Spring Challenges

 The first full week back to work after Spring Break has been a busy one, and I am feeling it.  Due to Barbara's car having to have brakes done today, I had to go back to my 5:30AM regimen for a couple of days - that was rough!  As the school year winds down here, I am feeling the fatigue - even a week of Spring Break didn't totally resolve that.  The week's reflections have to do with some situations I have faced and I wanted to dive into that now.

For anyone who has ever taught school, it is not surprising that the group of 80 students I teach over 5 class periods is a pretty diverse lot.  Some students are really good, and a few are so exceptional I wish I had about 20 more of them in each class.  Then there are the others - the pains in the tuchus that often cause the biggest issues in classes.  I want to talk about one of those in particular now.

At the Jesuit high school I teach at, the class periods are called "Codes" and throughout the day there are seven of them plus an Advisory (read "home room" for that).  I generally teach five classes in a day - Code 1, then a break, then Codes 3 and 4a, then lunch, and finally Codes 5 and 6.  The overall majority of the students in these classes are not an issue - they are not perfect, and on occasion they require a little extra supervision when they get distracted, but for the most part it is not anything I can't handle.  However, since starting here back in November I have a group in my Code 1 class that honestly give me headaches every day.  Some of them are just pains - they are likeable pains as individuals, but still pains - and the rest are generally typical high school juniors.  However, I have one student that has been giving me particular challenges since I began teaching here, and I am at my wits' end as to what to do with this person.  She is a female, and for her protection I will just call her Jenn here instead of her real name.  I want to talk about this individual in-depth now as I feel that sharing it will help me deal with the stress this person causes me at times. 

Jenn is about 17 years old, Black, and she generally does have a sharp mind.  Her problem though is an attitude - she is what, to use the immortal words of Whoopie Goldberg's nun character in the movie Sister Act 2, a "Rita Diva with a 'tude."  Since starting, she has displayed nothing but disrespect for me when I teach class, and she spends a large part of the class laughing and talking loudly with her three friends.  And, my goodness, she has a mouth too - that girl hurls "f bombs" like a porcupine shoots its quills, and she doesn't respect being told to stop.  This situation came to a head yesterday when I had to get the Dean of Students involved, and he summarily had a conversation with her about her attitude.  This, of course, made her very upset and she more or less declared war on me.  Other teachers have had similar issues with her, noting that she talks loudly, abuses hall pass privileges, and she was described by another teacher as "moody."  Trying to be fair about the situation, I am rationalizing that maybe she has issues at home, maybe issues with "female trouble" at certain times of the month, or maybe something else is bugging her.  Or, she could even have some psychological/emotional issues as well that maybe have not been diagnosed.  Whatever the case, she is problematic, and students like her make teachers second-guess their career choices.  All I can do is pray for her, as she already has said she isn't going to talk and is outright refusing to exercise reason.  However, Jenn represents a bigger problem I have seen in the Black community in Baltimore, and I wanted to delve into that a bit now.

Since moving here just over 6 months ago, adjusting to Baltimore has been a bit of culture shock.  The demographic is radically different even from the city I knew here as a kid 50 years ago - it is perhaps, along with Atlanta, one of the few cities in the country where Blacks make up the bulk of the population.  That in itself is not really a problem, because Blacks are human beings, and no two of them are exactly alike because they are all individuals too.  However, a mindset (and I would venture to even suggest a spiritual bondage) has captured this community as a whole, and it is often seen in attitudes that some of them display.  There are individuals who have been very sloppy with their work, others who have had volatile tempers (besides Jenn in class, this has happened with at least 3 other students, as well as with a delivery person and with a neighbor) and explode at the slightest hint of difference with them - and then the "f bomb."  I don't know what it is with a lot of Blacks here, but that word is almost like a culturally-defined part of their language, and that is disturbing.   Not only that, but they call each other the "n" word as well - a White person using that word would be rightly and quickly labeled racist, yet I hear these Blacks calling each other that all the time.  This is something I want to address now, as it is a serious matter.

