Category: General

I find it interesting how us humans interact. Some use social media where others are only willing to communicate by phone or person to person. I have written two books already on the dangers of groupthink encouraged by our social connections. What could happen if we can no longer use our individual voices to communicate in a hundred years? Maybe the time frame is closer than we think. Maybe the acceleration of global warming is closer than we think which could impact everything from how we communicate to how we stay cool. My fifth book, hopefully to be completed by the end of this year, touches on the human condition in the future. Stay tuned.

In this post, I want to share some of my adventures while traveling with my wife in England visiting her mom now approaching her centenarian year. She is a blessing to all who know her, and we want to spend as much time with her as possible. My third book called “A Chime in Time” is all about her life and the lives around her. Her life spans the life of Queen Elizabeth II who was 96 years old when passed onto her eternal reward. This a reminder that life is precious so make every moment count.

I started writing this blog post now that we are back from England at our oldest daughter’s home looking after one of our grandson’s and our grand dog. My laptop crashed on me while I was traveling. I had to purchase a new laptop after retrieving my data. The crash was not because I was traveling but because of an apparent glitch impacting lots of laptop users. The IT folks are very busy fixing the same problem. Why are material things so important to us? Because we rely on things to function in our society today. What happens when things break? We may get stressed until fixed. I am not immune from this stress, unfortunately. I have invested several weeks of writing while on a cruise, while chilling at night or watching the waves on our cruise. I could not get to my stuff so not good for my stress level. All has been restored meaning all is well. This brings me to my topic. Several years ago, I posted a blog called “material things or humility?” Have you ever felt you are in the presence of an angel? 

Imagine driving down the road expecting to get to your destination only to discover an extraordinary event changes your journey in life. In my blog posted years ago, I told the story of me driving with my dad when such an event occurred. Also, driving by myself, years later, both events I believe an angel was present. You may be skeptical and that is okay. Just remember these words when you have an extraordinary event. In this post, look for the angels present during our travels.

First, middle, and last visits we shared day out trips with my wife’s mom. She is an angel in the process growing her wings while here on earth.

Our first trip out with friends took us to the county of Kent in Southeast England. We stopped at Leeds Castle on our way to Canterbury. As we walked through the grounds to the castle, we learned the history. In 1278, Queen Eleanor of Castile built the Gloriette, in 1321 King Edward II laid siege to the Castle. One hundred years later Queen Joan of Navarre is imprisoned. One hundred more years King Henry VIII stayed with his first wife Catherine of Aragon at this castle. In 1618 the Smythe family created a Jacobean mansion. In 1710, Catherine, Lady Fairfax inherited the Castle. Finally, in 1822 a new castle was built by the Wykeham Martin family. Some form of Leeds Castle has been in existence since the Normans being mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Where is the angel in this castle and its surroundings? Perhaps, those that inhabited this ancient dwelling may be a conglomerate of heavenly beings telling the story of English history until now. Lady Baillie is perhaps the main angel as she bought and restored the Castle from 1926 to her death in 1974. Without her resources and connections, the castle may be a relic of the past.

Our next stop is Canterbury, Kent. We used this location for the next three days to see other historic sites. The Cathedral at Canterbury is full of history. When you walk in you feel the presence of angels amid a violent past. King Ethelbert was the first to be baptized by St Augustine in the Christian Faith symbolizing the first official acceptance of Christianity by the various rulers in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The year of 597 marks the first baptism and 602 recognitions of this Cathedral as the mother church dedicated by St. Augustine. Several archbishops served until 1011 when the Danish Vikings took over, damaging the building and killing most of its inhabitants. One year after the battle of Hastings in 1066 the Cathedral was destroyed in a fire. Eleven years later the Cathedral was rebuilt by the first Norman archbishop Lanfranc. Construction continued, archbishops came and went, with their marks added for modern viewers of history in one place. Saint Thomas Becket is the most admired of the long history and is still the major attraction for pilgrims wishing to see where this martyr died. He was born in 1118 and reached the status of a clerk in minor orders at Canterbury. His rise to power related to his friendship with King Henry II who insisted his friend replace the deceased Archbishop Theobald. On June 2nd, 1162, Thomas went from clerk, to ordained priest then next day consecrated bishop then enthroned as Archbishop in Canterbury Cathedral. Now that was a fast rise to a dominant position. However, the King wanted his favors and Thomas stuck to his fundamental Christian beliefs at all costs. The jury system we use today came out of the King’s efforts to reform the judicial system, but Thomas wanted more fair treatment than the King was prepared to give. In a heated argument, Thomas is exiled for six years. When he came back, he continued his open criticism of the Crown and that was his demise. Four Knights of the crown were given the orders to “rid me of this low-born priest”. One Knight named FitzUrse whom Thomas called a “pimp” drew his sword first and they all struck until his head was severed. The site of his martyrdom is preserved today in the north-west transept. “Thomas Becket remains one of the great champions and exemplars of Christianity.” My how history does tend to repeat itself. Modern society has no monopoly on defenders of the faith and resistance to groupthink. Whether it is a king threatening harm if you do not conform or a politician claiming his or her opponent will cause harm if not politically correct, it is all the same stories. Stay focused on the one true heavenly king in all that you do regardless of how high you climb up the human ladder. Was Thomas in the presence of angels? I imagine he was and is now part of the heavenly host protecting us.

