FINDING MEANING IN 2018: WELCOME 2019!

What gave meaning to  2018  as it ended?   Ii was the action of people that had meaning for me.  Family, friends, and strangers whose words and deeds warmed my heart and gave me hope for a brighter future. People like these:

 After going to the theater to see a corny holiday show we went  to get something to eat.  We  went to a local, nearby restaurant.  When we arrived a group of people were coming out.  One was profoundly handicapped.   He recognized me and called out my name.  This simple gesture was a major accomplishment for him that  gave my evening greater importance and gladdened my heart.

In August I traveled with Don to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for the North American Sundial Society's 25 Th Anniversary  Meeting.  I had not to been to Pittsburgh since I was a child. At that time there was great fascination with the  newly opened Tunnel which went underground through the Mountains.
That fascination remained the same when I went back with Don in August.

I was excited to take The Sundial Society's Historic Tour through neighborhoods. One site was Squirrel Hills.   The Tour took us past the shopping center near the Synagogue  where my family used to live.  Weeks later the horrific sense less murders of Jews in that Synagogue took place.  In the face of all this needless horror, of the grief and anger of people, politicians told the President of the United States he was not welcome to come.  Then other voices were heard. The Rabbi said, "Tell the President, he is welcome to come."  The wonderful memory of the Sundial Society Meeting has not been overshadowed. The irony for me is that the same sense of reason required for the science of sundials and respect for our laws was used by the Rabbi when he calmed his turbulent congregants.

Most recently I came upon three little girls dressed to have their  pictured taken with Santa Claus.
They were excited with the pictures.  I stopped to speak to them.  They were sisters between 3, 5 and 6 years old.  I stopped to speak to them and ask what they thought the holiday was all about?  The little one told me it was about the baby Jesus.

The older child asked if I had Christmas lights too.  I said no  but I do have lights that I enjoyed.  The middle sister shouted "Hanuka Mexican lights".  I told her yes and thought how wonderful this country has always been.  We allow each one of us to celebrate those things, religious or not, native born or immigrant, to enjoy the fruits of our own decision making even when it appears we are less than we could be.

So as 2019 begins to each of you I extend good wishes.  Keep well and keep in touch.

Beverly

MY FRIEND DELANEY: WRITER & POET

Her smile is broad, ever-ready as is her good humour

she will do things her own way

she succeeds, crossing all boundaries

religion, traditional customs, marrying her husband

spontaneously on Sadie Hawkins Day with hundreds of others.


We are two women who enjoy writing

sometimes working, many times not

but always looking for differences

in colors, hues, in painting, clothes

people and nature and in the hats we wear.


Her credentials are impressive

taking her from one city to another

writing for businesses to public institutions

to the love of a tree in her backyard.

All described in poetry,


We met because of aspiring to careers of our own

but kept in touch at writer groups.

She writes with a passion and consistency

about the life she builds with her husband

and in journals she keeps on their travels.


In September she published a 5 Volume Set of her Poetry

each one expressing another facet of her life.

On a snowy day in St. Louis I began to read Volume 5

"Shifting Gears"* because I am in the middle of doing just that

with my own life.


As I read I see clearly some of the feelings and surroundings

she describes. I recognize how wonderful it is to be alive

and be a part of the time in which we live even in times of great distress.

It is not politics nor party which can diffuse people like my friend

because she sees and appreciates life.


*"Shifting Gears", Poetry by Delaney (c)Copyright 2018 FlagshipPress
Philadelphia, Pa. 19147

LAST NOVEMBER DAY CAB RIDE TO HOPE?

On the last week in November I took a cab to get to my appointment in another neighborhood.  The driver was a big, broad shouldered burly man with very large hands.  He had his radio on. He barely turned his head as I got in.The news coming from Washington, D.C. was fast-breaking. I asked him what he thought of all we heard.

"I don't know.  I watched this President since I was a kid.  I idolized Trump.  He was slick, successful and I wanted to be like him.  Then he went to Washington and I don't know what happened." As I listened my driver spoke of his disappointment and dissatisfaction with our President's behavior and language . The driver told me that he worked all his life, had two "kids" and one grandchild and had began to drive a cab because he lost his job about six months ago. 

