The Perfect Country Song
Watch these videos in order for a special surprise. You won’t be disappointed!
The Little Red-Haired Girl
If I stand here, I can see the Little Red Haired girl when she comes out of her house… Of course, if she sees me peeking around this tree, she’ll think I’m the dumbest person in the world… But if I don’t peek around the tree, I’ll never see her… Which means I probably AM the dumbest person in the world… which explains why I’m standing in a batch of poison oak. – Charles M. Schulz
The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary defines unrequited as “not reciprocated or returned in kind.” Such was the theme in many a character’s affection in the Peanuts comics strip. Lucy loved Schroeder. Sally loved Linus. Linus loved Miss Othmar. Peppermint Patty and Marcie loved Charlie Brown. As for Charlie, he was in love with an unnamed and unseen character: The Little Red-Haired girl.
The amount of unrequited love going on the cartoon is enough to remind anyone of their High School prom. Even one of the few relationships that did work – Linus and Lydia– was characterized by “one attempting to get the other’s attention and the other acting cool and indifferent. Sometimes Linus is the uninterested party, sometimes Lydia.”*
What was it about creator Charles Schulz’s past that inspired such a theme throughout the lifetime of his comic? A Wikipedia entry** on the Little Red-Haired Girl proves instructive:
A former coworker, Donna Mae Johnson (born circa 1929 in Minneapolis, Minnesota), was Schulz’s inspiration for the character. A 1947 high school graduate, Johnson was working in the accounting department of the Art Instruction, Inc., a correspondence school where Schulz worked. Johnson and Schulz eventually became romantically involved and dated for three years, but in 1950 when Schulz proposed to her, she turned him down, saying she was already engaged to fireman Allan Wold and married Allan on October 21, 1950.
Said Schulz of the relationship, ‘I can think of no more emotionally damaging loss than to be turned down by someone whom you love very much. A person who not only turns you down, but almost immediately will marry the victor. What a bitter blow that is.’ This experience became arguably the most poignant of all story lines for the entire Peanuts strip.
The Wikipedia entry also notes that Charlie fell in love with her during a school lunch period on November 12, 1963 remarking, “I’d sure like to eat lunch with that little red-haired girl..” Although he first catches sight of her during the November 19, 1961 strip declaring he would, “give anything in the world if that little girl with the red hair would come over and sit with me.” He continued to love her until the end of the strip in 2000.
Despite all his affection, Charlie can never quite muster up the courage to speak to his little sweetheart. He most often notices her eating lunch outdoors, but never goes near her. He tries on a number of occasions to send her a Valentine’s Day card, but either gives up or sends it anonymously. The Wikipedia entry continues, “Anything touched by her or associated with her is precious to him. For example, in one strip he finds her pencil dropped in the hallway, notices that it has been chewed and declares, ‘She’s human!’ Presumably, this common habit makes her seem more approachable, but, typically, he is prevented from following through when Lucy snatches the pencil and returns it to the Little Red-Haired Girl with a brisk, ‘Hey, kid! Here’s your stupid pencil!’”
At one point after the little girl moves away, Linus is so fed up with Charlie’s inactivity, he exclaims, “She’s gone! You didn’t do anything! You just stood there! You never do anything! All you ever do is just stand there! You drive everybody crazy, Charlie Brown! I’m so mad I could scream! I AM screaming!!! (to Lucy) And don’t YOU give me any trouble!!!!”
Though Schulz was devastated by the loss of his real-world little red-haired girl, he and Donna Johnson-Wold remained friends for the rest of his life. And even though Charlie Brown never quite got the attention of his little sweetheart, Johnson-Wold did have this to say around the time Shulz announced his retirement in 1999:”I’d like to see Charlie Brown kick that football, and if he gets the little red-haired girl, that’s fine with me”.
While Charlie Brown might have been a nobody to the Little Red-Haired Girl, he was somebody to the person she represented. Somehow, I think that was enough.
Part 1 of Randall Goodgame’s Peanuts tribute and the song which inspired this post. Listen for the mention of the Little Red-Haired Girl:
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Part 3 of Goodgames’ Peanuts tribute:
*http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Unrequited_love
**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red-Haired_Girl
Seeking what is good
There are people who, on meeting a successful rival, no matter in what, are at once disposed to turn their backs on everything good in him, and to see only what is bad. There are people, on the other hand, who desire above all to find in that lucky rival the qualities by which he has outstripped them, and seek with a throbbing ache at heart only what is good.
- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
10 Reasons Why I No Longer Care About the Boston Red Sox
Lay a whisper on my pillow Red Sox. I’ve lost that lovin’ feelin and here are ten reason why.
