Hey, Matt. This was a lovely piece and the Bukowski poem is a keeper. Just for the record, I read this on the 4th which was a day full of beauty and wonder (but no parades). Thanks for encouraging us to keep the faith.
Jul 4, 2022·edited Jul 4, 2022Liked by Matt Labash
Nice Piece Matt, I had never heard of Ryan Adams , love his voice ( and his face isn't hard to look at either...lol), I might load his greatest hits on you tube to sample the rest
Didn't know Kanye had a service and a choir either
Happy 4th, Matt, in this wonderful and messy country of ours! Love the Bukowski poem (my phone autocorrected his name to ‘bikini’, which I suppose everyone loves)—I had not read it before.
Hope you have a great day with family and friends.
Happy 4th! We spent our weekend at a youth baseball tournament. I don’t know that I could feel much more American if I tried. And if you think there is a better place for patriotic t-shirts than a ball field on 4th of July weekend, you are very wrong. Wishing everyone a relaxing, safe and fun-filled holiday!
So here I am at work at my favorite home from home the VA facility in Aspinwall PA. Hanging with my "Vet Brothers and Sisters" Breaking bread this beautiful Monday morning. No politics. No bullshit.
We all sit here today and as messed up as things maybe all over this planet we are thankful that we went thru Hell to get here today to be in the Greatest Country on this messed up planet of ours.
No one anywhere on Earth is knocking on doors begging to be let into someone else's country.
I would like to take this opportunity to go off topic. Please bear with me for this is a relatively short but very good story today.
A few months ago a fellow member of this Community of ours I believe tongue in cheek asked if she could adopt me after I made several comments she liked and replied. Well me being adopted for real and the first adoption by Martha and Robbie Abraham went so well I figured what the hell. I replied SURE. I now have a "Sister". She had no clue what she was in for with my positive reply. Well the past few months we have gotten very familiar with each other as "kids" tend to do when left alone. Well without revealing our kid friendly secrets we have formed a bond a close friendship. That I will hold near and dear to my heart.
Earlier last week I received an email from my Sister. She announced to me that after 8 years of dating and falling in love my Sister was walking down the aisle in a private ceremony yesterday..
While as of this minute I do not know my new "adopted" brother in law's last name and the name my Sister has taken for the rest of her life please share in her happiness today as I congratulate
My adopted "Sister" and fellow Slack Tide Community Member Dr. Deborah Hall FILL IN LAST NAME HERE and Whatever is His Name.
This made me happy this Fourth of July. My plans are to sit on my deck (in the shade) and enjoy my gardens. I might mow right before I go in. Which would make it a perfect day.
At this point in time when our politics are toxic and our democratic institutions are teetering, I think of when Matt commented some time back that a person’s politics are usually the least interesting thing about them. I think in a similar way, the country is more than its politics. I’m not going to claim that Americans are uniquely generous or neighborly. Whether it’s part of our national character or just our collective humanity, we are capable of profound acts of love and generosity. I see it all the time.
I don’t have a deep wellspring of patriotic feeling at the moment. As a country we are too addicted to outrage and we have been ill served by our political, intellectual, legal, and religious leaders. But we haven’t lost our humanity and I can at least celebrate our holy ideal of a citizenry empowered in liberty to create a new order for the ages, even if at present our reality falls far short.
Matt, I thought you might appreciate (more than many others) that today our pastor used the lyrics from Styx's "Show Me the Way" as her pastoral prayer. All I can say is, it's been too long since I heard that song and I agree with every word.
Familiar bromides and patriotic aphorisms are one way to commemorate the 4th of July. And of course, honoring the Old Ragged Flag (which makes a very adequate weapon on the end of a pole).
Hey, Matt. This was a lovely piece and the Bukowski poem is a keeper. Just for the record, I read this on the 4th which was a day full of beauty and wonder (but no parades). Thanks for encouraging us to keep the faith.
Nice Piece Matt, I had never heard of Ryan Adams , love his voice ( and his face isn't hard to look at either...lol), I might load his greatest hits on you tube to sample the rest
Didn't know Kanye had a service and a choir either
Enjoyed them both, with the poem
Thanks
For some reason, no one here in the UK seems to be celebrating much. Nevertheless, we're holding up our end on the drinking front.
