Dave Weber

The power of our words...is the main message Dave Weber delivered yesterday as he spoke to a group of Orange County School Teachers at Rivers High School. Frankly, the whole auditorium should have been completely filled. We all could have used that shot in the arm. Mr. Weber is entertaining, humorous, and deep. He not only spoke to us about our relationships with our students but also with each other with touching stories that brought some of us to tears. One particular story had to do with his grandfather back in Cleveland. From the time his grandfather was little boy, he had to deliver newspapers. One day it was snowing fiercely and the little boy ran down the street throwing his newspapers left and right, in his hurry to get out of the blizzard and get his newspapers delivered to get home to drink some hot chocolate. It was mostly a hit and miss endeavor. The following week he was told to collect the money from the different people on his route. He got to this particular spooky house where an elderly Jewish lady by the name of Emma Goldstein lived. When she came to the door he was particularly frightened because she was totally hunched over, but to his relief she was nice. First she asked if he was a good Jewish boy and he said, "no" being a Methodist. But she said that didn't matter. "Oh you must be the new paper boy!"

"Yes, Ma'am" he replied. She went on to say how grateful and surprised she was to find her newspaper on her front porch that day of the terrible blizzard. She told him how proud she was of him and he sparkled in all her kind words. Whenever, he went past that house, he made sureher newspaper was on her porch every morning. This is what he called a Frog Kisser. You have to see him deliver his message to understand why or do you? Any way, the way he told the story was far better than only words on a paper and moved me and others to tears. He reminded us of the power of our words. To think all of us are hearing about a little old lady that lived decades ago and still hearing her loving words echo in our present to teach us a lesson. That is real power.

Lord help us live up to the best in us. Lord help us live to the best in us. Amen!

To contact Mr. Weber for an appearance at your school or to order his book click on his name.

Some times you feel like Painting

Sometimes you don't. I hadn't painted for weeks, but today was the day. I painted at least six paintings. The Crucifixion was one, being that this is Holy Week and I felt compelled. It was actually a depiction I visualized at church, two weeks ago but I haven't taken a picture of that yet.

These other two are for a colleague to choose from for her birthday. I think she might like both. We will see. If were her I would choose the flowers, though I have a thing for bamboo. Anyway, I just hope you will be able to see them.

Old San Juan

Old San Juan is as picturesque as ever! Boy, having a refreshing drink under the shade of these umbrellas does look inviting, doesn't it?

El Yunque photos. El Yunque just looking pretty.

Finding Helicornias in El Yunque

Find some hidden helicornia underneath the fronds. Never knew the helicornia were back there. They grow so close to the trunk of the plant that they are hard to see.

The Pleasure of Eating an Egg

Well, let that be an egg or two. My cholesterol is under control. Let me get that out of the way... but do you know I had not been able to eat eggs for the longest time. Why was that? Well, because I had an umbilical hernia!

Umbilical hernias, are basically that the intestine is pinched somewhere and just like a hose the flow is slowed or stopped depending pretty much on the severity of the pinch. Our bodies are way more sophisticated than a rubber hose, may I assure you. What a pinch may be to a hose is a whole different matter to our intestines when it comes to digestion. Eggs are extremely prone to bacteria as we all know, and eating them was always an event.

I tried to put off the operation as much as I could to get that hernia fixed, but eventually I submitted to the fact that I had to go under the knife. Best decision have ever made, other than asking Jesus into my life.

Some of the benefits include to losing some weight, better blood circulation, and being able to eat eggs again. Just had an egg salad sandwich and am so grateful.

So don't put that operation off if you need it.

Unpacking

The curve of a handle, the turn of a cup, the flowers on a vase, the trim on a towel, an old cup opaque by dust… beautiful yet vain…some of my thoughts as I am unpacking eight large cardboard boxes that have been sitting idly by for two years in a closed storage room. Eight large cardboard boxes holding heirlooms and little things I have collected through the years. Memories of a little boy who ran to a sand bucket to play with a GI Joe, mementos from my daughters’ wedding years ago, an inherited 70 year old crystal goblet with a braided stem long gone out of style, a cute little bird house, and termites.

Running to empty out these boxes before the termites do, and reduce everything to dust… I know I am exaggerating but the Word does say “not to gather up treasures where moth and rust do destroy,” and may I add, earthquakes do, too. I wonder about these things that I had gathered up where moth and rust do destroy. They are lovely, but they don’t last. To think of all the care and effort we invest in them. Some of them out last us and then some of them will not. We look at them, associate them to prior experiences, and we attach a sentimental value to an object, because we want to remember an experience we treasure or a beauty reflected in them, but they break, get tarnished, and bind us to a past that is gone. We fret when we lose these items, but when they break we somehow get over it and keep on living, don’t we?

Having been separated from these things for years has helped me be more objective and somewhat surprised, too, as I have unwrapped each one. Some I don’t deny reminded me of someone, while others brought laughter, but none tears. These years have detached me from these objects, which I very much needed, so I could look at them a little more objectively, as I considered why have I kept this or that. Why have I kept this which I have been able to live with out for some years? On the other hand, why I wanted this in my life again? Perhaps I want it as a reminder of a sweeter side of myself, which I had forgotten.

Then I ask myself do I need these reminders? What is it that they are reminding me of? Just how many of them do I need? Can I live without them? Questions, questions, questions...to live sensibly we need to ask.

Well those that remind me and my family of our mutual experiences will definitely stay, in moderation. Those that connect me to my ancestors and family history, will also remain. Then those that reflect who I am and my sense of beauty and humor also have a place, but not in exaggeration. Truthfully, now that I know I can live without these things, I know I can reduce and share.

Things have some sort of significance if we associate them with an experience and yesterday, the experience was visiting Mami. The “objects,”my mom and my daughter, Rosangela.


Mami doesn’t remember much these days. She remembers the fleeting memories of smiles and the joy of someone coming to visit. The good feeling that someone has remembered to come visit and reminded them that they are valued for who they are and not for how they perform. That they can laugh, smile, and remember together for a little while is enough for now. Enjoying this while it lasts is more valuable than a thousand trinkets no matter how lovely they may be.