All The Way

The day was bright but the news wasn't. North Korea was making war time noises again. With their new young leader they were crazier than ever. He just didn't know how far a nut like that would go without causing much damage and disruption. Iran was just as crazy as ever.

The local cable news was full of disturbing news about the mistreatment of women. He could kid about the USA getting on the road to hell when they got the vote. This was done just to annoy the women in his life. The news was not kidding when it reported the sex trafficking world wide. In the USA alone there was thousands of women being held prisoners for sexual purposes. Places like India still had reported immolation of women who were not wanted by their husbands. Afghanistan was fighting just to get schooling for young girls with one reported beaten severely because she wanted to go to school. Keep women unschooled you keep them prisoners of husbands because they have no chance to earn a living at any but the most menial jobs. It is reported that in Thailand children are used for sex and human trafficking.

The poor of the war live off garbage dumps scavenging for whatever they can get so they can eat. Yet we have the ability in the civilized world to produce enough food to feed the world. Even when we give away food some despotic governments let the food rot on the piers rather than distribute it to their poor.

The world is well aware of these things as well as the genocide being conducted in certain parts of Africa, yet nothing is done by the civilized world to correct these atrocities. No matter how bright and warm the day was he couldn't shake off these disturbing reports and return to his little bubble where his problems seemed so insignificant compared to what was going on in the world. Yet he knew he had to live his life with gusto and verve because it did no one any good to become depressed over things that were beyond his control. He did what he could and then tried to get his life on course.

He felt he had been thrown a curve because he was pretty comfortable with his life as he had set it up. He was making enough money to live comfortably for him. He was enjoying good restaurants, plays, movies and concerts. He met some very interesting ladies. He felt OK. Then he met one gal that upset everything because he had the bad judgement of falling in love with her. This meant making commitments. This meant doing something about a situation he could control. It wasn't like the world problems that he could do little about. He would have preferred just a casual relationship but it turned into something more and with that there came commitments like fidelity, putting one's own desires in the background and concentrating on making her feel happy rather than just himself. He thought about breaking off their relationship but when he finally came face to face with that idea he realized that he'd be the most miserable person in his world without her. He knew there was only one thing he had to do and that was to take action.

He came to the conclusion that was what life was all about, taking action about what you care deeply about. Maybe he couldn't change this lousy way women are treated in this world but he could send some money to the causes trying to correct these problems. He could also change his attitude and speech with regards to the things in the world that really bothered him. He could also support those who were fighting for justice in this world. Not be afraid of what his friends might say even if he sounded like a radical or God forbid, a socialist because he would want the poor to be uplifted even if it meant redistribution of wealth. He would have to go all in, do what he could, all in all the way.

This thinking translated very much to what he was feeling about this lady whom he was having such deep feeling about. He would have to commit to love all the way. They had a dinner date that night and he decided to tell her of his feelings and if she reciprocated  then he would read her the lyrics of a song he heard in his youth that would describe his commitment perfectly. His only problem would come if she reached another stage and she only wanted to be friends. He decided not to think about that and headed for the shower to get ready for tonight's date. He always sounded good singing in the shower and he did so this time:

When somebody loves you
It's no good unless he loves you all the way
Happy to be near you
When you need someone to cheer you - all the
way

Taller than the tallest tree is
That's how it's got to feel
Deeper than the deep blue sea is
That's how deep it goes - if it's real

When somebody needs you
It's no good unless he needs you - all the way
Through the good or lean years
And for all the in-between years - come what
may

Who knows where the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if you'll let me love you
It's for sure I'm gonna love you
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net]
All the way
All the way

Taller than the tallest tree is
That's how it's got to feel
Deeper than the deep blue sea is
That's how deep it goes - if it's real

And when somebody needs you
It's no good unless she needs you - all the way
Through the good or lean years
And for all the in-between years - come what
may

Who knows where the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if you'll let me love you
It's for sure I'm gonna love you
All the way
All the way

I'm gonna love you all the way

Songwriter(s):Mathew Sargeant, Charles Robert Simpson, Irving Berlin, James Bourne

     

Jesus, Judas and Peter

Jesus had twelve Apostles who were his close confidants in his ministry. He certainly felt a closeness with the sons of Zebedee, John and James and he instructed all of them. Some might have been related, cousins, like Jude and his brother James but none where more intimately bound to Jesus in their destiny than Peter and Judas.  What we know is found in the Gospels and tradition, word passed on from generation to generation.