1. They became too popular. It used to mean something to be a Red Sox fan. They didn’t always sell out every home game, win a ton of games and get so much attention. Unlike loving Apple and jumping in the air for pictures, being a fan wasn’t necessarily the cool thing to do. Eventually, if you wanted to be like the crowd, you rooted for the Red Sox. If you wanted to dance to a different drummer, you needed to find another club. (“Club” is a pun. Get it?)
2. They became too good. When you’re used to winning, it’s easy to take it granted. When you haven’t won in a long time, you appreciate it more.
3. They became too evil (part 1). As a young person, I despised the Yankees for having so much more money to spend than everyone else. It was so unfair. The Red Sox didn’t win, but at least it felt like more of an honest effort. Now, the Sox are just as bad.
4. They became too evil (part 2). Sticking with the integrity theme, I was outraged when I learned that Jason Giambi, who hit a key home run to help the Yankees win the 2003 ALCS, was on the juice. Little did I know that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were also not playing by the rules. I was so blindsided, I started question a lot of things – like whether my real name is actually LaMarcus.
5. They kept turning the team over. I’ve not sure I’ve ever cared about a team as much as I did the 2003 Red Sox. I grew to love those players and when they lost, I was heartbroken. It didn’t mean as much to me when they won in 2004 because half the team was new. Many of those guys I desperately wanted to see win a championship were long gone. More recently, the team became a lot of overpaid mercenaries.
6. They traded away my favorite player. There were other fan favorites, but something about the connection with Nomar was special. We loved him and he loved us. Thing spiraled downhill faster than the first time I hit a ski slope. His bizarre departure – complete with a smear job by management which led Nomar to calling into the Sports Talk radio station to salvage some love with the fans – was too hard to take. He let us down by seemingly pouting on the bench while Jeter was diving into the stands. We let him down by turning on him before having all of the facts. It was as if Nomar was a girl I was deeply in love with. Then, our parents got into a fight and the next day her family moved to California. No closure. No explanation. Not even a chance to say goodbye.
7. They got too boring. In hindsight, I kind of miss the “idiots” with the “Cowboy Up” routine. They had a lot of personality back then. This past team seemed about as interesting as those PBS specials on birds that I watched in third grade.
8. They got too disjointed. What the bleep bleep bleep (picture creative string of obscenities using words not heard since Middle School) has been going on lately? All the stories about the management, players and coach reminds me of the band at the end of the movie “That Thing You Do”. Things absolutely unraveled.
9. I became too old. The older I get, the less closely I follow sports in general. I still love them, but I’ve rooted for enough champions to realize that they can’t fill a hole in a heart. It is like Ice Cream – good for desert, but limited in nutritional value and nothing you could ever live off of. There is an emptiness to it.
10. I became too busy. Along with being a young dreamer, part of the reason I liked baseball so much is that I used to have a lot more free time. There really wasn’t much else going on. What could be more exciting than watching the Red Sox? This was before Al Gore invented the Inernet. The world has changed. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter and baseball is pretty darn slow.
Having said all that, I suppose that if I really didn’t care about the Red Sox, I wouldn’t feel the need to write about them. Maybe a better title would be “why I miss the Red Sox”. Or, at the least the Red Sox I once knew. When I take a step back, though, I realize that it isn’t really baseball that I miss. What I really miss is dreaming about playing for the Red Sox one day and taking my first steps inside Fenway Park. I miss being in awe of how fast they could throw the ball and how hard they could hit it. I miss have heroes to look up to and wondering what it would ever be like if they won. I miss pouring over the box scores, talking about the team with my Dad and wondering what kind of player Mike Greenwell would turn into. What I really miss is not being disillusioned with life on earth. As I try to rediscover some childlike faith, I live with that ache that the Red Sox can never fill.
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” — C.S. Lewis
The Charlatan’s Boy by Jonathan Rogers
A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.
I’m here to tell you that this book isn’t just for kids. Despite the “young adult” label* it can most certainly be enjoyed by adults. And, as the reader so often finds him or herself in the story, the book has a lot to teach those who are willing to listen.
It’s a story about a desperately lonely boy named Grady who doesn’t know who he is or where he is from. All he knows is a con artist legal guardian of sorts, who might even be his father. As the book puts it, “I only know one man who might be able to tell me where I come from, and that man is a liar and a fraud”. That man’s name is Floyd. Floyd is a charlatan and Grady is the charlatan’s boy.
In search of adventure and perhaps lunch-money, they go from village to village and scheme to scheme putting on a show which can be best described by reading the book or a more articulate review. Though Floyd is pretty despicable, Grady does his best to win Floyd’s approval. As Grady puts it, “A feller’s got to love somebody don’t he?” At the very least, he has to love somebody and all he has is Floyd. As Grady goes about winning Floyd’s approval, he learns some things about himself which will surprise the reader just as much they surprised the protagonist. Grady doesn’t go on an adventure by himself. He takes the reader with him.
