The title for this blog, "I'm No Saint" was inspired by my dear friend @LadyBlackwood. She is a former model and did a shoot with a shirt that had "I'm No Saint" on it. It instantly became my favorite. It became tradition for me to ask about it at St. Patrick's Day since she looked very Irish in the picture.
The words on the shirt stuck with me. I have been fortunate enough to be in the position to help some people. They often said things like your such a Saint you saved my life. But nothing could be further from the truth. I try to be a good person and do the right things, but... well things don't always work that way. I've done plenty I'm no proud of. I just hope when my time comes I end up at the pearly gates and when St. Peter looks at my name, I'm one ahead in the balance of good and bad I've done.
Not sure how to explain this so that everyone will understand it fully. I know a few people like Manda will. I hope you all take something from it.
And after today's events happened I wondered what kind of person I had become....
Missed Opportunity
Down from the warehouses where I work is our main offices. Next to our main offices is the state department. One of their duties is to help people in need of state aid. So it's not uncommon to see down on their luck people standing outside gathering things, loading groceries or countless other things.
Today on my walk down I met a woman standing outside of her car looking distraught. I approached her. Looking at her she was about my height with shorter but not short blond hair. Her clothes looked like she had worn them a few days. Her car was loaded with her stuff and her tiny mini dog. "I'm looking for my divorce papers she said. I'm homeless."
I had been thinking she was loading or unloading something heavy from the trunk and so all I muttered was, "oh." My co-worker was outside and said, "At least you tried." I nodded and reached for my scan card to get in the door. I opened it and paused. I actually stopped for a moment. But then I shrugged and justified that my boss would be mad if I wasn't hurrying to get my work done.
But that was bogus. Yes he would be mad. But what kind of excuse is that? I was at the crossroads where I could have helped someone and made a difference. I'm not saying for sure I could have done anything to help or that she would have allowed me to. But I should have offered her a meal at McDonald's. I could have spared 20 dollars and maybe made sure she had a hotel room for a few nights. I could have made a difference and I didn't. That haunts me. That's not me. I'm the guy who always helps people out. Who is this man I become that I brush by someone in need because they were a stranger and I couldn't be bothered?
I came back out and thought about dropping a 20 in her window, but her dog was in there and people were watching. I didn't want them to think I was robbing this woman of what little she had while she was inside, but again it's all excuses. Who cares she could have used that 20 more than I need it.
Each day I try to be a better person than I was the day before, today I failed. But, at least I lived up to the blog's title. Today I was far from a Saint and I'm ashamed of myself.
Every coin has two faces..heads & tails. Every story has two sides. And in the universe to keep balance between these we have zhen. You can't have good without evil or rich without poor. And you can't have one without the other...love and marriage (oh sorry that is the Frank Sinatra intro to Married with children). And there cannot be clean without dirty. This blog is about the balance of clean and dirty. One boy who takes not doing laundry to the extreme and one who takes DOING It to the extreme. Stoked? Let's get started....
PIG PEN COMES TO MICHIGAN TECH
Every college student goes away to school and is forced to do things they most likely never have before. Sometimes this is cooking your own meal. For others it might be paying bills. And still others might be doing their own laundry for the 1st time.
A teenager of 19 that we will call Edward (name changed for what will become an obvious reason) faced this new challenge of laundry. He had many things he enjoyed spending hours doing...designing video games, playing video games, hitting on women, and even occasionally studying. He would even like to have the done the latter for 5 hours rather than spend 5 minutes doing laundry. After all, there are video games to be played and they most certainly don't play themselves.
But unlike most of his fellow students he took this hate to a new extreme and got "creative". Shirts, ehhh their clean. But it's stained! Sush, that's vintage. Jeans were the same. Socks? Ehhhh who cares if they smell. But there was one piece of clothing he could only wear so long...underwear.
I know what your thinking, but it's worse than that...so read on. He decided in his infinite wisdom that he could wear his underwear until it was crusty brown. But wait, he didn't then throw them away... he turned them inside out and wore them till that side got crusty. Disgustingness and laziness taken to a whole new level. Hand to God true story.
