What Would Jimmy Do?

I have a whole different perspective of today, November 2, than I’ve ever had before. When I was growing up in Maysville, Oklahoma, I never heard of the “Day of the Dead.” We had Halloween and I knew of something called All Saints Day, but that’s about it. There were no church services or any kind of celebrations to even acknowledge the day existed. 

My first exposure to the “Day of the Dead,” came shortly after I had graduated and left Maysville — one year we were in Mexico for a few days over Halloween. That’s the first I learned of a November 2 holiday called Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead.) People celebrated the day by visiting the graves of deceased loved ones and setting up alters with their favorite foods, drinks, and photos. I was told that people believed that the souls of the dead return to visit their living families on this day. 

It made an impression on me — I had never been taught any such belief and had never given much thought to it…. but I remember thinking how great that would be if it was true. After meeting Claire, it wasn’t a foreign belief to her at all, and I assumed it must be a Catholic thing. But it’s become apparent to me that for the most part, people that celebrate the Day of the Dead don’t attach any religious significance to it — they see it as a day of merriment, remembrance, and acknowledgment of cultural roots.

So despite its bleak name, the Day of the Dead isn’t a time for mourning or for spooking friends and neighbors. It’s a celebration of life — a time to honor the memory of deceased loved ones, to pray for the souls in purgatory and ask for prayers from those in Heaven. 

I’m going to Mass today, for the first time on the Day of the Dead. Not to celebrate death, but accept it. After all, it’s something that comes — and is certain — for everyone. If I read my church’s teachings right, it’s something natural — a step toward Heaven.

I think about Claire all the time — one thing that consoles me is knowing that only what she did for herself died…. what she did for others and the world remains and is immortal.
— 30 —

Happy Anniversary to Dave and Chassie!!!!
Love you both!

The most recent residents on the circle where we live are from India. Today may be Halloween for the rest of us, but this year, for our neighbors it’s the most important festival of the year — Diwali. It is celebrated across faiths by more than a billion people. Over five days, people take part in festive gatherings, fireworks displays, feasts and prayer. 

Diwali is derived from the word “Deepavali,” which means “a row of lights.” People light rows of traditional clay oil lamps outside their homes to symbolize the victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. 

The dates of the festival are based on the Hindu lunar calendar and typically fall in late October or early November. This year, the holiday is celebrated on October 31 and November 1. 
Of course this year,  Diwali falls on Halloween in the U.S. It’ll be interesting to see how our neighborhood handles the combination…..
— 30 —

I realized that I’ve been using the word “hope” a lot lately. I hope you’re feeling better, I hope you do good on your test, hope you can come, I hope it doesn’t rain, I hope it does rain…. etc.
That got me to thinking about hope. We use the word all the time and we really do “hope” a lot. 
I’ve always heard the phrase “faith, hope and charity,” but I’m not sure I ever really knew what it meant, and why are those three things grouped together? 

What is hope? I looked it up — Hope is a longing or desire for something good in the future. So it seems that hope is the desire for something better, or maybe something we want or something we don’t have — yet.
I guess that means that if you’ve got everything you want, and are completely satisfied with everything that’s happening around you, you’d have no need for hope. Well, maybe you’d hope that nothing ever changed. 

As some of you know, I’m at a difficult place in my life right now and very often lately, I’ve been tempted to lose hope. But I think hope is important — very important. Maybe that’s why I seem to have been using the word a lot lately. 
We all experience desire, faith, pain, courage, love, sorrow, etc. — but when listing these things, we often leave out hope… but it’s probably an integral part of all of these experiences or “feelings.”  Hope is even a part of our prayers — we all hope that our prayers will be answered….

When we hope for something, it’s usually not a “slam-dunk.” If something is easy to come by, we usually don’t hope for it. Same thing when something is impossible, or beyond our grasp — we don’t hope for those things either. We hope for things that are possible — maybe difficult, but possible. 

The definition of hope says it’s a desire for some good in the future. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but sometimes I hope for something bad to happen — but not to me — I never hope something bad happens to me. Sometimes I hope that criminals are put in jail, or that a mass-shooter’s gun jams, or things like that. So is the something good in the definition of hope only hope for the one doing the hoping? 

