His Love is Love Infinity / Abstract Art and Illogical Thought vs. the Chaos of Cancer / Flight Deck

“In each moment
Is Infinity.
For the Love you feel
Will always be,
Here and now –
A mirror
To each moment
To be.”

I cannot tell you who these Clowns are. Natalie and Jake would get very upset with me if I did.

In the Blink of God’s Eye,
A chance encounter
May bring two people together,
Bringing them
Into the same space, the same time,
Bestowing Gifts unknown before,
Allowing us to rethink truths
We have ingrained in our minds,
In our hearts.

This encounter can become priceless.
It can produce moments
Of such deep reflection,
That we are changed,
Perhaps forever.

In our Petting Zoo we find new friends.

It can help us remember
Who we are,
And how much in Love
We have been –
With life, with love, with each other.
Such a moment can save us
From ourselves,
From the past,
From the future.

It can make you feel
Truly Loved.
It can bring you
Joy.

Close your eyes,
My friend,
So that you
May see again.

Look into the mirror Of time.

Look into the mirror
Of time,
To a moment when
You were not alone,
When your heart
Was beating in time
With another,
When together you were one,
Just one.

When you walked
Hand in hand,
You and your friend,
And time
Moved not within,
And you,
Not the world,
Would spin.

Call out their name,
Forgive the past with them.
Your memory is more
Than a mirror,
It is you.

Deep within the recesses of a cloud formation may lie the abstract design that is a key to unlocking the chaotic behavior of cancer. Is the answer blowing in the wind?

Each moment
Is Eternal,
Time standing still.
It is you, breathless waiting
In morning sun,
Always near to each moment
You were in Love.

Love can never be measured
By the hours in a day.
Filtered like the evening sun
Passing through the falling leaves,
The precious flow of our tears
Measures all the joy,
Cascading down to
The Soil of our Soul,
To renew our Hope,
Restore our Faith,
Much like the rain.

The Love we seek
Is reflect in Time.
Open your eyes
To the illusion
Of Life in living.
Close them again
And Love in remembering.

The Fort Worth Stock Show was fun.

Looking back we forward see.
God’s Love is now,
And forever to be,
The Ever Ebbing Tide
Of a deepening, endless sea.

In each moment
The Love of God
Will always be,
Here and now,
The Mirror
Of each moment to be.
His Love is Love
Infinity.
He wants you alive
With Love again,
And in Love with Life.

Mary Alice is artful in her abstract thinking. And so is her gifted Mother.

Travis poses with Lexi, one of our counselors.

My friend, Travis, age eleven, is deeply concerned for others.
He is committed to finding a cure for cancer.

“How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.”
                                      – Bob Dylan

Abstract Art and Illogical Thought
vs. the Chaos of Cancer
by Travis Carter Allen
And William C. Anderson

Deep within the recesses of a Modern Art Museum, or art disguised as graffiti or some cloud formation or an outrageously disjointed thought may lie the abstract design, pattern or startling idea that is a key to insert into the lock of our antiquated, linear thinking. And we wait to hear the magical click which will open to find a universal cure for cancer.

Now I’m scared!

We are waging war with cancer in conventional ways and directly. But we combat a life competitive force with an arsenal of disadvantages. We are facing an opponent that functions in an incomprehensible manner, because its structure and its life is chaotic. And it is becoming more and more obvious that we cannot win this battle within the confinements and limitations of the structured thought processes we have become habituated to. Such linearized thinking has not produced desired results. We are loosing the war while winning few battles on highly selective fronts. What is needed is a general, “theory of everything”, relative to combating the highly chaotic behavior of other predatory living organisms. read more

Jack and Kylee bask in the sun and the sand.

Perhaps, it behooves us to stop thinking so much, since our thought processes are prejudiced by artificial, man made environmental structures (not found in nature) such as straight lines and ninety degree angles. Perhaps we should intuit, with our hearts and other-worldly wisdom (relating to an imaginary or spiritual world) about something that is so chaotic in its behavior that it is incomprehensible to the thinking human organism, which functions within such limited and habitual structural constraints. Our predisposition to the linearity of environmentally induced per-programed mental processing has eluded us from thoughtful non-linearized reflection and discourse. And this has resulted in little real progress. It has become obvious that we cannot win this battle against cancer in this way.

Friends, if we are going to act with any significant measurable success we must stop thinking as logical beings and think illogically (chaotically) or stop thinking with our intermediate repository of memory engrams (the brain) and engage more long term memory storage, using intuition and other dimensions of memory, such as the heart. The heart always remembers what has been emoted as love and fear and harm, much longer and with more impact-fulness than is possible with the human brain. Thank God we sometimes forget. But the human heart remembers.

