We spend our first thirty years thinking about our future, the next thirty thinking about our past, and our last years wondering what the hell we were thinking.

Timeout, with Grandpa Shannon

Check out my new YouTube channel, please.

Crippling Disease Versus Childlike Faith

https://youtu.be/iAgtl4bgCFY

One Granddad, free to a good home.

As children, some of you had the good fortune to have a Granddad who would read to you for as long as you would sit quietly and listen. Some of you did not. I’m prepared to afford that opportunity now.

Recently I began reading aloud from my books, and posting the selections to YouTube. Lord willing, I will continue with this practice for as long as there is evidence that someone is listening. The selections are short, nonpartisan reminiscences of youthful innocence and adventure, read from the nostalgic solitude of my rustic cabin. I intend to release these posts in serial form, so I suggest you subscribe to my YouTube channel so that you don’t miss chapters.

 https://youtu.be/oj9dWLTQPZQ

Hope to see you there,

Grandpa shannon

Three Christmas letters from my archives

This time of year, I almost always feel a sense of urgency to pen a Christmas letter that captures like never before the essence of the season.  The written word has been around a long time.  The likelihood of mixing and matching words and creating something entirely new, innovative, and never before composed in the history of the written word, is about as likely as discovering the one true Santa immerging from your hearth on Christmas morning. For most of us, our most enchanting Christmas memories are from our youth.  To fully experience the magic and majesty of Christmas, it’s almost essential to approach it with a childlike faith.  The older we get, the more difficult that becomes.  In order to capture the true essence of Christmas, one must do it with a minimum of words, from the purest and most youthful depths of our heart.  That’s my hope for each and every one of us this season, that the spirit of Christmas can purify, cleanse and relieve us of our years of baggage, apprehension and animosities, and allow us once more to experience the magical Christmas of our earliest memories, pure, simple, unadulterated, and awash in the warmth, joy, and unconditional fellowship that comes of an innocent heart and a childlike faith. Dear God, help us once more to approach, Christ, Christmas, and each other, with open arms, forgiving hearts, and the incorruptible innocence of our youth. SC

This time of year, we hear many disparaging comments about Christmas.  People despair over its commercialism, the financial strain it tends to create for some, and the anxiety and depression it causes in others. We’re told of its origins in pagan tradition, and how Christmas trees and Christmas gifts and all the traditional trappings of Christmas were swiped from various archaic cultures down through the ages. We’re told by wise and learned experts that it can be conclusively determined that Christ wasn’t even born in December.  What are we to think?  I’ll tell you what I think.  I think that for myself and many others, our memories of Christmas past and our hopes for Christmas future may well be the very essence of what makes our lives worth living. For us, the spirit of Christmas and everything that the true meaning of Christmas represents is a fundamental element in our faith, our happiness, our very existence, and everything we treasure in our lives. It’s our memories of Christmas past that strengthen our resolve to keep Christmas vital and alive, and see to it that children for generations to come can experience the joy we knew on those cherished mornings long ago, when we gathered together with precious souls we miss with all our hearts, and shared the precious, incomparable gift of Christmas. SC

Regardless of your faith,
The Christmas Season is traditionally a celebration of
Hope, Faith & Love

Christmas is a feeling in our chest,
A sense of being sheltered and caressed,
A memory that makes our spirit soar,
An ache that leaves us somehow wanting more;
Bitter sweet recollections of a day,
Of innocence and faith and youthful play;
Scenes of family outings in the snow,
Cherished mornings ‘round a Christmas tree aglow,
Priceless memories of innocence we’ve known,
Before we ventured out in life alone;
When each day found us carefree, safe and glad,
And evening found us home with home with Mom and Dad.
We strive today to recreate a time,
When hope was strong and zest for life sublime,
When childlike faith assured tomorrows joys,
And needs were met with simple gifts and toys.
Perhaps tomorrow’s hopes can best be met,
By casting off our feelings of regret,
And reaching out to others who still care,
And comprehend the passion that we share;
Those who recognize that they’ve been blessed,
And embrace that hopeful longing in their chest.

Hear my stories on youtube.

Shannon Thomas Casebeer

Season’s Greetings

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Season's Greetings, Dear Friends!

This is my best way of spending time with you for now. Enjoy the link below.
https://youtu.be/oj9dWLTQPZQ

Hear one of my stories on Youtube at the following link:

 

https://youtu.be/B4KGwMuhu9c

FAITH & FAMILY

As I sit here in the stillness,
While the crackling embers glow,
My mind casts dancing shadows
Of glad days long ago.

