Who Needs A Mirror?

Can you feel the pain of a previous generation? Do your ancestors speak to you? Sometimes I run across something that, in the past, would not have bothered me but now, with my newfound genealogical knowledge, causes me to stop and think. Our recent trip had one of those instances (look for a longer post tomorrow about our travels).

“HELP WANTED // NO IRISH NEED APPLY”

This sign really hit me and it nearly stopped me in my tracks when I saw it at the Old Jail Museum in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. It plays on both my heritage and my current employment situation. As many of you know I have been experiencing a great deal of flux in my employment situation. I have been working an hourly job at night to pay the bills (or at least some of them) while I try to land a better paying job preferably in my chosen profession of public relations.

Thousands upon thousands of Irish flooded into the United States during the time of great famine in Ireland during the 1840's and 1850’s. Many were greeted with the sign above and were forced north to the anthracite mines. They worked grueling hourly jobs to do what they could to support their families.

This sign both helped me to bond with the men in my family who fled Ireland, were met by those same signs in Philadelphia, and were forced to work in those same mines.  At the same time, it makes me appreciate all that I have... my situation is nothing compared to what my ancestors had to deal with. This should be motivation to anyone to keep pushing forward; this is my motivation that I will find the right position, we will find the right home, and we can find the right balance.

If you let the sign tell the story you will find yourself in the sign.

George Wallace and a Pitcher of Kool-Aid

Whenever I pull into the parking lot I notice at least a few bumper or window stickers scattered throughout the spaces. Some I agree with, many I don’t. I’m sure that my car is one that makes most residents grumble something disparaging under their breath as they scurry to their vehicles.

What disturbs me about these passive proclamations is that they are all the same. Everyone seems to follow in the same line of thought and opinion. They are so similar that they should just have a big picture of a pitcher of Kool-Aid on the hood of their car with Bill Maher swimming in it.

Also, the assumptions that these Jonestown timeshare holders make are ridiculous with the prime example being that the reason I don’t have an Obama / Biden sticker on my car is because I am a racist. Remember, it is not just about what you support but also about what you don’t support.  In this instance, if harboring a hatred for idiots and a-holes makes someone a racist then call me George Wallace. I don’t think you’re an idiot for supporting them I just think you are misguided and didn’t think about where you were going before you followed the herd off the cliff.   

The most interesting reactions thus far have been ones to a little piece on my back window… they seem confused as to the unfamiliar design so they take a closer look until they finally realize that they are analyzing a NRA sticker. You’d think I had murdered someone and they saw a sign that said that the body was in the trunk. Now that I think about it, maybe that is why I don’t have any dings in my doors. I guess fear can sometimes be a good thing.

What gets lost in the shock and horror above is the that fact that if you look at the other organizations represented in my windows you will find that I am a reasonably educated Mason and Rotarian who volunteers with a group that helps disabled kids. I am such a bad person and I guess you have every reason to fear me. And the fact that these are all represented on a gas only car means I am going straight to hell.

Maybe these people should focus on something else when they stare at my windows. Maybe the real problem is in the reflection. That seems to be the common thread between assumption and judgment. I too need to pay attention to my own reflection even when I know, without a doubt, that they are an a-hole.

Don’t Be Intimidated By A Perfect 10

As Rotarians, like Dudley Moore, we all strive for that perfect 10. Sometimes the results can be as beautiful as Bo Derek. However, they can sometimes more closely resemble something that Dave Letterman recites around midnight.

What we need to keep in mind is that the perfect 10 is a purely subjective number. What may be a perfect list of goals for one club may be disastrous for another.

·        50% Increase in Membership: As a smaller club this is a goal that does not require a huge number of new members. It is generally anticipated that Rotary clubs will lose 10% of their membership every year. As a general rule of thumb, clubs should set the goal to compensate for that loss and add an additional 5 members. Our goal this year will be to add 9 members.

·        150 Hours of Community Service: This figure should be derived from the current membership total. 10 hours of service per member per year is a very low number and should be easily achievable. Of course, this excludes the work that officers put in and organizational hours. This should only include hours at events, hours serving the community.

