Sunrise . . . Sunset . . .

Congratulations, Bridgewater!  We’ve made it through another year.  Although I think that 2012 has been good for many people, perhaps the reality is that it has been an unusually difficult period for most.
 
The Great Recession of 2007/2008 refuses to release its grip, causing financial and emotional pain; and, a great October storm has devastated the New Jersey coastline, seriously disrupting the lives of our neighbors along its length.
 
Nationally, the never-ending cat fights in Washington between the Oval Office and the Congress vis-à-vis the crisis of a non-existent budget, the enacting of temporary financial fixes, and the runaway level of debt – all foreshadow a deepening paralysis of leadership in our nation’s Capital.

Plumbing the Depths of Disgust.

This afternoon, the latest in a series of meetings began at 3:00 pm at the White House concerning the so-called Fiscal Cliff.  Although well-intended at the time, this is a misnomer originally coined by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in one of his speeches.   
 
The term has since been hijacked by the Oval Office, the U.S. Congress; and media outlets of all descriptions.  All three groups have irresponsibly used this appellation to confuse, to intimidate, to scare and, as a result, to further polarize an already jaded, divided and disgusted American public.

Newtown

When Priscille and I first heard of the horrific murders which took place at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the name immediately struck a chord.
 
Newtown, I remembered, is a location that we pass through when we travel to New England.  Part of our route crosses the Nutmeg State in a northeasterly direction, as we connect with Interstate 84 near Danbury.
 
On the way back home, we simply reverse direction, enter Connecticut from the Mass. Pike, and hook up with I-84 south towards Hartford.   
 
Every single time on those trips, we pass over a highway bridge bearing a sign announcing Newtown.  Deep below courses a narrow, dark blue stream dotted with homes along its shoreline.

Superintendent Addresses B-R Community

The following message from Schools Superintendent Michael Schilder is provided to the Bridgewater-Raritan community as a public service announcement.  It was released this evening via e-mail and is also available on the Bridgewater-Raritan School District web site.

Dear Parents, Community, and Staff,

I know this has been a difficult weekend for everyone and Monday will not be any easier. I did want to follow up Friday’s e-blast with more details on how the day and the rest of the week will be handled.

We are going to take a cautious and careful approach with students, especially at the K-4 level. I believe that in times of stress or crisis, children are best served by returning them to the comfort of their normal routines as soon as possible. Therefore, there will be no review of the event and no moment of silence.

“You Can Keep Writing Checks . . .

. . . but eventually, someone has to make a deposit.” 
 
That comment caught my attention Sunday morning, as I listened to Dan Gottlieb’s guest on his early morning program, Voices in the Family, aired on Philadelphia’s NPR radio station, WHYY FM.
 
The show’s topic centered on the issue of personal health, and of how a person can maintain it throughout life only by making periodic “deposits,” such as maintaining good eating habits, regularly exercising, and remaining socially active and engaged.
 
But it quickly came to mind that this compelling adage borrowed from Gottlieb’s radio guest is just as easily applicable to the current fiscal, monetary and budgetary mess bubbling hot within our nation’s capital.

Christmas: Marking an Event that Refuses to Abandon Hope

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent.  It signals the time of year when Christians worldwide prepare to commemorate the birth of Jesus, a child who would grow into an adult whose beliefs and teachings transformed the Roman world and, eventually, the face of Western Civilization. 
 

He is the wellspring of a religion comprising just under 2.2 billion  adherents across the globe.

Although Christianity is in a state of decline in many parts of Europe and faces incipient hostility and ridicule in America, it is holding its own and continues to expand, particularly in nations south of the Equator and in Asia.