This unique, touching and imaginative tale is subtly hilarious and a perfect blend of sadness, reality, fantasy and triumph. The ending in particular is among the best I have read in a long time. I have only recently discovered Jonathan Rogers and I am so glad that I have. Not only does he know how to tell a story, he has the kind of insight which doesn’t come around too often. When I do find someone like Rogers, I want to benefit from every last drop of profundity. The Charlatan’s Boy is a good place to start.
Editor’s Note (still Mark as I double as the editor): I highly recommend you check out Jonathan’s blog. It can be found at: http://jonathan-rogers.com/. Also, I will send a free copy of this book to the first person to leave a comment so long as you live in the U.S. or Canda, only because I like you (and don’t mind Canada).
*I suppose young adults are different from kids anyhow. I just wanted to be able to use that C.S. Lewis quote.
(Legal Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. However, I also bought a copy for myself.)
Human Nature
All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.
- Thornton Wilder, Our Town
Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte
“The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.”
“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
“Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”
“”The word ‘good’ has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.”
“Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.”
“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”
“You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”
“There is the great lesson of ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.”
“We are all in the same boat, in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”
“Dear Sir: Regarding your article ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ I am. Yours truly,”
— G.K. Chesterton
It’s quotes like the above that made me want to dig more deeply into the wit and wisdom of Gilbert Keith Chesterton. Despite living a century ago, there is a freshness about his work that applies just as much today as it did back then. Upon seeing that a book about the life of Chesterton was available from Thomas Nelson for review, I jumped on the opportunity.
To get straight to the point, I was disappointed. Rather than gaining fresh insights into the man behind the larger-than-life literary legend, I primarily got a chronology of when each Chesterton book came out, and block quotes regarding what it was about and how it was received at the time. While lighter than I hoped on behind-the-scenes material, it does, as stated in the title, delve into the impact of Chesterton. To that end, it somewhat accomplishes its goal.
In regards to the life of Chesterton, we learn that his lighthearted, good-natured and gregarious nature had a way of endearing himself even to those like George Bernard Shaw who had diametrically opposed views. We also learn about his period of spiritual darkness as a young adult. There are other interesting tid-bits here and there. Overall, though, the book felt more like a dry text from a Church History class than an engaging story capturing an engaging man. Having said that, it is clear that Belmonte deeply respects and appreciates Chesterton, and the honor he affords G.K. shines through.
Overall, I have to think that there are better options out there. It took me months to get through this book and I can’t say with confidence that I got a lot out of it. I would start elsewhere.
(I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher.)
Mere Complimentality
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise does not merely express but completes the enjoyment. It’s not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling each other how beautiful they are. The delight in one another isn’t complete unless it’s expressed.
- C.S. Lewis
Let it Snow
In High School, I lOVED getting birthday wishes from classmates and was thrilled that I wasn’t one of those summer birth children to be pitied. Still, my birthday landed on a weekend and I missed out on copious amounts of affection. BUT, as a senior, my birthday was finally on a school day again. UNTIL, an April 1 snowstorm canceled school (what?). HOWEVER, I’m not in school anymore so it can snow all day long tomorrow as far as I care. Also, REGARDLESS of the weather, there is a decent chance that I will get messages over the INTERNET. Thank you Mr. Zuckerberg, International Business Machine and Mr. Gore for making this all possible!
UPDATE: The snowstorm that day actually has it’s own Wikipedia entry. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me.
A Simple Song of Praise
I graduated from a theological seminary after college. Over the years, I’ve found that I’ve missed my fellow classmates at the seminary more than I thought I would. Yeah, some of the people were a little different, but I have a thing for quirky people. Also, everyone there was so nice. Even in passing, they always called me by my first name – regardless of how well I knew them. It’s kind of a small thing, but not really when you think about how much people in the Northeast typically ignore others in public. I’ve even had dreams where I was going through a hard time and people at the school were comforting me. It’s like all the affection lingered in my subconscious (<- I studied counseling).
If I had to give one knock on the place, it would be that some of the students were a little too eager to show off their knowledge. Sometimes, it felt like a twisted game of academic one-upsmanship. As Paul put, knowledge puffs up while love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). It’s no wonder that Jesus gave such severe warnings about becoming like the Pharisees – it’s such an easy trap to fall into.
Well, they had these “coffee house” things once a semester or so. It was kind of like a talent show, but there were no winners. Some people did skits, others sang songs, and some people read poetry. There are a few performances that stuck with me most over the years – like the guy who sang this song below. He was one of those guys whom I initially thought might have missed the point of it all with his academic pursuit. However, as he sang this simple song of praise and thanks, his heart shone through. It made me realize how you can think you know someone and be dead wrong and how it was possible that I was actually wrong in my evaluation of some of those kids.
But, that really isn’t the point of this post. The point is, I love this song (and this blog is all about sharing things that I love).
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
