Who is MUCH more likely to die on the job? A woman? Or a man?
FACT: 93% of workplace deaths are to men. Why?
Because men take the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs and work the longest hours to make as much money as they can while they can. I know because it was what I did. I could have been in those workplace death certificates. I did some dirty and dangerous jobs.
They say your 20s are the best time of your life but for me, there were years of frustration and suffering and separation from loved ones. But I just stoically carried on. Getting your first full-time job is sometimes very difficult. People are surprised but I would say in my early life I was turned down for every job I applied for. I was too qualified or not qualified enough. It was humiliating and a chastening experience. So I left home and went West. I told my mother I would keep going until I got a full-time job and if I had to go to Alaska or Australia, I would do that. I ended up in Washington State and later California. But by following the economic magnet and moving where there were SOME job openings I got work and for over forty years I always worked. It was hard to leave home (essentially never returned) but working felt a lot better.
After I left the service I had very little money (a few thousand dollars) and an old Chrysler (free and clear). I worked in construction for five years. I started by unloading rail cars $6 an hour I recall (then stacking over 1000 bags of Owens-Corning fiberglass insulation); then I dug trenches under a place called Yesler Terrace with an e-tool.
The first day my partner and I got ZERO PAY. That’s right ZERO pay.
We were paid by the square foot of insulation installed.
But we worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday and finished the job (a job no one else wanted). Monday morning at 5AM we got another job.
And we gained the respect of the foreman (a tough ex-Marine) because we did not complain. We knew the job had to be done and we knew the terms of the contract.
We also knew it was no good to complain; to get more work you had to finish the job you were on satisfactorily. Even the guy I was with was surprised but I told him hauling loads and digging in the dirt was nothing new to me. In fact, the quiet of the Yesler Terrace underfloor was almost soothing compared to the noise and explosions of Marine Corps maneuvers.
We crawled into a little entrance with a long series of extension cords and a light. The kid I was with said to me, “what if there is an earthquake?”
And I told him, “Kid, if there is an earthquake we are dead and they will never find our bodies. But you can’t live forever. Let’s dig and get out of here as soon as possible. We can do this job if we work 10 hours a day.”
We finished Sunday evening about 6PM. We spent most of three days in the semi-darkness digging and then stocking (with tubes of insulation -Certainteed was the only thing we could fit in the trench) then installing the batts. It was a huge job. I think we made about $2 an hour. Piece work in construction or farm labor is the low end of the job market.
Above us were lounging welfare families. The kid asked me what I thought of them and I said,
“I feel sorry for them; they don’t know the pride and dignity of work. Anyone can run away. Anyone can be AWOL but its the man who stays and does the job who can be proud. If you work you get ahead; if you sweat you get; things at rest remain at rest. If you stay here with them you will be miserable and ashamed your whole life. Kid, get a job do a job. Be reliable and on time. Get what education you can and finish whatever level you start. High school, Certificate programs. Don’t have any kids until you are married and when you are married stay married. You may not get rich but you will never be poor if you are lucky enough to stay healthy. Quien joven no trabaja viejo duerme sobre paja……work when you are young so you are not homeless when you are old.”
I never got rich but I have a roof over my head, money in the bank and money coming in.
And it all started because I wasn’t afraid of dirty and dangerous jobs. I had a family to support and it was what I had to do. I still have the scars from those years. But later on, I really appreciated paid vacations, benefits and a regular hourly wage.
“To believe that there must be a Creator is merely a lack of imagination, but to go so far as to think that he cares about humans at any level strikes me as supremely arrogant.” A non-believer.
Ah, of course, but it is a fond hope of many. However, it is a matter of faith, not science. And yes there is much pride and arrogance in religion -this is a grievous fault. I have no final answers …there is great mystery in life and death and creation. RICHARD K MUNRO
NON-BELIEVER: “I agree about mystery — it seems to me that confronting life, the universe, and everything head-on with reason is more powerful and more honest and more challenging than relying on faith to explain away certain mysterious aspects of nature.”
·
Richard K. Munro:
“That is the enlightenment view. But as a survivor who has seen death and killings and has beaten cancer and unemployment and near homelessness, I am glad to say that man’s final weapon -prayer is a powerful instrument. “Except for the Lord the watchman waketh in vain.” (Ps 127)
(Friend )MurphyWong:
Richard, if God did not exist, he would have to be invented for people like you and me, for we have become “fine-tuned” for God.
San Joaquin Valley, California, USA February16, 2015 and 2025
As I have written before there aren’t many atheists in foxholes.
Hard experiences in life -brushes with death- tend to bring out the religious and philosophic view of life. We accept many things on faith. God’s voice is not audible to all. Someone hard of hearing in his soul will not hear God speaking. Jesus said, “Let him who has ears hear” (Matt 11:15) The Manichees, like Tom Paine, were proud of their emancipation from tradition and boasted they had no need to defend their teachings by appealing to tradition, authority, or any sacred scriptures. For them reason alone was sufficient.
But as I have said we all rely on faith, for example for historical knowledge. There is no way to prove that Caesar was murdered by the Senators or Cicero was executed by Mark Anthony. We know seven times seven is 49. But any event that happens in the long past of human history is always dependent on sources which are someone else’s word. The distinctive feature of historical knowledge is that it is based on testimony or sources that are “worthy of trust.” The rest usually works itself out. That’s true for the historical examples, but frequently NOT true in science. Often there are direct remains from past events (e.g., fossils, geological formations), which can be examined firsthand, not having to take someone else’s word for it. And in astronomy, we see the past directly, due to the time it has taken for light from distant objects and events to reach us.
I recall Augustine spoke of AUTHORITY in his discussion on faith. We owe our beliefs to a large extent on AUTHORITY. I am for example an authority on Spanish grammar and accentuation (I’=am an AP Reader for ETS in essays). But all my life I have relied on Spanish grammars and dictionaries. In everyday life, we all have to accept the authority or special opinion or knowledge of someone else. Without faith, that is without confidence in the truthfulness of others, the “sacred bond of the human race” would be broken. Nothing is stable if we are stubbornly determined to believe NOTHING can be believed with absolute certainty. As a teacher my student has to believe me that I know English grammar that I know Spanish grammar and that I know things about history.
I wanted to clean my DE pool filter. At first I wanted to rely only on my reason. But upon examining it I determined I needed the advice of someone with experience in cleaning DE filters. I did research on the Internet and found a “how to do it with photographs.” And with the help of my wife I did it. But I also learned that by doing what I did I risked permanently damaging the filter and making it useless.
