Christmas 2013

Every year at Christmas, I rewrite my Eulogy.
It is an exercise in forgetting who I was in order to remember who I am.
I am never surprised each year by the gift of change.

Here at Louieland..... it was the year of redefining, questioning the quest......and  the repainting my self portrait in more than fifty shades of gray.
I’ve been to  OZ and back. I’ve channeled Dorothy to The Wicked Witch of the West.......wishing that my house could have landed on more than a few scarecrows.
I learned to surrender on my own battlefields...... to wave my delicate white lacy hanky....... surrendering crucifixion to resurrection.

There are three things I do everyday..... that haven’t changed.
1) I never miss a  Sunrise.
2) I never miss a sunset.

They are a reminder that beauty is always standing there in front of me. It is just taking the time to be with God. I now see the fire as a blessing:
Without a roof or ceiling ,I have a far better view of the moon and stars.

3) I never forget to pray every morning.
I say the same prayers for the same people who have come before me: my parents, their friends, and people past and present who have made my life so much richer: It is a long list of names but their ever presence reminds me to be grateful.... amid  the chaos and disenchantment that I face daily.

BUT
I still believe in Santa and
I still believe in “Miracles on New Haven Rd”

This year,I pray for change .....for all of us :Change in our bottom line.
That people are happy...
That our children are cared for.......
And that  life  may move through us with grace.

As usual every New Year’s Eve, I am sitting at home, preparing to rewrite my Eulogy of 40 years.I usually start with  thoughts that  arrive randomly  from far away fairies  and  big burly construction workers from outer space,
 
I will overshare the foreplay to my Eulogy.

2016…. LIFE at LOUIELAND
Louie in a Nutshell:

It is sometimes difficult to have clarity when your windows are still covered with mason and sandblasting cement…. from the endless reconstruction of the fire aftermath.

The World is in desperate need of a collective human renaissance.
We are bombarded with too much information  and too much chatter that is nurturing unrest in  our souls. There is nothing feeding our hearts. We are starving for balance.  The voice of fear has become louder than the voice of love. We are more educated and make more money, yet we have less common sense and less time to  spend the money we make. Our standard of excellence, has been replaced by mediocrity.We have been homogenized, anesthetized, phamaceuticalized, Gieco-ized, Subway-ized and Pizza-Pizza-ized ….more than you can shake a Cialis  stick to. Handwritten “thank you notes “are almost extinct as  is cursive writing… once used by ancient civilizations of the 20th century. I miss  the simplest of times….. when war was just  a game of cards.

When your parents and their friends have transitioned to the other side, Christmas and New Years become just  ordinary days.The Italian and European traditions that were once lovingly  and religiously guarded by women of pioneer stock, like  my Mama …are nearing extinction.
Never take for granted the times you sit with your family at the dinner table.

I  was taught that God CREATED the heaven and earth in 7 days…. and I was CREATED in God’s likeness…. that is, if one believes the doctrines of the Roman  Catholic Church. As a recovering Catholic, I realized that I could apply this “CREATING principal”  ….. “to CREATING my life”.   I  had forgotten who I was in order to become who I  thought I was supposed to be.  It will be the conversation of next years Christmas letter, so stay tuned to  “As The Louie World Turns.”

I watched one night of TV this year…… and between the election and the Viagra commercials, I had an epiphany: it was the year of election and erection.
Election ……Erection……..Election ……Erection
I thought…..”Either way you look at it……. we are getting F——-ed.”

I have now reached the age where I am almost  everyone’s father and almost half of everyone else’s grandfather.When I am naked in front of mirror... the the former stud muffin  has been miraculously transformed  into a dud muffin. How the hell did that happen ?

Every day becomes a little harder to affect  change and  make other people’s lives better. In my youth, I had an answer for everything.  Now I am a Medicare Dinosaur with a lifetime of experience... and I don’t know a friggin’ thing.
 I was Superman.
 Now I am Supperman…… and like all senior citizens, I can’t wait until the next meal of the day.
On a happy note…..the sun still rises and sets  here in Louieland.
Some of my best friends are still myselves. Peter Pan and I  fly with reckless abandon. I have to keep reminding myself that even dinosaurs have wings. It may not be  pretty……but the  sweet, tiny wings  of the sparrow, no longer serve me.

I still believe in  Santa,
I  still believe that growing  up doesn't mean growing old.
I have become as eternal as the Energizer Bunny on crystal myth……alive well and living in Louieland in the never-ending quest….. for no wife, liberty  and the pursuit of  happiness……….from tree to shining tree.
May this New Year as always , move through us with grace.

Play that funky music, white boy

Louie
XXXXXXXXOOOOOOO

ANYWAY
Attributed to Mother Theresa

People are  unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and  true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

The Good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow,

Do good anyway

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, may be destroyed overnight;
Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you help them;
Help People anyway.