THE POLIO VACCINE PIONEER

Karen's Polio Test, Olathe, KS

THE POLIO VACCINE PIONEER

 I spent the afternoon sorting items from my wife Karen’s childhood including some scrapbooks that contained all manner of things that a young girl would consider important in her life at the time.  I kept a scrapbook which contained clippings of the scorecards from my illustrious bantam baseball career that were religiously published in the Emporia Gazette.  I scuttled it years ago when I realized that these faded clippings were no longer relevant to my life. 

Karen’s collection included early crayon artwork, holiday cards, scattered school photos that were passed out at year’s end, playbills from school performances (some bearing her maiden name for various roles), napkins from special dinners or vacations, etc.  It occurred to me that most of these items we kept in our youth reinforced our enthusiasm and growth towards adulthood but really didn’t have much use as we moved along in life.

And then I came across a surprising May 13, 1954 article in The Olathe Mirror newspaper that caught my attention, as the world is now in the midst of testing and inoculating everyone for the COVID-19 virus. The lead in to the front-page photos stated that “second grade children of Johnson County schools will receive this week their second inoculation of the vaccine which may open the way for the control of paralytic polio.”  In the photo Karen was documented as the first girl to receive the shot at Central school and told her classmates waiting their turn in the corridor, “Didn’t hurt a bit.”

The phrase “may open the way” caught my attention so I did a bit of researching on the web.  I found that president FDR contracted polio in 1921 which left him paralyzed.  In 1938 he helped create the March of Dimes which enlisted the star power of celebrities from Mickey Rooney to Mickey Mouse.  A neighbor boy that I played with contracted polio and was in an iron lung until he actually recovered.  So, polio got personal.  There was no vaccine to stop it. 

Polls taken in the years following WWII revealed that the only thing Americans feared more than polio was nuclear war.  The current coronavirus pandemic primarily affects older adults while the poliovirus attacks children.  It arrived each summer ultimately closing swimming pools, movie theaters, birthday parties, etc.  I remember people lining Commercial Street from block to block with dimes placed on wooden boards to finance research.

Then in 1952 a little-known scientist named Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburg developed a “killed-virus” vaccine by growing samples of the virus and then deactivating them by adding formaldehyde so that they could no longer reproduce.  This tricked the immune system into manufacturing protective antibodies.  He then tested his vaccine on thousands of monkeys, then children at two Pittsburg institutions and then his entire family. 

I found an article that stated “on April 26, 1954, six-year-old Randy Kerr was injected with the Salk vaccine at the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. By the end of June, an unprecedented 1.8 million people, including hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren, joined him in becoming “polio pioneers.”  In April 1955, it was announced that the vaccine was effective and safe, and a nationwide inoculation campaign began.

And then it finally struck me!  My wife Karen and her second-grade schoolmates were inoculated in May 1954 in the southern Kansas City suburbs.  That was just after the first child was vaccinated and before the vaccine was approved for public use.  She was one of the initial Polio Pioneers that led to the suppression of the dreaded poliovirus pandemic!

She never mentioned it and I would have never discovered it if I hadn’t taken the time to read a faded, long-forgotten newspaper article with her second grade photo.

CONFIDENCE, FAITH AND LOVE

Daughter & Grandson, Chicago, IL

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

“Once all the villagers decided to pray for a desperately needed rain.  On the day of prayer, everyone gathered in the central square, but only one boy brought an umbrella.  That is confidence.

We plan big things for tomorrow, in spite of no knowledge of the future.  That is faith.

We see the world suffering, but still, we get married and we have children.  That is love.” --Unknown  

I believe every generation is challenged with extraordinary circumstances that can be paralyzing to some people and challenging to others.  Our parents were part of The Greatest Generation that defeated the Axis forces that sought to destroy our country and way of life in WWII.  My wife and I then grew up in a time when school children were taught to crawl under their desks or sit in hallways in the possible event of a nuclear war.  Two of the first atomic bombs had been dropped on Japan to end WWII.  We were taught that the world was rapidly approaching a climate change that would soon be irreversible.  We were told that the world population was multiplying at a rate that was unsustainable.  Zero Population Growth was the mantra of the day.  The United States had entered into a cold war with Russia.  Russia had launched a Sputnik satellite that circled the planet over our heads.  I still remember a morning news report about a man murdering his roommate in an argument over a pair of socks.

We processed all of this and held off having a child.  And then we reasoned that we should place our trust in our creator and the uncertain future as all previous generations had done. A Christmas 1982 message reminded us of another couple that made the right decision for all mankind in the midst of extraordinary circumstances.  And after all, we wouldn’t be here to even make the choice if our parents hadn’t done the same.  Nature terminated our first attempt because the extraordinary process of creating a human being had experienced a problem.  But we still persisted and were blessed with a bright and enthusiastic baby girl.  Almost four years ago she and her husband experienced a similar process but then were blessed with a bright and enthusiastic baby boy.  Loving people I know are now expecting babies in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.