If you’ve read this far, you know there’s probably no point to this rambling — it’s just more of my self-therapy. 
But I did run across someone that seems to have a better grasp of hope than I do and he states his thoughts much more eloquently….
French poet Charles Péguy describes hope this way:
“Hope is a little girl. She is, in fact, the younger sister of Faith and Charity. Hope walks hand in hand with her two sisters on the “uphill path” called life. At first, she may appear to be the weakest of the three. But, on the contrary, it is Hope who carries both Faith and Love. It is Hope who moves the world.”
— 30 —

I’ve been reading a little more lately than I usually do this time of year. I recently picked up a book about John A. Macdonald. In case you don’t know (I didn’t) he was Canada’s first prime minister. Part of the book was on the dull side, but it turns out that he was a pretty interesting guy. Seems like recently he’s been treated maybe a little unfairly. In 2018 his image was removed from the Canadian $10 bill — his face had been on the bill since 1971. His name was removed from the Ottawa airport that was named in his honor in 1993. And a number of statues and monuments erected to honor him have been removed. 
But from what I can tell, by most standards, Macdonald was a good-humored, tolerant, liberal-minded man. He was known for his indulgence of criticism and for the charm of his personality.  However, it does appear that he enjoyed much of life through an alcoholic haze — but — he wound up supporting the temperance movement….

John was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1820 and arrived in Kingston, Ontario with his family when he was five.The future Sir John practiced law when he was only 17, supporting his mother and sisters when his father died. He was known to have wit, a good grasp of psychology, and an encyclopedic memory.
He went into politics and had the goal of uniting the British North American colonies into a new country. The fact that the inhabitants of Upper Canada were soured on Lower Canada, and Lower Canada thought the same about Upper Canada didn’t faze him. On Canada’s official start date — July 1, 1867, Macdonald became Canada’s first prime minister and, with a few interruptions, stayed in charge until his death in 1891.

Sir John’s regime was often marked by scandal and he spent a good part of his career in the pocket of big railway interests. But despite his flaws, Sir John is still loved — even in the midst of current actions against his memory. For instance, a 2018 poll found that 70 percent of Canadians opposed the removal of his image from the $10 bill.

Some of the best known stories about Macdonald concern his heavy drinking. Even in the days when both the House of Commons and the Senate had a bar directly beneath, and fully half the Members of Parliament were drunk by the late evening, Sir John stood out (maybe not up, but out.)
On the way to an election event, Sir John imbibed a little too much. As a result, he actually vomited on stage while his opponent was speaking. When his turn came to address the audience, Macdonald apologized — “ I don’t know how it is, but every time I hear my opponent speak it turns my stomach.” The crowd thought it was pretty funny. 
When party members complained about the heavy drinking of another member of parliament, Macdonald chewed that member out — “Look here, McGee, this government can’t afford two drunkards, and you’ve got to stop.”

Sir John gave a speech late at night after a liquid dinner. The speech didn’t make much sense, so the reporter covering it visited Macdonald the next day and asked for help in reconstructing his words. As the reporter read his notes, Sir John jumped up and give the entire speech — correctly. The reporter thanked him and as he left, Sir John gave him a kind warning — “Never report on a public speaker when you are drunk.”
When a government commission looking into a complex real estate scandal called Macdonald to testify, he was on one of his binges. Macdonald had shaking hands and bleary eyes, and commission members sighed, giving up hope of anything useful. But Sir John then proceeded, without any hesitation or reference to notes, to give all the details of the transaction, going back 20 years, including exact dates. 

In later life, during his happy second marriage, Macdonald curtailed his drinking and gave support to the temperance movement.
Given the political atmosphere in this country today, a “Sir John” just might not be a terribly bad choice. 
— 30 —

If you’re like me, you’re probably tired of hearing presidential candidates go on and on about how only they can solve the nation’s problems and they’re the only ones that can save our declining nation. Of course a lot of the “problems” they intend to solve are over-blown or non-existent to begin with, but these claims seem to make them important. 