Peter was a widower when Jesus came upon him. He had at least one son who became a follower of The Way. Peter was apparently taking care of his mother-in-law as the Gospels point out she was sick and Jesus cured her ills and then she waited upon them. Peter was a business man. He also worked in the business. Apparently he was a big bruiser and some tradition says he wasn't afraid of a fight if one came his way. The boat he owned wasn't a big fishing trawler rather an over-sized,  heavy open boat which had to be rowed and maybe had sails. They fished with nets. When the fishing was good the nets would fill up and one had to have good back, arms and legs muscles to be able to get the boat and the fish back to shore. When his day was over he was tired but some say he relaxed at what could be called the neighborhood pub only wine was drunk not beer. Peter's brother, Andrew, also an Apostle, was the first to get Peter's interest in Jesus. But Peter probably figured his brother was always following some so called prophet or another, after all didn't he follow that Baptist fellow around. Peter wasn't looking for any cause after all his wife left him early, he had a family including his mother-in-law as well as a business to take care of. The boat had to be maintained as did the nets so it wasn't just going out into Lake Galilee and fish in the sun, like the song "Lazy Bones" says. This took hard work, long hours and an ever increasing knowledge of when and where to fish. One gets the feeling Peter, Simon as he was called in those days, liked to work, play and laugh hard. When Jesus saw him he knew he had a charismatic something about him. He recognized the leadership skills. He certainly was a big guy and Jesus knew immediately Peter would be the rock on which he would build his church. Peter in turn was immediately attracted to Jesus and he would do whatever he wanted because he instinctively felt all the other matters, family, business and the like would take care of themselves. So he left everything and followed this itinerant preacher. And for the first three years it was a ball, all sorts of crazy things were happening. Crowds were building. Money was flowing in from Jesus' followers and was given back to the community almost immediately. Miracles were occurring without a break, the blind would see, lepers were healed, a multitude was fed with only seven fishes and loafs of bread with left overs, no less. Peter had to rein in his impulsiveness and had to hold back his temper. He had to control himself even when he thought Jesus was being taken advantage of. He and his fellow travelers were scolded more than once for staring at a pretty girl. Jesus wanted them to respect everything and everyone. Peter loved being one of Jesus' close confidants. Things were getting a little sticky though, the Jewish authorities were trying to say that Jesus was becoming too big for his britches. He was challenging them and that was no good. Some actually thought Jesus was blasphemous. Others were like any politician of any day trying to keep their position at all costs.

Three years into the ministry they sent soldiers to get Jesus. Peter couldn't let this happen. He still carried his knife used to gut fishes and when one solider made a move on Jesus Peter stood up and slashed the guys ear off. There was blood all over the place. Peter was ready for a fight. Peter was ready to die at Jesus' side. And Jesus said he would deny him three times! Peter was ready to go down in glory but he was going to take a few soldiers with him. But wait, Jesus was admonishing him. He told Peter to put away his weapon, picked up the ear and miraculously reattached it and the blood stopped. The soldiers grabbed Jesus and dragged him away. Peter was confused. Peter for the first time was frightened. Peter didn't understand. He followed Jesus to the high priest quarters, Herod's and back and finally to the Roman Governor's place. Sure as shooting Peter denied him three times vehemently. Confused, battered, and afraid he wept when they dragged Jesus to Golgotha. They strung Jesus up like a common criminal and in disgrace Peter watched the person he loved die. A-midst all the confusion, guilt and misunderstanding Peter never fell into the despair that he committed a grave sin and would never be forgiven. He felt he should have given his life to be at the side of Jesus even though Jesus didn't fight as Peter would have fought. Peter was rewarded with this faith, with never falling into despair, hopelessness. Peter became a great figure beloved throughout history and probably until the end of time even though he too finally was crucified, upside down at his request for he felt such a great love and reverence for Jesus that he couldn't allow himself the dignity of dying a supposedly ignominious death exactly like Jesus.

