Tag Archives: family

A pitch to the undecided

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Right now, the two frontrunners in the U.S. presidential election are debating each other, the debate broadcast through various mass media outlets.

I listened for a few minutes and heard the same things they’ve been saying to and about each other all over again all over again.

So, I wandered into the study and decided to blog about my day, instead, which is more interesting to me right now, stoking my ego, not a presidential candidate’s.

Earlier today, I finished sewing the fiber optic light components onto my “Captain America, the ‘late Elvis years'” outfit for an upcoming costume party while I watched the home refinishing crew working on the house next door and the chipmunk/squirrel/wren wildlife digging through the leaves that have fallen onto our driveway.

Later, my mother called to say she’d found our family history book dating back to the beginning of the American Revolutionary War and will pass it on to me, leaving me as both inheritor and carrier for our future family members.

Later still, my wife and I drove on out into the countryside, stopping at a community center to greet our friends, the Cox family (no, not this one),who told us about their days working as tenant/cropshare cotton pickers, moving from rented house to rented house where crop work was needed, long before the high-tech days hit Huntsville and provided them office desk jobs.

Going to the community center was like walking back into the lives of my wife’s and my hometown.

Local politics, loosely tied to national issues but focused on specific problems that can easily be addressed without a legislative stalemate — prioritising road construction projects, sympathetically addressing the legal education needs of citizens going through the probate process, shaking hands with everyone in your district rather than swooping in for photo ops using canned speeches and preapproved Q&A sessions.

Tonight, the community center hosted three candidates for local political office (quotes below taken from their political handouts) while providing free dinner — southern pork BBQ, baked beans, potato chips, soda and tea:

  • Patty Demos, an attorney, Republican candidate for probate judge — ” a mother committed to community and family; active member of high school booster clubs; active in Open Gait, a therapeutic horseback riding program for special needs children; active in Leadership Huntsville/Madison County, Class 24; past board member of FOCAL, Foster Children’s Alliance of Madison County; former lead member of National Children’s Advocacy Center Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team; married 20 years to Joe Demos, a Huntsville State Farm Insurance agent, raising four sons: TJ, Payton, Mickey and Ryan, who attend Huntsville public schools”
  • Tim McNeese, Republican candidate for Madison County Commissioner District 1 — “Buckhorn High School Advisory Board member since 2008; Buckhorn High School Quarterback Club Board member, serving as President and Vice President from 2008-2009; East Madison County Recreation Association Board member, serving as Vice President and Equipment/Facilities Manager; coach of several soccer, baseball, and basketball teams at East Madison County Recreation Association for over 10 years; married to the former Micheal Johnson for over 24 years, with two sons, Taylor a sophomore at the University of Alabama and Garrett a 7th grader at Buckhorn Middle School; worked in financial industry for over 20 years, currently mortgage loan officer with RBC Bank”
  • Eddie Sisk, Republican candidate for Madison County Commissiioner District 3 — “Eddie graduated from Paint Rock Valley High School in 1976, and after working in the construction field for several years, he began his public service career with the City of Huntsville in 1980.  Eddie served as a supervisor in the Public Works Department where we oversaw various drainage and road projects.  In 1991, Eddie left the City of Huntsville to pursue his lifelong dream of being an entrepreneur.  He became the full-time owner/operator of Valley Trophies and Engraving, a business he had begun several years earlier, and grew it into a successful business.  He sold [it] in 2011 after 22 years.  Eddie is married to Felicia Ogle Sisk and has two step-children, Matthew and Bryan.  Currently, Eddie’s ambition is to return to public service and apply the business and public service experience he has gained over the years to make Madison County District 3 a better place to live for current and future generations.”

I really want to write a scifi short story but first, a mention of the phrase “dark social,” the aspects of computer technology-assisted social connectivity that we don’t talk about as much as we used to, which may explain American ideology, or might not.

My wife says she can’t tell if either presidential candidate won tonight’s debate.  As for me, I was turned off by their angry debate style and left the room, but you know that already, because I have bigger fish to fry.

Speaking of which, only 13,716 days to go!

A Distant Cousin Inquires…

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[This post is for a distant cousin of my father, who wanted to know more about their family lineage, including personal accounts]

On Saturday, May 10th, 2008, the family history my father had shared with me as we spent time together on Saturday:

About growing up on Black Oak Ridge in Fountain City, TN, with his grandparents, same house his mother grew up in.  A large part of property on Black Oak Ridge owned by a freedman in late 1800s.  Part of freedman’s land purchased by Dad’s great-grandparents in early 1900s.

Grandparents married in 1910.  Dresser with mirror in my parents’ dining room served as part of wedding dowry.  Dad’s grandmother died while he, who took the train to work at Tennessee Theater (and usually walked home), was met by his two aunts at the theater so Dad knew the news they had.  His grandfather died in a nursing care facility during my youth.  Dad recalled where both his grandparents had laid in bed during their last days in their house.  He drew up floor plans of the two-story house.  I recall the old linoleum peeling up in the kitchen, faded wall covering in the front room (the wall dividing the front room into a bedroom and parlor long ago removed to accommodate a hospital bed), stairs to the second floor and a dark closet in the back of the second story with just a sheet over the door, giving a eery feeling to the upstairs.

“Granddad’s mother’s first name was Gertrude. She was known as a strong-willed, somewhat controlling person, especially to her daughter-in-law, my Grandmother, Lucy Margaret Pope Eldridge (Mrs. Frank L.) and my Mother, Thelma May Eldridge, etc., etc.

“Don’ t know her maiden name, nor do I remember her husband’s (Great-Grandfather Eldridge) first name.

“Granddad (Frank Eldridge), their first-born, was a sheet metal worker and union member at the Southern Railway.

“His youngest brother George Eldridge (Uncle Ed) was a staff member of the Burlington Route RR. He commuted daily by train from Naperville, IL, to The Loop and return, 1920s – late 1940s. (Uncle Ed “ran away with the circus” when he was young, and ended up in IL.) He and his wife, Lil, had one son, who lived in Kankakee, IL, until he retired to AZ. Best I recollect, Uncle Ed lived with him until he passed away. Lil (Lilly) was a first gen. German-American. I remember her Mother speaking in a German-accented English.

