Thursday, December 31, 2015

My New Year Prayer



Lord....

The Next Sunrise will start a New Year for us here on Earth...


Please help us to understand that our lives are not a given...

That we are all here for a purpose...

Please remind us that if not for you...

There would not have been nor would there be any yesterdays, today or tomorrows...

Help us to learn that "others" are just important as "ourselves"...

Please give us the strength to rise each day to praise your name...

To enjoy life according to your words and your ways...

Help open our eyes to the troubles of this amazing world you gave us...

And give us the determination to help in making it better....

Lord please keep my family safe and happy...

Knowing that through you, all that is given will be rewarded....

Thank You Lord...

For allowing us to be a part of your plan...

Johnny

Monday, December 21, 2015

A Sailors Christmas

Twas just a month or so before Christmas
About the 150th day of our Westpac
On our way back from the Persian Gulf
Finally no worries just the long voyage back
So we settle down to read our letters from home
While lying in our racks

We closed our eyes and allowed our minds to drift.
To the wife all alone, wrapping the last of the kids gifts
Miles from home, but never out of our heads
Thinking of our little ones back home all snug in their bed

Each day our job to protect  never seemed done
Each of us telling ourselves, you won't be here long
You'll be home soon and be with the ones you love
Laughing and singing your favorite Christmas songs

We looked over the waves and sent a message to home
I'll soon be there, no more will I roam
No more will you be lonely because I'm away
And  this time I hope,  I'll be there to stay.

So we traveled the world and displayed a strong force of One
Each Sailor and Shipmates working together to get the job done
Then we'll be back home with our families and friends
Hoping and wishing that all the fighting will end.
Asking them to be patient and understanding
that we do it for them

Now we're back home
Where we really belong
But thinking also of those who helped
In keeping each other strong

So... Here's a Toast to those times
When we were "Over There"
Raise a glass to the Albert David
and to those who were aboard,  give out a Cheer
Merry Christmas to all my Shipmates
and to all a Happy New Year..

Merry Christmas

John Glass, PN2 USS Albert David








 

Friday, December 18, 2015

This Isn't Christmas

The True Meaning of Christmas...

What do you want for Christmas this year?  It's the question you hear so much.  Unfortunately, the answer is usually something that only WE personally want.

I fear that the power of the mighty dollar has stolen the True Meaning and Spirit of Christmas.

We have taken what should be a Day of Celebration of a Amazing Birth.

The dollar amount of giving should not be the basis of what the day means to us.  Instead, the amount of giving can be measured by sharing, caring and expressing our joy of knowing that we are here due to what God gave to us... Jesus.

Thank You Lord.... For Showing Us Your Way....
 

Bluejean Knee Patches

What was being raised on a ranch in Central Texas like?  Well when your the 5th son of 6 boys it meant sharing.  Some of the adventures were fun, some sad, some risky but more then anything they were all learning experiences for me.  Some of the things....

China Berry Fights///Calf Riding///Rat Catching///Blanket Tents///Working Cattle///Picking Corn///Trips in a Station Wagon///Family Reunions on the River//Climbing Trees///Playing "War"//Weather Balloon Tents////School Carnivals//Hay Rides///Old Tire Riding///Metal Drum Swimming Pools///Coon Hunting//Lambs in the House///Gravy and Bread for Breakfast///Kick The Can//Milking the Cows//{Pop Guns///The Big House///Haybarn Tunnels///Chopping Cotton///Camping out on the river///Irrigation Pipe Sitting//Baby Rabbits///The School Bus///Telephone Party Line Sharing///Bees,Wasps, and Scorpions Stings///Hot Dog Cookers///Split Lips, Poison Ivy, and Broken Bones/// A Big Worm Bit Me///Hanging the Wash///The Fig Tree///Water Trough Cleaning///The Front Porch Couch///Easter Egg Hunts at Pease Park///Riding on the Tailgate///Puddle Jumping///Baseball Games against Manchaca/// Sand Tunnels at Hornsby///Swimming at Barton Springs....

And Blue Jean Knee Patches....

Each a story in themselves... Each something that needs to be shared... Tell the young ones..