The Christ Church Gate was completed in 1521 and was the last major piece of building before the Dissolution. Good ole King Henry VIII who decided one marriage was not enough. You know the story. He was perhaps the biggest male chauvinistic pig of the bunch. He wanted a male Aire to the throne and would not stop until he got one. Still failed but unlike Saint Thomas who succeeded to maintain a separation somewhat between church and state, times were not so kind for the catholic clergy who were replaced with a Dean and Chapter by royal charter in 1541. This structure has not changed much in the Church of England since then. Many martyrs have been added to the list since then. Could we possibly get back to this time of society structure some day? If freedom fails, we could find ourselves back before we know what happened. Let freedom ring!

Next stop was Dover where we visited my wife’s grandad’s boyhood home before touring Dover Castle. The weather that day was about 36 Degree Centigrade or 96.8 Fahrenheit which was a record for England. All the current news was about the effects of global warming. It was nice for us as we were touring the tunnels and the weather was nice and cool down there. Operation Dynamo: Rescue from Dunkirk was planned in those tunnels during early stages of WW2. The operation was a dramatic rescue of British and Allied forces from the beaches of Northern France and Belgium in May 1940. The USA was not in the conflict then so if they had failed in their operations, we may all be speaking German today. 338,226 soldiers were rescued between 26 May to 4 June 1940. The castle above the tunnels were bombed but much remained to tour. It was built between 1179-1189 during King Henry II’s reign. Next stop was the White Cliffs that stand pronounced along the English Channel. Continuing along the coastline, our next stop was Ramsgate to see more tunnels. The town is very beautiful now but was nearly destroyed during WW2 when a squadron of Luftwaffe bombers unloaded their bombs on the town. The story of this town could have been one of tragedy instead became a victory of divine guidance by the leadership of the town. They called him the Mad Mayor of Ramsgate but when the bombs began to fall, he became a hero. Was he guided by angels?

Ramsgate was bombed in WW1 due to its proximity to the Continent of Europe and its direct path to London. Germans used Zeppelin and Schutte-Lanza airships later replaced with Gotha bomber aircraft. The destruction and loss of life was tremendous during this war from 1914-1918. By the 1930’s it was apparent, Ramsgate needed another solution to avoid further loss of life and property. By 1936, the Ramsgate Tunnel Railway was opened in peacetime as a tourist transport to the beaches. They laughed at the mayor for such an extravagance at the time. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain thought he had secured peace, but Hitler had more ambitions just to settle so war was inevitable. A weak leader thinks peace will work where a strong leader plans against those who say one thing but do the opposite. Are we headed to repeat history? The town during WW2 was over 60,000 and very little bomb fatalities due to the whole town going underground. Men, women, and children lived in these tunnels for months setting up their homes while the bombs fell above. The town may have been destroyed above but the population lived on. Today, those children return as elderly to see where they lived and played. A trip through the tunnels is like going back in time to see life surviving best they could. Thanks to the mayor, Arthur Kempe, who had the railway shut down and expanded the tunnels for air raid shelters a whole town was saved. Thanks also to the courage of spokespersons like Stanley Ballwin to speak out of the potential dangers of being too passive. Angels were in abundant presence during those dark days of world conflict to help guide those who resisted business as usual in a time of growing conflict.

Our trip from Ramsgate took us by Viking Bay in Broadstairs celebrating 1500 years when the Vikings landed in 449. Next day we are off to the RAF Manston Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum where I got to fly a simulator and safely landed in London. I am sure the instructor helped make the landing as smooth as possible, but it sure makes me think how those brave pilots must have felt fighting for their lives against the German fighters.

Next, we were off on a small train to Dungeness point and a vast land appearing to be wasteland full of sand and Sea Shingle. The first Old Lighthouse was built during King James reign in 1615 and has been replaced many times to protect ships from wrecking along the treacherous rocks. The narrow gang train was extended to Dungeness from New Romney in 1928 as a tourist attraction and has been operated ever since. In addition to the lighthouse, there are two nuclear power stations built in the 1950s and 60s now starting to be decommissioned. This is a stark reminder of the old meeting the new age. Energy is in constant demand, but times change along with politics making this source of energy not welcomed. With the attention on global warming and removal of CO2 in the atmosphere, perhaps we need to rethink our energy dependence. Dungeness is a nature reserve for distinctive seaside plants with white flowers and tough crinkly leaves called Sea Kale. Boats and dwellings scattered about the nature scenery making it a unique place to visit. We ended our trip with friends driving back to Hampshire watching Kite skiers then a quick pass-through Hastings where a battle was fought on October 14th, 1066, between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and the English Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson. William won out as apparently, he had righteousness on his side having been promised the land by Harold’s predecessor Edward the Confessor. William was a far better leader than Harold and established the French speaking Normans as the new rulers. This changed English history forever and helped to create the modern English language. (Google source) It appears to me no matter what age in History, politics takes precedence over common sense and doing the right thing. The angels are ever present to make even the wrong things turn to good.

