Betty Weiks (Rickard)

Bill, I love your cartoon! Spot on. He's a "force" to be sure! I'll be cheering for Kansas City. Even though I live in Oregon I'm a real Seahawks fan. Did anyone hear that Washington's Governor predicted that since the Hawks were the only NFL team which did not have any COVID outbreaks, that they would be iin the Super Bowl next year. Here's hoping he's right.

Virginia Wolfe (Scheffer)

Bill......I just happen to live outside of Tampa, so guess who the hero is, yes the old guy.  Wish it would have been the SeaHawks in the Super Bowl.  Maybe next year, unless Tom Brady is still playing!  Enjoy the game should be a good one.

Tom Chavez

How can I know for certain what will happen after death?

Well, is it certain that I have to die?

Boeing sent Dad to Boston where I attended 3rd grade. My little brother, two years younger, told me one day, “Tom, you are going to die.” 

“No I’m not!” I said, affronted by little brother telling me something I didn’t know. 

“Yes you will,” Mike said, knowingly. “Everyone is going to die.”

I was in denial. When it comes time for me to die, I thought, I’m just gonna keep on breathing. I was sure of it.

There was a small river flowing behind our house. A few nights after my conversation with Mike, I dreamed that I was in the river, sinking beneath the surface. Rays of light slanted into murky greenish-brown water, and everything faded to black.

Awakening from the dream, I had a realization. I can’t keep breathing if there is no air to breathe. Mike was right. I’m gonna die.

Tom Chavez

How can we know for sure what happens after death? Enlightenment comes in many ways, one of which is transcendental knowledge.

The epic Mahabharat recounts a great war from 5,000 years ago.

Arjun was a warrior. When the armies assembled on the battlefield, and he saw his own relatives and friends opposing him, Arjun lost composure.

He dropped his weapons and told his charioteer, “Kṛṣṇa, I shall not fight.”

Arjun was thinking that his friends and relatives would cease to exist if their bodies were killed. 

Kṛṣṇa told Arjun not to be a sentimental fool. The body, made of insentient matter, is only a covering of the real self. It inevitably deteriorates and dies. 

The real self, or soul, is spiritual in nature. Spirit is conscious, and matter is unconscious. The true self is never killed.

“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain.”

Kṛṣṇa describes death as being nothing more than a change of dress.

“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”

The transition from one body to another is already going on now:

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from childhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.”

If you are the body, which body are you? Your baby body? Your adolescent high school body? Your senior citizen body? Actually, you are not your physical body. You are the conscious self, or atma.

Understanding this is the first step in self-realization.

Tom Chavez

How can we know for sure what happens after death?

The first requirement is an open-minded desire to inquire, without bias. If we don’t care, or don’t want to think about it, we can’t know.

Most of us are convinced that the physical world is real, not an illusion. We are convinced that right and wrong, as moral rather than physical values, are real. 

Similarly, we can gain conviction for the transcendence of our own consciousness if we honestly investigate and look at the abundant evidence, which includes near death experiences and past life memories.

For example, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Division of Perceptual Studies, investigates consciousness functioning beyond the physical body.

Their research suggests that mind and brain are distinct and separable, and that consciousness persists in detectable ways beyond bodily death.

Their website: https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/

Diane Paulson

yes, Tom, I can see that, I know I feel I am virtually a different human being than who I was at age 20 say, and infact a lot of my writing is to integrate that person with who I am now... also though it is all very subjective and it takes a kind of meditative state to even be able to relate to subjective realities. The problem I have with most religion is the way they often try to codify and objectify those realities.

Tom Chavez

Many of us are skeptical of religion. Religious leaders of all kinds turn out to be hypocritical counterfeits. Various ‘religious’ factions war with one another: Protestant vs Catholic, Christian vs Muslim, Sunni vs Shia, Buddhist vs Muslim.

Luckily, we have human intelligence and a direct connection to our Source. We have free will, but we are fully responsible for our actions. We should strive to make fully informed decisions.

Bhagavad-gītā clearly explains karma, transmigration, the modes of nature, transcendental knowledge and what happens after death in a rational, easily understandable way.

Henry David Thoreau: “I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gītā, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson: “It was the first of books: it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.”

Robert J. Oppenheimer, ‘father’ of the atomic bomb, quoted the Gītā upon seeing the first atomic explosion in 1945, near Alamogordo, New Mexico. Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, the Beatles and Martin Luther King all read the Gītā.

I am mailing out free copies of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. This English translation was first published in 1966. It has become the best selling Gītā worldwide, in 86 languages. Contact me via this website’s message center, or directly to tchavez64@yahoo.com.

Gregg Wilson

On the lighter side.

Bill Hamilton

A couple of years ago Tom Nixon shared information about Melba McConnaughey’s life and her passing.  I did not have Melba as a teacher, but I did have Don.  He was one of my favorite teachers and coaches.  I saw Don’s obituary and thought others might be interested in a little bit of his life history.