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Do You Remember?

It's funny how we remember events in our lives... Happy, sad, funny, embarrassing, or regretful things that have occurred along our path of life that are held in a special place deep in our minds.  There for us to pull up or sometimes they jump up to remind us...  In most cases the experiences have taught us something about ourselves, others or society. With age I have found it harder to sometime "remember' things and even more recently I "re-found" a tactic that was taught to me at a very young age that still works.

In school I had a hard time remembering things but In the 3rd grade my teacher, Ms. Damerau came to me one day when seeing me mentally searching for the answer to a test question, so she taught me a trick to help me remember.  She would say... "It's easy... Close your eyes...Get a good hold on the edge of your desk and shake your head back and force sharply. It will knock it loose and bring it back to the top."

I tried and lo and behold it worked. I'm not sure if it pushed all the other things out of the way or just gave me a chance to 're-think' the question after "clearing my head'.  But no matter how, the tactic seem to work at least for me.  I used the tactic through-out the remaining years of my education but somewhere along the way in the hustle and bustle of growing up I forgot all about it..

 But the other day, while I was in the Grocery Store, I came upon a man who was standing looking perplexed and trying to remember something... He was not as fortunate as myself, my wife takes pity on me and usually has a list of things for me.  Anyway,  I passed by the man but something told me to look back and I watched as the man looked around to check to see if anyone was watching, took hold of the edge of a shelf, closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth several times, stopped for a few seconds then did it again this time a little harder... Then with a smile he got his balance back and turned and walked away definitely now remembering where he could find the item he needed. 

And I  wanted to so badly to catch up with him and ask him... Hey did you have Ms. Damerau as a teacher in school?"

But I didn't.... I was afraid he would say "Why yes I did" and then I would have to explain how I knew..

So if by chance you know me and one day I suddenly close my eyes and shake my head back and forth... Well.... I'm OK, just trying to remember something that I'm having a hard time finding.


Thanks Ms. Damerau....





Thursday, December 10, 2015

Because We Are Veterans



We have a better understanding of what being a PATRIOT is...

We know and understand what being a FRIEND is worth..

We have a better understanding what "DUTY" means...

We can understand why FAMILY should mean so much...

We have a highr level of TRUST in our fellow man...

We can understand that SUPPORT means being there when needed...

We  know that TEAMWORK is the key to getting things done.

We also know how much LIBERTY is worth and is only accomplished via HARD WORK.

All of these thing We feel We learned much more about and APPRECIATE more because....

We went where we were needed.

John Glass, U.S. Navy Veteran

Monday, December 7, 2015

A Little Sparrow Came to Visit Me...

Yesterday morning while standing on my porch I felt something touch my left shoulder. Thinking it was a falling acorn or a twig from the tree.  Then it hit me that those could not be because I was standing under the roof of my porch...

I looked to my left to find a small sparrow sitting on my shoulder. Just sitting there looking back at me.  Dumbfounded I smiled and softly said "Well, Good Morning". Thinking it would surely fly away realizing the predicament it had put itself in. 

No... It sat starring back at me.  I raised my finger to offer a perch and it stepped out onto it.  We stood looking at each other, I in total amazement.  I carefully reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone... Switching to camera I posed with my new friend and snapped off several shots knowing that this was going to be the only way anyone would believe my story...

My wife's cousin had just come to visit and I calmly offered the sparrow a branch to sit on within one of my potted plants.  It stepped onto the branch and looked at me as if to say... "Go... I'll sit right here."

I ran into the house and called for others to come outside.  The cousin followed me out as I went back and offered my new friend my finger perch again.. Again it stepped boldly onto my finger and I  asked Cassie to hold out her finger as I turned to show her Sparrow.  She too, found a new friend as Sparrow introduce itself by sitting on her newly offered perch. 

Again the camera came out and with a few clicks a very overwhelmed young lady had proof that this had actually happened.  After a couple of minutes the bird looked at both of us and with a small chirp few to the ground ten or so feet away from us...

I didn't want the local prowling cat to find it there so I walked over to put it in a safer, higher place but it flew away high away and into a tree.