I have lots more to write about our trip but will end this post of the most recent historical event in England. Queen Elizabeth II was not intended to be queen as the royal lineage was through her uncle Edward. After the death of Edward’s father King George V on January 20, 1936, Edward was king for only a partial year before he abdicated in December of that same year. Edward was not willing to give up his love Wallis Simpson, an American. The Royal rules of marriage forbid the marriage to a commoner at that time, so Edward denounced his thrown and consequently exiled to France for the rest of his life. We may look at that as a sad moment, but it was later determined that Edward was supportive of Hitler, who appeared to be a savior of Germany. Of course, we know from history, Hitler could be more labeled as the “anti-Christ”. The younger son of King George V named Albert, nick named Bertie, became King George V1. He was ill prepared for his role and stammered badly, but he did his best, employed a speech therapist and trained his daughter Elizabeth on the duties of the Crown. He managed well to help his nation through some very tough times during World War II. He died, some say, of Lung Cancer in 1952. Elizabeth was only married for five years to Prince Philip before she found herself at the age of 25 becoming Queen Elizabeth II on 6^th of February 1952. She dedicated her life to the role of queen until at the age of 96 on 8^th September 2022 she entered the kingdom of Heaven. History may write a different story as she leaves behind some good and not so good memories that may soon play out in the social media of today. One thing is for sure, she holds the title of longest ruling monarch in world history. That title will not soon be broken. Was she an angel in our midst, like my mother-in-law having her wings prepared for the heavenly host? It is my opinion, that she will be an example of goodness over evil forever in the history of humankind.

T

Brevynym for Episode 6: The West Country[i], the Baltic[ii], one step into Wales[iii] and the modern-day Trafalgar. A brevynym according to my brain, is a sentence that reveals a bigger story using key words of previous stories.

This episode briefly explores journeys in the past that you can click on the above to read more plus an insight to Vice-Admiral Nelson’s victory with a modern comical twist. First, let me also preface this story to give credit to my father-in-law, Ken Clark, who has journeyed on to eternal peace. In clearing out his files in the attic for my mother-in-law, we found an interesting handwritten note titled, “The Modern Day Trafalgar”. Read through the end of this episode to his fictional dialog between Vice-Admiral Nelson and Flag Captain Hardy commanding HMS Victory during the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. If you have some Naval background you may pick up some jargon, find it funny, politically incorrect in today’s world, but also revealing to the man’s talent for storytelling. Enjoy this episode as you journey with me back in time.

I believe when we go back in time, we learn how our present time is shaped by our past, giving us insight, to our future. Let me start with the West Country. From the town of Exeter in Devon through the new forest, where sheep and ponies roam free, you discover the Jurassic coast to find treasured fossils. In Exeter, St Catherine’s Almshouses was bombed during WWII and now serves as a reminder to the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom. Widdecombe in the Moor is a village steeped in history and famous all over the world for Widdecombe fair, Uncle Tom Cobley and all. Sir Francis Drake’s Buckland Abby Barn reveals Andrew Logan’s Cosmic Egg. The story of Francis Drake’s life is extraordinary from a meek farmer’s boy dreaming of being on a ship to a master commander who helped stop the Spanish invasion of England in 1588. He had previously been very successful in Spanish raids as payback for their attack on his vessel in 1567. More than two hundred years later, Admiral Nelson was still fighting for superiority of the seas. As we leave the West Country to make the connections in the Baltic area, know that we are all on our own individual journeys of life. Some roads take us to no end while others take us to a lifetime of memories and perhaps fame in the process of living.

In Belgium the city of Zeebrugge is a gateway to the medieval city of Ghent. Amazingly, this city was spared bombing during World War II, thus sparing the magnificent ancient buildings from destruction. The city is home of a 14th century belfry, St Michael’s Bridge, St Bavo’s Cathedral, and the 15th century artwork called the “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”. The region of Flanders was made famous from 1915 publication of poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae during World War I. From Belgium, next stop is Denmark traveling by sea up to the Oresund Strait separating Denmark from Sweden into the Baltic Sea to Copenhagen and a fishing village called Dragor reminiscent of Viking days. The connection between Admirals Nelsen and Hardy goes back to 1801 and the first battle of Copenhagen. It seems all history somehow eventually intersects. From Copenhagen to Stockholm to Estonia, Russia, Finland through the Baltic Sea back to Poland the connection of historical events continues. None of us are immune from events of history that shapes our existence.

Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. The single step this time is into Wales. The one step reveals the superiority of ship building resulting from the dominance of British Naval might won from the victory at Trafalgar. In Bristol there is an old steel constructed ship called the ”SS Great Britain”. SS stands for steam ship and was a marvelous specimen of engineering designed by Brunel. His designs also included the suspension bridge over the Avon. His ship’s design included first screw propeller which became the standard for proceeding iron ships. It sailed many times to Australia and America before a damaged mast ended her career. She was relocated back to her construction dock after 127 years of service in 1970 and now on permanent display for generations to see. Could the advancement of modern ships have been possible without superiority of the seas? Perhaps, but technology may have been a casualty of concentrated war efforts. The overwhelming victory over the French and Spanish on 21 October 1805 gave the Royal Navy its most famous triumph and confirmed a long tradition of naval supremacy. Now that Britain commanded the seas inventors were allowed to create on behalf of commerce not war. This historic marine conflict was fought off the Cape of Trafalgar, offshore from Cadiz, Spain, with forces from Spain and France clashing with Britain. The Battle of Trafalgar made Lord Horatio Nelson one of Britain’s most famous war heroes. Now 211 years later, the day is still marked every year on October 21. Viscount Horatio Nelson who was shot and died of his wounds at the moment of his greatest victory. Prior to this famous battle, Nelson was already making his mark through many quotes that are now repeated by various leaders on or off the battle fields. Below is a summary of this famous battle.

