Insane Earthlings

Last Sunday was our first full day on the white sugary sand of Siesta Key; our vacation destination last year and this year. Located near Sarasota on the Gulf Coast, we crossed through long stretches of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida to get here. A tiring trip, but worth it because once you make it here it truly lives up to its name. A perfect place to relax.   After dinner, we sauntered back down to the shore to watch the evening sun make its magnificent descent into the clear line along the horizon. We had realized last year that this was something we had never seen before, having been East Coast people our whole lives. Watching the last sliver of bright orange disappear into the water gave me a comforting sense of order in the universe. And this year I needed that sort of comforting reassurance more than ever. My previous post, Finding Balance in a Wobbly World , is about needing a reminder of G-d’s presence in our lives ever since my mother passed away in March of thi...

“How long? How long must we sing this song? How long?Because tonight, we can be as one. Tonight.” U2   This is what we should be asking. This is what we should be joining hands and singing.   Watch the video (here) of the U2 performance from the Rattle and Hum tour film. In my opinion, it is the single most powerful Rock and Roll performance crying out for an end to people killing people. The emotion expressed by Bono is palpable. As an Irishman, eleven of his fellow countrymen had been killed just that day. Now, in America, we have weekly mass killings. Some in the name of revolution. Some in the name of Jihad. Some in the name of God. Some in the name of hate. The wide proliferation of guns makes this type of killing easy and more likely. The fear on every side is amped up by the knowledge that every encounter between a police officer and a civilian may end in bloodshed, because there is a good chance that the civilian is armed. The fear is with all of us b...

I almost stayed home last night. A historic music venue in the city I live in, is scheduled to cease operations at the end of this year. The band that both of my brothers are in was taking the stage at 9:00pm sharp. This was my last opportunity to see them play that stage together. I almost didn’t make it to stand beside my sister and play the supportive sibling role that has been our custom for many years. I came very close to letting a grudge get in the way of being where I belonged. I started writing this blog several weeks ago. I have been posting an eclectic mix of musings, personal narratives, and poems. I have felt a need to prove to myself that I can do something outside of my job. That I can do it well and stick with it. While the blog has not consistently followed a theme or format, I wanted it to convey two things. The first being honesty. I feel that, as a whole, we do not express ourselves honestly to each other or even to ourselves. The second purpose was to honor ...