Life is more than simply playing the piano in "Middle C".....

Hang in there with me as I explain my opening title.

If you have ever played the piano then you know what I am talking about and I'm certainly not trying to show off by acting like I know all of these piano "words" (actually I kinda am) even though I've only been taking lessons for about 5 months. But I've realized the piano and my taking lessons has become the perfect metaphor for describing my new Journey.

During my weekly lessons, I sometimes interrupt my wonderful, patient teacher, Amy Munro, and ask questions that race into my mind while I am trying to stay focused, specifically about the piano and generally about music.

 I've recently broadened my range of two octaves and 5 notes, located in the middle part of the piano keyboard, ergo Middle C, to yet another octave as well as two more keys, A and B, in addition to now sharps and flats.

We talked briefly about how the piano encompasses so many different combinations of sounds and to me it seemed like the ultimate in a musical instrument since the permutation of so many different sounds could be achieved.... 88 keys X two hands  X playing two or three of four notes at a time equals, well more than my head brain could compute.

And then she added that there are so many more instruments that exude wonderful tones and sounds some of which many of us have never heard before.

Music is like the alphabet. We have only 26 letters in the English language

but we are able to take those letters and create words, from which we create sentences, from which we create paragraphs and then stories. Notes by themselves are simply notes, but when we string them together we eventually have a melody and then finally a song. All of the stories have not been written nor have all of the songs been sung.They are waiting for you to add yours to the collection.

This caused me to realize how important it is to get out of "Middle C" and experience the entire Keyboard of Life. Sure, you can play most melodies in your safe haven, sing any song in your range, even watch TV  where your 4 or 5 channels are located and not travel through the other 200 channels. But expand your horizons. See what is around the corner. See if you can hit that high note when you are singing in the shower. And learn to play more octaves, more chords, more keys.

You can dance all night long simply doing the box step or swaying to and fro, but occasionally spin your partner around, glide across the floor as you keep beat to the music and what the heck, throw in a little free-style when you want to. Learn to play more notes, sing more songs and dance whenever you feel the need.

You don't need a piano to learn music. My niece's husband, Eugene Taylor, learned to play the harmonica while waiting in traffic. If you can simply breath you can play a harmonica.Maybe it's just a note at a time. Or a step at a time. But please, life is worth living.

I'll send you a harmonica if you promise to play it. I'll write you a story if you promise to write one yourself. And I'll sing you a song if you promise to dance to it.

Enjoy life, it's the only one we have.

Peace

OK, Fine. I finally admit it that I don't know everything...

I'm going to let some of you gloat over the fact that you finally have found something that you know more about than I do. But in reality, I've never claimed that I know more things than all of you, it's just that well, I kinda give the impressions that I do.........or hmmm, maybe I do know more......regardless, go ahead and have at me.

All of this refers to something I saw the other day out at the Frisco Mall just north of town.

Now let me first mention this, and as they say in Texas "It ain't braggin,  Maam, if it's fact".

You're talkin' to a guy who is pretty sharp when it comes to high tech stuff. I've been buildin' all kinds of electronic things for a number of years. I built my first couple of computers. I can fix anything electrical or mechanical in a home. Heck, at one time I was even braggin' that I was gonna do my own head-brain lobotomy until someone talked me out of it.

Anyway, back to what happened.....And I was just tryin' to kind of put my credentials out there, but ok, I concede to what happened the other day because it simply had me starin' with my jaw opened up and in a daze you coulda' knocked me over with a feather.. So, even as smart as I am, some of you are gonna be smarter than me when I tell you what I saw.

I parked my car and headed up to the main entry doors and as I got closer to the entry way and all of the parking spots came to an end, I see these, well, I see these thingys that kinda look like fuel pumps but they have a long electrical cord comin' out of the side of them. I get closer and practically get run over since I'm standing in the roadway and I'm starin' and starin' and for the life of me, I had no idea what they were and then suddenly it hits me, "OMG, THEY ARE CHARGING STATIONS FOR ELECTRIC CARS!!!"

I actually said aloud, "You gotta be sh**en me."

A security guard walks over and greets me. He looks like he is barely out of high school and just smilin' away. He sees the look on my face as he has probably done many times before when people my age get their first glimpse of the future. He says, "Pretty impressive, huh. Free fuel for your electric car".