Not much is said about Judas Iscariot and what is said or written isn't very nice. We know he was a Zealot. What was Jesus thinking taking a Zealot, a fanatic, into his peaceful loving group? Jesus didn't make mistakes about who he wanted with him so he chose this Zealot who belonged to a party that wanted a  revolution and death to the Roman conquerors. On top of all that he put him in charge of the treasury which at the height of Jesus' popularity must have been overflowing. My guess is Judas was never very popular with the other eleven guys. Judas must have been thinking that Jesus was the Messiah that was going to lead a successful revolution. Imagine how disappointed he was when he finally realized that just wasn't going to happen. Jesus picked him so I guess he must of loved him. Jesus wasn't a fool he knew that Judas was a marked man and was destined to betray him. Judas it is said in one of the Gospels was stealing from the treasury. I bet he was siphoning some cash off to the Zealot groups that wanted to overthrow the occupation. I really feel that Judas loved Jesus and that was shown when he threw the bribery, blood money, back at the priests, thirty two pieces of silver, he never took it. He was in fear, yes, but he was suddenly confronted with the severity of what he did. If he hated Jesus he would have taken the money for his cause, or to celebrate instead he threw it back in the faces of the Priests and ran away finally hanging himself in the fit of despair. I believe that he snapped and he had a mental breakdown. I believe he both loved Jesus and hated the fact that there would be no violent overthrow of the occupying Roman forces. Like Peter, he was a broken man. Unlike Peter he couldn't live with himself so out of grief with the full realization of what he had done he snapped. Like Peter he will be remembered until this earth disintegrates. He will be remembered however as traitor, an anti-hero and it is a shame. Jesus did say that the person who betrays him would be better off if he wasn't born but I don't read hatred or anger in that, I read love, empathy, sympathy for one of Jesus' own who had to suffer deeply until he broke so that a prophesy could be fulfilled.

I think that somehow we all have a bit of Peter and a bit of Judas within us. We can be the hero or the anti-hero. We can rise above our failures or succumb to bitterness and despair leading to self destruction. One thing I am sure of, with no proof to back it up, Jesus welcomed them both into his kingdom and told them tears will no longer be shed, only smiles, peace laughter and good wine will be served in his kingdom.                     

Don't Let It Slip On By

A very dear friend of mine clued me into a Christian Rock Group called "Find Favor".  Heard on a Christian contemporary Station singing an original tune called "Slip On By". The theme of the song was done before by many songs not the least are two that were very popular in the last part of the last century, "Yesterday When I was Young" and "Those were the days My Friends'. Perhaps not exactly on the mark but about wasted  youth and times gone by never to be recaptured, and of course Tom T Halls "Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine". In my mind though all the songs about missed chances, misspent youth like "If I could Put Time In A Bottle" and the one that says something like "My boy turned out just like me", (Cats In The Cradel) a father bemoaning the fact that his attention to earning a living leading to ignoring his family now has it turned on him as his son is too busy to take notice of a physically failing Dad, all are depressing because what has been missed can never be recaptured yet they never talk about doing something NOW, today, this moment and the second chances God gives all of us.


I am sure anyone reading this has lived long enough to rue at least one thing in their lives if not a hundred that they would change if they could. The problem with that feeling is you can't undo what has already been done. I wonder if my friend thought the words of "Slip On By" could in some way pertain to us. Relationships, friendships, be they romantic or platonic, all have their bumps and none are so smooth, even marriages of many years that seem perfect, that can't be made better. How many marriages, friendships become stagnant, boring, full of ennui because they are too much trouble to work at; because they are too much trouble to turn one's own concerns to the background while finally realizing there is another person in the room. The English language has one word for emotions that run deep, love. The Greeks had four or five because there is love on so many levels, Erotic, Filial, Agape, physical, between family and friends and the spiritual, God's love or if you prefer the love that permeates the universe, unseen but felt by all. Interaction between us humans involves two strong emotion, love and hate. But we are dealing with love here not the anti-love that is hate.


