Good Morning All & Happy Wednesday!
We had a great time celebrating my son-in-law’s birthday last night. David is truly one in a billion. A gifted man who is a leader in our family. He exudes confidence and good humor in challenging situations, both at home and at work. He is someone who folks can easily look up to. He has a “can do” attitude…a loving husband & father. He can fix darn near everything…in fact, I can’t think of anything he hasn’t fixed since I’ve known him! Here’s to you David!
Speaking of birthdays, here’s to my niece Annie in West Linn, Oregon, who celebrates her birthday today! Have fun on your special day of celebration. Annie shares a birthday with journalist-author Peter Arnett of CNN fame, who is 85 today; with actor Joe Mantegna of NCIS T.V. series fame, who turns 72 today; with actress-comedian Whoopi Goldberg of “Sister Act”, “The Color Purple” & “Ghost” movie fame, who is 64 today; and with comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who turns 52 today. Here’s to all of you!
Well, today it seems as though our country will be in for a “distasteful” couple of months as Congress plunges into an impeachment process. The current state of affairs in the political world is disgraceful, to say the least. No matter your political party persuasion, if you have one (I lost mine some time ago), our current political leaders seem intent on dragging our country through a divisive ordeal with really no positive outcome in sight. Please understand I am no Donald Trump fan (I didn’t vote for him for President), but unless there is clear and convincing evidence presented that proves his involvement in “high crimes and misdemeanors,” Congress and the President should be focused on the pressing problems of our time and then let the people decide who should lead us after the next general election. Quite frankly, it’s really painful to see our country “shoot ourselves in the foot” like this. Aren’t you tired of all the vitriol and nastiness that is going on from all political spectrums and the media? As they say…”enough is enough.” Let’s get on with making our country the best it can be by tackling the national debt, ensuring the long-term financial viability of Social Security & Medicare, reform our health care system so that costs can truly be brought under control with “best practice models” adopted across the land; achieve lasting immigration reform and ensure an adequate military/defense without engaging in the quagmire of “nation building.” There is so much to do and time’s a wasting! What do you think?
I came across another list that was featured in the recent article in “The Wall Street Journal” entitled “Notes of the Notables”. This one is from none other than Benjamin Franklin. It’s entitled “Plan For Attaining Moral Perfection.” It was written when Franklin was a 20 years old typesetter. Among its entries are “Humility” and in this list he lays out 12 virtues (frugality, industry, moderation) and the ways to attain them (“waste nothing,” “be always employed in something useful.”). According to Franklin biographer Walter Isaacson, a Quaker friend “kindly informed” Franklin that he’s overlooked his tendency to be prideful, overbearing and “rather insolent.” To his credit, Franklin added “humility” to his list, resolving to “imitate Jesus and Socrates.”
I came across the 1969 Topps Football Card for Dave Costa yesterday. Dave was born in 1941 in Yonkers, New York and played high school football at Saunders Trades and Technical High School in Yonkers. He went on to play college football at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado and then at the University of Utah. He was a 7th round pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 1963 AFL draft and played for them, the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos, the Sand Diego Chargers and the again with the Buffalo Bills over an 11 year career. He played defensive tackle. He originally chose to play for the Oakland Raiders over the Los Angeles Rams, primarily because Raiders’ Coach & General Manager, Al Davis, told him, “You are going to be so great they’ll have to build another bridge to handle the crowds that come to see you play.” His longest stint was with the Denver Broncos, where he was defensive team captain for the five seasons he played there. Broncos’ coach Lou Saban once said “we could use a dozen more Costas.” In 1970, he and the Broncos defense set 15 club records and Costa was credited with 66 tackles and 11 quarterback takedowns. His brother, Paul Costa, played tight end for the Buffalo Bills when they won the AFL Championship in 1965. Dave was featured in “Sports Illustrated” multiple times, perhaps the most interesting instance of which profiled Dave Costa’s All-Stars—the Broncos’ off-season basketball team. Dave Costa died at the age of 71 in 2013 due to leukemia. Here’s to Dave Costa!
Here is the word for the day:
Cupidity: “Intense desire for riches and wealth…”form of greed; desire to possess more than one needs.” Many in our world have an unhealthy preoccupation with cupidity, don’t you think?
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“The clothes that I design and everything I’ve done is about life and how people live and how they want to live and how they dream they’ll live. That’s what I do.”
—Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer
“Who am I, that the lord of all the earth would care to know my name…Would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the bright and morning star would choose to light the way…For my ever wandering heart?
Not because of who I am…But because of what you’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done…But because of who you are
I am…a flower quickly fading…Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean…A vapor in the wind
Still…you hear me when I’m calling…Lord, you catch me when I’m falling
And you’ve told me who I am…I am yours…”
—Casting Crowns, “Who Am I”, from the album “Live From Atlanta” (2004)
Here’s to a great Wednesday and lots of love & good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)