So, PAD started on Monday. Poem-A-Day for those of you who don’t know. This is my 7th or 8th year participating – I’ve got to check on that. Anyway, I am super excited and motivated now because for the first time I’ve had a poem accepted for publication in a literary magazine. More on that later.
Tuesdays during PAD are always Twofer – two prompts to choose from or to combine, whatever suits the fancy. This Tuesday it was Worst Case/Best Case. I’ve been reading a lot of stories lately where there is much hardness, tough times, sadness – scenarios I cannot always relate to.
I began thinking about what to write for “worst case”. I’ve worked many different jobs over the years: babysitter, fast food, retail, home daycare, customer service representative in a credit department, house cleaner, freelance writer, janitor at a school, teacher, substitute teacher, tutor, general office worker. Plus mothering. I remember the worst job I ever had. It didn’t last too long. I found something else, but I don’t remember what. I worked for a company that went into retail stores and completed an inventory. That job inspired my poem.
London, July 26, 1943 – “When the time for recognition of service to the nation in wartime comes to be considered, Bob Hope should be high on the list. The man drives himself and is driven. It is impossible to see how he can do so much, can cover so much ground, can work so hard, and can be so effective. He works month after month at a pace that would kill most people,” – from Once There Was a War by John Steinbeck
After reading this, I had to do a little research on the man. I’ve enjoyed his movies over the years, and knew about his USO work, but I wanted to know more.
The song “Thanks for the Memory”, which later became his trademark, was introduced in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938 as a duet with Shirley Ross, accompanied by Shep Fields and his orchestra. The fluid nature of the music allowed Hope’s writers to later create variations of the song to fit specific circumstances, such as bidding farewell to troops while on tour. It has been sung by many of the greats over the years, including Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney, as well as in numerous parodies. When I was in college, my sorority wrote several parody songs and jingles to use during rush, and this was one of them. I sure wish I could remember the words we sang!
Hope performed his first USO show on May 6, 1941, at March Field, California, and continued to travel and entertain troops for the rest of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the third phase of the Lebanon Civil War, the latter years of the Iran–Iraq War, and the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War. Sometimes his wife, Dolores, joined him and once his granddaughter, Miranda, did also. Hope made 57 tours for the USO between 1941 and 1991 and was declared an honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces in 1997 by act of the U.S. Congress.
1944
Other things I learned:
He and Dolores were married in 1934 and they adopted four children.
He was very involved with Fight for Sight, a nonprofit organization in the United States which funds medical research in vision and ophthalmology.
“Thanks for the Memory” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Hope was an investor/part owner of the Cleveland Indians.
Hope died of pneumonia at his home, two months after his 100th birthday.
Here are the original lyrics to “Thanks for the Memory”
Thanks for the memory Of sentimental verse Nothing in my purse And chuckles When the preacher said For better or for worse How lovely it was
Thanks for the memory Of Schubert’s Serenade Little things of jade And traffic jams And anagrams And bills we never paid How lovely it was
We who could laugh over big things Were parted by only a slight thing I wonder if we did the right thing Oh, well, that’s life, I guess I love your dress
Thanks for the memory Of faults that you forgave Of rainbows on a wave And stockings in the basin When a fellow needs a shave Thank you so much
Thanks for the memory Of tinkling temple bells Alma mater yells And Cuban rum And towels from The very best hotels Oh how lovely it was
Thanks for the memory Of cushions on the floor Hash with Dinty Moore That pair of gay pajamas That you bought And never wore
We said goodbye with a highball Then I got as high as a steeple But we were intelligent people No tears, no fuss Hooray for us
Strictly entre nous Darling, how are you? And how are all Those little dreams That never did come true?
Awfully glad I met you Cheerio and toodle-oo Thank you Thank you so much
Songwriters: Leo Robin / Ralph Rainger
There are so many versions. Here’s a clip from the movie – some of the words are different from those above.
