Shortly after noon. You woke up in the
middle of the night and realized you had written "Indian temple"
yesterday and meant "Sikh Temple". The specific temple you referred
to that is nearest you is the Sikh Temple Gurudwara of Greater Cincinnati which
is located on Tylersville Road in Hamilton.
This led me to confusion on the differences between Hindu and Sikh
so I looked it up in Wiki Answers:
** **
What is the difference between Hinduism and
Sikhism?
Answer:
Hinduism is more of a religious
tradition rather than any particular religion. It comprise various schools of
spirituality, philosophies, rituals, prayers, practices along with the idea of
Polytheism where one God take different forms to direct mankind at different
time periods. Therefore, one can find Hindus worshiping different Gods
depending on their faith and devotion but the One God remains the same
underneath all. Hinduism goes back to more than 3000 B.C or even to 5000 B.C
and is usually considered to be the oldest religious system in the world.
Sikhism, on the other hand happens to
be the youngest or among the youngest religion only little more than 500 years
old.Founded by Guru Nanak Dev in the present day of Punjab, India.Sikhism
relies on principle of Remembrance of God, Doing one's duties and sharing with
others.Sikhism believes in One God who ever remains formless.
From: Wiki Answers
** **
Now, that is resolved. Earlier you had
breakfast and read the Sunday paper (a ritual). You are feeling better than
yesterday but took a short nap nevertheless. Kim called and you and Carol
chatted with her for most of an hour. Presently the light rain has stopped
though it is still a rather glum day as compared to yesterday. Carol is doing
the wash and you were looking up 'washers and dryers' on Consumer Reports and
mentioned this to Kim who will be buying one of each during this next month. You
have the rest of Brothers 17 to complete and you are curious about Grandma 17
as you do not have a clue who it is about, that is, who the dead person's long
remembered story Grandma is making reference to.
My imagination flows from the thought of Grandma pulling up an
event in someone's life and telling about it. Some it is easy to see why the
story is remembered far into life after death, but others must have a very
personal meaning that cannot be deciphered by an outsider. One could go back
and reconstruct why the story is remembered and wonder on the importance in the
person's life and life after death, a kind of top ten stories of life, which
one is it that Grandma has chosen.
Why would you ever think such a thing
orndorff? - Amorella
I don't know. I think every story has a story behind it I guess.
Since that is the case, why don't you
measure your own stories first and tell me which ones are in the top ten, in
order please. - Amorella
I don't think I could do that. Which, after the fact, makes me
feel like I am short-changing someone.
Carol made scrambled eggs for supper after half
a ham and cheese on wheat and a mixed lettuce salad for lunch. You and Carol
caught up on more TV shows and a few episodes of choosing the right house on
HGTV as well as the nightly news. The rain still lightly falls as it has most
of the day. Do you have any more to add for the day, old man? - Amorella
No. I have been getting a lay-about attitude on Sundays lately. I
don't know why. I don't really mind though. (1944)
Carol is finishing a shower the TV is off
for a while, the kitchen is cleaned up and the trash has been taken to the
curb. Let's finish Brothers 17, shall we? - Amorella
I haven't seen "shall" used in a very long time. It is
rather refreshing.
2030
hours. Brothers 17 is completed for now. It is okay, but it was not as much fun
to write, except for the conclusion. I enjoyed that. I can hear them laughing
'knowingly'.
***
Brothers 17 ©2013, rho draft
Robert and Richard sat on a bench with a back with
their eyes towards the Park Lake Major; Lake Minor is just out of sight to the
west. The large roofed picnic table area sits to the northeast between the two
lakes in Riverton's favorite park with two lakes, a stream and surrounding
woods. Flowers, mowed grass, a Kid's Play Area and meadowland for birds and
other critters. They focused on the great blue heron fishing near the west
bank. He stood solidly patient with a closed wingspan, more than six feet open
winged. Yellow beaked with black plumes running the neckline.
