and you might even head out to the "Barnyard".

Do yourself a favor.  Even if you have no clue what I'm taking about, go buy the least expensive version out there, listen, experience, and SMILE!!

Foshinator

Somewhere In The Middle

One of my favorite television shows, is ABC's The Middle.  Does the show have ANYTHING to do with what I'm blogging about today?  I could break it all down and say yes, but it's really THE MIDDLE, that has my attention today.  Barry Goldwater said, "Extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."  In my life experience, extremism  has been necessary to accomplish the goal or task at hand, but the goal at hand is usually something in THE MIDDLE.  Whether we're dealing with a form of government (democracy although we are really a federalist system) or an economic system (yes we are a capitalist system) something in the middle seems to work best.

So how does THE MIDDLE exist?  It only exists because there are extremes.  Viva la extremes!!!   I love information I get from both sides.  Do I have a bias? Of course I do, but what kind of thinking doesn't take into account information from all quarters before coming to a conclusion?  Hey! Wow! THE MIDDLE appears again.  

Since I'm not the worlds greatest writer let me just spell it out for you in case my writing hasn't gotten you there.  We need people on the extreme end of things to push us in different directions.  We also need THE MIDDLE to bring stability to both ends.  Neither can function without THE MIDDLE to balance things.

Just some food for thought.

Foshinator

RAMPAGE

There is something comforting about a bunch of small, furry, purry critters running through the house. Not your thing you say? I get that, but your missing out on all the fun. Seriously! Wouldn't it be wonderful to see a German (Jurgen), a Cuban (Desi), and your typical red headed American girl (Lucy) running through your home?

A very typical evening at our house now!!

Foshinator

WE ALL HAVE OUR GLASSES ON

The freedom to think is a great gift, and little appreciated by some.  I was listening to Tom Brokaw this morning and he was quoting someone (I wish I could remember who) while discussing this topic. "Do not become hostage to other people's orthodoxy."  That really struck a note with me.  Whether it was a b flat or an g sharp is not germane to this discussion.  It did give me a key (I'm so sorry but I had to.) to some of my thoughts lately.  It is so easy to think like those to whom we are exposed every day.  I'm not saying that  it is wrong, but it is like the flow of water.  It just happens.  It isn't inevitable that we think that way.  Dams, dikes, spillways, and canals are built for a reason.  They change the flow of the water.

I like to view our ability to "see through the lens of history" or maybe our ability to "see through rose colored glasses" as the flow changer.  When two people witness the same event, they don't always agree on the details when they view it through their mind's eye, nor can two people read the same information and always come up with the same conclusions.  Seeing this "cartoon" the other day really put my mind in gear.  "What would my friends think if I post this?"  "Will people think I'm mocking how they perceive God?"  "Am I willing to deal with the 'comments' people will make?"  My conclusion is this.  I allow others to perceive God in the way they do, so why can't I share my perceptions?  Now, does one cartoon share my perception of God.  Absolutely not!  This cartoon, through my lens, just shows how differently, and how honestly we perceive Him.  It isn't mean to belittle or "put down" anyone's view, but it does show that I have a different view than many people with whom I flow.  

Let the discussion begin.  I mean, so many people read my blog!!

Foshinator

The Great Dictator

One of my all time favorite movies is The Great Dictator.  It was released in 1940 and is a satire of Hitler and Nazi Germany.  At the end of the film, the Jewish Barber has ended up in Adenoid Hynkel's (Hitler) place, and is addressing the world via a worldwide radio broadcast.  The world think's he is Adenoid, but it is the humble Jewish Barber making the speech.  I was very moved the first time I watched this, and I believe it is still relevant.  Please keep in mind, I view it through the lense of Christianity, and don't tear it apart.

____________________________________________________________________________

FINAL SPEECH FROM THE GREAT DICTATOR

 The Jewish Barber : I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black men, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others' happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men's souls; has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge as made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in man; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all.

Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say "Do not despair." The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you; who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder! Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men---machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have a love of humanity in your hearts! You don't hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural.

Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it’s written “the kingdom of God is within man”, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power.

Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill their promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world! To do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness.

Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite!

Church of Christ Worship

Today with worshiped with the saints at the Central Church of Christ in Amarillo, Texas. I was so moved to be back amongst what is so familiar. Hearing only voices blending in praise moved me to tears (not an unusual happening).
I just want to remind all my friends that I am NOT anti-Church of Christ. Just the opposite. "They" are a group who love Jesus deeply, and want everyone to know him, so I'm all for that! Aren't you?
Thank you my dear friends at Central for making this such a special day.

Foshinator

Saturday

I only have something simple to say today. Saturday morning and the smell of fresh coffee is simply magical!!

Foshinator

"Mr. Jamey! How am I gonna feed my kids?"

I just spent the last week battling a very debilitating case of pneumonia. Two phone calls, and one trip to the doctor, and I'm recovering quite nicely thank you. Easy? No. In hindsight though, a fairly simple process. Yesterday, I gave the medical community 80 dollars, pharmacy included, and I'll be on my merry way quickly. 80 dollars. When I get my Blue Cross Blue shield report I'll be grateful that I didn't have to pay about 200 to 225 dollars out of pocket.