“His sister, Ada Eldridge Waters , and her husband, owned a small potato chip bakery in Pueblo, CO. Their son Earl was our only family member KIA in WWII.

“The middle brother, Charles, lived in LA and worked for Lockheed Aircraft there. He had one son, whom I met only once, when Granddad and I ‘went west’ in 1951. Never had contact with him thereafter.”

My father’s grandfather (my great-grandfather) worked as a tinsmith/sheet metal worker for the Southern Railway because he left school in the sixth grade to help support family (his father had worked as a blacksmith).  He used college-level math and trigonometric shortcuts to design and build parts for his job.  He also built the house on Black Oak Ridge, one story at a time.  The floor sloped down in places where he had extended the width of the house.

Dad’s mother and uncle used to haul water up the hill from a spring until they got regular running water at the house.  Dad used to play at the spring and creek with his friends Philip and George Bradfute.  One time they saw a water moccasin and hightailed it up the hill back to the house as if the snake could chase and catch them.

The scary room I remembered as a child had no fearful connotation to my father.  His grandfather developed black and white film from Brownie cameras in that room, considered an upstairs closet.  A tape job held together one of the family Brownies — family lore said that the camera had rolled all the way down House Mountain.

My great-grandfather owned only one car in his life, a Model T in the 1920s.  His wife had earned a reputation as a speedy driver of the car, started back when she had ridden a fast horse (the horse had racing blood and would outrun horse-and-buggy riders if passed).  The family used to ride the car up to Monte LeConte long before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park existed.  Mechanical brakes did not work well on the car so reverse was used to slow down the car.  On the way down the mountain one time, they couldn’t stop the car when a cow stepped out onto the road so they hit and killed the cow (and of course, damaged the car).  They located the farmer — he didn’t blame them or ask for compensation because the cow had stepped in front of them, not the other way around.

Harris and Pope are family names on the Eldridge side of my family (Eldridge is paternal grandmother’s name; Capps is paternal BIOLOGICAL grandfather’s name (and not one to discuss with my father since Papa Capps abandoned my father and his mother) — my father changed his name to Hill after his mother remarried).

Grandma Harris attended Smithwood School.  One of the stories she told related how some boys at school came from the French side of Switzerland (a town called Tunn?).  American school boys taught the Swiss boys how to say “I love you” to American girls and then laughed when the Swiss boys said the phrase to the American girls (probably thinking they were saying “Hello”).  Very funny.

The Harrises owned property where Maryville College now sits.  Supposedly a sign on the school campus attests to that fact.

Dad delivered newspapers as a kid.  Dad has told me about some of his famous customers in emails through the years.  I will pull those together for a later blog entry.

My great-grandfather kept a string of dried hot peppers on the back porch and would eat them to settle an upset stomach.  In his later years, he sat in the front room of the house to watch television.  A set of condos sits where that house stood — a result of my grandmother and great-uncle selling the property to a developer, teaching me that money has more importance than land held by two generations of family members, signs, too, that my family has always migrated to new/better land.
Subject: FW: Family history for descendents of Col. John Sawyers

Here is some information of Dad’s family history (scanned and OCR’d from a book cited in the email links at the bottom of this blog entry):

FAMILY HISTORY OF COL. JOHN SAWYERS. Col. John Sawyers, born in 1745; died November 20, 1831, age. 86 years. Buried in Washington Church Cemetery, Knox County, Tenn.

Rebecca Crawford, wife of Col. John Sawyers, born February 7, 1753 ; died February 25, 1841, age, 88 years and 8 days. Buried in Washington Church Cemetery. John Sawyers and Rebecca Crawford were married January 30, 1776, in Augusta County. Virginia. To this union were born the following children :

5. — John Sawyers, Jr., born April 9, 1786; died October 1, 1851. Buried in Washington Church Cemetery.

JOHN SAWYERS, JR., FAMILY.

John Sawyers, Jr., second son and fifth child of Col. John Sawyers, was a man of sterling integrity and of sober and industrious habits. In stature was about 5 feet 10 or 11 inches; dark hair and eyes, and withal a commanding figure; in deportment gentle and kind; in the church, state and society, he was one of the substantial citizens of that day. He married Nancy Shell, a daughter of Christian Shell, who early emigrated from Virginia and settled near Graveston, Knox County, Tenn. At the time of his marriage, in 1809, his father located him on about one-third of the one thousand acres purchased in August, 1794, which he afterwards willed him. Upon this tract of land John Sawyers, Jr.. built a large four-room, two-story house of native hewn logs, with a huge stone chimney in the center. Two rooms of this house are still standing with the chimney intact. This house is three-quarters of a mile East of the Josiah Sawyers old home, on the old Emery Road.

John Sawyers, Jr., was the first child born after the removal to Knox County. His second wife was Miss Martha Thompson, whom he married about 1846, who some years after the death of John Sawyers, Jr., married James S. Bell, Beaver Creek, Knox County, Tenn.

James S. Bell died Sept., 1860. His wife, Martha Sawyers Bell, died in 1866 or 1867. Both are buried side by side at Bell’s Camp Ground, Knox County, Tennessee.

2nd S. G. John Sawyers, Jr., fifth child of Col. John Sawyers, born April 9, 1786; died Oct. 1, 1851; buried Washington Church. Nancy Shell, wife, born Feb. 18, 1788; died May 26, 1844; buried Washington Church.

John Sawyers, Jr., and Nancy Shell were married July 11, 1809. To this union was born the following children, to wit:

7. Rebecca Crawford, born Oct.1. 1822; died Nov. 7, 1877 ; buried Anderson Cemetery. Married Samuel K. Harris. (See Harris part of History.)