·        12 New Club Banners: Exchanging banners with other clubs is frequently overlooked by Rotarians however it is essential in strengthening the connections within the Rotary community. We are all working toward the same goals and we can all offer help to other clubs and work with other clubs on projects. This is particularly important for smaller clubs as we can frequently be overlooked. Get out there and visit other clubs… 1 per month should be the absolute minimum and remember not to duplicate existing banners.

·        Networking Events and Local Business Outreach: You have to give something to get something and by providing the community with a networking event and a place to promote their business you can, generally speaking, gain new members. That is reality; you must demonstrate the value that Rotary brings to their business and, by actively involving them, allow the value of service to develop within the new Rotarian. We must promote growth within the individual if we are going to actualize the growth of our club and Rotary as a whole.  

·        New Member 1^st Year Program: Give your new members some guidance by outlining some basic goals for them to reach during their first year. Encourage them to visit other clubs and collecting banners, give them the opportunity to exceed 10 hours of community service, have them bring 10 guests during the course of the year, make sure they give a presentation to the club, send them to RLI to complete Level I. These are some of the basics that will certainly set them up for success. Also recommended is to ensure that their mentors accompany them along the way. Don’t forget to acknowledge those who have met or exceeded the goals.

·        Establishing a Rotaract Club: This has been an ongoing project. This is the year that we are going to get it done. Our focus has been a little off in the past but now we know the right department and the right approach to take. This is a case where we need to make our presence known not only to potentially new Rotarians but also future Rotarians because our present has little value if we don’t have a future.

·        Connecting with After School Programs: How can your club enhance the current after school programs in your area? What better way to impact the next generation in your community than to instill the values of Rotary in each of them and reinforce the fact that they are a valuable part of our community. By being of service to them they will, in turn, be of service to others but setting the example for their community and their contemporaries.

·        Expanding the Literacy Program: Our current program consists of handing out dictionaries to third graders in the local area with recent expansion of the program to consist of an essay contest in those same classrooms. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great program but we can do more and we need to do more to remain in their minds. Start off early by reading to second grade classrooms ("Rotary Clubs Help People" is the perfect book for this project) and expand the essay contest by implementing it as a multi-year endeavor that follows the children as they grow. This can easily be spread across four years by having the children write about the four way test one item at a time. So, instead of one year when they are in third grade you can have an annual presence in their lives for six consecutive years (with the possibility of longer continuous involvement if the aforementioned goals are achieved).   

·        Honoring Veterans and Service Members: Simply put, pay respect to the heroes in your community. Twice a year, the weeks of Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day, invite a veteran or active service member to speak to your club. Let them choose the topic but make sure to honor them for their service as well. Make sure you let them know that they are always welcome at Rotary and their fellow veterans and service members are welcome as well. Rotary is a safe place, a place of peace, a place of service to others. They have already served us so let us return that service to them.

·        Website and PR Overhaul: This is where I am personally going to focus my efforts this year. I am not going to speak much on the PR side as it has been discussed in the last two Rotary related posts (“Don’t Forget The Mint On The Pillow!” and “Either Get On The Card Or Go To The Mattresses!”). However, what was not really discussed was the importance of having your own functional website. It doesn’t have to be pretty (or a perfect 10) but it has to be functional, informative, and look good. Make sure the content is up to date, a schedule is available, list where and when you meet, and have a way for prospects and fellow Rotarians to connect with officers of the club.

Lists are nothing but a sequence of numbers if no action is taken. Careful thought and consideration must be taken to ensure that the members of your club and the officers are on the same page. Whether by vocation, connections they may have, personal motivation, or simply enough time to see it through, match the initiatives that your club has with the member that is most likely to succeed at achieving that goal. And if someone runs out of gas be there to help them push the project forward.

Who Goes To Conshy For A Shoe?

It’s amazing to see the turn out for a district visitation simply to have the honor of taking possession of an old shoe. I guess it’s the simple pleasures (and bragging rights). Regardless of motivation, it’s the fellowship that matters and that is what keeps the Masonic road show going.

Over 80 brothers converged on Conshohocken last night for an evening that was both memorable and entertaining (even without a tiara in sight). With the hall quickly filling up, additional seating had to be brought in to accommodate the capacity crowd. It made it really easy to tell who came in late.

