Blog Posts - trish hermanson

Where in the World is Orientar?

12/20/2021

   Early morning, I’m in my jammies with Oak, my grandson, and we’re discussing where in the world is Orientar, the country the wise men came from to visit Jesus. He didn’t know, just as I didn’t when I was a child. Only when I could read did I understand the song said, “We three kings from Orient are bearing gifts….”
     Christmas songs can be confusing as a child. I wondered whether round young virgin meant she was fat. No, it’s “round yon virgin” - around the virgin over there. The definition of a virgin? No one explained that to me for years.
     Other kids have wondered why shepherds washed their socks at night, rather than “shepherds watched their flocks at night.”    And during this season, why do some sing about walking in our winter underwear? It’s actually “walking in a winter wonderland.”
     This year another grandchild of mine sang “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, don’t look at me, I’m changing.” It’s actually “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, thy leaves are so unchanging.
     I understand the words of these great songs now, but I don’t think I’ll ever completely understand the mystery of God coming to Earth as a baby to bridge the gap between him and us. It’s a breath-taking story, captured well through questions in this a cappella version of “Mary, Did You Know? Enjoy it to reflect on the wonder of the season.

How Simple Words Changed a Life

12/11/2021

I recognized the stooped old man shuffling toward the building entry as someone whose words once impacted the world when he documented our times as a reporter for a prestigious international publication. Years earlier I’d heard Paul enthrall a crowd with tales of interviews with personalities like the shah, the pre-revolutionary political leader of Iran, when no other westerner had access. He knew how to open doors back then.
     Now no longer a player on life’s stage, Paul was faced with struggling to open the door in front of him. I rushed ahead and pulled it open, and he gave a polite thank you. I replied, “It’s a privilege to hold a door for a great writer.” His head spun toward me, and his voice quivered as much as his hands. “Thank you,” he whispered. Then he shuffled inside, and I never saw him again.
     I opened more than a building entry for Paul. I opened a door to his soul with simple words that gave him a gift - recognition of his contribution in life, which others had forgotten. That’s something we all need. His startled response made me wish I could affirm someone in this way every day.
  Maybe I can.

Whatever Happened to the Age of Aquarius?

10/30/2021

A half century ago the age of Aquarius promised me personal perfection with bliss as sublime as a stroll along a beach. But since then, I’ve aged fifty years with wrinkles to prove it. So here’s my updating of the anthem “Aquarius”:

When my decades increase
And my back’s not feeling fine,
Orthotics guide each step,
Everything’s out of line.
This is the dawning of the age of A-A-R-P,
Age of Medicare Part B.
Seniority. Seniority.

Vegetables and lots of fiber,
Surgeons and prescribers.
No more flattery or delusions.
Golden living with confusions.
Hope I don’t get a contusion
Or go into some seclusion
From Forgetfulness. Forgetfulness.

When my decades increase
And my sight isn’t clear,
Myopia makes things murky,
Can’t see from there to here.
This is the dawning of the age of A-A-R-P,
Age of Medicare Part B.
Geriatrics. Geriatrics.

Aquarius was nonsense,
Like today’s QAnonsense - a modern-day sin.
So let’s give up all false hopes
And conspiracy tropes - toss them in a bin.
Let’s look to the light to give insight - may the truth roll in.
Face reality. Embrace reality. Let reality in.

We Got Trapped in the Covid Maze

10/15/2021

Question: how many of Snow White’s seven dwarfs visited Duane and me these past two weeks when we were trapped in the Covid maze?
     Answer: All seven. Between us, we received visits from Sleepy, Dopey, Sneezy, and Grumpy (sorry, honey). We were in touch with a Doc, and we had to be Bashful - required to quarantine at home. Oh yeah, I didn’t mention the seventh dwarf, Happy. He visited when friends and family texted, called, and left food at the door - wonderful!
     It could have been so much worse. Our names could have been added to the list of the more than 700,000 who have died from Covid in the U.S. Each death is a loss, someone missing from the dinner table. However, we were both vaccinated, so our symptoms were lessened.
     If you haven’t been vaccinated, I encourage you to do so. We know of one man whose vaccination was scheduled in four days, but he contracted Covid and died - a tragic end to his life, a traumatic grief for his family.
It doesn’t have to be that. Please don’t wait.

Covid Stole His Career and Home but Not His Heart

9/30/2021

The Covid financial downturn stole Rollins’ career and his home - but not his heart.
     With degrees in astrophysics and molecular biology, Rollin had sold scientific equipment for two decades. But the pandemic dried up his business and his bank account. “You think this will never happen to you.” He smiled as we talked in a park. “But it can.”
      Rollin turned to traffic flagging until some guys stole his wallet and i.d.s, then he ended up huddled by a dumpster at night. It was next to a Christian mission where humble folks offered him food and hope.
     “I’d blamed God for everything,” he says. “Then one day I heard an audible voice - not from a person - that all this happened for a reason.”
     “What reason?” I asked.
     He smiled. “So I can give.”
But then came a medical setback. A doctor who offered free medical care told Rollin that with his ongoing muscular sclerosis he has only a year to live. “First I was depressed. But I decided to see what I could do in 365 days.” So each day he walks streets where the homeless hang out, telling about the hope he has from Jesus. “They trust me.”
     As we talked, he shot his trademark grin at some homeless near us. He excused himself to greet them and approached with a friendly “hello.” Observing him, I wondered what I would do if I knew I had only a year to live. Perhaps I should do those things now because I don’t know what my life span is.