"You can observe a lot by just watching." Yogi Berra, 1925-2015, Yogi Berra transcended the world of sports to become an American icon. Few athletes have made such a transition. Yogi is a household name, known even to those unfamiliar with baseball history. He was a child of Italian immigrants, a World War II Navy gunner who served at D-Day, a record-holding athlete, a Major League coach and manager, a husband and father, an engaged community member, a friend to many and, famously, a one-of-a-kind master with language who uttered some of the most frequently recalled sayings in American life. After a long career and during a very public retirement in which he remained involved in baseball, Yogi spent many of his days at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Montclair, N.J., where his interests in education, sports and community came together as one. His legacy is carried on in the Museum’s exhibitions and programs.

I'm back. It's Monday, September 15, 2025, and I welcome you to today's edition. Typically, I type these out with our pup, Lil Miss Biscuit, sitting in the chair with me. I know. Who would have every thought? Certainly not me. But, she, I suppose, does offer emotional support because I can feel her nose on my back and sides as she moves around and causes a fair amount of typos. I have written many times about Yogi Berra and his wonderful and wacky fracturing of the English language. The one in the title is perhaps my favorite. Perhaps. There are so many. Google them. They are outlandishly funny, but, in the case of the about observation, I find it to be 100% reflective of my self-appointed role as observer in chief, abbreviated as OIC, if you like those kinds of things. On Saturday I was at the big car wash getting one of the trucks cleaned up. You know. It's the same one we used back in the mid 1970's and its basic car wash was a wee bit over $5.00 back then. Now, with tax, title, and license fees, it's $26.99 drive out for the not very clean wash or as my grandfather would say, they mostly give it a lick and a promise. (The origin of the colloquial expression 'a lick and a promise' takes us back to the early 1800s. It was mostly used in the context of house cleaning, when maids or servants would skim over a bigger task to get the smaller tasks done first, with the intention of coming back and dedicating their full attention to it.) I need to update my usage since the workers at the car wash have NO intention of coming back to do a more thorough job. A more proper way of explaining it would be to say they give it a 'lick'. Period, end of that story.  Okay. I was there. It was crazy busy. Weather forecast says a week or more of summer hot days, therefore, with very little rain predicted, on a Saturday, many people get their vehicles washed. There was a line to pay. In that line, I, following Yogi's prescription observed the cycle of life, in living color, (not the one from Lion King but very similar), because there at the register was a fellow in his late twenties, full of life, in good shape, flexing his muscles while paying, behind him was a man who had lived quite a bit longer, maybe in his mid to late 40's. His shoes were worn down, his shoulders were slumped and he showed signs of what wear and tear does. Finally, one of my people was there, he was an old dude, maybe in is early 80's and he was impatiently moving his feet forth and back, and I thought to myself, that's you, that's you, can you see it? And, I could, and I did, and now I've shared what my observation yielded and at the end of it all I can only agree with Solomon's conclusion when he ended the writing of Ecclesiastes like this: 

 

 

From the New Living Translation, Chapter 12 "Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” ² Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. ³ Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly. ⁴ Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint. ⁵ Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. ⁶ Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. ⁷ For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. ⁸ “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”  ⁹ Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. ¹⁰ The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. ¹¹ The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep. ¹² But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. ¹³ That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. ¹⁴ God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." ~

 

Okay, don't send me a note asking me to explain everything Solomon said here, but, the point is well taken in that we should honor God now, regardless of what station in life we find ourselves. For those of us who are seen moving our feet forth and back as we stand in line, here's some interesting information regarding the last phase of the human life cycle:  Young-old (ages 65–74), Middle-old (ages 75–84), Old-old (ages 85+), and Elite-old (ages 100+). We all know our time here is in God's hands but I thought those divisions were of some use especially given the fact that I am only Middle-old, yay! If none of any of this makes sense to you, well, choose to praise the Lord and keep on trucking, and, may He add His blessings as we go. Amen.