This time, when I reached my destination he came around to open the door and said, "Thanks for listening." 

My belief in the strength of our laws for justice and people's ability to use common sense gave me hope for the future on the last rainy day of November 2018.

THANKSGIVING 2018

THANKSGIVING 2018

LET US WELCOME FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND STRANGERS  TO  OUR TABLE

LET US SING OF MEMORIES AND STORIES NEW AND OLD

 LET US TASTE DISHES FAMILIAR AND DIFFERENT, BLAND OR SPICY

LET US SHARE THE STRENGTH WE HAVE TOGETHER TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY

AND LET US DO ALL THIS AS WE REMEMBER THOSE NOT HERE.



BEVERLY D. REHFELD

SO WHAT HAPPENED IN MISSOURI ON SUNDAY?

People came together to be with each other after a horrific murder happened in another city many miles away.  The gathering was held in a barren auditorium. The expectation was that there would be a few hundred people there.  The day was warm and sunny.

The program was put together quickly.  The people grew from a small number to hundreds and they
came in a steady stream until they filled the 1200 seat auditorium to capacity.  Many stood in the back.

Some people came from neighborhoods close by.  Others came from distant areas.  They were young and elderly people with canes, with walkers, some in motorized scooters.  Sturdy parents and grandparents pushed carriages and carried children.

The program began later than expected because the stream of people kept coming.

Leaders representing all facets of American life were on the platform. There were educators, clergy of all denominations, and political candidates and incumbents, and state and local police and guards.

The names of the people murdered in Pittsburgh were placed in front of the platform and the audience was asked to remember them and their families and their communities.

Is it comforting to ask why?  I don't think so.  We can no longer overlook the physical and mental anguish that words and ignorance produce.  We can no longer allow death and destruction to keep us
from thinking.  Neither walls nor guns nor elaborate schemes must be allowed to entice us away from    speaking out.

What happened in Pittsburgh will happen here in St. Louis unless we can recognize that the stranger in our midst is not the threat. The threat is our reluctance to accept words that claim otherwise, whether uttered by elected officials or ourselves.  

REMEMBER TO VOTE NOVEMBER 6.

HOW SHALL WE REMEMBER?

There is a drawer in my cabinet that I seldom open.  It contains very old files.  One of those files holds letters in a language I cannot read.  The letters were from my Grandmother to her family whom she and my grandfather left when they came to this country

 I was fortunate to know and visit with all of my grandparents, there were four all of whom  came to this country legally. I thought of them and of a conversation I had today at lunch with a friend who had returned from a trip with her daughter. My friend told me of her visit and the places she had not seen since childhood. She spoke of the memories she recalled and how startled her daughter was to hear about those memories.

My sons knew first hand of their great grandparents.  They knew too of the memories and the circumstances that had brought their great grandparents here.  Among those memories were stories  of  turbulence and persecution  and vicious edicts.  Memories that included kindness, help and the opportunity they found in their new country.

I thought of all this when I opened my newspaper and saw the pictures of the immigrants at this country's borders.  The same words and actions that were used against my grandparents are used now but for different people.

How we treat and understand the stranger in our midst will color our lives.  The memories my friend shared with her daughter also included memories of neighbors and neighborhoods. Memories that were joyful yet may have been harder to recount but are stored now in the memories of my friend's daughter.

It is time to recognize that we live in a period of major world-wide migration.  How shall we recognize this historical moment?  With bellicose words and saber rattling? Or will we have the wisdom to learn about the memories of the people making up this migration?

REMEMBER TO VOTE NOVEMBER 6, 2018

REMEDY TO OVERCOME "FRIGHTENING TIMES"?

So what should we do if we live in "Frightening Times."

Begin by turning  off the noise!  Go to the movies to see "Science Fair" the award-winning documentary written and directed by Cristina Constantina and Daren Foster.

