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12/01/22 05:11 PM #11898    

Joseph Gentilini

HI Mike, I liked the article and the poem.  Downtown Columbus has a fine arts building and one of the things they offer (I think they still do) is the ability to make pottery.  I am a clutz so I never tried.  I liked the poem also - I seem to be misplacing things and then complain I can't find them. I'll ask for help and Leo will look someplace and there they are.  As I get older, it doesn't get any better.  What is harder for me is losing good friends and people I love!  joe


12/02/22 10:59 AM #11899    

 

Michael McLeod

Thanks Joe. I like to read that poem out loud. I wish I had met her and reading the poem out loud is the next best thing; I feel her presence in me when I do, which may sound spooky but it's not. 

There is such a note of graceful acceptance in what she is saying. We all have losses, terrible losses, and making friends with them - accepting their presence in our lives with grace - is not an easy thing to do. But it is possible. It's just part of the task of being human. 

She was a lesbian, by the way, as if that matters when it comes to love. 

Love, as you know, is just love. 


12/02/22 04:59 PM #11900    

Joseph Gentilini

Mike - it does not sound spooky to me.  There are things that occur that we may be aware of but not understand and your comment about her presence with you when you read her poem is one of these.  I believe,  Peace, Joe


12/03/22 03:26 PM #11901    

 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Getting back to Buckeye Football...

 

Had some of my New Mexico family do the "OHIO" thing during the Michigan disaster last weekend. 

Still looks like OSU has a chance to make it into the playoffs since USC got trounced by Utah and TCU lost to Kansas State in overtime. 

 

 

 

Jim


12/03/22 05:16 PM #11902    

 

Michael McLeod

we're in!!!!!!!!!!!!


12/03/22 10:59 PM #11903    

 

David Mitchell

Fast Food Wars:

 

WARNING!

Out of an abundance of caution, this office feels it is our duty to warn each and every one of you that dining in your local "In-N-Out Burger" (mosty in the western regions off the country) may be hazardous to your heath and safety.

 

Reports have reached this office that flying food or drinks have been expereinced by patrons of this establishment. We suggest exteme caution - up to, and including hooded rain coats may be neccessary for your own safety.   


12/04/22 12:05 PM #11904    

 

Joseph D. McCarthy

You can REALLY tell when a classmate has never been to an IN-N-OUT burger location.

A couple of weeks ago, while in Portland, OR, I wanted to stop at an IN-N-OUT location.  But knowing the situations at NOT really IN-and-OUT.  I first stopped at a Burgerville location so that I could face the Loooonnnnggg wait in line to get to order at IN-N-OUT.  I learned the lesson when a few months earlier I attempted to visit and IN-N-OUT burger location in Santa Rosa, CA with a couple of guys.  Luckily there was a Wendy's across the street.

 


12/04/22 12:45 PM #11905    

 

Michael McLeod

I take it that IN-N-Out is a euphemism. Is it, like, once you're in you'll never get out? 


12/04/22 12:55 PM #11906    

 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Christmas Decorations, Plane But Not Simple

Poor Frosty the Snowman, he must have been knocked over as Santa's gift-filled aircraft's wing took him by surprise while landing!

Actually, this is a real, flyable airplane (not a drone) that one of my neighbors decorated for Christmas in his front yard. 

Now that is a Christmas decoration you don't see everday!

Jim 

 

 


12/04/22 02:44 PM #11907    

 

Mark Schweickart

Dave's comment about the food fight at an In-n-out Burger prompts this memory (totally unrelated to the anti-semitic Nick Fuentes episode yesterday, but I thought I'd share it nonethelss.)

Years ago, until the late 80's I think, In-n-out Burger was relatively rare and only in the L.A. area, where people (ahem, that is fans like myself) liked to buy their T-shirts and other swag because they (goofballs like me) thought it was kind of cool. Now In-n-outs are all over the Western states I think, although still a family-owned business without franchises. Anyway, back to the swag – one item available (and may have been free, come to think of it) was a bumper sticker that simply said "In-n-out Burger." However, these were discontinued when so many of the cars around town had two of the letters blotted out from the stickers, making them simply read "In-n-out urge."  New stickers were designed, having more wording on them so they could not be so easily turned into a sexual proclamation. I think they were changed to "In-n-out Burgers, No Delay," which, as Joe can attest to, is certainly no longer accurate.


