Halloween

Halloween
Originally uploaded by brotherdan44.

Guess who I am dressed as on halloween?

Bud Selig Rule

I am watching world series and mad about it. The Bud Selig rule is that
whoever wins the all-start game has the home field advantage for the
series. Ever world series since has begun in the american league park.
Giving the American League a big advantage. Only once since it began has
the National League won the series-last year in St. Louis. It makes the
world series anti-climatic since "we know" the American League will win,
so why watch?

Fw: Note from Jim Forest

On October 30th I enter the hospital and the next day have the kidney
transplant. I hope to be back home by the 8th of November, but the day
of release is uncertain. For details and updates, see this blog:

http://ataleof2kidneys.blogspot.com/

* * *

Note: Nancy and I are trying to keep a more or less daily journal that
follows the transplant from now till sometime afterward.
A blog has been set up for this purpose -- A Tale of Two Kidneys.
We've now made several entries. See:

http://ataleof2kidneys.blogspot.com/

* * *

Jim Forest

Jim Forest was a personal friend of Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day. He
wrote one of the earliest biographers of Merton and a featured speaker
at this years International Thomas Merton Society meeting in Memphis.

On October 31, 2007, in Copenhagen Jim will have a kidney transplant
from his wife. Please pray for Jim and his family during this time.

Dan

Thomas Merton -4th and Walnut

I was in Louisville for the Thomas Merton Poetry Conference at
Bellarmine University. This morning I went to 4th and Walnut Street
where Merton had his epiphany in 1958. It shifted his writing to a more
understanding of the entire world. This statue is on the corner. A real
spiritual place for a person who understands how this touched Merton.
What a beautiful moment.

Walnut Street Baptist Church

I was ordained at Walnut Street Baptist Church on October 21, 1970 in
Louisville, Kentucky. I love this old church. Today I went back for the
first time in 35 years. I had forgotten what a beautiful church it is.
Rusty Ellison is the pastor. I stood in the balcony and listened to him
preach. It brought back meaningful and spiritual memories.

Jack Smiling More

Father Carlos

Father Carlos has returned to Gethsemani. Got a chance to see him on
Friday. (Gary Brown left, Father Carlos, myself on right)

Varallo's 100th Anniversary

Varallo's Restaurant celebrated its 100th anniversary today. It is the
oldest restaurant in Nashville, now run by grandson Todd (far left) and
other family members. Mayor Karl Dean stirred the chili, I ate a
Varallo's 3 way - chili, tamale, and spaghetti. What a wonderful family
has kept the tradition alive.

"It's always chili weather at Varallo's."

Michael Flynt

You might have seen the story last night on NBC Nightly News about Michael and Eileen
Flynt. Mike is 59 and played 9 downs for Sul Ross University this weekend. He and his wife moved from Franklin to Texas for him to play football. At the game were his children, a grandchild, and many friends. He has been an inspiration to his football team, becoming the oldest person to play college football.

Michael is a friend of mine. He and his wife were in my Sunday School class 20 odd years ago. I remember when their daughter was born. She had many difficulties and I remember going to Williamson County Hospital and praying for Eileen and their little baby, a baby now 21 and in, or is it out, of college.

Mike had been a coach at Nebraska and Texas A&M before coming to Franklin to begin a newventure. I was never quite sure what he was doing. He was always trying to sell me stock in companies that were going to hit it big. I never bought the stock he offered for Gold Mining in Arizona, or the stock he offered about raising the Titanic. A little off the wall for someone like me.

But, it is exciting seeing him play football. I would be afraid I would break my neck
attempting something like that. Seeing him play, and the joy in his heart, brings joy to me. A man with a "futile dream" sees it come true. What a beautiful example of it Never Being to Late to begin again.

SO LET'S ALL BEGIN AGAIN, and by the way, what ever happened to the TITANIC?

Bro. Dan --Memories

Monday Morning Inspiration

I am taking a day off from work. (1) we need time off for the healing of
our souls. (2) to recharge our spiritual batteries. (3) we need to
realize there is a maintenance cost to the spiritual ife.

What are the little cries to God? A word, a verse, a mile, may bring us
back into God's arms.

Daily Devotions

"Establishing a daily spiritual practice of quiet time and prayer is the
most important decision I ever made."

"Images that opened our hearts stay with us. They tell us what is
important in our inner life."