I determined that it wasn’t worth it to spend almost seven hours cleaning and reassembling the filter. So I pay a certain amount of money to a workman who is an expert in this. Now I watch him to see what I can learn but I know what I can do successfully and without economic risk and what is not worth the economic risk.
In other words, I have learned that reason alone is not the way to fix my roof or maintain my car. Because not all can be known. But I was glad for the experience. I have learned a lot about pool maintenance and do most of it myself. However, I seek the experience of experts and specialists to resurface the pool or repair the pump and vacuum. Those things I can clean and maintain and troubleshoot but I know the limits of my skill and knowledge.
Authority in religion at its best and wisest does not impose or coerce.
Similarly, I cannot command someone to learn Spanish or English. I can only invite them to enjoy the wonderful adventure it is to learn and study and use languages. I delight in my grandchildren writing me notes in Spanish and the best I can do is praise them and encourage them!
A good teacher does not strong arm students and say like Hitler OBEY ME because I AM THE TEACHER. A good teacher is patient and earns the confidence of his students by experience ,by reputation, my knowledge, by insight and of course by the truth. And a student cannot merely memorize (or cheat); he has to understand and understand how to learn. I think there can be no knowledge of God without faith for faith is the only way we can know God. Faith in this life is always incomplete. As Paul said, “Now we believe in part.” “Happy is the people whose God is the Lord.” PS 144·
FAITH vs REASON. I remember as a young man tending towards the enlightenment/skeptical/Tom Paine point of view.
But I was never entirely atheistic. I tended towards agnosticism-perhaps I still do.
But life experience plus Thomas Merton plus C.S. Lewis plus Chesterton built upon what tendency I had towards Christianity. I also experienced directly and indirectly sectarian hatred of evangelical Protestants versus Catholics and hatred towards Jews. (as a young man I had little or no contact with Mormons, Muslims or Buddhists) This hatred and prejudice almost turned me against religion entirely.
But then I gradually realized that the sectarian feeling of Irish Catholics against Scottish Protestants for example was more political and nationalistic than theological. And similarly, hatred of the Jews was pathological and based on jealousy. I have always felt Christians ought to be very grateful to the Jews for giving us the philosophic and literary and religious basis of our faith. So falling into a prideful hatred of others is an unfortunate tendency found in many but one we should reject.
But the true message of Christianity is love. I did not really understand love as a boy or young man. When Eros awoke in me in my teens I sensed that kind of love was the most powerful love.
However I became aware of the fact that there were many kinds of love -I am sure you know them -storge for affection, agape (caritas) for altruistic love or care for others, philia or the love of comrades or friendship and of course eros or erotic physical love. Philia love I learned both in the service and as a faculty member at my schools and as a coach. Storgic love and agape love I learned from my mother; eros became a fixation in late adolescence as I became physically infatuated with women aged 16 to 30 plus. I suppose I always like mature women more than silly girls so even as a young man voluptuous 30-something women were very attractive to me. But I quickly learned that erotic attraction was as much a thing of imagination and passing fancy as anything else.
And I found, in my experience, most very beautiful women were not necessarily kind or good. But I was lucky in a way. I did not travel in rich circles and nor did I have much money of my own or glorious career aspirations. So the most physically beautiful women just passed me by and did me a favor.
And of course looks don’t last. Some women have a high lifetime batting average -they are attractive from age 17 to 60 and some are flashes in the pan who lose their looks and figures early . There are women who are stunningly beautiful from late adolescence until their early20’s and then completely let themselves go. I could tell you stories of my near escapes.
But I think it true that I was basically a kind man who did not take advantage of women or mistreat them. If anything women used their sexuality to take advantage of me (at least briefly). But I was wise enough not to get caught up in that honey trap. It is a card women play if they really want something. But of course unless they aren’t sincere it isn’t worth much.
If a man wants a spouse for life -he should choose character and someone with a prospects of a good lifetime batting average for attractiveness.
Money per se was not important to me. I think to marry for money is even more stupid than to marry for sex. One should avoid people who have MONEY PROBLEMS (huge debts; spending problems). But one should ignore financial gain when one marries. It is better to marry for love ,in my opinion.
My father said to me, “#1 never date a woman who would not be a good mate -you won’t get dragged down or distracted that way.
#2 Look at the mother and aunts. That probably is that the daughter will look like in her 30’s 40’s and 50’s. Say to yourself if you would be satisfied with a woman like that.” I think this was wise advice. I also think the family of a woman (or man) says a lot about that person. My wife, for example, was the favorite niece of her uncles, and much beloved by her grandfather.
She was very kind to her younger cousins; she was involved in teaching young people in a religious youth program. She was religiously devout much more so than I was. But gradually I changed my views and realized I was comfortable with her worldview and I wanted to share her faith totally. I had seen a lot of divorce a lot of bitter breakups in New York and I did not want that to be part of my life. We talked about marriage and she considered it a sacrament something holy and something for life.
Of course, that was exactly how my non-Latin but Catholic parents and grandparents felt and I realized that my views on marriage were strongly influenced by my parent’s experience even though I did not, at the time, think those values were especially “Catholic” merely “traditional.”
Of course, in my life it was a balance between character and intellectual interests and sexual attraction. I knew women who were attractive to me but I was not attractive to them “no chemistry”they said.
And similarly I liked women who were nice, had nice families and were good cooks and pleasant companions but I didn’t think we could ever have children. In this case there was little chemistry on myside. One need not burn with erotic passion like a wild rutting beast all of one’s life but I think it is good to have shared young passionate love with a spouse. The memory of that passion and that oneness is the basis for a sense of permanent connection and gratitude, particularly when that passion is not merely what my grandfather called “dud in the mud sex” that is contracepted sex that produces no children.
I suppose for me the chief qualification for a woman is that I wanted her physically to be the mother of my children and spiritually and intellectually the mother of my children.
I crossed out any ZPGer’s or Radical Feminists and it is true that in time when on I only dated women from my faith tradition. I tried to date women from other backgrounds but our philosophies of life were too different. In variably we would argue. I was called “medieval” (and worse).
I found personally, that I liked Latin women better than the American women I met chiefly because they had more traditional values and I realized as a son of an immigrant I had more traditional values than the average New Yorker, certainly.