The depth and strength of the human spirit can be uplifting.  And the power and guidance of our creator can be the source of much confidence, faith and love for the future.  For the future belongs to those who believe in it and embrace it.

A 2020 CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

Jupiter & Saturn, Jamestown, NC

A Departing Flight from PTI, Jamestown, NC

EMMANUEL!

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.

On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.

--Isaiah 9:2

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is quite visible in the SW sky tonight!  Mankind has looked up to the heavens forever to seek out the timing of meaningful signs.  

It’s interesting to note that two vaccines that can stop a worldwide pandemic just came together at this Christmastime to prevent its spread.  Perhaps this is a celestial reminder that the answer to all the hate in this world arrived under a similar sign over 2,000 years ago if the world would just pay attention.

Today is also the eve of the 2020 winter solstice.  Tomorrow marks the shortest day of the year in this northern hemisphere where the sun (sol) appears to stand still (sistere) before reversing direction.  Days will now begin to lengthen and we will experience an additional half hour of sunlight in just one month.  This marks the “rebirth” of the sun in addition to the imminent celebration of the Christ child’s birth and the Light of the world. 

It’s a time of regeneration, renewal and self-reflection which we are more than prepared for by this time!

CHRISTMAS MOON RISING

 

Christmas Moon, Jamestown, NC

“When man reaches for God we call it religion.

When God reaches for man we call it Christmas.”

LETTING GO

Clutter, Jamestown, NC

Trophies, Jamestown, NC

Many of us are now spending more time at home than we would probably want to admit due to the 2020 Corona pandemic.  And although it’s been taxing on a society that has always enjoyed the freedom of movement, that’s the best plan right now until a vaccine is widely administered.  As a consequence, this “home alone” time has forced me to finally tackle the burgeoning storage room we had built over the garage, since basements aren’t practical in the Carolinas.

Our family transferred here from the Kansas City area where full basements are common.  And they become great accumulators of all sorts of material items, like the excess we thought we wanted to keep from my mother-in law’s house as one little example.  Much of our other material baggage is on us, however!  And businesses like Containers-R-Us only make it more efficient to stash away material possessions that never see the light of day again as we use our home like a storage unit!  Not to mention that we live in a consumer-driven culture where we are bombarded by messages like “we want it and we want it now!”

There’s a lot of reasons we hold onto things, primarily procrastination.  Guilty as charged!  Other good excuses include time is precious, we’re sentimental creatures, possibly needing something later, waiting for other family members to decide on items, waiting for winter weather when you’re forced inside, etc.  But possessions can become an anchor on our life that demand time, space and attention.  We had a saying at work that “the time it takes to finish a task is directly proportional to the time available.”  And I believe its corollary is “the amount of stuff that accumulates in a house is directly proportional to the space available” --like storage rooms and walk-in closets.  Documents are another challenge and the most tedious, as they must be examined piece by piece and then possibly shredded.

Our focus needs to be on reasons for letting go of possessions.  I don’t even attempt to sell things because I’ve been blessed with being born in America, having a loving and supportive family, applying myself to education (after a life lesson start), and working hard at a profession that was growing and ripe with opportunity.  And I’ve learned that it’s much easier and fulfilling to part with possessions if I know they can be useful to others.

Marie Kondo has gained fame for leading the way of letting go by asking one simple question when handling material possessions: “Does this spark joy in my life?”  If not, you won’t start liking something you haven’t used in at least a year.  And there’s the old 80/20 rule that applies to so many things in life like clothing, household items, etc.--we only use 20% of the things in our possession 80% of the time.  George Carlin famously defined a house as “a pile of stuff with a roof over it.”  A home is where love lives.  It’s good to pause life now and again to affirm we abide in a home.

And finally, I really got off to a good start in letting go by texting a photograph of some trophies to my daughter Beth in Chicago and asking if she wanted to keep or discard them?  She replied “I’ve managed to find success without trophies.”  

There is great satisfaction in applying ourselves to be successful and charitable as long as we remain mindful of treating worldly possessions as trophies.  

YOU’RE DEAD TO ME

A Bonding Relationship, Chicago, IL

“You’re dead to me” is an old English saying that was used to announce that another was disowned or had slighted you and they would never again be part of one’s social circle in body or in spirit.  This situation was dire in ancestral times when social circles rarely exceeded two hundred people.  Your circle of influence never wavered from those same people throughout your lifetime.  In today’s rapidly changing world, many people are forced to move with the job market to remain viable and support their family which necessitates starting over in multiple locations.  

