Ale for the Soul

Damn, it is really the end of the month?  This year has flown by so fast.  In another month, half the year will have passed.  Wow!  This month, as all the others have been, was fairly good.  Life could be a lot better, and it certainly could be a lot worse.  What all this boils down to is a steady hum-drum of mediocrity.  As I get older, the continual onset of routine is comforting.  Gone are the days when I thrived on adventure and the experience of the unknown.  Most of my days look very much the same; however, I did make a few outings this month.  Both trips rejuvenated my soul and rekindled the flame concerning what I'm missing "out there".  Even at my age, there is so much of life still up for grabs, but I am sorely lacking the vibrant drive and enthusiasm that once marked my youth.  Please don't think I'm having a pity-party, because I'm not.  I simply recognize where life has taken me, and I am honestly quite conten...

Today is the last of three days off from work, and I wanted to capitalize on the free time.  Getting to hang out with my friend last night really rejuvenated me.  As a result, I made a short trip to Grapevine, Texas.  It is only about half an hour drive from the apartment, depending on how much traffic one experiences on the roadways.  Since it is Memorial Day, I was surprised at how light traffic was.  First, I made a stop at Buon Giorno on Hall-Johnson Road.  This is the sister store to the one I frequent here in Fort Worth; however, the experience was vastly different.  The place was packed, but I still found a place to sit rather easily.  (Unlike the other store whose tables fill up even at the least amount of business.  This isn't a complaint, but rather an astute observation.)  Another difference was the ambiance.  Maybe it was simply because this was my first time visiting and I am so accustomed to the other location. ...

As I type these words, I am finishing up the second of three days off from work.  Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and I don't have much planned except for a time of reading while I rest and relax.  While I was at the coffee shop for the usual Sunday afternoon ritual of reading and drinking hot tea, one of my best friends called to inform me he was in town.  He had mentioned coming to the D/FW area, but then I didn't hear any more of his travel intentions.  Wow, this was an honor indeed!  He met me at Buon Giorno.  After a few minutes of conversation, we walked through downtown ending up at the beautiful Water Gardens.  Several high schools were holding their graduation ceremony(-ies) at the Convention Center.  The area was packed with graduates, and apparently also the bride and groom from a wedding.  Of course we furthered our time of fellowship, catching up on each other's lives.  Once back at our vehicles, I drove us to The Bearded Lady on ...

This is Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember and celebrate the sacrifice of life given to our country by the armed forces (military).  Freedom isn't "free" as it is paid for by a price of blood.  Please honor those who have paid the ultimate price by paying your respects at the local cemetery.  Leading up to the weekend, I must say the week had been fairly good to me.  The only disappointment was not getting a job I interviewed for.  A tentative job offer had been extended, but I must have hit a bump in the road somewhere along the way.  I was never given further notice of when and where to show up for the first day of work.  The job offer must have been rescinded.  Dr. Pepper was the company I was interviewing with, and it would have been a significant step up from my present lot in life.  The job would have been full-time with benefits, with an annual pay in excess of $30,000.  (This is double what I am earning at my present place ...

C. S. Lewis writes a very short essay called "Three Kinds of Men" in a collection of essays entitled  Present Concerns . There are three kinds of people in the world. The  first  class is of those who live simply for their own sake and pleasure, regarding Man and Nature as so much raw material to be cut up into whatever shape may serve them. In the  second  class are those who acknowledge some other claim upon them – the will of God, the categorical imperative, or the good of society – and honestly try to pursue their own interests no further than this claim will allow. They try to surrender to the higher claim as much as it demands, like men paying a tax, but hope, like other taxpayers, that what is left over will be enough for them to live on. Their life is divided, like a soldier's or a schoolboy’s life, into time “on parade” and “off parade”, “in school” and “out of school”. But the  third  class is of those who can say like St Paul that for them...

I'm not one to believe in luck, but I do count my blessings whenever I find loose change or currency on the ground.  The most I have ever found is $20.  Every time I do find money, I quickly thank God for His financial provision in my life.  Scripture states God owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  From time to time He must sell off a few in order to provide for one of His children.  The next time you find a penny on the ground, change your perspective by giving thanks to the true Benefactor of our lives.  Some of you may wonder at my lack of belief in luck.  To me, there is no such thing.  On one side, luck is when preparation and hard work meet opportunity.  The other side is when the normal business of heaven descends in to the earthly realm, what many would consider as miracles.  Everything happens for a reason and not mere coincidence.  Keep that in mind for when life comes together out of nowhere.  Someone is watching ov...

5  Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,   2  and he began to teach them.   He said: 3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit,      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4  Blessed are those who mourn,      for they will be comforted. 5  Blessed are the meek,      for they will inherit the earth. 6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,      for they will be filled. 7  Blessed are the merciful,      for they will be shown mercy. 8  Blessed are the pure in heart,      for they will see God. 9  Blessed are the peacemakers,      for they will be called children of God. 10  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11  “Ble...

Lyrics: Harry B. Macarthy This song was written in Mississippi, by an Englishman, inspired by the flag of South Carolina, and set to an Irish melody. Harry B. Macarthy was born in England in 1834 and came to the states in 1849. He was in Jackson, MS in 1861 when he wrote this song to the the tune of The Irish Jaunting Car, a traditional Irish melody. The Bonnie Blue Flag that he wrote about is a blue flag with a single white star, which was adopted as the flag of South Carolina, the first state to secede from the union. The song tells of the birth and struggle of the Confederacy and became the semi-official anthem of the South. We are a band of brothers and native to the soil Fighting for the property we gained by honest toil And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star Chorus: Hurrah! Hurrah for southern rights, Hurrah! Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star As long as the Union was fai...

TRUMP:  Wow. Thank you. That’s a lot of people, Phoenix, that’s a lot of people.  Thank you very much.  Thank you, Phoenix. I am so glad to be back in Arizona.  The state that has a very, very special place in my heart. I love people of Arizona and together we are going to win the White House in November.  Now, you know this is where it all began for me. Remember that massive crowd also? So, I said let’s go and have some fun tonight. We’re going to Arizona, O.K.?  This will be a little bit different. This won’t be a rally speech, per se. Instead, I’m going to deliver a detailed policy address on one of the greatest challenges facing our country today, illegal immigration.  I’ve just landed having returned from a very important and special meeting with the president of Mexico, a man I like and respect very much. And a man who truly loves his country, Mexico.  And, by the way, just like I am a man who loves my country, the United States.  We...