Encounter

  Immediately I was engulfed by the spinning lights of many colors that swirled at the edge of the craft. Within the circle of spinning lights was a warm bright light. The light came from the craft directly over my head, bright but not unpleasant. When I looked up to see more detail of the ship itself, I could see nothing but the light. The madness of the periphery of spinning lights and their low level hum ended at the edges, and the warming peaceful light shined quietly everywhere else. The inner light was quiet, and this helped put me at ease. So at ease, that I never once gave thought to the worry about the craft landing on me and squashing me like a bug. Somehow I knew that the craft was content for now to just hover. 

As the enormity of what was happening started to be accepted,  my head became filled with questions, but I decided to keep still and just enjoy the peace that the light made me feel. Also, for what reason I can not tell you, but I was convinced that this was all there was to be, no visitor would appear from an unseen door, and this too helped to put me at my ease. I had no idea where I was or how much time had passed, but all I can tell you is that I have never encountered such total peace. 

I remember feeling grateful and thinking to myself, Wherever I am, I could stay here forever. Total peace and contentment, sure, why not? I raised up my arms outstretched to the light, and from somewhere the most fragrant and beautiful breeze I have ever known, blew across my body. And with this breeze, beautiful music of a type I had never heard sounded all along the lighted area. But now finally my mind caught up, and curiosity got the better of me, and my mind became flooded with questions. But as this rush of questions mounted in my mind, I could began to sense that the  feeling of complete peace began to fade. The music stopped abruptly,  and the warming light began to darken, I thought in the noise of the now spinning colors that I heard a voice say, "I have answered all of your questions, even those that you have not yet thought to ask". With that the craft whirred in bright colors to life, and was gone!  

Just Rambling

     When I was a little kid back in the fifties, occasionally we would go down to Florida to visit my grandmother, my father's mother. Back then there wasn't the modern interstate I 95. The driving route then was route 301. 301 was more a series of county roads linked at the state lines. The mid point tourist stop was called, South of the Border. I believe that the location was near or at the line between North and South Carolina, but don't quote me on that. But we had already passed that point and were in Georgia. There were only two lanes, one heading South and the Other North. Along the way, were shacks like the ones you would see in the movies. Tumble down shacks with tin roofs and front porches whose roofs looked like they would fall at any time. The black faces of the people who sat on those porches had the look of despair, even the kids seemed down trodden as they watched us pass by. And yet there was something else in those faces, and that was, the spirit to make the best of it. Down and out, but not beaten. The scene I describe, was during the time when many Southern states had installed a law known as  Jim Crowe law, and for those of you too young to know what that was, the premise of this law was, Separate but equal. Separate being the key word, legal segregation. My brother and I sat in the back, our faces pressed up against the windows. My dad drove on quietly looking at the scene on either side, but mostly intent on the road ahead. My mom dabbed at her eyes which she blamed on the moss that was everywhere hanging off the trees. I can't speak for Alan, but as for me, I thought she was crying. We stopped for gas at a small gas station with our Jersey plates, and it seemed like we had the plague or something. My brother and I stretched our legs while my mom made a bee line for the ladies room. One for white people and one for black, even the water fountains were separate, White only signs were common. I had better get this part in and not forget it, because no matter how I tried to concentrate on the story, I keep thinking to myself, Don't forget Ludiwicki. Not sure of the spelling of the town, but it was definitely in Georgia. After we were on our way again, we were pulled over by a fat cop chomping on a cigar., just like you'd picture him. The speed trap was set up where fatso in his patrol car hid behind a billboard located just after a curve and on the line of the town. The speed limit in the town was 25 miles per hour, and because you were traveling at highway speeds of fifty to sixty MPH, as soon as you passed the sign you were speeding. The choice given my dad was to pay the fine in cash, or wait for the county judge who would be there on Wednesday. My dad was not the wimpy type, and all I remember is my mom saying was, Andy, Andy, calm down, don't kill him! The old man must have figured that discretion in this case was better than valor. He paid the fine and we left. The town had a moment of fame as I believe that 60 Minutes did a piece on speed traps narrated by Mike Wallace, and Ludiwicki was one of the worst. 

When you think back on such times, it is amazing how much the country has changed. Yes, there was a time when this country was openly racist, but we have evolved, and that type of thinking died years ago. The sad part is, even after a black president was elected, and the top law enforcement official in the land was also a man of color, there are still those who label people as racist? We hear about how it was the black vote or the Hispanic vote that made all this progress possible, but without a lot of white voters, it would not have happened. America is not a racist country, and for those who still claim that we are, know this to be true, but they claim it only to divide, they do it for political gain.  We, each of us, need to look at what we've gained and look forward to the future. If we are going to survive as a nation, we must shun those who would divide us, and look only to unite. We have met racism head on and defeated it. Insist on remembering who we were serves no one. Be proud that even though it took too long and that many wrongs had been committed back then, that those times are gone forever. Congratulations America! Now is the time to move on forward together. United we stand, divided we fall, its that simple. 

Time and Relevance

  Time is relative to many factors, one of which is our perception of the moment. Any moment, no matter how long or how short. One of the sad ironies of life is that the good times are fleeting and rarer than the bad times. Even in our memories, the bad times are remembered with far greater accuracy than the good times. 

  Time is relative to your perspective, even the position you were in if the time period we are talking about is an event similar to witnessing an accident or a crime . But time, total time elapsed, all time, marches on ever forward. Sixty seconds to a minute, sixty minutes to an hour and so on. Time is relevant to your situation, when you are anxiously awaiting something, seven minutes can seem like seven hours. Conversely, when you are free of the constraints of schedules, say out on the road without a worry on your mind, seven hours can pass like seven minutes.  

  We divide time here on earth into time zones because the world is round and not flat. Straight up high noon should occur at precisely twelve each day, and from what I understand, we have a centralized chronological clock to keep track of those things. But what is the reference for time when in outer space? By what centralized clock is the time in the cosmos dictated? Earth time, for what? Earth time looses it's importance when you are free of it. But time, no matter your point of reference, no matter how you choose to measure it moves ever forward, one click at a time, tick tick tick. With time what wasn't becomes what is, soon passing to what was. The only way to be truly free of the constraints of time is to be eternal. But there is a way to the eternal realm, there is a way to not only move through time, but with it. With time, eternal time, you will know what it knows. I tell you the truth, there is like everything else in life, only two sides to the eternal coin. Eternal death or eternal life. both are true for all of eternity, choose life!  

Come Togetrher

  No matter your political stance, whatever side you've chosen, I think that we can all agree on one thing? The world is a very scary place. No matter where you look on a map of the world, there is serious trouble of some kind. Wars and rumors of war abound. Murder has become common place, we have become numb to mass shootings and bombings, they are a common occurence. But we as Americans go on unfazed by all of this, as we are more involved with important matters, like bathroom designations, or whether you are for or against a millionaire  football player who refuses to stand for the country that gave him all that he has. We are divided, and it doesn't matter whether you blame this fact on Obama or on Congress, but its ludicrous to blame it on the new President. He just got here, he hasn't been in office a month, he inherited this mess. 

But rather then tear into the lies used to separate us, lets make it simple, and just admit that we are a divided nation, more divided than at any time in our brief world existence. But ask yourself a question, Is it wise to choose to stay divided? With all we face, both at home and in the world, isn't it wiser to keep our personal points of view to ourselves for a while, and look to what is good for our nation? You know, Ask not what your country can do for you.. You know the rest. If you don't, you should. A wise man from our history once said that a country divided against itself cannot stand. People, please stop the tantrums, its embarrassing! The reality is that we need each other, and patriotism must become more than a punch line or a fashion statement. Old fashioned patriotism, things like home and apple pie. We owe 20 trillion dollars in loans, and as we said, the world is a dangerous place. We must come to together Its time for the left to suck it up and put on their big pants, you lost an election and it hurts. I know, as I have been on that side. From the perspective of the other half of the country, we suffered for eight years. The difference? We suffered in silence, went to work and went about our lives. You see, to us rioting and destroying property is lawlessness, and we don't make excuses for it. We too were anxious and worried as we watched a president who seemed more interested in dividing us than uniting us. For me personally, my rage-O-meter went off the charts on 9/11 when four Americans were slaughtered after a 13 hour gun fight. But strangely, no one seemed to care. I believe our President went golfing?  It wasn't easy to stomach and I didn't understand how such a thing was ignored. Angry? Sure, but unlike the left, no one went to the streets to rant and disrupt. We must learn to talk to each other and not just dig in our heels deeper. If you can't think of any way that you could be friends with someone whose political views are different from your own, try remembering that we are all Americans! The world is a scary place, we need each other. Come together, find a way, because neither side can make it alone. If this great nation is to survive, we must unite again as one.  

America

  Sport is the best of us. That is to say, that it is the purity of the game that we aspire to, and yesterday's game was the perfect example. I've heard that every year, the Super Bowl is the most watched of any sport in the world, and it is an American sport. Forgive me if my patriotic pride is showing? 

  Unlike what you've been told, America is exceptional, and we have been since our berth. The game is perfect, and therefore pure. Does that mean that all who play it play it straight up? No, of course not, people will always look for ways around the game's rules, but that doesn't taint the game, it taints the player. But even with it's faults, the game, whatever that game is, is the best of us. Yesterday, if only for awhile, we were united in our interest. Unlike their counterpart in the entertainment business, sports isn't all about me, it is about team. 

  There isn't a skilled player, (those who handle the ball), that wouldn't give thanks to his teammates, because without them, he couldn't get the chances he gets at stardom. 

  Sport is the perfect metaphor for what America should be aspiring to become again. Nations, like sport's teams can only win as one, we must come together and become one team. 

  As for the actual game itself? Wow, what a game, the best I've ever seen, and I've seen them all. In truth I changed the channel for a while, you know, a fair weather fan. Anyway, when I turned it back on, it was an eight point game! It was like there were two games rather than two halves. 

  In the first game, Mat Ryan and company had their way totally, while New England played as if asleep. Whatever else happened in that locker room, there were probably quite a few prayers offered up while waiting for the game to begin again. 

  But for whatever the reason, congratulations to the Kraft family and the New England Patriots, World Champions!