Our married life involved childhood homes in different towns and multiple housing changes in a metropolitan area before moving out of state to follow the opportunities.  As a consequence, necessity drove us to establish entirely new social circles, especially with others who were confronted with similar circumstances.  Building relationships takes time and effort and becomes even more difficult when distance separates you while new business and social relationships must be formed. 

This concept also applies to our relationship with our Creator.  Imagine sitting near an outdoor campfire or a fire pit on your patio some evening.  As you withdraw to retrieve something, you inevitably begin to cool off.  Who moved—you or the fire?  This condition can even apply to your relation with the world in general.  Paul writes in Galatians 6:14 “I will boast only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; for by means of his cross the world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world.”  And God can also be dead to us if we move away from him even though he never moved.

The tragic condition of Alzheimer’s where someone slowly loses their memory is a case where they subsequently lose touch with everyone they were ever associated with in life, including those that have always been close to them.  We become dead to them through no intention of either of us.  Friends and even family in past situations slowly release the bonds of relationship simply because of distance and circumstance.  But I’ve experienced many reunions where we pick up right where we left off months or even years ago upon meeting once again.

Social ostracism of any kind is troublesome and there are good examples indicating that to forgive is divine.  For one thing, carrying a grudge against someone is like letting them live rent free in your head.  For another, it feels good to forgive and frees both individuals.  And at least in this modern era, we now have technology that also expands our ability to maintain some semblance of relationship with our wider circle of influence.

"We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.”—Orson Wells 

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”—Matthew 28:20

 

ICONIC IMAGE OF MY 2020 PERSON OF THE YEAR

Doctor and Patient, Houston, TX

I recognize that I’m premature in writing a reflective post about the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, but my first impression of the accompanying photograph by GO Nackamura in Houston, Texas is that it’s truly iconic.  This symbolic image of Doctor Joseph Varon and his ICU Covid patient at United Memorial Medical Center captures the unspeakable toll on all humanity during this crisis.  And our frontline medical workers are also succumbing to the virus contracted by the very people they are trying to save.  Thanksgiving Day 2020 was Dr.Varon’s 252nd consecutive work day without a break.  He noted that nurses were crying in the middle of the day because more patients were being admitted than there were nurses to care for them. 

Nurse Carol Williams posted a powerful message on Facebook after an exhausting shift at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, IL.  Her photo and the words in her post were also very compelling including these:

“Below is me after spending 5 hours inside a Covid positive ICU room working to save a patient. In this moment, I felt defeated because I already knew what the outcome would be even though it hadn't happened yet.  The inability to save a patient despite doing everything you can is mentally exhausting. Now imagine doing that on repeat for 8 months and counting.”

Nurse Williams concluded that “We need to come together as a country, NOW.”

Yes, we’re all dealing with Covid fatigue.  Yes, we’re all missing literal face time with family and friends.  Yes, we’re all weary of staying at home.  Yes, we’re all longing for the freedom that Americans normally enjoy.  Yes, we’re all just a little bit spoiled by instant gratification.  And yes, we’re all in this together because our frontline healthcare workers deserve our support and prayers for a while longer.       

 

A WALDEN POND THANKSGIVING 2020

Calm Waters, Jamestown, NC

It’s been said that “one death is a tragedy and 250,000 is a statistic”.  Folks are much more responsive when it gets personal.

This pandemic year of 2020 has ushered in many changes to our lives including the lockdown of many of our activities.  Initially we were told that isolation would possibly last only a few weeks.  The SARS epidemic was relatively short lived.  But it didn’t.  Then as the viral spread expanded, we thought that it would subside during the warmer summer months like the flu virus.  But it didn’t.  Then as time passed and more human beings contracted the virus, we thought that a herd immunity would soon deter the human to human transmission.  But it didn’t.  Surely, we thought, a fast track vaccine process would release us from the threat before the holidays.  But it didn’t.  Now many of us are making the hard, conscious decision not to board airplanes or drive away from home this season to protect ourselves and those we care most about.  Restaurants, schools and churches have been shuttered. 

So here we are on the cusp of the Thanksgiving holiday where we are now asked to stay at home and not embark on our traditional travels to gather together with family and friends.  Many Americans have been compelled to follow opportunities far away from family and friends in this rapidly changing world. 

I’ve always liked the notion that we never lose if we don’t lose the lesson.  We grow and learn in life by challenging our boundaries and venturing out of our comfort and capability zones.  Most all successful people in the world have faced self-reflection in the midst of disappointment and failures leading up to their achievements. 

And I’ve always liked the notion that our creator doesn’t purposely place roadblocks and hardship in our path, but he does stand with us to bring good out of every bad situation when invited.  If hardships were not part of our existence, our ability to succeed would be diminished.  So, what have we learned from this 2020 experience?

