ANOTHER "POT POURRI"

“Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.
Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.
Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.” (Romans 16:13-16)

I believe I used the title “Pot Pourri” for a posting quite awhile ago, so I decided to call this “Another Pot Pourri”. I looked up “pot pourri” on the web, and found the following definitions:

“Potpourri is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material, used to provide a gentle natural scent in houses. It is usually placed in a decorative wooden bowl, or tied in small bags made from sheer fabric.”

“Pot-Pourri is an Australian opera/musical theatre group who perform a blend of opera, music theatre, cabaret, magic, didgeridoo and comedy both within Australia and internationally. The artists have all performed with Australia's major musical and opera companies.”

“(French), a hotch-potch.” (or as my late father used to say, “a hodge podge”!)

In regard to my title, I guess I mean it the way the FINAL definition puts it. That’s also the way it’s meant on Jeopardy when the category is “Pot Pourri”.

There are a “million” things on my mind today that I feel like writing about, so I think I’ll just throw ‘em on the table, and if something resonates with you, well that will be great! Here we go:

--- I don’t mean to be so morbid so often, but I woke up thinking of my brother Eddie today. I then suddenly realized this is the day he died: July 8, 1983. Well, to be most accurate, it’s the day he was taken off life support. He was rushed to South Shore Hospital in cardiac arrest on June 29 of that year and spent the remaining time on life support in the I.C.U. Eddie’s kidneys were donated to two kidney patients who were desperately in need of them.

--- Soon Framingham begins its “Every other week Recycling”. I had thought it was starting in July, but it will actually start in September. Critics say people will NEVER know which week the recycling goes out. Others say people are not that clueless; that they’ll put it on their calendars and they’ll know. Well, today on my street, just about every household (except for the Barils and two other households) have their trash out and just sitting there. You see, trash pickup is delayed by one day this week due to the Independence Day holiday. We usually have Thursday as our trash day, but this week it’s Friday. 90% of the street put the trash out on the wrong day... I’m not sure the coordinating of the recycling dates is going to work so well!

--- Politics can bring some surprises. I’m a big “news person” and a big “politically aware” person. Even so, I can be surprised. There’s no perfect candidate for Governor of Massachusetts this year, although I’m leaving toward voting for Independent candidate Tim Cahill. Well, there IS a fourth candidate: “Green-Rainbow Party” candidate Jill Stein. She’s ultra-liberal and is expected to get about 1% of the vote in November. Last night, she was Emily Rooney’s guest on channel 2’s “Greater Boston”. It turns out that Jill Stein is the only one of the four candidates for Governor who opposes legalizing and promoting casino gambling in Massachusetts, as I also do. It also turns out she is NOT happy with the government health care that’s been passed in Mass. or for the whole U.S. for that matter. Jill is a physician who knows it won’t work. I don’t plan to vote for Jill Stein, but this DID remind me that we sometimes “write people off” in life who may have some really good ideas and very helpful things to say.

--- I’m kind of sad that Chrysler Corporation will build its last PT Cruiser on Friday of this week. I have never owned one, but I think they’re really cool cars. The closest I’ve ever gotten to owning one is a MODEL PT Cruiser that’s still sitting in what was my Pastor office at 32 South St. Framingham!

--- I heard that former Boston TV News reporter John Henning died last night at Mass. General Hospital. He was 73. If I am remembering things correctly, I THINK that at various times in his career he worked for channel 7, channel 5, and channel 4. I also think he was anchoring the channel 7 news on one April Fool’s Day in the early 1980s when they announced that the “Blue Hills” located in Milton and Canton had ERUPTED as a volcano, and people believed it! When you hear somebody like that died, BOY does it make you feel old?! And speaking of that, Rex Trailer was once again in Natick’s Fourth of July parade (on the Fifth this year). He’s got to be 85. This is the first year he’s ridden on a float and not on a horse. Like so many baby boomers, I was once on Rex Trailer’s Boomtown, back in the early 1960s.

--- Speaking of the Natick Parade, somebody had a letter in the MetroWest Daily News complaining about the noise of all the fire trucks in the parade. The writer recommended ear plugs at the very least, and I can’t disagree! I wonder if I lose a percentage of my hearing with every one of those Natick parades I attend!

---Before you complain TOO much about the heat, be thankful if you can get out and about. I visited two senior citizens today...both are in rehabilitation facilities after having surgery. One is an 85-year-old man who had a knee replacement, and one is an 81-year-old woman who had a hip replacement. Both were members of First Assembly of God of Framingham until it closed in March. Both are doing well, but are looking ahead to at least another week in rehab. Both can’t wait to get out and about and HOME again, and I can’t blame them! So, when you’re out in the heat, think of these two members of “The Greatest Generation” and say a little prayer for them!

---I just finished off a McDonald’s iced coffee. Boy, was it good! Did you know that the “Newman’s Own/Green Mountain Coffee” we enjoy at McDonald’s is ONLY available in the New England states? So, you midwesterners and others, eat your heart out, but you guys just get the “regular premium blend” of McDonald’s coffee. (That description doesn’t seem too appetizing, does it?!)

--- Finally, speaking of the heat, most of us have air conditioning in our cars and maybe in our bedrooms. Think of people in places like Haiti...many poor who swelter in the heat and who never get a break. I especially think of the Haitians who are still suffering in the aftermath of January’s earthquake, so let’s remember to pray for them and do what we can to tangibly, help, also!

Yes, that’s another pot pourri!