THE MICHIGAN TECH STREAKER
Michigan Tech was always an interesting place. It's where I met my ex-wife and fell in love with her. In the summer they held classes from Drama to Science for children. And when session was in, well let's just say it was never boring. Not once in all the times I've been there. The following story is perhaps one of the most famous infamous occurrences in Michigan Tech's history. The story was even featured on David Letterman.
Now some say this boy, who we will call Nick, was drunk or perhaps high, but he was always a little crazy and after talking to many people (one of whom was there) I believe it was just another crazy idea. At any rate one hot summer day Nick and his friends were walking along and saw a laundry mat. They decided it would be a good idea to do their laundry so they went inside.
Since they had no other clothes other than the ones on their back, Nick decided to strip naked (his friends left on their briefs) and wash the clothes they were wearing. A short while later the cops showed up and arrested Nick and his friends. His friends got off after being interviewed with a warning. Nick however received huge fines and spent a few days at the counties expense.
Nick was no different than any other college student and had no way to pay his fines. Worse yet they had to be paid by year's end. Nick was worried sick. However he was always thinking and decided the only way he could survive this was to make lemonade out of the sour lemons he had been dealt. He grabbed his accordion and every day he was not in class he played in front of the school.
Eventually word spread of his woes as he desperately needed more money. He decided to take pictures of himself naked with the accordion appropriately placed over his private area. He then photo shopped himself in front of landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and made a booklet of post cards. Local businesses in hopes of helping him sold these booklets. Still he felt short.
Then he appeared on the Letterman Show. He told Letterman the whole story, they showed a few of the post cards, Letterman had a great chuckle, and then he played the accordion and left. This helped plugged his books greatly.
At the end of the summer after all his hard work he came out 1 dollar ahead. It was a hard lesson.
So there you have two tales of extreme clean and dirty. The balance, the Zhen of our universe.
York is the most haunted city in THE WORLD. It has a total of 504 RECORDED hauntings (and countless not recorded) according to the Ghost Research Foundation International (GRFI). One of the more haunted areas is said to be Bishop Hills.
There are a lot of stories about the happenings in Bishop Hills. Somewhere towards the middle there is a street called Bishop Jr. where a church called St. Mary lies. And while there are just as many stories about St. Mary, I am here to tell about a few mystic encounter.
The tower of this church is the oldest fully intact structure standing in York today, it was around during William the Conquerer in 1066.Therefore it is believed to be the only full structure Viking building in use today...anywhere. Many people who visit this area report a strange sensation and atmosphere in the area.
But it is neither the tower or the church itself that is the subject of this "haunting", rather the 500 year old building next to it. The building until recently was a dancing school run by Mr. & Mrs. Coles. But if you look above their sign you will see the holy cross and you may be able to deduct that the building used to be a church of it's own where many "occurrences" have occurred.
The most common occurrence was the room would turn bone chilling cold and then footsteps would be heard walking from the side of where the church was across the dance floor and then after a few seconds the sound of coins being dropped into a box on a table could be heard, but neither table nor coin box was there. Then the money was poured out and the sound of money coin by coin being slid across the table and counted. Then after a short while of this a loud clang as the coins are dropped into the box and finally the sound of a box lid closing. Then footsteps would be heard going back the way they came. Witness would then say the temperature would slowly rise back to normal, but most of them did not.
Another occurrence happened when Mr. and Mrs. Coles went away on vacation and a friend of theirs was left in charge of the school. Everyone had gone home and this friend was closing the school down shutting off lights and getting ready to lock the door soon. He heard a violent knocking at the door. He shouted out come in the the doors unlocked. When the school was in session and the people were dancing indeed it was always unlocked. The knocking got more and more violent. The door shook and the handle seemed as if it would rattle right off the door. He became worried for the person outside that needed to get in the school so badly. He said, "Come around to the front door I can't seem to find the key for this one." The knocking continued. He realized over the racket of the door, perhaps whoever was outside could not hear him so he got a table and stood on it so he could use the window just above the door to indicate to go to the front. But when he stood up and looked out, he received the shock of his life as no one was there, but the door continued to shake and rattle. The friend left never to return. In fact, the police had to go to the house of Mrs. Marshall (Mrs. Cole's Mother) to have her return to the school to turn off the lights and lock the door.
