I think the word we were looking for was "melancholy" but we settled on "mellow". We were young, and young people have emotional bouts with their feelings and the biology of growing up coursing through them. Inspired by the words of Olivia Newton-John, we would go around our melancholic funk, whining and looking for sympathy.
Well, fellows - I'm mellow.
A couple of weeks ago I discovered that my good friend from college days succumbed to some major medical issues on Christmas Eve. Don had a genuine spirit of humility about him. In his demeanor you could tell that he was one of those friends. You know the kind, they know nothing but love and kindness. It's really interesting that when he graduated the year before me from OBU, I knew we wouldn't see that much of each other. He was scheduled to wed his college fiancee, and move on to seminary in Kansas City. I had another semester to drudge through in undergrad work and was off to Southwestern in Ft. Worth.
When I talked to Don's wife via e-exchange after learning of his death, she reminded me of something--"Do you remember that song you wrote for us when we got married?" As a matter of fact I didn't and then she mentioned it, and I did.Interestingly, I was going through some old writing, thinking about Don, and found the rough draft of the lyric and a copy of the rough melody still in my possession. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to honor my buddy, Don, and his wife (and son) one more time by sharing this poem (no critics please, but if you'd like to comment an encouraging word to the family, I'll be sure they get it). Below you'll find a scan of the rough copy of the original music (and it's really rough).
It's not very long until your graduation day
You'll soon be getting married and moving far away.
Please just remember to keep God in your plans
And then go together walking hand in hand.
Go together in life's tortures
Go together in life's joys
Go together, go together just like good ol' girls and boys.
Go together in the sunshine tho' life sometimes brings you rain
Go together in your happiness and even in your pain.
Then you'll know you're succeeding when your children praise the Lord.
You'll know God has blest you and your smiles they'll afford.
Just remember what I told you when things seem to get rough,
"Go together with each other and your Father up above."
Go together over mountains
Go together 'cross the sea
Go together, go together 'cause that's how it's meant to be.
Go together when you're crying and also when you smile
Go together, go together, go together all the while.
 |
| Go Together |
Technology, good. Technology, bad.
I like technology. It is good for us, makes things easier and more efficient. The advent of the computer and the Internet has brought about things like spreadsheets that calculate and prepare presentations for us, word processors that check our spelling (beware of over-dependence on spell-check and grammar-check software - some words are missed by spelling checkers because they are words even if we meant another word, and most grammar checking software was written by someone who doesn't really know the rules of proper usage, therefore it will indicate error where there is none and let actual errors get by), e-mail that is faster than the Pony Express, and social networking that helps us re-connect with our past. I personally have reconnected with friends from past days--college, high school, and even as far back a the grade and grammar schools I spent my formative years in. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even be able to issue this challenge if it weren't for technological advances. Technology is a really good thing.
Even so, technology has its draw-backs. Personal connection has been relegated to cyberspace. We no longer FAX (anybody ever really do that anyway?). Instead we email, text (TXT for the younger audience), and Tweet. While these are great ways to communicate on the fly (because technology includes the faster, more efficient transportation available that has decreased the enormity of our globe), they have taken their toll. We have become lazy. Spelling has become a lost skill because we rely on our spelling checker (see above) or depend totally on our smart phones and Twitter which, out of necessity, has taught us to forgo vowels and substitute single letters or combinations of letters (i.e. "C U l8er") to limit the number of keystrokes in our message.
Handwriting itself has become a thing of the past. There are good and bad sides to this, for instance no longer do I write my sermon notes out longhand and consequently I can read them (which my church members may either thank or curse me for). School children are encouraged to learn keyboarding skills rather than learning to write legibly, spell consistently, or construct sentences coherently.
All of this leads to the lost art of letter-writing. While many are still composing communication for memos, email, and blogs (such as this one), we no longer write letters for the sake of communication. So, here's my challenge: choose a friend, an acquaintance, or perhaps engage the assistance of a new friend from your cyber-friends and start a penpal-type relationship with them. Some of my older readers will remember "penpals" from their grade school days. Two correspondents would get acquainted and learn of their different lives via postal communication. We made lasting friendships, learned of different cultures, and kept up with news in foreign (or at least regionally distant) lands. I am going to choose an old acquaintance, write a letter (by hand), explain my challenge, and see if they would like to participate in the experiment with me. Don't be surprised if you receive letter postmarked "Mulberry Grove" from me. If you get the letter, consider writing back (not via email or other electronic means, but with a letter written by hand).
The headline reads "Twinkies Maker Hostess Files for Chapter 11" (click the link to read the article)
The sad truth of the matter is that Hostess is our go to source for all cakes snackable. CupCakes (not the homemade kind, but those dark chocolate, cream-filled, two-packed--so you can share 'em with a friend--cakes with the hard edible plastic cover that has a white curly design on top), which were followed by the DingDongs, and the HoHo's, and the multiple-flavored Zingers. There are a world of snack cakes out there, and now the maker of the premier ones (not the cheap-o knock-offs from other bakeries) is going belly-up!?