The "n" word originated from a slang word for "Negro," which in Spanish means "Black" as it describes skin color.  In the late 19th and early 20th centuries though, the term was adopted by racists such as the KKK as a derogatory name for a person of color, and since then it has been considered an ethnic slur, and rightfully so.  It is a word I try to steer clear of using, as the consequences for even accidentally saying it would be dire - this, despite the fact that late Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor titled a short story using the term which actually taught a good lesson.  Yet, despite the taboo associated with this word, I hear Blacks calling each other that all the time, and they fail to realize that when the do that they are actually enabling real racists to justify using that word.  I try to convey to my students that they should not call each other that, as it does justify others using it as an insult against them.  Also, using language like that is a blatant form of disrespect too - no one should be even calling their close friends offensive terms like that.  Lest I get accused of being an "uppity White guy" for pointing this out, let me clarify a couple of things.  First, I have some Black ancestors in my family tree as well, which means I too am a descendant of slaves.  Secondly, I find equally offensive terms such as "hick" or "redneck" when used to label small-town blue-collar Whites, as well as the use of the terms "honkey" or "Cracker" to call White people.  In all honesty, those perjorative words directed against Whites should be treated the same way as the "n" word, as they are used in the same context.  NO ethnic slur should be acceptable in our society, regardless of whom it refers to.  Ethnic slurs diminish a person, reducing them to a skin color or ethnolinguistic identity which robs them of their individuality.  While I don't necessarily think that "hate crimes" laws should be enacted for using such terminology, at the same time I think it should be socially discouraged.  Even if people are using those terms as part of the same ethnic group, it needs to stop - if an outsider hears that, it could enable them to be more bigoted too.  Any rate, just wanted to address that issue.

The Jenns among us are an inevitable reality - we will inevitably cross paths with individuals like her, and it can be unsettling being exposed to such a person.  However, it challenges us to learn, to face the negative parts of human nature and come up with a constructive response to them.  If that is the end game of the experience, then it will be valuable to us.  Adversity and negativity in our daily interactions with others is a fact of fallen nature - it comes knocking whether invited or not.  The fact that it is there is not the real issue - it is how we address and overcome it that builds character and provides a way forward.  While I am hoping this Jenn issue in my teaching vocation has an immediate end soon, I perhaps will look back on it in the future and realize that I am a different person now because of it.  However, the outcome rests on the reaction to the circumstance - act properly, and it's a good life lesson.  Act wrongly, and it could be catastrophic both to oneself as well as the person who is the source of that discomfort.  I have been through other situations with disagreeable people, and surprisingly a few turned out better and I actually have dear friends now who once were mortal enemies to me.  Situations like this also call for a lot of committed prayers too - when we cannot rely on our own strength, we seek out God and his aid, which he will freely give us if we ask in the right state of mind and heart.   The only bad part of that is at times it comes late - we could have issues for years and then only at the midnight hour do we find the answer.  That is a big life lesson to take to heart.

Thank you for allowing me to share this week, and will see you again soon. 

Reflections on the Death of a Pope and Personal Prayer Practices

 I finally got a week off from work as our school where I teach had its Easter break (Spring break to other schools).  While it was far too short and another week would not have hurt, it was a nice time for relaxation and catching up on some things too, which I did.  A few things happened during that week though which are worth mentioning.

On Monday the 21st, Pope Francis passed away.  As a Catholic myself, this is a very significant thing as it means that soon a new Pontiff will be sitting on the Chair of St. Peter in Rome.  I have managed to live through about 5 Popes so far (Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and now Francis).  The bulk of my life - beginning in my childhood and going into my mid-30s - was the Pontificate of Saint John Paul II.  JPII was a good Pope overall - not perfect, but he had many great qualities.  Benedict was also a good Pope, as he championed orthodoxy and a return to our roots as a Church.  Francis though was a whole different breed altogether.  He was both the first Jesuit Pope as well as the first from the New World (an Italo-Argentinian by birth).  But, he was also a Pope who had a reign that tended to be extremely controversial.  On one hand, he was sort of a strong advocate for the marginalized, which I suppose was a good virtue.  On the other, he also had some issues - he was not exactly theologically orthodox, and at times his ill-tempered way of handling people coupled with his somewhat arbitrary dismissal of certain aspects of Church Tradition were concerning.  The introduction of the disastrous document Traditionale Custodis is a case in point.  Francis hated conservatives and traditionalists, and found ways to be punitive against those who disagreed with him in what appeared to be retaliatory.  What he did in particular to Cardinal Burke, Bishop Strickland, and Fr. Frank Pavone, among others, was shocking, while at the same time he touted individuals such as the "Rainbow Jesuit" James Martin.  Add to that the Pachamama mess and this whole "Synodality" thing, and it caused much friction in the Church.  So, how does a more faithful Catholic who values Tradition view Francis?  Let me give a brief proposal of my own.

