There are Always Flowers for Those Who Want to See Them
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
-Henri Matisse
A silver lining is defined by Webster – Merriman as a consoling or hopeful prospect. I like that.
Over the years, I have read several books written by Terry Pluto.
Currently he writes columns on both religion and sports for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A native of Cleveland, he graduated from Benedictine High School (Class of 1973) and obtained his Journalism Degree from Cleveland State University.
He worked for a little bit at a food warehouse where his Father was employed during college. He said that he always thinks of the guys who would gather at the receiving dock to talk sports during break time when he writes his columns.
That is very similar to Ronald Reagan. He always said that he thought of the men in the barber shop of his hometown of Dixon, IL when he was a radio broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs for WHO in Des Moines, IA.
The Terry Pluto books are really good. I love his both his faith focused ones and of course all the sports stuff too.
My all-time favorite was a gift from my Dad that covers the 1964 Browns when they won the NFL Championship.
The title of it is “When All the World was Browns Town”.
It was published in 1997. The first half gives an account of the championship season. He shows that players back then had other jobs such as driving cab, selling insurance or working as a manufacturer’s representative to supplement their income.
He does a good job of covering other interesting areas such as how the relationship between Head Coach Blanton Collier and QB Dr. Frank Ryan was key and that the Browns held summer camp at Hiram.
The second half of the book covers 16 different players and what they did with the lives from 1964 to 1994. Pretty cool stuff.
All in all, it is like sixteen mini biographies with the backdrop of a championship season.
One person dedicated himself to jail ministry. One player became a titan of industry with his company in Ashtabula County Ohio. The chapter on Frank Ryan is great.
I have seen Terry speak in person on more than one occasion.
I once asked him what he liked best about writing “When All the World Was Browns Town”. He said he thought that the team was close as close could be.
They were friends. They liked to share in the good times together. They built each other up.
On the day of the championship on December 27, 1964 they ate at a hotel together and walked as a team from a downtown hotel to Municipal Stadium to play the Colts.
You see a lot of similar coverage in other Terry Pluto books. Two years ago for Christmas my mother in law gave me “Glory Days in Tribe Town” that covers the Cleveland Indians from 1994-1997.
He covers the events and personalities that made the franchise a winning one. I love how he shows how Albert Belle and then Hitting Coach Charlie Manuel developed a healthy and productive working relationship.
As we are all fully aware Cleveland Sports teams are not always winners. Terry has had to cover some pretty crummy seasons. He always seems to take reality on at point blank range. What more can you ask for?
In the end, his writing will always catch some silver lining.
More often than not, his silver linings involve showing how a friendship blossomed or how personal / professional growth took place. I love it!
As I reflect on my own life on my birthday, I will have to say that it has been very similar to a Terry Pluto book.
Sure there have been peaks and valleys, but a lion’s share of the silver linings have included friendships and magical moments with wonderful people. Yes you know who you are. Yes you! You know the fun stuff we have done together. From the bottom of my heart thanks.
A wise man once said that a key component of life is to make a lot of great memories. You make your best memories with family and friends. I have been blessed to have made some wonderful memories with very special people.
Gray is an apt color for birthdays in “middle ages”. Yes it can represent hair color, but it also covers ambiguity and the proverbial mixed bag.
Mixed Bags and Combo gifts are kind of similar.
A combo gift is typically given to someone who has a birthday in and around Christmas time. As a kid, it did sting some to see people open their Christmas presents before I opened one of my birthday gifts.
Overall I never fully bought into the victimology of being a part of “The Cheated out of Birthday gifts club”.
In the end, I think having my birthday on December 24th has played a large role in shaping who I am. It has given me the perspective that truly special things are shared and that it is not all about me.
My wonderful wife has a January 5th birthday and that is one of the things we share in common.
As I grow older, I realize how wonderful it is to share experiences, attend events and how magical it is when people come together to build each other up.
Yes. Every day is a gift and we call it “the present”. Just don’t forget that every silver lining has a touch of grey.