Interestingly enough my son also married a Latin and our daughter also married a Latin. It is a cognate fact that no one in my family for a thousand years has married a native-English speaking woman. Of course, my people came from the fringe of the English-speaking (and Protestant) world. Prior to 1890-1920 most of my family were non-native speakers of English. Because of this we have always tended to be “amphibious” and cosmopolitan. Working in Latin America we learned Spanish; living in Canada we learned French. Serving in the 27th Division (1914-1919) my grandfather learned spoken Hindi and Punjabi. Serving in the Philippines, my father who already spoke French learned Spanish and Tagalog. Even as we lost to old language we retained an openness and interest in other languages and a love of music, song and poetry. So I can never remember a time when I lived in a monolingual English-only household. There is no question as a Gael (by ancestry) I feel a connectedness to the ancient bonds of Christendom and to Rome. We never looked exclusively to London or Paris or New York or Washington.
And I suppose if one grows up with stories of saints and missionaries one never loses that connectedness entirely. And like a loadstone, the wandering heart drifts back to true north.
And faith and love. My grandfather came to America with very little except a strong faith and a strong desire to work and thus remain free. Though we no longer share his nationality nor his native language with our children I think he would be very satisfied that we were ‘bydan free’ (saorsa gu brath/ forever free) and that we were stable in our faith traditions. I believe his faith inheritance was more important to him than his race or nationalist considerations. This is expressed in the fact that he did not marry a woman of his national origin (nor did I). There was never a question that we would marry people only from his region of Scotland or his language –in our faith life there were people from every race and every corner of the globe. And in the 21st century I fully expect to have grandchildren who bear the races and lines of many peoples and three or four continents. But as my grandfather, Auld Pop, used to say, “the important thing about grandchildren is HAVING THEM; the next important thing is that they are HEALTHY; the last important thing is that they are LOVED and CARED FOR.”
The rest usually works itself out. That seems REASONABLE TO ME by experience
But It all began with FAITH that all will yet be well and knowledge that one of the most powerful wisdoms is REVERENCE FOR LIFE and REVERENCE FOR GOD. The earliest Bible quote I knew was this: “DREAD GOD and OBEY his commandments for that is the whole duty of man. “
“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” Proverbs 16:16
Walking across the sitting-room, I turn the television off Sitting beside you, I look into your eyes As the sound of motorcars fades in the night time I swear I saw your face change, it didn’t seem quite right And it’s hello babe, with your guardian eyes so blue Hey my baby, don’t you know our love is true
Coming closer with our eyes, a distance falls around our bodies Out in the garden, the moon seems very bright Six saintly shrouded men move across the lawn slowly The seventh walks in front with a cross held high in hand And it’s hey babe your supper’s waiting for you Hey my baby, don’t you know our love is true?
I’ve been so far from here Far from your warm arms It’s good to feel you again It’s been a long long time Hasn’t it?
I know a farmer who looks after the farm With water clear, he cares for all his harvest I know a fireman who looks after the fire
You, can’t you see he’s fooled you all Yes, he’s here again Can’t you see he’s fooled you all? Share his peace, sign the lease He’s a supersonic scientist He’s the guaranteed eternal sanctuary man Look, look into my mouth he cries And all the children lost down many paths I bet my life you’ll walk inside Hand in hand Gland in gland With a spoonful of miracle He’s the guaranteed eternal sanctuary We will rock you, rock you little snake We will keep you snug and warm
Wearing feelings on our faces while our faces took a rest We walked across the fields to see the children of the West But we saw a host of dark skinned warriors standing still below the ground
Waiting for battle
The fight’s begun, they’ve been released Killing foe for peace, bang, bang, bang Bang, bang, bang And they’ve given me a wonderful potion ‘Cause I cannot contain my emotion And even though I’m feeling good Something tells me I’d better activate my prayer capsule
Today’s a day to celebrate, the foe have met their fate The order for rejoicing and dancing has come from our warlord
Wandering in the chaos the battle has left We climb up the mountain of human flesh To a plateau of green grass, and green trees full of life A young figure sits still by a pool He’s been stamped “Human Bacon” by some butchery tool He is you
Social Security took care of this lad We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower A flower?
If you go down to Willow Farm To look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies Open your eyes, it’s full of surprise Everyone lies like the fox on the rocks And the musical box Oh, there’s Mum and Dad, and good and bad And everyone’s happy to be here
There’s Winston Churchill dressed in drag He used to be a British flag, plastic bag, what a drag The frog was a prince The prince was a brick, the brick was an egg, the egg was a bird (Fly away you sweet little thing, they’re hard on your tail) Hadn’t you heard? (they’re going to change you into a human being!) Yes, we’re happy as fish and gorgeous as geese And wonderfully clean in the morning
We’ve got everything, we’re growing everything We’ve got some in, we’ve got some out We’ve got some wild things floating about Everyone, we’re changing everyone You name them all, we’ve had them here And the real stars are still to appear (All change!)
Feel your body melt Mum to mud to mad to dad Dad diddley office, Dad diddley office You’re all full of ball Dad to dam to dumb to mum Mum diddley washing, Mum diddley washing You’re all full of ball
Let me hear your lies, we’re living this up to the eyes Ooh, aah, na-na-na Momma I want you now
And as you listen to my voice To look for hidden doors, tidy floors, more applause You’ve been here all the time Like it or not, like what you got You’re under the soil (the soil, the soil) Yes, deep in the soil (the soil, the soil, the soil!) So we’ll end with a whistle and end with a bang And all of us fit in our places
With the guards of Magog, swarming around The Pied Piper takes his children underground Dragons coming out of the sea Shimmering silver head of wisdom looking at me He brings down the fire from the skies You can tell he’s doing well by the look in human eyes Better not compromise, it won’t be easy
666 is no longer alone He’s getting out the marrow in your backbone And the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll Gonna blow right down inside your soul Pythagoras with the looking glass reflects the full moon In blood, he’s writing the lyrics of a brand-new tune
And it’s hey babe, with your guardian eyes so blue Hey my baby, don’t you know our love is true? I’ve been so far from here, far from your loving arms Now I’m back again And babe, it’s gonna work out fine
Can’t you feel our souls ignite? Shedding ever-changing colours In the darkness of the fading night Like the river joins the ocean As the germ in a seed grows We have finally been freed to get back home
There’s an angel standing in the sun And he’s crying with a loud voice “This is the supper of the mighty one” Lord of Lords, King of Kings Has returned to lead his children home To take them to the new Jerusalem
I was a classroom teacher for over 34 years. Mostly 9-12 but also junior college. I graded AP exams for almost 18 years. What keeps a teacher motivated? What makes a teacher great?
#1 A teacher has to believe in his school, his community, his country and in a larger sense his civilization. I am and always have been grateful my my country and the freedoms and opportunities that it afforded me.
