Coming to Peace with it all.
It is the job of all of us to be what we pretend to be... and not get caught at it. - t. reay
No man ever stands so tall, as when he stoops to help a child. - unknown
I am the lucky one of us all, I get to see him daily (if I want) We spend as much time together as schedules permit. ....time we will both never forget , the simple time swimming from Goleta beach to Campus Point and back (round trip over 2 miles)....Last spring we were amongst a pod of 8 to 12 dolphins , lazily zig zagging in front of us, one finally turned and barked at us. We swim ,we talk ,we tell stories and discuss our little worlds. - steve silvy silverberg
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His Reetness and Brenna Silverberg
why is this man laughing... and why is the other man NOT laughing? ? |
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Reetie helped produce our movie "Auditions". While we had a great deal of fun hashing our the original storyline together, Reet's true gifts became evident as we sought out free locations both during preproduction and in the heat of shooting. Most people are justifiably wary of letting a film crew into their homes or business to shoot. What overcomes this fear is usually money (gobs of it in most cases) or publicity neither of which we could offer. The Reet, would earnestly pour out his heartfelt excitement about the location and the owners were without exception bowled over into cautious submission. While we would be shooting, and inevitably disturbing their business in the process, Reet was constantly at their side reassuring and figuratively holding their hand. The most astounding part was that when we were finally finished, and all was said & done these folks felt great about having helped us. I know that any of the people who assisted us along the way wouldn't hesitate to do still more if asked. Reet had rewarded them, in a deep and personal way, for their generosity. This is a very rare talent, grown from an honest heart and a warm love of people and compassion for others. - John Lengsfelder
I've spent over fourty years trying to evaluate the contributions that we upright apes have made to history, civilization, society, art, the spinning rock that we all cling to and the grand cosmos in which it revolves. I have read, watched, listened, touched, smelled and tasted my way through as much as I could stand to sample. And I have reached but one conclusion...
we are here to make things better.
What things??
Better... How???
Who we??
these are the questions that remain, but I have no doubt of the purpose.
When we each turn to our own individual dust we will leave but one true legacy in our wake...one yardstick by which we are all measured, boith here and wherever we go next.
Was the place that we leave better for our having been here?
Did we make people happy?.... did we heal rather than hurt?....did we puncture the fake with the real?...did we swim with the fishes, cherish the beasts, nurture nature?....did we bring music to the ears, art to the eyes, magic to the senses?....did we love and receive love in return?...
When we sit at the table of the master of the hereafter, will we quietly worry which fork to use... or reach bluntly across him for the potatoes?
That's the question, .... that's the choice we all gotta make...manna or manners?
I believe that god don't give a flying fig if you eat with your fingers, dripping and slurping and smacking your lips I believe that god wants us to enjoy the meal without fear of embarrassment or intent to impress. I believe that at some point each day, as god makes his rounds of the interesting places and people of the world, he saves Reet's apartment in Goleta, California for last... like a combination newscast and soap opera he tunes in to that chaotic cross between a gallery and a museum and watches with a twinkle of amazement as he is reminded of why he made us all in the first place... of what it was all for in the beginning and why we didn't simply remain in the ooze.
maybe he visits the video store to listen in and bone up on the best new movies... catch a few tunes... or learn new ways to affectionately put pompous folk in their places. It must be difficult for the almighty to tear himself away from such a presence, such affirmation of his intentions. Where else, pray tell, in his entire universe, could he be so entranced by a single individual?
Sadly, I am now many miles from Goleta.. and have far less transportation options than the almighty. As I sit, sniffling over my germ covered keyboard and wonder just how this one man has changed my life... the answer finally comes to me, as it should to all of us..
for the better.
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