Hey, St. Jude...

Hope Springs Eternal

Authors try to make connections…

A few things happened this past week. Valentine’s day – or as I would like to call it “Volunteer’s Day”, since volunteering shows love and concern and it is not limited to those in romantic relationships. (Who needs another friggin’ diamond, anyway?) President’s Day holiday, which means that George Washington’s and Abraham Lincoln’s images were used to sell everything ubiquitous from cars to mattresses. Maryland had another non-snowstorm – ok, this is not a negative. If you know how Marylanders react to snow warnings, you would see how this non-snow event can be a positive in our lives. Yes, world, there is still toilet paper on the store shelves in Maryland, as of today. I started another class at church. Oh, and baseball spring training began. Pitchers and catchers reported over this past weekend. The rest of the prospects will come in to camp this week, with full squad workouts beginning this weekend coming.

These last two brought something to mind that I really didn’t consider before – Is it ok to pray for a winning season for the Orioles? Is it really wrong?

Some of my friends and relatives believe we shouldn’t bother God with such minor details. There are plenty of other crisis items to pray for in this world. They say we should be praying for world peace, or social justice, or dissolution of evil in the world. God doesn’t have time for trivialities like “Please let the O’s win more than 69 games this year.”

Well, who are we to judge what God wants to hear about? I mean, after all the prayers about failing politics and failing economies, He just might like to kick back and talk baseball for a bit. Who really knows?

Let’s see if the O’s really need divine intervention this year. The team changed general managers after the 2011 season. The players won only 69 games and lost 93 games out of the 162 played. It didn’t matter if they were home or on the road, the Orioles, by all standards, had another losing season. This last one was their 14^th straight. This is not the formula to put even occasional fans in the Camden Yards seats. Only die-hards, still have season tickets, and even the number of die-hards is dwindling. There were a few other major league teams with worse records – and I thank Pittsburgh for being one of them.

From the fan front, last years games were sometimes painful to watch. Jeremy Guthrie would pitch his heart out, only to get zero run support. The bats would be healed only to have the bullpen serve up the game with walks-a-million. They couldn’t pull anything together. The only streak they had was the one each player took running from the locker to the showers after the game. It seemed to me that they lost the fun of baseball, and lost it early in the season. It became an attitude thing. They couldn’t lose the attitude.

There is no one person to blame. Usually, the team manager takes the hit when the team fails to perform. The O’s have changed managers in the past few years more often than some people change their socks. The lack of stability, I’m sure, has messed with everyone’s head. They are starting to really believe their own bad press.

As an armchair athlete, the only thing I can do to help the team is pray. Sounds dorky, I know. I watch them, I go to the yard, I support them with good vibes… but really, all I can do is pray that the team changes its team attitude. I pray they start to enjoy playing baseball. I pray the players stop thinking of Baltimore as a stop on the train to the line-ups in New York or Boston. I pray the management stops thinking of the O’s as a bad-boy rehab facility (please do NOT sign Manny!) I pray we all can just have fun playing and watching baseball.

It really was a fun game at one time. Then the money crept in… and the salaries, and the diva attitudes.

With this in mind, I let my occasional math-nerdness take over and do some calculations. Full squads start around February 24-25. The first spring training game is March 5. That’s about 9 days, correct? My prayer-nerdness says “Novena time!”

For those of you who don’t know what a novena is, it is an opportunity for 9 days to pray for a specific intention. Many Catholics pray novena prayers asking specific saints to run some interference with the Lord to have the intention granted (like when your dad said “no” to something you wanted to do, so you talked to your mom and she talked to your dad about it). Some saints in the church are the “go-to” for specific intentions, like St. Anthony to help you find what you lost. St. Jude Thaddeus, one of the original 12 Apostles, is the go-to guy for hopeless cases or desperate situations. Hmmmm – is the 2012 baseball season a desperate situation? Are the O’s in need of the Patron of Hopeless Cases to run some divine interference for them? Maybe…

Anyway, prayer can’t hurt. It can help you feel like you are doing something positive. Meditating, sending positive waves or vibes, does the same thing. We fans are not in control of the team’s performance. Only the players are. We just need to be able to cheer for the guys. So here goes – my prayers for the 2012 baseball season starting this weekend:

St. Jude,

Please allow the Orioles (or insert team of choice) play their best baseball during this 2012 season. Please allow good health to all players. Please allow the players to keep a positive attitude about their game. Please allow management to lead and not interfere.  Please remove the fear of success from the hearts of players, press, and fans alike. And please allow everyone just to have fun and be safe this season. For this, I pray, Amen.