#2 A good teacher has to believe in his subject material like a doctor believes in health. If a teacher is enthusiastic and knowledgeable in his subject area(s) this will influence students in a positive way. It is unfortunate that one must deal with a lot of indifference and anti-intellectualism in American education. But having done what men must a teacher suffers and endures many things for many days and many years. Enduring a lack of respect for his profession is one of those things.
#3 a good teacher is flexible and can “fill in” temporarily as a substitute or tutor but should know his assigned subject as well as possible and continue to improve his knowledge and expertise.
I was very strong as a Foreign Language (Spanish) and ESL (English teacher) and I taught Social Studies as well (mostly to immigrant English learners). I was not a great baseball or soccer coach BUT I shared my love of the games with my students and used the sports to promote English and character building. I am proudest that my teams were composed of eligible players. I cared more about their academic performance and personal happiness than winning championships.
#4 A good teacher cares for his students. He gets to know them and understands his or her background and community.
His love is a philia love kind of love for his students. He wants what is best for them and helps them as much as possible. I encouraged an amateur interest in classic movies, documentaries, literature, history and reading about sports and sports officiating. Teaching in a rural area many of my students joined the military. A few went to the service academies. Once five students from one class came back to visit from Camp Pendleton (USMC) in uniform. I was very proud of them. We sang the MARINE HYMN together from memory. The greatest burden I experienced as a teacher was to attend funerals of students killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. But I remained proud of their service.
A good teacher avoids having intimate relationships with his students outside of the classroom. I never dated a teacher or dated a student. One avoids temptation. It will be there especially for younger teachers in their 20s and 30s. But if you love your students you will not hurt them. You will want to see them happy and successful.
#5 A good teacher works well and collaboratively with colleagues in his department and throughout the school. However, he stands up for order and tells the truth about school discipline or lack of it and school safety or lack of it. Once I backed up a student -one who had never been suspended or disciplined- for fighting in a soccer game. His mother had been cursed and reviled in a most despicable way. So he lost it. The referee had not heard it BUT I DID. I went to the principal and school board to say YES expelling him for the team permanently was an acceptable behavior but not expelling him from school when he was so near graduation and it was a first offense. Especially when the student who started the fight was not disciplined in any way. The student never played another game but later graduated.
It was not popular for me to say -it was embarrassing for some-I would grade our school security at D+ (we had no fences, could not lock our classrooms from the inside and were told we had to keep our doors unlocked at all times). I always knew a school massacre was always a possibility and one gun and one unlocked door away. A good teacher tells the truth not for his sake but for the sake of the community and the school’s integrity. One has to know WHEN to throw the gauntlet and when to challenge the Teacher’s Union or Administrators. Be prepared for retaliation and ever lasting enmity. One thing I learned was that if one doe not have the department chair and administrators on his side it is best to “vamoose.” You have to have someone batting for you on the administration side.
#6 No question a good teacher will volunteer for many school and community assignments and not expect financial recompense in most instances. For years I tutored former students who were in JC or college or gave them advice for research papers. I was a Church catechist for over 20 years. I didn’t leave for doctrinal differences. I left because under a new regime they wanted me to “guide” non-academic classes with no Scripture or Bible readings. I felt I was not needed for arts and crafts. So I resigned. I don’t think I will go back. A good teacher must know when to vote with his feet. I was a strong advocate of ETS and AP classes and exams for almost 30 years. But I left in the end. My last ETS memory was not being complimented for my high productivity but chastised for going to the bathroom twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. Not smoking breaks but calls of nature for a teacher past 60. I decided then and there that I was finished with ETS and AP. I served on many juries over the years (with ZERO compensation; I lost money on transportation and food). But I now have a medical exemption and think it unlikely I will ever return as a juror. I served my time as a soldier, as juror, as a teacher, as a coach. I worked very hard as a classroom teacher tutoring on Saturdays and working many nights and summers. But I never neglected my own children’s education, my wife or my home. It is one of the reasons I never took up golf.
It is hard but a good teacher must accept disappointments and if his school or assignments are unacceptable he must MOVE (apply for a transfer) or RETIRE. I have done both. There were times I wanted to quit but I could not as I was hostage to fortune as it was essential to have health insurance and economic security for my family. But when things were bad I prepared to make a strategic retreat over time and I exercised this smoothly. It helped that I had a free and clear car and money in the bank and solid credit.
I still am interested in education but am now retired. I have no interest to return to the classroom though I still promote education and encourage it in others. But I have decided to spend the rest of my life continuing MY OWN EDUCATION and doing things I never had the time for like studying Italian and Greek. I swim every day. Spend time in my garden. Listen to entire baseball games and read all the box scores. Read only to inform myself and for pleasure. Listen to podcasts. See a movie (at home) now and then especially the old classics. I spend as much time as possible with my grandchildren. When they are here I put away my phone do not watch sports but play games with them, do puzzles and swim in the pool. I enjoy having breakfast and dinner with them (no phones no TV or electronic devices). I tell them stories. I speak to them in several languages and encourage them to be budding polyglots. All are fluent in two languages and have been introduced to several more through music and cultural events.
#7 LAST BUT NOT LEAST. A good teacher does not sacrifice his family life or faith life for his school. A good teacher has balance in his life. HE TAKES CARE OF HIS HEALTH. And he prepares for a life beyond and outside of the classroom, school, and education.