12/05/22 01:47 PM #11908    

 

Michael McLeod

wtg with the word play, Jimmy!

Also: I hope a certain dear classmate of ours who lives in Barcelona doesn't mind my taking notice of what a beautiful, Christmas-spirit enterprise she and her husband recently engaged in by befriending nine members of a Ukrainian family in need and helping them to be resettled in spain.

Donna, forgive me for outing you on this but you've always been a class act, whatever the season, and I shouldn't be surprised that you'd be involved in something like this. 

 


12/05/22 10:56 PM #11909    

 

David Mitchell

Bravo Donna!

I am impressed.

 

(Pardon me for my ignorance about these matters, but would there be any of you who might know how we could do a class "Go Fund Me" page for Donna to help support this famiy she is helping?)


12/06/22 01:05 AM #11910    

 

David Mitchell

I mean, of course, for all 4 of us still reading the Forum?


12/06/22 04:55 AM #11911    

 

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

We have all heard that “it takes a village”. That expression has taken on a whole new dimension for us this past year.  This is the story of a beautiful brave family we met last June. When we offered to translate Serhii`s CV to help him search for a job we could never have imagined how important the Antoniuk family would become to us.  Serhii and little Andrii (4) had been in Barcelona for 18 months for treatment for little Andrii’s leukemia at St Juan de Dios Children’s Hospital.  When the war broke out Tatiana and their other six children (ages 2-16) were able to flee their country, leaving behind their family, their friends and their home to come to Barcelona.  During eight months the family of nine lived in a one room apartment near the port.

Through the solidarity of many they now live in a small 3-bedroom flat filled with a lot of bunkbeds and toys and moments of family joy. Serhii has a temporary work contract and will hopefully find permanent work with a company as a Computer Engineer in the new year. Andrii continues to have medical treatment and controls with hospital visits twice a week but he is doing much better.  He is such a brave, sweet child that he stole our heart from day one. 

When friends comment how lucky the family is to have met us Julio and I often feel surprise because we honestly feel that we are the fortunate ones to have them in our lives.  You could say that we have adopted each other.  Every day presents a challenge for them in one way or another but they face the challenges with faith and courage.  I may give them occasional Spanish lessons but I learn so much more from them.

Months ago I read a WhatsApp message from Serhii that truly shook me.  He wrote that he wouldn’t have his weekly English class that day with Elina because the kind young woman in Tel Aviv who had been giving free English classes via Zoom to Ukrainian refugees was in a bomb refuge with her family and neighbors while their own town was being bombed. The madness of war and bombs around the world!

Michael, I had only told two other classmates about our Ukrainian friends before you and I exchanged emails the other day.  I appreciate the opportunity to share their story.  Dave, many thanks for thinking of the generous possibility of creating a Go Fund Me for the family. It may be needed later in the year but not right now.  I will let you know. 


12/06/22 09:25 AM #11912    

 

John Jackson

Donna, thanks to you and Julio for the compassion you have shown to Serhii’s family.

 


12/06/22 10:51 AM #11913    

 

Sheila McCarthy (Gardner)

Donna, what a beautiful story. Thank you .... 


12/06/22 11:04 AM #11914    

 

Deborah Alexander (Rogers)

Donna, your generosity to this family is showing the true spirit of the season, and of our faith.  "The greatest of these is love."  Thank you for an inspirational story.

Debbie


12/06/22 11:40 AM #11915    

 

Janie Albright (Blank)

Dave, just wanted to respond to your tongue-in-cheek comment about the 4 people who read the forum. I have access to stats and there have been 52 different classmates who have logged in during the last 30 days. Many, many lurkers and now and again the surprise poster. cool
 

Donna, God has a way of putting us in the right place at the right time. Prayers being sent your way. 
 

Dave, Just a reminder GoFundMe takes a healthy cut of money raised.  