I blame our health-conscious nation, as well as the fast-food industry which turned eating snacks that are calorie-laden into an art form. My wish in all of this is that the shelves so stacked with preservative-filled, taste-bud-tempting treats will not disappear altogether. Why, they last forever, those Twinkies do.
And speaking of "Twinkie Doo", if Hostess goes under, where will we get that last bit of tasty Yum that sticks to the cardboard packaging? You know, that last bit that you scrape off with your finger so that you can get every crumb of the luscious Twinkie?
Snack cake lovers, beware!
By now, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I have used the services of Lulu.com to publish some of my short fiction and a couple of sermon collections. Today I received a coupon code for you to use when purchasing any or all of my titles. The neat thing about this coupon is that the offer is for 25% off (up to $50 savings) on your purchase. A couple of things you should note: this offer is for a single purchase (that means you can't use it today and decide to use it again tomorrow or next week, so make your decisions before purchasing), and the offer is good until January 31, 2012--that gives you a couple of weeks to make your selections.
So, click on the Lulu.com logo. Choose as many of my titles as you'd like then enter the coupon code LULUBOOK305 at checkout. Simple as that. Hurry!
Disclaimer: Use coupon code LULUBOOK305 at checkout and receive
25% off your order. The maximum savings with this promotion is $50. You can only
use the code once per account, and you can't use this coupon in combination with
other coupon codes. This great offer ends on January 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST.
While very unlikely Lulu.com reserves the right to change or revoke this offer
at anytime, and of course we cannot offer this coupon where it is against the
law to do so. Finally, Lulu.com incurs the cost of this discount, so it does not
impact the Author's proceeds of the book. This coupon does not work with
self-purchases, i.e., if you are the author of the book you are trying to
purchase, you cannot use this coupon. This coupon will work for multiple titles
but savings cannot go past the maximum of $50.
I text. Mostly to church members and my Beautiful Blushing Bride. But I am not a fan of texting as it is done by the generation who made it up--they have this kookie language that has nothing to do with the rules of genteel spelling and grammar. It almost reminds me of what my Hebrew professor at seminary told me about the original language: "There were originally no vowels, the vowel points were added later by scribes who wanted to preserve the pronunciation."
Well, we're back. Back to no vowels again. I almost wonder why we bothered with them in the first place.
But, I digress. Let's get back to the issue at hand: a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad bag full of abbreviations - ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing), BFF (best friend forever), and the like. One of the most misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misused of the lot is LOL. For the uninformed and uninitiated old people who don't or won't text this acronym does not (nor has it ever) stand for "lots of love." Far from it, this little bit of joy stands for "Laugh (or Laughing, depending on your texting dictionary) Out Loud." It suggests that what ever precedes it is a good and funny joke--forcing one to, well, laugh out loud.
And now for the sad reality of using the LOL - decorum dictates that one should not use LOL for their own comments. This is the equivalent of the comic who laughs at his own jokes (even though they are not really funny jokes at all), or the preacher who constantly has to remind his congregation that he has said something with which they should all agree (can I get an Amen? LOL) So you see, if someone wants to LOL at something you've said it's cool (even if you didn't think you said something funny, because they did), and if you think the preacher has said something with which you agree, give a hearty Amen (you can even start your own corner if you like, preachers like that). But it is bad manners for the preacher to beg for Amens, for the comic to guffaw, or for the texter to LOL at his own posts. If it's funny, others will LOL at you. And if it's really funny they might even ROFL.
Go ahead, you can LOL in the comments section now.
I've long been a fan of Police Drama. I like the mystery (that comes with shows like Columbo) and the police procedures. Understanding that shows like Hunter make us root for the officer who pushes the envelope in order to make the case. Any more, the newer police shows have the tendency to concentrate more on the officer (and his/her life) than the case--turning many of them into prime time soap opera a la NYPD Blue rather than the police procedural, or they concentrate on spinning off the name of another show (Law & Order, et.al.) with little or no connection to the original.
Because I like to read things like the 87th Precinct series, I like my TV Police shows to be well-written. Because I enjoy a well presented stage production, I enjoy the actors in these shows to know their craft. Setting aside my preference for Walker, Texas Ranger (writing and acting both fall short, but there are tons of great fight scenes thanks to Chuck Norris), I don't enjoy too many of the crime shows available for consumption these days. Friday evenings has become the exception, and I just finished watching two of the best examples:
Working on singing a special song in church this coming Sunday and I ran across the background cd for this song (not doing it this week, maybe another time). Anyway, I thought I'd do a quick go-over, and found myself unable to make it all the way through--not even once(t) without bawling like a baby. It speaks to me, maybe it will speak to you today, too:
Happy New Year to all my faithful readers(s).
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