Perhaps we should utilize the abundance of neglected historical records, including those handed down verbally through generations of Spiritually guided indigenous people, native citizens, in which we find advantages gained through the elements of simple faith, subjectivity and creativity. These records are replete with example and truly abundant but are becoming endangered. They include elements of the rather haphazard manipulation (dependent upon or characterized by mere chance) of factors related to the relativity of reality and the mis-utilization of time factors (creating advantages of time, eliminating obsolete territorial primacy, deployment of reinforcement resources (you can call them troops), chaotic cellular research, non-linear thought processes and so forth.

The Stock Show was very informative.

We should also, however, plan for the intelligent (as best as we can define intelligence) and well established elements of retreat (recognizing where we have been in fruitless endeavor), regrouping (placing hitherto unknown and unrelated social factions together), creative counter measures, etc.

We are dealing with a life-force apparently MORE intelligent, when it comes to fundamental survival, than we are and much more willing to sacrifice, do whatever is necessary, in order to continue existence.

This chaotic life force, cancer, is also a primary and elemental force in evolution, and therefore, must be respected and not totally eliminated. A good example of non-linear, non-logical and irrational thought provided to combat the devastating disease(s) of cancer lies in research using a modified HIV virus – yes, the virus that causes AIDS – to fight cancer. In one case a little girl named Emma is now in remission from leukemia as a result of the so-far successful treatment. Completely eliminating life threatening entities removes future potential and vital tools in our arsenal to combat other disorders and disease. read more

We are also dealing with a fundamental deficiency of appreciation for illogicality. It is our considered opinion that we need to recruit and employ unusual savants and similar resources, individuals with remarkable photographic memory characteristics, to be “at elbow” in assisting others involved in creative discourse such as “brainstorming” forbidding judgmental and negative elements. Their particular gifts, which are beyond our comprehension, can be employed by priming them with preparatory pure data/information streams coupled with relevant and, in particular, non-relevant, seemingly irrelevant and unrelated factoids and rivulets of thought. These could be streamed in illogical and irrational methods, as allied discordant rationals and highly subjective and unrelated data streams set to collide with unexpected results. At this point, large capacity high speed computers be employed to harvest, combine or join in unusual patterns and analyze particles of result (unexpected conclusions).

We enjoyed many educational exhibits.

These seemingly irrelevant bits of information/data could also then be subjectively (without expected end results) and abstractly analyzed and assessed by intuitive savants, and others known for irrational/illogical thinking, to harvest conclusions that have, thus far, eluded researchers in the field.

We utilize instruments such as the Hadron Collider to stream particles toward each other to harvest the unexpected and unknown by-products. Ideas could be subjected to similar manipulation. Somehow, courageously colliding ideas may generate small, but significant, by-products.

What if we took the same financial resources expended on this large collider to finance placing the most outrageous, obnoxious, irreverent and illogical thinking human beings together, so could have their ideas collide and coalesce. We could harvest the by-products to our advantage, if we can recognize possible positive results with our linearly oriented minds.

Perhaps, the laws of sub-atomic particle physics, which are totally different than those operating above that level, can open up new avenues to wander aimlessly down and without the linear destruction that accompanies normal thought processes.

For Friday Jan. 30, 2015

We will meet at 9:30 a.m. at Half-Price Books, located at 475 Sherry Lane, north of Ridgmar Mall –Telephone: 817-732-4111.

At approximately 11:00 a.m. we will travel to La Madeleine Country French Café to enjoy lunch.

Following lunch, we will caravan to Flight Deck located a half mile west of Ridgmar Mall, at the Cherry Lane exit off I-30, at 7751 Scott St. in Fort Worth, 817-246-2710 to enjoy jumping and acting, otherwise, a little abnormal.

PICK UP will be at FLIGHT DECK at 3:15 p.m.

“Real education should educate us out of self
into something far finer –
into selflessness,
which links us with all humanity”
– Nancy Astor

DESTINATION: FLIGHT DECK is where FUN and fitness take flight! It integrates rebounding (trampoline jumping) along with strength and flexibility training. Reconnect with your inner child. Flight Deck features a mix of aerobics, core strengthening, coordination & flexibility exercises. YOU WILL NEED WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM YOUR PARENTS (contact Flight Deck for instructions)

Emergency Tele. 682-777-1908

If you arrive late, we shall have departed with your child(ren) and will return to school.
Please call if you will be late.

Students are NOT to leave the bookstore, restaurant or take flight
from the flight deck without the approval of Dr. A. He is well known for melodramatic swoons
and fainting spells if you are missing and it is a little much for Mrs. A.

FINANCIAL: The cost for Flight Deck is approximately $12.00 for our one hour & 45 min. – please pay Dr. A. And please provide funds for a good book and for lunch. Refreshments: Yes!

Uniform pants with a belt & red monogrammed school shirts are required.
PARENTS / FRIENDS / NEIGHBORS, are always invited to participate on our trips.