OK, go ahead and gloat, those of you who have seen these and God forbid if I know any of you who actually have an electric car, but I have to admit, "Yes, I'm kinda impressed"

Now realize, I cut my eye teeth as a young man working in the Oilfield business. I spent several years out in West Texas selling oilfield equipment and chasing every rig from Sonora, Texas all of the way up to Hobbs, New Mexico. I made my living, a substantial living I might add, and then later came to Dallas in the late 70s when Oil was King, and I was a Prince. But then in the 80s, the bottom fell out and most of us became paupers.

So, I have had an affinity to the Oilfield Industry. It has kept the world's lamps lit for over a century. It's moved automobiles from one side of the continent to the other and despite all of the negatives, it made this country a better place.

But, I guess "time marches on"

I'm certainly not against electric cars. They make a lot of sense although, there is still a lot of research that is needed such as storage and overall cost. I guess if you had a long enough extension cord, though you wouldn't have to worry about that.

So, here I am at 71 and willing to admit that maybe I just have not been paying attention and some technology has slipped by me.

And in fact, it actually was kind of fun and enjoyable to see something new and exciting.  Maybe I just don't get out often enough as I should or perhaps I'm not looking around enough and there are many new things that I just haven't noticed.

Regardless, I admit some of you have something on me now, but this day too shall pass.

So "hello future", I'll be catchin' up with you soon.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story and as always,  (and you can quit gloating now)

Peace

"Some Corner of a Foreign Field that is For Ever England."

"You are only 18 years old. The home that you grew up in is now in ruins as a result of enemy bombs being dropped from airplanes belonging to a nation determined to crush your country.

Family members and friends have died in this horrible act of war. And now you have been asked to leave your birthplace to fight for your country against this aggressor. Of course you are willing and are ready to take up arms, but your calling will first take you to a distant land. A land some 5,000 miles away for your training. Away from your surviving family members. Away from your surviving friends.

You will first go to America and the possibility exists that you might never return home again."



This story certainly didn't sound familiar to me, even though I knew a lot of the history of World War II. I knew that England had first been bombed in 1940, a year before the United States entered into an Alliance to defeat Germany. But, English servicemen coming to the United States to train?  I had never heard that story. And not only coming here to within 50 miles of my home in Dallas, but 24 of them died while here in training and 20 of these brave souls were buried in a small private cemetery in Terrell, Texas.


I had the privilege and honor to learn this story of these cadets from the Royal Air Force (RAF) that found themselves in a small Texas town when I was invited by a new, dear friend to visit the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum and the cemetery where they are buried over the recent Veterans Day weekend.


The day chosen by the British Commonwealth to honor their fallen heroes falls on the same day that America celebrates the lives of all of the  men and women who served their country. The reason being is that both days, Remembrance Day for the British and Veterans Day for the United States both evolved out of what was originally known as Armistice Day.

During World War II, many Western countries and associated nations changed the name of the holiday accordingly to commemorate the end of World War II in Europe. Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations adopted Remembrance Day, while the United States government opted for Veterans Day.

Thousand of British pilots learned to fly at six civilian training schools in the United States. The first of these schools was in Terrell, Texas. After the United States entered the war, American Aviation Cadets also trained at the school.

Our day in Terrell began with a visit to the Oakland Cemetery. The following description is from an information brochure made available to the visitors:

Members of a RAF unit assigned to Greenville, Texas
participated in the ceremony honoring RAF Cadets from World
War II

  

A simple sundial and a flagpole flying the RAF ensign perpetually at half-staff marks a peaceful hedgerowed plot in Terrell's historic Oakland Cemetery, which holds the graves of 20 British Royal Air Force pilots killed in various training mishaps while attending the British Flying School #1 in Terrell, Texas, during WWII.

The sundial historic memorial marker reads as follows:

"This ground dedicated to the Royal Air Force by the Oakland Memorial Park Association and cared for by the War Relief Society

"Some Corner of a Foreign Field that is For Ever England." 

A new, dear friend, Monica Evans
invited me to a tribute to honor
RAF Cadets buried on American soil.

Invocations, Meditations and Scriptures were read. The flag was lowered to half staff and a placing of a wreath by a surviving cadet, Flt Lt. Robert F. Reynolds, RAF (Ret), doing the honors assisted by members of a RAF Unit assigned to nearby Greenville, Texas.

Tears welled up in my eyes as well as most in attendance as I surveyed the immaculately groomed graves that marked the final resting place of the ever so young men. It truly was humbling to think of how courageous and brave they were to shoulder this responsibility only to have their lives cut short before allowing them to fulfill their dreams of protecting their country.