Men in past ages self-isolated in monasteries in an effort to seek self-awareness and a closer relationship with a higher power.  Monks separate from general society to do things that make them communal such as prayer, reflection and service.  They do things that make them unique such as exercise, collection, composing and cooking.

We happened years ago onto the simple cabin constructed by Henry David Thoreau near Concord, Massachusetts at Walden Pond.  His intention was to “live simply and have time to contemplate, walk in the woods, write, and commune with nature.  I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.”  He implored us to live mindfully, “being forever on the alert” to the sounds and sights in our own life.

And if we are compliant and alert to this time in isolation, perhaps we will emerge in the springtime immune to this virus, even more appreciative of those folks that are close to us and redeemed from the chaos of modern life that surrounds us.

 

FORKS IN OUR PATH AND AUTUMN LEAVES

REFLECTIVE VIEW, Jamestown, NC 

The more I think about it, the more I think we don’t give enough thought to the gift of free will we all possess. Of course, free will flourishes best in an environment of freedom which we Americans take all too lightly. I suppose it’s like many things in life—we don’t always appreciate something until we lose it. It’s an old comparison, but free will is indeed analogous to approaching a fork in our path and then making a decision to go one way or the other. We encounter these forks hundreds of times in the course of a lifetime. Sometimes that involves choosing good versus not so good and sometimes it literally involves choosing left versus right. We learned about the unwritten “law of lines” while at Disney World years ago. Since most people are right-handed, they tend to go right when the doors open at the attractions, so it’s always a good idea to move to the left to get a good seat. And as with most all decisions, there are consequences to how we choose. Sometimes those are trivial and sometimes they are very consequential. Sometimes those consequences are immediate and other times they may take years to unfold. 

It’s a good day to write and I’m working at my computer next to the upstairs window of my office. Today is overcast with an early November rain falling outside but the view is spectacular! They say the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago and the next best time is today, i.e., it’s never too late to make something happen—just do it! I planted the October Glory maple tree outside my window about twenty years ago with the thought in mind that someday it would really be quite a scene. Well, it certainly is today!   The inspirational photo on my desk of our American bald eagle is titled Dare to Soar.  “Your attitude, almost always determines your altitude in life.”

I also recall making a simple left versus right decision that seemed trivial at the time but had immediate consequences and proved to be life-saving.  My two hunting companions and I primarily used two basic techniques to hunt migratory ducks and geese along the central flyway in Kansas. We would either set out a decoy spread in a new wheat field or cut grain field and call the game birds to us or we would go to them by jumping ponds in pastures. On one particular overcast and drizzly November day like today we had spotted a flight of mallards circling a large pond and then going down. So, we drove our truck to an area opposite the back of the dam and proceeded to stealth under their radar to position ourselves in shooting range. 

One of my hunting companions moved to the left of the dam so that he could peer over the top and locate the floating ducks. I was following my other friend through the tall prairie grasses to the center of the dam. When our spotter motioned that the ducks were in range directly in front of us, I moved into shooting position to the right of my left-handed partner. The signal was given to move up, the ducks responded by giving flight and the rapid sound of automatic shotguns shattered the morning silence. In moments, my magazine was empty and I turned to my hunting partner amid the pungent smell of spent gun powder and incredulously asked why he wasn’t shooting. He just looked at me with an astonished expression and showed me his shotgun. He had been using shells that he had loaded himself and later admitted that he had added a little bit of extra powder for some extra punch. The left side of his receiver had been completely blown out! If I had been standing to his left when the shooting started, my head would have quite possibly been next to the blow out. 

Was it pure chance or divine guidance that prompted me to the right rather than to the left? I may never know, but there have been other such occasions that saved my life and the autumn leaves outside my window on this chilly morning take on a whole new perspective as I reflect.

BECOMING REAL

Rabbit and Horse, Childhood Nursery

A letter written by the author Kurt Vonnegut recently tickled my memory about a cherished childhood book, The Velveteen Rabbit.  The stuffed rabbit sewn from velveteen fabric was received by a little boy on Christmas.  But the boy shuns the rabbit for more modern toys and even real rabbits ignore him.  He laments to the oldest and wisest nursery toy, a horse that was his uncle’s favorite toy.  The horse tells the rabbit that some toys like himself magically become real when children genuinely love them.  Finally, one night the boy is given the rabbit to sleep with and it becomes the boy’s constant companion.  His velveteen finish becomes worn with hugs and playtime but that is no matter to the rabbit. 

The boy sadly contracts an infectious disease and the rabbit never leaves his side.  But soon the boy is sent away to recover and all the nursery contents including the shabby rabbit are gathered to be burned.  Reflecting on his close life and adventures with the boy the rabbit sheds a real tear which prompts a nursery fairy to appear.  She announces that since the rabbit has become real to the boy who truly loves him, she will assist him into becoming real to everyone.