The last story I tell you before we reach tonight's story involves the fore mentioned Mrs. Marshall. She had gone to the basement of the dance school where props where kept. Suddenly she stopped in her steps. The atmosphere in the room turned hostile and without a doubt in her mind she knew she was not wanted. She had only taken a few steps when she was shoved across the cellar floor and up the steps. Her thoughts turned to the fact that someone from the school might be playing an inappropriate joke, when she turned around to give this person her two cents and a few choice words..... no one was there. The feeling of hostility had grown so intense all she could was scramble up the stairs and vow never to return.
After this event (and several other occurrences) the Coles finally took their friend up on an offer of help. She was a median who claimed she could speak to the dead and she would find out who and why the haunting was occurring and if possible rid them of the spirit. Once she was done she admitted she was no longer the wiser as to why and who was haunting the building. She did however assure the Coles the spirit was now at peace and gone. And starting in 1975 the spirit was gone and remained gone for many years.
A DEVINE INTERVENTION
One Christmas Eve a young college boy returned from his studies of Ministry. He was at the crossroads of the final stages of becoming a Minister and had to decide upon returning to school. Anxious for some time off and to spend Christmas Eve he drove home and offered to take his parents to church. He arrived shortly before the service began so he quickly drove there and dropped his parents off at their Catholic church (St. Marys) while he went across the street to attend his own services (at what later would be come the Cole's dance school).
His service ended first and since he parking was full everywhere he decided to walk back figuring that his parent's service should also be getting out soon. Walking along the streets where empty and he was alone with this thoughts. Suddenly he heard someone call his name (about half way between St. Mary Church and the future Cole Dancing School) .He turned around and to see an old family friend. It took him a second to realize just who it was as he had not seen her in a few years. While this person bore no relationship to him, she was a close family friend and he called her "Aunt Mary".
He was very excited and knew his parents would be too. He asked how she was and she responded that she was well and very peaceful. He told Aunt Mary that his parents would be out soon and that they would love to see her. She became very uneasy and suddenly said she had to go. She said remember tell your parents I am fine and feel at peace. As she walked away she looked back and repeated it twice and then walked off.
Just then he saw church was letting out and he hurried to tell his parents the news. He found his parents and told them of the story. His mom grew sad. She was silent for a moment and then said. "I'm sorry, Son, but you see you got in so late and a great deal has happened since you were last home. Unfortunately there was some sad news, your Aunt Mary passed away a month ago. So you couldn't have seen her."
He decided that moment that it was a devine sign and joined the Ministry upon his return.
In 1960 a man named Arnold Roxim was experimenting in regression. In regression people who believe they have lived in other times and in other places are able journey back to their past live under hypnosis. (AUTHOR NOTE: It should be noted here that I neither believe or disbelieve in reincarnation. This is meant as one interesting story and to give you information so that you may make up your own mind.)
One such woman in his studies was called Jane Evans. During her session she went back to birth and then beyond to 12 century York. She said her name was Rebbecca and that she was a Jew caught up in the uprising of 1190. She said she came to York Castle (Clifford's Tower) hoping to join her fellow Jewish community there. But when she arrived she discovered the gates closed and she was unable to enter. She was panic stricken and didn't know where to go or what to do.
She had to get away so she took off for the nearest church to seek refuge. These sessions were filmed, tape recorded (it was the 60's folks) and even later shown on TV. Many experts of history, archeology and even the paranormal reviewed these documentations hoping to prove (or in most of their cases disprove) Roxim's claims of reincarnation.
The experts were fascinated by what they found. She knew details of 12 century York that only the most expert historians of york should know. In fact somethings she said were not understood until they did further research and that she filled in holes in their knowledge of the time. She it would seem knew even more than the experts.
She could describe the details of the church she ran to perfectly. She said it was the nearest church to the castle and once inside she rushed down the stairs to the crypt to where she hid. According to her the crypt had a great stone roof supported by many stone columns.