Napoleon Bonaparte planned to invade Britain in the summer of 1805 but needed to gain control of the English Channel. He ordered the French fleet to create a blockaded at various ports, meet in West Indies and then return as one fleet with Spain to gain control of the Channel. The Spanish left for the West Indies, but Nelson pursued and stopped them in Cadiz, Spain. At the end of September, Nelson took his fleet of 27 ships, split them into two columns and planned to break through the enemy line.

On 19 October the Franco-Spanish fleet was trying leave the harbor and head for the Mediterranean, so the chase was on. By dawn on 21 October the British fleet was only 9 miles away from the enemy. By noon the HMS Victory hoisted the famous signal ‘England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty’ followed by ‘Engage the enemy more closely’. The two columns led by HMS Victory and HMS Royal Sovereign successfully pierced the enemy line firing into the bow and stern of enemy ships as they passed between them.

Victory was won by the skill of the brave sailors and the brilliance of Nelson. The total number of killed and wounded on both sides was about 8,500 whilst the British took about 20,000 prisoners. Nelson himself had been shot by a musket ball and died when victory was assured.

The era of British naval supremacy brought about by the victory at Trafalgar lasted for a century until Germany’s naval challenge in the first decade of the Twentieth Century.

Now that you have read a little of the history enjoy my recently discovered handwritten satire from Mr. Kenneth H. Clark

“The Modern Day Trafalgar”

Nelson-Order the signal[1] Hardy

Hardy- Aye Aye Sir

Nelson-Hold on, that’s not what I dictated to the signal officer. What’s the meaning of this?

Hardy-Sorry Sir!

Nelson-(Reading aloud) England expects every person to do his duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion, or disability. What gobbledygook is this?

Hardy-A diversity policy, I’m afraid, Sir we are an equal opportunity employer now. We had the devil’s own job getting ‘England’ passed the censors lest it is considered racist.

Nelson-Gadzooks, Hardy, hand me my pipe and tobacco.

Hardy-Sorry Sir, all naval vessels have been designated smoke free working environments.

Nelson- In that case, break open the rum ration. Let us slice the main brace to steel the men before battle.

Hardy-The rum ration has been abolished Admiral. It’s part of the government’s policy on binge drinking.

Nelson-Good heavens Hardy. Suppose we had better get on with it full speed ahead.

Hardy-I think you will find that there is a 4-knot speed limit in this stretch of water.

Nelson-Damn it man! We are on the end of the greatest sea battle in history. We must advance with all dispatch. Report from the crow’s nest please.

Hardy-That won’t be possible sir.

Nelson-What?

Hardy-Health and Safety has closed the crow’s nest sir. No harness and they said the rope ladder doesn’t meet regulations. They won’t let anyone up there until proper scaffolding can be erected.

Nelson-Then get me the ship’s carpenter right without delay Hardy.

Hardy-He’s busy knocking up a wheelchair access.to the castle Admiral.

Nelson-Wheelchair access? I’ve never heard of anything so absurd.

Hardy-Health and Safety again sir. Have to provide a barrier free environment for the differently disabled.

Nelson-Differently disabled? I’ve only one arm and one eye and I refuse even to hear mention of the word[2]. I didn’t rise to the rank of Admiral by playing the disability card.

Hardy-Actually sir you did. The Royal Navy is underrepresented in the areas of visual impairment wound deficiency.

Nelson-Whatever next? Give me full sail. The salt spray beckons.

Hardy-A couple of problems there too sir. Health and Safety won’t let the crew up to rigging without hard hats and they don’t want anyone breathing in too much salt. Haven’t you seen the adverts?

Nelson-I’ve never heard such infancy. Break out the cannon and tell the men to stand by to engage the enemy.

Hardy-The men are a bit worried about shooting at anyone Admiral.

Nelson-What? This is mutiny!”

Hardy-It is not that Sir. They are afraid of being charged with murder if they actually kill anyone. There is a couple of legal aid lawyers on board watching everyone like hawks.

Nelson-Then how are we to sink the Frenchies and the Spanish?

Hardy-Actually Sir we’re not.

Nelson-We’re not?

Hardy-No sir the Frenchies and the Spanish are our European partners now. According to the Common Fisheries policy we shouldn’t even be in this stretch of water. We could get hit with a claim for compensation.

Nelson-But you hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil[3].

Hardy-I wouldn’t let the ship’s diversity coordinator hear you saying that sir. You’re on disciplinary!

Nelson-You must consider every man an enemy, who speaks ill of your king[4].

