An Advent & Christmas Story

The greatest miracle of Christmas is an awakening.  We are not on our journey alone.  God has joined us on the path by becoming human.  He walks with us and participates in our joys and sadnesses.  We do not have to be afraid.  We have our loyal and loving companion.

There is a wonderful little story that is always worth sharing at Christmas.  It is a favorite of mine.  The fourth Sunday of Advent asks that we stand prepared to receive God where we are.  It asks for us to participate.  Here is the story:

"In New York City, on a cold day in December, a little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the young boy and said, ‘my, but you’re in such deep thought staring in that window!’ ‘I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,’ was the boy’s reply. The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel. By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, ‘No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.’ As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her. ‘Are you God’? No, said the woman. I am only his child. The boy smiled and said. I knew it. I knew you were some relation of his."

Now is the time to act like a relative.  It is time to reach out and assist others in solidarity with God.  It is Christmas.

Joy and Anticipation

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

This third week of Advent shines it's light on what will come to pass.  There has been a sense that we were imprisoned with only a promise of liberation.  Trust and faith were our only companions.  But now our waiting is filled with joy as we can clearly see our way to freedom.  The world is just about ready to change and the signs are undeniable.  People are not as preoccupied with the daily grind and are more concerned with giving gifts and celebration.  Parties are breaking out all over the place.  Bright colored clothing, strange sweaters and interesting socks are replacing grays, blacks and browns.  Decorations and lights seem to be in every window.  It is impossible to deny the difference.

There is hesitation about going overboard especially when economic times are tough.  The barrage of negative forecasting goes on despite Advent and Christmas.  We worry about how to make ends meet and project an extra burden with the need to buy more presents for people in our lives.  There is nothing wrong with cutting back.  We have to learn that quanity has little to do with quality.  One gift thoughtfully purchased or made especially with the needs and desires of our loved one in mind will be more gratefully received than half a dozen that were bought in a frenzy.  We are only asked to give them with an outpouring of love and affection.  Then we can let go of our shortcomings and focus on our abundance.

This is the time to share joy and enthusiasm.  Let's stop worrying.  We have the opportunity to be fully present for our friends and families.  Put on a smile and attend the celebration.  Don't let this season happen without your full involvement.  Wear some antlers and jingle some bells.  What better time to be a kid again than right now?

The Advent Conspiracy

Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois

There is an interesting movement afoot during the Christmas Season this year. People around the country have become involved in something called the “Advent Conspiracy”. They are making it known that there is another way to fully celebrate the holidays. They also pray that we might change the way that we operate throughout the year and suggest that we consider the following things as a part of Advent and Christmas:

• Worship Fully: It’s a season where we are called to put down our burdens and lift a song up to our God. It’s a season where love wins, peace reigns, and where life is celebrated with each breath. A true thankfulness will arise as we awaken to the powerful comprehension of the gift of simply being alive.
• Spend Less: We are asked to buy one less present this Christmas. There is always a gift that is given just out of obligation. We are aware when we receive such a present. There is little joy that accompanies them. It is a small sacrifice but one that will be significant. Replace the present with the gift of presence. It is a chance to become more available to the people in our lives.
• Give More: This is a season of making time for love. We can go sledding with the kids, make great cookies, dig up old family traditions and practice them again. Take some time to sit down and listen to family members and friends without voicing our opinions, advice or constructive criticism. It is all about deepening relationships.
• Love All: It is not so difficult to love the loveable things and people in our lives. The problem comes when we are asked to love and accept the annoying or disturbing. Everyone in our lives is placed there for a reason. The challenge of expanding our love to as many of them as we can is precisely what we are asked to do.

It is difficult for most of us to access this level of consciousness as we are often consumed by the ups and downs of our individual experiences in the world. The thing to remember about the world, though, is that it ebbs and flows, expands and contracts, gives and takes, and is by its very nature somewhat unreliable. If we only feel gratitude when it serves our desires, this is not true thankfulness. No one is exempt from the twists and turns of fate, which may, at any time, take the possessions, situations, and people we love away from us. Ironically, it is sometimes this kind of loss that awakens us to a thankfulness that goes deeper than just being grateful when things go our way. Illness and near-miss accidents can also serve as wake-up calls to the deeper realization that we are truly lucky to be alive.