The prompt for Day 4 of PAD-2016 is “Distance”. The first thing that came to mind was “Go the distance,” via Ray Kinsella/W.P. Kinsella/ Field of Dreams. Though this isn’t particularly a baseball poem, it IS Opening Day, so rather serendipitous.
In a book by Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, she quotes from Chekov’s letters: “You must once and for all give up being worried about successes and failures….It’s your duty to go on working steadily day by day, quite quietly, to be prepared …for failures.”
I needed this advice last year when I received a rejection via email. I had submitted three poems to a new literary magazine. I was really hoping that at least ONE might make it. I had two people look over 6-7poems and tell me which ones they thought were best. Evidently the judges weren’t in agreement.
I have since experienced several other “failures”. Is failure to be expected? Yes. Does it hurt? Sure. Is it easy to “…go on working steadily day by day, quite quietly…”? No, unless we stop and realize that this is what we are supposed to do. Life isn’t all about limelights and successes. Contrary to popular belief, spouted by coaches and educators, we can’t all be whatever we want to be. But, we can all labor to shine as lights in the world.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, 1 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Philippians 2:14-16
I haven’t done a throwback post in a while, so here goes.
I found this postcard in an antique store a few years back. This is how Hemming Park/ Plaza used to look. It has been redone once or twice since this picture was taken. I like the picture because it shows the May Cohens department store. This is where I worked the summer I got engaged. I worked upstairs in the credit department. I felt so grown up working downtown. Some days I would take my lunch and eat in the lunch room where the TV was always showing “The Young and the Restless”. It was from the snack machine there that I had my first Lorna Doone shortbread cookies and I still love them. On occasion I would venture out with someone to eat somewhere nearby. There were other large department stores down the street such as Ivey’s and Furchgott’s . One of them had a nice restaurant inside.
After I got married I still worked there. We only had one car so I rode the bus. Hemming Park was the main hub where all the buses went, so it was convenient. I enjoyed riding the bus, actually. I was on the phone a large part of the day, listening to customer complaints. I got a headache nearly every day, so I was glad not to have to drive home.
May Cohens was in the St, James Building which is now City Hall. I was there a few weeks ago with my mother-in-law. It was so strange to be inside because it looks completely different now.
I love the history of old buildings and it’s fun having this connection and the memories of how downtown Jacksonville used to be. Some things change for the better, some for the worse. I hope these beautiful old buildings stay around for a very long time.
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.-Ecclesiastes 4:9
Today was a good day. Nothing extraordinary, really, except the joy I had on my drive home from work. I thought about how the LORD has blessed me with friends and I have not realized how many he has sent along my path.
My husband can attest to the fact that I’ve cried many a tear bemoaning my lack of a “best” friend. I could say he is my best friend, and he truly is, but I need someone to do girl stuff with. The fact that he understands this shows what a good friend he really is.
Those friends from middle school are unique. They are the ones you grow up with and make memories that last forever. I’ve drifted away from most of those, but a few years ago I reunited with one and we have been closer than ever. It’s like we fell right back into that closeness that all the years had not erased. Twice this year we have gone to funerals together. I told my friend that would make for a good comedic novel, “Friends Who Go to Funerals Together Stick Together” or some such title.
But, what got to me today was exercise. Five of us stayed after work and did a 25 minute non-stop exercise routine. It was the idea of our boss, who was huffing and puffing right along with us. She is pretty fit, so the rest of us were doing most of the huffing and puffing. It was the camaraderie that made it worthwhile. It’s been a long time since I worked somewhere where everyone gets along. It’s a stress-free environment, at least for me.
I seem to be rambling, but my point is God has provided me with more than a job. He’s given me enjoyable office mates; friends to spur me on now in my effort to get fit. He’s given me back my friend from middle school. He’s given me kind neighbors. He’s making me aware of community – and I’m learning to BE a friend.
As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.- Proverbs 27:17
Not In This Soup Alone 