 Vonnegut was responding to a high school English class asking for advice from famous authors.  And I loved his response in part:

 “Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”

I’ve tried to look at life as an endless series of adventures to be experienced while we still have the good fortune to give it a whirl.  Not every adventure has a fairy tale ending, but no adventure is lost if we don’t lose the lesson and we profit from it.  And I’ve encountered a legion of memorable people along the yellow brick road that have shared a love of life, helped me grow and, like the velveteen rabbit, contributed to my own experience of becoming.  

"People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life.  I don't think that's what we're really seeking.  I think what we're seeking is an experience of being alive."

-- Joseph Campbell

 

JEZREEL VALLEY RAINSTORM HAIKU

 

Valley Rainstorm, Jezreel Valley, Israel

Anticipation,

Threating skies assemble,

Nature is silent.

 

Weather fronts collide,

All senses are on alert,

Time is disrupted.

 

Harbinger thunder,

Announces impending rain,

Sheets of lightning flash.

 

Life giving water,

Releases a crescendo,

Throughout the valley.

 

The Jordan river,

Gathers the liquid bounty,

Routine life returns.

FALL HAIKU

Fall Ginkgo Leaves, Jamestown, NC

Foreboding stillness,

Smothers the evening breezes,

As nature retires.

Colorful fall leaves,

Lie lifeless below the trees,

As sunbeams pierce through.

The evening air cools,

Shadows stretch beyond real life,

As the sun sinks low.

Insect songs abate,

Wild creatures seek warm shelters,

As the seasons change.

And God’s voice is sensed,

Among all living beings,

As he whispers “Peace”.

STILLNESS

Stillness, Jamestown, NC

The remnants of hurricane Delta slowly retreated through the Carolinas back out into its birthplace in the Atlantic Ocean.  It cast a wide net of rain showers that fitfully graced the overcast October landscape for hours on end.  But now as the subdued daylight slips over the western horizon, darkness once again begins to be revealed.  And a foreboding stillness smothers the land into abject silence.  All nature seems to sense the changing of seasons with the accompanying drop in temperature. 

The winds that were moving through the land have abated, rendering the colorful autumn tree leaves listless and immovable.  Many of the new growth leaves on the outer edges that had already lost their life sustaining chlorophyll were still able to maintain their hold onto the limbs.  Other colorful spirits no longer drifted on the air to join those that had fulfilled their destiny after being torn loose from their moorings in the passing storm.  They now lay lifeless in the quenched green grasses and bushes.  Isolated raindrops still remained delicately clinging to the plant leaves that had earlier embraced them.  Then a gentle drizzle begins its decent as the storm offers up one final gesture of defiance, confirming the senses of the silent insects and song birds. 

And God whispers “It is well; rest in stillness; the cycle of life circles on.”

 

JOURNEY NOTES ON GRAVITY

 

Dark Underbelly, Jamestown, NC

NOTES FROM THE JOURNEY

We live out the vast majority of our lives gazing up at the dark shadowed under belly of overhead cloud formations.  And yet only in this period of human evolution can we insert a credit card chip, casually walk aboard a jet powered cylinder and observe a magnificent cloudscape shining down below us that has been blind to all landlocked generations before us.  

It never ceases to amaze as we defy the gravitational pull that prevents us from flying uncontrollably off of the planet’s surface!

JOURNEY NOTES ON LIFE TESTS

Low Country Sunset, Wrightsville, NC

Notes from the journey:

Life tests aren't meant to expose our weaknesses, but to reveal our strengths. Emerging from one of life's "crucible moments" doesn't mean we are healed, but we will be different, and that's OK.

A sunset is life's way of acknowledging this and giving us something beautiful as we journey on.

 

HEART TO HEART LEGACY

 

Mother and Child, Bethlehem, Israel

Perhaps this pandemic year 2020 will be remembered for our common legacy of mortality and a virus more than anything else.  One of the many positive attributes of receiving an electronic newspaper in addition to not braving the elements in my sweats every morning is the videos that are included.  This Saturday morning’s edition included a rather premature video of some of the prominent deceased influencers in 2020 that have caught our attention for their actions that remain here on earth.

I normally review these names because many of the people have been a part of the fabric of my life for this time and place.  And now that I’ve entered into the fourth quarter of life, I find these choices even more interesting because of their qualifications.  And in this electronic age, there are obvious choices in people who have made a name for themselves in the public’s eye for music, athletics, art, acting, politics, etc.

If you’re like me, you catch yourself comparing dates of birth for those departed like Chadwick Boseman, 43, 1976; Mac Davis, 78, 1942; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, 1933, to gauge longevity.  The vast majority of us will not have our legacy shown in these lights, however quickly even these will begin to diminish as with all human beings.