As the cemetery observance came to an end, and we headed to the Museum that houses hundreds of memorabilia of those years of training, it reminded me of friends I had lost to the Vietnam War and how my time in service was spent.

Whether it be Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, our two great countries, the United States and Great Britain came together to defeat a tyrant. And, sadly, thousands and thousand of young lives were lost trying to protect our way of life.

Flt Lt Robert F Reynolds, RAF (Ret)
a survivor of World War II laid a wreath
as the base of the monument.

It will be a Veterans Day weekend I will always cherish and a tribute that I hope I will have a chance to witness again. And, oh yes, another group of friends that I can now add to my life as I continue on my new Journey. Wonderful British men and women who now call America their home along with the young 20 cadets who remain with us now and forever.

Peace

For more information about the British Flying Training School and the joint effort that Americans and the British and the  sacrifices made during world War II you can visit their website at https://www.bftsmuseum.org/

That aura of happiness that I have always wanted and wondered about....

Years and years ago when I was actively involved in the Episcopal Church activities and spent time around people who were certainly holier than I, I would see this constant aura about their face almost like a permanent smile. It was so obvious to me but when I would mention it to my friends, they either thought I was just funnin' with them or maybe I was just acting my oddball self.

I would even ask these individuals what brought them such happiness. They would shrug their shoulders and they too acted like they didn't know what I was talking about. But the glow was there. I saw it. I felt it.

Eons have since gone by from the time when I participated in the Church to today when I am now beginning to now offer more of my services to my new found spiritual family. And once again, I begin to see that aura around certain individuals and it's something I want.

I don't feel like I haven't been approachable most of my life. I usually have a smile on my face. I try to offer assistance when needed and though I can work up a pretty good scowl when I get pissed, for the most part I'm a good guy. But it seems like I am always the one making the effort to help, which I love doing don't mistake me, but sometimes I wonder if people are afraid to ask for my help.

Maybe it has become society as a whole...a distrust for strangers, fear for our safety...too much time spent with our noses in our devices and not enough time with people that we have forgotten to talk with each other.

Today, that changed for me.....and of course, I just wanted to come home and write about it...something I am finding I am doing almost every day now.

I was coming out of the Richardson "Y" after a short period of time on the stationary bicycle. I actually had been headed to the Senior Center to shoot a little pool, (ahh, the retired life) and they were closed as they prepared for the Christmas bazaar so I headed to the Y.....

Geesh...I'm sorry for drifting away... it's been diagnosed as OFADD...Old Fart Attention Deficit Syndrome.....anyway, back on track.

So anyway, as I was leaving the Y a  much older Hispanic couple pulled up to me and rolled down their window and I was delighted I was going to be able to help without me first approaching them as I always seem to do when I see someone in distress or needing help.

 After 50 years of living in Texas and Oklahoma I have to admit my Spanglish is pretty darn good, but dang, I was having a really difficult time trying to communicate with this beautiful couple. I even checked to make sure they were speaking Spanish and perhaps I had mistaken them for another nationality....  Anyway after broken sentences we were on the same page but for the life of me I just couldn't figure out their need. I was all set to run back into the Y and see if anyone spoke Spanish but I persevered. And then the key words came out..."Book"...."Central Book"....I thought for a second and then realized the Richardson Library was only a few blocks away and I shouted "LIBRARY"...and their eyes lit up.

We didn't solve any International Crisis, but it was just friend helping friend. I started to tell them it was only a few blocks away but then I thought, "nope, I'll have them follow me"...they did...they got to the "Central Book" and I raced home to share the story.

Folks, I don't know what's happening to me, but I'm thankful that complete strangers can find me approachable in a time when the world is full of hate and for some reason we have a distaste for people who are different than us. Maybe I'm not a scary old white man after all. And maybe I might now have that aura.

Peace

Your attitude is what makes life exciting....

I promise not to keep you long, and even if I do lose you on this post, just know that you will always be able to find me here and I'm always happy to just hang out with you. Now that my eyes are focused and my mind is clear, I feel like I am digging really deep into my soul and I hope I am helping some of you find your way. I know now this has always been my destiny and I am taking every waking moment to teach and help others through my writings....

That all being said, let's see how this will play out.

As some of you know, I started taking piano lessons almost five months ago. It was a passion when I started and it continues to be the same today. But something changed today and I wanted to share it with you.