DON MCCONNAUGHEY

March 14, 1930 - February 8, 2021

Obituary

George Donald ‘Don’ McConnaughey passed away peacefully on January 8, 2021.  He was born March 14, 1930, Rogers, Arkansas to Addison and Sallie (Breeze) McConnaughey, a farm family of 8 just outside of town on Prairie Creek.  He was an all-around athlete at Rogers High School, named all-conference and all state in football and was one of state’s top high school sprinters in the late 1940’s. 

Don was widely recruited but chose to attend and compete at Arkansas State Teachers College, now University of Central Arkansas or UCA.  He immediately started as a 2-way End as a freshman on the 1949 team and was a top sprinter on the track team.  He met Melba Jean Taylor that year and would later marry her in 1951 and have 3 sons.

During the summer of 1950, his Arkansas National Guard unit was called to active duty by President Truman to train, ship out and fight in the Korean War.  His unit, the 936^th Field Artillery Battalion spent 6 months training then shipped out to the Korean front, February 1951 to January 1952.  They were involved in heavy firing in several UN offensives and counter offensives against the Chinese and North Koreans.  He was honorably discharged from the US Army so he could return home to go back to school in the spring of 1952.  He decided to decline an appointment to West Point but also found out that the NCAA would not let him transfer and be eligible at nearby University of Arkansas.

Don headed back to UCA and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree.  The AIC conference the school had played in previously had gotten rid of scholarships, so he paid for school with the GI Bill and taught swim lessons on the side.  From 1952-54 he played end and fullback and was named all-conference in 1954.  His wife Melba was also the UCA Homecoming Queen in 1953 after welcoming the birth of their first son, Doug in March of that year.  In track, he added many relay and sprint conference titles in the 100 and 200 as one of the top scorers in the conference.  He was inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 as a coach, player and track athlete. 

Don began a 38-year teaching and coaching career in the spring of 1955 at Norphlet High School AR along with wife Melba.  He next moved to Amarillo High School TX in 1956 to become an assistant football coach and head track coach for the Sandies.  He earned a Masters of Science in Education degree from nearby West Texas State.  He coached the Sandies football and track teams for the next 5 years at Amarillo HS winning many district championships in track and football.  Additionally, he was one of future NFL coach Bum Phillips assistants at Amarillo where he learned the now famous ‘numbers’ 6-5 defense.  He sent many players and athletes on the High Plains onto college careers.  In 1961, he moved his family to the Seattle WA area, hired at Highline High School in Burien as a biology teacher and assistant coach.   Melba also was hired at the ‘Home of the Pirates’ and for 30 years taught honors writing, English and literature.  He installed the Amarillo defense at Highline and wound up teaching it to many northwest area HS and college coaches, sending many more players onto college, while producing several powerhouse Highline HS teams in the very competitive old Puget Sound League.

In 1963, Don was hired to help start the athletic program at the new community college the state and Highline School District were creating, later known as Highline College.  He was one of the first coaches at Highline, eventually moving to the new campus as a physical education/health instructor.  After plans for a football program were scrapped, he started the Thunderbird track and cross country teams from scratch and would go onto win 2 NWAC Championships (1969 and 1989) and developed Highline College into one of the strongest collegiate track programs at any level in the Pacific Northwest during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  He recruited and developed many distance runners, sprinters and throwers that went on to compete at 4-year colleges.  His teams at HCC rarely finished lower than 2^nd in championship meets and were very competitive in indoor and outdoor meets versus Washington, WSU, Oregon, Oregon State and Spokane CC.  He later served as Highline College’s athletic director and was a commissioner and director on the NWAC Board for more than a decade.  He was inducted in 1992 into the NWAC Hall of Fame as a coach and administrator and Highline College named the track and field in his honor.  He retired in 1993 after 30 years at Highline.

Don enjoyed doing his own remodeling and built several houses himself, remaining physically active well into his late 70’s.  He and Melba enjoyed driving their RV to Arizona during the winter and moved to Ocean Shores WA full time.   He was active as a deacon at the Faith Community Church, the Elk’s Club, started a men’s badminton league and served on the Fresh Waterways Board.  He had many friends and lots of family visits from his sons and grandkids having fun on Duck Lake and the beach.  He leaves generations of family, former players, students and athletes behind who remember his positive impact on their lives.  He was a man of faith and principle, a fierce competitor but a people person and relationship guy first and foremost. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Melba, and 5 siblings, Ruth, Jim, Ralph, Joann and Ted and survived by 2 sisters, Nancy Lancaster and Susie Baker.  His 3 sons survive him: Doug and Dr. Suzanne McConnaughey, Tom and Sheri McConnaughey and Tim McConnaughey; as well as 4 grandchildren, Everett, Neva, Donny, Monica; and nephews Paul McConnaughey, Bill Lancaster, Slade Baker and nieces Mary Butler, Sally Lin Baker Soendker and Sally Jo Barker Clifton.  A private graveside burial service will be held at Bonney Watson Sea Tac and Washington Memorial Park, February 18, 2021 at noon but is limited due to Covid restrictions, but can be live streamed upon invitation.  Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the Highline College Foundation at highline.edu and select Athletics Fund

Tim Jones (Jones)

Thanks for posting Don's obituary, Bill.  

