Ernest concern for an older brother, 1930

This is a letter of concern from a younger brother, Ernest, to his beloved older brother, Jim (my grandfather). They are shown at center and right in the photo below, with a brother I'm sorry I know nothing about.

My mother loved her uncle Ernest and actually had more of a father-daughter relationship with him than she did with her father.......for reasons that can be detected in this letter. My grandfather was an ambitious dreamer and doer, providing beautifully for his family who rarely had him at home. He died in 1936, six years after receiving these words of loving advice from his brother, advice that went unheeded.

Ernest, as described by my mother, was mellow, fun-loving, and sentimental. He took time to build relationships and to keep them. He wrote such a fine letter so long ago that I think his words still ring true today....... Maybe now more than ever.

It is his final line that I find simply spellbinding and heartbreaking. Do we think thoughts like this anymore? If we think them do we write them to those we want to touch with our thoughts and words? If we received such a message would our minds be still to understand its depth; would our hearts open wide to such sweetness?

11/21/30

Dear Jim -

Be a phylosopher now!

This is one time a man has to go thru almost a Gesthemena -- Sometimes he is lost, or thinks he is lost - and that God has forgotten him. A healthful sober reflection tomorrow justifies again his faith in God and man.

He goes just so far - working - working - worrying - worrying - trying things by his own desires - and sure of his good intentions always - but -- this is the truth -- unwise in his treatment of this wonderful mechanism called the body - untill the old machine just has gone further without rest than nature intended it to go - then - yes then a tender & merciful God steps in and says "Rest" and by heck it's rest you will. So just take this that from me -- it is quite likely -- (and I've feared - lovingly feared for you) you would sooner or later rest of your own volition - or rest anyway -- So just stretch out - and rest -- Gee it's good to rest - & get plenty of it - and don't let your (to you unconscious) old enemy "Over Ambition" crawl in bed with you either -- Kick him out -- Tell him you've been a fool slave to him to long already -- Then soon a sweeter view of life will be yours - for now you can learn something you've overlooked - i.e. Sometimes we must receive love -- We are selfish to always want to give it. Others do want to give it -- Learn that and be humble in learning it. --

I wish I could sit with you a long time -- in silence - just loving -

Ernest

Brothers: Will, Ernest, and James


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I'm a little behind . . .

I hope you know me better by now than to think I was going to go all cutesy on you and have a photo here of a baby's bottom to emphasize the title of this post.....

I am behind in just about everything right now. I'm behind in reading many of your blogs. I'm behind in correspondence. I'm behind in reading the books I have lined up to enjoy. I'm behind in housecleaning. I'm behind in clutter-clearing. I'm behind in yard work (at least there is that kid who mows once a week). I'm behind in my animal to-do list, i.e., the dogs must get to the groomer and one of our veterinarians (we have two in separate cities, further complicating my life) notified me by card yesterday that one dog and one cat are due their annual exams and shots. I'm behind in my wildlife to-do list, i.e., I must resupply the stock of whole peanuts and cracked corn for the blue jays and the hulled sunflower chips for all the other spoiled birds, and these are sold by stores in two separate towns.

Mike and I are behind in deciding our next course to take with his family, with whom we've been basically estranged for four years (except cards at holidays), who have suddenly extended not one, but two, Fourth of July celebration invitations. I am behind in trusting their intentions, something I did in the past and swore to remember the ouch.

I am behind in feeling great, because I'm behind in my yoga practice. Also, for the entire month of June...and continuing into July...I've had an outer (as opposed to middle or inner) ear infection, also known as swimmer's ear -- the cause of mine mysterious because I've not been swimming. This has caused near-deafness in my left ear, relieved only by the Cipro drops I've had to use every eight hours since arriving at the ER with a bleeding ear at the beginning of June. I had a check-up on the condition two days ago. My doctor has reduced the Cipro drops to once a day for a week, after which he will prescribe a different eardrop (he said it may take six weeks for my hearing to be normal). So now, without the relief of the more frequent medication, my hearing is affected all the more...

Which brings me right back to the 4th of July and the worries over exposing my hurt ear, even with earplugs, to a booming fireworks display (one of the suggested meet-ups with Mike's brother) and to the American Idol concert in Portland on July 5th. When I bought the tickets I did so with a surety that Adam Lambert would win, but we thought the entire group this last season was the best AI has had, so the concert is sure to be fun -- and definitely our only AI concert. Last weekend when my ear was aching I called our neighbor and offered the tickets, including the parking pass, to her and her 13-year-old daughter. She was flabbergasted because they're huge fans and not in a current financial position to ever afford the concert. But that happens to be the weekend when she has family flying in from two different states in order for them to drive to the lower central Oregon coast where her mother was raised, to scatter the ashes of said now-deceased mother, who requested that this be done. In other words, we still have the tickets and are planning to use them...and I plan on using earplugs...on Sunday night.

I need to catch up with my life a little bit. So my next post won't be until next Monday or maybe even Tuesday. In the meantime, I'll be happily visiting your blogs and catching up with your lives, too.


To close, here's a bonus Tagore quote. Once again, his words seem perfect to me because everything he wrote is golden . . .

THEY throw their shadows before them

who carry their lantern on their back.

-Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

This is Number Five in a randomly-posted, continuing series of quotes by Tagore.
Number One
Number Two
Number Three
Number Four




Photo of young bald eagle at Carpenter Nature Center from Twin Cities Daily Photo

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