I recall my granddad’s whiskered grin,
His white and wispy hair,
And Grandma humming blissfully
From a creaking rocking chair.

I see my mother in her youth
And Daddy, young and trim.
I rarely ever walk these fields
That I don’t think of him.

Their council was the granite block
On which my faith took hold.
Their favor was the prize I sought,
As others might seek gold.

Throughout my life I sought to please
The family of my youth.
Their convictions shaped what I believe.
Their faith became my truth.

Their memories are my heritage.
Their achievements are my pride.
Their dreams became my legacy,
As through the years they died.

And when my robe of flesh drops free,
And I breathe my final breath,
Their faith shall bear my whispered prayer,
As, trusting God, I close my eyes in death.

Shannon Thomas Casebeer

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, & don't forget to hold your loved one tight.

I woke up still not dead again today.

Many people feel duty bound and inexplicably qualified to tell us exactly what will happen when we die. They’ve read a book by someone who claims to know. Having never died myself, I can’t claim to be an expert. I can’t share any firsthand experience. I can share what for me is a comforting thought.


ETERNITY


Seeing no one, I reached out anyway, velvet black silence consuming me; motionless, oppressive, and uninterrupted. The only sound, the last labored beating of my own feeble heart. And then, from beyond the desolate void that enveloped me, a firm hand joined unexpectedly with mine. My pulse no longer relevant, my last breath expelled, a rush of reassurance filled my soul, a warm embrace, and eternity took me in.  SC

Freedom burns within our hearts

I’m a proud, lifelong supporter of Old Glory and the causes, doctrines, and principles on which our American freedoms are founded. As a student of history, it’s clear to me that liberty and democracy survive only as long as our citizens maintain a strong, central government, dedicated to the task of preserving, providing, promoting, and passionately defending those freedoms at all levels, both State and Federal. When huge corporations and smug financial institutions are prized and protected above justice, propriety, and the public good, greed goes unchecked and evil and injustice prosper. When the balance of power in The Supreme Court allows for the wholesale purchase of our media, our judicial system, and our Country’s National elections, with no regard for truth or justice, the corruptive power of big money and unbridled greed threatens the very fabric of our great Nation.   When your candidate for office insists that your personal freedoms are best protected by deregulating huge corporations, removing protections for working people and the environment, providing incentives and tax breaks to big oil, and removing all environmental safeguards, you may want to consider a different candidate.  If you profess to be a Christian, and your home church prefers singing the praises of the GOP, to preaching Christ's message of repentance and mercy, you may want to consider other options. Ignorance and intolerance are almost inseparable, and despite what some will tell you, neither one is a virtue. In this country, everyone has the right to life, liberty and their personal pursuit of happiness. Freedom is not a privilege to be taken lightly.  Freedom is a right and a responsibility, a perishable torch to be diligently tended and faithfully passed along.  Freedom burns within our hearts, ignited by the founding fathers, and it falls to us to keep that flame alive. America’s most trusted and time-honored institutions are only as righteous as the hearts of our citizens, our most godly leaders only as just as the collective conscience of their constituents and the most telling measure of a nation’s heart is the compassion of its people. SC

Looking for a happy diversion? Look no further.

OBIE & Glad Days Long Ago See excerps from links on my website: ShannonCasebeer.com

OBIE INTRO

Reservoir Hill, Placerville, California

This is the home of my great grandmother, Meda Eliza Camp Daniels. (Pictured next to her husband Asa Wilder Daniels) Meda was born on Reservoir Hill, just outside of Placerville, in 1869. She was the daughter of Asa Steven Camp, who, along with his father, Clark Camp, set out for the gold camps during the gold rush of 1849, arriving in Hangtown in time to be counted in the census of 1850, and her mother, Laura Ellen Oldfield Camp, who, along with her parents, John and Eliza Oldfield, made the trek from Wisconsin to Placerville, by covered wagon in 1854. Meda’s husband, Asa Wilder Daniels (the gentleman at her side in the photo) arrived in Placerville in 1888. He purchased the Slater fruit ranch on Reservoir Hill, from W. R. Selkirk, and he and Meda were wed in 1890. In addition to working the ranch, Great Granddad was the Justice of The Peace in Placerville. His passing in 1937 was front page news in The Mountain Democrat. Also pictured are daughters, Gladys, and Myrle Daniels Schroth, and son, Jared Waldo with his dog, Spuds. Jared Waldo was my beloved Granddad. My Camp, Daniels, and Casebeer ancestors arrived in the Colonies prior to the American Revolution, and members of each line served during the Revolutionary War, to secure and preserve the freedoms we Americans enjoy today, and to establish forever, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.  My great grandma Daniels lived to the ripe old age of 96.  She camped with us in the high Sierras each summer, until breaking a hip at age 93.  I spent many pleasant hours with my great grandma, many right here, in the home on Reservoir Hill.  Like my great grandma, my granddad, and my mother before me, I too was born and raised on Reservoir Hill.  My roots in Placerville are deep, my memories priceless, my pride immeasurable, and my heritage irrefutable and cherished. Obie is my tribute and testament to all that remarkable heritage, and to Placerville, California, my hometown.