In the long run, Francis was a validly-elected Pope, so to that end he was to be respected in his official capacity.  And, on occasion he did some good stuff, such as upholding the sanctity of life and traditional marriage.  However, on the other hand, Francis was radical, by theological standards he was a liberal, and his personality was not always the most genial either (he was called in some ecclesiastical circles in Argentina "Old Vinegar Face").  That being said, it is possible to do two things at once.  First, we pray that he had a conversion of heart before his repose, and we also remember his soul as we do all departed. Second, we can also still in good conscience take issue with some of Francis's more radical ideas, and we can pray that his successor will be someone much more nuanced and conciliatory to the conservatives like myself he tried (whether intentionally or not) to alienate and oppose.  The possibility of a more orthodox Pope, even moderately so like Benedict XVI was, is good - some of the candidates for consideration include Cardinal Zen of China and Cardinal Sarah of Africa, both of whom are very orthodox.  As we start looking toward who the successor to Francis will be, I just pray our leaders understand the needs of the Church and don't push political nonsense.  

It is also worth mentioning that there have been much worse Popes than Francis - by the standards of some in history, Francis was mild actually.  The Bride of Christ is still present on this earth, so its leadership is human and prone to imperfection.  Therefore, bad and corrupt clergy are a given.  What we cannot do is let the bad eggs and rotten fruit taint the entire Church, and therefore we use discretion when trying to separate the actions and legacies of fallible leadership from the eternal vocation of the Bride of Christ herself.  This is why I will refrain personally from attacking Francis directly, although I do have many fundamental disagreements with his tenure as Pope.  Even the best and holiest of Popes have moments of displaying their own concupiscent nature - the Pope, after all, is not God and thus is subject to many of the same temptations, limitations, and other challenges we all deal with as human beings.  It is a Pope's attitude and ultimately the reality inside his heart that makes the difference, and only God can truly know the heart.  So, in summary, we can pray for the soul of Francis while still disagreeing with many of the things he has done, and there is no conflict with our faith in doing so.  

Aside from the passing of Pope Francis, we experienced Easter 2025 this past Sunday.  Another year surviving the fasts and abstinences of Lent, and now it is an adjustment getting back into a more festal mindset - no more seafood or cheese pizzas on Fridays, the return of the "Gloria" at Mass, and other things including the shift in the daily decade of the Rosary I pray from the Sorrowful Mysteries to the Glorious Mysteries.  And, that leads me to a brief discussion of my own devotional practice.

I have neither the time nor the focus to pray a complete Rosary every day, so for the past few years I have structured my devotions this way.  To begin, I say a decade of the Rosary, followed by doing the daily Mass reading, and then more personal prayers.  By saying a decade of the Rosary, that requires an explanation.  Each set of Mysteries of the Rosary consist of five decades - each focusing on one Mystery within the five.  The Mysteries are divided thus - The Joyful, the Luminous (introduced 20 years ago by Pope St. John Paul II), the Sorrowful, and the Glorious.  Traditionally, certain days of the week were set aside to pray a specific set of Mysteries, and many people who practice praying the Rosary still do this.  However, I do it differently.  For me, I focus on a set of Mysteries for a week (one each day) and then I organize them according to the Church year.  So, this is my pattern to go by:

1. Advent, Christmas to Epiphany - the Joyful Mysteries

2. Epiphany to Quinquegessima Sunday - the Luminous Mystery

3. The seasons of Lent and Holy Week - the Sorrowful Mysteries

4.  From Easter through Trinity Sunday - the Glorious Mysteries

5. Ordinary time between Trinity and the First Sunday of Advent - one set of Mysteries each week.

Doing it this way for me is like more or less living the life that Christ lived as the Mysteries are then coordinated to the chronological order of Christ's life.  I would even consider it a way of "walking in the footsteps of Jesus" because it then takes on a greater significance.  The Rosary is not a mandated devotion, and therefore it can be adjusted and practiced in a way that reflects the devotee's convictions without compromising Magisterial truth. It is a different type of devotion, and as far as I know, I may be the only person who does it like this.   However, the spiritual benefits of doing it for me are fruitful, and thus I feel right doing it my way in this case. 

