Celebrating 3 with Tara and Bill at PW Pizza

The year is coming to a close and in the midst of the seasonal celebrations Bill and Tara make arrangements for their guests to share joy on the occasion of their anniversary. Three years ago, in 2015, they were married in a ceremony at the original Old Des Peres Presbyterian Church that was built in 1834 by a group of settlers. The church is on the list of National Register of Historic Places. It was certainly a quaint and lovely place for Bill and Tara to begin their lives together. More than 20 of us gathered on this Friday evening in the Chouteau Room at PW Pizza which is, no doubt, named for the street in Saint Louis on which the place is located but more importantly the name of historic significance in our town.. (René Auguste Chouteau, Jr., also known as Auguste Chouteau, was the founder of St. Louis, Missouri born in New Orleans, LA and died in Saint Louis in 1829.)

A long table is set and the evening is remarkable for its mosaic of personalities. We all have one thing in common: a love for the couple. Bill Ellis and Tara Rogers-Ellis live on a global scale but with a neighborly approachability. Caren was at their wedding as official photographer, Denise confides that Tara wants Bill to go easy on the baked goods from Schuck’s Grocery. She is here with her husband Keith. Cindy and her husband Tony relive a period in time in which theses Missouri natives lived in Michigan. Dominic is a man of faith. He participated in a White House Retreat with Bill. They share a connection to LSU and New Orleans which creates an opening for my shallow knowledge of college football. My Miami Hurricanes were defeated by LSU early in this season. Being from Ohio originally, I cannot resist my ingrained competitive spirit by posing the question: Why do all the trees in Ohio bend toward Michigan? Wait for it…BECAUSE MICHIGAN SUCKS. Ha. Ha. I have a short list of conversational jokes, some of which land with good cheer on this group of good-hearted folks. I love an audience but I know better than to launch my repertoire of elephant jokes on them this evening. I know too, that I need to exit before Gooey Butter Cake or other lingering desert treat keeps me out way past my bed time.

Take-away pizza boxes are distributed by PW Pizza event manager, Linda, for those interested in taking left-overs home. The boxes are a prop I cannot resist. With a black Sharpee marker I indicate that box #1 and box #2 are for Denise. Given her dinner-time banter on the antioxidantal benefits of pomegranates as perhaps the world's healthiest fruit, I surmise, correctly, that she is not going to take anything home with her. The boxes are understood to contain the spoils of my conquest as I make my early departure. The truth is I donated the contents to a family with pizza loving kids in the restaurant before I exit to the parking lot.    

Thanks again Tara and Bill for including me. It was a hatful of smiles. Here’s to many more years of happiness for you both. I’m glad to be a part of your cheering section. 

 A virtual toast from James, Pam, Maurice, Lula, Kim, Dominic, Mary, Dave, Cindy, Tony, Tina, Marvin, Doug, Sharon, Denise, Keith, Caren, John, Suzie, Brian, Andrea, Wes and all of us to Bill and Tara

Basilica

On Christmas Eve this year I opted to go to mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Among other things, it is home to one of the largest mosaic collections in the Western Hemisphere. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. It  was founded in 1896 and it is located in the Central West End. Artisans, craftsmen, stonecutters, and masons spent a century creating this incomparable church Pope John Paul II honored by making it a Basilica, a place of worship of special distinction (in 1997). This place is a masterpiece of art and history and a joy to behold. It rivals the grandest Cathedrals in the world.

At a time when Institutional religions are losing members nearly one in five of U.S. adults are “unaffiliated” according to the Pew Research Center. The research suggests Catholicism is taking the biggest hit with this movement. While nearly one in three Americans were raised Catholic, today "fewer than one in four describe themselves that way according to Pew Research. “All together in the St. Louis metropolitan area we found about 555,000 persons associated with the Catholic Church” says a spokesman from a research associate for the Glenmary Research Center (2010).

The Mass was majestic and other-worldly. I made me consider declaring my affiliation more emphatically. Merry Christmas!

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the Resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

Now and again I wonder

Now and again I wonder.

First the lightning, then the thunder.

Watch look and listen and inevitably;

What eventually happens no one will believe.

City, street, monumental installation;

A story in which the central figure wins; 

In museum galleries pondering contemplation.

It has no end, a real tragedy that begins.

Reflecting on the moon at its fullest;

Waxing or waning, it comes and it goes.

Following the star constellations, clear at its best;

And flowers in a garden planted in rows.

Rows and rows of flowers no-one knows

Things I once knew and have now forgotten

Apocryphal, faster than a speeding bullet;

More powerful than a locomotive;

Fiery with fortitude unparalleled, unmatched;

Liberty says print the legend as if true.

Justice comes not to those who have patience to wait;

Millions vote with impact of little note;

While media analytics before and after;

Formative and summative we want to assess;

Trying to understand what might be or could have been disaster;

Next time, just to do what is right- more or less.