A
wingspan of more than six feet, thought Robert, that's about my height; it is a
magnificently solid feathered bird standing in its natural habitat.
"We
used to come here as kids; almost more fun than the cemetery," commented
Richard.
"I
remember coming here with the girls our senior year -- old Riverton High, Class of 1960." He thought, now
it's a refurbished honors elementary school.
"I
was dating Connie," said Richard.
"And,
I, Cyndi." Robert smiled in the pause. "Here we are seventy; a long
road since seventeen." Both laughed.
"How
did it come to this? You a retired surgeon and me a retired professor, who
would have thought."
"We
were both in Air Force ROTC at John Knox. We were going to make it a career,”
said Robert.
Richard
added, "And the girls were both at Case Western Reserve for nursing
degrees our sophomore year.
Robert
continued to focus on the heron, quiet and patient, like myself he thought.
Suddenly
the great blue let out a discordant screeching.
"He
sounds like a dinosaur in an old movie."
"Unmerciful,"
said Rob. "Why the squawk?" They watched the wings rise as if they
were going to pull his five-pound body out of the water with a single flap.
"It
is an intentional acts of will. He stands wings down in place."
It
is an existential act. We raised our wings once and it kept the girls and us
together," declared Richard.
"We
four were always attracted to one another," injected Robert. "Look,
the heron is back stalking a fish."
"You
failed the ROTC physical in the Spring and in the Fall the Cuban Missile Crises
loomed."
"It
was our junior year. We thought we going to die in a nuclear holocaust brought
on by arrogance and accident."
"That
was an existential world drama if there ever was one," expressed Robert.
"We thought we were going to die. If the Russian ship did not stop a news
report said we would see the beginning of a war few would survive."
"I
remember that if the missiles were fired from Cuba we would have about twenty
minutes. We both wanted to call the girls but the frat house phone was
busy," said Richard. He chuckled dark humouredly. "I was taking World
Drama from Dr. C that semester. It was either Ionesco’s "The Chairs" or Beckett's Waiting
for Godot. In any case the class focus was the Theatre of the Absurd during
those days."
Robert
responded, "The missile crisis was absurdly real."
Richard
nodded, "Just like that blue heron, a fish just jumped, he focused, caught
and swallowed him down. Reflex to survive." He paused, "Maybe all
that intelligence and patience was the same; the chips were down and humanity
had a reflex to survive the moment."
"Another
kind of reflex could have brought a nuclear holocaust," reckoned Robert.
"I
willed my way through graduate school; and you through medical school. That was
real drama."
Robert
stayed matter-of-fact, "We married our high school sweethearts. We became
who we are, fathers; as did Connie and Cyndi who became registered nurses and
then mothers."
In
quiet honesty Richard asked, "What
real difference did it make as to which one each married whom?"
"I'm
sure Connie and Cyndi know. They made the choice as to who was marrying whom
not us. You do know that don't you Richie?"
"I
guess. I don't really like to think on it. The girls used their free will; to
each, marriage was an existential act, but for us marriage was a kind of
indifference." Caught in the embarrassment, both laughed nervously.
"It
is like they were the identical twins, not us," quipped Rob unexpectedly.
"Very
bizarre." Both laughed. Richie shook his head, "Never thought of it
like that. Hey, we both loved both girls equally. I don't think it really made any
difference."
"And
still do."
"Very
odd. Sometimes life almost doesn't seem real does it? I mean here we are,
seventy years old sitting on a park bench watching the birds."
"It's
real enough, bro. Wait until we get home." Both laughed knowingly.
***
You have a shallow and twisted humor
sometimes orndorff. - Amorella
I guess. What can I say, I do. They didn't call me "Garbage
Gums" for nothing at the fraternity house. I don't know why I was like
that. I could be not at all polite.
You didn't care, orndorff. You were a rock.
Hard and indifferent. - Amorella
I can still be that way.
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