No, I’m not asking for the World Series. I’m not asking for a winning season. See, the O’s have the talent. Their heads are just wearing the losing habit. Winning is a habit, and so is losing. The team has to get over the mental roadblocks to success. Talent-wise, they could go all the way. Now if they can only keep their heads in the game…

You will see more on the Orioles as the season progresses. You will also see writing about the Phillies and Nationals, two other teams near and dear to my heart. And, yes, I pray for a safe and healthy year for all players – and the fans.

It’s spring and there’s hope in our hearts.

Super Bowl on the sidelines - sort of

Ahhhh! Super Bowl Sunday! Another made-in-America holiday! Is this a nice break from the winter doldrums or is it our chance to celebrate the coming of spring without the interference of a rodent? Two really interesting questions…

Now, before you think I scored some tickets to Indianapolis on February 5, I have to ‘fess up – I was an Occupier. Yep, I occupied a chair in my sister’s kitchen to watch the game. I was one of the 99% who could have cared less who won the game, since my Ravens were bounced – or “not reviewed” – out of the competition two weeks previous. Our goal for the evening was to watch the much-touted commercials that were rudely interrupted by a football game. We sat there – the two of us – one Ravens fan and one Eagles fan – rooting for the impossible – a good game. She was sort of rooting for the Patriots and I was sort of rooting for the Giants. I say “sort of” since neither of us really liked either team. That dislike progressed as we listened to the commentary through the game. Al Michaels, as always, was a stellar, classy commentator, but his partner in crime, Chris Collinsworth, showed his serious man-crush for all things Brady, Manning, and Rothlisberger. That attitude in reporting soured this fan’s viewing of the game.

But let’s talk about the commercials. Corporations spend millions to advertise during the Super Bowl. Costs actually vary as to which quarter your spot will air. First and second quarter ads cost more than 4^th quarter ads. And why, pray tell? The “(*&*” game! Most past games have been blow outs. By the time the viewer gets to the first quarter, they have already seen about six hours of pregame hype, one hour of true pregame, a pregame show, and then the National Anthem and ceremonial coin toss. The viewer has already consumed a ton of food and in some cases, a “few” adult beverages. We’re talking viewer coma here, folks. Viewers are in party mode and the game is background noise by kickoff, especially if your team isn’t among the players. By the fourth quarter, the question is usually, “Is this game still on?” So ask a party-hearty viewer what were the commercials like or who won (or played) the game, and they will tell you the next day – after they hit YouTube to see what they missed. Can we understand why some people refer to this as Stupor Bowl Sunday?

This year’s commercials had the usual fare. Same old companies tried to best last year’s spots. Some succeeded – and very nicely. I enjoyed the M&M commercials. They ran subtle adult humor that is not over the top and offensive to kids. Doritos ran some new spots that had you wondering what they were thinking. I must admit, though, that I now have a good use for a motorized wheel chair and a Johnny-Jump-Up to stop a bully older brother. The Coke Bears were back with impressive spots, too. Sketchers ad with the jogging pug was a belly laugh at the end.  Budweiser’s history lessons were really enjoyable to watch. It’s nice to know the E-trade baby now has a sister. Can’t wait to see how she gets working into the investing scene! Beer commercials! Car commercials! Oh, and we can’t forget the annual salute to soft-porn, Go Daddy commercials!