IMPORTANT DATES:
Feb. 1 Tuition Deposit Due for 2015-16
Feb. 16 (Monday) President’s Day Holiday
Mar. 9-13 Spring Break Holidays
April 3 & 6 (Fri. & Mon.) Easter Holidays
April 28 Scarborough Renaissance Festival (Drama Competition is “Twelfth Night”)
May 4 & 5 (Mon. & Tues.) Anderson School Theatrical Production “Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare” at Stage West
Please see William’s Weblog at andersonschool.net for trip details (posted each Wed. at 6:00 p.m.)

Emergency Telephone Number: 682-777-1908

A . n . d . e . r . s . o . n

Where precocious children are nurtured and appreciated

 

A Very Precious Place To Be / Kindness and Generosity / Stock Show

One day
A pilot looked down
To the shores of a river bank
Where once,
When he was young,
He would play.

Remembering that,
As a child,
He would look up
Hoping one day to fly,
To be where he is today.

And now,
What would he give,
To return to the shores
Of his youth,
Back to the place
Where once he dreamed.

We are all looking up,
From a very precious place to be,
For any child,
For you,
And for me.
It is a sacred place,
This moment.

But far more treasured,
More than our
Deep longing to be,
In any
Time or place,
We long to be
With someone we Love,
To a place
In their heart,
Where once we lived.

Let us not wait
With such longing
In our lonely hearts
To look down,
From the Heavens Above
To Heaven Below.

Heaven is within you,
In this moment,
In this hour,
This day.
And tomorrow,
Tomorrow
May never be.

“There is nothing more powerful than ignorance,
not even intelligence.”
– Lillian Smith
—   —   —

5 Foods that Keep You Thin
By Kristin McGrath

Apples
According to Alan Aragon, a nutritionist and author of “Girth Control: The Science of Fat Loss & Muscle Gain,” crunchy foods in particular can trick a person into feeling fuller. The act of chewing may send satiety signals to your body, he says, making you think you’ve eaten more than you really have.

Almonds
One ounce of this food contains only 167 calories, plus it packs roughly 6 g of protein and 3 g of fiber, both nutrients that can make you feel full.

Salmon
A study published in the “International Journal of Obesity” found that when dieters ate salmon a few times a week, they lost about two more pounds than those who didn’t include seafood in their meals.

Eggs
Research has shown that eating eggs at breakfast can help you fight weight gain all day long.

Tomatoes
Like other foods high in fiber, they can help keep you feeling satiated.
Keep in mind that there is evidence that canned tomatoes can be carcinogenic. Always select fresh produce.

From: a fascinating article by Ali Binazi
Submitted by: Charles Pope

Based on Recent Math,
The Probability
Of You
Existing at All
Is Almost NON-Existent.
1 in 10^2,685,000.

Take a moment
To reflect on the Contingency
Of our Being,
And upon the Grace of God.

Not only are you and I contingent,
We are very improbable!
Yet here we are,
Wondrous to behold.

Theologically, we are no accident.
God has always known us and loved us.

(Scripture: Jeremiah 1:5)
“Before I formed you
In the Womb
I knew you.”

The heart and mind of God
Has always known you.
You are beautifully made,
In the Very Image of God.

You are a marvelous Creation.
You’re not just one in a million.
you’re one in a 10^{2,685,000.
read more}

Science Says
Lasting Relationships
Come Down To
Basic Traits
by EMILY ESFAHANI SMITH, The Atlantic

Read more:

(My gratitude to Travis Andrews for this wonderful information.)

Of all the people who get married, only three in ten remain in healthy, happy marriages, as psychologist Ty Tashiro points out in his book “The Science of Happily Ever After,” which was published earlier this year.

Here are some of the highlights:

A powerful kindness strategy revolves around shared joy.

If you look at what drives the deterioration of many relationships, it’s often a breakdown of kindness.

Among couples who not only endure, but live happily together for years and years, the spirit of kindness and generosity guides them forward.

Amazingly,

Scientists can predict with up to 94 percent certainty whether couples — straight or gay, rich or poor, childless or not — will be broken up, together and unhappy, or together and happy several years later. Much of it comes down to the spirit couples bring to the relationship. Do they bring kindness and generosity.

We’ve all heard that partners should be there for each other when the going gets rough. But research shows that being there for each other when things go right is actually more important for relationship quality.

Among couples who not only endure, but live happily together for years and years, the spirit of kindness and generosity guides them forward.

   Dr. A, before Coffee?

The following is from Kruzweilai.net: I highly recommend the Daily Kurzweil Newsletter for the very latest updates on cutting edge technology. And please enjoy Ray’s website at KurzweilAI.net You will love it! You will not believe how fascinating it is. Hang on! The future is going to hit very hard.

Click here to subscribe (It is a free daily subscription)

KurzweilAI Newsletter
Daily Edition

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that a fundamental new mechanism for the known beneficial effects of resveratrol — the grape ingredient touted as an elixir of youth: it powerfully activates an evolutionarily ancient stress response in human cells.

“This stress response represents a layer of biology that has been largely overlooked, and resveratrol turns out to activate it at much lower concentrations than those used in prior studies,” said senior investigator Paul Schimmel, professor and member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology. The discovery is reported in Nature.

