The Spirit of 1783 in 2025

Huzzah! It's time to party like it's 1783 as we mark the anniversary of the Treaty of Paris 1783 that made US independence official.  So we have another occasion to tap into the red, white, and blue spirit, and summon again the same patriotic fervor of the first days of July.  The anniversary of these events is a great opportunity for us to appreciate this country anew, its history, culture, people, principles, and identity.

I'm reminded of this each year when I watch a video called Discovering the USA, which my Grandma Dottie's friend Selma gave to me.  It goes on a tour of the USA from coast to coast.  Watching it stirs me deep within as I marvel at the vastness and richness of all that this country encompasses.  I was so inspired the first time I viewed it, I've watched it annually in the midst of celebrating the independence of the USA.  I remain grateful to Selma for her gift.

At the July 4 Ceremony at the National Archives, Colonel Everett Alvarez, Jr., a Vietnam veteran, said it well when he spoke about how freedom and liberty are fragile, as we realize when they're taken, and also their power.

These are great gifts indeed that are at the foundation of the identity of the USA.  We are meant to use them for noble purposes.

Yesterday marked the 80th anniversary of the ceremony aboard the USS Missouri when Japan signed the surrender documents that concluded hostilities of World War II.  In his remarks about the ceremony, President Truman expressed gratitude to God for this moment of victory, fully aware of how much sacrifice by so many made it possible.  Those who gave so much, especially in the armed forces, were strengthened in their resolve by the power of liberty.

So today, we seek to strengthen our resolve to uphold the principle of liberty to make much of the gift of this country.

Pat Sajak, Legend, Icon, and GOAT

At the beginning of this summer, Wheel of Fortune concluded its 50th season, with Ryan Seacrest as the new host.  And the show for all those seasons was defined so much by its longtime host Pat Sajak.

It was interesting to learn that he was born in Chicago.  Once, at the end of an episode, there was video footage that showed him back in his stomping grounds in a neighborhood on the South Side.

Pat was quite a legend in his role.  He knew how to play the part of the host very effectively.  He often added an interesting spin to what the contestants shared about themselves as he introduced them at the beginning of the show.

He knew how to support the contestants.  He offered consolation when someone hit a bankrupt or wasn't able to solve the bonus round puzzle, especially when there were very few letters.  And he managed to hold a rather straight face while raising his tone to a high level of delight as a contestant exploded with excitement at winning a big prize.

Pat and Vanna made for a great team, especially given how they made their grand entry at the start of each show into the Sony Pictures Studio for Wheel of Fortune.

The show also went on the road.  They enjoyed the tropical vibe of Hawaii.  Pat and Vanna ate fine cuisine from a variety of restaurants in New Orleans.  And they made an appearance at Chicago Union Station, including a special Amtrak car decoarted with Wheel of Fortune and the images of Pat and Vanna.

Pat Sajak certainly had a great run on the show and did so much to make it an icon, becoming an icon and legend himself in the process as a true Great of All Time.

Dear 1036 Clarence: Summertime in Front and Back

Dearly Beloved 1036 Clarence,

It's nice to step outside in the summer without having to wear a jacket or bundle up.

Furthermore, it's great to linger outside and enjoy the great weather.

One wonderful way of spending time outside on the block was the block parties.

Back in 2020, the neighbors decided to have various households do carnival games.

I came up with a "Bozo buckets" type game and another that involved knocking down some cups.

With so many kids on the block, it was nice to offer something enjoyable to them just as I enjoyed fun activities on the block when I was a kid.

Something fun I did in back of the house in the yard was plant corn. I got a container of corn seeds from a farm exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.  I delighted in planting the seeds and then seeing them grow into sizable stalks.

Near them were raspberry bushes.  I enjoyed going to those bushes and getting a good crop of fresh raspberries on a summer day.

Indeed, those bushes were quite fruitful and were part of the wonderful cornucopia that appeared in the backyard, just as I have a bountiful cornucopia of memories about you.

So I declare that you shall never fade into the background, but remain deeply in my heart as that dearly beloved place.

We remain ever connected:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

With much joy, gladness, and gratitude,

Paul

The Centennial of Chicago Union Station

Chicago has long been a hub for USA rail travel.  I like living in Chicagoland because I'm at an Amtrak hub, and I'm never more than a 2-night train ride from any point in the US.  I have enjoyed so many train trips over the years, and the vast majority of them have started at Chicago Union Station.  So the centennial of Chicago Union Station this year gives me so much to celebrate.

It was interesting to learn about some of its history at a celebration held in mid-July.  The station has an elegant building that is a grand example of Daniel Burnham's august architecture. It once had a terminal building on the opposite side of Canal Street.

My earliest memory of Chicago Union Station was back in the summer of 1997, when my family and I went on a great Amtrak train trip in the western US.  We boarded the Empire Builder at Chicago UNion Station.

In recent years, Amtrak has configured its services in Chicago Union Station so that coach passengers wait to board their trains in the Great Hall.  It has a huge, lofty ceiling, and the space fills with light from a skylight.  Once I departed Union Station in style when Mom and I went to Washington, DC, in sleeper class.  Our trainfare included access to the swanky Metropolitan Lounge, one of the recent upgrades to Union Station.

