A Summary of Summer 2014

With the Autumnal Equinox having occurred last week, the summer season is over as the heavenly bodies dictate.

Looking back on the summer, I recall to mind periods with abundant moisture, storms, and temperatures on the cool side.

After some fits and starts throughout March, April, and May, it finally felt like summer come mid-June.  The upper-air patterns shifted from their positions they had been in for months, and opened the pathway for moisture to be transported from the Gulf of Mexico right into our area.  This made for a wet, stormy string of days.  I remember a notable line of storms that crossed the area of Saturday, June 21, and, for a time, rained out an outdoor graduation party I attended for some of my cousins.  The abundant moisture also created a string of days with dense fog.

Then there was Monday, June 30, which brought two different derecho events.  A derecho is basically a severe thunderstorm event that lasts for several hours, travels over several hundred miles, and causes damage mainly because of high winds.  One derecho came through in the evening hours, and another much later at night.

Following these storms, the weather cooled off heading into July.  And there were some noticeably cool days in July.  Pieces of the air pattern circulation stationed near the Arctic, the Polar Vortex, broke off and brought cooler air to the Great Lakes region.  The air was also quite dry, with long stretches of time with dewpoints in the 40s, which is more typical of the northern United States autumn weather.

After another warm-up at the end of July and start of August, there was another string of cooler days in the middle of the month.  At one point, cool temperatures combined with a significant amount of moisture created very low cloud ceilings, the level of the base of clouds covering 60% of the sky or more, which caused cancellations of the airplane acrobatics at the Chicago Air and Water Show.

Overall, this summer season wasn't overly warm, but wasn't too cool.  It was a run of the mill kind of summer regarding temperatures, with a good dose of precipitation here and there.

In a Show of Dignity

We are at the start of the annual observance of the 40 Days of Life.  This comes days after an annual occasion in which we remember why we stand up for the unborn.

September 13, 2014, marked the annual National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children.

To mark the occasion, I joined a prayer service at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, IL, at the gravesite of two thousand aborted children.  Over 20 years ago, pro-lifers rescued their remains from garbage containers.

The prayer service featured a number of speakers, including Joe and Ann Scheidler, the founders of the Pro-Life Action League; Cardinal George; John Morales, who created the film 40; and Mary Griffith, founder of Woman's Choice Services.

There was the sharing of personal experiences, including the process of rescuing the remains of aborted children from garbage containers to receive the dignity of burial, and both John and Meredith shared about overcoming a past scarred by being personally involved in having an abortion.  I sensed powerful emotions in me as I heard these stories of those who faced the evils of abortion.

It was touching to see Cardinal George there.  He remarked that he has been running with a heavy schedule, and dealing with heavy traffic, which was why he showed up late and left early, all this while not in the best state of health.  But it meant a lot for him to be at this prayer service, and just his presence was inspiring given his health and his frailty, evident in the manner he walked.  He offered some great words speaking to the injustice of abortion that has arisen because of the decline of moral values in government and society.  And he advocated for the continued work of caring for and protecting all life, starting from conception.  (And how notable to have seen him a week before his successor's appointment was announced.)

Indeed, all the words spoken at the prayer service were inspiring, uniting us together in mourning for the victims of abortion, both the unborn children and their parents, and urging us on to continue the work of caring for the vulnerable, precious lives of the unborn, until the day when abortion is regarded as a scar on the past.

As a moving gesture at the end of the prayer service, with flowers in hand that had been distributed at the beginning of the service, while the choir sang, we came to the grave marker of the aborted children and laid the flowers down.  It was a sign that we are moved by the agony of the circumstances in which they died, and firm in our commitment to make sure no more must die this way.

The Pro-Life Action League blog has a wonderful post about this prayer service, including pictures, and you can view it here: http://prolifeaction.org/hotline/2014/hillside2014/

Our Star-Spangled Symbol

It's the 200th Anniversary of the composition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".  Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer, wrote it in ecstasy at seeing the Stars and Stripes flying above Fort McHenry in the early morning light of September 14, 1814, as the British abandoned an assault on Baltimore, MD.  He was being held aboard a British ship at that moment after successfully negotiating the release of a prisoner, Dr. Beanes a few days earlier.

We in general are familiar with the first verse of the song, which is the verse usually sung when it's performed.  But I always feel that singing the first verse only cuts off the narrative that all four verses tell together about "Defense of Fort McHenry", which was the title first given to the poem when it was first printed.  The lyrics tell about the triumph that comes in a bleak time in the War of 1812, just weeks after the British burned Washington, D.C.

The song speaks of the US flag as the illustrious symbol of our country.  There was much joy to be had when Mr. Key saw the flag still flying above Fort McHenry, sensing the triumph of the nation against its enemy.  It is a triumph that continues in each generation of Americans as we strive against and overcome the evils within and beyond us so that what is noble and right prevails proudly above as does the flag flying high.

Here's to our Star-Spangled Symbol...

Here I am with my Mom in the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.  In the background is an artistic representation of the American flag, at the entrance to a special gallery displaying the original Star-Spangled Banner that Francis Scott Key saw that morning 200 years ago.  It's quite a thing to see.  (Just outside the gallery, an interpreter portrayed Mary Pickersgill, the woman who helped make the flag.)

Some Thoughts on the United States

September 3 was the day in 1783 when the Treaty of Paris 1783 was signed, marking the end of the American Revolution, and making official the independence of the United States.  It's a day that I feel is as important as July 2 and July 4, 1776.

So I wish to hearken back to those July days to offer some thoughts on this day.

For all but two of the past 12 years (including this one), I have gone to the annual July 4 ceremony at the Chicago History Museum (formerly the Chicago Historical Society).  There's patriotic and American music, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, remarks by a public official or other significant community figure, and the firing of muskets by reenactors of a British regiment.

The past couple of years have featured some great speakers, and I wish to share some of their thoughts for my blog audience's ponderings on this occasion.

In 2012, Alderwoman Michele Smith, who represents the ward that includes the museum, spoke about the American idea of government being important in the local sense.  The local level is most in tune with the interests of the people, being based in their communities and neighborhoods.  It's important for us to get involved in our local governments as an essential part of our experience as citizens, as local governments most affect what happens around us.

In 2013, Carlos Tortolero, president of the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, spoke about his experiences as an immigrant to the US from Mexico.  His family made the journey in a "junky" car, but he then acclaimed that America is not a "junky" place.  Indeed, it is a place that has a special regard for the highest ideals of freedom and liberty, creating a society of substantially good quality, which draws people from all over.

This year, 2014, the speaker was Randall Dunn, the Head of the Latin School of Chicago, right across North Avenue from the history museum.  He noted that the US is unique in listing "the pursuit of happiness" among the three most important rights of the nation.  He shared about how we can pursue happiness: by being curious, sharing happiness with others, and living with a purpose.  Indeed, as part of our American experience, we are driven to attain those high ideals.  So happiness is not merely about feeling good, but seeking a greater good.

Every year, Gary Johnson, the President of the Chicago History Museum, shares some thoughts about some line that stood out to him from the Declaration of Independence, which is something different every year.  He shared some thoughts about the political ties that connect us.  He noted that we all share the common experience of being Americans, regardless of our opinions or perspectives.  He urged us to move beyond our disagreement and unite around the experience of being Americans.  Those are great words of wisdom, especially at a time when politics can get divisive in a heated and nasty way.  It's important for us to remember we're all Americans, and we have it in our power to collaborate in the midst of our differences for he betterment of our beloved country.

May these thoughts renew us Americans in the spirit of what our country is about, and urge us on to make it a righteous nation, this day, and every day.