--Elizabeth Harper Neeld, A Sacred Primer.

What images speak of the divine to you? Your sacred moments:
--the singing at Westminister Abbey
--sitting, listening, watching
--High Falls and the peaceful water.
--waiting in silence
--the sky and clouds in Delphi

The Lord Bless !!

Fw: Thomas Merton, Poet

From: Pearson, Dr. Paul <pmpearson@bellarmine.edu>
To: Pearson, Dr. Paul <pmpearson@bellarmine.edu>
Subject: Thomas Merton, Poet
Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2007 12:05:55 -0400

NOTE: Problems with motels during the time of the conference. See end of
Post---

In the Dark Before Dawn:

Thomas Merton, Poet

A conference on the poetry of Thomas Merton

19th and 20th October 2007

Thomas Merton the poet can all too easily be overlooked yet, Merton's
first published book was a collection of poems, Thirty Poems, and two
more volumes (A Man in the Divided Sea and Figures for an Apocalypse)
were to be published before his autobiography would shoot him to fame in
1948.

Merton continued to write poetry for the rest of his life publishing a
total of eight volumes of poetry during his life, with two more
published shortly after his death and his Collected Poems, a massive
tome of over 1,000 pages, published in 1977. A new selection of his
poems: In the Dark Before Dawn, edited by Lynn Szabo, was published in
2005.

To continue exploring this important aspect of the life and thought of
Thomas Merton the Merton Center at Bellarmine University is sponsoring a
conference to explore Thomas Merton's poetry.

This conference will bring together a renowned group of international
speakers who are experts on his poetry and have published widely, as
well as a panel of poets who knew Thomas Merton.

Special registration rate of $65 ($50 students) for books made by
October 12th. ($85 after October 12th)

This fee includes registration, refreshments and lunch and dinner on
October 20th.

Speakers include:

Michael Higgins author of Heretic Blood: The Spiritual Geography of
Thomas Merton.

George A. Kilcourse author of Ace of Freedoms: Thomas Merton's Christ
and Flannery O'Connor's Religious Imagination: A World With Everything
Off Balance.

Ross Labrie author of The Art of Thomas Merton (1979) and Thomas Merton
and the Inclusive Imagination (2001) as well as The Catholic Imagination
in American Literature and The Writings of Daniel Berrigan.

Patrick F. O'Connell co-author of The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia and
editor of Cassian and the Fathers (2005) and Pre-Benedictine Monasticism
and The Merton Seasonal.

Lynn Szabo who edited the new selection of Merton's poetry, In the Dark
Before Dawn: New Selected Poems.

Bonnie Thurston editor of Thomas Merton and Buddhism.

The Panel of Poets includes:

Frederick Smock (chair) author of Pax Intrantibus: A Meditation on the
Poetry of Thomas Merton.

Jonathan Greene author of over twenty books, most recently On the Banks
of Monks Pond: The Thomas Merton/Jonathan Greene Correspondence.

Paul Quenon, OCSO, who has published several books of poetry and is an
editor of Monkscript: Literature, Arts and Spirituality.

Ron Seitz author of Song for Nobody: A Memory Vision of Thomas Merton.

For Further Information or to Register:

Thomas Merton Center

Bellarmine University

2001 Newburg Road

Louisville KY 40205

502 452 8177 / 8187

www.merton.org/poetry

* For some reason there seems to be very little motel accommodation
available in Louisville at the time of the conference. However, Laws
Lodge, the conference/retreat center at Louisville Seminary does have
rooms available, all with private facilities. The rate is $58 a night,
plus tax. This is a special rate for the Merton Conference and you would
need to mention this when booking. Bookings can be made at: 502 992
0220.

Further information about Laws Lodge can be found on the web at:

http://www.lpts.edu/Rentals/LawsLodge/

##########################

Dr Paul M Pearson.
Director and Archivist,
Thomas Merton Center,
Bellarmine University,
2001 Newburg Road,
Louisville, KY. 40205.

Tel: 502 452 8177.
Cell: 502 693 1937.
Fax: 502 452 8452.

www.merton.org

Baby Jack Smiles

For first time.

Good Sense

"Better is it to have a small portion of good sense, with humility and a
slender understanding, than great treasures of science with vain
self-complacency."-- Imitation of Christ