Looking Ahead

When an old person dies it's like a library has burned down.  - Dr. Art Cross


When I discovered that two OLD PEOPLE were going to speak at Forum this morning I was a tiny bit sceptical.

By old, I mean they're in their 90s.  Each has had what we might call an unusual life.  But, on the other hand, if we live to be 90 plus, we will all have some unusual stories to tell.

The first speaker was Pat Patton.  I wrote a blog posting about him on 4/6/15 titled "The Man Who Invented Radar."

 I liked that he began this morning by saying that his generation was defined by the great depression and World War II.

The other speaker was Dottie Norton.  I was impressed when she told us her parents were highly educated.  That certainly wasn't the norm in the late 1800s.  Pat explained that his parents went to the 8th grade.  That was the highest level of education offered in rural Alabama at that time.

Pat and Dottie were insightful, honest and incredibly funny.

Dottie spent 28 years teaching in Europe.  She told about an experience in France when she was traveling in the countryside with friends in a black Mercedes.  Along the way the car was shot at.  Naturally they stopped to tell the gendarmes.  It was explained to them that somebody was trying to assassinate Charles de Gaulle.  And he was riding in a black Mercedes.  So Dottie suggested that she saved Charles de Gaulle's life!

But prior to going to Europe, Dottie went to Mexico.  There she experienced an earthquake.  They were all gathered in the lobby of a hotel which was swaying back and forth in the middle of the quake.  One man in the hotel spent the night praying to the Virgin of Guadalupe.  The next morning he announced they were saved by the Virgin.

But Dottie said to us this morning "the virgin who saved them was me!"

Pat and Dottie also gave us some tips for living a long life.  Pat said to marry well.  Dottie said to live a clean life.  Both good advice!


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Happy Birthday Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush turns 90 tomorrow.  I have always admired her.  She has a well deserved reputation for saying what she thinks.  She's always been a "take no prisoners" kind of gal.

The current Time Magazine has a short Q & A with Mrs Bush.  The first question and answer go like this:

Your husband jumped out of an airplane for his 90th.  What's your plan?

Not jumping out of an airplane.  I'm not an idiot. 

To me, she wasn't speaking disparagingly about her husband, she was just speaking her own truth.

I've noticed that Mrs. Bush has lost weight in the last few years.  Remember when Phil Hartman would portray her on Saturday Night Live?  I think she had a sense of humor about it.  By the way, I like the way she looked then and I like the way she looks now.

I remember well, in 1990, when Barbara Bush gave the Wellesley commencement speech.  There were protests prior to, and booing during, the speech - not because of her politics - but because she didn't have a career.  Following is a portion of that speech:

For over fifty years, it was said that the winner of Wellesley's annual hoop race would be the first to get married.  Now they say, the winner will be the first to become a C.E.O.  Both of those stereotypes show too little tolerance for those who want to know where the mermaids stand.  So I want to offer a new legend:  the winner of the hoop race will be the first to realize her dream - not society's dreams --- her own personal dream.

And who knows?  Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the President's spouse--and I wish him well. 

Happy 90th Birthday, Barbara Bush!


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Cicero and the Forum

You are aware that I love the class I attend every Sunday called "Forum."  No, it's not like the Roman Forum, but these two concepts sort of merged this past Sunday when our presenter, Gary, asked us to discuss Cicero's "Six Mistakes of Man."  As it turned out, we had to postpone the discussion for another time.

Cicero, Roman Orator, Philosopher,
Politician, Writer, Lawyer
Born 106 BC, Died 43 BC            

Wouldn't you love to be in a group of smart, kind, open folks who want to hear your opinion on serious issues?  And then share their own?  I have this every Sunday. 

We'll discuss these "mistakes" at a later date.  Maybe you'd like to join us.  In the meantime, here they are.  What do you think?

Cicero's Six Mistakes of Man. 

1.  The Illusion that personal gain is made up of crushing others. 

We like to kid around about how this is a job description for lawyers.  But Cicero was a lawyer and Dave and I attended a funeral for a lawyer yesterday and heard many stories of love, kindness and generosity.  It is possible to be a successful lawyer or stock broker or real estate developer without the goal of crushing others?

2.  The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed or corrected. 

Easier said than done. 

3.  Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it. 

On Sunday we went straight from Forum to the worship service which started with a short video about Roger Bannister running the four minute mile.  Prior to that time, experts had said that it was impossible for a human being to do this.  Since Bannister did it, hundreds of people have done it, including kids and older folks.  I used to think I could do it.  But this made me think about "Mistake #2" and how do we really know that things cannot be changed or corrected?

4.  Refusing to set aside personal preferences. 

5.  Neglecting development and refinement of the mind, and not acquiring the habit of reading and study.

I'm totally with Cicero on this one. 

6.  Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.

I know people who think of this as their mission - but this is definitely not what Forum is about. 

I can't wait to discuss this stuff.

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Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Yesterday Dave and I had a date to see "Anything Goes" at the new state-of-the-art, pride of the city, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts - located right in the middle of downtown Orlando.

We went in the afternoon so we could enjoy the architecture in its surroundings. (And, of course, you know I like to be in my jams by about 7:00 PM.)

