Fourth of July Weekend

Planning a vacation, especially one involving travelling during the 4th of July holiday always gives one a  feeling of trepidation, especially if your not fond of wall to wall traffic. Although I do drive, my husband usually is in charge of getting us there and back, safely. We take my car, of course, to give us the option of drivers, leaving at daylight in order to take in all the scenes along the way.

We were just about there, that is just about to enter New Hampshire, well on our way to Maine, when I spotted two eyes looking at me--the eyes of a huge deer. He was determined to come at us, even though my husband, upon hearing me say "there's a deer in the road", looked to his left to see if a car was approaching on his side, tried to avoid the approaching large animal, jurking the wheel left, while applying the brakes, unsuccessfully.

I heard the impact, and recalling nothing else, we pulled over to the side of the road. The state police, having been called, and arriving in no time at all, reassured us that it was not our fault. The deer apparently come to the road seeking salk in the winter and are amused with the vehicles, giving chase, he said. Accordingly, deer accidents are frequent, especially this year, a year of abundance.

The unexpected had happened, and now we were left to pick up the pieces. A very kind person driving a black truck was behind us. He recalled seeing the huge buck fly over our car, having been hit, and apparently, he moved it to the side of the road. I did not see it. Luckily, he was back far enough to avoid the hit himself.

Some people will not approach to find out if "everyone is okay" as he did. We are thankful all and all for many blessings that day, especially for the kindness of the officer and the "stranger." Our car was able to be driven back home, and after a couple of weeks, was repaired by our dealership.

It took us about twelve hours to reach our destination, exhausted and ready for the vacation that we planned.

John and I believe we were protected, and that our prayers that morning were heard, saving us. I prayed for a safe journey, but I forgot to say safe and without incident. It happened so fast, we did not have time to say a prayer, but we were, as I recall, in a complete state of peace. God was with us. The costly inconvenience did not spoil our vacation, which we planned for, all except the unexpected event. We all have them and they teach us about preparedness. The world is full of unknowns--just watch the news sometime. We must always be ready. We didn't even expect the fire alarm to go off at one thirty at the hotel, causing us to evacuate from a sound sleep.

The man who stopped, having witnessed the entire event, and after having viewed the damaged car, responded with a simple sign of the cross. It was then that we realized who had sent him.

Fishing

Fishing is a special sport.  It's not for everyone but little Ryan had been dreaming of going fishing on Memorial Day since his brother, Nate and Dad went on a scout-sponsored adventure, at a local fish and game club, not far from their home. That evening, Ryan was disappointed that he couldn't go but also was looking forward to his turn at it in Charlton. He is a boat person, while Nate loves aircraft. It's funny what you can learn from a small child. Fishing is one of those things in which you can determine what kind of man your child will turn out to be. Maybe it's an old wives tale, but, from where I sit, it holds true.

You can tell how patient a person will be and certainly how determined. Sometimes, it's just pure luck. And, as luck would have it, it seems that just about as quickly as Ryan cast out from shore, he had hooked one. Being the careful listener that he is, he managed to bring the catch in, and with the help of daddy, got to eyeball the big one. Of course, he was extremely excited about it, as people surrounded him to view his prize. Mom, was trying to snap a picture, which Nate, would have and has, posed for. But Ryan, no way. We heard something like disappointment that there would not be a picture of his first catch, as Ryan decided that it must go back, quickly.

This three-year-old was thrilled as it flapped all over suspended in mid-air, dangling from the line. Daddy suggested that he touch the kiver. Some kids, under no circumstances, will. But Ryan did.

Since we do not eat kivers here, we knew it would be thrown back in. Daddy did the honors while Ryan and Nate watched. Away it went, as fast as it could swim.

That day, Ryan demonstrated character. It was a moment of distinction. Ryan-- the brave and lucky fisherman! Next, it'll probably be, how big and how many? That is, if memory serves me right.

When You Can't See The WAY

(From the Pentecostarion, Sunday May 25) we learn of a man who was born blind from birth who is looking for answers. Was it something he had done, or maybe his parents-- "Or am I a living sign of the people's faithlessness?" Whatever the reason, we see that his "feet can no longer endure tripping on the stones." Blindness must be a terrible thing. But without faith, can you have hope?

Sometimes children ask questions over and over like, when is daddy coming home? It seems they have an inner clock and they can sense even without wearing a watch, what time it is. But, certainly the answer must be when he comes home. Like the children, the blind man waited and waited. Until he couldn't wait anymore, as he could "no longer endure."

The words of the blind man "people's faithlessness" certainly rings a bell. Why is it because they lack faith? Not having had proper direction, can one be anything other than blind? Spiritual blindness is worse than being physically blind. The blind man waits and hopes for light, the spiritual blind thinks he's already enlightened. The blind man calls upon Christ God, "look upon me and have mercy on me!" Why would the spiritually blind need to cry out? He thinks there is no God. He can do all things on his own. He's all set, doesn't need anyone. Maybe, you say you don't need religion. Is this by your choice? Maybe, you have NOT been taught the truth and your walking down a blind path, unknowingly. Or worse, apathy has set in and its excuse after excuse. Maybe you have a little faith, just enough.