We can also awaken ourselves with the intention to be more aware of the unconditional generosity of the life force that flows through us regardless of our circumstances. In so-doing we are one with the great mystery that is life.

The season of Advent is here again and we are reminded us that Christmas is not far away. It is a time in which we more fully understand that we are the visible and participatory co-creators of God’s plan. This involves waiting in anticipation and being fully prepared. These are the elements of Advent.

Waiting is not something that we do not want to do. We live in an impatient world where long lines and delays are barely tolerated. Frustration accompanies waiting. This waiting with eagerness expectation is foreign to us. Yet this is precisely what we are asked to do. We are to find the joy all around us in the little giggles that come from babies and children, the raw beauty of nature as autumn turns to winter, and in words of encouragement from family, friends and co-workers. We wait behind the door for the guest who will arrive at any minute. Our greeting of welcome is ready to burst from our lips. We light the lights of our homes to clearly shine for their coming. There is a suffering associated with this kind of patient waiting as the voice of our childhood cries out “I can hardly wait!” This pregnant waiting is intended to provide our spiritual lives with hope and to make us ready for love. The longing of Advent will yield to wonder, wisdom, delight and awe.

Being fully prepared involves dressing for the journey, putting everything in order and becoming people of action. Preparing the way means that we clear a path for God. We finally make time for our children, listen to the voices that need our attention, give alms to the poor and say gentle and kind things to people in our lives as well as to strangers. It means that we are merciful and non-judgmental. We literally pour out our blessings for others.

May this Advent be a game changer for each and every one of us. May we take the lessons that we learn and carry them throughout the rest of our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving

Turkeys at Steve Magin's cabin

Today is a day to be thankful for all that is.  This kind of unfettered gratitude allows us to stop trying to control outcomes.  It is the key that unlocks positive energy in our lives.  It turns problems into blessings and challenges into gifts.  Thanksgiving has the potential to fill us with happy memories of friends, family and loved ones.  We have the opportunity to create space for true gratitude.  Worry, cynicism, greed and apathy can be set aside at least for 24 hours.  

There is great spiritual wisdom embedded in this tradition of Thanksgiving.  We slow enough down to realize that time is more precious and scarce than all of the material things that we seem to cherish, run after and covet.  There is a light of hope that shines as we affirm all that is good in our lives.  Be joyful as we all gather around our tables.  It is a chance for renewal.  You are loved.

King Of The Wild Frontier ~ Part Four ~ The Zone and Late Night Television

There was an amazing right of passage that occurred when a kid reached the magic age when babysitters were no longer really necessary. By the time most of us were about ten years old we had worn out the old ladies that watched us and exhausted the supply of exasperated teenaged girls who would be willing to be tormented by us anymore. The decision was in the works for me by my Mom and Dad. It was November 11, 1960 and a week away from my 10th birthday. Lots of things were being talked about that day. The final results of the presidential election were almost a sure thing but California could swing the tide toward Richard Nixon and away from John Kennedy. Not likely with electoral outcomes but Republicans were holding on to hope. My folks were going out for dinner and were debating not only the future of the country but my fate as an independent kid. I heard the discussions about my trustworthiness, and having friends for sleepovers (in lieu of sitters) when they were going out for the evening. My anticipation was increasing. The decision was made. They were going to get Janice, an older teen sitter and one of my favorites, to come that night and allow me to have friends…with no sitter…on Saturday night when they went out dancing. It all depended on how well both evenings went as to future consideration. No doubt in my mind that it was going to work. Little did I know that spreading your wings is not always safe. There are scary things that lurk in the dark and even scarier ones hiding in our television.

Bobby on Easter Morning 1960

Still innocent of The Zone and Late Night Monsters

Mrs. Tuttle ~ "Tutty"

My very favorite babysitter

I announced my finding to Janice when she came over. It was a week night so Mom and Dad would not be out real late. Janice was a student at Danville High School. She congratulated me on my good fortune and upon reaching such a pinnacle in my life. It was not a horribly difficult task to convince her that I should be allowed to stay up and watch The Twilight Zone. Parents did not like for kids to see that show. It seemed to have had a negative effect, in their opinion, on the passions of my friend Mark Faulkner. He had even created a Monster Club. They did not want for me to be involved in such dark thoughts or to have nightmares. It seemed strange to me because there was no problem with watching Alfred Hitchcock. It made The Zone a tantalizing forbidden fruit. Anyway, Janice said it would be okay…but probably not a great idea to tell my parents about. Ahhh, a secret!

