Memorial Day and Joseph Monson

Memorial day is a moment in our over filled lives where we stop and remember our loved ones who served protecting our nation. They call them the greatest generation those who served during the second world war. My Father Joseph Monson served in the United States Navy stationed within a group of special volunteers stationed on civilian merchant vessels crossing the Atlantic with vital war supplies for England and Egypt. They were called the armed guard. A crew of 14 regular Navy sailors charged with protecting the civilian ship. He made 6 round trips on three ships the SS Jean, Moses Cleveland, and the Calvin Coolidge. The picture is of the SS Jean built in 1907 and was Joe's first ship on which he sailed three round trips. He performed his duties as a signal man for communications between the ships of the convoy including escorts and other merchantmen. He was a part of the biggest sea battle in the battle of the Atlantic where over 100 German subs stalked and finally sunk over one hundred ships of the convoy. He survived to marry my mother and then was reassigned to the Pacific and made a couple of trips from Hawaii and the Philippines.
Dad never talked about this, all this information comes from a log book I found in his documents and allot of research.
DAD I love you and I respect your service.

I love the hills

I took a day off yesterday to reach out and touch the grandeur of the mountains.  I saddled up the Jeep and drove up through Placerville, past Pollick Pines, and up into the Crystal Basin.  Snow was still patched between the pines and the sky threatened snow in its cold grayness.  Up past all the camp grounds and ever higher I reached a well named lake called Ice House Reservoir.  Along the edge the snow was getting deeper and at times the road, if you want to call it that, was completely covered. The road continued on to the headwaters of the lake, to a small stream named Silver Creek. The water was colder than the wind but it promised good fishing this summer.  Further up the road I came to a little glade, nothing more than a wide spot in the snow covered path and pulled over.  The quiet hush of occasional wind gusts through the trees was all that could be heard. In the moment all was good.

Its my birthday, and I wonder......

Birthdays are often times of reflection and introspection.  It is an anniversary of the number of trips I have made around the sun and the number of springs after cold winters which I have basked in the warming rays, and the heats of summer where life seems a little more hectic.  So around and around we go and like the roulette wheel we never know where it stops we really don't care to know.

One of the advantages of one more revolution is the alternative.

God grant me the senility To forget the people I never liked, The good fortune to run into the ones I do, And the eyesight to tell the difference.  And remember all that would read this ranting: "Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away from them and you have their shoes."

Getting close

Every great work, every big accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement, comes apparent failure and discouragement. 

Encouragement is a team sport. Its very nature is to be shared among people. If you want to be encouraged by others, start by encouraging other people. Encourage others to pursue their dreams, to recover from setbacks, and to keep on caring in the face of disappointment. Link arms with worthy partners, gaze into the future pool of possibilities, and keep going! You can glance in the rear view mirror, but DON'T STARE!