My Take on Arrogance

Funny how some people perceive arrogance as that of boasting alone or that of talking a lot and loud. The Encarta Dictionary tool has this definition:

ar·ro·gance [érrəgəns]

n contemptuous pride: a strong feeling of proud self-importance that is expressed by treating other people with contempt or disregard

Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

It is not the loud mouth alone. SOME uncommunicative individuals are arrogant people, too. One has to observe how their eyes roll, their mouths twist, their eyebrows raise, or their smiles curdle just merely listening to somebody’s stories. Could it be that something was slighted within? Could it be that the inability to counter what one hears is reason enough to withdraw? Or is it because one thinks s/he is greater than the storyteller? Could it be arrogance in itself when one doesn’t care to utter a single word to counter or correct a statement?

I have been telling my children always to speak out what they think. There is a social responsibility to consider. It is not arrogance but self-confidence to speak out what one thinks is right. It is not wrong to assert. While most young people choose to be silent in the middle of discussions, my kids were not trained that way, or were not accustomed to that manner. They were trained not to be afraid to speak (in which case, we, as parents, have to endure the consequences, too), or share what they think (but not to brag). And most of the time, they are careful with their words on the premise that they don’t think or wish ill against others.

How ridiculous to listen to quiet-sounding storytellers who tell about their brand new signature stuffs. How can a simple-living citizen relate to that? I think to disregard how other people feel is pure arrogance. Self-importance is so magnified. Or they just don’t have anything of importance to say.

Let’s give the benefit of the doubt. I may be wrong but I may be right: Some tight-lipped egotists are arrogant, too.

Arrogance functions on the oxygen of its own modesty. The self-confidence that is part of being young is sensibly flexible.

Jerome Weidman (1913 – 1998)

U.S. writer.

So, these are memes…

Pardon me but I am what you call ignorant sometimes. I have been seeing the word meme when I saw these question-and-answer activities propagating the bloglandia but I do not really know what a meme is. I tried one time to find the word in the dictionary but there is none. And because I was busy (and I am still ’til now,) I was not able to surf the net about it. Only now. Here is an exact definition. You can also find lots of memes in that site.

My apologies to Major Tom for not being able to attend to this ASAP. Busy, busy, no time to ‘stand and stare’! But thanks for tagging me twice, it is such an honor ;-).

THE FIRST MEME: Three’s in My Life

3 things that scare me:

1. heights 2. possible harm for my loved ones

3. the pool, the sea, or any water form

3 people who can make me laugh:

1. Papsie 2. Pekto 3. any of the casts of That 70’s show

3 things I love:

1. my PC 2. the washing machine 3. the TV

3 things I hate (or just detest):

1. ‘tupperwares’ 2. waking up in the middle of the night 3. bad smell

3 things I don’t understand:

1. why I would suddenly be ignored

2. why bad things happen to good people

3. why success is evasive at times

3 things on my desk:

1. telephone 2. mirror 3. pen and paper

3 things I’m doing right now:

1. doing this meme

2. watching I Love New York

3. sipping coffee prepared by Papsie

3 things I wish to do before I die:

1. to get what I want for my beloved ones

2. write stories for a children’s book

3. to meet my friend bloggers

3 things I can do:

1. cook 2. write 3. laugh very loud

3 ways to describe my personality:

1. jolly 2. *naughty* 3. pensive at times

3 things people might not know about me:

1. eldest in a brood of four

2. I sometimes talk while sleeping

3. I don’t eat ube

3 things I can’t do:

1. swim 2. ride a bike 3. talk/ smile when I don’t feel like

3 things I think you should listen to:

1. Alicia Keys’ music 2. some Alanis Morisette’s music 3. MYMP’s music or Moonstar88’s music

3 things I don’t think you should listen to ever:

1. gossips 2. clashing metals 3. an in-law’s chattering voice

3 of my absolute favorite foods:

1. adobo 2. my pancit canton 3. kare-kare

3 things I’d like to learn:

1. play the guitar 2. drive a car

3. more writing styles

3 beverages I drink regularly:

1. Coffee 2. water 3. softdrinks

3 shows I watched when I was a child:

1. John n Marsha 2. Mighty Thor 3. Popeye

3 people I have tagged to do this meme:–

1. anybody 2. anybody 3. anybody

THE SECOND MEME – Six Weird Things About Me

1. I talk alone in the CR when stressed out
2. One can’t force me to utter a single word if I dont feel like talking or specially when I am mad.
3. I cant sleep at night without the TV on.
4. I find myself sometimes staring at people (yea, I know it’s rude).
5. I cant look in the eye anyone (in person) i admire.
6. I dont eat ube, even if it’s only a flavor.