Rebecca Crawford Sawyers Harris, seventh child of John Sawyers, Jr., became a member of Washington Church upon profession of faith soon after her marriage to Samuel K. Harris. Her life was full of Christian activity and work. She was a thorough student of the Bible, having been trained therein by her grandmother, and she in turn imparted this knowledge to her children by daily reading to them from the Holy Scriptures. She was a woman of strong character, self poised and possessed considerable executive ability. She met the cares and duties of life with a courageous heart and cheerfully and dutifully filled her place in her home. She was a true mother, devoted to the welfare of her children. She left her children, as a testimony to her la})or of love for them, the memory of a life which time cannot erase, and her children rise up and call her blessed.

The immediate cause of her death was pneumonia fever. The morning before she died in the afternoon she said to her son. Dr. M. M. Harris, “The chariots have been here all night waiting for me.” The most of her children were at her bedside, to whom she said many blessed words before her departure.

She was buried Sunday afternoon, Nov. 9, 1877, Rev. David A. Herron, her pastor, preaching the funeral. Buried in Anderson Cemetery.

SAMUEL KINCHEN HARRIS.

Samuel Kinchen Harris, twelfth child of Simon Harris. Born Sept. 12. 1818. on the Holston River, opposite the station known as Mascot, Tenn.. on the Southern Railway, about fourteen miles east of Knoxville. At the death of his father in 1831, Samuel Harris being about thirteen years of age, it fell upon his shoulders to support his widowed mother and two sisters, Clara and Martha. He had but a limited education, owing to the fact of his having to support the family, but notwithstanding this and the poor facilities at that day for getting an education, he attained a good common English education. In stature he was five feet ten inches, fair complexion, blue eyes and light hair; a robust, healthy man all his life.

At his marriage to Rebecca Crawford Sawyers in 1810, he moved to Harbison’s Cross Roads, where he rented a small farm and lived there until the fall of 1841, when he purchased a small farm in Hinds” Valley, eleven miles east of Knoxville, on the Tazewell pike. Here he lived until 1853, when he became Superintendent of the Knox County Poor Asylum, which was then and is now situated at [Maloneyville. He lived here four years, moving to the present old home eight miles east of Knoxville, on the Tazewell Pike, in January, 1857. This farm of two hundred and thirty acres he purchased from Dr. Isaac A. Anderson, founder of the present Maryville College, paying for the place at that time four thousand ($4,000) dollars. Here he lived, completing the raising of his first family of ten children. His beloved wife, Rebecca Crawford Sawyers, died November 7, 1877.

Samuel Kinchen Harris was one of the substantial citizens of Knox County, He served as Justice of the Peace of Knox County for six years, between 1870 and 1880. During this time he took an active interest in all matters pertaining to the best interests of the County, especially in the matter of public roads. He, as well as his first wife, were members of Washington Church, he being at his death a deacon in that church. He lived an honest, Christian life ; his word as good as his bond ; was honorable in all his transactions, leaving behind him a record that his children and descendants may justly be proud of.

OBITUARY of SAMUEL K. HARRIS

One of the Most Prominent Men of Knox County Died at an Advanced Age.

“Samuel K. Harris. age 82 years, one of the best known citizens of Knox County, residing in the Third Civil District, died Friday night, May 4th, 1900, at 7 o’clock, at his home. His health had been failing for some time, yet the end came as a surprise to his many friends in the city.

“The funeral occurred Sunday at 2 p. m., at the Anderson burying ground, six miles out on the Tazewell Pike. Rev. T. M. Lowery. D. D., pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, conducted the services, assisted by Rev. J. H. Newman, of Maryville, Tenn.”

About a month after the death of Samuel K. Harris, William M. Harris, one of his pall-bearers. was killed by accident — June 19th, 1900. William M. Harris being an Elder, and Samuel K. Harris being a Deacon, in Washington Church, a memorial funeral service was held in their honor at Washington Church, some time in July following, the memorial sermon being preached by Rev. P. M. Bartlett, D. D., of Maryville, Tenn., who was then supplying the pulpit at Washington Church.

SAMUEL KINCHEN HARRIS’ FAMILY
2nd H. G.— 3rd S. G. Samuel Kinchen Harris, born Sept. 12, 1818 ; died May 4, 1900; buried Anderson Cemetery. Married Rebecca Crawford Sawyers, born Oct. 1, 1822; died Nov. 7, 1877; buried Anderson Cemetery. They were married Oct. 22, 1840, by Rev. Gideon S. White. To this union was born ton children, to wit :

3rd H. G.— 4th S. G. 1. Madison Monroe Harris, born Sept. 21, 1841.

2. John Sawyers Harris, born Aug. 2, 1843 ; died June 2, 1881 ; buried Anderson Cemetery.

3. Susan Malvina Harris, born Nov. 30, 1845.

4. Clarissa Rowena Harris, born IMareh 23, 1848 ; died July 14, 1901.

5. Joseph C’owen Harris, born July 23, 1850.

6. Rev. William Emmons Blackburn Harris, born May 7, 1853.

7. Mariah Paralee Harris, born Sept. 9, 1855.

8. Claiborne Alfred Harris, born June 2, 1858.

9. Ellen Cornelia Harris, born July 14, 1861.

10. Miunie Virginia Harris, born Aug. 28, 1865.

WILLIAM E. POPE’S FAMILY.

3rd H. G. — 4th S. G. Ellen Cornelia Harris, born July 14, 1861, married William E. Pope, born June 4, 1861. They were married September 20, 1883. To this union was born six children., to wit:

4th H. G.— 5th S. G. 1. Nettie Rebecca Pope, born July 5. 1884.

2. Lucy Margaret Pope, born April 24, 1887.

3. Willie Myrtle Pope, born Aug. 2, 1889.

4. Charles E. Pope, born April 16, 1894; died March 30, 1895; buried Anderson Cemetery.

5. Laura Cornelia Pope, born Feb. 28, 1896.

6. Pearl Richmond Pope, born Aug. 13, 1898.

W. E. Pope lives at Fountain City, Tenn. Has been employed by the Sanford, Chamberlain & Albers Drug Company for fifteen years. He and his family are members of the Fountain City M. E. Church.