The film features a group of students, their friends and families and depicts what happens to them when they all undertake impossible challenges, individually and collectively.

It is the story of who we are as Americans working with other "citizens" from around the world.  The film demonstrates that  we still live in a country dedicated to justice and opportunity.  And it shows the willingness of the young and old to listen and respect each other as we work to achieve a common goal through education.

Yes, we are living through changing times.  Sometimes we move a step forward and sometimes a step backward but we know from our history we need not be afraid.  We will prevail! We will do so not because we live through "Frightening Times" but because of our constant quest to better ourselves.

We will do so with the courage of young people.  We will look to their inquisitiveness and persistence to welcome change.  We will do so because they and we know and agree that we live in a country that is ruled by laws. We and they will take all this and march toward the future, leaving a past filled with turmoil and "Frightening Times."

 Go see "SCIENCE FAIR" and VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6.

ANOTHER FAIRY TALE?

Early in September, a 17-year-old Billings, Montana high school student's quiet reaction to a speech by the President of the United States of America caught the attention of people through out the country.

The student's face was caught by news cameras as he reacted to what the President was saying.  The story and photo appeared in newspapers and on social media as "The Plaid Shirt Guy."

It reminded me of the Fairy Tale about the Parade for the King who wanted to show off his new diamond encrusted robes. People, young and old alike filled the streets for the parade.  There were crowds everywhere until someone yelled, "Look! He is not wearing any clothes!"

And than the streets were empty.
                           

FALL 2018: TIME FOR REFLECTION & RENEWAL?

Weather on the calendar or in our faith, we seem to sense this is a period to reflect and examine the pattern of our life.

We may not be as astute as Mother Nature who provides trees with the ability to turn leaves or  who creates  nervousness  in Animals and  birds as they sense another season or storm coming but we feel it.

 Whatever faith or custom or ritual we have, or don't have, it is a time of renewal.  We feel a need to better understand our self sometimes through memory alone.

Our children begin school.  Our family moves farther away or comes closer.  We warm to challenges.

We don't seem as wary of different faces. We are strong with a universal sense of purpose.

We prepare for autumn while knowing it will be followed by winter's chill finally followed by spring.  We measure our responsibility toward this planet, the place we call home.

In stillness, we are called upon to reflect on our actions.   We are pledged to behave as warriors to protect all that we know is right.  We will do so through our votes and the laws of this great nation!

May the time ahead be good to all of us and to all those we hold dear.

HAVE WE LOST TRUST OF EACH OTHER?

We learned of the death of Senator John McCain just before Labor Day.  We watched his funeral.

 We saw the Senator's family. We heard about his sense of humor, his capacity to understand his own failings  and the strength he showed in adversity.  We wondered have we as a people lost a sense of honesty and trust which had been so much a part of what we remembered of him?

We live in a time of great change.  Drastic changes happen to our planet each day. We are told there is no climate change!  Guns are used to kill innocent people!  We buy more guns and do little to vote for candidates who will enforce Federal gun laws.

We were told to do away with health plans because of misleading information by insurance and political interests!  Senator McCain voted with a simple "thumbs down" to stop the rhetoric.

We are told about injustices suffered by people who are different!  We know this violates the meaning of equal and fair justice for people yet we discourage advocates for these very same ideals.

We are told some religions are better than others! Then we watched  Senator McCain's family walk past the Vietnam Memorial Wall inscribed with the names of people of all faiths and cultures.

We watched the people lining the streets of Washington, DC,  and those who stopped to watch the funeral pass by.  We listened to "Oh Danny Boy" and "Amazing Grace." We saw an untapped strength of character and trust in people that we may not have seen before.

After watching the funeral of Senator  McCain I  know we will survive the changes we need to make! We will do so with a  renewed  sense of respect for this country's Laws and with the strength  of trust we have for each other.

NOW IT IS OUR TURN!

Sometimes the smallest word or action can turn things upside down or inside out no matter where you are.   As we leave the month of July we are confronted by all the things we meant to do before the summer ends.  We begin August thinking of all the things  we still need to do before another season begins.  One of those things we need to do right now.