I approached the hour in eager anticipation. Dressed in PJ’s and confident of my bravery, I perched on the couch by the Magnavox. Next thing I knew…it was time! The opening was other-worldly with the instrumental tune and Rod Serling’s intriguing voice…

“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.”

WOW! IT WAS ON!

“It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. And it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge.”

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN’ ME! WHAT?! I could feel the little hairs standing up on the back of my neck.

“This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area that we call…The Twilight Zone.”

MAN…IF THE GUYS COULD SEE ME NOW. Janice was doing her homework at the dining room table and not aware at all of my juiced up pre-adolescent psyche.

The episode that was airing did not seem all that scary at first. More intriguing really…kinda like Hitchcock. It was called “The Eye of The Beholder” and was about a bandaged ugly woman who had undergone some radical plastic surgery to reconstruct her hideous face. The bandages must hold something that only the devious Serling would keep for us until the ending. We were in the hospital with the woman as she was taken into a surgical type suite surrounded by doctors and nurses. One of them was talking the patient through the facial unwrapping. Layer by layer the gauze was taken off. She could begin to see light through the coverings. The doctor announced the last of the procedure.

THIS IS TOO MUCH. WHAT IS UNDER THERE? By now I was in front of the Magnavox on my knees only inches from the screen.

“I am going to remove the last of the bandages now.” “Would you like a mirror?”

WOULD YOU LIKE A MIRROR? C’MON!

Now…just when I am ready to crawl out of my skin…the stupid doctor starts lecturing the patient about the fact that they have done all they could and that she could still live a long and fruitful life despite her appearance.

WHAT THE HECK?! HOW BAD COULD SHE LOOK?

Then she asks the doctor if she can be “put away” or exterminated as an undesirable by the state.

OH, MY DEAR GOD!

The doctor replies that probably would not happen. That she would be transferred to a communal living situation with people of her kind with her disability.

THERE WERE MORE OF THEM!?

He said, “Now remain very still and keep your eyes open. Here comes the rest of it. I wish you the very best of luck.”

WAS HE TALKING TO ME? My hands were ready to cover my face like my friend Gary did in situations like these.

We could see through the patient’s eyes as the gauze was removed. The shadowed faces of the medical staff began to show. A nurse gasped and the doctor dropped his scissors and hopped back exclaiming “No change…no change at all!”

I KNEW IT! HERE COMES HER AWFUL FACE! BUT WHAT? SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL!

She touched her face and started freaking out. The nurses and doctors restrained her against the wall. “Turn on the light” said one of the doctors. He shifted and revealed his horrible and disfigured mug as well as the contorted faces of the other medical staff. Face after face after face! Then a huge hypodermic needle!

I TURNED OFF THE TV AS QUICK AS I COULD AND RAN UP TO MY ROOM.

There was a question from the dining room table from Janice but I had no intention of sticking around to talk or listen. My door slammed.  The only safe place was in my bed. It was not a good night for dreams let me tell you. But I couldn’t reveal them to my folks. I shuddered alone.  My independence was at stake. The light of day hardly diminished the impact of the television show. I went outside and was met by Gary who walked to school with me every morning. Nothing was said about The Zone. Things changed when I was able to announce to Mark and Joe that I had watched the episode. I bragged. “They weren’t scary. They looked like pigs.” What a lie bu what a triumph! Three young men who were unified in the love of monsters. MARBOJO. Now I was only a day away from my ultimate dream. A sleepover at my house with Steve Magin (sans adults) watching Terror Theatre with Egor and The Master. I knew there would nothing could be worse than “The Eye of The Beholder”. I haven’t watched the ending to this day. It is on YouTube. I am tempted but…

Stay Tuned...Another exciting episode will follow.