So all this is leading up to saying Find Favor's song is about doing something today and every day to keep the love in your life burning, exciting and alive. The time to do it is now, don't waste a minute, don't put it off till tomorrow because the only God given time we have is now. I am going to give you readers a gift. The link below will lead you to uTube and Find Favor's "Slip On By". Click on the link, maybe a right click if a left one doesn't work.   Or copy and paste to your browser.  Listen with you ears, mind and heart and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrrXghWl0bM

Love Is A Four Letter Word

There was nothing to do but wait for the storm. The forecasts all predicted it was sure to hit in a few hours and pummel the area he was living in. The idea was not to get too far away from his abode or the storm could strike quickly with a fierce force and he would be stuck far away from the safety of his home. He kind of felt that this was the way it was in his life. He wandered a little too far from the safety of what he knew best and now he was waiting for the storm to hit. There was nothing he could do about for what was about to happen was going to happen and he had lost control of the situation. He noticed there were beads of water forming on the windows and some snow was beginning to come down in flurries. Yes the storm was beginning quietly perhaps but if the forecasters were correct the full fury would be striking soon.

He inserted the CD into the slot. He was ready to listen to what she gave him, Jason Mraz, "Love Is A Four Letter Word", which had 12 songs on it. The fourth song, "I won't Give Up" had special meaning for them. There was a beautiful foldout in the cover which had a quote from Fred Rogers, that's right the Mr. Rogers of the kids show, "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood which said, "Understanding love is one of the hardest things in the world.". He thought this strange, a host of a children's show being quoted in a CD by a  rock folk singer who is singing about love between two people. This is far from a kids show, he thought but then he found a lot of quotes by the late Fred Rogers that really weren't meant for the children alone.

The weather wasn't looking as fierce as they had predicted. Maybe the prognosticators  were wrong he hoped. He never liked snow even when he was a kid. He turned the volume on his player up very loud and he settled in his chair closing his eyes and letting the sound of music combined with the beautiful lyrics completely envelope him. He was trying to remember if he ever told her of his true feelings for her. He guessed it didn't really matter if he did or didn't as he was fearful of rejection if he forced the issue. He mused that was probably why he was alone at an age when it really isn't good to be flying solo. This time it was different. This time he really didn't want to be without her. She had become to mean too much to him. This time he wanted it to be forever not for just a night, or a day or a year. He wasn't prepared for this reaction on his part yet it was there. He was already missing her smile, her laughter, her snuggling up to him as they watched the movies in the cinema. The CD came to an end and he opened his eyes and noticed that the storm was letting up already and there were glimmers of sunlight trying to peek through the clouds giving a beautiful glow to some flakes still falling gently to the ground. He hit the play button and the album started over again.

He rested back into his chair, closed his eyes and let the sound words and music envelope him once again.

"The Woman I Love" was finishing and Jason was singing "Yeah I gonna love you, Yeah I'm gonna Love you, You're the woman I love." then "I Won't Give Up" came on and it was about a love that wouldn't walk away, that had hopes, that despite problems they would always try and never give up.

He dozed into a fitful dream. The dream was vivid. She was with someone else. He was alone because because he was too fearful to take the risk and tell her how he felt. As she started to walk away with him, he jolted himself into consciousness.

He opened his eyes with a start. "What the hell is wrong with me?", he thought. This might be my last chance at happiness. I have to take the risk and tell her how I feel and give her a chance to say she doesn't feel the same. He dialed her number after a few rings she answered, "Hello", he replied,  "Hi this is me.  Can we meet tonight and talk about loving and laughing for the rest of our lives?. Oh, and by the way I love you." There was a silence that seemed longer than it probably was and she replied, "Sure. You want to meet tonight for dinner?" "Yeah, tonight is fine. Name the time and place.". She replied "Meet me after work around five." After a short pause she said, "I love you too.".  

He looked outside and noticed the sun was shinning brightly, the storm was over as though it never came.

