October 18, 2016
Clearly I am falling short of the high bar that Dale set in his life, particularly publishing The Dumpster consistently and regularly. My apologies to his dedicated readers for the dearth of pithy insights from the gentle soul.
Dale / Papa would be 77 tomorrow, so on the occasion of his birthday, I thought it appropriate to share his post from last October. I also hoped the Red Sox would still be in the play-offs on his birthday (so much for that!) and planned to post the picture below to celebrate his love of sharing the Sox with his family. This picture of was taken in the Spring of ’12, I believe.
Stephen
AUTUMN
Autumn greeting from your friends here on the Scarborough Marsh. October is the month of change around here. We reflect back on the past and need to start planning for the future. Autumn does not last that long here, we see the changes every day, those trees with the summer green hues are now turning into the colors of a child’s crayon box. There are lots of bright reds, yellows and oranges. In a short time it will be only falling brown leaves blowing in the wind and we will be chasing them across the yard with a rake. It’s not as much fun as when I was a child and we would rake up big piles of dry leaves so we could jump and bury our selves in them. Then dad would that night set the pile on fire and we would pock it with a stick and put sparks into the air so it looked like a world of fire flies. The acidity smoke would drift up and down the street like early morning fog.
October is a good time to get out and enjoy the last of the nice warm weather. You can enjoy the animals at the County Fair,(wash your hands), pick some big red apples, or ride up into the mountains and have a picnic while taking pictures of the colorful hills. The future is near with those bitterly cold days and the ferocious northern winds that will force us to don heavy clothes, hats and mittens. So love October while it last.
WHAT AGE IS IT ?
In 1969 a popular musical group called the ” 5th Dimension” released a song called ” The Age of Aquarius”. The lyrics of the song said we would soon be entering into a time of love, light, and humanity. It predicted that peace will guide the planets and love will move the stars.
If you watch and listen to the nightly news it would appear that the age we are headed for is one of darkness, an age of hate and fear. A time of less civility and loss of respect for others that are not like us. We do have a problem, we must be sure that we are not a part of the problem for we have been taught to be a nation that loves , not hate. I long for the days of Aquarius , when practically everyone I know will respect each other and one another’s beliefs.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME !
Yes, this month is my birthday. Lots of my friends and family are Libras. I wonder if it has anything to do with January being one of the coldest month of the year in Maine. When I was born the telephone was on the wall and it had no rotary dial. The president was FDR, and you could get 5 gallons of gas for a dollar. In music it was the Era of the Big Bands and we only had 48 states. There has been a lot of changes, and a lot of birthday parties. I’ve opened hundreds of birthday cards and ate lots of birthday cake of various shapes and colors. Now I’m only semi-excited about another birthday right around the corner.
Conversely , kids birthday’s celebrations are fine, it needs to go along with all the other fun days that they love : Christmas, Hanukkah, Tooth Fairies, Easter, etc.but for me it has come a time to give up childish things. It’s time to deflate the ball just like Tom Brady would.So please to all my faithful readers, resist that urge to run out and buy me that expensive gift.
The one gift that you can give me , the greatest gift of all, and you all can do it. This month sometime find a person in need and help them. Regardless of their gender, age, geography, or politics they need a little help. In our lifetime at some point we all needed some help from others. So please be one of those unselfish “others”. Just look around they are all around us. And Thank You for my Birthday Gift.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO ?
Imagine that Bill Gates called up and asked you out to lunch. Over the salad he hands you an envelope and says , ” I have reached a point in my life where I no longer needs wealth. So you can have this it is all ours “. You open the envelope and inside find a check made out to you for TEN MILLION Dollars. So what would you do ? Think about it and write back to me and next month I will tell you what my readers would do :
Give it back ?
Accept it Gratefully ?
Give it away ?
Feel that you don’t deserve it ?
Call your Lawyer and Financial Adviser first ?
Give the church 10%
Share it with whom ?
I’M THE LUCKIEST MAN IN THE WORLD
My life, my whole life, has been filled with the most wonderful ,beautiful people. I started a list of all the people, past and present, that at some point in my life did so much good. It was amazing, the list went on for pages and pages. So many of you were on that list. My wife Ellen topped the list for she does so many wonderful things every day to make it better then the last. I look at my children and grandchildren and they are the best. My daughter, my three sons, what great parents they are, just special young men and woman. I would love to tell you about all the great ones on the list but there is not time or space to do it on an e-mail.
I will choose to mention what a small group of friends that I have had over the years. We meet every Thursday afternoon and set around a happy hour table at DiMillo’s, the boat”. Over the years these guys have helped me, they have encouraged and supported me,as I have them. I have to smile when I think of you and my past and how special and unique you have made my life. You are the best and I will keep you in my heart, mind and words. For you are that special person who treats each other with love and respect. God Bless you.
THE END
Well that’s it for this month. I hope that the Dumpster finds it way to you this time. I wish that the rest of October warm sunshine will shine upon you and nothing but good things will come into your life. Most of all may you have something to laugh about each day, keep smiling.
Your friend always, Dale