When I feel disappointed or have negative feelings I turn to literature. I like to re-read Stoic Philosophers and the Bible. I have a wonderful little book called LINCOLN’S DEVOTIONAL which was edited by Carl Sandburg. I also write little quotes in the book which I review from time to time. O often carry it in my pocket when walk in the park. I wrote (from Ovid) Temporis ars medicina fere est (Time is a great medicine or healer). Yes, this too shall pass. I have an other quote by TR: “Do what you can where you are with what you have.”We have a situation in our life: We are older and feel more pain and have less energy. But we count our blessings- we can still walk and hear and see and think reasonably well. If my eyes are sore I use eyedrops. If I am still fatigued or have a headache I listen to Audible Books or music. Sometimes I just sing an old song from memory.I remember my father used to say. “God made man strong only for a while so we can help others.” As Romans said. “We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.” When weaker people we despise, we do the great Redeemer wrong. For God, the gracious and the wise receives the feeble and the strong.Let us do good to all men especially to those in the household of faith. (Galatians).We have people in our lives who worry us and disappoint us. Arguing and accusing does nothing positive. Sometimes one has to be patient and listen and pray for that person.Praying for the well-being of a person is often more effective that fighting with that person. Why am I frustrated with that or this person? Is it because I really care about that person or is it because I find it embarrassing for me personally?So following Epictetus it is NOT THAT PERSON who spoils or affects my life. It is how I emotionally think about the situation. I can be angry and confrontative OR I can be philosophical and patient and pray with sincere love. I can tell the person I will be there in reserve any time I am needed. Ultimately you cannot do that person’s exams or work. You cannot force them to stay home or stay sober. You cannot force that person to love you our be your friend.All you can do is encourage them to make good choices. You choose how you want to respond. I like to think of the good side. This person is not dead. This person is not sick or injured (he survived a car wreck). This person did not hurt or kill anybody else. It is unfortunate to total a car and lose the use of it but the car is just so much rust and metal anyway. This person could have parked the car on the street, clean and shiny and in good repair and then walked across the street and been killed by a passing bus. What is better to have the person you love or a late model car? We all have ups and downs in life and hopefully and thankfully we can learn from mistakes and do better in the future.We choose how we spend our hours of lucidity and reasonable health. It does not good to be sad and bitter that we do not have the energy when had when we were 25 or 35. Be glad you worked hard in youth to provide some security in your old age! Quien joven no trabaja viejo duermo sobre paja (If you don’t work when you are young you will regret it -suffer humiliations even homelessness when you are old.).I remember my father always had two great worries: 1) being evicted and then homeless 2) not having enough to eat or fresh water to drink. 3) not having a regular job.I used to call him on the phone long distance, and he would always say “HOW’S YOUR WEE JO-AB? (job). He figured if you were working you are in reasonable health and gaining a reasonable security. He also advised me NEVER TO SPEND my “bottom dollar” (better to go hungry) and try to have always a free and clear car, some food on hand (even if it was just peanut butter and crackers or oatmeal) and enough money for gas or transportation.Your next goal was to own your own home. In itself it was a good investment (or could be ) and forced savings. I am glad I took an economics class in high school and one year of economics in college! I am very glad that when I studied to be a teacher I was working FULL TIME at a Bank (including nights and weekends) to provide insurance and some security for my family but ALSO TO LEARN about CREDIT, INTERESTS RATES, FRAUDS, IDENTIFY THEFT, BANKRUPTCY and FINANCE.We started modestly with a condominium then a home in a reasonable neighborhood (we were considered rich) than a home in a nicer neighborhood (we were considered poor!). My son was a boy scout in his old school. When we moved to the new neighborhood he had to join another troop. He wasn’t accepted. Each parent had to organize activities. Ours were not fancy enough. Once we organized an outing to the local minor league baseball team. No one showed up. My son was very disappointed be we had a good time. He decided to quit the Boy Scouts. But instead he took SPORTS OFFICIATING and later made money officiating SOCCER, BASEBALL and BASKETBALL. He played soccer, basketball and baseball in high school. In college he played on an all-boys practice basketball team against the Varsity Girl team. He did that for one year. He tried to get scholarship. They didn’t offer him one so he quit that and played on intramural teams. Eventually he became a teacher and a successful coach in baseball and soccer. His knowledge and experience prepared him for a satisfying career which he enjoys very much. His coaching led to him meeting people in professional baseball and now (part-time) he tutors and mentors rookie players from Spanish-speaking countries.None of our children had cars in high school. But many of their classmates had luxury cars of their own and had active hedonistic social lives. Parties, ski trips, secret drinking. When our children were in college they helped pay their own way. When they had jobs and NEEDED a car for safe transportation, we helped them by sharing our second car with them or helping them buy a used car. It turned out, over the years, we never have a second car for ourselves which mean I did not have my own personal car. But we lived perfectly happy. By working during college our children reduced their school debt to a minimum and gained a great appreciation for studies and leisure time. Our children paid their own rent and daily expenses themselves. We helped them 1) get their first car -a used car 2) we gave them AAA cards and gas credit cards (FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY). They never abused the privilege and in fact I remember my daughter would send tip money to my wife to help pay the Chevron bill. We never paid a penny of interest on those cards!Children have to learn the value of money and the value of work early in life. By 18 a youngster should be contributing to his or her upkeep. The most important thing is to get EXPERIENCE and to develop the DISICPLINE of getting up every day and showing up on time for work. That means sometimes working nights or weekends.Yes, it is hard to work and easier to play and sleep in.But we choose how to respond to our problems in life and if we work hard and are sober and judicious we can create the outcomes we want or at least outcomes that are better if we had not planned and made good choices. In each life some rain shall fall But if we have a roof over our heads, an umbrella, a hat and a raincoat we will get through the storm more easily
“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship
That’s certainly is my motto FOR THE GOOD LIFE.
And this shall be for music when no one else is near The fine song for singing, the rare song to hear! That only I remember, that only you admire Of the broad road that stretches and the roadside fire!
(R L STEVENSON)
***
O I had ance a true love, now I hae nane ava; And I had three braw brithers, but I hae tint them a’. My father and my mither sleep i’ the mools this day – I sit my lane amang the rigs, aboon sweet Rothesay Bay.
It’s a bonnie bay at morning, and bonnier at noon, But bonniest when the sun draps and red comes up the moon. When the mist creeps o’er the Cumbraes and Arran peaks are gray, And the great black hills, like sleeping kings, sit grand roun’ Rothesay Bay.
Then a bit sigh stirs my bosom, and wee tear blin’s my e’e, And I think of that far countrie wha I wad like to be. But I rise content i’ the morning to wark while I may – I’ the yellow har’st field of Ardbeg, aboon sweet Rothesay Bay.
This old Scottish song, which I have known for most of my life, reminds us there is beauty in this world but also sadness, loneliness, loss, and separation. But we should rise content each morning to work and study while we may and if we have lost loves and homelands we should be grateful that we have known friendship and love.
Working as a tour guide in Segovia Spain in the early 1980s. AMOR BRUJO TOURS and TRANSLATIONSI don’t have a lot of cash on hand but I always have a leather purse with $20 worth of half dollars at hand and I have a bag with about $150 of change hidden away. I don’t normally carry a lot of cash. Most of my purchases are by credit card. I never use a debit card.
I have a chance for a long life.
Already I am grateful for the years I have lived (mostly in good health). I am 68 years old and older than many people I worked with, studied with or loved. I have known people who died in their teens, in their twenties, in their thirties in their forties, in their fifties, and in their early sixties. I once saw a Sea Knight Helicopter fly away and cursed the fact I was not on it. It hit bad weather and crashed about 15 minutes later 23 Marines were killed including some people I knew. Our company commander canceled our trip and we had to march more than 20 miles back to camp in bad weather. Sometimes as Auld Pop used to say your number is up.
