Wisdom from Mr. Lincoln

“Adhere to your purpose
and you will soon feel
as well as you ever did.
On the contrary,
if you give up,
you will lose your power
of keeping any resolution,
and will regret it
all your life.”

— Abraham Lincoln

Those Left Behind

“How
can the dead
be truly dead
when they still live
in the souls
of those
who are
left behind?”
— Carson McCullers in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

“When Dad starts talking, I will open the door. You follow me.”

I’ve been watching and rewatching this video for a day or so.

I really feel for that mother. I hope the parents aren’t embarrassed. They are viral now.

These kids have provided a nice little highlight to the week, which has been mostly boringly dull.

If I had been that BBC News anchor I would have changed directions, ignoring the teleprompter, and delving into who these adorable tots are.

“Looks like we have some visitors.”

“Now, what is it like working from home?”

“Who are these little crumb crunchers?”

“Hi, what’s your name?”

“How old are you?”

Then, after the mom rushes in and ushers the two party crashers out, I’d focus on the father and fatherhood.

“What’s it like being a father?”

“No worries, you two. Thanks for being with us. And thank your wife and the two little ones for joining us, too.”

God bless ’em!

ajh

Scars that can’t be seen & drama that can’t be stolen

LIFE IS STRANGE.

Death may be even stranger.

I’m not in heaven — yet. But I’ve been listening to quite a bit of David Bowie since his death.

I basically ignored him and his music while he was alive, which was a big mistake on my part. We had, and have, more in common than I ever realized.

I always thought of him as strange and a freak. And he was both, and much more. But that doesn’t mean he and his talent should be neglected.

Bowie was a rebel, and I like a bit of rebellion from time to time myself. He was unique. We all are.

A fella in high school, tall and talented himself, reminds me of him. He was odd and rebellious as well. One of my brother’s friends.

I was listening to Bowie’s song Lazarus today and the lyrics got me to thinking.

I’ve got scars that can’t be seen
I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen

Unlike him, not everyone knows me. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Look up here, man, I’m in danger

I’m in danger, too. Don’t look up, though. I’m not there. I’m down here. Down below.

Or is it all in my head?

I’ve got nothing left to lose

Nothing left to lose. Yeah, me too.

Laz-a-rus. Rising from the dead. Now, that’s a nifty trick.

There are always lessons to be learned, some harder than others.

Godspeed, Mr. Bowie. I hope you’ve met HIM.

ajh