Resveratrol is a compound produced in grapes, cacao beans, Japanese knotweed and other plants in response to stresses including infection, and ultraviolet radiation. Resveratrol is available in pill or tablet form from your local health food store.

It has attracted widespread scientific and popular interest over the past decade, as researchers have reported that it extended lifespan and prevented diabetes in obese mice and vastly increased the stamina.

Read more

Sia, Ian and Kylee have enjoyed the good weather and the sand box.

                                On Friday, January 23, 2015
We will enjoy, weather permitting, the Fort Worth Stock Show at the Will Rogers Center (817- 877-2400) in the cultural district.

Drop off at 10:00 a.m. & Pick up at 2:30 p.m. at the McDonald’s located on the corner of Montgomery Street and Camp Bowie Boulevard. It is a convenient place to gather, enjoy a cup of coffee and/or (burp!) breakfast. After gathering, we will walk to the west entrance of the stock show. Please be on time.

Note: Uniform pants with a belt, & red monogrammed school shirts are required. PARENTS / GUARDIANS / FRIENDS / INLAWS / OUTLAWS are always invited to participate on Friday trips. Comfortable shoes are highly recommended.

Tickets for admission to the Stock Show grounds can be purchased upon arrival. General admission tickets permit access to all livestock events, educational programs, commercial exhibits and the carnival/midway.
Adults: $10 / Children 6 – 16: $5 / Children 5 & Under: free / Please pay at the gate.

Dress for the Weather

Please DO NOT drop your child(ren) off early or without Dr. or Mrs. Anderson present.
Parking: $ 8.00 per vehicle daily, CASH ONLY

IMPORTANT DATES:
Feb. 1 Tuition Deposit Due for 2015-16
Feb. 16 (Monday) President’s Day Holiday
Mar. 9-13 Spring Break Holidays
April 3 & 6 (Fri. & Mon.) Easter Holidays
April 28 Scarborough Renaissance Festival (Drama Competition is “Twelfth Night”)
May 4 & 5 (Mon. & Tuesday) Dress Rehearsal and Performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at Stage West Theater

Emergency Telephone Number: 682-777-1908
A . n . d . e . r . s . o . n

Where precocious children are nurtured and appreciated
and go to the Fort Worth Stock Show each year!

Flowers Watered With Tears / Morning With Shakespeare / Afternoon at Flight Deck

“Feed your faith
and doubt
will starve to death.”

Yes, that’s me on the swing I loved at South Elementary (the school was gone by 1984, but the swing and the joyful memories remain). This is where I learned that joy is the most important thing that happens in school, and in life.

 “It is very easy to think about Love.
It is very difficult to Love.
It is very easy to Love the whole world.
The real difficulty is to Love
A single human being.”
– Osho

I seem to be in tears lately, as I share with you the stories of my life. Well, here I am again. I am having to dry my eyes to see the computer screen. But I have a large box of tissues and a back up box. So, perhaps, I can finish this tragedy. It may lead you to understand why LeVonna and I detest and abhor alcohol and the deceptively alluring commercials that alter the truth to paint a misleading rosie picture about this highly addictive and horribly destructive bacterial excrement.

Many years ago I fell in love. It was with a truly beautiful heart that belonged to a substitute teacher. Her name was Nona Baggett. And I am sad that I have no photograph of her.

Unbelievably, the school superintendent would not employ her full-time, I later learned, because she was not mean spirited enough. She was not “tough” enough. She did not thrash the students with her tongue or beat them with a board the way so many others did. In this High School, a harsh and demeaning manner was considered imperative and normal. Everyone just tried to survive.

We always enjoy having the Yorkies spend the day with us.

It was my guess, from observing, that no one around really ever read the New Testament of Jesus Christ. But Nona Baggett did. And she lived according to its beautiful teachings. Her life became such a marvelous example for me and so many others.

The fragrance of her being, the essence her existence, was far more influential in my life, than I can convey to you in mere words. She made me want to be a good person. With her by my side, I fell in love with life. And, she shared with me that there was much about life to love.

Essentially, what I remember from being in the secondary school classes was this: kids were perpetually and constantly being disciplined. Very few were the moments that were inspiring and truly educational. The Wiktionary defines very few as – almost none. It is accurate.

The horrendous situation I found myself in reminds me of what one of our remarkably bright students told Mr. A, when asked what he thought about the school he came from (another public school). He was only five or six at the time. He looked into LeVonna’s eyes, and with a depth of sincerity very sadly said, “Oh, I like learning, but we don’t get to do much of that.” Yes, we enrolled this fine young man.

Back to my story – what I fondly remember about this remarkable substitute teacher was that she was always, and I do mean always, kind and compassionate. Her soft voice still echoes in my thoughts. Her loving manner, I feel to this day. Her example, I try to live by.