Hardy-Not anymore sir. We must be inclusive in this multicultural age. Now put on your Kevlar vest. It’s the rules, it could save your life.

Nelson-Don’t tell me health and safety. Whatever happened to rum, sodomy, and the lash?

Hardy-As I explained sir. Rum is off the menu! And there’s a ban on corporate punishment.

Nelson-What about sodomy?

Hardy-I believe that is now kept sir.

Nelson-In that case, kiss me Hardy[5].

Please click onto the below links to learn more about Vice-Admiral’s connection with Lord Nelson and his famous quotes.

Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, 1st Baronet, GCB (5 April 1769 – 20 September 1839) was a Royal Navy officer. He took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797, the Battle of the Nile in August 1798 and the Battle of Copenhagen in April 1801 during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served as flag captain to Admiral Lord Nelson, and commanded HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. Nelson was shot as he paced the decks with Hardy, and as he lay dying, Nelson’s famous remark of “Kiss me, Hardy” was directed at him. Hardy went on to become First Naval Lord in November 1830 and in that capacity refused to become a Member of Parliament and encouraged the introduction of steam warships.

England expects that every man will do his duty – Wikipedia

TOP 25 QUOTES BY HORATIO NELSON (of 54) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)

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[1] England expects that every man will do his duty – Wikipedia

[2] “I have only one eye, I have a right to be blind sometimes… I really do not see the signal!” ~ Horatio Nelson

[3] “Treat every Frenchman as if he was the devil himself.” ~ Horatio Nelson

[4] “You must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your King, and you must treat every Frenchman as if he were the Devil himself.” ~ Horatio Nelson

[5] “Thank God I have done my duty. Drink, drink. Fan, fan. Rub, rub. Kiss me, Hardy.” ~ Horatio Nelson

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[i] http://alookintot.com/2018/08/25/the-west-country/

[ii] http://alookintot.com/2019/09/15/baltic/

[iii] http://alookintot.com/2017/08/10/one-step-into-wales/

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not stand.” (Mark 3:25) Replace the word house with nation, kingdom or even world the meaning is similar. Did anyone take the time to acknowledge D-Day? Yes, but sadly not enough in my opinion. Did you know during the invasion, the casualty rate was 50%? On the actual day of June 6^th, 1944, over 4,000 allied soldiers died and many of those were due to drowning trying to reach the shores of Normandy. One of those soldiers who survived to fight on was my wife’s uncle. I shared his story in my new book “A Chime in Time”.  May we all pause and collectively thank those who paid the price for our freedom from the Nazi aggression. The world was certainly divided then, and I fear even today. What is the difference between Nazis and Germans? One was a political movement while the other are the people of a nation. I think we all need to understand that we should be in control of our political process in a free society. May we not fall victims of any political party’s big lie over the alternate big lie. One thing I feel is for sure and that is they all lie to win votes of those ignorant to the price of freedom. You can find books, films, etc., on big lies throughout history. First off, what is the definition of a lie? There are two definitions. One is to remain in a specific state like a person lies down for a rest. The second is to be misled or deceived by statistics, false narratives, or specific groups sharing lies to influence votes, etc.

The earth is flat. Do you believe that lie? There is a society of folks who believe that satellite photos of the earth appearing to be a sphere is a conspiracy orchestrated by NASA and other agencies. Without satellites how can we be sure the earth is not flat? Plato (427-347 BC) taught his students that Earth was a sphere but had no solid proof. Aristotle (384-322 BC) was one of Plato’s students also believed because different stars could be seen in different regions of the world. Archimedes, Eratosthenes and then 1700 years later Christopher Columbus believed the earth was round not flat. These great people were all criticized for their belief. By Columbus’ time, most educated people believed that the world was round instead of flat so why is their doubt even today? It takes sometimes many centuries and scientific development to debunk a big lie. However, there will always be people who believe otherwise.

Man did not walk on the moon. Really? I remember a teacher long ago telling me that it was a hoax again orchestrated by NASA and the political folks of the time trying to distract us from other news. Sound familiar in today’s polarized world?

In Wikipedia, there is a phrase called “Holocaust denial” which “is an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that asserts the Nazi genocide of Jews, is a myth …” How could anyone believe this big lie when the accepted figure from historical evidence leads to an estimate of 5-6 million Jews murdered in the concentration camps. The term big lie was a German expression coined by Adolf Hitler originally claiming the Jews used the propaganda technique to blame the loss of World War 1 on General Erich Ludendorff. The Nazis used same technique against the Jews. (Big Lie on Wikipedia) Some of our political leaders today prefer to eliminate historical facts to encourage a false narrative or perpetuate other big lies. Let me leave you with a few falsities. You can decide for yourself which big lie you want to accept as truth. As for me, I would rather know the truth and the truth will make me free. (John 8:32)

Falsities as follows: 1. I did not have sexual relations with that woman. 2. Read my lips: no new taxes. 3. He is an illegitimate president, and he stole the Election. 4. He won because the election was rigged. Hint: The answer to 3 and 4 is not the same person.  Let us not keep perpetuating the Big Lie.