One lesson I have learned in life is that the body is a fragile vessel and that we are all mortal. Every day of good health is a gift. I think being married has kept me reasonably happy and healthy. Choosing a good spouse is one of the most important decisions one can make for one’s happiness and health. I have been married for almost forty-two years to my best friend of the last fifty years. John Joseph Powell in The SECRET OF STAYING IN LOVE wrote: “It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being.”
Yes, no one can know true happiness unless they know the love of a husband and wife or of a child. I know when I first saw my grandchildren it was love at first sight! I do believe in enthusiasms and love at first sight.
Yes, no one can know true happiness unless they know the love of a husband and wife or of a child. I know when I first saw my grandchildren it was love at first sight! I was happy the day I was married -but not as happy as my parents I think and I was happy when our children were born -a very special gift for which I am eternally grateful- but there is no joy like the surprise or extra-inning gift of grandchildren. Children mean sacrifice and a lot of hard work but they pay dividends a hundred times over. Hugh Heffner with his multitudinous and mostly sterile dud in the mud sex was really a chump, not a champion. He thought he knew what life was but wasted most of his life in hedonistic trivialities. He thought he knew what love was but he knew only a fraction of the Four Loves.
This is the actress MAUREEN O’ HARA (1939) as Esmeralda in the film HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Who with eyes and heart in breast could not fall in love with such a smile?
To be happy one has to be in reasonable health. One has to have something to do with your time. So it is important to have hobbies and intellectual interests and a few good friends. One should be loved and have someone to love, have a roof over your head, some soup at the boil, some tasty food to eat, One needs plenty of water to drink and wash, One thing l learned is that one can go days even weeks of light eating but one cannot go very long without water. So water is my favorite beverage!
To be happy one has to have some dreams and something to hope for. Many of my personal dreams are unrealized but I had fun trying to achieve those dreams. I hiked many mountains I climbed many ruins in Sicily, Crete, Madeira, in Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Greece and Italy. I kissed a few pretty girls and they kissed me back. I have gone deep sea fishing in the Atlantic and Pacific. I played a lot of baseball and became in the words of a local athlete “decent”. I served honorably in the Marine Corps. I have published a few articles and one-act plays but never have written (a published book). I have written (privately) three volumes of essays and personal recollections that my daughter published. They are primarily for my grandchildren. I have taught many classes in history, literature, and languages and helped many students. I have coached sports teams and seen great athletes at play. All of our children and grandchildren are bilingual and were or are being raised as native speakers of Spanish and English.
I love monumental public memorials and sculptures though Shakespeare sang in the Sonnets of the immortality of literature:
“Not marble nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme,
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time.”
When I visit the cemetery or war memorials, I walk past hundreds or even thousands of names that represent life stories now silenced forever.
Oh, they are the Silent Ones. May the many monuments that abound around the globe to those who have fought to protect our freedom and national independence remind us of duty, the cardinal virtue of courage, the inestimable value of valor, the honor evoked by such sacrifice!
Look at and contemplate {those}
” names …inscribed on the parchment of fame;
Heroes whose seeds were a noble example
That others might follow and honour thy name.”
I know that recorded history holds the adventures of a few who managed to be inscribed in the parchment of fame.
I have never thought I needed to live a life worthy of being recorded.
I never really sought fame or wealth but contentment and the quiet and security of a nice house and library. ] I enjoy quiet cafes, quiet rivers, quiet museums, and quiet walks in the park or in a forest. I have always wanted to live an honorable life of service to my school, my country, my family, and my God. “non mihi non tibi sed nobis as the Romans said, “not for me alone nor for thee all but for the common good of all.”
I knew all about the world of books. For most of my life, they were my biggest adventure. Books could take you into a better world. A world where there were fine songs for singing, moving laments, sports heroes, romance, adventures, tragedies, military adventures, explorations, mysteries, prayers, legends, and yes, even magic. Of course, the articles, stories, songs, and books ended eventually. Then you had to go back to being yourself.
So in the final analysis bookish adventures are not enough. A man craves the freedom to see places and do things. And when you are old you can look back and remember. This is one of the reasons I enlisted in the Marine Corps , worked in construction as a laborer (I helped build Bill Gate’s home in Bothwell, Washington), and why I lived and traveled in Latin America, Spain, and Europe as much as I could. I knew my time, my health, my freedom, and my financial independence were limited. My father always said, “You have to take chances in life. The door of opportunity opens and then closes. If you don’t move ahead when you have the chance you can lose out forever. You have to decide if it is worth taking the chance.”
I realize I am the biggest threat to my emotional, financial, and physical health.
So what do I do?
Number one I have a wife, children, life insurance, some savings, and some property. I am not a doomsday prepper by any means but I believe in having emergency food, water, and medicine just in case of some natural catastrophe. I have a solar crank radio, a solar charger, flashlights, batteries, candles. a first aid kit, an emergency stove, extra medicine, and spare glasses. That is not excessive. If one wants to have a long life one must be prepared to take care of oneself in case of an accident or an emergency.
One thing I hope is that I do not outlive my wife, my children, or my grandchildren. I hope I live long enough so that my grandchildren have memories of me and get to know and love me. That is an important goal in my life. I look forward with joy to every spring. I love the birds who come to visit and feed in our garden. I love the plants and flowers that bloom.
Leo and Laney enjoy our garden too Jan 2024
I do a lot of serious reading (classics, non-fiction, biography) but I enjoy lighter fare such as adventure tales, mysteries and westerns. I enjoy reading jokes and joke books.
I love reading about baseball and listening to games (chiefly) via MLB at Bat. I listen to games in Spanish and English. I first listened to baseball games in Spanish in the 1970s and it helped develop my Spanish.
Otherwise, I don’t spend a lot of time on spectator sports. I glance at the newspaper but that’s about it. Most of the time I am happy to read about the final score.
I try to set time aside for PHYSICAL EXERCISE and JOY ( I try to walk daily in the park and clean the pool and garden). When the weather is good I swim once or twice a day. I love reading and listening to classical music so I have CD’s and a nice BOSE player, plus SPOTIFY plus ITUNES for my phone.
I love to read the papers -The Wall Street Journal and our local paper every morning or Commentary magazine. I listen to LONDON TIMES radio reports as well as the Daily Telegraph and some Israeli news as well.