I chanced upon an observation in a Psychology Today post by Robert Enright, Ph.D., that really resonated; “Does legacy count for little? Think of even one time in which one of your parents gave you legitimate love that stayed in your heart. If you can pass that to even one other heart and then it is passed on to another heart, does this count for little?

What will be your legacy?  Do not be concerned if your name is not in lights 200 years from now. Be very concerned that you have the opportunity today to start a pattern of love that goes from heart to heart to heart…even if you and your works are long forgotten… and it can exist apart from anyone ever connecting our love back to us.”

And so, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the legacy of this chaotic year 2020 was not mortality and the human to human transmission of a virus, but the immortality of the love humanity transmitted heart to heart?   

GEESE AND SHEPHERD SENTINELS

SENTINELS AT WORK, INTERNET

I’d consider our first 2020 outdoor service on the front lawn at church a great success.  Social distancing, face masks and disinfectants were used to facilitate live-stream worshiping in person during this worldwide pandemic.  Our volunteer Shepherd’s Team provides hospitality and security outside the campus every Sunday at worship.  The team name derives from the Biblical shepherds that guarded and defended flocks of sheep during the time that our Good Shepherd walked this earth.  At night the shepherd would guide his flock into a stone pen or cave and then sleep at the entrance to ensure that no predator would disrupt the peace.

While I was walking and standing on the perimeter of our campus bordering Main Street, I was struck by a memory of observing migrating waterfowl while growing up in central Kansas.  I accompanied my father and uncles early on in their pursuit of ducks and geese where they congregated on the cattle ponds and grain fields.  But we couldn’t get within range of these flocks in the grain fields due to the sentinels sounding the alert! 

You would always see the early winter-feeding flocks of geese in the cut grain fields with one or more geese, depending on the flock size, standing on the perimeter with their long necks stretched.  They would instinctively act as sentinels to alert the others of any impending danger while they were distracted.  And just as when they were flying in a “V” formation, individual members of the flock would rotate in and take their place to share the responsibility for the good of the flock.

When geese fly in formation behind one another a drafting effect occurs to enable them to fly farther with 70% less energy.  NASCAR team drivers do the same thing.  Whenever a goose falls out of formation it immediately feels the drag of losing the uplift draft and gets back in formation.  When the lead goose tires, they drop back and another one takes the lead into the wind for the good of the flock.  The geese at the back honk to offer encouragement to those up front to keep the pace!  If a goose is in trouble and has to quit flying, a couple of geese drop out to help protect it.

We’re relational beings that need to look out for one another, especially in times of crisis.

SYMMETRY

Human Face, Chicago, IL

Butterfly, Kiawah, SC

Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, FR

Gourd Vase, Jamestown, NC

I recently photographed a beautiful butterfly on a Carolina Island that was liked by many of my Internet friends.  As I revisited the image it became apparent that although both the colors and setting were eye catching, the symmetry of the butterfly’s patterned wings also drew one into the picture.  That’s when it occurred to me that many of my most liked photographs had similar traits of symmetry.

I think symmetry subconsciously permeates our daily lives more than we realize!  Any sight that we perceive as harmonious with beautiful proportion and balance is very probably symmetric.  Symmetry is a key component in mathematics, science, nature and the arts including architecture, art and music.  It’s considered “the composition of similar parts facing each other or around an axis”.  Examples of mirror symmetry include reflections in bodies of water, wings of butterflies and some human faces.  Some beautiful flowers have a radial symmetry.  And humans are naturally attracted to symmetry!

Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man is often used as an illustration of our human body’s symmetry and the natural universe.  Facial asymmetry is very common and rarely noticeable to others, while the aesthetics of exceptional symmetry is subconsciously perceived.  The body plans of animals including humans exhibit mirror or bilateral symmetry.  It is so prevalent that many scientists don’t believe it’s a coincidence.        

Geometric shapes are symmetric if they can be divided into two or more identical pieces that are arranged in an organized way.  Just a few examples include Gothic cathedrals, the Taj Mahal and The White House.  Teaching symmetry in everyday life to elementary children sets the stage for a more enriched experience in math.  The probability bell curve most people understand is a symmetrical normal distribution of data.   

The invention of the potter’s wheel has resulted in rotational symmetry of clay pots for centuries.  Symmetry also touches many aspects of music creation and perception.  Palindromes in both words and numbers are found in literature where a series of words, phrases or numbers can be read both forwards and backwards.  Examples include “racecar”, “never odd or even” and 02/02/2020.

Mankind was created in God’s image.  And the human job description is to strive for symmetry.