I just wonder if these creatures are strange in some ways, too:

1. Melai  2. Jane  3. Mon-mon  4. Din-din  5. Rey  6. Elizabeth

(If you’re tagged already, you dont have to do it anymore, of course! he he, jaz lemme know, k?)

So, these are memes…

Pardon me but I am what you call ignorant sometimes. I have been seeing the word meme when I saw these question-and-answer activities propagating the bloglandia but I do not really know what a meme is. I tried one time to find the word in the dictionary but there is none. And because I was busy (and I am still ’til now,) I was not able to surf the net about it. Only now. Here is an exact definition. You can also find lots of memes in that site.

My apologies to Major Tom for not being able to attend to this ASAP. Busy, busy, no time to ‘stand and stare’! But thanks for tagging me twice, it is such an honor ;-).

THE FIRST MEME: Three’s in My Life

3 things that scare me:

1. heights 2. possible harm for my loved ones

3. the pool, the sea, or any water form

3 people who can make me laugh:

1. Papsie 2. Pekto 3. any of the casts of That 70’s show

3 things I love:

1. my PC 2. the washing machine 3. the TV

3 things I hate (or just detest):

1. ‘tupperwares’ 2. waking up in the middle of the night 3. bad smell

3 things I don’t understand:

1. why I would suddenly be ignored

2. why bad things happen to good people

3. why success is evasive at times

3 things on my desk:

1. telephone 2. mirror 3. pen and paper

3 things I’m doing right now:

1. doing this meme

2. watching I Love New York

3. sipping coffee prepared by Papsie

3 things I wish to do before I die:

1. to get what I want for my beloved ones

2. write stories for a children’s book

3. to meet my friend bloggers

3 things I can do:

1. cook 2. write 3. laugh very loud

3 ways to describe my personality:

1. jolly 2. *naughty* 3. pensive at times

3 things people might not know about me:

1. eldest in a brood of four

2. I sometimes talk while sleeping

3. I don’t eat ube

3 things I can’t do:

1. swim 2. ride a bike 3. talk/ smile when I don’t feel like

3 things I think you should listen to:

1. Alicia Keys’ music 2. some Alanis Morisette’s music 3. MYMP’s music or Moonstar88’s music

3 things I don’t think you should listen to ever:

1. gossips 2. clashing metals 3. an in-law’s chattering voice

3 of my absolute favorite foods:

1. adobo 2. my pancit canton 3. kare-kare

3 things I’d like to learn:

1. play the guitar 2. drive a car

3. more writing styles

3 beverages I drink regularly:

1. Coffee 2. water 3. softdrinks

3 shows I watched when I was a child:

1. John n Marsha 2. Mighty Thor 3. Popeye

3 people I have tagged to do this meme:–

1. anybody 2. anybody 3. anybody

THE SECOND MEME – Six Weird Things About Me

1. I talk alone in the CR when stressed out
2. One can’t force me to utter a single word if I dont feel like talking or specially when I am mad.
3. I cant sleep at night without the TV on.
4. I find myself sometimes staring at people (yea, I know it’s rude).
5. I cant look in the eye anyone (in person) i admire.
6. I dont eat ube, even if it’s only a flavor.

I just wonder if these creatures are strange in some ways, too:

1. Melai  2. Jane  3. Mon-mon  4. Din-din  5. Rey  6. Elizabeth

(If you’re tagged already, you dont have to do it anymore, of course! he he, jaz lemme know, k?)

Please, Be My Friend?

There was a time in my life when I almost begged for myself to be a friend to anybody though I did not literally beg for it. All because I seem to have no best friend, no one to really make me feel I am their friend.

I was more a shrinking violet than a live wire those days. I came to realize early in life that I lack many things compared to my classmates and friends (or maybe more as acquaintances). That could have triggered the introversion, because as far as I can remember, I will choose to be silent and think within, than blurt out my ideas about things because of self-doubt. I rarely speak phrases, only words, in faint voices. Too insecure, or unconfident, I struggled my way up to recognition silently, amidst the hatred of those popular ones who failed to defeat me in what they desired to be for themselves – excellent achiever in school.

