Paris Hilton and the Pursuit of Happiness

This coming week we will celebrate our nation’s independence, the gift of liberty and the soaring words from the founding that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Many of us will heed the call to once again be dedicated to the great task remaining before us – “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

You probably know (who doesn’t?) that this past week our nation has been dedicated to the task of obsessing on Paris Hilton’s new found freedom from the tyranny of the LAPD and a new pursuit of happiness that she says will not include anymore DUI citations.

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 Update from Brazil

Many of you who have been friends of the Belo-Beaver partnership will recognize the names of Junio and Wellington, the sons of João and Silvia Bessa.  João is an elder at Igreja Presbiteriana.  He and Silvia moved to Favela da Ventosa not long after they left their home and family in the interior in search of the better life they have yet to find.  Junio is now 18, Wellington is 16 and their younger sister, Kelly, is 12.  The children know no other life than life in the favela.

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Tacky, Overpriced and Disruptive, I like it.

The notion of running off to join the circus never much appealed to when I read about it in the books little boys used to read.  I thought it sounded like a bad idea. 

The Deshler Carnival is about as close we get to the circus coming to Beaver and of course we’ve had the prerequisite late afternoon thunderstorms ever since the big trucks rolled into town last weekend.  Being close by gives those of us at the church every day and close-up view of life in the carnival and all its workers have to do. Nothing about it would make me want to run away and join it.

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Punishing, Grueling, Strenuous are just some of the headline words used to describe the course at Oakmont Country Club where this year’s U.S. Open golf tournament is being played.  And no one is complaining.  “It’s as good as it gets,” they are saying.  So why do professional golfers and their fans like a punishing, grueling, strenuous course so much?  Because it tests the golfers’ skills.  It calls every ounce of energy and talent and endurance from the players.  The fans get to see gifts and abilities on display and know that Sunday’s winner will have earned his $1.225 million prize.

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Often, and by necessity, we are suspicious of the stories told by folks who drop by the church office asking for help. The more complicated and compelling, it seems, the more likely that the story is a sham. The punch line is usually the same. "No, I don't want to go to CAST. I just need some money to pay the rent/fix the car/visit the doctor/heat the house." That is, I just need some money to support my addiction.

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