"AND THE OSCAR GOES TO" Year 2013

For the first time in a very long time I watched the Oscars from the beginning to the end, EST 8:30 to a little past Midnight and I really liked it. Seth MacFarland was the sole host and he was great. Irreverent but on the mark. He got up to the edge of being distasteful but never went over the edge. He was funny, bright and even had fun poking some humor at himself with William Shatner's help.

All the girls, excuse me, women, looked beautiful and sexy without looking slutty. The one who showed the most poise was Jennifer Lawrence, who at the age of 22 has now won two Oscars  As she was running up the stairs for this year's Oscar she stumbled and fell and yet she still gracefully recovered with grace and poise. What a sweetheart! Is it me or doesn't she look different every-time we see her? She was gorgeous in "Sliver Lining, Playbook" which I saw and fell in love with her, not really but you know what I mean, her character and her looks,   but I wouldn't have recognized her last night. I mean she was still very pretty, but different. "Silver Lining" character would have had me in bed in a moment at the Oscars she reminded me of my Granddaughters. She is an amazing actor and hopefully won't sit on her laurels. Hopefully she will continue to study, improve, and just keep getting better and sexier.

Anne Hathaway looked very classy. She is such a beautiful woman and accomplished actress. She did a great job in "Les Mis" and deserved her Oscar. The fact is I thought "Les Mis" deserved the best picture award. The picture was flawless because it had some flaws that made it even greater than what it would have been if they, for example, lip synched instead of filming the singing live. They would have had a studio perfect recording perhaps but not the strain and sweat and full emotion of performers who were living the moment instead of acting it. All involved with this production, performers, technicians , director and producers did such a grand job in mounting a great, great motion picture in my mind which needed greater acclimation than they received. However, I was not dismayed by "Argo" winning best picture. Loved the fact that Ben Afflack snubbed as a Director by the Academy had his chance to shine if not gloat when as a Producer he accepted the best picture Oscar.

Daniel Day-Lewis deserved his third Oscar award for best actor, portraying Lincoln so well one got the feeling that the screen actually had Abraham Lincoln on the screen rather than an actor's portrayal. I thought Tommy Lee Jones should have won best supporting actor but I have to admit I didn't see "Django Unchained" so I can't comment intelligently on Christoph Waltz. I did like DeNero's portrayal in "Silver Lining" but he has been playing a lot of fathers lately and frankly I didn't see that much different from his other roles. DeNero is a great American artist but as he got older he gave a lot of boiler plate performances, drawing from past roles and I think he continues to do this even in "Silver Lining" but not as much. The young DeNero was so different from one role to another as the character changed so did he facially, in mannerisms in voice inflections but lately, to me anyway, he gives boiler plate performances. To me any way, he seems to be acting not living the moment. Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings, Playbook" main character on the other hand, who by the way is a graduate of The Actor's Studio in New York, really lived his role as did Jennifer Lawrence which made the picture so much better than the script. These two young actors tore up the screen by living the moment, by pulling truth out of fiction and bringing life to what was based on an emotional true story of a person who had a son with mental health problems. They were the heart and soul of this picture because they didn't act they lived the characters and made it all seem real and true.

Everything clicked for me as the show progressed. All the productions and performers were right on track. Barbara Streisand still has a magical presence and a golden voice. Shirley Bassey at 76 was beautiful with a voice as strong as ever as she celebrated one of the James Bond songs, her song.  Michael Douglas looked great as he seems fully recovered from his serious bout with cancer. I personally loved Seth MacFarland's little ditty kidding the girls who went bare breasted in some of their films, called "I Saw Your Boobs".

For a long time I drifted away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood because I had some touch of it as an executive with the long gone American International Pictures and my brief stint as a performer, musician and actor. I guess as I aged I became jaded and a bit cynical. But lately, due to influences that have recently entered my life I have been exposed to the joy of a good picture, a wonderful acting performance, of being lifted to heights that only being immersed in a good all around artistic performance and production could lift me to. I have tossed off that cynical thought that only profits motivated the artist and have returned to that childlike acceptance that there is joy in living with expectations and believing that there is much more to life than dollars, cents and politics. I guess I have become child-like, ready to accept the wonders the world has to offer. This attitude has helped me to accept and enjoy shows like the Oscars which celebrates creativity and the joy of playing in the sandbox. It is much better to be back in the sandbox than out of it.        

