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For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:
Woody Woodburn
400 Roosevelt Court
Ventura, CA 93003
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This and That, and Some Poetry, too
“To begin, begin,” wrote the English poet, William Wordsworth. This seems wise advice for all of us to chase our dreams and passions beginning now.
Endings are also important as Jordan Bohannon of the University of Iowa proved a few days past. The sophomore point guard had made a school record-tying 34 consecutive free throws before clanking the would-be record-breaker off the front of the rim – on purpose.
The reason: he did not want to erase Chris Street’s name from the record book. Street died in a car crash in 1993 while his streak was still ongoing.
“That’s not my record to have,” Bohannon explained. “That record deserves to stay in his name.”
The selfless act brings to mind the name Ralph Waldo Emerson and his words: “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”
Despite Millennials frequently being attacked as selfish and coddled and worse, I think Bohannon is a fine example that the right stuff lies inside our youth. Indeed, they are proving so with their #NeverAgain activism following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Speaking of the gun-control debate, my in-box overflowed in support of the need for expanded legislation with only one email parroting the NRA’s status quo. My favorite came from reader Bill Waxman in poetic form:
“From Sandy Hook to Broward County
“Parents again are paying the bounty
“But every time the answer’s the same
“We’ll play the finger pointing game
“And all Congress offers is prayers but no cures
“Because the kids weren’t theirs, they were yours.
“Elected to serve the lobbyist’s greed
“Never mind what the country really needs
“Sitting in their Washington tower
“Slaves to the power of the donated dollar
“Nestled in the pockets of the NRA
“Ignoring the lives that were lost today
“From my cold dead hands, the jingoist screams
“While grieving parents bury their dreams
“The laws of nature have all been shattered
“We forgot to protect what really mattered
“Prayers and condolences ring hollow and fake
“They do nothing to soothe the national ache.
“The debate will turn back to building the wall
“Blind eyes turned to the bodies that fall
“The same spineless group will run in November
“Hoping the rest of us just won’t remember
“Their lack of courage, their lack of cares
“Since the dead were yours, for they weren’t theirs.”
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Another original poem, a happier haiku, came in my in-box from reader Linda Calderon:
“Sunrise: God peeling
“back night – revealing day’s bloom,
“petal by petal.”
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Linda’s words bring to mind another quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and stare.”
In addition to marveling at the peeling back of night, I think we should stare more often at the Pacific sunsets we are so blessed to have with the Channel Islands in the foreground.
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Let me end with something else of beauty, more than 300 quilts made and collected by the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild, which it is gifting to those affected by the Thomas Fire and Montecito mudslide.
Making this project all the more beautiful, it is not just a local effort: quilts have been donated from 49 states and seven different countries! (To sign up go to: www.Venturamodernquiltguild.com)
The late, great poet Maya Angelou said, “When you leave home, you take home with you.”
To those who lost their homes, a lovely handmade quilt will make their new residences a little more homey.
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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.
Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …
- Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
- Unsigned paperbacks or Kindle ebook can be purchased here at Amazon