I didn't have Don or Melba at Highline.  He was at Highline JC when I was there but never had him for a teacher.  My loss, obviously.

There were some very good, some great and dedicated teachers at Highline.  Don and Melba two of the best.

What a well written obituary.  Certainly a tribute to an extraordinary teacher, coach and man....

Heading out for my first vaccine this afternoon.....  Whoa!  

Hope you are all doing well and get your vaccination in a timely manner if you want one.

Tim

Betty Weiks (Rickard)

"Angel in the Storm" I've written a new blog post about the recent ice and wind storm here in the Portland area this week. Check it out if you like on bettyrickard.com

Linda Pompeo (Worden)

I enjoyed reading several  posts on your blog.  I was happy to read that you were spared during the recent ice storm.  There is always so much to be thankful for each and every day of our lives.

Tom Chavez

There are two basic kinds of energies—matter and consciousness. 

What happens in life depends in large degree upon our conscious desires and actions. What happens after death also depends upon our consciousness:

“Whatever state of consciousness one remembers when he quits his body, O Arjun, that state he will attain without fail.” ~ Bhagavad-gītā 8.6

After death the physical body merges into the elements. Energy is conserved. 

Consciousness is also conserved. Our destiny after death depends upon our dying thoughts, which in turn depend upon our lifelong thoughts and actions.

If those who are devoted to Jesus, for example, think of Jesus at death, they will approach Jesus in proportion to the purity of their devotion.

We are the architects of our own destinies. Although we forget most of our past lives, like dreams, they are the causal precursors of our future.

Under laws of cause and effect, nothing happens by chance. Henry Ford said, “Genius is experience accumulated over lifetimes.” One life flows into another.

Mozart brought his musical genius, the Wright brothers their aeronautical aspirations, and Steve Jobs his insanely great ideas, all from previous lives.

Material nature offers us opportunity to realize our dreams, within constraints of karma. It depends not only on our desire, but also on what we deserve.

I will mail, at my cost, a free Bhagavad-gītā to all who request. Send name and address via the message center or directly to tchavez64@yahoo.com. The privacy of personal information will be perfectly respected.

Chapel of the Rosario, Puebla, Mexico

Tom Chavez

My first act of free will is to believe in free will. ~ William James

Fate and free will will are equally powerful forces, but I consider free will to be more important as it is your free will that determines your fate. ~ Vyasadeva

Waynne Blue (James)

The picture Tom just posted is of  the largest (to Ramses II) of the Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt.  When Egypt built the Aswan High Dam, Abu Simbel was going to be underwater so they moved the entire thing to a safe location (from 1964-1968).  The "mountain" the temples were built from is no longer there, rather the inside is a concrete dome that is now covered with the tons of blocks cut and moved carefully to their new location.

Tom Chavez

Thanks, Waynne, I didn’t know that!

Here is an interesting one.

The Kailasha Temple of Ellora (India) dates back to around 700 AD. It is supposed to be the only temple in the world carved out of a single rock, starting from the top and working downward into the hillside. Archeologists say that over 200,000 tons of volcanic rock were removed. 

Its immense size covers twice the area of the Pantheon in Athens, and is one and a half times as high. It is believed that the work took at least 100 years, with a succession of kings adding decorative elements.

It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Gregg Wilson

Bill Engelhardt

Thinking of color TV?

Bob Beveridge

Along those lines:  I visited Japan in the late 60's and was amazed at the scale and age of their monuments:  my favorite was the Kamakura Dibutsu, a cast Bronze statue from the 1200's.  Interesting website (search for ."Kamakura Buddha"). The large sandals you see were placed there for Him to use while taking walks.  You could also enter the statue...kind of like the Statue of Liberty.
 

Ronald Goodmansen

We too saw it in 1972, amazing 

Bill Engelhardt

Robert Bramel

Truman president in 1953? Maybe, for the first a few days in January, but Ike (Dwight Eisenhower) won by a landslide against Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 election.

Gregg Wilson

                  TERM LIMITS

Tom Chavez

You’ve heard of cow cud, but have you heard of cow cuddle?!

Yes, its a thing! Get your thing on!

Cow cuddling has become a thing for lonely hearts in the pandemic.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/03/08/cow-cuddle-sanctuary-covid/

Tom Chavez

Ten years ago today, a tsunami in Japan swept away 18,000 lives, displaced 500,000 people, and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Today, more than 40,000 people are still unable to return, and the nuclear plant area is still off-limits radioactive.

Nothing we perceive with our senses is permanent. Be grateful for what we have and be mindful, everything physical is temporary.