4th H. G.— 5th S. G. Nettie Rebecca Pope married Nov. 3, 1909, to Rufus H. Caldwell, born Sept. 21, 1875. To this union has been born two children, to wit :

5t.h H. G.— 6th S. G. 1. Evalyn Palmer Caldwell, born June 20, 1910.

2. James Erwin Caldwell, born Dee. 1, 1911.

R. H. Caldwell is connected with the Miller Dry Goods Co., of Knoxville, and lives at Fountain City, Tenn.

4th H. G. 5th S. G. Lucy Margaret Pope was married Sept. 3, 1910, to Frank L. Eldridge. To this union has been born one daughter, to wit :

5th H. G.— 6th S. G. Thelma May Eldridge, born May 22, 1912. Died May 19, 1997.

Mr. Eldridge and family live at Fountain City, Tenn. Prank L. Eldridge is an employee of the Southern Railway Company, Knoxville, Tenn. He is an active member of the Baptist Church.

OBITUARY for Thelma May Eldridge

HIRTH, THELMA ELDRIDGE HILL – age 84, passed away Monday evening in Port Charlotte, Fla. She was a charter member of the South Biscayne Baptist Church. She was a charter cradle roll member of Central Baptist Church of Fountain City. She held a life-membership with the American Federation of Garden Clubs and a life-member of the Florida Garden Clubs. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Lee Bruce Hill; and her parents, Frank Lee and Lucy Pope Eldridge. Retired school teacher of Knox County Schools. Survived by husband, Clarence Hirth of Florida; son and daughter-in-law, Richard Lee and Evelyn Hill of Kingsport; granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Anne Hill and Kevin Sherwood of Kingsport; grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Richard L. II and Janeil Hill of Huntsville, Ala.; great-grandchildren, Nicholas and Maggie Sherwood. Graveside service 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Greenwood Cemetery, Rev. Ed Jenkins officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Central Baptist Church of Fountain City Library Fund or to Carson Newman College. The family will receive friends from 1-2 p.m. Saturday at Gentry-Griffey Chapel.

Thelma May Eldridge married, in 1933 or 1934, James Horace Capps, born in Knoxville, in the year 1913 [(He subsequently married Bessie Eunice Stallings on 29-Apr-1939 in Knox Co, Tennessee, and had two children: CLADUETTE CAPPS, b. 03-Jun-1946, Knoxville, Knox Co, Tennesse/Knoxville, Knox Co., TN.; ii. JR JAMES HORACE CAPPS, b. 23-Aug-1947, Knoxville, Knox Co, Tennessee.) (She subsequently was remarried to Lee Bruce Hill, born on 27 Jan 1911 (Joppa, Grainger, TN), died on Apr 1978; after Lee’s death, she was remarried to Clarence Hirth – no children were born from from either of the last two marriages)]. To this union was born one son, to wit:
6th H. G.— 7th S. G. Richard Horace Capps was born February 22, 1935 (changed his name to Richard Lee Hill by Court Order-Knox County-1944*).  Died May 18, 2012.

Richard Lee Hill was married to Mary Evelyn Teffeteller on August 26, 1956.  To this union were born 2 children, to wit:

7th H.G. — 8th S.G. 1. Richard Lee Hill, II was born May 6, 1962.

2. Anne Elizabeth Hill was born February 22, 1964.  She was married to Kevin Sherwood on Dec. 28, 1985 (subsequently, she was remarried to Bruce Trask – no children were born from the last marriage).  To this union were born 2 children, to wit:

8th H. G.— 9th S. G. 1. Nicholas Ryan Sherwood was born June 25, 1992.

2. Maggie Ellen Sherwood was born May 13, 1994.

====================================================

Subject: Family history for descendents of Col. John Sawyers
To: My Children/Grandchildren
Date: Saturday, July 3, 2010, 11:04 AM

Dad/Grandpa Richard L. Hill, writes:

Please see the following link for the family history of Col. John Sawyers, from whom I am descended.

See p. 132 for listing of my Mother, Thelma May Eldridge.

She was 5th Harris generation and 6th Sawyers generation. Thus I am 6th Harris and 7th Sawyers.

Note that the book may be viewed in a variety of ways.

http://www.archive.org/details/familyhistoryofc01harr

http://www.archive.org/stream/familyhistoryofc01harr#page/n7/mode/2up

*Dad writes:
Rick, I am not adopted. My name was changed from Richard Horace Capps to Richard Lee Hill by Court Order-Knox County-1944. I have the exact date and have a copy of the court order, should you want a copy of that copy. Lee was from Lee Bruce Hill, Frank Lee Eldridge and Ralph Lee Eldridge.You were the 5th Lee!

Richard was from Richard M. Harris, who entered service as Sgt, Co F, 3d TN Infantry,U.S.A, at Flat Lick, KY, Feb 10, 1862. (I see a faint hand written note in the S-H Fam Hist Book (hereafter S-H FHB), that says “Great Uncle” (of ?).

That same day, another relative entered service at the same place. William M. Sawyers entered as Captain of Co K, 3d TN INF, USA. He was appointed. Lt. Col. 8-20-1863.

Though in heavy fighting throughout the Civil War, each survived the War and was mustered out in Feb 1965. Richard Harris was wounded.

In battle, William was struck down by an exploding shell and carried from the field of battle unconscious. “His person seemed charmed in this engagement, as his sword was broken, and a number of bullets passed through his uniform, but strange to say, his body was unharmed.” (S-H FHB)

Note that they served in the UNION ARMY. We had relatives on both sides.
Knoxville was a town with sympathies in both directions, N. and S.

Here are Forgey men who served : (none shown in Am Revolutionary War in S-H FHB).

War of 1812-15
Alexander G. Forgey, (with Jackson at Battle of New Orleans, which , as you know, took place AFTER the war was declared over-no instant communication then).