The problem with the Rosary - even an adjusted one like the one I pray - is that it can try patience.  You have to keep track of the number of "Ave Marias" said and then make sure you are on the right Mystery.  And, when you are pressed for time in the morning in particular, it can be a hurried exercise.  Some of the prayers, in all honesty, get a bit tedious - the "Glory Be" comes to mind here.  But, they are there for a reason so we overcome our own limitations by being faithful in our devotion.  I no doubt will have some staunch person who will gasp in horror that I said that and say in Greta Thunberg fashion "How dare you!!"  But, let's be honest - a consistent prayer life is not always comfortable or convenient, and even the most tedious of prayers hold spiritual benefit for us.  So, despite hurrying through those tedious acts sometimes, God sees thankfully our hearts, and he sees our faithfulness.  And for those who would take issue, please be honest with yourselves too - are you always ecstatic to say prayers??  I would wager a month's salary to say negative on that, because to say otherwise means you are lying.  We don't have to feign religious zeal to be faithful, and thank God we have a merciful God who understands that.  Even Jesus Himself grew weary at times of praying in all honesty, so we are in good company.  

This was a slightly different approach from my usual observations today, but I nonetheless hope they will give the reader some edification.   Thanks for allowing me to share, and will see you next time!

Dealing With A Spectrum of Things

 As I reflect this week, there is something I wanted to just share.  This past Monday, Barbara had to go to the MVA office over on Reisterstown Pike here in Baltimore to renew her driver's license.  While that process ended up being smoother than expected, there was another problem.  Let me first give some background for context.

I know Baltimore well - I have connections to this city going back to my kindergarten days.  One thing I know is that there are some people here - more so in recent years - that can be very rude.  At the risk of starting a particular controversy, I need to also note the demographic.  Baltimore is by and large a significantly Black city - with the exception of possibly a city like Atlanta, the Black population in Baltimore is a very noticeable one.  While most Blacks in the city are generally easy to get along with and cause no issues, there is a notable exception to that rule.  Some Blacks here tend to get confrontational, nasty, and also are adept at throwing around the "f-bomb" like it is blowing their nose or something.  I have seen delivery drivers and others get very hostile for no reason and when they get like that, I don't engage them - they get a door closed in their face quickly.  I also have a few students I teach like this too - you can't tell them anything without a nasty resistance on their part, and in all reality, there is no call for that.  Barbara had her own experience this past Monday at the MVA, and I want to recount that now.

Driver's license offices tend to have long lines and are a bureaucratic mess in many cases, and the one in Baltimore is no exception.  As we were waiting in line for Barbara to renew her license on Monday, directly in front of us was a short Black woman with long hair and those eyes - you know the look; they are itching for a fight.  In all honesty, the woman reminded me of an ill-tempered, yappy dachshund.  She kept eyeing us in the line, and at one point she started yelling about "her space being encroached upon" by us (in reality, Barbara and I were standing where we were supposed to be).  Barbara had been recovering from a short illness and was in no mood, and surprisingly Barbara was the one who got assertive when she was attacked by this yappy, nasty little woman.  I took on the role of a more nuanced peacekeeper, letting the woman know life was too short and then telling her to have a nice day, which set the little Black wench off more.  And, to complicate things, she had an ally standing behind us who all of a sudden decided to get his two-cents-worth in - this guy had goofy bleach-blonde spikey hair and wore a pair of pink shoes, so it was evident which side he buttered his proverbial bread on.  So, Yappy and her flamboyant friend were ganging up on us for nothing.  I was very happy to get out of that place as was Barbara.  While the rest of the day was generally OK - we ate afterwards at Hip Hop Chicken, a very good local fried chicken chain in the area - the aftershock of that experience was felt for some time.  

