Was I, In Heaven?!?!

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.


...I never dreamed we'd meet again this way
You're looking well
I'm not afraid

You have a lovely home
Just like a picture.
No, I live alone
I found it easier~~~In The Winter; Janis Ian(1975)

While I'm running around, with my Dodge Caravan, in a snowfall on Monday, trying to cover some errands,in due course of time, I come to realize that I am no longer in possession of a personal item that I have become very very attached to. Of course, even while I am trying to concentrate on the driving because it is treacherous, the realization of the loss---is a distraction. In realizing the loss, the first thing I do is pull into a lot, and start 'combing' the vehicle interior-area that is within my reach. In my feverish effort to correct the situation, I'm nonetheless, coming up empty-handed.
I decide that I have to retrace my steps. Now here is the thing. There wasn't that many 'steps' to trace, because the weather was drive-prohibitive. I started off my errands, by going to Valvo-Line, to get my wipers replaced. The two-year-old wipers; were shot. The one working the passenger-side of the windshield had actually become a spaghetti-looking noodle, having separated away from the rest of the blade element. The thing with this Valvo-Line transaction is that~~~I never got out of the Van. So in the moving and shuffling for the wallet, and receipts, if I lost the item, while doing this, it still had to be---in the van. The only real place where I might have lost the item HAD TO BE by my RR TRAX Retreat location. I went there, in the early afternoon with the intention of doing a thorough job of sweeping off, with my broom, all of the large amounts of snow that was still sitting on the top of my van. I went there for two reasons. The first is that the van would rest on an incline so the snow will sweep off easier for me. And the second reason is that the dropped snow doesn't have to be removed from a driveway, by shovel!! And while I did this with my gloves on, I am thinking that when I stepped out of the van to commence the work, maybe the item had dropped into the four inches of snow on the ground. What did I do?? What could I do!! I dropped to my knees and starting combing the snow in the areas around where my footprints previously were. The effort proved fruitless.
I was crestfallen. I went home, and just acquiesced to the sense that this item, was lost, forever.

In the light of a new day, Tuesday, I decided I was going to tear through as much of the front part of my van as possible. I still sensed that perhaps there was an iota
of territory of my van that I had overlooked. While still in the driveway, I start cutting through this, that, and the other thing; still nothing.

So I decide that I'm going to go to that TRAX Retreat area of mine, and cut again, through the snow. I go there, do some more 'combing', and still---nothing.

While I'm doing this, the AMTRAK Maple Leaf Ltd; N/B, goes flying by. And the rooster-tail of drawn-up-snow left in its wake, puts a smile on my face. I guess it was the smile that put a renewed sensed of determination in finding this sentimental
item of value. Having now settled back into the van, I am now groping and feeling my way along the framing-upright that keeps the passenger seat attached to the floor of the van. As I'm making my way around the back and the under-side of this support-frame, my fingers begin to feel this washer-type artifact. As I get a grip on it to draw it toward me, I'm thinking; this seems to have some substance to it!! As I bring it up into the light of day, I see that it is shining. With this instant sense of redemption, I have come to realize; I found it!!! I found It!!! I was so happy!! I felt I had reclaimed my soul!! I was whole, again.

So later in the afternoon of Tuesday, I went to the Buffalo State College Library and did a little research work to place on FACEBOOK subject matter having to do with Dec. 7, 1941. And later in the day posted some additional
information having to do with our USMC son Philip. December 7, 2008, our son, Corporal Philip Marconi, was recognized by the Erie County Legislature, for his service to Our Country. The result of which is the Erie County Legislature proclaiming that every Dec 7th, as Philip Marconi Day!! As a father, I must add~~~I'm proud!!

A brief intervention; perspective:

I caught the SPECIAL REPORT News Conference with President Obama, Tuesday afternoon.
This is the Special Report that had to do with the package he worked out with the Republican leadership to extend the Bush-Era Tax Cuts, and as well, getting an extension on the unemployment insurance benefits that were to run out at the end of this year. After the speech announcing this development, he had conducted a press conference. And during this question & answer session, he was pretty much posturing himself as a realistic; a well-intended pragmatist, instead of an ideologue. He was, of course doing this because he was getting challenged from his own party, as well as the Republicans and Independents. Obama's position to extending the tax-cuts was that it was more money in the take-home pay of average Americans. The Republicans contend that extending the tax-breaks will encourage more investments, and will foster more job growth through investment, capital expenditure, and confidence for small businesses to expand and hire.