I walk into Chicago Union Station with a sense of excitement as I prepare to board for another trip by train, eager to experience the sights and people of the USA.  Even though I sometimes feel wistful about the end of a journey when I arrive at Chicago Union Station, in recent years, I've started to anticipate what I'll share about the experience of a trip upon my return.  Many times, someone will kindly pick me up when I return from a trip at Union Station, and that person will be the first of numerous people to ask me what my trip was like.

One part of the station that gets me excited is seeing the travel status board, with arrival and departure info.  It's amazing to see it when I have another opportunity to board as the anticipation builds.  I also greatly enjoy seeing that board on days when I just walk into Union Station while I'm downtown Chicago.  Just looking at the board makes something light up in me, as I think of all the wonderful trips I've had that started there and trips I can anticipate in the future.

Indeed, Chicago Union Station, a storied icon, is a special focal point for my travels by rail.

Here's the travel info board at Chicago Union Station in the passage from the Great Hall to the gates. Below is a map of the Amtrak system that I took that same day, May 1, 2023, Amtrak's birthday, when I briefly visited Chicago Union Station.

While out during Open House Chicago weekend in 2021, I stopped by Chicago Union Station and someone kindly photographed me by the clock design in the floor, which bears the year of my birth.

20 Years of Abraham Lincoln and History Connections

My anticipation had been building for some time leading to this day 20 years ago today: On Friday, July 29, 2005, my parents and I were in Springfield, IL, to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, which had just opened about 3 months prior.

I like to think this trip was an 8th graduation present from my parents, giving me the chance to experience history at the new museum, along with a visit to the state historic site and Camp River DuBois the following day before returning home.

The Chicago Tribune covered its opening in April, and even had a special section with a map of the museum, which I brought with me for this visit.  It noted this place was not your father's, or grandfather's, Lincoln museum.  It used lots of technology and wax figures to bring history alive.

As I reflect on my first visit there 20 years ago, here's 20 parts of the museum that stand out to me:

1. The statues of the Lincoln family in the rotunda, where visitors can pose with them

2. The Law office scene

3. Mr. Lincoln at Knox College during one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates

4. The video showing the Sectional War of the 1860s in just a few minutes

5. The 1860 Presidential Campaign ads moderated by Tim Russert

6. The Cabinet meeting scene as President Lincoln introduces the Emancipation Proclamation with a view out of a window of the partially completed Washington Monument

7. A small corridor presents different views on the Emancipation Proclamation for visitors to consider

8. The scene of Abraham Lincoln reading by firelight

9. Mrs. Lincoln's dresses

10. The Gettysburg mural

11. There was a very moving display of President Lincoln's casket lying in state at the Old State Capitol after his assassination.

12. The General Store display

13. The White House Kitchen

14. Walking into a scene reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln's birthplace

15. A penny in the center of the rotunda

16. The White House South Portico at the entrance of the exhibit about Abraham Lincoln's White House years.

17. Some displays mention the location of places where they happened, noting some are 800 miles away in Washington, D.C., and some just blocks away in Springfield.

18. The Treasures gallery with special artifacts

19. Through Lincoln Eyes presentation

20. The Ghosts of the Library presentation does a great job helping the audience appreciate the importance of history.

Indeed, the museum has helped people appreciate history. And so I offer a Big Congratulations to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on its 20th anniversary year.

Huzzah!

Dear 1036: What the USPS Brought

Dearly Beloved 1036 Clarence,

Two days ago was the 250th anniversary of when Congress established an independence postal system for the USA.

It was some time in 2008 when a friendly mail carrier named Alex started making his rounds on our block and went so far as to introduce himself.

There were times when I had a day off school and I was at home, and I'd keep an eye out for Alex as he came down the block.

Among the many pieces of mail I enjoyed getting were postcards that I requested from family and friends when they traveled. I got postcards from all over the USA and all over the world.

It was amazing to get a piece of cardboard that had traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles straight to the mailbox at 1036 Clarence.  I delighted in receiving each one, and helped connect with me other places.

Indeed, it was a delight for so many years to receive mail bearing my name and 1036 Clarence Avenue.

I still bear you deeply within me.  You shall not fade into the background, but remain deep in my heart.

And we shall remain connected:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

With great joy,

Paul

Reflecting on the Kingdom of Heaven

As part of the Confirmation preparation process 20 years ago, I went to a meeting during the summer, and I was at the July meeting on July 24, 2005.

We had the opportunity to look at our test results from May.  We also took time to reflect on the Scriptures for Mass that weekend, perhaps in the spirit of the reflections we did from the end of the November prior until Pentecost Sunday.

The Gospel reading for that weekend was from Matthew 13, in which Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven in three ways: a treasure in a field, a pearl of great price, and workers sorting a catch of fish.

We strive to be among those good fish that are kept, the righteous who live into Eternal Life with God in His Kingdom.  To be on that path, we are called in this life to behold the Kingdom of Heaven as a great treasure, which is worth all our while to strive after.  Surely also King Solomon offers a great example, since in the first reading that Sunday, we heard the story of how he asked God for wisdom when God offered him anything.

Confirmation is meant to fill us the faithful with the grace of the Holy Spirit through 7 Gifts so that we can strive after the Kingdom of Heaven, building treasure in Heaven during this life on Earth, because it is the greatest good that leads to the great reward of being fully in union with God.