To Forgive

"To err is human; to forgive is divine."   This notable quote from eighteenth-century English poet Alexander Pope reminded me of Pope John Paul II, who forgave his attempted assassin.   I've always considered myself a forgiving person.  With the passage of time and a few good breaks, forgiveness has always had a way of happening.   This year, that process has not been as easy, and that is often when it is most important to forgive.  We need all our focus and strength to move past the hurt, anger and need for vindication.  Forgiveness is simply letting go.   Pride or caring can be an obstacle, but we don't have to have a resolution before forgiving.   For my sake and for those who care about me, there is no other route in facing any tough times still to come.   Commentator Ben Stein recently said that forgiveness is the best gift you can give yourself for the holidays.  It is a wonderful New Year's resolution that can make for a truly liberating experience.  

Holiday, Oh Holiday!

Happy Honda Days Ad

It's no secret that the holiday season has gotten even more commercialized as the pressure to have a big fourth quarter in sales gets greater and greater.  Sometimes one or two ads stand out to the point of total distraction.  Have you heard the commercial for Honda?  "Holiday, oh holiday, and the best one of the year," proclaims the jingle.   Now, Honda is a quality car.   If you can afford to give one as a gift, then more power to you.   But please, make that jingle stop!   It's driving me insane!   Here's the original song, if you can't get enough of it.   It's etched in my mind worse this year than that song about Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey.   I trust both will go away after Christmas or the New Year.   There's also one for Michael's Jewelers where a woman sings about being in a state of something, but that may not be wearing as thin since I can't complete the lyric.   Christmas is often about nostalgia, so I miss some of the ads I grew up with in the sixties.   Before I was old enough to shave, I remember the Norelco shaver "Floating Heads" commercials when Santa would ride on the floating heads through the snowy hills set to a Jingle Bells melody.   The shavers are still around, so why did they get rid of it?   At least they still have the Hershey's Kisses commercials where the chocolate kisses ring out a holiday tune.   If they can bring back Charlie Brown's Christmas every year, why not the Norelco Santa.   Hey, you get your Christmas memories where you can.   Happy Holidays!

Good Night, Larry

It would be easy to call Larry King's last live show on CNN the end of an era of the kinder, gentler national talk show host who maintained some degree of objectivity.  Sadly, that era had already passed and CNN's declining ratings have reflected that.  Over the past 25 years, Larry's guest list has seen the most impressive variety of celebrities and newsmakers ever assembled on one program.  He got these people because he let them talk.  While he didn't necessarily ask all the hard questions, he posed enough of them over the years without making guests overly defensive or uncomfortable.  It wasn't all about him.  Larry has been true to that premise since his late night radio days when I used to hear him on the old Mutual Broadcasting System.  He was a welcoming voice to everyone who had an opinion, not just to those who agreed with him.  As the level of discourse gets more heated, personal and polarized, I hope CNN can find its way back to being a news leader without trying to follow in the footsteps of Fox and MSNBC.   While Larry's style may have seemed outdated to many viewers these days, there is still room for hosts who can get real answers from guests.  Anderson Cooper's "Keeping Them Honest" segments are good examples of hard-hitting journalism without a predetermined political agenda.  Styles change.  Civility and objectivity are more important than ever.   Larry has consistently tried to give you what you need to decide for yourself. 

A Tragic Holiday

The mourning period continues following the horrific one-car accident on Route 201 north of Route 138 in Griswold.  Four teenagers are dead; a fifth is in critical condition.  All five were Griswold High School students.  This story of a car out of control hitting a tree has stunned a community already shocked by a domestic dispute that took the life of a despondent young man just days ago on nearby Bethel Road.   Sympathy goes out to the many grief-stricken classmates, family members and neighbors.   This region has been shaken by a tragedy that can leave the most professional grief counselor at a loss for words.      

Animal Hoarding in Montville

Photo from WTNH

It was a sickening scene.  Montville saw its most shocking case of animal hoarding ever.  Neighbors at the Mountain View Apartments reported a very strong stench that led animal control officers to a feces-filled apartment where they found about 40 animals, some dead or dying.   There were cats, a dog, ferrets, snakes , birds and other animals in cages lacking food and water.   Aside from what to do with the animals and their neglectful owner, how on earth could anyone let this get so out of control?   You probably know people who collect a lot more things than they let go of, but why would anyone hang on to these living creatures so long after they can take care of them?   Is there a relationship between animal hoarding and hoarding other things?   I have heard the theory that hoarders feel a lack of control over their own lives, so amassing more things (or perhaps even animals) gives them that sense of control over at least something.   If so, this is a very unhealthy and false sense of empowerment.   It is very sad to see this situation deteriorate to this point before neighbors finally noticed.