I woke up about 5:30 this morning and that 200 dollar number triggered something in me. From early 2004 until late in 2007, I worked in the Buy Here Pay Here auto industry. Those are the car lots that "Tote The Note" on the cars they sell. Certainly we financed cars for people who were very irresponsible, but the vast majority of our clients were very good folks, who were just struggling to get by month to month or in many cases week to week. At the time we had around a 1.2 million dollar portfolio, so I have a vast range clients on which I base my judgments.

I primarily oversaw underwriting (deciding who and how we would finance a car) and collections. One particular client came to my mind this morning. We will call her Jane for the purposes of privacy. Jane was in her early 30s, had two young children, and was a single parent. I knew her financial status and she couldn't afford health insurance.

It was unusual for Jane to get very behind on her weekly payment. She came in on Fridays, almost every week, when her payment was due. I knew her financial situation was precarious, because sometimes she would call me on Thursday to let me know she couldn't pay that week, and would take care of two payments the following Friday. I was fine with that and, we had a procedure in place to do that for people we felt were reliable. We called them Promise to Pay and Jane had never missed one. One Friday Jane had a Promise to Pay of two payments and didn't show up or call. That always raised a "red flag" with me, so on Monday I tried to call her. Her phone was cut off, which raised another "red flag".

I went to her home that Monday afternoon and Jane was very ill. She had missed work and had to pay her doctor, totally out of pocket so she could get well and go back to work. I agreed to let her float the week until Friday when she would owe three payments (75 dollars), but I agreed to accept two payments of 50 and let her catch up after that. Friday came and went and Jane didn't come. Monday I issued the order to repo her car. I called the repo man and within a few hours I had Jane's car and some of her property in the car.

When we opened Tuesday morning Jane was waiting on me. I invited her in and we sat down to talk. She was visibly angry (not at me) and scared and trying not to cry. Here's her story. She had to pay her doctor 200 dollars for treatment, and then not being able to work, she had gotten even further behind. It was now going to cost her 200 dollars, including the repo charges, to get her car back. She didn't have the money, and wouldn't anytime soon. All I could was tell her I was sorry and that my hands were tied. She had to have that car to get to work. Her words, "Mr. Jamey! How am I gonna feed my kids?" have resonated with me ever since. I had to look her in the eye and say, "I don't now.".

Jane is a good person who did the right things, and stood by her word. Circumstances beyond her control put her in a situation that didn't allow her to do the right thing. I've often wondered what happened to Jane and her kids.

200 dollars. That figure hit me like a punch in the gut this morning. This is why I became a Progressive Liberal.  Four years of those kinds of experiences changed me profoundly.  There are people out there who, through no fault of their own, just can't make it sometimes, and we as a nation need to find ways to help.

Military-Industrial Complex Speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961

I think this bears reading and heading - Foshinator

My fellow Americans: 

Three days from now, after half a century in the service of our country, I shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the Presidency is vested in my successor.

This evening I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen.

Like every other citizen, I wish the new President, and all who will labor with him, Godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all.

Our people expect their President and the Congress to find essential agreement on issues of great moment, the wise resolution of which will better shape the future of the Nation.

My own relations with the Congress, which began on a remote and tenuous basis when, long ago, a member of the Senate appointed me to West Point, have since ranged to the intimate during the war and immediate post-war period, and, finally, to the mutually interdependent during these past eight years.

In this final relationship, the Congress and the Administration have, on most vital issues, cooperated well, to serve the national good rather than mere partisanship, and so have assured that the business of the Nation should go forward. So, my official relationship with the Congress ends in a feeling, on my part, of gratitude that we have been able to do so much together.

II.

We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations. Three of these involved our own country. Despite these holocausts America is today the strongest, the most influential and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment.

III.

Throughout America's adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among people and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance, or our lack of comprehension or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt both at home and abroad.

Progress toward these noble goals is persistently threatened by the conflict now engulfing the world. It commands our whole attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology -- global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method. Unhappily the danger is poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle -- with liberty the stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment.

Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties. A huge increase in newer elements of our defense; development of unrealistic programs to cure every ill in agriculture; a dramatic expansion in basic and applied research -- these and many other possibilities, each possibly promising in itself, may be suggested as the only way to the road we wish to travel.

But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs -- balance between the private and the public economy, balance between cost and hoped for advantage -- balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable; balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual; balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration.

The record of many decades stands as proof that our people and their government have, in the main, understood these truths and have responded to them well, in the face of stress and threat. But threats, new in kind or degree, constantly arise. I mention two only.

IV.

A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.

Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.

In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present

• and is gravely to be regarded.

Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientifictechnological elite.

It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system -- ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.

V.

Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.

VI.

Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.

Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield.

Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent I confess that I lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war -- as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years -- I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight.

Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress toward our ultimate goal has been made. But, so much remains to be done. As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to help the world advance along that road.

VII.

So -- in this my last good night to you as your President -- I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find some things worthy; as for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future.

You and I -- my fellow citizens -- need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nation's great goals.