He missed a golden-opportunity to sell his point, to the disillusioned Democratic Party. He had gotten this question from Ms. Goldman, from the Bloomburg News Service.
As she was working her way through her question, she wanted the President to answer why the unemployment rate was still around 9.8%. If I were Obama, I'd have hinged my presidential success on the REPUBLICAN perspective. According to the Republicans the extension of the tax breaks will mean investment, business growth, increase demand because of more disposable income, which in turn will bring about job growth. In other words, instead of the wealthy hording~~~they will be hiring.

If I were Obama, I'd have said this to Goldman; in effect saying this to the Republicans, the Democrats, and America. According to everything I've been hearing from the Republicans, because of growth and hiring---not hording---I'm going to venture that by the end of the first quarter of 2011, the unemployment insurance rate will be down to 6.5%. If it isn't~~~I'm holding the Republicans accountable. Two things would result. The Democrats would develop a united-front supporting Obama. And the Republicans would bear the responsibility of having to get the gilded class~~~to HIRE, instead of hording.

Thursday evening, I am invited to a Christmas Party of sorts at this new restaurant on Delaware Ave, in the Village of Kenmore. Now called the Delaware Restaurant, it was once-upon-a-time the area, Carvel ice Cream Store location!! While most of the very important persons in this extravaganza are affiliated with operations in the Town of Tonawanda, and the Village of Kenmore, there are some very very high ranking personalities from the City of Buffalo, and Erie County. Hand-shakes were aplenty.
New names and acquaintances were made. Some old friendships were further cultivated,
and some rough-edges were tapered and smoothed-over~~~and some assurances were made--- with the firmness of the hand-shake. Still a work in progress; some fruit may be appearing soon, on the vine.

My sister Rose is traveling up to Buffalo, with our University of Mississippi daughter Erica, just having completed the fall semester and returning home for the Christmas break. Rose is coming to Buffalo for an additional reason. She has put together a four-day-week-end at the Holiday Valley Ski Resort, for the family. I respectfully decline participating. The reason is that, for some time now, I had made a commitment to help with the Boxes of Love Christmas Outreach Program at their distribution location at the Frederick/Douglass Community Center on Friday, and the distribution
extravaganza that takes place on Saturday, at The Belle Center on Buffalo's Lower West Side. It is a program, and a disposition, that I feel a strong belief in, and have developed a very strong attachment to. You don't know, or really understand, until you sit, and are looking in the eyes of these men, and women. These are human beings, whom along with their children, would not otherwise have a Christmas. And yes, this can all be spun into a million different what-ifs, what-nots, and why-did-you-do-this, or why-didn't-you-do-that. It is Christmas. It is time to get the hands that were in the pockets, reaching out, and contributing, for a good cause. It is time to rejoice, proclaim, and have everybody share in the Good News of this Moment; the birth of Our Savior.

Time to digress, back to Tuesday. I had this dream that I can so vividly remember the detail of. I can even recount some of my thinking that was taking place in my head.

I'm in this office building, and there are at least two floors. I am on the second floor. Check this out!! I am walking around, on the second floor. And in walking around, I am light, fluid, and easy on my feet. At one point I'm even thinking...gee, I'm able to do this[walking], again. There is even this movement that I am undertaking near some elevators where I start to 'feel' like I actually skating backwards(dreams; they don't always stay with the grain!!!). Those that can skate backwards will understand this; those that can't will have to try to realize what I am trying to visualize!! When skating backwards, what you are doing, in rapid succession, while leading and digging in the back part of your blades, is a series of to-the-right cross-overs, and then---to-the-left cross-overs, with each skate. My brother Dominic developed this skill-set to where he was the starting defenseman for the 1974-1975 McKinley High School Screaming Eagles Varsity Hockey Championship team. While I was marginally capable with the skill-set, I was able to envision doing this very well~~~in my dream. There came this point in my dream, where I realized I was going to have to take the elevator to go to the first floor. And as I'm about to migrate over to the elevator, the following thought comes to me, "I better grab my two canes, I may need them. when I get downstairs."

Was I, in Heaven?!?!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise