Tested Truths: The Heart

Tested Truths: The Heart:   Visions of thoughts materialize and then fade as the next comes into view. A wandering mind sees much in a short amount of time. All your...

Tested Truths: The Heart

Tested Truths: The Heart:   Visions of thoughts materialize and then fade as the next comes into view. A wandering mind sees much in a short amount of time. All your...

The Heart

  Visions of thoughts materialize and then fade as the next comes into view. A wandering mind sees much in a short amount of time. All your life is a matter of remembrances through which you have already experienced. Some you look forward to, while others you may dread. Obviously, what we are discussing here are matters of the spirit. The spirit and the body which contains it are two separate things. The life of the spirit, and the goings on which have made you who you are, does not dictate who you will become. Change is inevitable, and where you go from here will be a day to day decision. 

  You live your life, and the future will be what you make it. I speak to our young Americans when I say, think. Think for God sake, think for your own sake, but think for yourselves. If you follow the crowd, do you follow just to follow something? Wake up young people, wake up and think for yourself. Wake up and think before its too late. 

  I don't ask this for myself, as my time is close to over. I don't worry too much for my kids, as they seem to have a handle on it. But is the little ones, my grandchildren, though some of them are already adults, its them I worry about. And to them I would say, Do whats right, you already know what it is, you have it hidden in your heart.     

Tested Truths: The Malcontents (assuming they'll let me post it?)

Tested Truths: The Malcontents (assuming they'll let me post it?):   Was it a simple twist of fate, or just blind luck? But you were born in this country. Had you had the choice, what country would you have...

The Malcontents

  Was it a simple twist of fate, or just blind luck? But you were born in this country. Had you had the choice, what country would you have rather have been born into? Most of us have lived here for generations, and we all love this country. But suddenly, it is not fashionable, or lately, dangerous, even to death. A wise old black man from Wisconsin was executed at his home. Why? because he supported Trump. Of course with the majority of the media, you'll not see this story. We the people are being duped. A quick personal story. I was in a friends house a few years ago, and though we tried not to get into politics, it raised it's ugly head just briefly. But that short moment spoke volumes, as I had wondered for years how citizen Americans could be so dumb? In the brief encounter I mentioned Benghazi, and he knew absolutely nothing about it except to say that it was a Fox theory? I told him of the videos and realized, it wasn't because my friend was dumb, it was just that he wasn't told. 

  America is like no other country in the world, as our citizens did not come to be by country or geographic boundaries, (aka born in Spain, Spanish; England, English and so on), but all of our residents came from somewhere else, and the rest of the world watched in awe as this country immigrants from many different lands and cultures came together as one nation. E Pluribus Unum, Out of many, one. At it's conception, way back in 1776, it was and still is a social experiment on the grandest scale. We are less than 250 years old, and as such, just a babe in the league of nations. 

  But young or not, America is exceptional! You know how I know that? Today, still, more people want to come to this country than any other. And in case you haven't noticed, once here, even the newest of us have no desire to leave and live anywhere else. We must be doing something right. Think about it, even the most arrogant of new comers, those who refuse to assimilate, may well hate this country, but you don't hear of even these malcontents have no desire to leave. Even those malcontents would not choose to live anywhere but here. 

  I don't know about you, but it makes me think that we are still doing it right, and another, in that, If it ain't broke, don't fix it.      

Tested Truths: MLB

Tested Truths: MLB:   Major league baseball has a chance of instead of having a germ run our lives, to turn Covid around by using it proactively rather that re...

MLB

  Major league baseball has a chance of instead of having a germ run our lives, to turn Covid around by using it proactively rather that reactionary. I've watched enough of the practice games, that though canned fans isn't a horrible idea,  it just seems to some as if by doing so, they are making the strangeness of this time even stranger. What if we were to ask the players to add yet another protocol, one more set of rules and regulations? These extra concerns would come in the way of living up to the moniker you have lived with for so long. Be the American Pastime, and as patriots, resolve to do this for God and country. The game itself, as in all sports is pure, perfect, equal and just. Understand that I am a life long fan, but in the end just a fan. 