Happy Birthday, Kid!

He was born in the middle of the Great Depression, the dirty thirties. The earliest memories were of the place he lived in Corona, Queens. They lived in a semi-attached house with stoops which everybody sat on during the hottest summer months. The houses mirrored each other and they had three families in them. His grandmother lived right next door, and there were people living downstairs. But right next door was his cousin, a pretty gal named Eleanor. Ellie was a little older so she hung with his brother who was four years older than him. But the best part of Corona was all the rest of his family lived within walking distance, Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Everybody went to each other's homes and the best part was all his cousins' friends were available too with their mothers and fathers. Everybody knew everybody and he remembered all the laughter that seemed to be around. He was the baby and his female cousins friends loved to grab him and hug him to their bosoms. He really loved that, didn't know why but it felt real good even when he was was just a little kid. As far as he knew everybody was Italian just like he and his family were. Everybody had great smells emanating from their kitchens especially on Sundays when the gravy (sauce to the purists) would simmer for hours on the stove with the great meats in it. Everybody eventually dipped a bit of Italian bread into it just to taste. When the macaroni, no one called it pasta, was almost finished the Momma would take some out and with the gravy let Poppa taste and if he nodded then it would be poured into the colander and  could all sit down and eat that delicious meal of Macaroni and meatballs or sausage or whatever. He only had great memories of his earliest years in Corona when his parents and the world and all his family and friends were really young.

They moved to a great place not too far from Corona called Queensborough Hill and while the friends and family he knew remained in Corona they were not too far away. His earliest memories of  "The Hill" were of the fact that while there were a lot of Italians around there were other people also most of them Irish. In fact his first friend on The Hill was an Irish kid named Eugene who they called Babe. They remained friends forever which was great in his mind as it gave real solid roots to his life growing up on The Hill. Everybody knew everybody on The Hill or at least it seemed so. The kids would go up to the schoolyard and play handball, stickball, softball, basketball, ring-a-leavio, Chinese Hand ball (asses up) and gamble in a corner by playing cards and throwing dice. There was always a fight or two breaking out each week but no grudges were held. Everybody knew everybody and in a strange way respected the fact that we all belonged because we lived on "The Hill". All the parents looked out for the good of each other and of their kids. God forbid you were caught doing something really bad your parents found out about it right away and took the corrective action to make sure you returned to the straight and narrow. So when you sneaked a smoke or a swig of wine you made sure no grown up was in sight. He went from that Elementary School into High School and right into work, a job his mother got for him before he could say no. The world was still young but it and all in it were getting older. A lot of the family were getting older and sicker and while there were still plenty of laughs a lot of tears were sneaking into the mix.

The years that followed saw him take the place of his parents as he fell in love, raised a family, had children became the elder in the family while he saw most of those that occupy his earliest memories fade away into that other spiritual existence  His children were no longer children, had children of their own and his world no longer was young but it was still full of excitement, pleasure and laughs, lots of laughs. He always felt when he stopped laughing at the world, the people that occupy it and most important at himself it would be time to chuck it all and check out. What made this sorry earth a great place to live were a few things, music, family,
the excitement of expectations that something good was about to happen, laughs, plenty of laughs but most of all love. A love of creation and it's beauty. The love of family, children, grandchildren. The love of friends. The love of a good woman to share life with. But most of all the love of God and all the beauty He has created for all of us to enjoy if we only stop a moment and look around and marvel at this crazy world and all the great people in it. While he was thankful he still had all those great memories from his youth he made a promise to himself to continue to live a life that will make new memories that are just as great.