I did not do it on purpose. That was my only vehicle to express myself, and to let everybody know that I exist. I felt nobody noticed me until I had put on myself achievements that did not change what I felt a bit. But it somehow introduced me to some who took interest. I made sense after all.

That stage passed. I was able to survive and I learned a lot. It was not necessary to beg for friendship after all. Friendship should be mutual. Both of the parties should feel that they are trusted, appreciated, supported and other requisites that characterize friendship. There should not be a feeling of alienation. There should be acceptance.

I had learned that one should not beg. If one has to put up with the weaknesses of another, that another should also have to put up with one’s weaknesses. If one takes interest befriending another, one must not expect too much that it would be reciprocated. But one should not also ask for morsels, or ‘sit up and ask for food’. It is not necessary. When one gets interested, one should not push around. Friendship is not obligatory.

While it is logically true that friendship takes time to develop, one of the first ingredients, I believe is both of you like and dislike generally the same things. Dissimilarity in tastes mostly puts a barrier between individuals especially when it comes to perspective. How will friendship prosper, for example, between a homebody and a socializer?

“Please, be my friend.” Maybe I would not ask anybody that. But I could be the sincerest friend one’ll ever have and a loyal one at his/her fingertips. To say the least.

Please, Be My Friend?

There was a time in my life when I almost begged for myself to be a friend to anybody though I did not literally beg for it. All because I seem to have no best friend, no one to really make me feel I am their friend.

I was more a shrinking violet than a live wire those days. I came to realize early in life that I lack many things compared to my classmates and friends (or maybe more as acquaintances). That could have triggered the introversion, because as far as I can remember, I will choose to be silent and think within, than blurt out my ideas about things because of self-doubt. I rarely speak phrases, only words, in faint voices. Too insecure, or unconfident, I struggled my way up to recognition silently, amidst the hatred of those popular ones who failed to defeat me in what they desired to be for themselves – excellent achiever in school.

I did not do it on purpose. That was my only vehicle to express myself, and to let everybody know that I exist. I felt nobody noticed me until I had put on myself achievements that did not change what I felt a bit. But it somehow introduced me to some who took interest. I made sense after all.

That stage passed. I was able to survive and I learned a lot. It was not necessary to beg for friendship after all. Friendship should be mutual. Both of the parties should feel that they are trusted, appreciated, supported and other requisites that characterize friendship. There should not be a feeling of alienation. There should be acceptance.

I had learned that one should not beg. If one has to put up with the weaknesses of another, that another should also have to put up with one’s weaknesses. If one takes interest befriending another, one must not expect too much that it would be reciprocated. But one should not also ask for morsels, or ‘sit up and ask for food’. It is not necessary. When one gets interested, one should not push around. Friendship is not obligatory.

While it is logically true that friendship takes time to develop, one of the first ingredients, I believe is both of you like and dislike generally the same things. Dissimilarity in tastes mostly puts a barrier between individuals especially when it comes to perspective. How will friendship prosper, for example, between a homebody and a socializer?

“Please, be my friend.” Maybe I would not ask anybody that. But I could be the sincerest friend one’ll ever have and a loyal one at his/her fingertips. To say the least.

To Be Remembered Like This

At Yitzhak Rabin’s Funeral

Below is the eulogy of Noa Ben-Artzi Philosof, then the 18-year old grand daughter of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the first native-born prime minister in Israel who was assassinated on November 4, 1995.

Excuse me, but I will not discuss peace today. I will talk about my grandfather.

The television has not stopped showing your image, and you seem so alive, and yet you’re not. Grandpa, you were the pillar of fire before the camp, and now we’re just a camp left alone in the dark, and we’re so cold.

I know people are talking about a national tragedy. How can you pacify an entire army and an entire people when we feel such the void that was left? Very few people knew you truly. We can talk about you a lot more, but I feel that people don’t know how great the pain is. At least the family and friends that were left at the camp without the pillar of fire know. Grandpa, you were our hero. I want you to know that everything that I did, I always saw you before me.

Your appreciation and your love escorted us through every way and road. You never, ever abandoned us, and here you are, my eternal hero, cold and alone, and there’s nothing I can do to save you.