Today get ready to vote in the 2018 primary elections!

Primary Elections may seem pointless but they are a way to sort out candidates and important issues that could help us get things "right side up." Shrill political rhetoric will not provide us with respect for each other or for international and national and local agreements any more than covering over injustices with pithy sayings and slogans will work to provide the sense of security we want.

Our effectiveness in a primary election will be successful if we acquaint ourselves not with a single issue  alone but if we increase our willingness to read, listen to opposite points of view and then begin the hard work toward fulfilling our role as citizens of this great country by voting.

 Become a part of the process of governing by laws not by edict. VOTE!

SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

Maybe the questionable recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United States was a needed awakening for the people of this country.

We as citizens have all too often fallen into using political and legal jargon without wondering about the collective affect on our thinking and our lives.  We have been too eager to mimic political strategy and language.  When we did and when we do we loose the strength which is ours and ours alone, the citizen's role in a Democracy.

We are about to undergo enormous change in our lives.  If we are unable to acknowledge these changes
and meet them it will be the undoing of our strength as a country and our inherent common sense as individuals.

To ensure a sense of fairness that was and is ours we need to protect and safe guard our
elections at the polls and we need to urge others to do likewise. It may be that issues of grave importance to one sector may need to give way to another as all of us build or rebuild communities in which all people flourish.

We will go on and renew or recreate and protect this wild, beautiful land we call a nation.  As we do we dare not stop our feeling for all human kind and their quest to be a part of this Democracy or forget those who came before us.

So for now we will go forward with our mutual love and appreciation for science, education, music and the joy of greeting each day constructively without  violence or malice.

WHO IS THE JUGGLER IN THE CENTER RING?

We seem to be fascinated with all sorts of things and theories.  Like children at a circus we are mesmerized by things we know are not so, but we still watch with fascination.

When we discredit scientific information research and education with rhetoric that belongs in the annuals of mystic writings, we are buying our ticket back to the dark ages.

When the response to air and water pollution is that it is necessary to have for economic development we are allowing our representatives to do little to enforce existing regulations and laws.

When we are told that voters like you and me cannot discern fairness from cheating or lying or bullying, we are handed a kaleidoscope covered over with duck tape to conceal those very traits.

When we are told that it is not guns that murder people,  adults and children tell us they do. Many legislators look the other way and claim an inability to enforce existing Federal Gun and Equipment Registration Laws yet that Law is on the legislator's desk and never discussed.

When we speak of our elected officials' disregard of America's Democratic process we are told we are unpatriotic by the Juggler in the Center Ring.

When we are told all this we better stop buying a ticket to this Circus and run it out of town.

THE OBELISK AND A BOY'S CURIOSITY!

There is an unusual, black 12-foot Obelisk in the Mall where I walk with my friend each morning.  The sculpture stands in contrast to shops, kiosks , food islands and theaters.  Its uniqueness is that it appears to have water running from the top to the bottom never leaving a drop of water at its base or on the floor.  Much of the time we walkers pass it without a glance though children are often intrigued by it.

Today I noticed a young boy watching the obelisk intensely.   I stopped and asked him how does he think the water goes up to the top and than comes down again?  He thought for a moment.  Then he said, "There must be a pipe inside the Obelisk that sucks the water up and then when it hits the bottom the pipe brings the water back up again. "

My friend who is an engineer made a quick sketch to demonstrate how the Obelisk works and how gravity plays a role in the process. As we spoke with the young man and his mother we learned he was in the sixth grade and interested in science.

I do not know what impression all this had on the young man.  What I do know is the boy's awareness of his surroundings and questions will serve him, his school, his community and all of us well as we continue to plan for the future.

AMERICA, THE MELTING POT?

"Melting Pot", the description was once used to describe America. Today, to assess the real strength of America we weigh-in factors not necessarily thought of years ago.  As a people we recognize that we and immigrants share common human aspirations. Citizen and immigrant alike want the opportunity to work and have the life style we want.  We and they wish to contribute to this country.  We and they seek a just society and the protection and security of our laws.