The way Baltimore people act as contrasted with the way I grew up is like night and day.  Generally, even if you are in a bad mood, you maintain a certain degree of decorum in a public place.  If perhaps you feel inconvenienced by close quarters, you just politely ask the person for space and generally you get an apology, and they oblige.  However, it seems as if Baltimore has a deficiency of decent manners nowadays, as I see that almost on a daily basis.  Even at school, there is a rude 10th-grade Theology teacher whose classroom is across the hall, and his bearing screams arrogance and a big ego.  An incident with him happened the other day as well.  One very good rule that this school has is that students cannot be unsupervised in any classroom, and if the teacher leaves the door gets locked.  The dean of the school sent this out in an email, but the particular teacher in question tended to ignore it and act like he knew nothing about it.   So, one afternoon when I was either taking a restroom break between classes or going across the street to the Royal Farms to get a Starbucks Frappuccino (I really love those!) and a pastry for breakfast, I had locked my door as prescribed by school policy and stepped out.  When I returned, there was a student leaving my classroom!  When I asked her what she was doing there, she said that Mr. ______, the teacher in question, had let her in to take a test.  That didn't sit well with me as I know how this guy is, and later today he stopped and asked if a student could take a test today.  I told him as long as a teacher was in here, it was no problem, but they cannot be unsupervised in a classroom like that.  The student he was going to send here for a test never showed up, although I told him I was here, and it was OK as long as I was in the class.  Hopefully though, the pompous teacher got the hint though and will be more respectful of his colleagues and school policy next time. 

The other issue I have with so many of these local Blacks in particular is their language - it is volatile!  They call each other the "n" word all the time, and they drop the "f bomb" like it is a bodily function.  I teach in a school that at this point is about 52% Black and 48% Hispanic, and the differences between the two groups is astounding.  The Hispanic students (with a few exceptions) tend to be quieter and more respectful, while the Blacks are loud, disruptive, and generally not participating in the class discussions or anything else.  While this is not true of all of them, a significant number of the write-ups and disciplinary issues I address in a given week are largely the Black students - I do have a number of good Black students too, and greatly appreciate them, but the proportion of trouble that comes up usually has a Black student involved in it.  Our society is afraid to address this problem because one runs the risk of being accused of "racism" if the issue is raised, but the facts do speak for themselves.  And I want to tackle the proverbial elephant in the room now.

Racism by any group against others is always wrong, regardless.  And no doubt true racism is out there.  However, what often happens is that Blacks and some others use the "race card" to validate bad behavior, and this is a problem.  Also, the way they denigrate each other by calling each other the "n" word is concerning.  When they do that, they fail to understand that they are diminishing themselves and therefore justifying actual racists to use that term too.  And that "f bomb" issue - what is with many of our local Blacks using that so often and freely??  I understand an occasional slip happening if one is exasperated or something, but seriously - when you hear these Black kids in school in particular talk, they are peppering "f bombs" liberally in their conversations.  And on the city bus too - many use that word just to hear themselves say it I think.  It really does not paint a good picture of Black culture in America, as many other groups see this behavior as being nasty and uncouth.  As I said, not all Blacks do this thankfully, and there are many decent Blacks who are just as shocked by this language as I am.  However, when most of this stuff is being done by a particular demographic, it creates several problems.  Let me go into at least two of them.

To begin, it is not helping them move ahead in their lives.  Black culture has many good things to preserve and a person who is Black should be proud of those things.  However, being rude, confrontational, and foul-mouthed is not flattering, and many Blacks need to understand how other people see them when they act like complete jackasses.  Secondly, instead of eradicating racism, it perpetuates it in two forms.  First, it makes Blacks more racist against others.  Secondly, when other groups see this behavior, it alters their perception of Blacks and negative experiences with rude Black individuals can be a toxic seed of racism against all Blacks.  If the Black community in America wants to show progress, there are several things they can do to nurture it.  Let's talk about a few of them.

For one, Blacks need to learn basic manners and stop using cusswords as a form of casual conversation.  A Black person who is articulate and doesn't resort to "ghetto-style" lingo and attitude will garner instant respect.  Secondly, let's address this "urban blight" issue that Baltimore and other cities have.  Urban blight describes what you see on many streets - trash all over, abandoned and dilapidated houses and other buildings, and copious amounts of ugly graffiti everywhere.  In recent years, when these issues were addressed by reform-minded people who wanted to clean up neighborhoods, the people who had the ideas were often condemned by activists as promoting "gentrification" and thus cleanup efforts in many cities screeched to an abrupt halt.  I find it interesting that the political Left hollers about the fiction of "climate change" and yet you never see them picking up the abundant trash or trying to improve the lot of many Blacks in those communities by upgrading their homes and encouraging local business.  Instead, those individuals (usually rich White liberals - go figure!) decry any effort to clean up as being racist and promoting gentrification.  If cities are to improve their qualities of life, that attitude needs to change.  If you don't want White investors revitalizing neighborhoods, then encourage the Blacks who live there to do so.  While there are small and bright exceptions now in many neighborhoods, by and large they miss it by infinity.  That too needs to change. 

