Well Daddy let me drive in Texas, then the family went to Disneyland. I had already gone there in 1956 on the way to Hawaii, while my father was stationed on number 43 the Aircraft Carrier Coral Sea. But it was 1959 and we did the Matterhorn, looked at the Monsanto Plastic House, and what was my favorite ride? You guessed it, those little bumper cars that we took on a small little freeway.
Arriving in Hawaii in July 1959 was impressionable, since it was about to become the 50th State. Somehow these landmark events as Sputnik, and Hawaii Statehood were happening just as we were arriving somewhere.
Attending Catholic School was interesting for me, being raised in Public Schools up to that time. In my young thoughts there was something better than what most of these people were offering. In general their notion of purgatory and hell seemed too central to the catholic faith, but they distinguished from fearing God to the Love of God. Once you love God it puts away all fear. Very few of these people, nuns included really practiced what I could see myself as a kid, and it is too simple when you fit the words together. Where Jesus speaks tender words, less than tender words happened.
One exception was a Priest, Father Moron. Curiously his name does not mean stupid, it is just a name. His eulogy said how he would do things that others would not do. He would turn on the ground lights at night sometimes, and let the young play basketball.
Vatican II was happening, when our treasured Latin mass was replaced by a less poetic English version. The priest now faced the parishioners rather than facing the Altar. I went from a public school where they prayed in the morning the Protestant "Our Father," to a parochial school where it was Catechism for the first hour every day. The knees ached from kneeling, since being overweight was a problem. The religion period brought the class to mass twice a week.
Later in life I read the Urantia Book cover to cover seven times. Those insights are much different, considering a religion without authorities, simply a book to read or not to read. That was the strange concept, no one in my family took the time to achieve the same blissful readings.
I thought I did understand it, but now read only some excerpts from time to time. Religion is not the sole property of existence, only some scaffolding to achieve continuous self improvement. Even that fails sometimes. But I keep renewing what I can.
Arriving in Hawaii in July 1959 was impressionable, since it was about to become the 50th State. Somehow these landmark events as Sputnik, and Hawaii Statehood were happening just as we were arriving somewhere.
Attending Catholic School was interesting for me, being raised in Public Schools up to that time. In my young thoughts there was something better than what most of these people were offering. In general their notion of purgatory and hell seemed too central to the catholic faith, but they distinguished from fearing God to the Love of God. Once you love God it puts away all fear. Very few of these people, nuns included really practiced what I could see myself as a kid, and it is too simple when you fit the words together. Where Jesus speaks tender words, less than tender words happened.
One exception was a Priest, Father Moron. Curiously his name does not mean stupid, it is just a name. His eulogy said how he would do things that others would not do. He would turn on the ground lights at night sometimes, and let the young play basketball.
Vatican II was happening, when our treasured Latin mass was replaced by a less poetic English version. The priest now faced the parishioners rather than facing the Altar. I went from a public school where they prayed in the morning the Protestant "Our Father," to a parochial school where it was Catechism for the first hour every day. The knees ached from kneeling, since being overweight was a problem. The religion period brought the class to mass twice a week.
Later in life I read the Urantia Book cover to cover seven times. Those insights are much different, considering a religion without authorities, simply a book to read or not to read. That was the strange concept, no one in my family took the time to achieve the same blissful readings.
I thought I did understand it, but now read only some excerpts from time to time. Religion is not the sole property of existence, only some scaffolding to achieve continuous self improvement. Even that fails sometimes. But I keep renewing what I can.
