Half Time

 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle..."

~ Job 7:6

That was quick. Here we are, at the end of June once again. Tomorrow, July 1, we are halfway through 2026 and on the downslope towards the next new year. The older I get, the more each year passes faster than the previous one. That's both a frightening and exhilarating fact of life.

This annual milestone is a gentle reminder to enjoy the time we have. Carpe diem! Life is good, especially during summer in the air-conditioned USA. Ask any World Cup athlete. They are amazed at the luxury of cool indoor air everywhere they go amidst the season's outdoor heat. Air conditioning is one of the many unacknowledged blessings of living in our country; at least, it was until the grateful overseas visitors called our attention to it. A small thing to Americans is a very big deal to our foreign guests. That's worth remembering in our seasonal travels.

Whatever your vacation plans may be, we all know the time will race by. Enjoy your cool, fast-flying summer!

Summer Reading

If you're a fan of historical fiction, you've probably read some of author Ken Follett's books. I've read a good portion of them, but it's a challenge to keep up with his output. 

I thought I had completed the Kingsbridge Series, but it turns out I'm only four for five. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Kingsbridge Book 5 The Armor of Light came out in 2023. I have some catching up to do.

However, my makeup homework for Kingsbridge will have to wait. I'm currently two-thirds of the way through Follett's The Century Trilogy, ready to start Book 3, The Edge of Eternity. The Century books follow five interrelated families from just before World War I up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Each book is a tome; by the end of the series the reader has consumed roughly 3,000 pages. 

Books that size need to be worth your time, and Ken Follett does not disappoint. The historical details are impressive, especially Follett's skill at weaving true life figures into the story's action. Follett brings the grim and momentous events of the last century to vivid life. He also enjoys tossing in a fair amount of romantic spice, which does contribute to page-turning.

If you're looking for some long-term beach and/or vacation reading this summer and haven't been introduced to Ken Follett's work, give it a go. Fair warning, your summer may fly by even faster than usual.

The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett

Enough Already

The newly released film Disclosure Day from Steven Spielberg is, according to the famed director, about to rattle people of the Christian faith into doubt and disbelief.

Oh, wow. I'm shaking.

Spielberg is a true believer in alien life forms. That's been clear since his 1977 movie Close Encounters, emphasized in the 1982 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Okay, fine. You do you, Steve. But don't flatter yourself that you're about to change the world.

It's apparent to me that Spielberg's understanding of Christianity is shallow at best. For him to predict that a Hollywood movie would challenge a faithful person's belief is a breathtaking display of oversized ego. As my mother might have said, he's got an exalted opinion of himself. 

I have no plans to see this movie in a theatre. I may catch it someday on a streaming platform, if the mood strikes me. My fragile faith is safe for now.

Spielberg thinks he's far more influential and important than he actually is. Pardon me if I can't take the man seriously anymore.

From Pinterest

Remember to Remember

 "We just knew we had a job to do."

~ Sgt. Tom Jensen, D-Day veteran

The greatest tragedy of D-Day would be to forget it.
June 6, 1944

Days Gone Bi

Who remembers the United States Bicentennial anniversary?

As I recall, the entire country went berserk celebrating the occasion. Every state, every city, every town had its own committees of officials and volunteers dedicated to throwing the US a huge birthday party. For at least one year in advance of 1976, there were tee shirts, hats, buttons, Betsy Ross flags, commemorative stamps, coins, mugs, and plates and all kinds of memorabilia everywhere you looked. It was the most festive year in the country that I can recall.

What happened? Considering what a huge national gala the US Bicentennial was, why is our country's upcoming 250th birthday barely mentioned, let alone celebrated?

So many things happened in the past half century to snuff enthusiasm for this special milestone. It's hard to know where to begin. Everything that's gone wrong in the world appears to be our fault, according to so many accusers both at home and abroad. Our politics have become dangerously polarized. But it's more than that.

After all, the United States founder fathers had slaves! There was slavery in the USA! Yes, unfortunately, there was. It is one of our most terrible and tragic mistakes. Not mentioned is the fact that slavery has existed in every civilization. Most often overlooked is the fact that the US is the only country in history where hundreds of thousands of native sons fought and died to eradicate slavery, which they successfully did more than a century and a half ago. 

Also overlooked is the fact that today's mobile phones and sneakers are made by current slaves. I don't hear objections to that, but I digress.

Americans are constantly told that we're racist and sexist, also misogynistic. We hear we are fascistic and Islamophobic, too. It seems no one can quite define these terms with any degree of accuracy anymore, but that's beside the point. The epithets are nasty, and they stick. But they are not true.

If the US is such a miserable place, why does the entire world want to get in? Why don't the ungrateful US residents leave? Because everyone knows this is the best place to be. Being born in the United States is like winning life's lottery--at least, it is so far. At some level, all the naysayers must know this. Ask yourself, would "No Kings" protests be allowed in a "fascist" country? Dear Lefties: Take a moment to think logically before you answer.

The year 1976, the US Bicentennial, was a simpler time. Fifty years ago, Americans looked for the good in our country, and we found it. The good is still there. And I, for one, intend to celebrate this July 4th Independence Day to the max, just as I did the Bicentennial. My only complaint is that "United States Semiquincentennial" is a lot harder to say.

In 1976, the US flag was not "triggering"