See link to the first 18 chapters on my website.

Excerpts from OBIE plus poems and additional material are available in

"GLAD DAYS LONG AGO" available on Amazon

Don't forget; "GLAD DAYS LONG AGO" is still available on Amazon.

Hortense Eugenie Beardsley Daniels

My great great grandmother

If you're looking for something specific...

If you're looking for something specific, you may find it more quickly by searching for a link on my website which will bring you back to the appropriate place on this blog.

Shannoncasebeer.com

There will always be people who for some reason or no reason don’t like you. Don’t take it personally. Accept it and move on. Find people who do like you and share yourself with them. The most priceless gift you can give anyone is the affection God offers them through you. SC

Their memories are my heritage. Their achievements are my pride. Their dreams became my legacy, As through the years they died.

FAMILY

As I sit here in the stillness,

While the crackling embers glow,

My mind casts dancing shadows

Of glad days long ago.  

I recall my granddad’s whiskered grin,

His white and wispy hair,

And Grandma humming blissfully

From a creaking rocking chair.

I see my mother in her youth

And Daddy, young and trim.

I rarely ever walk these fields

That I don’t think of him.

Their council was the granite block

On which my faith took hold.

Their favor was the prize I sought,

As others might seek gold.  

Throughout my life I sought to please

The family of my youth.

Their convictions shaped what I believe.

Their faith became my truth.

Their memories are my heritage.

Their achievements are my pride.        

Their dreams became my legacy,

As through the years they died.

And when my robe of flesh drops free,

And I breathe my final breath,

Their faith shall bear my whispered prayer,

As, trusting God, I close my eyes in death.

Shannon Thomas Casebeer

Memories are like muscle; exercise them and they regain their vigor, neglect them and eventually they’re gone. If your memories of growing up are fading, I encourage you to refresh them with mine. “GLAD DAYS LONG AGO” SC

Available at Amazon Books

Buy it now 

so you can read it yourself and then give it as a gift this Christmas.

Just an incouragement

I’m occasionally reined in on account of my enthusiastic patriotism, which of course is synonymous with nationalism, which, if carried too far, is just bigotry of monumental proportions. It is not my intention to promote bigotry. It is not my intention to advance the theory of American exceptionalism. My patriotism is a demonstration of my support for and my pursuit of the ideals of Liberty and Justice as prescribed by America’s Constitution, our Declaration of Independence, and many of our republics other founding documents, not because I believe my country alone embodies these ideals, but because, much like England’s Magna Carta, America’s founding documents promote the ideals to which I believe all great civilizations aspire. My patriotism is a demonstration of my pride and my appreciation for my country and the many blessings I enjoy as a citizen, not as a slight to other nations, but as an encouragement to all those who aspire to high ideals. SC

GOD’S SOLUTION

The basis for our most bitter political divisions is a handful of seemingly irreconcilable differences. These differences appear irreconcilable because the Book that challenges us to love each other despite our sins is the same book that tells us that certain practices are inexcusable.  Does the Bible offer a solution?

Ephesians 4:32 ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Matthew 6:14-15 ¹⁴For if you forgive other people when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But
if you do not forgive others
their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Hebrews 10:17 ¹⁷Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I
will remember no more."

Isaiah 43:25 ²⁵"I, even I, am he who blots out your
transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

1 John 1:9 ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.

It would appear that in God’s eyes our differences are not irreconcilable after all. The answer is in The Book.  The answer is love, mercy, forgiveness, and obedience to God.  SC

  

Tattered Stars

TATTERED STARS

Her stripes were worn and faded;

Her fabric, torn and frayed.

Tattered stars hung loosely now,

Weakened by old battles, and decayed.

Still, she hung with dignity,

Despite her ragged state.