You cisnormative racist homophobe, it’s “hermanxs!” All kidding aside, Happy Independence Day, Matt!
May our democracy continue, our founding principles hold firm and guide our conduct. Happy 4th everyone!
p.s. prior criticism of Matt going too easy on Mr. Meadows is withdrawn. Matt has since gotten it right.
M Thanks for sharing that link. Mattis is a Warriors Warrior.
Happy 4th, Matt, in this wonderful and messy country of ours! Love the Bukowski poem (my phone autocorrected his name to ‘bikini’, which I suppose everyone loves)—I had not read it before.
Hope you have a great day with family and friends.
https://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/woman-sets-record-at-rockford-corner-bar-eats-50-chili-dogs/
Another reason to love America!!!!
Happy 4th! We spent our weekend at a youth baseball tournament. I don’t know that I could feel much more American if I tried. And if you think there is a better place for patriotic t-shirts than a ball field on 4th of July weekend, you are very wrong. Wishing everyone a relaxing, safe and fun-filled holiday!
So here I am at work at my favorite home from home the VA facility in Aspinwall PA. Hanging with my "Vet Brothers and Sisters" Breaking bread this beautiful Monday morning. No politics. No bullshit.
We all sit here today and as messed up as things maybe all over this planet we are thankful that we went thru Hell to get here today to be in the Greatest Country on this messed up planet of ours.
No one anywhere on Earth is knocking on doors begging to be let into someone else's country.
God Bless You and God PLEASE bless the USA.
Happy Birthday USA!
I would like to take this opportunity to go off topic. Please bear with me for this is a relatively short but very good story today.
A few months ago a fellow member of this Community of ours I believe tongue in cheek asked if she could adopt me after I made several comments she liked and replied. Well me being adopted for real and the first adoption by Martha and Robbie Abraham went so well I figured what the hell. I replied SURE. I now have a "Sister". She had no clue what she was in for with my positive reply. Well the past few months we have gotten very familiar with each other as "kids" tend to do when left alone. Well without revealing our kid friendly secrets we have formed a bond a close friendship. That I will hold near and dear to my heart.
Earlier last week I received an email from my Sister. She announced to me that after 8 years of dating and falling in love my Sister was walking down the aisle in a private ceremony yesterday..
While as of this minute I do not know my new "adopted" brother in law's last name and the name my Sister has taken for the rest of her life please share in her happiness today as I congratulate
My adopted "Sister" and fellow Slack Tide Community Member Dr. Deborah Hall FILL IN LAST NAME HERE and Whatever is His Name.
This made me happy this Fourth of July. My plans are to sit on my deck (in the shade) and enjoy my gardens. I might mow right before I go in. Which would make it a perfect day.
At this point in time when our politics are toxic and our democratic institutions are teetering, I think of when Matt commented some time back that a person’s politics are usually the least interesting thing about them. I think in a similar way, the country is more than its politics. I’m not going to claim that Americans are uniquely generous or neighborly. Whether it’s part of our national character or just our collective humanity, we are capable of profound acts of love and generosity. I see it all the time.
I don’t have a deep wellspring of patriotic feeling at the moment. As a country we are too addicted to outrage and we have been ill served by our political, intellectual, legal, and religious leaders. But we haven’t lost our humanity and I can at least celebrate our holy ideal of a citizenry empowered in liberty to create a new order for the ages, even if at present our reality falls far short.
Matt, I thought you might appreciate (more than many others) that today our pastor used the lyrics from Styx's "Show Me the Way" as her pastoral prayer. All I can say is, it's been too long since I heard that song and I agree with every word.
Familiar bromides and patriotic aphorisms are one way to commemorate the 4th of July. And of course, honoring the Old Ragged Flag (which makes a very adequate weapon on the end of a pole).
Amen I say to you Matt, Amen, Amen , Amen! Oh and have a wonderful July 4, Independence Day 🇺🇸🙏