Some of the other kids, at the end class, would boast and coldly remark things like, “We ate her lunch. She did not know what hit her!” There were many unkind statements like that. But she never lost focus, never lost control of her demeanor, and left at the end of each day letting those “rascals” know that she really cared for them and loved each one of them. She was – remarkable.

Finis and Gladys loved living on the lake.

But I had no idea just how remarkable she really was. It took several years to discover the depth of sorrow carved into her heart. It was so deep, that she came to treat every child, including me, as if he was one of her own. Her beautiful life, and the unconditional love she felt for all those around her, led me to a remarkable insight, a simple truth –

                        “The deeper sorrow is carved into your heart,
                                        the more Love it can contain.”

And her sorrow was almost infinite. Her love lives to this day. And now I must stop for awhile. You understand.

After falling in love with her, I would ride to see her on my bicycle, a distance of about ten miles to her farm in the country. By the time I got there, this skinny little guy was worn completely out. (Thank God my kind Mother would drive out to pick up me and my bike.) But there was always a great and abiding reward at the end of this long journey, the warmest smile and the biggest hug you can imagine. I always felt like I was coming home. And so did my Mother.

Many years later, my Mother would come to tell me that I reminded Nona of her son, her only child. And now that I look back, I can see me in her very loving and very lonely eyes. I gaze into the mirror of time and see what I meant to her and now, what she means to me.

Lonely rivers flow not just to the sea,
they flow to hearts in need.

I was so infatuated with the cute little guinea hens she showed me on her farm, that I slipped a few eggs into my pocket, hoping that they would later hatch. Of course, this little city boy had no idea what was required for those eggs to hatch.

We are so proud of Kevin Grubbs, who received his Master of Arts degree in History from The University of Southern Mississippi. It was great to see you again!

Today, I always seem to have a few of these beautiful creations in my life. We had three gorgeous white guineas that roamed around the campus for several years, protected by my precious canine friend, Kirby. You can see them in a photo I took and placed at andersonschool.net/ About Us/History page. Today, thanks to my friends Rylee, Kylee and their wonderful Mom, Kayla, and our kind next door neighbor, Bob, we have two turkeys and two guineas in our petting zoo. I love them very much. Thank you!

I especially treasure them today, I believe, because of what happened when my Mother drove me back to Nona’s farm to return the precious treasure of absconded eggs. After all, I did take them without asking. I expected to be scolded and given a proper lecture about taking them, when they were not given to me. I just knew the yoke was about to be on me!

But to know this precious Lady, Nona, was to be given a glimpse into very heart of Heaven. She was, in my humble and grateful opinion, an Angel. She softly patted me on the back of my hand and told me to keep the eggs and then placed them, very gently, and with words so tender, one by one, back into my pockets since, as she said, they meant so  much to me. And then she handed little “Skippy” even more eggs to keep. And I found out, in a kind and loving manner, what was necessary for them to hatch. Importantly, I learned that if you want to correct a behavior, let that someone know that you love them. Tell them in different ways. Their behavior will change out of love for you. And the lessons learned will be profound.

Little Lexi is out of control spoiled by Riley, Diana, Travis & Carter, not to mention Mrs. A. and many others.

You know, God sends his Love to us through such people. I know this, because it has happened so many times, especially in times of deep need. Yes, the Love of God is real. I feel that it is the only thing that is real. I can feel this special Love reach through time, from the loving, gently heart of this truly good Lady. I feel it today. It is stronger today than when I was a child. It is much stronger. In fact, I truly feel that her precious Spirit lives deeply imbedded within my heart. For I, too, became her child. Oh, what a warm and wonderful feeling.

Love seems to be that way. It ripens like fruit in the sun. Like a flower opens in the wind, spreading it’s fragrance all around, making us remember, making us smile. It keeps regret and sorrow and pain so very, very far away. It heals our wounds.

I remember the day I first met Nona. She was substituting for a ninth grade physical science teacher, who had the good judgement to take sick leave as soon as a day became available. I became inured to the horrible conditions I found myself in while enrolled in this pathetic school, if you could call it a school. My Mother had no real choice but to keep me enrolled in the public schools of this unnamed school district, that needed a warning label and was situated in west Texas.

I visited this neglected memorial on the lawn of the long gone old South Elementary School. It was for a precious third grade teacher I remember, Lillie Hazle. This school district never  replaced the tree after it died. Mrs. Hazle will always remain in my heart. (photo: 1984)

This community had become truly intoxicated and addicted to sports. This intoxication was coupled with one for alcohol. They won, as I recall, five state championships in a ten year period. And violence was the order of the day. It was not only tolerated, it was promoted under the guise that, “It toughens them up for the team!”

I, not so fondly, remember walking home, day after dreaded day, and passing by from three to five fist fights. From time to time, I actually fought my way home. No teacher ever stopped a fight at school. They just waited until someone hit the ground, then shouted to get back to class or hit the showers.

Oh my God! There were always so many black eyes that I got a feeling I was attending the Texas school for the half-blind.