The multigenerational gathering was one that demonstrated the experiential spectrum of the room. Newer brothers were recognized along with those who were celebrating their Masonic birthday all with a wide variety of years as members of the craft. But what highlighted the evening for me were the words spoken by those who were honored for their 25 and 50 fraternal years as it reaffirmed the fact that we are all equal with the same motivation and bond that brought us to Fritz Lodge that night.

It is an honor to hear the words of those with so many years in the fraternity not because of the degrees they may have or the offices they have held but because you can see the lasting impact that the brotherhood has had on their lives. That is a Masonic education that can’t be found in any book and a value that those who have not been raised cannot understand. Those are the words that reinforce the brotherly bond and strengthen the generational ties to each other.

These are the nights that bring to the forefront a connection with the brothers that we never knew and those who are no longer with us. For many of us it also ties us to our Masonic genealogy knowing that the tradition and ceremony has been witnessed and embraced by us all, past and present. And, finally, it shows us the value of what we have, greater than ourselves, that we can pass down to future generations.

I hope that many of you either have experienced this or will experience it in the near future. I encourage all brothers to take the time to reflect on these points both in the lodge and during the normal course of your day. And for those of you who have not accepted the gift of Freemasonry, I encourage you to ask a Mason about their experience and what the fraternity has meant to them. Remember, to be one, ask one.

Episode VII: Another New Hope

This past weekend my wife and I changed our schedule up a little bit and headed out to New Hope, Pennsylvania on Friday instead of Saturday so that she could rest the day before her Color Me RAD 5K on Sunday. New Hope is much closer on the map than some other places we have visited but because of the roads that we had to take it was a considerably longer amount of time on the road (seems like a constant when it comes to places of interest in Bucks County). It’s a good thing we changed our schedule.

The weather was uncooperative all day but we managed to make the best of it by hoping in and out of the numerous antique and nostalgia stores that line Main Street in between our extended explorations of side streets while the sky was dry. Many of these stores were both a great respite from the weather and a severe threat to our bank account as Wizard of Oz merchandise was plentiful. I knew it was going to be a day full of temptation when that wide eyed look came across my wife’s face as soon as we walked in the first store. It's the kind of day that leaves you looking for a place to sit down and rest for a few minutes.

Our visit began by driving around from parking lot to parking lot trying to find a place where the rates were at least somewhat reasonable. Fortunately, the Logan Inn wasn’t too bad and we were able to start our exploration only a block off of Main Street. With the parking situation finally figured out, we then started looking for a place to grab linner (lunch + dinner = linner). Many menus later we settled on a small Mexican restaurant with a handful of patrons sitting outside.

The food and service at The Blue Tortilla was excellent (I recommend the Gaucamole and the Chicken Molé Enchiladas) and the outdoor and indoor dining areas were very nice as well. One thing that did catch me off guard was when we ventured over to the bathroom. It left me asking one question (and I’m sure I’m not the only one): So where would you like me to put it? In summary, the restaurant had excellent food, great staff, clean dining area, but a very questionable request.

After lunch it was time to walk on the bridge a little. Just a little as we didn’t want to venture onto the dark side (also known at Lambertville, New Jersey). Whenever possible, I always like walking over bridges simply because of the view that you get down river (the Delaware River in this instance). It’s a vantage point that always demonstrates both the beauty of the surroundings and the history of the town/city.

Once we paid visit to the New Hope wildlife (at least the ones with wings) we continued our tour of the town. It was at this point when we began to dodge raindrops by weaving in and out of the local establishments. Thankfully I had a tight grip on my wallet so we only came away with a few monetary scratches.   

Our last visit was to the train station. There is something enjoyable for me about seeing old trains at historic train stations. Sometimes just a glance at the antiquated engine can bring me back to a time before I was born.

As we made our way back to the parking lot I noticed the weird taste that the town left in my mouth. Not necessarily bad but not something that I would pick up at the grocery store. It’s a unique place. A very wealth and artsy little town, it seemed like, based on the stores, tourists, and locals, that if the town had a mascot it would be a gay Wiccan hippie dressed up as Glinda The Good Witch. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just isn’t my thing. Honestly what did bother me though was the fact that it seemed like one of those towns where the people who worked in the stores are the same ones that can’t afford to live there.