T

Tick-Tock is the sound of a large clock ticking or possibly the measure of time running out. I have just released my third book called “A Chime in Time” and can be purchased online. Click onto www.amazon.com/author/terrylindsey and enjoy my journey back in time from WWI, WWII, and the Space Race. What was their purpose and how did time measure their progress achieving that purpose?

My wife and I recently joined two other couples to travel byways of North Louisiana exploring the past. It was very enlightening especially after my recent book on history and why events shape our very existence. Enjoy the glimpse of nearby areas full of history from early part of this past century all the way back to 1800BC.

Our journey started traveling up to Central Louisiana on I 49 to near Alexandria where we turned West through a beautiful drive full of garden nurseries to the Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf, Louisiana. Long Leaf depot was built about 1906 to connect the railroad systems carrying passengers and raw material, mostly timber, to build our country. We explored the huge saw mill that is now a monument to the past expansion. That mill along with many around the area provided lumber to support housing construction and when needed, War efforts. Some of that lumber went to support the landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) known as the Higgins boat constructed during WWII in New Orleans. The Saw Mill walking and train tour along with the remnants of past wars in the museum make the trip well worth the drive.

We continued up I 49 through Shreveport and the next day drove some of the “Boom or Bust Byway” stopping at the Louisiana State Oil & Gas Museum in Oil City. Unfortunately, the museum was closed for repairs, but we did get a nice look at the outside displays. More about the bust byway later. Next stop was the Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum.

Imagine a young man arrested and being transformed from a schoolboy to a rattlesnake. That was the impression of one of Clyde Barrow’s inmate buddies at Eastham Camp 2 in 1930. This so-called camp was more of a hell hole. It was part of the Texas Prison System named as the worse in the nation at the time. Clyde was paroled in 1932 by the Texas Governor. The two years of hard prison time changed him forever. He could not get legitimate work because of his prison time so became increasingly bitter. He told his mother that they would have to kill him before he would ever go back to prison. Eventually, his own prophecy came true on a highway about 8 miles from Gibsland, Louisiana where he and Bonnie were ambushed by six Law Officers on May 23rd, 1934 at 9:15 a.m. Bonnie met Clyde in January 1930 and a deep intense love developed between the two. Two weeks later Clyde was in jail where Bonnie visited him often. While he was at McClelland County jail in Waco, Texas, she smuggled a gun to him. He and two others escaped. The rest of the story has been immortalized in film and pictures that you can see at the museum. Bonnie seemed to be prophetic as well leaving a number of clues in poems of their future demise.

Next stop for us was to view the journey of a German group of 300 immigrates escaping religious persecutions in 1831 led by Count Leon. They first tried to blend in with the Harmony Society in Economy, Pennsylvania, but decided to continue with some of the Harmony Society to form the New Philadelphia Society. That lasted until 1833 until they moved again this time way down South to Grand Ecore, Louisiana establishing the “new Jerusalem” society. The count died of Yellow Fever in 1934. Flood struck their settlement so the Countess Leon led her people to high ground up the Red River to settle in the hills near the modern day town of Minden. Their settlement called “Germantown” can be visited showing some of the buildings including the Countess’ cottage. From Germantown, we drove North of Minden to get back on the “Boom or Bust Byway” . We drove past Blackburn, Shongaloo, Sarepta, before stopping at Plain Dealing. Plain Dealing has a huge antique vendor’s store so we had to stop and shop before resting for the night. The next day was all about antiques and food at Jefferson, Texas. The town is full of history, but we spent most of our day seeing the old, mixed with not-so-old things, in this beautiful Texas town.

Our last stop in our journey of the past reveals an ancient past of a Hunter/Gatherer settlement dating back as far as 1800BC called “Poverty Point”. Apparently, the James Gang visited Poverty Point as well, but were not looking for a historical site rather a good hide out. Poverty Point is located near Epps, Louisiana just off I 20 between Monroe and Vicksburg. You can drive around to see the Indian mounds or hike for a few hours to see it all. Mound A can be walked up and is about 165 foot high and appears to be shaped like a bird in flight. Archeologists do not know for sure what it was. It appears to represent a status symbol to reinforce the social relationships with the community plus demonstrate power and wealth to outsiders. They think it was built after 1400BC and may have taken as little as 91 days to build. Must have been a huge dedicated work force!

This is a little glimpse of a five day trip into history in Louisiana. Imagine what else can be seen. An old clock is a mechanism to measure time one Tick-Tock at a time. A clock is made to last and may last beyond its maker. Unlike a clock, us humans are also made with precision, but cannot out last our maker. Our time is indeed limited on this earth to so many Tick-Tocks. Let us make the most of each precious moment in our lives until we become part of history. Peace to you. T

As I write overlooking the handrail in a sunny spot, I am looking at the North Sea. This sea is calm at the moment which is more than I can say for the Atlantic. Hurricane Dorian was forming just a week earlier. When we boarded in Southampton, England on August 31, 2019 for our 14 day cruise, Dorian was a category 4. On our third day at sea, she was a cat 5 tearing up the Bahamas.