There was one benefit. Later, when I became a public school Principal (God has a sense of humor), I utilized the knowledge gained. But, during the period from grade seven to when I decided I had enough, it was not what anyone would call an academic experience. It proved to be a tragic loss of precious time on this Earth. And for what?

Over this time I became possessed of a strong stomach and a hard head, inured to hardship, cruelty, and brutality. I found, as I came to manhood, that I unconsciously protected myself from the pain. But more importantly, I truly treasured anyone with a good heart. And God, in His Mercy, provided what I needed to survive.

And yes, I was a youngster not afraid to pray. I especially prayed for those who were so violent and in need of forgiveness. I can even remember praying for some them while I had them on the ground. I gained some of my best friends this way. The larger ones, and there were some BIG guys, seemed to be impressed and later wanted to spend time with me. Many of them came to accept my love. My concern for them brought me close to those in need. The others remained mentally, socially or morally ill. Many of them died young and very lonely. They are still in my prayers.

The story I wish to share with you, of Nona and John Baggett, remains among the most tragic I have ever encountered. Their son, Andrew Cole, had served, and heroically, three of four years in the U.S. Navy.
As cited from the local newspaper at the time:
—   —   —   —   —
Andrew was the son of J. A. and Nona Baggett – Tx EM3 US Navy –
Born in Stephens County, Texas and died in Stephens County.

He was eager to have his picture made for those he loved before he left for his fourth year in the U. S. Navy. Monday afternoon, Andrew Cole Baggett, 21, walked into the Ramsey Studio and Frank Homme completed the photographic assignment. The navy youth left and Homme yelled, “Good luck.” Baggett replied, “I’ll need it.!”

The next day, the war veteran’s loved ones called Homme to make pictures again. Homme made them as Andrew Cole Baggett lay in the casket at the Satterwhite Funeral home, less than 24 hours after that first studio appointment. He died after his body was thrown clear of the car he was driving on the Cisco highway, a few miles south of Breckenridge.
—   —   —   —   —

Now, I need to add something. Andrew turned his vehicle over, several times, trying to negotiate the turn onto the driveway of his home. He died at the entrance to the house where his parents lived. What a horrendous discovery to make as you exit your home. And yes, he was intoxicated.

Mrs. A with Finis and Gladys Williams (1982)

Many years ago, long after this tragedy, I had a dear friend and a man, who in many ways, took the place of the Father I never saw. His name was Finis Williams, and there was absolutely nothing he would not do for my Mother or for me or anyone else in need. I found him frequently repairing our plumbing or doing electrical work, or whatever was needed. And he would never accept pay.

Finis told me, privately and in tears, that Andrew was drinking at some event on the day he died and that he, Finis, tried, very hard, to let him drive Andrew home, since he was obviously drunk. But Andrew refused. And now, Finis is tearfully devastated by the loss of such a wonderful young man. Finis said, with the saddest look I have seen, “I should have taken his keys away. Just look at what has happened to his parents”.

Finis and Yours Truly. (1984)

It was then that I recalled that every time I visited Nona’s home, her husband sat quietly, absolutely quiet, in a chair and never spoke a word. He never greeted me or said anything. Later, Nona explained that he never recovered from the loss of their son. And I found out that, until his death, he was in a near comatose state. The death of his only child, his treasured son, was the death of his desire to live.

Perhaps, in sharing this story, you can take steps to spare someone’s precious child, and a beloved family, from such a tragedy. If so, Andrew’s untimely death may not have been in vain.

Finis took me fishing, and boating and camping dozens of times over the years. He taught me how to water ski, camp out, cook, skin a fish, brag about the catch, tell tall tales (hey, it’s west Texas), and, how to be compassionate. Many times he would take out the catch, gut and clean the fish and then drive to someone’s home who was struggling to earn a living, usually a black family. There he would give that family all the fish we caught that day. And they were truly grateful.

Finis was our “Milk Man”. He delivered the milk in one quart glass jugs to the doorsteps of many people. And one day, he brought milk to our doorstep. My Mother invited him in, and while visiting, he noticed that I returned from a “fishing trip” to the Gonzales creek. I was about eight years of age, at the time.

Finish asked me about my catch. And I explained that I did not catch anything. He then, and with tender words and actions, asked me to examine my fishing “gear”. He noted that I was fishing with a sewing needle and explained that I really needed a fishing “hook” with barbs on it, to hold onto the fish once it took the bate. He asked me about my bate and I confessed that I tried using grasshoppers, but they slipped off the needle. I needed a lot of help. Hey, I still do.

Portrait of an Angel on this earth, Finis Williams

Finis smiled broadly, chuckled, and looked at my Mother and exclaimed, “Well, I finally met a REAL fisherman, someone who loves fishing so much that he would risk his life to fish from the slippery and dangerous banks of the Gonzales creek, without fishing pole (I had a long stick), thread for line, just some old grasshoppers for bait and no fishing hooks, just a needle (he carefully examined my gear). Yes, young man! You are just the fishing partner I have been looking for. Would you like to join me one day?