 

FROM THE LIPS OF CHILDREN

St Michael, St Michael Church, Chicago

“From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries.   ----Psalm 8:2

“Jesus declared, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ----Matthew 11:25

My Saturday morning drives with Starbucks coffee has become a weekly ritual and a great way for me to turn off the world and reflect more clearly on life. This morning I was reflecting on the past four years and all the divisiveness around everyone in this country. And now we are closing in on a national presidential election that in my view is one of the most contentious in my lifetime.  I’ve realized that the majority of my selections for president have been the lesser of two evils that were selected by people not soliciting my opinion.  This is no doubt the end game we have been painfully careening to through an extended impeachment process that was extremely anxious for everyone and now we’re experiencing an extended pandemic lockdown.   

And this glacier movement of the lockdown for the past six months has left most Americans isolated in their homes subjected to a 24/7 vitriolic extension of political bickering.  We have watched in disgust and anger as rioters have hijacked peaceful demonstrations in our cities to loot, burn and even murder for extended periods, including over 100 nights in Portland, Oregon.  As bad as this has become, the murder rates in these cities have increased exponentially without abatement or much attention. 

It would seem that politicians across this country have a pact to visually create a contrived atmosphere of lawlessness and deceit to relentlessly beat down the psyche of the average American citizen before the election.  As I examined my own personal experience today, it occurred to me that the scheme was working.  And one of the key revelations to resolve a disease or addiction is to confront it before it can be eliminated.  Of course, both parties promise to be the salvation for all of our problems.  One pundit noted that we are now in the election “Silly Season.” 

I was considering how this might all be resolved any time soon when I received a text and photo of my three-year-old grandson in the Chicago courtyard of St Michael’s church.  The family was biking in the area and had chanced upon Saint Michael’s statue.  Today, Saint Michael is invoked for protection.  The base is inscribed with the words “Assist us in our battles against the evils of the day”.  Saint Michael the Archangel is the leader of the army of God and the patron of soldiers, police and doctors.  And God knows how much help these professions need right now. 

As the family paused for a rest break near the church steps, my grandson matter-of factly announced that “You can’t sit there because Michael is going to come out!”  I’m not sure that Saint Michael delves in human politics but there’s enough hypocrisy coming from career politicians on both sides of the aisle that they all need to stop the craziness and take note while there’s still time!

 

2020 LOCKDOWN LABOR DAY WEEKEND

Cousins 2019, Emporia, KS

“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” —Albert Einstein

People enter our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. 

It’s on us to determine if they’re a blessing or a lesson.

This family reunion photo last Labor Day weekend documented the first time most all of us cousins that had grown up together in central Kansas gathered together in many years.  Given the social gathering restrictions this year, it was fortuitous that we scheduled this reunion last year!  We all got together individually off and on, but Sunday afternoons at our grandparents’ home was one of the principle gatherings that united and defined us.  We didn’t always get along all of the time, but we always prayed grace together around the dinner table under lots of loving supervision.  Destiny and divine blessings, not merely coincidence, brought us cousins together for a lifetime.

And although we didn’t know it at the time, those were critical developmental years in a child’s life and my lingering memories over fifty years later are all good.  Our generation has followed our bliss out into this great country like so many others, but we hold onto those cherished memories, especially on this unique 2020 lockdown Labor Day weekend where folks are instructed NOT to gather together!  There’s no question that we humans keep those pleasant memories within our grasp while the unpleasant ones drift out of mind.  I’m certain that no one left the late-in-life gathering with nothing but new and resurrected pleasant memories that will now sustain us this year and into our own grandparenting years, even if it’s often on FaceTime!  

 

SELF IMPROVEMENT

Regional Tennis Medal, Emporia, KS

Life isn’t about being better than anyone else except yourself. Perfection may not be possible, but improvement is always there for the effort. We may get beaten in the game, but if we got better, we were victorious.  We often don’t know what’s possible until we encounter a higher standard.

I still recall a state doubles tennis match when my partner and I were waxed by superior opponents. Our coach told us after the match on the KSU campus that one of the players on the other side of the net was the son of the university tennis coach.  But the tough competition ranked it as the best tennis I had ever played and I still think positively about the experience!

 

BLITZ SPIRIT!

Air Raid Shelter, London

Germany’s primary offensive strategy at the outset of World War II was their use of the blitzkrieg or “lightning warfare”.  After defeating France and establishing a foothold by the North Sea across from Britain, they initiated a bombing campaign now known as The Battle of Britain.  Their intention was to break the morale of the British people to acquire a quick capitulation by pressuring Churchill.  It lasted from 1940 into 1941. 

A total of 300 German bombers attacked London on September 7, 1940, in the first of 57 consecutive nights of relentless bombing.  The bombing sent the people into underground shelters isolating with their families every night.  By the end of 1940, over 15,000 civilians had been killed.  But the bombing did not accomplish its desired objective, rather it had the opposite effect by coalescing the British people to face a common enemy with a steady resolve!  A Gallop poll revealed that 97% of Britons expected to win the war, volunteers increased, longer shifts were worked and contributions for “Spitfire Funds” increased as the Britons out produced the Germans in aircraft.  And they turned the blitzkrieg on its ear with their self-proclaimed “blitz spirit”!