 

         

But The Greatest Is Love

He had turned off the TV. There was the usual political debates, the dopey half hour sit-Com's, the dopey night time soaps and the late night news which contained very little news if one can call the spots that seemed to be promos for some program or other that was or will be on that particular network, news. He felt he should be tired but wasn't. He kept thinking how far away from actually living these super stars, politicians or entertainers really were. One thing he was sure of everyone had their own agendas that were lurking in the background of whatever they were doing publicly at that moment. Everything centered around money. Karl Marx was right, economics really was at the core of everything.

For the first time in his life he actually contributed to a political campaign. Now every day, Emails arrive from various politicos requesting a contribution from five bucks and up. The race is over, he thought, "What the hell?".

Wounded Veterans charities, Children's Hospitals, Christian Children groups, even various animal organizations show promos of starving, maimed, and desolate people and animals that he could help for only nineteen dollars a month, that is sixty three cents a day, not much when one considers a pack of cigarettes cost around twelve bucks which translates to sixty cents a cigarette. That stark figures are maybe $372.00 a month to kill yourself with lung cancer as opposed to $19.00 a month to help to save someone. But for most of us we couldn't save all because with all the charities mentioned one has to factor in money to support the church, synagogue, hospitals, orphanages and the like we would be bankrupt before long.

But what about just living, like rent or mortgages or taxes or food, shelter and clothing? What about a vacation now and then? What about the cost of College, or even private El-hi schools? When does what we do for ourselves get over taking care of our needs and becomes selfish? These characters in the news do not concern themselves with the everyday necessities of living that we have to be concerned with, he thought. The super stars and politicians don't have to get up at 6 every day and do the grunt work that pays for everything. They are concerned with keeping their levels of living on the highest standard that they have obtained. Some were born into the elite class but most had to fight for it, especially the entertainers and sport stars. Now they are living like it will never go away, but it might, it can and in some cases it will go away in the sea of bad investments, high living all leading to financial ruin. So they fight to keep what they have indulging themselves always living in fear that they may become ex-elitists.

He still was not sleepy so he poured himself a night-cap of Scotch neat he could sip on and savor while he let his thoughts run free. He didn't want to accept the thought that economics ruled. He never wanted to think that money was the ruler. His mind settled on a phrase from a writing that he read so long ago, which went something like this, "All we have left is faith, hope and love but the greater of these is love.".  He mused that is something he hoped he lived his life on. All of these things are centered for the search for truth. He thought that these ideals wouldn't be accepted in today's world since concepts must be hypothesized, tested and results based on facts. whereas faith is a firm belief in something for which there is no proof and rooted in faith is hope, looking forward to getting what you have faith in even though all you have is the faith that the goal exists. What makes love the greatest of these three, is that it is unconditional affection with no limits or boundaries. He poured himself a second Scotch took a sip and thought yes I like the idea of living with the concepts that we can't prove everything and we must have something to sink our roots in to ground us. We must always have hope that our goals will be reached especially of they are grounded in love.

When his world was young it was filled with these ideals as he struggled to keep his family afloat while he tried to enjoy the joys afforded him not the least of which was the love shared between him and his wife. She probably never realized it but her love, support and sweet kisses kept him going for without her he would have turned surely into the materialistic person that only thought of the concrete and never the spiritual. She had been gone for many years now and he floundered as a rudderless ship without her. He guessed he started to become materialistic because he didn't have her beauty, charm and spirit to remind him that the world has great unseen pleasures for those who seek them. His values started to come back when by chance  he met someone he hadn't seen for years.

He finished the last drop of Scotch and thought that chance meeting and the ensuing meetings gave him back something that he had lost and that was the very things that he wanted to live by. He guessed it was that the relationship was grounded in love, unconditional with no limits or boundaries which resulted from a firm faith that this meeting was no accident that somehow it was planned by whatever spirits ruled the earth that wanted two people to find happiness and contentment. The hope which always remains that only good will result as long as the spiritual ruled and rationalism was not pursued.

As he got under the covers he thought to himself that he has to stop watching all these news shows as they really are not news and are depressing. He didn't want to be depressed. As he drifted off to the land of nod he thought, "All will pass away except faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love.". He fell into a deep sleep content in the knowledge that the values of his youth never really went away they were just hiding until someone came along and rejuvenated them.