Jan. 22, 2024 - THE FACTS OF LIFE
My mother-in-law, Barbara Schnepf always leads by example. She is never didactic and doesn’t tell people what to do…..but her smile tells it all.
Come down and visit the store. There’s lots of new things and I am doing some remodeling of John’s corner. I am generally there, Fridays and Saturdays and would love to see you.
Holland has always been a beacon of light
We plan on visiting some of the great sites, including the Peace Palace
A couple of years ago my son Jay found these sweatshirts online. They are from the American School of the Hague, where these two young people attended school when they were in sixth and seventh grade.
I just can’t wait
THE FACTS OF LIFE
January 22th, 2024
Hello Folks,
The complexity of life can often be overwhelming. The everyday things that we need to deal with: relationships, work, health, education, politics , the environment. These aspects of life can just become more complicated than one individual can imagine. As a father, and a grandfather, I get a more "distant" perspective of those things in life that can seem so unsettling and yet there’s often very little that we can do to make the "ride",right… This is been the theme of so many books that have influenced me: I’m thinking of Sidhartha, and Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird or Catch-22 as well as so many experiences that I’ve had. The themes are all the same. How can we reach out? How can we see the world from someone else’s perspective? How can we use our experiences to make it easier for people we love and care about. The older I get, the more I think it just doesn’t really happen….we like to think we are influencers… lighthouses showing the "way" but really every person is their own boat and has to find their own way through the darkness. There’s no more challenging tasks, no bigger pill to swallow for a parent, or a leader, to admit that their influence is limited. In my advanced years, I am now convinced that we cannot teach by instruction but rather by example and an outstretched hand.
We have a saying in our family…when the going gets tough…. the tough get traveling…and that’s what we’re planning. Julie and the girls have a trip planned to Tulum, Mexico in February. I will be home dog sitting, but I’m making much bigger plans…. at the end of the March our entire family is heading to the Netherlands for a family reunion. That is our old “stomping grounds"….the place we became a family together and now my children want to show it to my grandchildren. I am delighted beyond words. However, I cannot face flying across the Atlantic ocean without a stop in my homeland, the birthplace of my father, the island of Sicily. We’re not planning on traveling around a lot, rather we just are going to select one town and stay for a week in order to live the "Sicilian lifestyle". We will then join our children and grandchildren in Holland.
Now, I am writing this to encourage others, that despite the difficulties, we face and the entanglements of our interpersonal relationships, there’s always a better day ahead. And speaking of better days, Bernunzio has jams galore coming up in the next few weeks. These are all posted on our website. We have had a plethora of very high grade instruments coming through the door and we have a new employee coming aboard. Actually, an old employee is coming back to work for us. We were looking for someone to manage the front end of things and Greg Maslyn is our man. We are excited to welcome him back. He’s been working outdoors of late, pounding concrete, I heard. So he should be in pretty good shape to wrestle in some ukuleles and accessories for our front counter.
Best wishes,
John Bernunzio
Winter scenes high above Keuka Lake
Winter scenes, Penn Yan
Old time jam with Dan Palmer….this Saturday at noon.