Now they say... that something like this is or could be considered a Good Omen... I don't know...

What I think is that the Maker of All Things sent one of small ones to remind me just how great the world that he made for us really is..  

And that with just a little trust in one another... Things can be worked out and we could enjoy life a whole lot better. 

Nature is a amazing place... I wish we could learn more from it and it's other inhabitants on how to live life. 

Trust goes a long way if given a chance. 

Johnny
12/7/2015

After Thought... I went back out and stood this morning.. Sparrow didn't return, but I saw several in the trees above and around me... I will remember Sparrow now each time I see one....

Note the date... Many years ago today we as Human Beings showed again just how mean we can be...

Remembering Pearl Harbor....





 

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Once Upon A Time.. When I was Young....

Once Upon A Time:

I Could Wear a Size 32 Waist Pair of Jeans....

now... Most of my pants have elastic and are classified by the number of XX's


Once Upon A Time:
I Could Dance All Night and Close the Clubs Down...

now... I can listen to dance music until about 10pm. at home...

Once Upon A Time:
I Could Run 5 Miles Without Stopping...

now... I've stopped running,... even to the mailbox.

Once Upon A Time:
I Could "Jump Up" and go get something.....

now... I have to build up to getting up only after remembering whatever it was
 I am giong to get is located.

Once Upon A Time:
I Could go hunting, fishing, skating, scuba diving, play football, basketball,
 baseball, and tennis without hesitation..

now... I can watch them all on T.V.. for at least a hour without falling asleep.

But.... Now I hold onto the 3 most important things in Life...

 I am Happy, I am Loved and I am still Breathing.

I have also been told that I have become very good at the art of Snoring...
Some Things, it takes years to get right....

Johnny

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

:Love, Devotion and Support

Within the first months of our relationship my Sylvia showed me her devotion and support in the most unusual way.

As a new Dating Adventure She, Her Son Ron and I just happened to find ourselves at a small pond near our home that I liked to go fishing at late in the afternoons.  Syl, had come along with a book and blanket and sat reading on the bank as Ron and I worked around the pond trying to outsmart a few Black Bass that resided within its waters.

The afternoon passed casually and Syl sat on her blanket trying to read but also swatting at and dodging the small flying insects and creepy crawlers that tried to share her blanket with her.  I watched from a distance and had to smile thinking to myself "She must love me to be out here".  I would call out to her and ask if she was OK?  She always answer with "I'm Great,  I'm Fine"  as she continued swatting at the gnats that circled her head. 

As the sunset  came and went I watched her trying harder to read her book in the dimming light until she called out that she was going to go sit in the car to read.  I responded OK and watched her dash for the car. 

Within a half hour. Ron who was only a young teenager had found his was closer to me also since he had watched a water snake swim across the pond and slither along the weeds edging the water.  Fishing was new to him also but he came along on my adventures to show his support in making me feel part of the family. 

Finally, the pond was engulfed in darkness to the point that you could not  longer even see the water surface. 

From the car came a call out from Syl. "John,,, It's kind of getting dark out there isn't it?  I looked at Ron, smiled, put a finger to my lips and responded.  "Your right Babe, could you start the car and turn it so that the headlights shine out here onto the pond.  I think we can get another 30 minutes of good fishing if you could do that." 

There was silence for about 30 seconds and Ron muttered "Naw she won't do it." but just then the cars engine started and the lights came on and the Love of My Life repositioned the car casting its headlight across the pond.  

I called out "Thank Ya Babe...."  Pause.... and then she responded with "OK.. is there anything else I can do?....

I smiled at Ron... and answered back " No. Babe.  Love Ya..."

That's when I said to Ron for the first time... Ya know Ron... I love your Mom a lot. 

He responded with "She'd do anything for you John... You know that don't you? 

And it hit me... He was right... I think she would....

I looked towards the car where she was trying to again swat the mosquitos away and responded..

"Lets go home Son" for I think,  the first time.

We officially became a family when we were married less then 2 months later... 30 years ago. 

And now I have no doubt that if asked again to cut the lights on... She would respond.. OK.. is there anything else I can do?

Love ya Syl...

Johnny