The blind man says, "He is truly the Christ, the Messiah Whom Moses foretold in the Law. He is the Savior of our souls!" Could there be any doubt that this man, had received a true healing, both physical and spiritual?

None of us are perfect, and we are given direction by "the" Church which leads us away from spiritual darkness, into the light. This faithless generation is filled with much darkness,  unable to see the light, being blinded by so much deception. There will be consequences.

We should be more like the blind man who revealed: "I am not content to continue asking whether it is night or day."

It was interesting what his neighbors had to say. "His neighbors asked him: "Who opened your eyes, which no one could heal before?"

The Church is there to reveal Jesus to you. Come and see. Come and be changed!

We the people vs WE THE PEOPLE

We are all taxpayers with a different opinion. Some choose to live in a backward mentality and then, there are the rest, forward thinking residents. The June ballot will mandate our choice. There are two choices. Can we afford to err on this critical decision for our town? One wrong move could see us back in the stone ages with a type of government which has been obsolete here since the sixties. Our population demands that we not go back to anything less than what a small city needs to provide its residents. Our budget cost reflects our residential number. Our infrastructure mandates fiscal responsibility and provides our people commodities that other smaller towns, who surround us, are unwilling to extend to its people. We just do not compare. In fact, they look to us. We are the headquarters for many establishments. It's simple, we need services and services cost us. We need creditable people to maintain our municipal government. Our government type is right for us and offers us a format to discuss issues. We can and do choose our council members.

Is it any wonder that some will go to any length to become elected in this town, (city), having run previously and lost? Some seeking election, have previously tried to sue their own town, have the nerve to be placed on the election ballot, once again.

The fact is, if they want change, they can have it by simply moving to one of the little towns, who offer little or nothing for their tax dollar. That's really what they are seeking, isn't it? Or, maybe it's  power, as they know what is best for us.

Some people just don't know when they have it good. Apathy, and negative attitudes have been blamed for the downfall of many good intitutions. Let it not be ours.

D'oh...Is this is a No-Brainer

Recently, while reading the evening news, and particularly the letters to the editor, my impulse is to respond, as I can no longer stifle that "inner voice." One question read was "Do we want to continue the path we are on, or do we want change?" My level-headed answer is: What will change look like? Why was it necessary in the first place? How can we trust people who cannot get their facts straight? One article said not one of the towns, (our neighbors) Sturbridge and Charlton are economically depressed, and are, flourishing. It said "we were known as the Tri-Community." We are still known as a Tri-Community, and still have, as far as I know, a Tri-Community Chamber of Commerce. (Was this person implying that because we changed our type of government, (and they didn't) we made a mistake, and not to correct it, by going back, means to fail? That we are not flourishing?) Just look at what we do have and at all our accomplishments....Its time people see what a great town Southbridge is.

The editorial was entitled, "No 'red flags' over petition, just red, white and blue." In this article the writer implies that we as a voting town were never told "that we would become a city" and that we were upset. "Bull"! Where does he get the right to suggest how we feel? We became a city out of need, due to our growth, and, we are recognized by The Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office as a "legal city". Simply, have we "out grown" our Town Meeting type of government? We are known as "the city known as the Town of..." getting it's label from population, according to the taking of census. Our population is 16,719 as recorded in 2012. We are by all account a "small city". (No town with a population of less than 12,000 may adopt a "city" form of government).

There are no flawed observations here, just facts. We are unique, not to be compared to our neighbors. The town of Sturbridge, for an example will decide on the fate of their budget on June 2, of $28.7M, "Southbridge Evening News", --having an open town meeting form of government, Town Administrator, and five selectmen. Here's the difference they couldn't become a city if they wanted to, with a population of just over 2 thousand people. Charlton, with the same structure, will be looking at a budge of $23.7M according to "Telegram.com" Sun., May 18, 2014. The census placing their population several years back at 12,981. Could they become the next to adopt a "city form of government"? In my mind, they are notably in a progressive state, have and are making plans for expansion. Another term for our ailment is called "growing pains". Call it what you will, but how can you go back. We move forward, not backward or suffer consequences. We are obligated to each other. We must work for what is best for our town and not be swept away with the current, only to drown, from having lost control, by falling prey to a petition that would return us to the past, which we realized no longer worked for us and was remedied in 1974, according to the Massachusetts Municipal Government Directory. We have a legislative body which consists of a town council of nine and a town manager. We get what we vote in.

Differences that  can be seen from the data available,  is the financial status of the three towns. We have the largest unemployment rate of approximately 9.9, while our median resident age is comparable, 35-41. Household income here is around $50,000 a yr. while Charlton is about $80,000 a yr. An estimated condo or house in the year, 2011 was valued at $300,489. in Sturbridge, while Charlton's homes were valued at $275,460 in 2012. The median Home Value in Southbridge is $155,200. We still have many three-deckers in this town, while the other two towns do not have many, if any. Our downtowns have no similarity. We have a hospital, full-time fire, ambulance and police departments. YMCA, trash curbside pickup and recreation, a new school and much more. We have, and supply our own Water system. That is Big, people...And, an airport!