I was eagerly anticipating the Ferris Buehller knock-off Honda commercial. I saw the full length on the internet just a few days before. Could not wait to see how it got cut up for prime time. Jerry Seinfeld’s Acura commercial was pretty funny, too. You would expect nothing less from Seinfeld. The best of the evening was Clint Eastwood’s “America’s Halftime” Chrysler commercial. It left me with a dropped jaw and bit of a tear from the eyes. Powerful, hopeful, encouraging – all the things our country’s citizens need at this time in our economic history. Perfect! It gave us all something to look forward to this year.

The half time show was pretty good, compared to recent ones. Madonna gave a great performance, along with some help from C-Lo and M.I.A. I managed to miss M.I.A.’s “salute” to the fans. Big whoop! She showed her “class” – or lack of it. Who will we see next year? Whose career will need a defibrillator that bad? Super Bowl halftime show is no place to try and bring any career back from the dead.

Oh, yeah, there was a game going on too (or as we liked to say “potty breaks”). It didn’t look to be much of a game in the beginning, the way the Patriots took off to a 17 -2 lead. By half time, things looked a bit more promising. During the second half, it actually turned into a nail biter – go figure! The Giants got ahead, then the Patriots came back, then the Giants had a typical Jersey sit-down in the end zone to take the lead back. Fans of both teams chewed their nails to the quick in the last minute wondering how this would end. And it ended for the Patriots with what I call “Raven’s Revenge” – the last play, with 2 seconds on the clock, and a pass that’s dropped in the end zone – the same way the Ravens lost to the Patriots 2 weeks before. Sorry Tommy, Eli beat you out – just!

Ahhhh, yes, the Super Bowl is over! Now we enter No-Fans-Land for the next few weeks until baseball spring training starts. March Madness is coming soon to a recliner and chip bag near you, too.

 At least the movies on cable are good now… Major League, A League of Their Own, The Natural… It Happens Every Spring!

Yes, Clint, I am hopeful as baseball approaches. I have something to look forward to… Come on, Spring!

Wanted - Knowledge about the unexplainable

An author must continue to learn – and not just about how to write a coherent sentence.

The theology class I just completed got me thinking….

As a youngster, I was always asking questions. I went to Catholic grammar schools and some of my questions came out of those religion classes. The questions about the existence of God were big ones. Little did I know then that the whole concept was always up for discussion. I took the theology course as part of my church volunteer work and was introduced to many writings on God, the Trinity and how it can apply to life today.

It seems like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, and a whole host of others have been debating this issue for centuries. Now, you add into the mix physicists like Dr. Michio Kaku, and archeologist/scientist Erik Von Danikan and the debate rises to a whole new level of philosophy. Yes, science geeks, the debate rages on and it’s not just for Biblical scholars anymore. Looks like a marriage finally happened between science and the Bible somewhere along the line. Not always a blissful marriage either.

All I know is that after each class meeting I had such a headache! This “God” idea is not an easy concept to contemplate. I remember asking my mom about some abstract God information as a kid and she would always say to put that question aside on a list until you get to heaven. Keeping that in mind, over the years I’ve compiled quite an extensive list of questions. Some of them seem silly but they are real questions I’ve had in the past. Don’t you have some things you would like to ask God too? I mean, aside from the obvious “Why is there evil in the world?” and Why is there war?”

Here are some of my questions for when I hit the Pearly Gates:

• The mosquito – what is the purpose???? I mean, come on, Lord! The state “bird” of Maryland and New Jersey?????  What were You thinking?

• Why is it so easy to be selfish?

• How can you tell the difference between self-serving and self-defensiveness?

• Why does chocolate taste so good? Why does it need sugar and fat to make it better?

• Why is the sky blue? It’s so pretty, so please don’t say that it is all perception of visual light lengths. Can we leave it as just plain pretty?

• Why do the deer of the neighborhood seem to love my garden and leave my neighbors alone? Is it me? What am I planting that make them love me? Or is my yard the first decent “restaurant” on the block?

• Which heathen animal keeps knocking my St. Francis statue over? No, I am not going to hurt it.