12/06/22 04:04 PM #11916    

 

David Mitchell

Donna,

Wow!

I am bowled over by your story of kindness and generousity. A perfect reminder that the three wisemen were not named "Kanye, Elon, or Trump". Your example of a higher purpose is soooo uplifting.

As my kids used to say, you and your husband rock!

---------

And Janie, is there perhaps some other method of helping Donna with this cause?

I have been a small contributor to a men's Christian group that has been helping supply transportation from the border of Ukraine and Poland to housing in Berlin, and then some ongoing support thereafter. Our group (Marked Men for Christ) set up a sppecific funding method for the purpose - younger and brighter minds know how to do this stuff - I sure don't.

We also brought over the young leader of our Ukraine group and his wife to one of our group leaders home in Florida. (Tom McKeon would have met this guy near Tampa. I will just call him "Brian the Intense" - a retired Indiana narco-cop who leads some of our retreats and opened his home to a couple in need.)

But Donna's situation seems closer to home and more up close and personal.  

Wish there was a way????  

 


12/06/22 04:21 PM #11917    

 

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

The three wisemen were also not named Biden, Schwab or Gates.


12/06/22 04:52 PM #11918    

Joseph Gentilini

Donna - your generosity and Christian kindness is absolutely beautiful.  Thank you.  You inspire me to be more generous.  Your lives have touched them and they have touched you.  IT IS A GOD THING!


12/07/22 10:28 AM #11919    

 

Michael McLeod

I will second that. It just cheered me up,Donna.The world is such a mess and I catch myself dwelling on that too often and seeing a classmate instinctively do the right thing as opposed to worrying about it or complaining about it, honestly, it refocused me,too.


12/07/22 12:04 PM #11920    

 

Harold Clark

jane,

thanks for noticing

 

 


12/08/22 10:11 AM #11921    

 

Michael McLeod

Moving on from politicizing to mythologizing:

From the Catholic Digest -- a very respectful, reverent as opposed to irreverant job of putting one of the most fascinating and widespread myths of all time in perspective. 

 

St. Matthew records a bare-bones account of “wise men from the East” who see a star and journey to Jerusalem, winding up in Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn Jesus Christ before returning to their country by a different route, courtesy of angelic guidance.

 

However, the bare-bones of Matthew’s drama have grown not only flesh and blood, but multiple layers of lavish costumes, props and scenery. Christians celebrating Christmas and Epiphany re-tell the story of three mysterious kings named Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar who came from Arabia, Africa and India. The exotic wise men followed a magical star in a camel caravan to bring fabulous gifts and pay homage to the infant King of the Jews.

The problem is, Matthew never calls them kings. He never says there are three of them. Their names are never mentioned. He doesn’t say where they came from. There are no camels, and the “star” doesn’t necessarily lead them through the desert to Bethlehem. These traditions developed in the first five centuries of the Church, and were further elaborated throughout the Middle Ages.

Furthermore, most biblical scholars pooh-pooh the idea that the magi were historical at all. The Catholic Bible scholar Raymond Brown, in his monumental study, The Birth of the Messiah notes that it was a mark of modernist orthodoxy not to believe in the historicity of the magi story. Confronted with exotic wizards, magical stars, angelic messengers and a mystical trek across the desert, the modernist deconstructionist biblical experts were more scoffers than scholars. They deemed the Magi’s quest to be not only mystical, but mythical. The magi were wonderful wizards conjured up to make baby Jesus seem more special.

To suggest to the devout worshippers at Christmas or to the wide-eyed children at the school Nativity play that these extra traditions (and the magi themselves) are not likely to be historical would be churlish. So clergymen of all traditions—wise men and women that they are—maintain the myth. Believing that the magi story is no more than a pretty parable, like stage magicians, they continue the annual Christmas illusion.


12/08/22 11:29 AM #11922    

 

John Maxwell

Gee. Donna , just when the feeling that the world has gone to hell on the bullet train, you remind us of the meaning of love and charity. Thank you for being a keeper of the faith and helping those people. It is an inspiration.

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