I had a dream so long ago
That ruled my heart yet didn’t show
I never wanted for great fame
Raw courage was my truest aim.
I reached for joy but not too far
Some needs reside above the bar
I queried that I did my best
When last I found myself at rest
The failures caused by my chagrin
Wrote these last words, it could have been !
The graying cloud of morning mist
Sweeps over one like angels kissed
With dewdrops wet and breeze caressed,
The body seems by calm possessed !
The still of dawn is best of all
To seek the charm of nature’s call
And learn to listen to the voice
That echoes sounds of each one’s choice !
It is to God we owe our vow
To heed His words both then and now !
When I was young with vision clear
My heart was bold I knew no fear,
But as I grew the world did change
The clouds above grew dark and strange !
Familiar things assumed new shapes
One’s sense of loss sought out escapes
What happened to the olden ways
Of peace and hope and love and praise ?
Tis soon the time to pay the price
Shall we just pray and toss the dice,
It seems we have no other choice
For who is left to raise a voice ?
What does one do when dreams are crushed
And turned into a heap of dust
That leaves us all beyond our aim
With broken hearts and vanquished fame ?
Conquistadors and noble knights
You’ve heard their tales of valiant fights
And heroes who rest in their grave
Had visions that they died to save !
While we who are the bottom rung
Have simpler aims and hopes unsung
We beg our Lord to understand
And help us reach the promised land !
I wish you love and hope and joy galore
And add to that good health and wealth and more
I pray you are an asset in your life
Example set for husband, child or wife
And furthermore to seek and find that space
In which your faith and deeds will carve a place
Of honor and respect and happiness
There with your God to treasure and possess !
EXCUSE ME, but where do I register to vote ? My first official act upon returning to HOBOKEN in the 70’s was to sign the voting register. From that day to this I don’t believe that I have missed even the most insignificant election, if such a thing exists ! I have come to the conclusion that in a democracy there is nothing of insignificance about our freedom of choice. When we originally migrated to Hoboken I was referred to as a “New Yorker”, my knowledge of New York somewhat limited to Macy’s, the Museum of Natural History, South Street Seaport and Balducci’s ! A friend commented to me the other day “You’re beginning to sound like old Hoboken”. At last, ACCEPTANCE ! The remark was prompted by my observation that I had not seen a familiar face in a popular eatery the whole evening, I’m not sure that I enjoyed the feeling ! However I concluded I’d been cocooning since the last election, unable to decipher what changes would mean to me. I was going to miss the Old Guard just when I was beginning to agree with them ! Having spent too many years in suburbia, I had come to expect politics to be a quasi-part-time occupation indulged in by retired CEOs to perk up leisuretime. How little I knew ! Today I was being replaced by new blood and differing concepts, time to go with the flow. I still haven’t quite accepted the fact that Pollyanna has moved on ! Who would believe one could achieve anonymity in a one mile square area where everyone still stoop-sits ? Progress, as media are crying, “loss of privacy”. Excuse me but I need to put my name on my doorbell ! Sincerely, Claire B.
EXCUSE ME, they’re playing our song ! Do you remember the words ? “God bless America land that I love”. A kind of poetry, words of songs that began with men like George M. Cohan and women like Kate Smith. Words we’ve disregarded for years in lieu of MTA, Walkman, Beatles, Michael Jackson and even Lionel Ritchie. The problem has been that we haven’t made room for both, like forgetting how great a cold beer is after acquiring a taste for Stoli on the rocks! “She’s the emblem of the land I love, the home of the free and the brave,”. It used to be, these songs filled many a hall with resounding applause and many a heart with astounding pride. What “the world needs now ” is a healthy dose of plain old fashioned patriotism. Let’s see a show of hands and maybe a show of flags. Take time out to thank someone for doing their job well, a nurse, teacher, postman, waiter, bus driver, a child. Maybe they’ll thank us in return by doing even better ! Today we stand at the crossroads and must choose between old habits or a rejuvenated search for national identity. Look around, we grouse too much, blame someone else, ask others to do our job not realizing that we are each an integral part of the whole. A broken toe causes a body to limp, throw away the crutches, stand up tall and stop playing cripple! Excuse me while I salute the flag! Sincerely, Claire B.
In early 1943, the preplanning and superior amounts of arms and power of the enemy forces were taking the larger toll of the Allied resources and men. Civilians at home had to step up to increased responsibilities. Farmers left the cornfields to join the battlefields and I became one of the teens who chose to spend that summer working the land for room and board in the place of a father and son who went to serve their country in the USMC. Some experience, a dairy farm upstate New York raising hay, melons, milking cows by hand, fighting mange with sulphur and petroleum ( ugh ). Learning to ride a workhorse, clean stalls, raise chickens, collect eggs, bale hay, 1940’s style ! You know, cows got milked twice a day. Another “ugh” was artificial insemination ! I have always been a quick learner, thankfully. That summer without the beach, popcorn or the boardwalk, reminded me of the Girl Scout promise I had made to do my duty to God and my country, to help one another and to be prepared ! What wonderful values youngsters learned in the scouting movement, not what you can do for me, but as JFK said, “what I can do for my country”. Why have we forgotten so much, why does everything seem upside- down ? When did we get sidetracked by ME, ME, ME ? The age of Aquarius ? This morning I read Chapter 3 of 2nd Timothy and found one answer, do you think it’s the correct one ? Do you believe that America has lost her way ? I hope not.
Sincerely,
Claire B.
Help me Lord, to understand life’s complexity
Teach me world, to use my mind with dexterity
Lead me faith, to courage tempered with tolerance,
Heal me time, with slow patience born of forbearance
Guide me truth, to wisdom laced with curiosity
Show me wonder, how to feel with deep intensity,
Guard me love, from anger displayed with impudence
Force me heart, to exhibit love shared with prudence.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 | ||||
Claire V. Bogdanos 