To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America's prayerful and continuing aspiration:

We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.

An Invasion from Mars: Get your feet up and don't move - Dave Barry

(I thought this appropriate to post in light of my recent bout of the same flu. - Foshinator)

We have the flu. I don't know if this particular strain has an official name, but if it does, it must be something like "Martian Death Flu." You may have had it yourself. The main symptom is that you wish you had another setting on your electric blanket, up past HIGH, that said ELECTROCUTION.

Another symptom is that you cease brushing your teeth, because (a) your teeth hurt, and (b) you lack the strength. Midway through the brushing process, you'd have to lie in front of the sink to rest for a couple of hours, and rivulets of toothpaste foam would dribble sideways out of your mouth, eventually hardening into crusty little toothpaste stalagmites that would bond your head permanently to the bathroom floor, which is how the police would find you.

You know the kind of flu I'm talking about.

I spend a lot of time lying very still, thinking flu-related thoughts. One insight I have had is that all this time, scientists have been telling us the truth: Air really is made up of tiny objects called "molecules." I know this because I can feel them banging against my body. There are billions and billions and billions of them, but if I concentrate, I can detect each individually, striking my body, especially my eyeballs, at speeds upwards of 100,000 miles per hour. If I try to escape by pulling the blanket over my face, they attack my hair, which has become almost as sensitive as my teeth.

There has been a mound of blankets on my wife's side of the bed for several days now, absolutely motionless except that it makes occasional efforts to spit into a Kleenex. I think it might be my wife, but the only way to tell for sure would be to prod it, which I wouldn't do even if I had the strength, because if it turned out that it was my wife, and she were alive, and I prodded her, it would kill her.

Me, I am leading a more active lifestyle. Three or four times a day, I attempt to crawl to the bathroom. Unfortunately this is a distance of nearly 15 feet, with a great many air molecules en route, so at about the halfway point, I usually decide to stop and get myself into the fetal position and hope for nuclear war. Instead, I get Earnest. Earnest is our dog. She senses instantly that something is wrong, and, guided by that timeless and unerring nurturing instinct all female dogs have, she tries to lick my ears off.

For my son, Robert, this is proving to be the high point of his entire life to date. He has had his pajamas on for two, maybe three days now. He has the sense of joyful independence a 5-year-old gets when he suddenly realizes that he could be operating an acetylene torch in the coat closet, and neither parent would have the strength to object. He has been foraging for his own food, which means his diet consists entirely of "food" substances that are advertised only on Saturday-morning cartoon shows; substances that are the color of jukebox lights, and for legal reasons, have their names spelled wrong, as in New Creemy Chok-'n'-Cheez Lumps o' Froot ("part of this complete breakfast").

Crawling around, my face inches from the carpet, I sometimes encounter traces of colorful wrappers Robert has torn from these substances, and dropped on the floor, where Earnest, always on patrol, has found them and chewed them into spit-covered wads. I am reassured by this. It means they are both eating.

The Martian Death Flu has not been an entirely bad thing. Since I cannot work, or move, or think, I have been able to spend more Quality Time with Robert, to come up with creative learning activities we can enjoy and share together. Today, for example, I taught him, as my father had taught me, how to make an embarrassing noise with your hands. Then we shot rubber bands at the contestants on "Divorce Court." Then, just in case some parts of our brains were still alive, we watched professional bowling. Here's what televised professional bowling sounds like when you have the flu:

PLAY-BY-PLAY MAN: He left the 10-pin, Bob.

COLOR COMMENTATOR: Yes, Bill. He failed to knock it down.

PLAY-BY-PLAY MAN: It's still standing up.

COLOR COMMENTATOR: Yes. Now he must try to knock it down.

PLAY-BY-PLAY MAN: You mean the 10-pin, Bob?

The day just flew by. Soon it was 3:30 p.m., time to crawl back through the air molecules to the bedroom, check on my wife or whoever that is, and turn in for the night.

Earnest was waiting about halfway down the hall.

"Look at this," the police will say, when they find me. "His ears are missing."

By Dave Barry

SMILE - THE BEACH BOYS

Not to be confused with the Brian Wilson release of SMILE in 2004, The Beach Boys will be releasing the SMILE SESSIONS this year.  Oh Rapture! Oh Joy!!  I became a fan of the Beach Boys when I was 13. I bought the Endless Summer album and fell in love.  Then I discovered how recording studios worked, and realized that the mixes used on Endless Summer were not meant to be in stereo.  Wilson's mono mixes are brilliant, and they studio musicians they used, "The Wrecking Crew", are masterful. (Thank you Carol Kaye for emailing me occasionally.) 

Now on to SMILE.  This project was abandoned when Brian Wilson had his breakdown in 1968 and with few exceptions he never returned to the project with The Beach Boys.  Now Capital is releasing highlights of the 50+ studio sessions, and have enough material to present a somewhat complete Smile album.  Rock historians and Beach Boys geeks (yes I am both) consider this the Holy Grail of unreleased material.

Why did I blog about this?  Cuz I can!  Cuz I'm excited! Cuz I like to SMILE!!!

Foshinator