Well, I was quite excited. You can just imagine. And the next weekend Finis shows up with gifts: a new tackle box FULL of fishing lures, a bucket of live bait and a brand new fishing pole, yes, a real fishing pole. And off we go, with a real boat in tow to a real lake. And we caught twenty three perch, and yes, we cleaned them and took them to a family in need. The families we helped in this manner were always truly grateful. I recall many tearful moments.

A couple of years later, I learned that Finis was fired from his job as the local milk man. I remembered, while on the playground of South Elementary School, that Finis would frequently drive his milk truck to the playground, located in the back of school, and hand out small cartons of milk to the kids, those left over that did not sell. Well, he was fired for giving the milk away, rather than putting it all in a dumpster. The owner of the company ordered the product thrown away rather than give anyone anything. The highway to Hades may also be paved with, uh, milk.

I cannot tell you how proud I was of my fishing buddy and friend, Finis Williams. I cannot wrap a sentence around the word “Love” with enough emotion to share my feelings and my deep, abiding regard for such a loving man. Here was someone who knew what life was all about and knew how to live it.

Later, the notorious junior high school I attended would employ Finis as one of the custodians. And I was so joyful knowing that my dear friend and fishing buddy was always nearby. We planned many a fishing trip from behind the trash cans and shared many slightly exaggerated stories of fish that grew in length by the minute. Truth, to someone in love with fishing, can become a highly subjective thing.

Hey, if you don’t think God loves you, just look around. He is disguised in many faces and gazes through many eyes. He is right around the next corner. He is always standing near you. He is always in your face.

I need another box of tissue.

People ask me, “Why do you spend so much time writing a weblog?” Well, it is therapeutic. But, if I can help just one other precious soul with this information, I am truly happy. And I hope I help you.

Please know that there is a horrendous and unfathomable price to pay when you consume the bacterial excrement, alcohol. But, importantly, there is ALWAYS a far greater cost than your suffering and death, O self-centered one. It is the collateral damage done to those who love you. The parents of Andrew Cole Baggett literally stopped living when their only son died. Their reason for living was gone. The hope, the love, the passion for life – all extinguished by liquid from a can.

I remember visiting their home on many occasions. And I was always deeply impressed when looking into a small classroom on the property. It was constructed to provide for the only child of this couple and a few others, much like this school. I thought it strange that it was never touched, only cleaned. Nothing was ever moved from the place it was found on the last day Andrew attended school. It was, in retrospect, a memorial for the dearly loved, and only son, of John and Nona Baggett.

Instead of being able to honor this fine young man, the courageous hero that Andrew became in the United States Navy, his body was buried along with the hearts of his parents, in a deep hole in the Gunsight Cemetery. The flowers that grow there are watered by tears. And in all that time, over so very many years, I still cry for this precious family.

The next time you lift a glass or a can filled with so much regret, so much unbearable pain, so much loss of life and precious love, say a prayer for the now nameless millions who have gone before you and left behind a landscape that resembles nothing but misery and death. Please remember that as you wander further and further down into this valley of the shadow of death, you are taking your loved ones with you. Alcoholism is not singular disease. It is always accompanied by other victims. It is a social disorder on a magnitude and scale that defies definition. It envelopes and destroys entire families, your other loved ones and friends, and frequently, many others that were simply going down the highway at the same time. Each year the number is in the millions. But the numbers do not matter as much as you do. They are insignificant to those who love you, if you drown in the sea of apathy and alcohol.

The consumption of alcohol frequently leads to a portrait drawn of the loneliest place on earth, a graveyard. And the flowers, yes, those flowers, are not what they seem. They are watered by the tears of the deeply loved and lost. They never blossom in the warm sunlight of tomorrow. They died. Their lives were stolen, along with all the precious dreams.

For our trip on Friday, Jan. 16, 2015

We will meet at 8:30 a.m. at school to work on our Shakespeare production with Director, George Rodriguez.

Following lunch we will caravan to the Food Court in the Ridgmar Mall for lunch and then enjoy the new movie Unbroken, based upon the N.Y. Times best seller book.

The younger children will view Paddington, Rated PG at 11:45 a.m. running 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Start time for Unbroken:

12:30 p.m.

Runtime for Unbroken:

137 min

MPAA Rating for Unbroken:

PG-13 for Brief Language, War Violence, Intense Sequences of Brutality.

Synopsis of Unbroken:

During World War II, Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) survives for 47 days at sea in a raft, only to be captured by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

Genre for Unbroken:

Biography, War, Historical drama

IMPORTANT DATES:
Jan. 19 (Monday) Dr. Martin L. King Holiday
Jan. 23 Fort Worth Stock Show
Feb. 16 (Monday) President’s Day Holiday
Mar. 9-13 Spring Break Holidays
April 3 & 6 (Fri. & Mon.) Easter Holidays
April 28 Scarborough Renaissance Festival
(Drama Competition is “Twelfth Night”)
May 4 & 5 (Mon. & Tuesday) Dress Rehearsal and Performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at Stage West Theater

Thou Art With Me / Friday: Shakespeare On Campus

“When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.” 
– Isaiah 43:2

Unfathomable Beauty and Strength
We find in Psalm 23,
Often referred to as,
“The Lord is My Shepherd”.
It is the most well known of all the psalms,
And is revered by Christians and Jews alike.