People greater than me have already eulogized you, but no one knows the caress that you placed on my shoulder and the warm hug that you saved only for us and your smile that always told me so much—the same smile that is no longer there.

No one knows the great pain that I’m feeling. The ground was taken from under our feet, and we’re trying somehow to make something of this void and have not yet succeeded.

I don’t want to separate from you, but now I must. I hope that you rest in peace and remember and miss us, because we down here love you. And I hope that the angels in heaven that escort you now that will protect you, I pray, and that they will protect you well, because you need that kind of care.

We love you always, Grandpa.

 

Source: 1996 Collier’s Year Book.

 

—–

Thanks to http://neebsuk.wordpress.com for this photo.

Suddenly I thought of how I wanted to be when I grow old:

 

– that bits of childhood will remain not because I am demented

– that I die before I totally degenerate

– that it would not feel so bad even if almost all of my hairs had fallen

– that I don’t loose all the people I love

– that Nature would provide the pleasures of Old Age

– that I would not be cruel to myself cussing about not being able to do anything anymore

– that I would still be inspired, kind, happy, decent

– that I would not be boring, whatever that means

– that I won’t grow old without money

– that I would still be able to remember the days of my youth

– that I would still be in touch

– that they would bear with me more

– that I would not be too absorbed of myself

– and that I would be leaving a legacy

To Be Remembered Like This

At Yitzhak Rabin’s Funeral

Below is the eulogy of Noa Ben-Artzi Philosof, then the 18-year old grand daughter of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the first native-born prime minister in Israel who was assassinated on November 4, 1995.

Excuse me, but I will not discuss peace today. I will talk about my grandfather.

The television has not stopped showing your image, and you seem so alive, and yet you’re not. Grandpa, you were the pillar of fire before the camp, and now we’re just a camp left alone in the dark, and we’re so cold.

I know people are talking about a national tragedy. How can you pacify an entire army and an entire people when we feel such the void that was left? Very few people knew you truly. We can talk about you a lot more, but I feel that people don’t know how great the pain is. At least the family and friends that were left at the camp without the pillar of fire know. Grandpa, you were our hero. I want you to know that everything that I did, I always saw you before me.

Your appreciation and your love escorted us through every way and road. You never, ever abandoned us, and here you are, my eternal hero, cold and alone, and there’s nothing I can do to save you.

People greater than me have already eulogized you, but no one knows the caress that you placed on my shoulder and the warm hug that you saved only for us and your smile that always told me so much—the same smile that is no longer there.

No one knows the great pain that I’m feeling. The ground was taken from under our feet, and we’re trying somehow to make something of this void and have not yet succeeded.

I don’t want to separate from you, but now I must. I hope that you rest in peace and remember and miss us, because we down here love you. And I hope that the angels in heaven that escort you now that will protect you, I pray, and that they will protect you well, because you need that kind of care.

We love you always, Grandpa.

 

Source: 1996 Collier’s Year Book.

 

—–

Thanks to http://neebsuk.wordpress.com for this photo.

Suddenly I thought of how I wanted to be when I grow old:

 

– that bits of childhood will remain not because I am demented

– that I die before I totally degenerate

– that it would not feel so bad even if almost all of my hairs had fallen

– that I don’t loose all the people I love

– that Nature would provide the pleasures of Old Age

– that I would not be cruel to myself cussing about not being able to do anything anymore

– that I would still be inspired, kind, happy, decent

– that I would not be boring, whatever that means

– that I won’t grow old without money

– that I would still be able to remember the days of my youth

– that I would still be in touch

– that they would bear with me more

– that I would not be too absorbed of myself

– and that I would be leaving a legacy

I Almost Cried

The celebrated one never fades. He still has that magic spell.

I am one person who can be sometimes regarded as emotional. I can easily be affected by my emotions. I am very quick to cry over the so many ‘little things’ in this world. My tears well up unpredictably when Kay hugs me to say sorry. And even so when Daryl creates his masterpieces. My voice cracked in anger one time when a boss refused to listen to my grievance. And my tears didn’t stop flowing when hubby said that he can always understand me, that he will always try to understand me.

I almost cried. I was really overwhelmed. And even though I cannot express fully why this is so, I am thankful. Thankful maybe a bit short of the true description of how I feel but it is what will be enough for now.