I thought of all this at my granddaughter's graduation Commencement Ceremony where I was squired around by her parents, my other son and my grandson and his companion.  The Ceremony was held at Bard college amidst the spectacular environment of New York State.  The graduates included men and women from different states and countries around the world.  Graduates were of different colors, cultures, dress and spoke different languages. Each graduate's thesis was listed by Title and indicated study in subjects that ranged from the environment to scientific technology to the arts and human and animal relationships and economic requirements for opening a business/

It will take much more than the "Melting Pot" known to my grandparents to help get us through the swift moving channels of change America and the world finds itself in today.  But  the graduates I met,
and the education they received are capable of navigating the rough waters ahead and I am optimistic about our future.

A TIME OF UNKNOWN DESTINATIONS?

Our destination one sunny and still crisp April Day was unknown.  We just got in the car and went.  We came upon a park that held many attractions so we took a winding road through it.

Tucked in a corner of the road we found a small cluster of people setting up for what appeared to be a community-wide garage sale in front of very old buildings.  As we walked around we learned we had come upon the Historic Village of Thornhill*, named after the second governor of Missouri.  The village and park were formerly  owned by Leicester and Mary Plant Faust who donated 200 acres for public, educational and historic use in 1968.

When we were there, we spoke with a number of people responsible for maintaining the Park and planing long list of activities that are available to non-profit organizations, families and people seeking nature's beauty the year around.

As we walked through the Park, a place we had not expected to visit, I was reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote that "Life  is a journey not a destination," which has served people so all well even in  changing times.

*www.stlouisco.com/parks/faust
For a list of year around activities.

                   

CHASING DREARY MORNINGS

The day begins with drizzles and than it rains steadily.  We drive out to a small french restaurant for coffee.  We sit at a table with five people people next to us.  There are two adults and three children.

One of the adults tells us the youngest,  a boy, is two.  He is playing with a computer device that appears to be a cell phone and laughs when he sees something on its screen.  I am intrigued with the child's dexterity and humor.

This very small encounter with the ability of a child to use technology gives me hope for the future as does the musical "Bon Jour!" we were greeted with when we entered the restaurant.

FIVE GENERATIONS OF WOODWORKING

Every once in a while I attend the public meetings of the St. Louis Woodworkers Guild where the work of their members is often shown. One meeting  recently featured the work of Grant Black*.  He shared his techniques for bending,  shaping and finishing wood for the Traditional Chair he makes.  He attributed his skill as being inherited from five generations of his family.

He spoke of  the men and women in his family who had inspired him, including his mother who still
helps him by weaving material for the chair seats which he displays.  He showed pictures of
his ancestors from the  late 1800s.  Some of the chairs built by his family are on display in The Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., and some are in the homes of two former American Presidents and a Governor.

Grant Black has earned his Ph.D in economics from Georgia State University.   He works on wood with some hand tools inherited from his ancestors. Yet, he works with power tools as well. He is part of a growing number of people who have found that professional interests and skills learned over the years are still compatible with the technology of today.

As he told his story I was reminded that so much of who we are today is shaped by those ancestors who came before us.

* The link to see the Traditional
Chairs Grant has created is:
hrrp://www.SLWG.ORG/newsletters/SLWG_2017_ll.pdf

The St. Louis Woodworkers Guild
News Letter September 2017 Issue

STEPHEN HAWKING AND STUDENTS

On November 16, newspapers in this country reported the death of Stephen Hawking, scholar, author, physicist. On that same day students around the world walked out of their classrooms protesting the lack of governmental action about gun control.

The two events were not connected but do illustrate how confusing is the time in which we live.
Hawking's thinking reflected a perspective of life not always shared by his peers.  Yet, in the face of skepticism and ridicule he continued to proceed and advanced the thinking of others.

The courage students have and are showing in their protests reminds me of the quality with which Hawking advanced his own thinking beyond his time.