We are so happy to have Sia with us again. Welcome back. We Love you!

These comforting words
do not mean
That fear or evil
will not come.
They mean
that we choose
not to fear,
Because God
Is ALWAYS with us.
He is the protector.

“He lets me rest
in green meadows;
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.”

These insightful words from our Lord
Tell us that He is far greater
Than whatever comes against us.
He is larger than fear,
And fear does not come from Him.
His always abiding Love
Comes from Him.

Cole has his hands full with scholarly pursuits and Lexi.

My dear friends,
Give your fears to God,
Through Prayer,
And you shall discover that
Evil must then come through Him
Before it can harm you!

Over and over again God confirms His Word:

“Yea, though I walk
Through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear NO evil:
For Thou art with me.”

 Yes, there is unspeakable evil
In this world we live in.
Evil so overwhelming
That it literally takes your breath away.
You need but study the history of mankind
To know this.

But my friends,
God is with us.
He resides within you,
Within your heart.

The Earth, in Psalm 23, is likened to a valley,
For the consciousness of humans is limited.
Our Earth is considered by higher realms
To be a valley of shadows and illusions.

We can be comforted to know that even
Death is an illusion.
Death is crossing over
From one state of consciousness to another.
It is the connection back to the Spiritual Body,
That is the soul.
It is actually Life.

The past few weeks have been trying times.
But I have learned during this difficult period.
And what I have learned is this:
Love will prevail,
Love will see us through,
Love is all there is.

Lila is laid back and ready for academic pursuits. OK! She’s just laid back.

The trials of life in our time,
And the ability to persevere,
Prepare us for the Next challenges in life.
And there are so very many.
But the Grace of God has given all of us
An inner strength,
The awareness of His Love,
For the journeys
That lie ahead.

Our trials are a heavy burden to bear.
But they can bring to us Spiritual Awareness.
God bring us out of the trials and struggles in our lives.
Our Father moves us into our destinies.
He calms us and brings us peace.
He strengthens us,
When are hearts and minds
Are most in need of His Love.

“As we believe, so shall it be”

My friends,
On this Earth evil exists.
It is a reality.
But one thing we can come to understand,
Is that when one walks with God,
When you feel His Presence,
When He
Hears your voice
In Prayer,
Evil can no longer
Be feared.

Our consciousness,
Though the Love of our Lord,
Transcends the appearance of evil,
And reveals it to be illusion.
There is no longer a need
To fear.
Our Love for each other and
The Everlasting, Beautiful Love of God
Is the only thing that is real.

Our reality,
Through the power of Love,
Our Love,
And the Love of our Creator,
Will remove all anxiety and fear.
It cannot be manifest,
My friends,
Within a heart
At peace with,
And trusting in
Our Loving God.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life –
Of whom shall I be afraid?”
– Psalm 27:1

There is no fear in love,
None.
For perfect love, the Love of our Creator,
Casts out fear,

If we are perfected in love,
We can have humble confidence.
Perfect love drives out all fear.

Be not filled with anxiety about any ill intent.
Be not consumed with fear that is not realistic
And supposes that something bad is going to happen.
My friends, your loving spirit surrounds us.
You are an Angelic Being.
We will always trust in you,
And trust in the Love of God.
Neither will ever leave our side.

Director, George Rodriguez, begins in earnest directing Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” this Friday.

Jesus said
“As we believe, so shall it be”.

In this life we see things in others that,
If we thought about it,
Expose what we really don’t like in ourselves.
But a willingness to punish the innocent,
Sometimes overrules our senses as we judge.
It is a harsh reality.
It is sad to say,
But some people never see the Light of Day,
Until the day they die.

And as for evil doers,
Those that act with injured hearts,
And then choose to share their pain
With those around them:

“Do not be deceived,
God is not mocked;
For whatever a man sows
he will also reap.”  
Galatians 6:7

IMPORTANT  DATES:
Jan. 9 No Trip Planned This Week (Inclement weather expected)
We will spend time with our wonderful
Director of Shakespeare,  George Rodriguez
Jan. 19 (Monday) Dr. Martin L. King Holiday
Jan. 23 Fort Worth Stock Show
Feb. 16 (Monday) President’s Day Holiday
Mar. 9-13 Spring Break Holidays
April 3 & 6 (Fri. & Mon.) Easter Holidays
April 28 Scarborough Renaissance Festival (Drama Competition is “Twelfth Night”)

“Be Prepared”
– George Rodriguez