At this point the experts stepped in and said this simply couldn't be. In York there was only one church with a crypt and that was the Minster and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was not the Misnter. So while she described the nearest church perfectly, the nearest church did not have a crypt.
So the experts said alright this was an interesting experiment but could not be used to prove reincarnation because quite frankly it was not based on facts. And for most the story ended there.
AN UNLIKELY DISCOVERY
Castlegate was the nearest church and since it was cryptless the story had closed. That is until September of 1975 when the church was converted into a museum. During the construction process one of the workers accidentally knocked out part of one of the walls. They were shocked to find there was another room. No one knew this room existed. Three workers removed more stones until they found themselves sitting in a crypt of a much older church. A church that had in fact stood here before St. Mary's was built on top of it. The crypt matched in every detail to the one that Jane Evans had described.
Jana had said once Rebbecca arrived here she hid hoping she hadn't been seen by here persecutors. But her hopes were in vein. She had been seen and followed to the church. Her persecutors searched the church and slaughtered her brutally and horribly.
In each of her regressions that Jane Evans gave when they reached this point she always ended with same words, "dark....dark...". At the time of these regressions Jane was in her 30s and have never been to York and new little to nothing about the city's history. But under regression she was able to describe York as it was 800 years ago perfectly and in great detail. She filled in historian's knowledge and described a crypt that would only later be found. At this point the experts agreed that this was strong evidence for reincarnation.
Think what you will and form your own opinions, I know this has opened my eyes to possibilities....
The trip was 25 years in the making. It was my return to England. And while there were many glorious events that I will soon not forget, the one story that needs to be told takes us to York.
Our group was strolling along when suddenly I saw this gassy hill filled with flowers and as my gaze rose up I saw it. What it was, other than a tower structure, at the time I did not know. But, almost immediately I felt the history of this place and somehow knew it was crucial.
Later I was to learn that the tower was Clifford's Tower and it was most certainly filled with history. Most of it tragically horrifying. There are two stories that need to be told about this structure and the first is how it got it's name.
HOW CLIFFORD'S TOWER GOT IT'S NAME....
In 1312 after years of loyal service as a soldier to Kind Edward I of England, along with the Earl of Lancaster Robert De Clifford n the movement against Edward II's favourite (intimate companion and possible lover) Piers Gaveston,besieging him at Scarborough Castle.
Wounded Robert was forced to surrender. Outraged Edward II ordered that Clifford be brought to the tower and chained until he decomposed and rotted. And that is exactly what he did. The tower was then named Clifford's Tower as a reminder to all as to what happens when you cross your King.
ONE TERRIBLE NIGHT....
The most famous event at Clifford's Tower was also the most horrific in the history of York. During King Richard's reign their were many uprising and incident's by the Jewish community. Richard's predecessor Henry II had always been careful to protect English's Jews. In various English towns violent outburst were taking place and in 119o the Jewish Community took refuge in Clifford's Tower after the keep had been burnt down.
Tempers rose quickly as the Jews denied admittance to the castle. Not even the constable of the castle was allowed to enter. The Jews were very afraid and the soldiers were very angry. The soldiers rammed at the door and demanded that either the Jews relinquish their religious beliefs or they would storm the castle and murder everyone inside. Tempers were boiling and things got out of control quickly. Now more angry then ever the soldiers vow to kill every Jew in town that would not denounce his faith. On March 16th rather than die at the hands of the Soldiers, the Priest and another man decided that they should take on the sin of Suicide. They lit the building on fire and then they oversaw everyone's death and then the Priest killed the man and then himself. Over half the Jewish population of York was said to have died that night.
When the soldiers took the castle the next day everyone lay dead. Some thought this was the end, but others knew that harboring a terrible burden like that wasn't so simple.
On the 100th anniversary of this event, the walls of Clifford's Tower turned red. Experts came, but none could come up with a reasonable reason why these bricks would turn red and not the ones across the street that were cut from the same batch. But the town knew. They knew of the terrible secret York had.
It was not until the Jews were later invited to return to York in peace that the walls stopped turning red.