King Of The Wild Frontier ~ Part Three

We were ordered out of the house and banished from TV all of the time. At least it seemed that way. The adults had obtained an effective tool of control and punishment. We always made more of a big deal out of it than was really deserved though. You have to make parents think that they are effective or they get squirrely and mean spirited. The idea is to moan, whine and complain all the way to the back door. Once outside…freedom reigns. There were no thoughts about real dangers in the community in those days. First of all, the neighbors were all extensions of the family. Everyone knew you and had a reading on wrongdoing from kids and strangers alike. The United States had not yet moved from the front porch to the backyard so people were actually interacting with each other right on the street level. Secondly, kids had the ability to become invisible in those days. There was an internal cloaking devise that allowed us to be unseen whenever we wished. We got caught only when we made the mistake of not turning it on. Some kids had better cloaking than others. Mine was almost perfect. And last but not least, we were army guys, Indian fighters, cops, firemen and super heroes. We were fighting crime and evil. Who would dare mess with us? We were invincible as we went where we pleased on bikes (without helmets), played tackle football (without helmets), fell out of trees, jumped off rooftops with capes (oops!), swam unsupervised (and sometimes naked) in filthy Lake Vermilion, constructed elaborate forts in the woods with sharp Boy Scout knives and sometimes shot each other with real BB Guns (not good). All we had to do was holler in the door our destination and we were good at least until the next meal. Yelling through the screen words like “Going to the woods” or “Going to Gary’s” would elicit responses that gave us a free pass. We faintly heard the reply “Don’t be late for dinner” or “You boys be good”. We were halfway down the block and in mid-adventure already.

My cousin Steve, buddy Scott Golden, me and cousin Dave

with a freshly caught Bluegill from Lake Vermilion.

I donned my Skipper Chuck hat.

The summer of 1958 brought expanded freedom for me. I was allowed to go beyond the imagined limits of parental control to meet kids at the further reaches of our neighborhood. Gary Cox had moved in across the street, Steve Magin lived two doors down from him. Gary and I quickly became great friends. We were in the same classroom in 2nd grade. Magin came into the fold through a fight. Some of us had been playing baseball in Golden’s side yard when two strange boys approached from the alley. We stopped play and gawked. Who dared invade our domain? Without a second thought I picked up an apple and threw it at them. They returned fire…but with ROCKS! Heathens! Interlopers! A spirited battle began. Ammunition was getting thin so we ran to the apple tree to get more missiles. Some adult must have intervened because they were gone when we got back. The nerve! It was the next day when I met Steve face-to-face. The encounter was friendly. I asked him where his brother was and he replied that it was not his brother but a friend from school. “What school?” I asked. “St. Paul’s.” came the reply (Oh, man! A Catholic kid even). Anyway, one thing led to another and we were practically inseparable. Steve’s Dad was the engineer and genius at our local TV station WDAN as I mentioned before. It’s funny, but I was always afraid to ask Mr. Magin anything about how TV worked. I guess I didn’t want to know the secrets.

The Vast Land of Our Adventures

Gary CoxSteve Magin

Imagination went to new extremes with the help of television.  You could take on the persona of anyone that had appeared on screen and develop them with your friends at will.  Superman made regular appearances on West Winter Ave.  The Battle of The Little Bighorn was fought often.  We sometimes had to find little kids to play the part of Indians.  Nobody wanted to be the enemy very much so we would commandeer them.  The enemy was certainly not confined to Indians.  They were often Nazi's, Japanese, or supervillians such as Lex Luthor.  Good guys wore white hats.  Bad guys wore black ones.  No question about who was who back then.  And the good guys ALWAYS won.  Our idols were easy to find.  Mickey Mantle was already in contention for the new God of baseball with 42 home runs in 1958.  Zeke Bratkowski, a Danville boy, was the QB for the Chicago Bears.  Everything was simple, cut and dried.

We played kick-the-can and flashlight tag until bedtime and were forced to come back inside by the very parents who had kicked us out.  They just couldn't resist messing with us I guess.  Sometimes there would be "Just-One-More TV Show" before turning in.  Little did we know what great things were going to happen soon.  Mark Faulkner would have his ninth birtday party LIVE right on Sheriff Sid's TV show with his good buddies (including me) invited. 

Sheriff Sid

The intriguing world of late night television was also just around the corner the following year in fourth grade.  It was then and there that MarBoJo came to be.

Mark Faulkner, Bobby Jones and Joey Cooke

Intermission...Don't Go Away!