Hello on a "September-ish" July 1st,

I am working on a variety of things and trying to keep my ducks-in-a-row. With some success, I might add, but always seeming to hang on by my fingernails, which are none too long. The last week has brought about the reconnection of some people through facebook. It is such a bizarre thing to reconnect in some case in more than a decade or longer. On the other hand, it causes one to ponder his or her past . . .  sometimes we have done things for which we are sorry and perhaps embarrassed . . . . or worse . . .  reconnections require accountability for our part of mutual history. As I have noted in some of my earlier postings, accountability is a painful thing; it is also nonetheless necessary and important. I have a suspicion, I will be facing it once again. I think this is one of the positive aspects of the internet. It can create an ongoing history, and while painful perhaps, it can also remind us that we need to treat each other with respect and dignity. And if we haven’t or we don’t, it is probable that we will face it somewhere down the road in a virtual space.

I am down to weeks left here on a permanent basis here in Menomonie. It will be almost 6 years to the day that I am leaving from the little town I referred to that first week as "a slice of Americana" . . . . and it is. It is perhaps one of the best places I have ever lived. It is difficult to leave for a number of reasons . . . some of them obvious, and some of them more personal and part of that fabric of whom I have become. It is unfortunate that I am leaving a number of good people and such an amazing place in the rolling hills of West Central Wisconsin. However, the job atmosphere, which will continue to deteriorate with the new budget and required furloughs, makes going to Bloomsburg a very easy thing. But our lives are much more complicated than one view or even a three dimensional view. The fabric to which I referred is tattered and torn, but still holds together. The new pieces of the fabric are waiting to be added as I move East.

It is hard to believe we are in July. Things will move quickly now. I have almost everyday planned out to some extent for the remainder of the summer. In my last post, I had posted early enough in the day that while, I was aware of the passing of one icon, I had little idea that another was on the verge of leaving this world too. I think I agree with Quincy Jones when he says that MJ was a tragic figure. But perhaps we are all tragic in our own ways. It is tragic that we often overlook some of the most important things or people for whatever reason. It is tragic that we often base our opinions on partial truths or snippets of things we hear and malign others when we join in the gossip and the trash. It is tragic when people with power, be it a governor or a president, be it a committee or a dean, use their power in malicious ways, especially under the guise of being professional.

But I am convinced that life is not tragic . . . . it is a gift; it is an amazing thing that we are offered daily; it is a tapestry that offers warmth and design, it offers possibility and chance . . . . it is something we need to cherish and believe in . . . . it is the very thing that allows us to give back to others. It is both exciting and frightening . . . it is something for which we need to be accountable, whether that be to God or our neighbor or ourselves . . . . the picture here was actually taken in Parryville, PA when I was there in May . . . it was a lot warmer that day then it is today . . . how sad!

Back to packing and writing some other things. As always . . . . thanks for reading!

Michael