You have heard my convictions on this today, and hopefully I won't be misrepresented as being "racist" because I am challenging Blacks to adjust their behavior a little and take some pride in their own communities and stop calling each other "n" words and other such garbage.  Until the overall Black population of this city in particular understands that progress will be delayed if not eliminated.  Thank you for allowing me to share. 

Catching Up

 It has been a couple of weeks since last writing, and I need to do some catching up on myself as it is warranted.  Luckily today is a slow day at school, as my students are in what is called MAP testing for the majority of the day.  Therefore, there are a few things I wanted to catch up and reflect upon since opportunity allows.

To begin, the final part of my doctoral journey arrived Monday - I have a complete set of doctoral regalia now.  It feels good to have that, and now I feel like a Ph.D.   With the diploma, dissertation, and regalia, and almost a year to get it all, I feel complete.  I also was able to get my article submitted to the academic journal and it should be up for publication soon.  Having three published articles and a conference presentation will go far in my pursuits of opportunities.

The second thing to talk about is my music collection.  I have decided to include all the music I want to preserve on a very large flash drive - it has 124 gigs storage - and so far I have a MASSIVE collection that I have both gleaned from other drives as well as downloading from Internet Archive - there are several large collections of original recordings of many obscure dance orchestras on there, and I downloaded a significant number of them.  It doesn't totally replace my entire CD collection I lost, but it is a good start.  My plan with my music collection now is to just get CD reissues of some of my favorite original LPs that are not available as downloads, and this third incarnation of my music collection will be a lot smaller but still substantial.  I won't go through the extensive cataloging system I had before either, because frankly I don't need to now. I have literally shelves of original recordings now within a device that comfortably fits in the palm of my hand.  Technology advances, and I guess I need to keep up.

I also want to talk about dreams again.  I have done extensive discussions over the years about dream interpretation, as I believe that dreams are significant.  Unfortunately a huge number of resources on the market on this topic are often done by occult/New Age writers who get a lot wrong, and what I aim to do is develop a Christian understanding of dreams as they are also a prominent thing in Scripture as well.  Understanding and writing down dreams is something I feel is integral to one's emotional and spiritual health, as God uses dreams to talk to us sometimes.  That being said, I wanted to share a recent dream I had which really has stuck with me.

In the dream, I was in what looked like a facility with my house nearby, and a little girl of about 7 or 8 was up for adoption.  She was of Mongolian heritage in the dream, and she was such a tiny, dainty little thing and so beautiful.  I was ready to adopt her, and was in the process of doing so.  As I recall, in the story the little one was more or less abandoned by her parents, and she was somehow believing they were coming back for her.  However, in the dream I was talking to the office clerk who informed me her parents returning was something that wasn't going to happen, and she encouraged me to adopt the little one. The girl at first was hesitant, as she was still thinking her parents would miraculously show up, but in time my heart was warmed when she called me "Daddy."  I really felt connected to that little girl, and I felt a deep love for her as if she were my own.  There most certainly is something to a vivid dream like that, and upon researching it, I learned the following things:

1. New beginnings and change

2. A desire to nurture and care

3. Embracing the unknown

4. A strong desire for family or love

5. Expression of desires or needs I may not be consciously aware of

6. Assuming new responsibilities

In many of these instances, all of this has happened in the past 6 months or so as I have been forced for one thing to embrace the unknown and assume new responsibilities.  I also do want family, and I would love to have something to nurture as my own.  There are also things I know I am not aware of but my dreams bring that to the surface of my subconscious. And, the whole idea of new beginnings and change is something I have been forced to embrace over the past 5 years, as I have been in a constant state of flux.  There are some of these areas I am aware of but cannot discuss them as the time is not right for them here, but my goal is to reflect upon that when it comes to pass later and then share it.  However, these dreams are not an accident nor are they simply a reaction to the pizza I had for dinner yesterday. On the contrary, they both reflect real feelings but also may contain a message.  It is up to me to determine what that is now. 

This week's reflection is somewhat eclectic and brief, but it summarizes what has been going on.  I should be back again next week with further insights on things, so thanks for stopping by and will see you soon.