I had read the Center was "built without walls."  That's not exactly true but it certainly looks that way.

Phillips at night.  Dave took the other photos.

It was easy to find and easy to park.  Mainly because we used the valet.  We had a choice of paying either $35 or $25.  We chose the latter.

Despite the Orlando Sentinel's review that totally trashed "Anything Goes," we thought it was great.  Cole Porter is one of my favorite Broadway composers.  The troop tap-danced their hearts out.

One of the most heartwarming parts of touring the theater, for both of us, was seeing the lists of patrons who ponied up the funds to get this project completed.  Many of these folks we know personally and our hearts were warmed to remember, once more, how generous people are when they have passion for a cause.

There was one minor problem (almost).  Since Dave had paid for the tickets AND the parking I tried to hand him a $20 bill.  He laughed and said "no way."  But I didn't let up so he finally said he would play me a game of cribbage for it.  If I won I got to pay him.

I we played the game last night in our p.j.s.  I won!





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Adam Hamilton and the Three Baskets

Adam Hamilton is a super star in Methodism.  He's the founding minister of the (18,000 member)  Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City and a prolific writer.  In a couple of weeks he's going to speak at our Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

This is a yearly meeting where a big bunch of Methodists get together to do the business of the church and have some cool worship services.  I attended the Florida Annual Conference for about 35 years straight and was a delegate most of those times - but then I met Dave and everything changed.

But in thinking about all of the above I decided to re-read one of my favorite Hamilton books - Making Sense of the Bible - only this time I've done it as a devotion...reading one chapter every morning and meditating on it.

Following are a couple of "food for thought" sections:

How do you perceive God?  Hamilton discusses "God as micro-manager" as opposed to "God the absentee landlord."  The first makes everything that happens - happen.  The second created everything and then said, "I'm outta here.  You're on your own."  Discovering "The nature of God" has been a decades long pursuit for me.

In another section Hamilton talks about putting scripture into Three Baskets:

1.  The Timeless will of God for human beings - Hamilton suggests that this is the vast majority of scripture.

2.  God's will in a particular time but not for all time.

3.  Scripture that reflects the culture and historical circumstances in which they were written but never reflected God's timeless will. 

To me, the most important thing about all of Hamilton's books, is that they make me think.  After all, spirituality is a personal choice.  We learn this from Joshua 24:15.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, ...as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

I love the first part of this scripture - but I have a lot of problems with the last part.  I think it represents Old Testament culture.  The man can't really speak for his household, only himself.

I guess I'd have to put that scripture into two baskets.


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Welcome to Me

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

The main feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and emotions.  People with borderline personality disorder are also usually impulsive, oftentimes demonstrating self-injurious behaviors (risky sexual behaviors, cutting, suicide attempts.)

Imagine someone who fits the description above.  Or maybe, like me, you know and love people who fit the description above.

Now imagine that person winning the lottery to the sum of 86 million dollars.  What do you think he or she would do?

This is what the movie, "Welcome to Me," staring Kristen Wiig, is about.  Kristen plays Alice Klieg, a woman in her 30s whose original diagnosis was bipolar disorder but later changed to borderline personality disorder.

Alice knows what she wants.  She wants her own television show that totally and completely focuses on her and depicts (from her point of view) all of the pain that others have inflicted on her.

Is it difficult to watch?  Yes.  Does it seem real?  Yes.  We saw it yesterday.  Dave did not care for it.  I was kind of spellbound.  It mostly validated what I already know about this disorder.  Wiig does an amazing job of showing us this sweet, vulnerable, funny, smart, crazy, selfish, narcissistic, self destructive woman.

How much of the 86 million dollars is left when the movie ends?  I'm sure you know the answer.

Why didn't Dave like the movie?  My take on it is that he's way too well adjusted to relate.

My favorite character in the movie, besides Alice?  Her psychiatrist, played by Tim Robbins.  He obviously cares for and respects her but, in the end, he has to turn her away in order to save himself.

I get it.


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Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, Oklahoma!


Prior to a couple of weeks ago all I knew about Oklahoma was what I learned from the song.  On the first night of our trip we visited with old friends of Dave's  in Bartlesville, OK.

Little oil wells on every farm we saw.

I was expecting to have an nice time with them, which we did.  I was not expecting to particularly enjoy Bartlesville.

But the first thing that got me excited was the drive from Tulsa.  Along with the beautiful countryside, there were oil wells - everywhere!  I'd never seen a real one.  It was at that point that I realized we were not in Florida anymore.

Frank Lloyd Wright's
Price Tower.

Community Center designed by Wesley
Peters,  protege of Frank Lloyd Wright.

When we reached downtown Bartlesville, I was blown away.

This was once a rich, sophisticated oil town.   Dave wanted to show me the 19 story Price Tower building, designed by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright.  Wright called it "The tree that escaped the crowded forest."

We toured the place, inside and out.  We saw Wright's crazy (my assessment) array of angles and overhangs.  Not to mention crazy uncomfortable furniture.  He was something.

Price house designed by Bruce Goff
son-in-law of Frank Lloyd Wright.

When big oil came to Bartlesville, architectural  creativity followed.  The entire downtown is a mixture of styles - but Wright had an influence on most everything.

It was a fun, educational afternoon.


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