Seminole War, 1836-37
James A. Forgey, (son of Alexander A. Forgey) , under General Jessup.

War with Mexico, 1846-48
James A. Forgey, (the same!), entered service again as a private in Co. C, 1st Indiana Infantry, at New Albany, Ind., June 14, 1846, under command of Col. James P. Drake. Mustered out in New Orleans, June , 1847.

Andrew J. Forgey entered service on same date and place and in same unit as James A., served under Gens. Scott and Taylor in Mexico. Mustered out same date and place.

Civil War, 1861-65
James A. Forgey, (yep, once again!), though 45 years old at the time, entered service as Corporal in Co. H, 29th Iowa Infantry, USA, July 24, 1862. This time he was less fortunate, for he contracted smallpox and all but died of it. He was mustered out on disability April 24, 1863.

Thomas C. Forgey, son of Alexander C. Forgey, private, Co B, 46th Indiana Infantry, Feb. 18, 1864. Mustered out Sept. 4, 1865, in Louisville, KY.

Andrew A. Forgey, son of James A. Forgey, private, Co B, 46th Ind. INF, etc, same as Thomas above.

John B. Forgey, son of James A. Forgey, private, Co H,4th Iowa INF, June 4, 1861. Died of smallpox Feb 3, 1863 and buried in National Cemetery, Young’s Point, LA.

 

“……ain’t gonna study war no more….”
from an old A-A ( formerly Negro) spiritual whose title I do not remember.

More points to [re]ponder

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  • Technology disrupts former profit models, closing businesses and increasing unemployment, but provides no equal replacements for jobs/profitability
  • Technology creates high-stimulus, addictive leisure activities that are easily available (cheap, abundant, etc.), making instantly-gratifying tasks like searching the Internet and gaming more appealing than delayed-gratification tasks like studying for high-skill jobs
  • Technology creates demand for high-skill jobs but large workforce not interested/motivated for high-skill job training
  • Local skill gap in job requirements for businesses seeking expansion, as well as national governmental barriers to entry/competition for eligible, highly-skilled, internationally-mobile workforce, contributes to regional high unemployment

When do local people, en masse, say “no more!” to higher education and highly-technical skill sets, creating viable subcultures that revert back to lower skill needs?  How do they remain competitive enough to be profitable and stay in business as owners/employees?

Does a technology-based socioeconomic system, in general, have a fixed lifespan like a classic technology lifecycle?

Yes, these are repetitive thoughts but ones I want to grasp onto for myself and understand their implications for the future in this parallel universe of a blog.

Either we admit that our model of nations is out-of-sync and possibly obsolete or we open up the floodgates and let subcultures compete against each other at full blast, with subcultures, like species and languages, going extinct at a faster rate than before.

If the latter, will your subculture withstand the onslaught?

In support of my mother and our family

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I was sent the following information in response to one of my recent posts.  Good advice, regardless of [non]religious belief:

Ecclesiastes 9:10

New International Version (©1984)
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.New Living Translation (©2007)
Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

English Standard Version (©2001)
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Whatever presents itself for you to do, do it with [all] your might, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or skill in the grave where you’re going.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you go.

American King James Version
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you go.

American Standard Version
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly: for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge shall be in hell, whither thou art hastening.

Darby Bible Translation
Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.

English Revised Version
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Webster’s Bible Translation
Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

World English Bible
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.

Young’s Literal Translation
All that thy hand findeth to do, with thy power do, for there is no work, and device, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol whither thou art going.

Barnes’ Notes on the BibleThe works which we carry on here with the combined energies of body and soul come to an end in the hour of death, when the soul enters a new sphere of existence, and body and soul cease to act together. Compare John 9:4.

Device – See Ecclesiastes 7:25 note.

Clarke’s Commentary on the BibleWhatsoever thy hand findeth to do – Examine here the What the How, and the Why.

I. What is necessary to be done in this life, in reference to another?

1. Turn from sin.

2Repent.

3. Frequent the ordinances of God, and associate with the upright.

4. Read the Scriptures.

5. Pray for pardon.

6. Believe on the Lord Jesus, that thou mayest obtain it.

7. Look for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

8. Bring forth in their seasons the fruits of it –

(1) Repentance,

(2) Faith; and

(3) The Holy Spirit.

continued…

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire BibleWhatsoever thy hand findeth to do,…. Not anything that is evil, which is near at hand, and easy to be found, and is in the power of men’s hands to do, Romans 7:21; for this is forbidden of God, abominable to him, and hurtful to men; but whatsoever is good; so the Targum,

“to do good and alms to the poor;”

even all good works in general, which God requires of men, and it is their duty to do; though they are not meritorious of anything at his hands, nor is there justification or salvation by them; yet should be done in obedience to the will of God, in gratitude to him for mercies received, and for his glory; as also for the profit of men, and for our own good; for the evidence of grace, and to preserve our characters from the insults and reproaches of men. Whatever is found written in the book of God should be done; not what is of a ceremonial kind, and now abolished, but everything of a moral nature, and of positive institution, under Gospel times; as all Gospel ordinances, and whatever falls within a man’s calling: for every man has a work to do; in every station, as magistrates and subjects; in every relation, as husband and wife, parents and children, masters and servants; in every business of life men are called to; which they should attend, for the good of themselves and families, the relief of the poor, and the support of the interest of religion: and in religious things everyone has his work to do; the minister, in preaching and administering ordinances; the deacon, in taking care of the poor; private Christians, in praying in their closets and families, in hearing the word, making a profession of religion, and attending on ordinances; and, as opportunity serves, should do good to all men, especially to the saints, Galatians 6:10; and whatsoever is in the power of their hands, as this phrase signifies, Leviticus 12:8. Aben Ezra refers it to the delights and pleasures of life, such as before mentioned; which may be allowed, when used in a lawful and moderate manner;