We are headed to Copenhagen, Denmark from Zeebrugge, Belgium. When we left England, our first stop was Begium. Zeebrugge is about two hours from Brussels. It has been over 40 years since I spent any time in Belgium and spent most of my days in an office in Brussels. This was my first time actually seeing the country. It is not that big but full of history and object of many conflicts. We focused our day on an excursion to the medieval city of Ghent. Amazingly, this city was spared bombment during World War II, thus sparing the magnificent ancient buildings from destruction. The city was and still is predominately Catholic. The city is home of a 14th century belfry, St Michael’s Bridge, St Bavo’s Cathedral and the 15th century artwork called the “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”. We traveled by canal boat through the city and spent some time in the center of the old town. My father in law spent some time in Ghent during WWII. He met a family who became long friends. I can imagine him walking those same cobble paths along the ancient center. We then headed back through the region of Flanders made famous from 1915 publication of poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae during World War I. We drove through the small Flemish town of Ypres where modern day wind turbines contrast with an ancient church boasting a huge bell tower symbolizing past meeting present. This first stop was awesome. Next stop Denmark.

We had a great day at sea traveling up to the Oresund Strait separating Denmark from Sweden into the Baltic sea. The storm back home now reduced to cat 3, Dorian slowly turning northward. We remain vigilant for the people impacted who may never forget. We can only watch from our stop in Copenhagen. The city is like many hustle and bustle towns. Except this one is surrounded by water. We had a nice drive through Copenhagen before heading away from the city to a nice fishing village called Dragor. We had coffee and pastries before walking through the village. As you may imagine the village gets its name from Viking days. They believed in dragons, many gods and goddesses. Vikings were good tradesmen as well as seafaring warriors. They were in control so to speak. Viking King, Sweyn I Forkbeard, was king over England and Norway when Copenhagen started in the 12th century. By 1160, King Valdermar I, established the stronghold with the building of the fortress where Christiansborg Palace sits today built from ruins of bygone times. We were lucky to see the changing of the guards at the Amalienborg Palace, home of Danish Royalty since 1794. Today it is the winter home of Queen Margrethe II. The Palace is made of four French style mansions placed around an octagon shaped courtyard. Our last stop was to see the “The Little Mermaid” statue made famous in 1837 by Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tail and erected 70 years later by Carl Jacobson son of founder of Carlsburg beer. Now that is a beer story for sure!

Day 5 we were at sea headed to Stockholm. The next four days we are in port at the top of the Baltic Sea. Stockholm, Sweden is another very scenic city full of bicycles, motor scooters and fewer cars. They share much of the Viking heritage with Copenhagen. These Vikings spent more time conquering the east like Russia and beyond. Stockholm is made up of 14 islands and the view traversing by the various islands to its main island of Gamla Stan is spectacular. The old town of Gamla Stan is so picturesque. Our first stop was the Viking museum where the myths are validated as true or false. Yes, they did have names such as Ragnar and Loki as in the popular TV series but not all at the same historical time. Yes, they believed a true worthwhile life was a good death in battle. We continued on our tour to view an old ship that sank twenty minutes after setting sail on its madan voygue. Why? King Gutav II wanted to add another roll of cannons against the advice of its designer. Some things do not change. Bosses always think they are smarter than the experts. This was in 1628 and the ship was the Vasa. In the 1950’s they restored the Vasa which is now a museum located in the Green island of Djurgarden not too far from the Viking museum. Note, the Viking era span from about 800 to 1100 so the Vasa sinking is unrelated. Stockholm is also home of the band called Abba. Anyone heard of them?

Our next stop was Tallin, Estonia where we saw the beginnings of Communism or at least its reminants. Our tour began through the town and one of the first signs of freedom was a UMC church. The tour guide spoke of her mission trip outside of Estonia where she learned English better and Christianity even more so. She said the population is under 20 percent Christian with the majority atheist from the years of Soviet influence. This was apparent to see old buildings not old because of age but in need of repair. Many buildings were void of any color dingy brown, dirty white or black. Contrast that with the new modern buildings of the post Soviet era. It is interesting to note the guide referred to the Nazis not the Germans and the Soviets not the Russians.

We continued our drive to the monument of the victims of communism. This was very profound as our guide described how the memorial started with the victims of WWI and II. When the Soviets took over, they destroyed any symbolism of faith replaced with the ugly facade of communist oppression. When Estonia regained her independence, instead of destroying, they built upon the history. Now the memorial consists of two black walls built in parallel showing all the names of those who died under the regime of Communism. Many were sent to Siberia never to return. As you climb the stairs up the hill, the names seem to speak out saying never again. It reminds me of the Vietnam war memorial. In the top of the hill stands a beautiful garden with three crosses. I believe Estonia is in a place in history where they are growing in faith. They are certainly at the top on technology as originators of many industies like Skype and Ecitizenry. They have made “E”stonia a forward thinking country while remembering the past. Finally, the open theater has been the focal point of many talented artist from Michael Jackson to just last month Andre Poccelli. Here is where they sang triumphantly while the Soviets tried to oppress the people in a revolution of songs.