Yes students belong in the classroom, but it is also time for elected representatives to use governmental  law and regulation that provide the gun control to stop the carnage.

It is time for all of us to support and elect representatives who will provide those laws and regulations.

DOES FEAR CLOUD REALITY?

Clouds blocked our vision of the huge beautiful moon.

The night was cold but invigorating.  Though we could not see the moon, we knew it was there but it was of little help in navigating the unfamiliar road.

We wound around curves and had to drive through road construction that was poorly lit.  Through it all   there was no moon and little light yet there was no turning back.

For me that evening's ride was like a metaphor for my feelings about what is happening to our country.

We know and understand the opportunity that so many of us and our ancestors have had and enjoy.

Yet we are reluctant to offer these opportunities to others. Why?

We know that guns kill people.  But we are reluctant to give up weapons, once used for sustenance and protection in wide-open isolated homes and communities are now used to gun down people.  Why?

We are told the best protection we can have is with a doctrine that tells us we need not think for ourselves.  Why?

We have always respected and safe guarded individual religious beliefs and non believers alike. Now we are told that societies must make personal choices  which are contrary to what we believe.  Why?

We are told we represent one kind of ism or another because we question public policy.  Why?

We plead for civil, respectful dialogue on domestic, national and international issues.  Now we are told
that sensitive, complex issues which affect us are off limits.  Why?

Like my trip on an unfamiliar road from which there was no turning back, my experience that night
reminds me of the dilemma we face today.   Should we turn back in fear of what lies ahead or go forward?  Is it fear that clouds our ability to recognize reality?

The answer dear reader is yours to make.

FEBRUARY SKYWATCH

On this next to last day of February the moon rises high overhead

While elsewhere it hides behind clouds with rain, sleet  and ice

A mild breeze turns our attention away from gloom

Toward buds about to bloom and birds eager to sing for us

 As we call upon our determination to plan for the future with hope.

ANOTHER ENTREPRENEUR?

Recently on a trip to the state of Florida, I discovered the latest entrepreneurship on a coast teeming with tall palm trees.

We were going South, passing old railroad tracks that once hauled crates of oranges, coconuts and  pineapples proudly marked as being from"Sunny Florida", now carrying construction material like cranes and bricks.

As we traveled, huge billboards standing as high as the cranes we passed advertised local and national products, services and candidates who were running in elections past and current.  All these messages and the billboards  obliterated views of the Floridian flora and fauna.

When suddenly, a huge, black billboard loomed above us.  It advertised a company and appeared to be a truck stop. High on the billboard too were the words, "BARBER ON PREMISE."

I have seen "Showers " advertised at other trucks stops but "BARBER" was a first for me and I thought it was a great idea for drivers who make long hauls.

Be that as it may, it softened what might have been a long rant on my part against billboards
in general and on my trip to the sunny South in particular.

CIVIL RIGHTS AND RACISM

Less than a week ago the long-time nationally-known Civil Rights Activist Frankie Freeman died. She was 101 years old and worked all her life to achieve social,  legal and judicial equality for all people.  I was struck by the difference between the work Freeman leaves behind and the current furor over our President.

Charles M. Blow in today's New York Times describes our President as being "Racist Period."  Webster's dictionary defines "racism" as a belief that racial differences produce an inherent and  superiority of a particular race.

This country has a long history of nurturing people's dreams and opportunities. When justice is denied  to some of us it is incumbent on all of us to recognize it  and to work toward securing a fairer society.

When our President bullies and degrades others he reveals his own intolerance  for all of us and belittles all who have fought and worked to secure America's place in the world.

SO BEGINS 2018 ...

We are supposed to leave last year's "bad stuff" 

behind with the New Year.  We count the blessings of

friends and family and make resolutions for 2018.  

We turn inward to examine our short comings

and outward seeking new opportunities to do better.  

We dream of a world with greater

understanding for and between people.  

We hope in the words of a friend of mine,

"First things done that work at the start of the New Year 

means all things done the rest

of the year will work too." *

Perhaps we need to work harder in 2018 to make that so!

*Donald L.Snyder