do it with thy might; or “strength”; for though men have no might or strength of their own to do good, which is lost by sin; yea, even good men, of themselves, and without Christ, his spirit and grace, can do nothing spiritually good; yet there is strength in him, and to be had from him; and who should be applied to for it, and who gives it, Isaiah 40:29; the phrase denotes intenseness of spirit, vigour of mind, activity and fervency; doing that which is good, cheerfully and diligently, and not in a negligent careless manner; see Deuteronomy 6:5;

for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest; this, and not then, is our working time; good men at death cease from their labours in the grave, as the night in which no man can “work”, Revelation 14:13; then the liberal man can no more “devise” liberal ways and means of doing good; his purposes of doing good are broken off; and no more plans can be laid, or designs formed, for the glory of God and the good of fellow creatures: and no more “knowledge” of objects to do good unto; nor any improvement in any kind of knowledge, natural or spiritual: nor “wisdom” and prudence in the management of affairs, to answer some good ends and purposes; nor opportunity of attaining that wisdom by the Scriptures, and by the ministry of the word, which make men wise unto salvation: and now, since every man is going to the grave, his long home, the place appointed for all living, and this, is the way of all flesh; and every step he has taken, and does take, is a step to the grave; therefore it is incumbent on him to do all the good he can in life.

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old TestamentThe author, however, recommends no continual dolce far niente, no idle, useless sluggard-life devoted to pleasure, but he gives to his exhortation to joy the converse side: “All that thy hand may reach (i.e., what thou canst accomplish and is possible to thee, 1 Samuel 10:7; Leviticus 12:8) to accomplish it with thy might, that do.” The accentuation is ingenious. If the author meant: That do with all might (Jerome: instanter operare), then he would have said bechol-kohhacha (Genesis 31:6). As the words lie before us, they call on him who is addressed to come not short in his work of any possibility according to the measure of his strength, thus to a work straining his capacity to the uttermost. The reason for the call, 10b, turns back to the clause from which it was inferred: in Hades, whither thou must go (iturus es), there is no work, and reckoning (vid., Ecclesiastes 7:25), and knowledge (דּעתו)

(Note: Not ודעת, because the word has the conjunctive, not the disjunctive accent, vid., under Psalm 55:10. The punctuation, as we have already several times remarked, is not consistent in this; cf. דּעתו, Ecclesiastes 2:26, and וערב, Psalm 65:9, both of which are contrary to the rule (vid., Baer in Abulwald’s Rikma, p. 119, note 2).)

and no wisdom. Practice and theory have then an end. Thus: Enjoy, but not without working, ere the night cometh when no man can work. Thus spake Jesus (John 9:4), but in a different sense indeed from Koheleth. The night which He meant is the termination of this present life, which for Him, as for every man, has its particular work, which is either accomplished within the limits of this life, or is not accomplished at all.

Geneva Study BibleWhatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Wesley’s Notes9:10 Whatsoever – Whatever thou hast opportunity and ability to do, do it with unwearied diligence, and vigour and expedition. For – Thou canst neither design nor act any thing there tending to thy own comfort or advantage.

Scofield Reference Notes[1] there is no work

Verse 10 is no more a divine revelation concerning the state of the dead than any other conclusion of “the Preacher” Eccl 1:1 is such a revelation. Reasoning from the standpoint of man “under the sun” the natural man can see no difference between a dead man and a dead lion. Eccl 9:4. A living dog is better than either. No one would quote verse 2 as a divine revelation. These reasonings of man apart from divine revelation are set down by inspiration just as the words of Satan Gen 3:4 Job 2:4,5 are Song set down. But that life and consciousness continue between death and resurrection is directly affirmed in Scripture. Isa 14:9-11 Mt 22:32 Mk 9:43-48 Lk 16:19-31 Jn 11:26 2Cor 5:6-8 Phil 1:21-23 Rev 6:9-11.

Margin grave

Heb. “Sheol,” See Scofield Note: “Hab 2:5”.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary10. Whatsoever-namely, in the service of God. This and last verse plainly are the language of Solomon, not of a skeptic, as Holden would explain it.

hand, &c.-(Le 12:8, Margin; 1Sa 10:7, Margin).

thy might-diligence (De 6:5; Jer 48:10, Margin).

no work . in the grave-(Joh 9:4; Re 14:13). “The soul’s play-day is Satan’s work-day; the idler the man the busier the tempter” [South].

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary9:4-10 The most despicable living man’s state, is preferable to that of the most noble who have died impenitent. Solomon exhorts the wise and pious to cheerful confidence in God, whatever their condition in life. The meanest morsel, coming from their Father’s love, in answer to prayer, will have a peculiar relish. Not that we may set our hearts upon the delights of sense, but what God has given us we may use with wisdom. The joy here described, is the gladness of heart that springs from a sense of the Divine favour. This is the world of service, that to come is the world of recompence. All in their stations, may find some work to do. And above all, sinners have the salvation of their souls to seek after, believers have to prove their faith, adorn the gospel, glorify God, and serve their generation.
 

Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

Genesis 37:35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son.” So his father wept for him.

1 Samuel 10:7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

Job 21:13 They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.

Psalm 6:5 No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?

Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.

Isaiah 38:10 I said, “In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?”

Isaiah 38:18 For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.

A Battle in the Trenches

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To finish recording events surrounding the death of my next-door neighbour…

A few days ago, my wife and I met Alice Battle and her daughter, Wendy.

Alice repeated what the building contractor had told us, that she planned to use the house and grounds, after major house foundation refortification, as a weekend retreat.

Without provocation, she stated, “I have nothing to hide,” adding more conversation to verbalise a defense of unspoken thoughts against her.

I seem to remember a few people in my past making that statement and later finding out for myself that if a person cannot sense a situation of unethical behaviour, that person will engage in activities that are unintentionally unethical, assuming it’s normal, until that person is called out by another.

Ignorance of the law, ignorance of other persons’ perception of your ethical lapses — ignorance is ignorance, plain and simple.

I’ll leave this up to our neighbour on down the street to pursue the matter further, if she so chooses.

For now, I accept what our new neighbour says, and let her actions speak louder than words.