The other evening after listening to one of their ads, I thought about a long time ago when I was in Vietnam. There was an elderly gentlemen that served as kind of a “night watchman” for the building that I lived in. I paid him to keep an eye on my motorcycle and we became pretty good friends. There was a curfew and I usually came in about that time and I’d often stop and talk with him. The streets were pretty much empty at that time of night and it was nice to sit and listen to him — he had lots of stories or “legends.” I remember one he told that was about someone having a distorted impression of his own importance. I hope I can remember enough of it to do it justice…..

There was once a famous Vietnamese statesman whose name was Ly. Ly was very short — he was so short that the top of his head was only about up to a normal person’s waist. Statesman Ly was sent to China to settle a very important political problem with that nation. When the Emperor of China looked down from his throne and saw this little man, he asked, “Are all the Vietnamese people little like you?” 

Lys’s answer was “Sire, in Vietnam, we have both little men and big men. Our ambassadors are chosen in accordance with the importance of the problem. As this is a small matter, they have sent me to negotiate. When there is a big problem between us, we will send a big man to speak with you.”
The Emperor of China thought about that — “If the Vietnamese consider this important problem only  a small matter, they must indeed be a great and powerful people.” So he lessened his demands and the matter was settled then and there. 
I wonder if the matter could have been resolved as easily if the network news channels or the Internet had covered the meeting…..
— 30 —

My niece Sue brought up a subject the other night that I hadn’t given much (make that any) thought about. She wondered why a lot of dinnerware, that a lot of people refer to as china, is made in Japan or some other country. Time for some extensive research…..

I immediately ran across an article that said that in 1890, President McKinley instituted a tariff requiring imports to show the country of origin. Dishes from China were marked CHINA, which is why Americans came to call all dishes “china.”

But — that’s not true. Americans don’t refer to their dishes as “china” because it says China on the back. According to historians, the term became shorthand among early American settlers because a lot of those dishes originated in China or was made in England to approximate Chinese wares — not because pieces were stamped CHINA.

So what’s the difference in “China” and “Dinnerware?” 
China is crockery made from clay, kaolin, feldspar, and quartz. That combination is then fired up in a kiln to create intricate, beautiful crockery designs.Usually the term China is used generically to describe high-quality dishes reserved for use during special occasions. 
Dinnerware is a broad definition of plates, dishes, serving bowls, platters, etc., used for serving and eating meals. Because it’s definition is so broad, dinnerware often includes China as a subset. 

China doesn’t just refer to fancy dishes. There are different types of China dishes — each with their own distinct qualities and features.
For instance, Fine China is made from fine-particle clay combined with feldspar, kaolin, and quartz, fired up at high temperatures in a kiln. This makes it extremely durable and nonporous. This procedure allows the dishes to be more delicately constructed with a heavier body and a smooth, white, lustrous appearance. It also allows shaped details to be incorporated into the body’s design.
Bone China is made from feldspar, ball clay, quartz, kaolin, and bone ash from farm animals, ground into a fine powder or ash. The mixture is then heated at a lower temperature than fine china. The technique results in a lightweight and delicate feeling with a translucent milky appearance. Bone China looks and feels more fragile, but it’s the strongest and most durable.

I’m sure there’s much more to be learned about this subject, but honestly, I think I’ve learned enough. What I eat off of really isn’ that important to me. If you want to call all nice dishes china, I’m good with that — you can even call it fine china if that makes you feel better…. or if it’s porcelain you can call them porcelain or even fine porcelain. I think I’ll just stick with a term I know— even if they’re ridiculously overpriced — dishes.
— 30 —

A number of years ago, our daughter, Kelly, gave Claire a recipe for a cake. It turned out to be very popular with just about everyone, and Claire made it often when we had guests for dinner, or sometimes just for us. The name of the cake is “Kelly’s Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake.” If you’re interested in trying it, it’s one of the recipes that’s in the St. Agnes Cookbook that Claire put together a number of years ago.

I guess because of the name, I always thought about an experience we had more than 40 years ago. Living in Manila, we had a filipino maid that was an excellent cook. And our cook, Carmen, had a “cousin” that was mostly Chinese (I never fully figured out the relationship) and her cousin didn’t speak English nearly as well as Carmen. But it turns out that the “cousin” was actually even a better cook than Carmen, and she often helped Carmen in the kitchen when we had dinner parties and sometimes she just came over and hung out for a few days at at time.

