From the Christmas author who shaped this holiday season, more, in my opinion, than any other…
“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
My work takes me into many homes here in the metro.
My customers and their families, as the days go by (and sometimes weeks and months as I work on remodels, new houses etc. etc.) reveal, to me in what I take as a privilege, their hopes, dreams and as time passes, the fears they have for the future.
The masks come off. My incessant presence, on a day to day basis, in a shared endeavor and consistent conversation turns, as one would expect, to confidential matters as the phatic surrenders to the personal.
Arguments are heard, kisses and hugs, some deserved, some not so much, are given to family members as I stand by, drill or hammer in hand, smiling and marveling at how similar we all are. A confidence here and there, a nod, a look, a smile, a frown, a secret knowledge that is entrusted to me, now, while yet still on the periphery, I come closer, I am accepted, I am now, a proud co conspirator in the hoped for success of my new friends, and, part time, temporary family.
It’s an honor, it really is.
Driving home, I hope for Jeff or Johnny to get that new bike, for Melissa or Terri to make better grades, for Max to win his tennis tournament, for Andy to stop being so mean to his sister, for parents all, to continue to be patient, to have success and for their beautiful families to survive sickness and never see the downside of advantage.
It doesn’t always work out.
Sometimes, those folks, who were originally customers, who became your friends, decades ago, leave, unexpectedly.
This year, a long, long time friend and benefactor was murdered on the Indian Creek Trail.
He was a singular individual whose character was an example to all, I mean ALL that knew him. His family, of course, was and is devastated. His legion of friends, will, as long as they live, me included, never forget his generosity, great humor and unfailing efforts to make all of our lives a better place.
This Christmas my prayers and the prayers of my family, go to his family and his memory.
As for our commenting cognoscenti – I wish you all, a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a great Festivus.
To Glaze a Sabermetrics NFL chip implant. (Insert the appropriate jokes here about “implants”.) 🙂
To Dwight, a continuing Harold Bloom type obsession with “The Western Canon” that in turn, benefits us all here in this room.
To Hearne, a guy who already has it all, even more.
To Paul- best wishes for a great new year and the knowledge that I am thrilled at how great things are going for him. (Hey buddy, I am working 50 plus hours a week now, seriously, I will call…) 🙂
To Kero, a trip on that bus with your best friends.
To “Guy Who Says What Others Think” a salute to a brother in arms.
To Stomper, continued perspicacity and compos mentis in the face of rage. Maybe there is hope.
To Harley, a cranial colon blow that relieves the pressure from the detritus acquired by way of hours and hours in front of the TV, oogling Rachel MadCow. 🙂
To those I didn’t mention, my family’s very best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.
Here is a beautiful 50 second video of an angel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdMopVZzAKY
You know you love it.
Last, one more wish, for America, from, once again, Dickens.
“I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence.
God Bless America.
That was incredibly inspiring. A beautiful tribute to a great man. Thanks ❤️💚❤️
Thank you.
🙂
Merry Christmas!
Well, i thought hearne had hit rock bottom with the writers here…but letting a
ditch digger write his opinions shows that hearne has hit rock bottom
in the dead tree media. This guy has beenhit with too many shovels while digging
and he can’t even think clearly to realize he’s just got off the deep end.
Don’t watch much tv…but don’t have to. Can see that your hero trump is now
going to be leaving soon along with his mistress and hookers ivanka and mel.
What this ditch digger failed to realize is what we’ve learned over the last year.
Trummp has been in bed with the russians for money and classified information
probably committing perjury and putting american lives in jeopardy plus giving
intelligence info to the russians that affected operations. But this stupid idiot
forgot the russians are our enemy…especially his. Who do you think supplied the
viet congand north vietnamese with those bullets and guns and migs and ak 47’s
all trying to kill him….who was it…our enemy …the russians. So while he sloshed
thruthe rice paddies being shot at by russian supplied arms…then supported the guy
who used their money and infkuence to built an empire that’s about to collapse.
And you don’t have to watch msnbc to know that. Fox news reports it everyday with their sexual predators and lying anchors.
As far as hearne…”he has it all”…no he was handed it all. His claim to fame is
publishers of some free alt rag in old boxes on kc street corners. He neveer had it…
just like the other genetic winner he was given everything.
And for the rest of the old men on here…barely making it….get ready because this
new tx bill is gonna eat you alive. Kero probably is on medicare…good luck buddy..
as the repubs say…IF YOU GET SICK….DIE FAST!!!!!!!!!!! 25 billion cut from
medicare….
fOR GLAZE….he’ll get eaten alive because he never read the bill. It’s coming bro.