But emotions can also lead us astray. They can play with our imaginations. They can create stories in our minds. They can magnify little bothers. They can make mountains out of small hills. They can even drag you down or leave you adrift in your own follies.

When we should let matters rest, it is important that we have to be in a sane emotional state.

I Almost Cried

The celebrated one never fades. He still has that magic spell.

I am one person who can be sometimes regarded as emotional. I can easily be affected by my emotions. I am very quick to cry over the so many ‘little things’ in this world. My tears well up unpredictably when Kay hugs me to say sorry. And even so when Daryl creates his masterpieces. My voice cracked in anger one time when a boss refused to listen to my grievance. And my tears didn’t stop flowing when hubby said that he can always understand me, that he will always try to understand me.

I almost cried. I was really overwhelmed. And even though I cannot express fully why this is so, I am thankful. Thankful maybe a bit short of the true description of how I feel but it is what will be enough for now.

But emotions can also lead us astray. They can play with our imaginations. They can create stories in our minds. They can magnify little bothers. They can make mountains out of small hills. They can even drag you down or leave you adrift in your own follies.

When we should let matters rest, it is important that we have to be in a sane emotional state.

Stress Relieving Quiz

A cousin who happens to be a friend also is so kind to send me this:

 

Don’t tell me your age; you probably would tell a falsehood anyway-but the Nestle Man will know!

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH

This is pretty neat.

DON’T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN

FIRST!
It takes less than a minute . Work this out as you read . Be sure you don’t read the bottom until you’ve worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it’s fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate(more than once but less than 10).
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold).
3. Add 5.
4. Multiply it by 50 — I’ll wait while you get the calculator.
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1756. If you haven’t, add 1755.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number.

The first digit of this was the number of times you really want to eat Chocolate (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).

The next two numbers are

YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2006) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS.

Stress Relieving Quiz

A cousin who happens to be a friend also is so kind to send me this:

 

Don’t tell me your age; you probably would tell a falsehood anyway-but the Nestle Man will know!

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH

This is pretty neat.

DON’T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN

FIRST!
It takes less than a minute . Work this out as you read . Be sure you don’t read the bottom until you’ve worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it’s fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate(more than once but less than 10).
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold).
3. Add 5.
4. Multiply it by 50 — I’ll wait while you get the calculator.
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1756. If you haven’t, add 1755.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number.

The first digit of this was the number of times you really want to eat Chocolate (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).

The next two numbers are

YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2006) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS.

Not all that glisters, gold

– Thomas Gray (1716 – 1771)
British poet.

A girl friend told me why she doesn’t go to the first-Friday-of-the-month mass anymore (held at the company). The whole assembly reeks with hypocrisy according to her. She said that she sins more going to that ceremony because anywhere she turns, there will be somebody she sees who will contribute to the ill thoughts. She cannot ward off the hostile feeling and the unease whenever she sees them. In the front, where the priest stands, stood the loan shark, who parades herself as a pious devotee. Next, in the front seat, line up the philanderers, the thieves, the swindlers and the adulterers, that masquerade as meek lambs. Beside her, are the co-workers who assume that they are the most sophisticated ladies in the company and snob anybody they dislike even for no reason at all. From not far away, are the two lovers, both married, glancing surreptitiously at each other. And from the other end, is the ‘homo’ who was caught inside a theater grabbing genitals. And many more.

She still hears mass but in a church where she knows nobody. This is probably the reason, too, why her husband doesn’t go to their church anymore. One day, she told me, she was able to persuade him to accompany her to the mass because it is their anniversary. Off they went to the mass, and after a few minutes came their elderly neighbor. Her husband wasn’t able to contain his thoughts and whispered, “Tingnan mo yan, halos araw-araw narito ‘yan sa simbahan at nagrorosaryo. Kulang na nga lang dito na tumira. Kumpleto pa sa get-up, ha, me medalyon pa. Pero sino ba ang naghalo ng ipa sa mga butil ng bigas, at saka pinakain sa mga trabahador niya?” (Look at her, almost everyday she visits the church to pray the rosary. It’s like she wanted to take her abode in the church. She even has a complete get-up with a medallion. But who mixed the hulls to the grain, and have them eaten by the workers?)