One year on Claire’s birthday, we came home from work and were planning to go out to celebrate her birthday later that night. When we came in there was a very big, elaborately decorated cake sitting on the table and Carmen and her “cousin” were smiling ear to ear. It was very impressive. The frosting had all sorts of designs and swirls in it. Claire was absolutely thrilled and heaped praise on both Carmen and her “cousin.” Carmen said that her “cousin” had made it especially for her birthday. Claire asked how did she manage to make some of the really intricate designs in the frosting. The “cousin” said, “I use toothbrush.” I guess Claire’s expression changed a bit on hearing that, and apparently, the “cousin” noticed it and understood her concern. She said, “No worry, Mum — I no use your toothbrush — I use my toothbrush.”
We could never think of Kelly’s cavity maker cake without remembering that birthday…..
— 30 —

I was invited out to dinner with 3 couples last week and during the conversation, someone mentioned the term “wedded bliss.” I hadn’t heard that for a long time. Well, of course, that got me to thinking — what the heck is bliss anyway? I checked the dictionary and it defined bliss as (1) complete happiness; (2) Paradise, Heaven. It also indicated that the first known use of bliss was before the 12th century.

But, as is often the case, dictionary definitions don’t really shed much light on a subject. I think when most people think of happiness, they think of everyday happiness, or things that make them happy in their day-to-day experiences. But bliss seems to be more — like some kind of happiness on a different plane. 

So, in my quest, I turned to someone that I’ve always had mixed thoughts about — Buddha. Well, as I expected, Buddhist texts didn’t let me down. If you’re interested, check out the writings of Buddha Amitabha (the Buddha of Infinite Light.) He talks about the Buddhist concept of an ideal world — the “Land of Bliss.” If I read it correctly, it breaks down to something like:
Bliss is an innate state of inner joy, a state of unity, transcendence, completeness, knowingness, wholeness and uplifted consciousness — a feeling of oneness and connection with all of creation. Bliss is where happiness, meaning, and truth converge.
It’s interesting that the writings indicate that bliss is found in every religion but does not require a specific religion in order to know it. 

So I guess bliss is something we should all strive for. 
But it seems to me that although I’ve heard the term “wedded bliss,” I’ve probably heard the phrase “ignorance is bliss” more often. It used to be a fairly common saying meaning  that happiness can be found in unawareness or lack of knowledge. If you think about it, “ignorance is bliss” is kind of like “what you don’t know can’t hurt you.” So to satisfy myself, and as a public service, I did a little extensive research:
Ignorance is bliss seems to have originated in a passage from a poem by Thomas Gray in 1742 — Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College. The actual wording is “Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.”

That actually sounds pretty good — if we didn’t read about others’ actions or national or global events it might shield us from todays’ stress and turmoil. But then again, would choosing to remain unaware of our world, or turning a blind eye to everything equate to bliss?
Is ignorance really bliss ? Probably not…..
— 30 —

I guess it shouldn’t come as any surprise to you that living in the Far East for a number of years, we ate a lot of rice. If we had a meal with potatoes, it was a real treat, and it rarely happened. 
I’m not complaining ‚ I like rice and have it often, even today. 

I think I’ve mentioned before that my maid/cook in Vietnam was a very good cook. But in all honesty, she was much better when she was making native dishes — she didn’t cook “western” dishes that often, but when she did, they were good. Maybe not as good as when she stuck to the Vietnamese traditional menu, but very tasty.
Anyhow, after things had settled down from the Tet uprising, one 4th of July, a co-worker came over one afternoon to have a drink. Unless I told her otherwise, the maid usually left shortly afternoon. But when we came in that afternoon/evening she was still there and asked if we wanted to eat. We said, sure — why not? She served us a traditional American meal, complete with a big bowl of mashed potatoes — with red, white and blue stripes. I think we were amazed, and she had the biggest smile you could imagine. I always thought that was pretty cool that she stayed late and prepared a special meal to celebrate a traditional American holiday. 
— 30 —