• How did You come up with the ostrich? It defies physics. Was this a “it’s-5:58 pm-and-I–have-to-clean-up–this-place-for-the-Sabbath” creation of leftover spare body parts? And if You were going to give it a face only its mother could love, why did You also give it a 25-mile stink? Remember that trip we took to New Mexico? Oy, the smell!

• Why did You allow us to invent pockets? It seems like someone is always needing them filled, wanting us to empty them, or picking them when we aren’t looking.

• Do You really look like George Burns? (“Oh God” movies) Or is my visualization based on my prayer relationship with You?

• Have You been talking to Erik Von Daniken directly or is he just guessing about that alien colonization thing? By the way, those Nazca Lines are great! My compliments to the artists.

• Why do so many people expect someone – or some government agency – to take care of them? Is that why You allowed us to get kicked out of the Garden of Eden? So we could learn for ourselves?

• Why do people refuse to learn – from anything? Why do they prefer stupidity, aspire to mediocrity and avoid courageous action?

• If the big bang happened in the vacuum of space, is it still a big bang, or just a small fart? (Yes, I’m serious about this one. It’s a perception of sound thing.)

• Is technology of all kinds really the Biblical Antichrist? George Orwell wasn’t just smoking funky stuff when he wrote 1984, was he?

• With this concept of salvation, what am I being saved from, or am I being saved for something? How will I know the difference?

• Are all these scientific discoveries really You revealing Yourself to us in a magnificent way at a time in space when human minds can comprehend the information?

• With that thought, then, when will You help us cure cancer? Or does disease exist to make us appreciate our healthy times?

• What’s the difference between being really lazy and just needing rest?

• Oh, and just so I don’t sound like I’m nagging again, thank you for music! That’s among Your better gifts to humankind.

That’s just a sampling of what has been rattling around in my cranial cavity for years and years. Yes, you can all now agree with my thesis advisor – I think too much and overthink more. Some of my former students would remind me that I need a life.

How about you all? What questions might you have for God? Maybe you acknowledge the Higher Power by a different name. That’s cool, since we all have varying life experiences. Hey, I’m no preacher by any stretch of the imagination (my kids may disagree). This is a big world and there’s room for us all. And we all have the choice to believe or not. This could be a great contemporary discussion! And probably no one would win the debate.

Some people may point to the evil in the world and bad things that happen to them personally and say “Why believe in  a God? What’s the point?”

I prefer to look at it this way – Life without God is like trying to write with a broken pencil – no point to it! I need the hope that belief brings to me. At least, that's my opinion. What's yours?

Moooo-ving the masses

Talk about writing about your observations of life….

Let me say straight off that I love mass transit. I was raised near a city, and remember the freedom of being able to hop on a bus or trolley (yes, I am that old), that connected to the subway, to get downtown. At the age of 12, I was able to travel on my own to visit family that still lived in the city. My first paying jobs were on bus and train lines. The travel time gave me a chance to get rid of the job stress without taking it out on the drivers around me. The exercise didn’t hurt either.

Fast forward a few years, and I find myself living near Tokyo. We have all heard stories of how the train system revolutionized Japan. It is so true! You can go anywhere in the country by train, bike or foot. You really don’t need a car there, which is good since drivers are a bit crazy behind the wheel. And as for safety, that system is the safest I’ve ever ridden. I could ride at 11:30 at night and the worst that would happen is a drunk would throw up on the floor near me.

Now I live in that small space on the map between Baltimore and DC. Each city has their own form of mass transit and the two really don’t meet – yet. You can take an Amtrak train between the two, but ready, steady mass transit between the two cities still does not exist. Both systems are easy to use and I prefer to use them, rather than drive. And they both provide me a way to observe people.

Baltimore has a small subway system that runs east-west and doesn’t go all the way through the city, just into the down town areas. The bus network seems to be better in Baltimore city. The light rail system runs north-south and does bisect the city past many tourist stops. You can’t find an easier or simpler way to get the Oriole Park or Ravens’ Stadium.