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Next, we sailed to St Petersburg, Russia for a two day stop. Our first day started watching the news and seeing the devastation in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian made a direct hit. Our prayers go out to the people. So glad it headed up the eastern coast line delivering just glancing blows. Now, we saw the blows of Communism as we saw the oppressed conditions of a controlled society. They say socialism is just the pathway to communism. I believe it. Anyway, we started with passport control. No other country required that scrutiny as we were already on a cruise ship already cleared. The Russians do not trust anyone. I felt they were always watching. The guide through the city was dry but had a sense of humor so that made the excursion worthwhile. I got a better understanding of the difference between Russions and Soviets. Stalin was not Russian and neither was Lennan for example. We traveled through the city learning how St Petersburg was under siege during WWII. The Nazis did not want to destroy the city because of their German heritage so tried to starve them into surrender. It did not work. Many buildings were destroyed but much survived. We visited Catherine Palace that was severely damaged now restored to its original war glory. Only one original panel in the Amber Room was found. The rest were stolen by the Nazis. Who knows where they are now?All the interior of the Palace is now restored and the beauty is breathtaking. It is said that Catherine I had over 15,000 dresses never wearing them more than once and hosted elaborate balls nearly every day. No wander the people rebelled! We continued our tour with a stop at a restaurant for traditional Russian food, folk dancers and songs. We finished our first day with a drive by the Hermatage Museum, Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood, and St Isaac’s Square. We stopped at a beautiful chuch once used by the Soviets as an ice rink during communists oppression. It is now restored to its original purpose of worshipping God. Yes, even Russia is growing in faith again. Not bad for first day.

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Our second day was much easier but had to go through passport control yet again. This day we spent most of time driving through the city. The big stop was at the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. The spilled blood was that of Tsar Alexander II who was assassinated in 1881. The church is now a museum but site of many bride and groom photo shots. We drove by the Admirlty Tower very prominate both day and night. We boarded our ship again for our next day’s adventure to Hellsinki, Finland.

We started our day with a much more friendly disembakation without passport control. Finland is independent of Russia but remain in constant fear of attack. They have under ground housing for every man, woman and child in Hellsinki just in case. The land is mostly granite rock so the whole city is built on rock. During WWII, the people saved their city by building fires on unihabited land away from the city so 95 percent of the bombs fell destroying only barren rock. Another ingenious measure was to remove all metal roofs from housing and replace with sod and sand which they placed vegetation to disguise their homes and churches. It worked! One thing I understood from this tour is that the Fins are very innovative and protective of their environment. Maybe we should learn from them as I saw no litter anywhere. Hellsinski was founded in 1550 as a way to compete with Tallin who was controlled by the Russians. Finland was ruled by the Swedes until 1808 then by the Russians until just before WWI. They are a new country but always under the fear of Russian dominance. There are a lot of old buildings but like Swedan and Estonia have a growing outlook to a brighter future. The Temppeliaukio Church, known as the Church in the Rock is awesome. It is built inside a huge block of granite rock. It has a man made roof that allows natural light in but the walls are sold rock. Very nice! We made our way back to the ship ready for a little down time as we traveled through the Baltic Sea for Poland.

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On day 12, we experienced our first stormy night at sea. Hurricane Dorian continued her journey being downgraded to a bad storm up through Nova Scotia and across the Atlantic over Scotland to the North Sea finally passes over us. Finland and Russia were targets but luckily we were at sea. By the time we docked at Gdynia, the sun was out and remained very pleasant all day. The try city of Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk make up new, untouched and rebuilt from the devastation of war. It is hard to believe that it was not the Nazis who destroyed but the liberators, so called, Soviets. The hatred between the two were evident. First the new. Gydnia is a new very busy port. We saw huge cranes, cargo ships, cruise ships and even a submarine. The port was built after the War and is the entrance to Poland’s import/export trade. Second, the untouched city of Sopot boast of beaches and some old buildings spared by the Russians. It is amazing to imagine that Hitler used the Grand Hotel overlooking the beaches as his retreat. The liberators did not touch it. Third, city of Gdansk represents the rebuilt city. Yes, there were some old buildings spared but much were destroyed. WWII started here and at one time was mostly German habitants. When the War ended, the Germans wanted to claim it but since they had no voice was put under Soviet rule. At one point, Gdansk was actually a city with no country. The Soviets were no rebuilders of peace back then and even now it seems. After the fall of the Soviet dominance, Poland was once again an indepedent country. Rebuilding of the city has been a mavelous effort to keep the appearance of ancient times. The Old Town has a Golden Gate archway building on one end and a Green Gate on the other end. In between is the 13th century merchant road lined with shops, restaraunts and chuches. In its beginning was the site of many executions. Gdansk may have been the birthplace of WWII but more important to me was the birthplace of the Solirarity Movement which played an important role in the end of the Iron Curtain. We traveled by the home of Lech Walsea who was one of the founders to the movement and became Poland’s first president. As we traveled back to our ship, the history of the past cannot be ignored. Freedom comes with a price. Thank God that he uses brave souls to pay the price. May they RIP.

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It took two more days through the Baltic and North Seas to reach Southhanpton. We passed under an enormous bridge that connects Denmark to Sweden then clear sailing to Southampton.

Every journey must come to an end. This experience will not be forgotten. We got a chance to see beautiful sights and learn a little history. Hope you have enjoyed our little glimpse of this world.

T