Really, such hypocrisy. I cannot blame her and her husband to feel that way because I also feel that way when I see parishioners who continue aggravating other people. Of course, their business is not our business but they are stumbling blocks. Then I said, “I don’t go to the church for these people.” To this she replied that she cannot prevent her bad thoughts from coming and it would be best not to go to that mass anymore.

I don’t want to sound like I am perfect. Neither does my friend want to sound like one, too. It’s just that she desires peace when going to the church and she couldn’t have it because she sees them. Maybe these people, she added, do not know what they are doing, or maybe they know that what they’re doing is right as long as they are kept hidden. And my friend couldn’t stand it.

———

It’s easy to love God. It’s easy to love Jesus. It’s easy to pray for the heathen African ten thousand miles from the house where you live. It’s hard to call a lousy tramp your brother and set him down at your table.

Melvin Tolson (1900 – 1966)

U.S. poet and teacher.

 

Not all that glisters, gold

– Thomas Gray (1716 – 1771)
British poet.

A girl friend told me why she doesn’t go to the first-Friday-of-the-month mass anymore (held at the company). The whole assembly reeks with hypocrisy according to her. She said that she sins more going to that ceremony because anywhere she turns, there will be somebody she sees who will contribute to the ill thoughts. She cannot ward off the hostile feeling and the unease whenever she sees them. In the front, where the priest stands, stood the loan shark, who parades herself as a pious devotee. Next, in the front seat, line up the philanderers, the thieves, the swindlers and the adulterers, that masquerade as meek lambs. Beside her, are the co-workers who assume that they are the most sophisticated ladies in the company and snob anybody they dislike even for no reason at all. From not far away, are the two lovers, both married, glancing surreptitiously at each other. And from the other end, is the ‘homo’ who was caught inside a theater grabbing genitals. And many more.

She still hears mass but in a church where she knows nobody. This is probably the reason, too, why her husband doesn’t go to their church anymore. One day, she told me, she was able to persuade him to accompany her to the mass because it is their anniversary. Off they went to the mass, and after a few minutes came their elderly neighbor. Her husband wasn’t able to contain his thoughts and whispered, “Tingnan mo yan, halos araw-araw narito ‘yan sa simbahan at nagrorosaryo. Kulang na nga lang dito na tumira. Kumpleto pa sa get-up, ha, me medalyon pa. Pero sino ba ang naghalo ng ipa sa mga butil ng bigas, at saka pinakain sa mga trabahador niya?” (Look at her, almost everyday she visits the church to pray the rosary. It’s like she wanted to take her abode in the church. She even has a complete get-up with a medallion. But who mixed the hulls to the grain, and have them eaten by the workers?)

Really, such hypocrisy. I cannot blame her and her husband to feel that way because I also feel that way when I see parishioners who continue aggravating other people. Of course, their business is not our business but they are stumbling blocks. Then I said, “I don’t go to the church for these people.” To this she replied that she cannot prevent her bad thoughts from coming and it would be best not to go to that mass anymore.

I don’t want to sound like I am perfect. Neither does my friend want to sound like one, too. It’s just that she desires peace when going to the church and she couldn’t have it because she sees them. Maybe these people, she added, do not know what they are doing, or maybe they know that what they’re doing is right as long as they are kept hidden. And my friend couldn’t stand it.

———

It’s easy to love God. It’s easy to love Jesus. It’s easy to pray for the heathen African ten thousand miles from the house where you live. It’s hard to call a lousy tramp your brother and set him down at your table.

Melvin Tolson (1900 – 1966)

U.S. poet and teacher.

 

How They Have Grown

When I first held Kay, she was so tiny, she was just the length of my lap, and I was like holding her both with my hands and arms. She was like an angel.

And when Daryl came, he weighs like a one-month old baby already. But also a little angel. He sucks just putting a finger on his chin.

Now, look how they have grown! They’re bigger, and becoming more witty and amusing as the days go by…

with the cats…

The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears. – Francis Bacon

How They Have Grown

When I first held Kay, she was so tiny, she was just the length of my lap, and I was like holding her both with my hands and arms. She was like an angel.

And when Daryl came, he weighs like a one-month old baby already. But also a little angel. He sucks just putting a finger on his chin.

Now, look how they have grown! They’re bigger, and becoming more witty and amusing as the days go by…

with the cats…

The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears. – Francis Bacon