I spend some time on PERSONAL GROWTH. I love studying languages and spend about 2-3 hours a day studying new languages and reading ones I know. I have taken up a new hobby! Drawing. I always have drawn a little bit in my language studies but I have decided I can improve the quality of my notebooks! I enjoy singing or humming songs. I enjoy reciting poetry by heart just for fun. I also set aside time for relaxation. If I am tired or have a headache I rest and have some tea with lemon, Splenda or honey. I make a thermos of it to sip all afternoon.
I love doing FACETIME with our grandchildren it is so wonderful to talk to them and see them so full of joy and happiness. It feels good to hear them say “YAYO, WHEN ARE YOU COMING TO VISIT?”
I enjoy phone conversations with a few friends but am not really a phone person. I have to plan to call someone. Basically, I think calling can be an intrusion. And I know some people don’t like long or serious conversations. So my conversations with books are more satisfying than most phone chit-chatting. But I call people who call me. People who don’t call me or write to me I pray for but don’t worry about. It’s sad when old friends drift away but the truth that’s life.
So I prefer to write on my blog,The Spirit of Cecilia or THE GILBERT HIGHET SOCIETY on FB or email people. I text some family and friends and share book titles via Audible.
I try to be moderate in what I eat and drink (I primarily drink water coffee and tea). I have a physical once or twice a year and take my medicines.
I know that if one is to enjoy a LONG LIFE one has to do what one can to stay as healthy as possible. Then the chances for a happy long life are better.
As a young man and in middle age I traveled a lot so I am happy that I had that experience. But now I really have lost my wanderlust. I only want to travel to visit our grandchildren. Most days I am at home, on the porch, in the garden, in my library, in the TV room , or listening to podcasts or books on tape in bed. My wife and I enjoy JEOPARDY and British mysteries and shows on Masterpiece Theater. I don’t drive very much anymore perhaps once a month or less! I spend some time on Twitter (X) and Facebook and check my email at least every other day. I enjoy corresponding with people in Italy, Scotland, Israel , and throughout the English-speaking world.
I have always had the Munro motto in mind which is Dread God (and obey his commandments because that is the whole duty of man). BIODH EAGAL DHE OIRRE in Gaelic or Reverence you unto God. It is a very ancient motto and reminds us that Munro is a Christian name -it means the descendant of the Men of the Halo River the Roe (the Saint’s River) a place name in Ireland. That is probably the first Bible quote I ever knew and I heard it at least from 1959. I think It helps to have God and a little religion in your life. But that’s just my opinion. People should have freedom of conscience and choose their own paths. The only thing I go do is set a good example and invite people to consider the Good Life as I see it and seek it.
An ancient motto I have known since at least 1960 is NE OBLIVISCARIS do not forget. This was the Regimental motto of my grandfather’s old Regiment 1914-1919, the Thin Red Line of Heroes (The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) At Balaklava in the Crimean War, the Argylls were called the Gaelic Rock. If they had failed the entire British and Allied army may have been destroyed but they calmly spread out in a thin line of two, fixed bayonets and fired aimed volley after volley from their Enfield Rifles. Their commander Sir Colin Campbell said, “Lads, we have to stop them or fall in the effort.” The Argylls near him said to him laconically, “Aye, we’ll stand until you give the order.” The war correspondents who were present were astonished at their discipline and cool courage. The Thin Red Line of Heroes became a symbol of the courage and professionalism of the British Army but especially the Scottish Highland Regiments. Many of my ancestors served in Highland Regiments.
And of course, I am a loyal man so SEMPER FIDELIS (always faithful) is a motto also. This is the motto of the US Marine Corps.
Another motto is CUIMHNICH AIR NA DAOINE BHON TAINIG TUSA (REMEMBER THE PEOPLE YOU CAME FROM).
I believe marriage is a sacrament and I have always been loyal to my wife and family putting their security and happiness above everything else.
I face firmly towards the future but never forget the past. I know in a long journey some things have to be left behind.
I only wish for my granddaughters and future grandchildren that they will have strong faith, good values, a good education, and the warmth and security of a good family.
For that is the duty of a good man, a good father, and a good husband. If you live a good life you will want to live a long life and I think you have a better chance for achieving a long life.
Daily writing prompt
What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
What values and virtues do we pass on to our children? Should they be proud of the “race”? Should they be proud of their “nationality”? Should they be exclusively one nationality or another? Should they be proud of their material success and wealth? I hope they value above all, family, culture and faith. Generosity and love are, I believe, the keys to happiness and abundance.
Ruben Navarette posted a recent missive from a reader who complained about Navertte identifying as Mexican-American.
“If, as you say, you are true blue then you would refer to yourself as just plain “American.” You, quote are a “Mexican-American” Yankee doodle etc.
My husband’s grandparents were born in Ireland. He calls himself American. Likewise my son-in-law whose 4 grandparents were born in Poland, calls himself American.
You say only one of your grandparents were born in Mexico, then why the hyphenate?”
Navarette, quoting his nine-year old daughter said, because “You’re not the boss of me.” Just so. There was a time when a King would say: “you are my subject and you must follow the religious faith of the realm.” In America, things are different. And if you honor your mother and father and if they come from a culture and faith tradition you love it is very normal and reasonable to feel a close emotional tie to that other nation that “patria chica” -that “wee homeland of your heart.” Legally my forefathers were British subjects (all of them including the Irish in the family). But no one I have know had ever considered himself “British”. Technically a British person is a Welsh-speaking Briton. Some Scots were, in fact, descended from Welsh-speaking Britons. WIlliam Wallace was descended from Welsh-Speaking Britons. But my ancestral clans were not. They were Gaelic in identify with roots in the Gaeltacht of Ireland and Scotland. It is quite possible some of my ancestors were dual French nationals because some of my ancestors served in the French King’s bodyguards. In any case, it is very likely that at least some of my ancestors were Anglo-Normans or even Lochlanoch (Vikings). But those connections are so remote that they have little influence on my identity or character. But clan or tribal identity was strong. That feeling WAS as strong or stronger than any nationality. When my grandfather spoke of his “race and line” he was not speaking of the “White Race” (I never once heard him speak in such terms. He taught me there was only one race now and in the future -the human race). No, he was speaking of his ancestry as a member of Clan Munro and being also descended from Clan MacKenzie, Clan Fraser and Clan MacFarlane. He considered himself a Highlander (Gael) first and foremost though he was legally British and then legally, by choice an American.