  We have two pressing problems at this time, one a war against an invisible enemy, and secondly, an attack from home grown terrorists who are burning our cities, trashing our history, in short, to destroy America. So what can a game do against all this, and how can any individual agree to help bring this nation back from the brink of disaster? Only as a suggestion, rather than canned crowds, set up those high powered microphones all around the venue. (be careful boys, we will know who farted). In this way, the fans will hear the chatter among the players, be able to hear such things as Cut one, or cut two, and Home! The broadcasters would explain the finer points as well as the basics of the game as the plays play out. As far as the natural cussing that goes on, there is approximately ten seconds between when something happens and it appears on your screen, so they could edit most out. And as for the F bombs, have each player put one thousand dollars into a cuss jar every time he slips, and at the end of the season, donate that jar to the charity of their choice. In short gentlemen, America desperately needs some good clean fun to take us away from the ugliness going on outside the game. But than the last piece of the puzzle, the game and the surface it is played on are pure, and being pure, they are sacred. There is no place on the field or during the game for cheap political stunts. The game you play that supports your family is pure, the players should agree not to sully our great game with the filth of partisan  politics. The league has already worked with Nike and by that, China, but that is water under the bridge. Now is time to Play Ball!  If the league does these things and prides itself in Patriotism, I guarantee that your gates will triple in 2021. 

Tested Truths: The Hat

Tested Truths: The Hat:   The hat had been a part of this family for a long time. I say had because yesterday it was lost at sea. The hat was a sweat stained, sun ...

The Hat

  The hat had been a part of this family for a long time. I say had because yesterday it was lost at sea. The hat was a sweat stained, sun whitened thing, and though I was sorry to see it go, my wife won't be, she hated that old hat! Don't wear that hat she'd say, it's disgusting. Wear your new Yankee hat, you'll look much better. It wasn't the typical baseball hat, it was a Yankee blue in color of course with the word Yankees scrawled across it at an angle, and I wore it everyday in the summer, in work and not. After all we had been through together, it seemed fitting that it would be buried at sea. It was quite the moment as I'll tell further on. But this is one of those times when the story begins at the end but is told at the beginning. Here's the beginning. My son Brian had called me and invited me to come along on a charter fishing trip with he, my grandson, and some of his childhood friends. His friend Rob set it up, as he works the boat in the summer months and teaches in the winter. Before I go any further and I get a bit lost on a rabbit hole, I want to said a shout out to the captain and crew of the Ole Salty Two. Captain and crew work their butts off trying to make sure that everyone catches at least one fish, Sea bass was the fish of the day. I caught one, and another ugly looking thing called a Sea Robin. A fish with wings at yellow spindly looking legs or feelers. The crew did it's job, and everyone did catch at least one, and my grandson caught a baby shark! 

  Late in the day, the sky clouded over, the sea got choppy, and the temperature dropped from being in the nineties, to being chilly. The boat began to roll as two to three foot swells came in rows, replacing the calm seas of earlier. It was as this sudden change in weather happened that I was on the bow when a particularly strong gust of wind came up behind me, blowing my hat into the ocean about six feet from the boat. One of the boats mates saw this and running to get a pole said, We are rolling toward the hat, it'll go under and then come out the other side. Sure enough it did, and he made two valiant attempts at snaring it by casting out to it. Both were close, and he almost hooked it on the second try. But alas, Old Salty rolled over one last time before sinking bill up into the waves. I saluted it as it sunk and said good bye old friend. 

  What a great day! to be out in a boat in the middle of the ocean with nothing but sky and water all around. Nature at it's best, what a beautiful country God has given us. What a way to celebrate our nation's birthday. Happy Birthday America! A day of fishing with family and friends, it doesn't get much better. Thanks again to the captain and crew of Ole Salty Two out of Belmar marina. Thanks guys!