As a Military dependent, I lived with my parents (both WWII military veterans) in Germany after the war ended, along with my older siblings, Kathy and Gary, eventually welcoming our sweet little Germany-born sis, Janet , in 1960. As a little kid, the memories stuck with me easily of the little town we first moved into, Zweibrucken. Just recently, I was made aware of a series of incredible color films (on You Tube) from 1945 (just a dozen years or so before we moved as a family to Germany). For years these films were listed as “Top Secret”. A professional Hollywood film director was charged with collecting these images.
Our small town STILL showed the effects of being bombed & shattered… and still the German women cleaned and stacked bricks for reuse in future buildings.
As Susan and I watched this incredible Special Film Project 186 (a 16mm 42-minute color series of episodes - youtu.be/T3Kl-CpBhEc?si=Oh0GZm-N-CfZF1Se ) we both were stunned by how real the “home movies” are - capturing the day-to-day happenings as WWII came to an end. How the conquered German civilization STILL woke up each morning, dressed for the day in their finest clothes to go get food and water. It’s a must-see, if you’re a history fan, as we both are! Kudos to Roopa and Paul Dearing for letting us know about these many episodes. ... See MoreSee Less
Every so often Susan and I are reminded about the “small things done greatly” aspect of our lives. Having been with Focus on the Family for a decade, run for US Congress in 2000 and helped so many ex-addicts and ex-inmates over the years, there’s a common human tendency to traffic in the world of numbers. How many this… how many that.
What gets lost often in the bigness of plans is the smallness of love. One person. One family. One dog.
This past week we almost lost our precious pup, Cory, (short for Coriander). He may have had a stroke, we’re not sure. But he was lifeless this past Sunday morning and we thought he was either “going or gone”. Sadness enveloped us completely. (For those pet-lovers who have ears to hear, let them hear…) As time and patience proved, Cory “soldiered on”.
The depth of sadness and potential loss was overwhelming. It was a sadness we were not unaccustomed to. We’ve felt death in our house, with its permanence overflowing everything.
We’ve also had four dogs in almost 49 years of marriage: Cinnamon, Sugar, Cocoa and Coriander. They tend to occupy diverse territories in our hearts…
And Coriander STILL lives. And we are smiling still, realizing the level of love and appreciation we’ve had for Cory for almost 9 years remains with us as well.
Having lost our oldest son, Nate, 17 years ago, having miscarried a child between Nate and Meg, having the love of ALMOST ALL our pets come to an end at vets’ clinical offices over the years, all the brokenness of death STILL surprises me when it knocks at our door. This week, we told it to go away. ... See MoreSee Less
Hi all! This post is my final post inviting friends and family to join us next next March 2027 nextyearjerusalem.com on a Footsteps Of Paul Cruise. Deposits have to be in by August 22nd, so I decided to let everyone know NOW - in case, like so many - you’ve shown interest in going but have been super slow to decide. We’d love to have you with us - and we’ve made so many CREATIVE options for you to join us. Bucket list trip for you like it is for my bride, Susan? Come aboard! Click the link and read up on it. ... See MoreSee Less
Day 2, Fri, March 19: Arrive Athens, group transfer to the Titania hotel or similar (if your flight arrives at a different time you'll take a taxi to the hotel on your own account), dinner and overnig...
As a Military dependent, I lived with my parents (both WWII military veterans) in Germany after the war ended, along with my older siblings, Kathy and Gary, eventually welcoming our sweet little Germany-born sis, Janet , in 1960. As a little kid, the memories stuck with me easily of the little town we first moved into, Zweibrucken. Just recently, I was made aware of a series of incredible color films (on You Tube) from 1945 (just a dozen years or so before we moved as a family to Germany). For years these films were listed as “Top Secret”. A professional Hollywood film director was charged with collecting these images.
Our small town STILL showed the effects of being bombed & shattered… and still the German women cleaned and stacked bricks for reuse in future buildings.
As Susan and I watched this incredible Special Film Project 186 (a 16mm 42-minute color series of episodes - youtu.be/T3Kl-CpBhEc?si=Oh0GZm-N-CfZF1Se ) we both were stunned by how real the “home movies” are - capturing the day-to-day happenings as WWII came to an end. How the conquered German civilization STILL woke up each morning, dressed for the day in their finest clothes to go get food and water. It’s a must-see, if you’re a history fan, as we both are! Kudos to Roopa and Paul Dearing for letting us know about these many episodes. ... See MoreSee Less
Every so often Susan and I are reminded about the “small things done greatly” aspect of our lives. Having been with Focus on the Family for a decade, run for US Congress in 2000 and helped so many ex-addicts and ex-inmates over the years, there’s a common human tendency to traffic in the world of numbers. How many this… how many that.
What gets lost often in the bigness of plans is the smallness of love. One person. One family. One dog.
This past week we almost lost our precious pup, Cory, (short for Coriander). He may have had a stroke, we’re not sure. But he was lifeless this past Sunday morning and we thought he was either “going or gone”. Sadness enveloped us completely. (For those pet-lovers who have ears to hear, let them hear…) As time and patience proved, Cory “soldiered on”.
The depth of sadness and potential loss was overwhelming. It was a sadness we were not unaccustomed to. We’ve felt death in our house, with its permanence overflowing everything.
We’ve also had four dogs in almost 49 years of marriage: Cinnamon, Sugar, Cocoa and Coriander. They tend to occupy diverse territories in our hearts…
And Coriander STILL lives. And we are smiling still, realizing the level of love and appreciation we’ve had for Cory for almost 9 years remains with us as well.
Having lost our oldest son, Nate, 17 years ago, having miscarried a child between Nate and Meg, having the love of ALMOST ALL our pets come to an end at vets’ clinical offices over the years, all the brokenness of death STILL surprises me when it knocks at our door. This week, we told it to go away. ... See MoreSee Less
Hi all! This post is my final post inviting friends and family to join us next next March 2027 nextyearjerusalem.com on a Footsteps Of Paul Cruise. Deposits have to be in by August 22nd, so I decided to let everyone know NOW - in case, like so many - you’ve shown interest in going but have been super slow to decide. We’d love to have you with us - and we’ve made so many CREATIVE options for you to join us. Bucket list trip for you like it is for my bride, Susan? Come aboard! Click the link and read up on it. ... See MoreSee Less
Mansfield's Tour - Greece, Greek Islands, Israel
nextyearjerusalem.com
Day 2, Fri, March 19: Arrive Athens, group transfer to the Titania hotel or similar (if your flight arrives at a different time you'll take a taxi to the hotel on your own account), dinner and overnig...