DC’s Metro system is more extensive. Looking at the map, it looks like a giant spider with legs that go out to all the suburbs. All the lines are color coded and they all intersect in a number of places, but primarily at Metro Center. There’s a stop within a few blocks of almost every tourist attraction in the city. Since the design of the city is similar to London’s, it’s only fitting that the Metro is similar in design too.

Both cities’ transit systems are deemed generally safe. DC’s however, has had a few major accidents in recent years. Track maintenance is a priority in the DC system. Baltimore’s system gets its maintenance at night when the tracks are shut down. The light rail tracks are above ground and easier to access. Not so for DC. Most of the DC Metro system is underground. To access tracks, the crews need to close off tubes and shut down portions of lines for a period of time. These shut downs occur at the times when ridership is statistically the lowest, and on weekends when job commuters are at home.

Either system gives the avid people-watcher lots to see. On a recent trip into Baltimore, I rode with friends to the downtown area. On our way back, we boarded the light rail to see 3 very drugged up men sitting in the car near us. Their personal hygiene was questionable at best. One fellow stood up from his seat and nearly lost his pants in spite of a belt at the waist. One of my friends brought her sister, a French citizen, with us. Times like this, I am embarrassed as an American. I hope our country isn’t judged solely by the pants-on-the-ground druggies. These people don’t paint a positive picture of our land.

I got a chance to do lots of people watching on the DC Metro heading into the Kennedy Center, too. Here I saw people dressed for a variety of activities. Some were dressed to party. Others were heading off the job, or on the job on the night shift. All of us pretty much kept to ourselves on the train. It’s amazing how you can be in such a social situation and not know or say a word to your neighbor. Nor do people want to be socialized with!!!

The trip into DC was routine. We hit track work on the way out of DC. We were going to have to leave the train at one stop, take a bus bridge and pick up the train 3 stops up the line. This led to some adventurous thinking on my part. How was this going to work? Would I feel like a sardine in the can at any time soon? How would the herds of people behave when their lives were a bit inconvenienced?

Turns out that the animal herd analogy got replace by a pinball game analogy in my mind. Descending into any of the stations brings to mind the “Empire Theme” from “Star Wars.” The look of the stations make you feel like you are in another world. The doors opened at our debarkation station and the people moved swiftly up the escalator to the busses. We were funneled through gates, past “traffic cops”, into small areas, then out onto the street to queue up for the bus bridge. A bus would pull up and we would all head to the door. We got on – or not. Sometimes the doors closed and pushed the others out of the way, like pinball flippers. We got to our embarkation station and we repeated the process - filed out of the bus, past more “traffic cops”, into more gates, down the escalators to the train platform. There we waited for the train to allow us to finish our trip.

On the DC Metro, you have to be careful to get the right train. Some lines share tracks and you have to watch the front and sides of the train cars to be sure you are on the correct line. That night, a train pulled into the station with “Orange Line” on it. Many of us waiting there were hopeful. It was announced that it’s an Orange Line train. We get on, then, ooops, our bad. It’s really a Blue Line. Glad they told us in time so we could get off.

Two hours later we finally made it to our stop. In the process, many riders took the inconvenience in stride. Some even made jokes of it. No one got bad attitudes about the trip. Now, we weren’t holding hands singing Kumbaya or anything like that, but the trip was not unpleasant, just eventful. It was great to observe adult behavior for a change. The circumstances could have brought out the worst in all of us.

Lucky for us, both Baltimore mass transit and DC Metro have websites that give you updates on track repairs, bus bridging of stations, and other problems on the systems.  All you have to do is Google the city and the line. The sites give you a list of the stations closed or any other track issue that might exist. Always check before you travel.

And always enjoy the trip. People are really fun to watch. Put them in uncomfortable situations and see what happens. Sometimes it’s embarrassing. But most times people behave appropriately. It’s just that those activities sadly don’t make the 11 o’clock news…

Another one bites the dust...

   Now before you think I’m going all Freddy Mercury on you… let me explain. No, let me sum up… another item is crossed off my bucket list. I saw a play at the Kennedy Center.