Any of you who have taken any kind of training whether it be musical or crafts or singing, virtually anything requiring an instructor to teach you, and I guess that probably includes all of us, then you know how sometimes it can be a struggle. Learning the correct fingering for the piano keys, learning the correct route to run as a wide receiver. Learning how to take the perfect photograph.

Sometimes the lessons are hard, sometimes they are harder than hard and sometimes, well, we just seem to breeze through them. But it's not the lessons that are difficult or easy, it's our attitude as we approach the task.

Why is it that we make our lives so difficult by just not having the right positive attitude.

If your kids have played sports, team sports specifically, have you ever noticed how the coach will get the entire team on the same page, chanting and rocking back and forth until the team is in a frenzy and screaming waiting to get onto the field of play.

Or how about a tennis player who will have that loud discernible talk with themselves after they scored a winning point or possibly lost a point.

The illustrations are numerous, hundreds for each sporting and non-sporting event in our lives.

But what about about daily chores or even something as simple as a piano lesson?

Today, I went in all fired up. Wanting to learn. Wanting to please myself. Wanting to please my teacher. Wanting to be a real pianist. And you know what happened? I played better than I have played during these long arduous months. The time flew by. I wanted more and more and more.

But the lesson didn't get easier today. It was just as difficult as last weeks and the week before. But my attitude was so powerful. I came home and immediately practiced and then I thought, "I need to share this with all of you." I needed to tell you that the answers to all of your problems are right before you.

Open your minds. Clear out the cobwebs. Regain your spiritual lives. Life is the greatest gift we have ever been given and I beg you to finds those embers that are still in your soul and bring them out into your heart and get that fire a burnin' before it's too late. Don't let a traumatic event be the catalyst to change your outlook. You're much too smart and too wonderful of a person to let life pass you by.

As always, I offer you peace and now I offer you hope as well.

And Faith.

Maybe all that was needed was just one more simple, little prayer...

I woke up this morning feeling terrific for the first time in almost 5 days. Now that's hard to believe coming from someone who just never gets sick. I mean I have never missed one day of work my entire life from being sick. Have never been in the hospital overnight. And even after a couple of day surgeries, my day continued as usual, well except for that one "male-type" surgery that left me walking kind of gingerly, but other than that I have been really healthy. Until this past week..and then dang, I was down for the count.

And then today ...I feel great!.. Wow, I can't wait to get to the Senior Center for the weekly dance tonight and strut my stuff. It's a new event in my Journey that has become an important part of the week. I love to dance, I love live bands and I love to be around people who cherish the days they have left and want to go dancin'.

Ooops, sorry my head is racing, I have so many things to say.

But back to today, or this morning rather. I was wondering what the heck happened from the time I went to bed last night and when I woke up at around 4 a.m. I had been doing the same thing each day as prescribed by my doctor. Allegra, Flo-sane, Advil, Vick's  (I've always loved Vicks and when I wasn't feeling well when I was a kid and my mom would smear it all over my chest. )

Oops, sorry off subject again there for a second.

So, I decided to walk Cooper, something I hadn't done all week and  then it came into my head and heart. I had people praying for me and just like that, I was better.

 "But wait", I thought, some of them had been praying all week. (I have a pretty good friend list with some people who pray for me everyday) So maybe that was actually what I maybe needed. Maybe, all I needed was just one more prayer, either from a friend or heck for that matter, myself. Maybe just one more little simple prayer could have had me back on my feet on Tuesday.

That is, if you believe in prayer. And I do now.

Now even though I don't have a clue on how prayers get counted up in Heaven's Accounting Office, I think it would be pretty safe to assume that the more prayers coming in asking for God to intercede in an event, well then that person, or that prayer subject gets moved to the head of the line. So just suppose, that here I am down on Earth, feeling crummy from allergys, and I have these people praying for me but I just can't quite get to the finish line. I just fall short because someone who maybe said they would pray for me, well maybe, they forgot. Or maybe it was me, maybe I forgot to say my prayers for the day. Hey, it could happen.

I find it's something to consider. So much, that I think I might just throw in one little extra thought or prayer for someone or myself, maybe just enough to get God's attention. Maybe we just have to treat prayer like so ,many other things in our lives. If we want to have success, the we have to work for it. And maybe when we pray, we might just have to make the little extra effort.

Anyway, I feel great. I' goin' dancin' tonight and I'm gonna say an extra prayer right now for all of you people who have been praying for me. It might take me awhile to get the scale balanced but I'm on it as we speak.

Peace