After all, I am a businessman myself, and know many a time when closing a deal meant leaving myself open to interpretation of ethical behaviour by others.

I know many a business person in our neighbourhood who could be accused of ethical misconduct.

At the end of the day, a few of us are responsible for creating a society where we can manage the lives of others, staying within the spirit of ethicality (or theatricality, according to the spellchecker), whilst we give the majority a belief that a whole socioeconomic system can operate fully under the law and within business ethics, when we know better.

My business associates/colleagues understand what I’m saying.  We know that many of us are born without a conscience, having no moral compass, and cannot be trained to believe otherwise.  Who are we to deny them their right to live the way they choose?

Instead, let us hold to the belief that everyone is important and has a place in our society, even when that place contradicts our own beliefs and actions.

Plan ahead, that’s our motto.

You already know our new slogan: “Business. Science. Competition.”

Create a law that stealing is a crime.  Then use those who steal to accomplish business and science goals for you, arresting and convicting them later on, giving those who believe in prison rehabilitation methods the opportunity to experiment on the conscience-less, keeping them both occupied and feeling wanted, one way or another.

Never underestimate the power of those who believe in magic that doesn’t exist, whatever labels they use to describe magical powers.

Trading my imaginary kingdom for a paycheck

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How long can a person take verbal abuse, over and over again, hearing the blame game, the excuses that everything is his/her fault, and finally say, “I’ve had enough!  I’m making a change in my life, no matter how much it contradicts the teachings of my youth.”?

What if the images/visions of a positive, radiant future in one’s thoughts were manifested in more than neural reality?

There’s a lot I have to consider of the past 26-30 years of my life and see if I have the energy to make significant changes for my health.

Am I really as unimportant as I try to convince myself I am?

Is it, instead, the result of years of accumulated personality bashing?

I will tell you a story…

When a man first got married, his wife would get sick (regular cold/flu type conditions), insisting that the man stay home from work to care for her.

They both had good-paying jobs.

One day, the man was called into his boss’ office and told to see the Head of Payroll.

The Head of Payroll, a “tough broad” and a “Number One Bitch,” she called herself with pride, sat the man down.

“I hear you got married a few months ago.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And since then, you’ve taken four days off, which exceeds our expected rate of sick pay per quarter per employee.  Let me ask you a straightforward question.  You don’t appear to be sick.  Are you and your wife trying to have a baby?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Is there any chance she has gotten pregnant?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Well, in my 35 years of working in payroll, I can tell you what I’m seeing here.  Your wife is trying to manipulate and control you at the start of your marriage.  If you don’t put a stop to this, she’ll walk all over you for the rest of your years together.”

The man raised his eyebrows.

“Yes, I know what you’re thinking.  ‘What’s an old maid like me giving advice to a married man?’  Son, it doesn’t take a genius to know what another woman is thinking.  Half of us are man-haters by default and the other half is lying to itself.  If you don’t put your foot down now, you might as well hand your balls on a plate to your wife and have ’em locked away for good.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What are you, some kind of Boy Scout?”

“Yes, ma’am.  I am an Eagle Scout.”

“You ever been to a girlie show?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Well, I just went to a male stripper show and I can tell you that the women in there were happily married women in public but hiding their sexual frustrations a’plenty.  They hooted and hollered at the strippers like they’d never seen a naked man in their life before.  Your wife ever been to one?”

“Yes, ma’am.  Once.  But she was turned off by the blatant display of male sexual aggression.”

“She was, was she?  Hmm…  Son, your problems are worse than I thought.  I’ve got to get payroll processed by this afternoon but I want to talk more to you about this.  If I can save you, I can save this office from becoming a bunch of henpecked men.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And quit being so kind to me.  You should have argued with me at least once or twice by now, defending your honour rather than letting an ol’ hag like me badger you.  We’ve got a lot of work to do!  Now, go on out of here before I get in trouble for not getting complacent employees like you your paychecks on time!  You aren’t one of those guys whose wives take their paychecks from them before they can spend a cent?!”

“No, ma’am.”

“Well, there’s hope.  Go on.  Scoot!”

The Children of Peenemünde

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In our rush to judgement about the acts of others, we sometimes forget the children.

Where I spent most of my youth, the primary employer in our little town was a chemical manufacturing plant — the workers’ children were encouraged to be line workers, supervisors, engineers, scientists and/or managers for the plant.  Some worked in HR, janitorial/maintenance services department, or marketing, too.  Support companies provided auxiliary services and jobs.

Sure, we had a few fish kills in our town, increasing our catch-n-release program.

And at least one other factory belched out its share of microscopic malodorous miasma.

Rumours circulated about increased rates of cancer and mental disease due to our industrial base.

However, the employees had a high expectation that their children would follow the trail to the carpark and the factory gates, after secondary school/university, to make/design chemicals.

To an enlightened soul, it might seem to be a Sisyphean effort, children repeating their parents’ work.

With that, let us turn to other parental choices.

In a time of war, young men and women are sent to a secret location to develop a special weapon.

Young men and women, being young men and women, seek closer relationships.

Eventually, children are born.

Leading us here, to a graveside service, where, for one of the last times, the children born in Peenemünde during WWII gather to say goodbye to their parents or their parents’ friends.

Tonight, my wife and I sat down to eat dinner at Cafe Berlin, a local German restaurant open for over 20 years.

Toward the end of our meal, a man and woman sat at an adjoining table.

I recognised them from the graveside service because my college friend, David, had introduced me to the man, Klaus, and his wife, telling them about our college days.

Klaus, along with Dieter and others, are the children of Peenemünde, a group rarely discussed in history.

Klaus was going to follow his father and work for NASA but, rejected by another German scientist who thought hiring Klaus, a child of a fellow German NASA scientist, was showing favoritism, ended up in a career for Owens Corning, instead.

[On a side note, I write this from an Owens Cross Roads zip code — similar sounding name, n’est pas?  But no useful correlation.]