Her very fabric promised hope

Although the hour was late.

Just then, as dawn was breaking,

Came a rustling in the trees,

A disturbance in the morning mist,

And a cool, refreshing breeze.

With the flash of nearby lightening,

Pulses quickened by the thrill,

While meadows shook with thunder

And a deluge took the hill.

With that, Old Glory caught the wind,

Unfurled, as if to march.

Despite the hail that tore her hems,

She took the field

And stretched out stiff as starch.

And those who saw this marveled

And recalled Old Glory’s youth.

And hearts filled with compassion,

Quickened by old loyalties and truth.

And every soul saluted,

While new hope replaced old fears,

And each heart pledged allegiance,

And sealed their pledge

With gratitude and tears.

Shannon Thomas Casebeer

“GLAD DAYS LONG AGO”

Now on Amazon Books

I apologize if this sounds preachy.

There appears to be some confusion regarding racism and bigotry. If you would follow Christ, your walk will be exceptional in that it demonstrates justice and mercy. A follower of Christ is called to do what is just and merciful regardless of the consequences. They are to do as Christ would do, and then trust God. There is nothing just, merciful, or Christlike about racism and bigotry.  SC

My little book, “Glad Days Long Ago” has been well received by those who’ve read it. People find that sharing my memories is a magic elixir to revitalize their own.

Glad Days Long Ago

On Amazon

America’s best days are almost certainly ahead, but we darn sure won’t get there by going back. Our best hope is to stand together, embrace the future, lift up the fallen, and work together to advance the cause of freedom. SC

Happy Decoration Day!

Placerville, California 

Memorial Day is a time to celebrate freedom and the many dedicated people who made it possible. As we celebrate this Memorial Day, we should be mindful of what freedom is.  Freedom is about personal choices, our own and those of others. We would do well to give that some serious thought.  Freedom is not a privilege to be taken lightly. Freedom is a right and a responsibility, a perishable torch to be diligently tended and faithfully past along. Freedom burns within our hearts, ignited by the founding fathers. It falls to us to keep that flame alive. 

Shannon Thomas Casebeer

A MORE PERFECT UNION

America’s ideals of liberty and justice for all have been a work in progress for a long time. Progress has been tediously slow, but steady. Mistakes have been made. Setbacks have been painful and frequent. Progress has come only through determination, dedication, and constant struggle, but it has come. Democratic government requires pursuing the greater good, and addressing the needs of a greatly diversified electorate, comprised of frequently opposing and passionately held beliefs. It’s a volatile and uneasy accord, which is achieved only through compromise and concession. Progress requires change, and change is hard. Once again, we find ourselves called upon to test our ability to accept change and consent to the will of the people. With or without our consent, change will come. The decisions we make in 2020 will shape our children’s future for decades to come. The work in progress will continue, and government of, by, and for the people will shape, sharpen, and temper its time-honored pursuit of liberty and justice for all. Progress will be slow, but achievable. Embrace the future, be civil, and participate in the essential process of democracy. A perfect union is a mighty lofty goal, but a more perfect union is attainable when we work together. SC

If you’re unable to grasp the first and most basic lesson of the bible, you’re taking all the rest out of context. SC

The very first lesson for a fledgling Sunday school student is the fact that God created this planet and all its creatures, and then He created mankind as its caretakers. If you’re unable to grasp the first and most basic lesson of the bible, you’re taking all the rest out of context. SC

You may want to avert your eyes.

Tom Selleck achieved tremendous success modeling underwear. I myself have all but given up.  My best hope may be my little book.

Glad Days Long Ago is a collection of short stories and reminiscences. It’s an assortment of unrelated windows into my life and time; a compilation of just over 40 pieces I’ve written over a thirty year period. As a result, the compositions are written in a variety of styles. Beyond the fact that they are nostalgic windows into the past, my past and the distant past, they are unrelated. The books only flow is the fact that it reflects my life and my interests, from my childhood to the present. The book has no plot, and no villain, other than time itself, and times exasperating inclination to run out.  

My story, although autobiographical to some extent, is a fictional parable about youth, innocence, faith, heritage, nostalgia, patriotism, and growing old. It contains humor, bitter sweet reminiscences, and glimpses of a distant day when life seemed simple, summer was perennial, and childlike faith assured tomorrows joys. 

“GLAD DAYS LONG AGO” is available in paperback or as an eBook, On Amazon.com

I appreciate your interest.

Shannon Thomas Casebeer