And all the toys and things you wrote off are taken off the table. Good luck…it will
probably spell the end of smallbiz’s like yours just like it did during the bush adminstration and with your buddy BROWNBACK…who they ran out of kansas (the repubs did) after he destroyed our state.
As for the rest of you relics….just read a major marine said we’re headed for war…
so get ready as he said. I don’t think he realizes the chinese and the ruskies
have enough nukes to take us all out. But you’re old…noone cares….it’s just sad.
Great for chuklets the digger…he’s working 50 hours a week….wooo hooo…..
For those like myself we’ve been doing that all our life!
And yes, I knew the owner of coaches also. I know eeryone on 103rd….from the
mirables to the coaches family. From the wolfes to the frank and his dealerships.
Tragic…but that’s what we’re facing today….attacks from the opiod dealers to the
drug dealers on troost. Apple/ge/united health stealing money as they take their
profits to ireland or bermuda and make the rest of us pay for the infrastructure/
technology/and trained employees they gobble up.
I don’t need dickens…I don’t read b.s. I read real life stories….and here’s
what boom boom has to say.
We’ve all been hoodwinked. Chucklets and his tribal friends didn’t see thru trump.
He don’t give a crap about guys like you chucklets…or the coal miners ( coal is dead..
lets get that straight…even the owner of the largest mining company spoke publicy
that trump used those guys for votes and nothing’s been done). The insurance companies will be coming for homeowners for bigger premiums to pay for hurricans
and fires. The money that was to be used to keep medicare going was used to
buy guys like bezos another vacation home or cut their taxes (if they paid any at all
before) and the doctors will be the victims as their reimbursements are cut AGAIN!
Try not to get hurt…waits for new doctor visits are now running months….if you
have krohns/arthritis/ it’s about 6 months wait for new patients. Trump accomplished his goal even as he goes berserk knowing the cloick is ticking on his
time inthe white house. And more and more of his supporters (according to fox
news) are seeing that they got f****d.
So good luck chucklets.
And glaze…you weren’t just bad this year…you were horrid. Even tv pundits were
over 60% and you languish at 30% with that “fool proof” teaser . You wouldn’t take
my bet….because you know boom boom is spot on.
So happy new year old boys. You made it thru another year. Who knows…maybe
you’ll so something big in 2018. Hope so. This world needs all the help it can get.
Merry Christmas to you and your family Harley.
Thanks for the mention and wishes, Chuck. Back at ya’
Also, thanks for the picture HC.
You’re quite welcome!
nice, chuck. very nice. first time this season i’ve even come close to feeling the christmas spirit.
(hence, i scrolled right on past boom-boom’s lengthy screed for fear of losing it!)
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Hearne very nice. Lets try and see each other more in 2018! Wow its gonna be 2018, damn. THE STOMPER photo is priceless, I was a huge fan of his as a kid, hated ‘Giggle and Brown’ even went to a couple matches downtown back in the day with my pals, they thought it was real I knew better but it was fun to see. Everyone have some nice holidays including the ‘genius’ Harley.
P.S. Harley if you haven’t noticed Donald Trump is bullet proof.
you were wrong on the chiefs all year.
you were wrong on the royals all year
you picked losers everywhere.
Trump is not bullet proof. Just takes time. As you know
mr. glazo bozo….in the end the guilty do time.
Whether it’s chino or attica or leavenworth….you know
what it’s like.
noone is bulletproof when you take on the cia/fbi/the top
prosecutors in the world/all the intelligence services/the
middle class.
You got a big mouth and let’s just see if trumpster ends up
just like you. IN THE SLAMMER!
A tip of the cap to you, Chuck! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
You too!!!! 🙂
Really good read, Chuck. Happy New Years to a guy on the other side of the political pendulum. Best of luck in what I hope is a less volatile 2018.
Happy Holidays kind sir!!
🙂
“To Kero, a trip on that bus with your best friends.”
– not even close, Chuck… Cioran’s contemplation “Is it possible that existence is our exile and nothingness our home” solved, Wolfe’s posthumous narrative proven wrong – can go home again. My December vacation: no tv, internet & no Homo Sapiens too; some queer wildlife, no moreso than KCC. Oh, to have died there, remote Patagonia; alas, lugged self back ‘civilization… I am too weak for such happiness.
🙁