I rejected working toward a chemical engineering career and moved away from my hometown; Klaus was rejected from working toward a NASA career, moving away from Huntsville and “all the Germans” with whom his life, from the very beginning, had been closely associated.

These are important discoveries for me as I plot our species’ history back 1000 years from now.

You see, we conjure up our own images when a word like Nazi is spoken but there never was a universal person who represented the word itself.

It was a symbol toward which a large number of people were directed, as all symbols, just like these letters and words, direct us toward certain thought patterns and sets of actions.

The German scientists, engineers, and secretaries who worked at Peenemünde were part of the nationalistic efforts led by a few who espoused Nazi ideals.

History has already spoken for what made people part of Nazi Germany so I will not dwell on the subject here.

We are swept up by historical movements, some of which we see as we participate and some we only see in hindsight.

In Huntsville, just like other parts of the world, military R&D is both a technological and economic leader.

Innovation in military R&D spinoffs and dual-use projects find their way into chemical plants and fiberglass insulation plants, just like the children of Oak Ridge and Peenemünde become employees of them.

Today, I stood at the crossroads of history in a cemetery and wanted to cry out that we live not only in one of the most free countries in the world but the most habitable world within reasonable travel distance, also.

If only you could see what I see 1000 years from now, you’d want to cry out, too, at the nearsighted vanity and selfishness that has substituted for cooperative competition lately.

Do you know what it’s like to remodel your genetic code to make yourself into a whole new species?

Have you seen Homo genius sapiens reproduce itself in sufficient quantity to outpace the reproduction rate of our species?

Do you have a completely reprogrammable organic subsystem that you can swap in and out of your body like a car engine or computer module?

Can you imagine two or three people walking up to each other and melding to become one new person for the sake of the whole rather than the reduced ability of the separate parts?

When the definition of life is so volatile, so interchangeable, we will not care to bother with symbols that held us back in historic measures.

The children of Peenemünde, the children of Oak Ridge, the children of places like Semipalatinsk — they are the true experiments, the offspring who inspired the events occurring right now in front of you, setting us on a path toward a milestone in 13730 days, which leads us closer to our lives, our reconstituted sets of states of energy, 1000 years from now.

But I’m getting ahead of myself again, aren’t I?

I knew I shouldn’t have written another blog entry but storylines like these have a life of their own, finding their way out of the deepest, most secure locations, especially one’s thought sets.

In public, I am a neophyte, a N00B, pretending to barely understand how a smartphone works.

In private, the hidden laboratory churns on, giving me new ideas to share with you here or in the barely-audible whispers we give to a select few on whom we experiment in broad daylight.

Admittedly, this Doctor Heckle/Mr. Jibe persona gets the best of me sometimes, but it is a price I’m willing to pay in my sacrifice to feed the storyline, which feeds upon me, an entity riding my back, weighing me down one moment, and lifting me weightless into the air the next.

Until next time, dear readers, whether it be here or an escapee from my smartphone…

Before we part, let us look ahead a little bit, see where some of my millionaire and billionaire friends have stopped wasting their money on plastic surgery, focusing on more important biological research, growing new versions of themselves, starting with body parts made from personalised stem cells, until they can no longer distinguish their “original” bodies from their newly [re]constituted ones.

Then, one day, their stem cell “children” see where they came from and create whole new lines, new species, that take the concept of sentience to a level never imagined — from interchangeable parts to interchangeable individuals to interchangeable species, and then…?

That’s all for now.  My stem cell child is crying for attention.  No reason to deny it a well-deserved nurturing moment before asking it to volunteer for an experiment we have yet to dream up together, being of one thought set but different levels of experience with the known universe.

Am I alive?

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While I wait for my new LCD monitor with HDMI connection to arrive, thus turning my smartphone into my desktop/laptop PC at home and Internet phablet on the road, I shall write here once more.

That, and the overwhelming reader response to ending this blog, as usual.

This afternoon, I attended the funeral of a 98-year old man, met his widow, and am friends with two of his children, one who is a girlfriend of a longtime friend of mine from our college days in Knoxville.

I also saw some familiar faces from my time here in this community — 27 years or thereabouts — people like Peggy Sammon and Butch Damson.

Ninety-eight years young…

I cannot imagine living so long.

Meanwhile, a house wren hops up and down the window screen, looking for food, digging through the debris in the old, broken, rusted gutter hanging off the rotting eave.

I did not know the man who was buried today.

I felt like a fifth wheel, a stranger inserting myself into the graveside mourning of others.

So, to hide my face from the crowd, I stood behind a pocket camera snapping pics for the daughter and friends in Germany who could not be there while we who were gathered recited prayers together for the deceased.

I am of the walking dead myself, but my friends say Jesus loves me, this I [should] know…

Sorry, that last bit slipped out, a verse from a children’s song.

I did not know the man who was buried today but I was able to join his family and a group of strangers, sharing a subculture full of familiar songs, poems, prayers and rituals.

It was a window opening up the sounds and sights of my childhood.

It was a window of opportunity, listening to the stories about Rudi Schlidt from his closest friends and relatives.

Of course, I can’t hear so well so I’m not sure what anybody said, using their body language and voice inflection to tell me when I was supposed to smile, laugh, cry or do nothing but listen attentively.

Rudi was nearly twice my age when he died.

He made important contributions to the advances of rocket science.  He, like many in this town, could easily say, “As a matter of fact, I am a rocket scientist/engineer.”

His wife was secretary to Wernher von Braun, who may or may not be familiar to you.  Today, her face still shines with beauty at 91 years of age.

There is more and less than meets the eye, to be sure, but today I simply let the sights suffice to register my presence on this planet another day, amidst those who registered the absence of a friend, [(great)grand]father, coworker and fellow member of the community.

Am I alive?  I don’t know.  I explore the universe from atop this tiny planet of ours and wonder.  That’s all I care to know.  The rest is none of my business.  Gott behüte.

Auf wiedersehen, Herr Schlidt.  From the crowd at your graveside service today, know that you are/were loved.  Gott liebt dich.  Gott segne.