   Actually, I would have gone to anything as long as it was at the Ken Cen – a play, an opera, a concert, or on a pizza delivery run. It didn’t matter. But I was treated to a fantastic evening, courtesy of Holland Taylor’s portrayal of Governor Ann Richards. The venue and the performance – both were just awe inspiring.

   My cousin and I took the most logical route to the Kennedy Center – Metro. The trains have never failed me in any of my trips to DC. This time, heading into town was fine, but heading out was… let’s just say I’ll need another post to cover that trip. But as far as the Kennedy Center goes, I never realized how accessible this entertainment venue really is. Take the train to Foggy Bottom and you are greeted with a shuttle bus that takes you to the front door, which is a major blessing to those of us who would rather not drive in downtown DC or any other large city. We boarded the bus, arrived within 10 minutes at the door, picked up our tickets from Will-Call, and were in our seats in plenty of time for the curtain. We sat in the balcony of the Eisenhower Theater and were able to see and hear everything; there was not a bad seat in the entire house.

   At intermission, I was able to enjoy the full experience of the Kennedy Center’s majestic appearance. The Hall of Nations was where we first entered the center. We went through the Hall to the Foyer that overlooks the Potomac River. The foyer boasted the most beautiful chandeliers I’ve ever seen. (These lights must be at least 3 stories high and am I thankful I don’t have to clean them.) In the very center of the Foyer, we saw the bust of John F. Kennedy, a rather imposing sculpture. It showed a rugged depiction of a man who wanted to appear rugged in spite of some of his physical difficulties. The rugged quality seemed almost out of place in an arts emporium such as the Center, until you realize the dichotomy of the man. The late President was someone who could appreciate both the arts and the outdoors.

   We saw “Ann”, a one-woman play written by and starring Holland Taylor (Mom from “Two and a Half Men). Ms. Taylor brought Governor Richards to life in a way no one but her closest friends knew. But, folks, that is the stuff for another review! I could go on and on about how great the play was, but this is one you have to see for yourself. The show just closed in the DC-Metro area. I’m not sure where it’s headed next, but I’m sure it will land on the boards of Broadway to stellar reviews and, hopefully, many awards.

   In checking further on the Kennedy Center website, www.kennedy-center.org, I found that the center is a very popular tourist destination and educational center. Since its conception by President Eisenhower, to the ground breaking in 1965, to its opening in 1971, to the present day, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts draws performers in all aspects of the arts. It’s the home of the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and the KC Jazz Club. International arts festivals have a home here. Lecturers have a home here. Pops performers like Wayne Brady and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy have a home here. To top that, each day the Millennium Theater offers a performance at 6 pm that is free to all. So we all have a home here at the Kennedy Center.

   My first visit will definitely not be my last. One day soon, I’ll venture down as a pure tourist and take one of the guided tours offered every 10 minutes. I’ll take pictures of the place this time and I’ll probably stop at the Gift Shop, too. (hey, wouldn’t be a tourist if I didn’t!) I’ll try to be there at sunset, to see the sun shine over the Potomac and cast late rays on those fabulous Foyer chandeliers. I’ll be the one sitting in the Foyer just taking in the creative energy and inspiration. See you there!

Done Too Soon

   Before I begin, you need to know a few things about me. I participate in my parish’s Sick and Bereavement Ministry as group secretary and part of the funeral repast catering group. One part of the ministry is visiting funeral homes and visiting the families. I am not comfortable doing that at this point in time for people I don’t know. My involvement is not 100% altruistic either. While I am giving community service, and doing my Christian duty (I hope) towards others helping bury the dead and console the living, I have to admit to all that I am working through the grief of losing my in-laws and my own parents through this ministry service. It does help me to help others. When all the old grief feelings get triggered by unexpected events, I know what is happening to my emotions and I have an outlet for my grief. I’m not just sitting around in my own personal pity party.

