Good Vibrations!

As a student at Hyde Park High School in Chicago, we prided ourselves on the fact that Aviator Amelia Earhart and Comedian Steve Allen had gone there. The other day, I decided to do a little fact-checking and yes, Wikipedia confirmed that the illustrious Amelia Earhart did walk those hallowed halls and graduated from there in 1916. She continually mystifies the aviation world who are determined to find out what happened to her and Noonan on that ill-fated flight. 

We also, bragged about being ranked as 17^th in the nation back then, during the volatile 1960’s. Amid the war, we had state-winning cheerleaders who reminded us that SUCCESS, is the way to spell success at Hyde Park High. That mnemonic devise still rings in my ears and has sustained me over the decades. 

We also had many local greats that graduated from Hyde Park High such as Herb Kent, the Kool Gent. He reminded me that I was indeed a boss feznecki, (a good –looking girl) when I was going through the insecure pre-teen years. He interjected these hilarious stories with his silky-smooth voice as he played the latest hits on the radio. 

We had great leaders and teachers who led the young charge such the memorable Timuel Dixon Black, my cousin, Johnella Wells and the tiny sheriff/ assistant principal, Ms. Stacker. (We all feared her and we often went in the opposite direction if we heard she was in the hallway.)  Others such as Ms. McElroy (English), Ms. Marva Lee (PE), Ms. R. Johnson (English), Mr. Schwab (Science) all dot the lengthy list of teachers who guided us, admonished us, and steered us towards the finish line. 

Brian Doyle wrote, “A great deal of who she really is are stories we do not know, stories she may or may not share, stories perhaps even she does not know the meaning and shape quite yet. People are stories, aren’t they?” (Martin Marten) Thus, I share this story of some of the experiences from a place that truly shaped me in multiple ways. Hyde Park High helped me build upon a good foundation and walk on into the future singing the Beach Boys, ‘Good Vibrations!’ 

Lynn M. 
November 27, 2021 

Inner Wealth

We hear many conversations about generational wealth. It would indeed be great if that wealth was there to pass on to the next in line; however, if the funds are not there, it is another kind of wealth to be shared with others.

It is called inner wealth. It may not be a dollar amount, but the quality makes it priceless.  It too takes time to amass and is quite comparable to building blocks on a solid, sturdy base. Its effects are both far-reaching and permanent!

Once the rust of growth pains have been somewhat scraped away or subsided, a huge mountain of wealth appears on the horizon. That inner wealth include a wealth of knowledge attained over the roads of life’s meandering journeys; a wealth of compassion and love to share with those that are hurting and a wealth of relation-building with those who have touched our lives. 

That inner wealth also includes the consulting of experts and gurus who took the time to write down instructions for future followers. They left us pebbles of wisdom behind to guide us in applying financial laws or meditative techniques to help us remain calm during harrowing times. We can always re-visit their writings by reviewing our highlighted and underlined directions in our tattered books.

And quite like a pot of gold sitting at the end of a fresh rainbow, we realize that we have a lot to give, share and disseminate to others. Those with open ears, open hearts and open minds are ready to receive the gifts of our inner wealth.  For them, we scoop up a big heaping of what we have and blow it to those who are saying, “Yes!” with open arms.

Lynn M.
November 20, 2021

Judge Not the Former!

We should not judge others based what they did decades ago unless there is a repeated pattern of behavior. Just as Paul emerged from being Saul in the Bible, many people do evolve and grow into more enlightened souls. 

We are not the same persons that we were many years ago. That was a stage in the process of a personal evolution like the phases of a leaf. Hopefully, everyone becomes a better person who is more sensitive to the needs of others over the years. That is hopefully. 

Myriad experiences are like those pinions of light that change, alter, and heighten our decision-making. Quite like walking the labyrinth, people cross our paths to assist, help and open our minds whether through teaching, pain, or shock. Either way, we are made new and are no longer our former selves. 

When curious about someone’s inner ticking’s, we must remember that no one entirely knows anyone; not even families, friends nor spouses. We may know some aspects of a person, but we are a composite of years of living and walking this earth with many secret storage spaces. 

However, there is an invisible thread that runs true within people. If they were go-getters, that will more than likely remain to be true. Whatever lies deep within will continue to crop up over and over unless a deep cleansing takes place. Unfortunately, most people are not willing to take the time to get rid of the tarnish nor admit that there is a need to do so. It takes a lot of elbow grease and hard work to get a new shine.  

Lengthy periods of isolation, solitude, listening and admitting of shortcomings are required for those who genuinely want to become their better selves. They can then bunny hop forward on the number path of life, make new strides, and enter newer worlds as they leap higher and sprint onward!

Lynn M.
November 13, 2021

The Tally!

As we tally the fruit in our cornucopias, 
We delight in our gains from hard work. 
A feeling of calm permeates our being, 
As we begin to forget the pains of toil, 
The tears of anguish and tenseness from anticipation. 

We count it all joy because it is harvest time! 
We look over our inventory and do the checks. 
Things balance out as we stay on the path of rightness. 
We have kept our noses to the grinding stone 
And as Phoebe Snow sang, we now “Cash It All In.” 

As we smile for miles, we tarry forth, 
With a certain lightness of Spirit. 
We might even inaudibly hum a sweet tune, 
Or hear a timeless hymn singing to us 
Such as Blessed Assurance! 

Lynn M. 
November 6, 2021