In reality, it is a place that I’m glad we took the time to see but it is not a place I can’t wait to visit again. While a lot of people really enjoy it there and visit frequently, for me, I classify it as a “no, just visiting” town. Somewhere I would not want to live but, if I happen to be driving by, I would stop for a few minutes.

It’s Official, My Wife Is A Redneck!

Early on Sunday morning, toward the end of my shift, my wife stopped by the front desk before heading off to the Color Me RAD 5K walk/run to benefit the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania (you can read about her experience on her blog here). We talked for a little bit to coordinate our schedules as I pinned her registration number to the back of her clean white shirt. With our timing figured out she was on her way.

As soon as I got off from work I made my way to Fairmount Park to meet my wife at the finish line. While the park is only about 5 minutes from our apartment building, trying to find parking in Philadelphia on a normal day can be a challenge. This was only magnified by the hundreds of people from out of town, out of the state (especially those from New Jersey and New York), and flocks of teenagers and college students.

As expected, a 5 minute drive was punctuated by a 30 minute search for a parking spot. To say it was annoying is an understatement and many deserving expletives were used to describe members of the motorized herd. With the car parked in the gutter I made my way to the start/finish line.

It wasn’t hard to figure out which direction to walk as there was a thick pink haze enveloping the main area that was supposed to be my destination. That was not going to work for me and I quickly responded to a text from my wife and changed our meeting spot to a less lung filling area.

As I watched people walking by having finished the 5k it was interesting to see the reactions on people’s faces. Most were walking back chatting with others and smiling through the colors caked on their faces while a few people had eyes that seemed to question what the heck just happened with expressions of disgust like they had just tried to snort a rainbow. As I waited for my wife I was hoping that she was feeling more like the former rather than the later.

I caught a glimpse of her as she walked across the street to where I was standing. Feeling a little dirty but with a smile beaming on her face, she was crusted with color but she seemed to have had a lot of fun and happy that she participated. In the end, that is all that is really important to me. I just want my wife to be happy.

This was when we began to assess the mess which was the most entertaining part of the morning for me because as she removed her glasses and her bandana interesting patterns of demarcation were revealed. What really got me laughing was when she turned around and I looked at the back of her head. When she did that we discovered the fact that my wife, who has spent her entire life living in the city and suburbs, was now a redneck and a happy one at that.

Maybe next year I will have to walk with her. I am always up for some redneck fun. Stay tuned.

Finding Wisdom At The Playground

Oddly enough, this is the hardest post I have tried to write thus far. It’s not the best written piece but, hopefully, you can understand what I am trying to say without too many words cluttering the screen. In fact, it is a very simple sentiment but it is something that I don’t say enough and needed to finally be put down on the page.

I consider myself very lucky that I take after my father (even the fact that we both attract horrible drivers). I may not be as smart, I may not be as hard of a worker, I may not have any of the athletic ability, I may not be as outgoing but I strive to make myself better. I am thankful that I have someone I can look up to that has shown me how to be a great man and how to be a great father.

I know I haven’t always been the easiest son, I haven’t always made the best decisions, I haven’t always shown how grateful I am but my father has always supported me despite these shortcomings. In times of success and of failure he has always been there for me. And during times when nothing seems to be going my way, like now, I know he is behind me.

I am proud to say that many of the men in my family are the same way. I know that my brother and my brother-in-law would do anything for their kids and, in many instances, have done the same for the rest of the family. I hope that someday I can hold myself in equal measure.

We all have things we can work on and we all have things we wish we could change but, even though it may not always be obvious, we know that family comes first and that is the foundation to our improvement. We all look out for one another even when our own lives may be hectic. We all support one another even when the challenges are difficult. We all want the best for one another especially when it comes to the kids.  

So, make sure to take the time to appreciate your father today and think about how he has shaped your life. Maybe you didn’t have the best father but you can appreciate the fact that it makes you want to be a better parent because of that fact. Or, maybe you’re fortunate to have a great father and you live every day trying to reach that high standard. Either way, take the time to remember.

But also keep this in mind, while many of you may hold the same feelings toward your own fathers I have come to the same realization, which is true during every Father’s Day, that in this instance the playground ascertain from childhood holds true, “my dad is better than your dad!” I know this to be true because my father is the greatest man I have ever known.