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of folks that have been intently observing all of the blitzkrieg initiatives in our country for almost four years, starting with the relentless first two and a half years of a sham impeachment of our duly elected President.  This included a special investigation costing millions of taxpayer dollars followed by no evidence of impeachable wrong doing.  The entire fiasco distracted the nation from the release of a worldwide viral pandemic which has sent all of us into an attempted economic and morale buster.  Politics in America seems to have reached a new low in divisiveness.    

As the 2020 “infection election” draws nearer, most of us around the country have sat in our living rooms dutifully trying to slow the spread of the virus while watching protests in the streets being hijacked by criminal rioters.  And we have watched as mayors of many of our largest cities stand by and let them destroy the safety and property of their citizens—and our country!  Now we’re even hearing “Chicken Little” screaming about the Post Office and a six-foot meteor that has less than a one-half of one percent chance of hitting our planet close to election day.

Political polls were totally wrong in the Presidential election of 2016, perhaps because of the Silent Majority that loves this country and its foundational beliefs.  This country is not perfect and it’s imperative to make it better.  Even Martin Luther King, Jr understood that the majority of Americans and people all over the world like the 1940 Britons also understand that a systematic blitzkrieg of violence and deception is not the ultimate way to victory. 

And that can stir a Blitz Spirit in response!     

 

CHICKEN KARMA

Roosting Chickens, Internet Domain

A lot of the old country wisdom the human race acquired during the agrarian age is sadly slipping into the dust bins of history.  My parents were part of a declining generation to grow up on a farm in central Kansas, so I still have distant echoes of this wisdom every now and then as the situation arises.  And some childhood memories still remain on a short leash, depending how much of an impression they left on my psyche at the time. 

Once I received a birthday bicycle, I rode that bike all over the neighborhood and even occasionally strayed beyond the outer forbidden fringes.  I also tested the boundaries of how fast I could maneuver it over the city streets and sidewalks.  On one very memorable day, I had almost reached warp speed on my bike as I made a sharp left turn onto a neighbor’s concrete driveway scattered with gravel.  The bike shot out from under me in an instant and the resulting fall left both of my exposed knees and elbows bloodied from sliding across the oversized sandpaper!  When I limped back into our house on that sunny summer day, all that my unsympathetic mother could say was “Well, it looks like the chickens have come home to roost.  I told you this would happen!”  It always excessively smarts when someone is chastising you and you know they’re right.

The consequences of our deeds generally catch up with us and “what goes around, comes around”.  That goes for both good and bad deeds.  It’s also been said that doing good is like scattering bread on the water.  Sooner or later it circles back around to us.  Kinda’ like karma.  Generally speaking, if you’re mean-spirited, bad things happen and if you’re kindly, good karma happens.

So it was with some neighborly texting today.  I was just made aware that someone I knew had contracted the Covid virus.  A neighbor sadly reported that a weekend beach trip resulted in being surrounded by people everywhere that were not social distancing or wearing protective masks.  We humans are relational beings, so we like to be social.  And it was noted that we’re all beginning to experience “quarantine fatigue” after months of isolation from one another.  After watching the feature group in the Scottish LPGA get put on the clock for slow play yesterday, I had texted earlier “let’s put 2020 on the clock, get a vaccine in play, and make the turn to toast 2021 together again!” 

And the hope is that we will all once again freely gather on the beaches, at sporting events, in our places of worship, at the mall, in airplanes, hotels and restaurants, etc.  But if there are still those who do not respect a very contagious virus among us, then “chicken karma” will be visited upon us and “the chickens will have come home to roost” once again.  

 

REMEMBER THE COYOTE!!!

Don't ever forget to stand just behind the social distance X's

X      X      X      X      X      X      X

on the floor at check out stations during these pandemic days!

 

GOOD OL’ COUNTRY WISDOM

Vine-ripened Tomatoes, Colfax, NC

I swung by the local Farmer’s Market this morning on a carantining drive to pick up some vine-ripened, summer tomatoes.   A good ol’ country woman was just checking out a customer as I approached her scale.  I overheard her saying “This’ll all be over after the election.”  And then she wryly looked me in the eye and concluded “And we’ll all be over if we don’t vote right.”  I wasn’t about to get her riled up and ask who she was voting for in November!

And just for the record, good ol’ country knowledge is being aware that tomatoes are a fruit while good ol’ country wisdom is knowing not to put them in a summertime fruit salad.  But really, good ol’ country living is knowing how to make a ‘mater sandwich and mix them in a Bloody Mary for an appetizer!