Saturday, October 3, 2015

Bob Marley. Plus Reflections on Love

Bob Marley

Well, Thursday, October 1st meant the start of a new calendar month. Which means September 2015 was the first full calendar month since the passing of my beloved grandfather. As I neared the end of my morning jog I was hit by this fact. With tears running down my cheek, I asked, "Does it get any easier? I miss you so much, G-Pop." Less than an hour and a half later, he would answer me in his typical humor.

For those who don't know, my grandfather is originally from Maine. Since his passing there's been one special memory constantly replaying in my mind. When I was 16 years old I went along with him and a family friend on a canoe trip in Maine. It was a special moment for me because I was the only family member along with him. I carried his canoe through the Maine woods, over rocks and hills, for over a mile as we portaged from one creek to the next.

One of my grandfather's favorite treats from Maine is a soda that is uniquely "Maine." It's called "Moxie." It's actually the oldest soda brand in the country but can pretty much only be found in Maine. The taste is very different, definitely an acquired taste. But I grew to love it, and he would often have some at his house in Pennsylvania that he'd bring back down with him from his trips to Maine.

So as I drove in to work on the morning of October 1st, 2015, I randomly broke out singing "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley. I haven't heard the song for years, and as I finished I said to myself, "Where the heck did that come from? Why am I singing that song?" I found it especially strange being that I had a totally different song stuck in my head for the past few days, not even the same genre.

Then I changed the radio station to the Paul & Young Ron Show on Big 105.9 Miami. They had a guest comedian in studio. I'd never heard of the man before, but then he started making references to New England and more specifically, Maine. They then said his name: Bob Marley. I Googled "Bob Marley Comedian," and surely enough, his name is even spelled the same way as the reggae legend. His YouTube page calls him "Maine's King of Comedy." And to top it all off, he began talking about Moxie and a Maine YouTube sensation, of whom I'd never even heard up to this point, "Little Peter the Moxie Boy." (Again, Peter being my birth name)

Leave it to my grandfather to use comedy to speak to me from the other side. Yes, I miss you dearly, G-Pop. Thank you for letting me know you're still with me.

Reflections on Love

The past few weeks I've been pretty quiet, just keeping to myself. Living and enjoying every moment. One thing I've been reflecting on, as usual, is love. More specifically, a description of love as defined in 1 Corinthians 13: "Love always believes the best." This doesn't mean that love is naive. This means that love, considering its relationship with truth, sees through the ego and deception and sees the higher self. Love sees the best in a person in spite of their flaws and shortcomings. Not only does love see the best in a person (including oneself), but love is fully devoted to nurturing and bringing forth the best in a person. Nothing delights me more than to see my loved ones walking in their fullest potential, being the person they were created to be. This is what love does.

That's all for now. Love.