    Lately our church ministry has been very busy. There’s something about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays that makes me wonder if the Lord doesn’t start a recall process right around that time. Losing someone during the holidays puts a pall on the whole holiday season for years to come. It’s always in the back of your mind. I know this first hand, since my mother passed just before Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law passed 4 days before Christmas and my dad passed on New Year’s Eve. This didn’t happen all in the same year… but at this point it doesn’t matter. Holiday seasons are rough sometime and this can be one of the reasons.

    Last week, I worked another funeral reception at church. I don’t think I was through the door of the house and ambulances pulled up across the street. My neighbor’s daughter was ill again. This was becoming a too familiar sight. She would go out in an ambulance and in a day or so, we would see her putting her kids on the school bus. This time, she didn’t come home to her kids.

     Now this is a girl who spent time at my house with my kids when they were growing up. How many times did she have lunch or snack at our table? How many times did she play in our yard? Or climb our trees? How many children’s choir practices did I take her to, along with my daughter? She lived with her kids at her mother’s house. Her mom was helping her raise them, since she was a solo parent. She did make some, let’s just say, unwise lifestyle choices in her teens and early adulthood. Her body couldn’t take it anymore. This time, I did go to the funeral home. I attended, rather than worked, the reception afterward. My daughter came with us.

     This whole event has me thinking about the natural order of operations. Children bury parents, not the other way around. Yet, sometimes the child has done all that was possible on this earth. This process is not my idea of “normal” but it’s what is.

    Many recent funerals from my parish were for older parishioners, those whose lives were long, productive, accomplished, and who suffered toward the end. But more and more, we are ministering to families who’ve lost young people, members of our human family who seem not to have finished living, who still have more to accomplish. This is so confusing – at least to me - since it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. The big question of “Why?” comes to mind over and over. I wish I had some answers. It was all done too soon.

    Neil Diamond penned the song “Done Too Soon” way back in the 70’s – actually 1970 to be exact for the young readers. The lyrics come to mind at times like this, and I find them strangely comforting. It helps me to think that my neighbor’s daughter, my kids’ playmate is in some really good company having passed away so young. Not everyone on Diamond's “litany of saints” is a positive model for life. But it seems to me that all had more to give to this world; seems to me like they all weren’t finished even though their time was up. Would some of these people made more of a difference if they lived longer? Would the world be a different place if they did live longer? How would the world be different? Who’s to know?

    I’ve placed a copy of the lyrics in the body of this posting. You can judge for yourself. I’m sure you can add names to the list. Use the song to help you through any grief situation. Me? I’m going to do my best to help her mom and her kids with the new – and extremely sucky – reality that we are all now a part.

    The daughter died at age 33. Jesus died at 33, too. No comparison of lives in the least… just sayin’…. just done too soon…

http://youtu.be/XSmJH1kxiHQ - Youtube link to the song performance and video by gettysburgguy

Done Too Soon

Written by Neil Diamond

Jesus Christ, Fanny Brice,
Wolfie Mozart and Humphrey Bogart and
Genghis Khan and
On to H. G. Wells.

Ho Chi Minh, Gunga Din
Henry Luce and John Wilkes Booth
And Alexanders
King and Graham Bell.

Rama Krishna, Mama Whistler,
Patrice Lumumba and Russ Colombo,
Karl and Chico Marx,
Albert Camus.

E. A. Poe, Henri Rousseau,
Sholom Aleichem and Caryl Chessman,
Alan Freed and
Buster Keaton too

And each one there
Has one thing shared:
They have sweated beneath the same sun,
Looked up in wonder at the same moon,
And wept when it was all done

For bein' done too soon,
For bein' done too soon.
For bein' done.

     1970 Pilgrim Music

F-O-R-W-A-R-D!

    Another holiday season… another new year! It’s time to pack away Christmas and look at where we are going from here.

    Ok, so you do have to look back a bit. 2011 was an all right year, I guess. But let’s look ahead at 2012. Many say that this is it for the world. The Mayans have this year as the end of time (add deep voice echo as this is read). But really, who knows?