I have relatives who are completely assimilated and never had any interest in the heritage, culture or religion of their grandparents. The way to get along is to go along. They are more English than the English and more Americans than any Americans. That’s fine if it makes them happy. I know a business associate of my father named “Hunter” who said he was “Anglo-Saxon”; my father was astonished to learn his brother was “Cacciatore” ; their family was Italian in origin. But that man hid his “Italian roots” (he was very fair-skinned) and married a WASP in the Episcopal Church. He didn’t even invite his Italian-speaking mother to the wedding. That was astonishing to me. But some people, then, were eager to get into the country club and the right private school and college. Today it would be different, I think. Of course, I chuckle at all this because I have been asked, hundreds of times, if I am Italian-American because my name ends in -o. I have been called “Mr Murro” many times. I have also been called “Monroy” many times as well. I never make a big deal if people mispronounce or misspell my name unless it has legal or financial consideration.
But some people ARE by their very nature, hypenated Americans. They might be dual nationals (many people in my family are dual nationals) For example, my wife and daughter in law and son in law have deep, deep cultural and language ties to Spain and Mexico. Spanish is an everyday language in our household. So almost everyone one in my family is Mexican-American or Hispanic-American (some have roots in Spain and Chile).
My own roots are Gaelic (Highland and Irish) and I am a hispanophile but have never claimed to be anything else but a Gael. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet and modern social media I can correspond to Scotland and listen to Scottish music and radio (in English, Scots or Gaelic) every day. And my hyphen came to me honestly because it was a significant part of my culture, identity, and language. I will always feel a close tie to the Highlands and Islands. My forefolk were Highlanders and Islanders for over 1000 years.
But my strongest identity is as a Christian in the Roman Catholic tradition. I have ancestors who were of the Protestant persuasion also, of course, (Free Church or Scottish Episcopal Church) but the basic tendency of my family was High Church. My parents were married in both the Anglican Communion and Roman Catholic Church for example and so were my father’s parents. Some of my maternal grandmother’s relatives were Church of Ireland (Anglicans). It was very common for Irish or Scottish soldiers serving in the British military in the 19th and early 20th century to fold into the Anglican Communion or have as we used to say “a Protestant trail.” For poor people it really didn’t make much difference. For people like the Duke of Wellington or Edmund Burke it DID make a difference because if they did not conform with the Anglican religion they could not inherit their property. Both were Irishmen, of course. Burke’s sisters and cousins were, I believe, all Roman Catholic. I was reading about Myles Keogh the other day and he came from a well-to-do Irish Catholic landowning family. He fought in the Papal Army and then later for the Union during the Civil War. He was famously killed at the Battle of Little BIghorn in 1876 with Custer and his horse Comanche was the only survivor of the battle. Some historians believe Keogh and two sergeants were among the very last survivors and died in a mini-last stand of their own and hence were some distance from the main body and therefore his wounded horse managed to survive the story. Myles Keogh was a Gael. His name is purely Gaelic. I am quite certain he considered himself a Gael and he probably was conversant in Gaelic. The evidence of course is indirect but he was fluent in Italian and one of the markers of a bilingual Gael is linguistic ability. Certainly his parents and grandparents were native speakers. It is only after 1845-1850 when entire populations were wiped out that Irish Gaelic went into a precipitous decline.
My cultural values were very close to my wife’s because we belong to the same civilization -Western Christendom.
Rome was always more important for us than London and it is easy for us as amphibious Gaels to live in the Spanish-speaking world and learn the language.
We are accepted as “honorary” Hispanics because we love the Hispanic culture and language. Hyphens are useful when they mean something. Sometimes they are almost meaningless.
We know “official” Hispanics who don’t know a word of Spanish and have very little connection to Spain or Mexico. We know “Native Americans” who don’t know a word of indigenous language but boast of being 1/8 or 1/16 Native American. Good for them.
A man’s roots are a man’s roots and a man’s culture is a man’s culture. I decided long ago that I was the last of my race.
I never had any interest, really, of dating women of my parent’s language and nationality. I encouraged our children to have interest in languages, generally speaking, but I made no direct effort to teach them Gaelic. Naturally, they picked up some words, some phrases some choruses. Nonetheless for me and for them The Gaeltacht is the past and a lost world. A distant world. There are abandoned villages and island from whence my people came but no one lives there now.
We survived the 20th century but lost our nationality and language. My grandparents came to this country with next to nothing carrying with them only a strong desire to work, to be free and to practice their religions traditions in private and freely without persecution or discrimination from the Bold State.
In a long journey some things have to be left behind.
We did retain our strong faith, the most important and enduring value IMHO. I am an American citizen and proud of that.
But that is no all I am nor is it all that my grandchildren and in-laws are.
It is only natural that people with such cultural and linguistic ties to Latin America will consider themselves “hyphenated” Americans. We are citizens of Mexico, Canada, Spain, Chile and the USA. All of us have connections by marriage or ancestry to Scotland and Ireland but as time goes by those ties are more and more remote. Perhaps our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be so mixed that they will consider themselves Americans only or Mexicans only or Chileans only. Good for them. I only hope they are happy, free and have a strong faith and culture.
I believe America is their future but if they are happy and production I don’t care where they live or how they “self-identify”. I only pray is that carry as good citizens of the world and good people of faith. One of the great questions in life is whether or not there is (or isn’t) an eternal dimension to man (the human person). Of course, Jesus teaches that there is. I believe that each person has a soul, an immortal soul, a self-consciousness, a spirit. We are married in life to our soul but of course in death we depart this land of the living and then our souls and body part. The prime teachings of the Great Teacher are love, faith, hope, gentleness, forgiveness, humility, integrity. These virtues are the essential ones I hope we have imparted to our children (two of whom have married in the church). There are no realms that endure, goes an old Gaelic saying but the Kingdom of God. And this Kingdom of God is among us. This is the unity and wholeness I seek for myself and for my children and grandchildren. We have seen many Empires rise and fall . We have served the yoke of many kings and emperors. I know what it is to be the last of my race -I have always identified strongly with the Last of the Mohicans -a book that has Munros in it and Gaels. Once upon a times there were Gauls and Gaul, once upon a time there were Galatians and Galatia. Once upon a time we dwelled in Alba, the land of the Mountains White. Once upon a time we lived in Ferindonald. It is only a memory now and only the past. Omina exeunt in mysterium. All things vanish into mystery. But a part of that heritage lives in our strong desire to be free and to belong to Christendom.
No matter what country we make our home that will be, I am quite certain an important the most important part of our heritage. For we are descended from Gaels the oldest and truest Christians of the Northern people. “Dread God and respect his commandments. That is the whole duty of man.” That’s a philosophy of life worth teaching. That’s a tradition worth passing on. And ladies and gentleman it is a way of life open to all regardless of race or national origin. Race and nationality are nothing compared to this. They are just passing fancies in this mortal storm.
Spirit of Cecilia 
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