Quote of the Day:
“The secret source of Humor itself is not joy but sorrow.” –Mark Twain
TB finds it easy to keep a positive attitude, an essential personal attribute, maybe the most essential. That is, I find it easy save for the days when everything goes wrong. Well that and save for the days when something goes wrong. Oh yeah, and save for the days when I’m bored. Basically when people like me, when I’m doing things I like and when I find a clean quarter sitting outside my door as I wait in the drive-thru for my morning parfait from McDonald’s, I find it easy to keep a positive attitude.
This weekend did not include one of those easy days. In my mind I was fighting to regain some positivity, but my heart wasn’t buying. But then I received news of the passing of a beloved father and the funeral of a beloved teacher. Several friends of the blog knew at least one of these great men; friends who by all rights deserve at least a day of uninterrupted self pity. Yet what they have projected not only today but in the days leading up to it has ultimately been positivity–celebration, remembrance, and courage accenting their obvious, hard-earned sadness.
I find the above introduction insufficient and maybe you will too. Death is a difficult subject to contemplate, even more difficult to write about. Anyway, my TB universe reaction to an evening of introspection is to honor the memory of these men with a stab at humor. One of them I barely knew, but from what I do know I think he would approve, and the other I did not know, but the tenor of reports from his funeral suggest he would also not object. For both, in the grand scheme, it is clear that only celebration for their life exceeds sorrow over their loss.
And so to those who remain, TB offers some advice to consider upon your passage through the Pearly Gates. A few things you should NOT say to St. Peter or any winged bureaucratic types as you get your paperwork for admittance in order.*
- “There must be some mistake.”
- “So I have this neighbor I’d really like to haunt…”
- “How much longer before I get to see the Chief? I’ve got questions.”
- “So who else got in? Robert Johnson? Johnny from Georgia? Faust? That guy from Damn Yankees?”
- “I ain’t signin nuthin til I see a lawyer.”
- “If Heaven ain’t a lot like Dixie, I don’t wanna go.”
- “So somebody AIN’T always watchin eh? ‘Cause that book’s missin some of the best stuff.”
- “92 years on Earth and not one single freakin Sugar Bowl?! And don’t even get me started on the Saints! Screw all y’all!”
P.S…..finally, a photo in lieu of 1000 words reflecting positivity and evidencing support for my contention that God does indeed have a sense of humor….the photo below is of a piglet squid, one of God’s creatures. The P.S. lives in most of the world’s oceans at about 300′ on the depth finder.
My sincere condolences to the family and friends of Pascagoula icons Bill Feidt and Harvie McClure.
Travellinbaen 
Good list. A few humble additions:
1. Referring to the Holy Trinity as Big Daddy, Junior, and the Holy Spook
2. During a Socrates-Kant discussion, yelling, “Hey, I can see my house from here!”
3. Creating petty tension by declaring, “How’d that a-hole get in?!”
4. Asking incredulously, “Is this it?”
5. “Brother John, a question. The Book of Revelation. You were high, weren’t you?”
I forgot to add: My earnest condolences to those who lost loved ones.
I’ve got a lot of questions for Paul and Eve too. I would guess alot of things get answered in the Orientation Room. There MUST be one of those! Perhaps if we are made into our most perfect self we won’t care anymore about things and we won’t open our mouth to say anything less than perfect. At that point you also won’t care if someone gets in that you thought should not! Has anyone seen “Defending Your Life” with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep – it was about getting to Heaven and what happens. Very good I thought.
I did not know Coach Fiedt but heard many good things about him. Harvie McClure was a personal friend who directed me in church choir – I loved that man to death. He was one of kind and knew how to get people together and make them sound wonderful. Many of his past students came back to sing at his funeral along with our church choir – it was a true testament to him and how much he meant to the rest of us.
DW – I love the comment about The Book of Revelation. No telling what John might have eaten on the island of Patmos. I think that is where he was. It might have been the mushrooms.
We watched Defending Your Life in my Buddhism class because it contains a lot of buddhist philosophy. The past lifes, the moving on depending on how your life went, the development of you mind based on how one lived in a past life, etc. Good movie.
Great tribute! And I love the picture of the piglet squid – that is adorable.
Great tribute, TB! I know these families will appreciate it.
My condolences to the family and friends of those who passed.
Great list TB, I’d like to add:
“You know it can’t be wrong it feels so good. You know what I’m sayin..you know? It feeels good”
“Where’s the line for reincarnation I’ve got unfinished business with the dude that’s bangning my wife”
There not as good, but I wanted to participate. 🙂