A couple of weeks ago following my nephew’s graduation from Recruit Training at Great Lakes Naval Station I approached my nephew and told him I thought that national service would be a good thing for most Americans. I thought we’d have a little less self-absorption if more of our fifty and under crowd actually served [...]
Archive for August, 2008
I challenge you..
Posted in gratitude, military, tagged Air Force, Army, gratitude, Marines, military, Navy on August 30, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Squirrels in our midst
Posted in NY, Olean, recreation, travel, tagged Jamestown community college, Olean, Soccer on August 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I drove to Olean, New York tonight for a dinner with my wife at the Beef & Barrel Restaraunt in downtown Olean. It’s one of our favorite stop and perhaps the best beef house in all of New York State. After dinner Diane did some shopping while I watched this year’s Jamestown Community College-Olean Lady [...]
Waiting to hear
Posted in Christianity, Thomas Merton, mindfulness, monastic, mystic, prayer, tagged contemplation, Thomas Merton on August 25, 2008 | 2 Comments »
This is another good thought from Thomas Merton.
Contemplation is essentially a listening in silence, an expectancy… In other words, the true contemplative is not the one who prepares his mind for a particular message that he wants or expects to hear, but who remains empty because he knows that he can [...]
Bill Cosby
Posted in NY, arts, gratitude, humor, recreation, travel, tagged Bill Cosby, Chautauqua Institute, comedy, Hospital Corpsman, US Navy on August 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Last night my wife and I drove west the sixty-seven or so miles that it is from our home in Franklinville, New York to Chautauqua Institution. Chautauqua is one of those lovely contemplative venues that I love. Diane loves Bill Cosby and for her birthday in June I bought a couple of tickets to Saturday’s [...]
Three generations
Posted in Navy, Web 2.0, democracy, gratitude, military, publishing, tagged Animoto, military, US Navy on August 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I put together a short video of pictures of my uncle, my Dad, myself and my nephew in uniform. That’s three generations serving the United States of America in uniform. My uncle was the lone Army veteran. Dad, Tom and I went Navy. Animoto is a really interesting Web 2.0 site that allows you to [...]
Rewarding
Posted in Navy, gratitude, military, tagged gratitude, Great Lakes, Recruit Training Command, US Navy on August 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
At 0730 last Friday morning I found myself riding with my brother and his family through the Illinois Street Gate at United States Navy Recruit Training Command. That morning was filled with excitement for all on board. It was homecoming for one old sailor returning to a place where I too had once served. Once [...]
Grateful living
Posted in gratitude, mindfulness, mystic, tagged contemplative, Gratefulness, gratitude on August 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I got the following in the mail today from Brother David Steindl-Rast, OSB and it arrives at a time of transition for me. Summer is turning to autumn. My daughter has returned to college. I’ve returned from a journey that saw me in Illinois and then southern New York and New Jersey. I visited places [...]
Paradox of peace
Posted in Christian, Peace, Spiritual, Thomas Merton, Trappist, mindfulness, monastic, mystic, tagged contemplative, Merton Institute, Peace, Thomas Merton, Trappist on August 19, 2008 | 3 Comments »
I got this quote in today’s mail from the Merton Institute and it really resonated for me. The second sentence here is right on target.
Paradoxically, I have found peace because I have always been dissatisfied. My moments of depression and despair turn out to be renewals, new beginnings. If I were [...]