   Let’s take a quick look at what will happen in 2012:

• The ship RMS Titanic will be gone for 100 years on April 15. In honor of this occasion, James Cameron is planning on a re-release of his blockbuster movie in 3D around the same date. Titanic in 3D? Does this theater have barf bags with the glasses?

• There will still be 3 seasons in my life – football, baseball, and that no-man’s land between the Super Bowl and Spring Training.

• I will plant flowers and veggies in my gardens this year. What will actually grow is anyone’s guess, since successful gardening in my neighborhood is both weather and deer dependent. I also predict that my friendly local Bambi will eat very well.

• The Baltimore Orioles will take the field at Camden Yards and I will still be a fan. No, I am not a champion of lost causes. I like baseball – live, local, and constantly changing. I will also follow the Phillies, the team of my birth city. I will attend the Phillies-Orioles game on June 10 at Camden Yards, again, as Schizo-fan – not sure who to support but knowing I will be happy no matter the outcome.

• When not at the Yard, I will be glued to the TV, desperately missing Mike Flannagan’s commentary on the games.

• I will resist the temptation to put my copy of Titanic on the computer, Orioles on the TV, start both at the same time, and see who goes down first. This is a family joke, as is my watching Titanic ad nauseum. My husband keeps waiting for a different outcome of the movie. The O’s, unfortunately, still have a similar record.

• There will be a Super Bowl game played in Indianapolis. Raymond Berry, a BALTIMORE Colt legend, will present the Lombardi Trophy to the winner of the game.

• I will more than likely lose my best buddy, Rusty. He’s my 18-year old dog that has defied all odds and 2 vets to get to this length of life.

• We will find out if the Mayan calendar is correct, or if the little mathlete who figured it all out just ran out of space on the wheel.

• Baltimore will have a difficult time finding a new “Voice of Reason”. I know I’m going to miss Ron Smith more and more as the election gets closer.

• We will have a Presidential election. And we will all be ticked off at all the candidates of all parties by the end of January, 2012. This is thanks to press over saturation.

• The Maryland General Assembly will start a 90-day session around January 11. I will be fed up with them by January 12.

    What I would really like to see happen in 2012:

• I’d love to see a book of mine in print. For real, for sale and for everyone.

• I’d love to see Buck’s Baltimore Boys go from worst to first and stay there the whole season, not just from game 1 to game 2. Hey, not so far out! Weirder things have happened in this town.

• I’d love to see a sea of orange and black in the stands when the Red Sox and Yankees are in town – just for spite. Boston and New York fans get cheaper deals at Camden Yards than in their own home parks. We Birdlanders must stop that!!!

• I’d love to see BALTIMORE Colt great Raymond Berry present the Lombardi Trophy to the BALTIMORE RAVENS in Indianapolis, home of the current 2-14 Colts. Take that, Messrs. Irsay and Tagliabue.

• I’d love to see those elected to the White House and Congress realize they have a temp job, a service job, and it’s something they need to actually do on a daily basis. I’d also like to see them all stop kissing press butt and going only for face time.

• I’d love to see the voters of this country actually think for themselves. Pundits are great and can shed light on specific issues. Talking heads serve their purpose putting candidates on the spot. Jon Stewart can always put a humorous spin on events in the news. We the People, however, need to watch, look, learn, and then ignore 9/10’s of the soundbites. We need to make our own decisions and not follow the crowd.

• I’d love to see more public gardens, arboretums and conservatories – as a tourist, that is.

• I’d love to see the Harry Potter Exposition come back to the US, close to DC if possible.

• I’d love the see the face on the Mayan mathlete who did the calendar when the dawn of December 22, 2012 arrives. Will he be saying “Ooopss” or “Told you! I just ran out of room”?

    Wow! Who knew there was so much to look forward to in 2012? And this is just the big stuff. That doesn’t count the daily aches, pains and other activities we all go through.

So here’s to 2012! Let’s raise a glass of your favorite adult beverage (let’s go Natty Boh) and toast the New Year. To the O’s! To the Ravens! To our dreams!

    To making it count!