While it was suggested that we are Tri-Community, we are, and have been in fact, very unique and different from our neighbors. Like, apple and oranges. It is what it is. Don't kid yourself, our neighbors have relied heavily on us because of our RESOURCES.

The situation we are in has little to do with anything but the fact that we need a tax-base adjustment, meaning more revenue. The money to function (pay the bills) must come from other than its residents alone. Our councilors pay the bills too, need anyone forget that. We need to establish new business. What can we do to bring in new enterprises, stores, restaurants, hotels, industry? Until that happens, we are going to just "pay the bills", like it or not. We have Potential....lots of it. Lets get that message out there.....

We have elected people to answer to us the voters, and we have a format to ask them the questions. These are the facts as presented. We do not need the proposed change of government some are seeking. Growing populations demands more services and result in increased costs. We live in an area in which the cost is 9.30% higher than U.S. average. Labor market suggests we are over and above the 6 per cent unemployment figure. All that adds up to hardship, sadly and unfortunately. Let's begin by being a good neighbor.

The petition is NOT the win-all that some claim it to be. Frankly, when someone says in an editorial that "I" have answered some of his questions", I say to myself who is this person and what authority has he imposed on himself? Does he represent "The O'Zone" pictured hand with six fingers that shows to many of us, what does not add up? This is more than flimsy, and sloppy. It again proves which direction we are to follow, not a backward approach. It is not realistic..it will not make it go away nor is it for betterment.

Take a good look at our beautiful Southbridge. The only real problem here, is attitude. We should adopt a new slogan and attitude at the same time. We were always looked well upon. The "All America City"...Stand up for what is good. That is: "Learn to see" what is in front of you. Aren't we known as the "Eye of the Commonwealth"? No reason to be blind sighted here now. No, not in our Southbridge.

Evacuation!

It came as a total surprise. My husband, John and I were sitting in a back row of a theatre with another couple, intensely watching spider man and bingo, the emergency lights went on and a laser type of white light flashed indicating our need to evacuate. We were stunned!

This was the first time that its happened to us while at the movies, and at first, we thought it was a drill. Drills happen all the time, like the time we went to visit my brother in a Worcester hospital, and while sitting in the small cafeteria, having lunch, bingo the system was activated. The difference,  was the loud speaker announced that this was a test and that there was no need to leave.

Apparently, this was not a test. We probably were among the last to leave theatre four and following the crowd out of the door, left of the screen, found ourselves moving forward down  a long hallway with no windows, while the reoccurring sound of danger and frightful white blinking light beckoned to us.

Everyone walked forward, most smiling or laughing, in an orderly way toward the distant EXIT sign. No one heard any message from any loud speaker, apparently, they had also left the building. Should there be sign of smoke or fire, the crowd could run toward the door, and since, we were shoulder to shoulder from others exiting their auditorium, the scene could have been disastrous.

Finally, we left the building, to the cool street crowded with people, but no fire apparatus was present as yet. We waited for a time, not knowing what to expect or what was the cause of our departure from the building. Some joked about the popcorn machine. It was fine. It could have been otherwise, I thought.

Safety officials from the one truck dispatched from the Sturbridge Fire Department, gave the authorization to return, and that was the end of the featured film.

Rain checks will be honored from the ticket stubs and we'll be returning to see the exciting adventure.
No one knows what happened, other than we had an unexpected adventure of our own.

It makes one think. One thing for sure is that we are grateful for state mandates that provided us with the tools needed to evacuate, safely.

Just a Child

Yesterday, Ryan and I were walking just outside the common of the village, The Sturbridge Village that is, facing the meeting house. Learning to be patient is a good quality for even a three-year-old who placed himself at the end of the line, waiting to use the water pump.

There was an abundance of school children all around, having arrived on bus from various states and towns in the area. Each group was properly attired as to the type and color of their clothing, so as not to lose anyone. Everyone seemed to have a guide of some kind, whether it be a teacher or parent.

The historical information available is beneficial to all who wisely understand, that with very little years prior, and as hard as life was in those days, with adherence to the laws at hand at that time, moral values, and a love for God and neighbor, endurance was possible. Nothing was taken for granted. Everything and everyone was appreciated.

On the side of the meeting house is the cemetery, having many infant graves. If nothing else, it places a value on life and all living things are given a new perspective. One just needs to go there to learn, that is, if they are open to its message. Life is a gift.

A group of three girls passed in front of us on that dirt road. I overheard one say to the others, "lets go and see the church." I'm not good at guessing their age, but they were around eight. One seemed to be a little older, but not wiser. I heard her distinctly say, "No, I'm not religious." That comment took me by surprise, but should it have, as it is reflective of many people today.

What exactly do those words imply and, coming from a child? It says to me that she is not open to learn the values of what made this nation great, the love of God and Country. I'm sure she is just repeating what she has heard, possibly at home. It was not enough to just believe in God and the presence of this meeting house (church) made that clear. Worship was a strong part of the lives of the New England settlers.

I can clearly see the past all around here in the Village, with its many offerings of wisdom for those wise enough to see.