Monday, July 28, 2003
A Century of Hope
I've been terribly lazy lately and posting here has suffered as much as anything. Now the things I had hoped to catch up on here are eclipsed by the passing of Bob Hope.
In some ways I have always been a man out of time. Always connecting to to various periods of the past. I realize today that Mr. Hope represents one of the very few public ties left to a time I never lived in and a spirit I could only hope to emulate. When I came back to the church one of the things I began to learn was the difference between pleasure and joy. I listen today to clips of Bob Hope and hear the audience laughing. I hear true joy. I felt much the same way about George Burns too. Both men brought laughter to countless people. Joy even in times of despair. Both had long lived marriages. Both were characters in their own right. I realize too that in my mind these men were sort of Hollywood versions of my own grandfathers. Burns as Grandpa Cotton. A short, slender man. Once an adolescent vaudeville dancer and player of the clarinet. He smoked and drank too much. He had an eye for a pretty girl. Hope as Grandpa Kirby. Less rakish then Grandpa Cotton and occasionally stern. Not averse to a nip of the good stuff, and often wearing an impish grin he hides in him a strong streak of sentimentality as well. I'm not sure why I made this connection. Perhaps it's a reminder. First, that as famous as these men were our own family and friends can be the source greatest joy as well. Second, that in his passing Mr. Hope, as well as Mr. Burns, left behind children and grandchildren for whom he may have been even more important than to those countless laughing fans.
Bob Hope lived 100 amazing years. May God bless and keep him and comfort all those who mourn his passing.
JTC
posted by JTC 8:24 PM
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Men & Marriage
Read this article. It's a very strong & well articulated case for the place of a man in the family. I disagree a bit with the author toward the end. But overall he says much about where our responsibilities lie and where our failures have been. I'm more and more interested in things about family life. Perhaps even men have a nesting instinct. :-)
JTC
posted by JTC 10:54 PM
Will the real David Nelson please stand up!
I know most of you hip blog surfers already know about this but.....Apparently the there is a man named David Nelson on the Transportation Safety Administration's "No Fly" list. This is all well and good except for the many Davids Nelson across the country who can't get on a plane without a hassle. There's even a song about the trials of these poor souls called The Ballad of Davids Nelson. Look for the song here. Read more of the story here.
JTC
posted by JTC 10:45 PM
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
I just watched the PBS documentary Martin Luther. I've said before that I shouldn't expect any kind of objectivity from PBS and as usual they showed very little. I'll leave the picking apart of the details to people more scholarly than me. That said, know this: To be anti-catholic is truly the one remaining acceptable, ne popularly encouraged, prejudice.
JTC
Warrington, Pennsylvania
posted by JTC 11:24 PM
Friday, July 04, 2003
Independence Day
Here it is the 4th of July and I sit in my hotel room in the midst of working at a week long convention. Where else might I be you ask. I could be home with my family for the big annual picnic/reunion which has traditionally marked the 4th for us. These days though the gathering is small and the family largely dispersed. Like those attending this convention (for a denomination called The Church of God in Christ) I might too have been a convention goer. There is a conference of young adult Catholics just down the highway in DC this holiday weekend as well. It seems that many people have things to do, places to go, and people to see today. I had thought of writing today about family, about how I miss those picnics of years past; three legged races, hot dogs, and sparklers. But even then, just like all the people with big plans today, we had begun to lose sight of the why. We knew in the back of our minds why today is important. But we didn't remark on it. We didn't treasure it.
Today we celebrate the birth of a nation, our nation. Two-hundred twenty-seven years ago today our forefathers signed The Declaration of Independence. It was an act unlike any other in history that began a country unlike any other in history. The Declaration not only told King George where to go, but made a foundational statement about freedom and the rights of man. Certainly there was hypocrisy in this. There were no saints among the signers. But a true statement is made no less true by the failings of the speaker.
Today though if you were to stop people on the street many would not be able to tell you what is contained in the Declaration or in our Constitution either. Many people are unaware of the principles on which this nation was founded. Principles which we have yet to fulfill. I am among those who believe that the founders would be gravely dissappointed with our nation. Impressed though they might be with our achievements, they would see each of our state governments not too mention our national government as more tyrannical than that of King George. Flawed as they were the founders put all that they had on the line. For at least a brief moment in their lives they put principle ahead of other things. Can we say the same as a country? Can our leaders? When we vote, when we agitate for change, are we making choices based on right and wrong or based on pragmatism or personal gain?
I believe in the principles of our founding. I believe that we can be a great nation, a Christian nation, even a Catholic nation. We can fulfill the vision of our founding. Only though if we act from principle and from conscience. If we go forward as the founders did "....And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor".
JTC
from Baltimore, Maryland
July 4, 2003AD
posted by JTC 9:35 PM
