Motivational Movie: ***^Invictus

This movie released 2009 and is now on DVD.  I am watching it courtesy of Netflix.  It stars Matt Damon and Morgan Freemon and is directed by Clint Eastwood.  This movie tells of the relationship between Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienarr, Captain of the South African rugby team.  It talks about overcoming odds, and doing better than you can do.  It is a study of what inspires us and motivates us.

I think the best part of the movie was the Invictus poem, written  by William Ernest Henley who had tuberculosis in his leg, and his leg amputated:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

The conclusion of the movie, with Nelson giving the Cup to Francois, is a true story, and is considered one of the most inspiring sports scenes to be portrayed on British  television.  That this country was able to pull itself out of apartheid, and then jointly support their team to the World Cup is incredible.  I hope to remember the line, "I am the master of my fate:  I am the captain of my soul."

Singing in the Rain, well not really

This next week Caleb and Miranda will have three performances.  Next Sunday, October 24, the Zion Choir will have their debut concert at the Bernal Building in San Jose.  This is a group of 40 young people, high school seniors and juniors singing spiritual music.  Those who are familiar with this group know that they do an excellent job.  This year they have a new director, Blake Williams.  Both Caleb and Miranda are singing in this choir.

Miranda in her Zion dress

Then the next week the Cupertino High School vocal department will also be having their debut concerts, Tuesday and Wednesday, 26, 27.  Caleb sings in the men's choir Chorale and Miranda in the women's choir Cantos.  They sing popular as well as classical music.  Caleb has been practicing the solo for "You Raise Me Up."  Among other songs the women are singing, "Ain't I a Woman" based on the poem of Maya Angelou.  They sing at the high school auditorium.  Should be some fun evenings.

Tony's Day on the Bay

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16358949?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

Tony and I went to the Day on the Bay at Alviso County Park.  He loved the Spider Man Bouncy house and went on three times until he was to tired to bounce any more.  He liked getting a pumpkin, but didn't like the line.  He wanted to go on the bridge, so we did and found the bay at the end and a place to throw rocks.  He also enjoyed petting the cats and seeing the dogs.  We also went to the booths and got candy and popcorn.

People I See Along The Walk to Work

For the past month, I have been going to work with my daughter, who attends school across the street from where I work.  We park in her parking lot and I leave the car there and walk to work.  Parking is a pain at work and when I drive I end up parking about the same distance from my office anyway.

The walk to work is pleasurable; because I have made some “friends” I don’t know.  These are few people I see about every day, and if I don’t see them I miss them.  Also a few people I see just every once in a while.

I pass a very heavy set security guard.  I know he is a security guard because his shirt, which is not tucked in (neither is mine until I actually get to work) has a security guard patch on it.  It makes me wonder if he would rather be a police officer, but couldn’t get into the academy because of his weight.  Of course on the weight issue I tread lightly because I am overweight (obese according to the charts) myself.

There are a few people I see occasionally.  There is a little girl who is with someone wearing a badge.  I don’t know if it is a professional relationship or a family relationship.  She is probably two.  Every time I have seen her, she has been pushing her stroller rather than riding.  She’s cute.

There is also a gentleman I know from our stake (large church area).  I know he is in our stake as I have seen him at stake conference, and Charity has mentioned he attends some activities with the singles group.  He is in a wheel chair due to, I think, cerebral palsy.  I say “hi” to him but he doesn’t really respond.  I am sure he doesn’t know who I am.

I pass a bus stop, across from the hospital, and it was a wide assortment of characters standing in the sidewalk so I have to go around them.  Some of them appear pretty rough, tattooed and weather worn.  Sometimes one might be making a scene, dancing to his I-pod, or his internal music, or something.  I try to get through this group as quickly as I can.

Finally there is a little African American boy, probably 1 ½, who I see in his stroller with his mom pushing.  He is the cutest little guy.  He has the pudgiest cheeks.  A couple of times he has fallen asleep and his mom covers his face with the hood on the stroller to block the sun, so I don’t get to see his chubby cheeks.  I usually see him just before I get to work.  I miss him if I don’t see him.  I look for him.  Today I didn’t see him, but I looked along the sidewalk beyond where I go to work and saw him coming—so I walked a bit further so as to not miss him.   I smile at his mom, and she usually smiles back.  But just seeing this little guy gives me a bit of joy.

Caleb and the Family History Library

http://billywardlegen.blogspot.com/
http://ilovelibraries.org/loveyourlibrary/safeway/familytree.cfm



I have started visiting the Family History Library in Santa Clara over the past couple months, and over the past couple weeks I have taken Caleb with me a couple of times.  We are looking at microfilm, and not always having the greatest of luck.  Today we did have some success, and I will write about that in my genealogy blog.  But for this blog let me stay on task.
Caleb likes to crank the handle of the microfilm machine, and we both enjoy looking at old names, trying to find relatives.  I am looking for baptism dates which will help me tell the story of my great great grandfather.

Caleb mentioned to me that the back of the Toasted Oats Box talks about the family history library, and when we got home he pulled it out to show it to me.  And sure enough it does.  "Founded in 1894 the Family History Library is the largest library of its kind in the world, with 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records.  Caleb mentioned we were looking at one of those rolls today, which we were, as I had requested it from Salt Lake and was looking at it in Santa Clara.  We looked at a different roll last week.  I just pay the cost of shipping.  Pretty cool.  Today I was actually looking at records of the family of a son of Isaac's half brother.  Now that is cool.  I have posted his picture before, Thomas Morton.