"If you want to give a light to others, you have to glow yourself."

I’ve been around the neighborhood again this week from Bensonhurst in Brooklyn to Riverhead on the east end of Long Island and to Manhattan.  Great week!

Tuesday in Bensonhurst was the last of the Mega-zone conferences.  I stayed for the entire conference and rotated to each of the four class/presentations given by President Reynolds, Sister Reynolds and each of the assistants to the president.  

Bensonhurst is an interesting area.  It was historically known as the Little Italy of Brooklyn.  Around 1989, an influx of immigrants from China and the former USSR began to arrive, changing the demographics.  As the Italian population aged, the number of Italians declined. There is now a large population of Chinese and the area has become home to Brooklyn’s China Town. 

In 1990 or 1991, I accompanied Kay when he brought Academy of Finance students from East and West High Schools to an exchange with a Brooklyn high school that was in the Bensonhurst area.  We went to the Stock Exchange and the Twin Towers and other areas of Manhattan that were of financial interest to the students.  We stayed in Brooklyn near the high school that hosted us.  We went to a pizza restaurant and I am thinking it was Lennys on 86^th Street. Lennys is still operating today.  It was featured in the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta. 

The chapel where the zone conference was held is located on 86^th Street.  If you have seen The French Connection with Gene Hackman, the famous car and subway chase scene took place along 86th Street. 

I had planned on driving down 86^th Street after the conference to look at Lenny’s but I ended up driving a couple of sisters home because they had packages that had been brought to them from the mission office.  It would have been difficult for them to take them on the train.  Another time when I am in Bensonhurst I will go to Lennys.

From Wikipedia:  “Bensonhurst has long been portrayed in film, art and literature; Thomas Wolfe mentions it in the 1930s in his short story, "Only The Dead Know Brooklyn", noted for being written entirely in "brooklynese". Later in the 1950s it was brought to fame by the television series The Honeymooners, and in the 1970s with Welcome Back Kotter, featuring a mixed-race cast, that was set in Bensonhurst.”

It was also on Tuesday that my big boy, Luther, was called home.  I know that he is enjoying his good health and times with Old Tillie and Kay and other canine friends. I admit it was a sad evening but I am happy for him in that now he can eat and play and be happy without pain.

My Luther and Tillie

Thursday, I went to Riverhead for a training meeting for Zone 11.  The zone leaders asked me if I would come and teach a class on nutrition.

About Riverhead and its history:  (I hope you don’t grow weary of my curiosity and interest in the places I visit and my constant referrals to Wikipedia.) European colonists purchased the 'Southold land' from the local Algonquian-speaking Native Americans and Shinnecock Indian Nation in 1649. An additional portion was purchased from Col. William Smith and divided among settlers in 1742.

The town of Riverhead was created in 1792 as part of new jurisdictions after the American Revolution.

The town of Riverhead is in Suffolk County, New York, on the north shore of Long Island. The population was 33,506 at the 2010 census. The town is on the mouth of the Peconic River, for which the town is named. Riverhead has been the county seat of Suffolk County since 1727. Riverhead contains the smaller hamlet of Riverhead, which includes the town's principal commercial downtown. Riverhead is located approximately 76 miles northeast of New York City and 166 miles southwest of Boston via the Orient Point–New London Ferry.  It would be fun to take this ferry some time.

Thursday was a beautiful day.  Partly cloudy but nice for the hour and a half drive each way.  It took a little longer coming back home at rush hour but that is ok.  The sunset was gorgeous.  Not quite a Utah sunset but I enjoyed it none-the-less.

Clouds are amazing.

Gas out into the Island is about 20-30 cents a gallon cheaper than in Queens.

Homeward bound from Riverhead.

Sunset

The temp as I drove home on Thursday evening about 530.

Saturday Sister Prince and I decided we would go to Manhattan to see the billboards and video-boards in Times Square and the tree and decorations in Rockefeller Plaza.   

Billboards and videoboards in Times Square.

Times Square

Christmas lights and the time in the morning.

Christmas lights, temperature, and a jogger in shorts in December!

Grooming the ice. "Jake, get off the ice!"

Me and Sister Prince.

Rockefeller Plaza

The tree

Front of Michael Kors store.

Since we were so close to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, we also went there.  Mass was in session so we could only look into the chapel.  

When I was in New York in March with Jim, the inside and outside of the cathedral was being cleaned.  There was scaffolding all around the building.  Now it is clean and beautiful with the marble almost white.  Before it looked gray.  I was told that the cleaning was finished just before the Pope came to visit.

St Patrick's Cathedral
"Roman Catholic cathedral church of the Archdiocese of New York, on 50th Street and 5th Avenue
in Manhattan. It was built by the architect James Renwick during the administration of Archbishop."

 

Doors of the cathedral.

Looking at Atlas across the street while standing on the steps of the cathedral.

Saks Fifth Avenue is decorated to the hilt!  Every window has a winter/Christmas-like scene in it mostly in white.  It was a fun excursion with Sister Prince.

 

Saks Fifth Avenue

 

Window displays

Inside the store.

This family was all dressed up and posing for someone to take their picture.
I thought the man's costume was funny so I took a pic too.

I came back to my apartment and finished my weekly reports.  Then Saturday evening was my ward’s Christmas dinner and party.  I didn’t get over to help set things up so I stayed after and did the dishes.

Cultural hall at the church Christmas party dinner.

 

Dinner was good- ham etc- but you can guess what was most important to me.

Cheese cake or plain cake. Not a difficult choice here!

The weeks are flying by. I turned in my 10th “weekly report” so I have been here over two months.  Seems like I’ve always been here but yet it still seems I just arrived yesterday.  Funny how time is with life.

As I was studying this week, I came across a poem and statement made by President Monson in April 1999.  I like the message.

“I met a stranger in the night, whose lamp had ceased to shine;

I paused and let him light his lamp from mine.

A tempest sprang up later on, and shook the world about,

And when the wind was gone, my lamp was out.

But back came to me the stranger—his lamp was glowing fine;

He held the precious flame and lighted mine. ¹⁰

 

Perhaps the moral of this poem is simply that if you want to give a light to others, you have to glow yourself.”

I pray that I may always let my light shine that I may show the world about me that happiness and light come through the Savior Jesus Christ.  As we celebrate His birth, let’s remember that His life and resurrection are gifts to us and that without His Atonement, His birth would have been just the birth of another baby.  Let’s celebrate His birth and life and make this season a joyous one.

I love you my family and friends.

This came up when I opened my subway app before I got the app.
I'm sure you've noticed that on FB if you watch a video,
often a Christmas message from the Church comes up immediately after the video.
The Church is really pushing social media to spread the word.

Walked passed this beautiful building Saturday morning.

Difficult to see the building. I stepped out into the street to cross to the other side
just as a police car came down the street and turned on his flashing lights.
So... I didn't have time to walk to the corner, cross, and go back.
Therefore, you only get a sideward glimpse of the building.

Lettuce plants in a neighbor's little garden.

Misty but golden skyscrapers.

Went we walked passed this service station the first time on our early morning walk, a man who owns this cart had his shirt off and was shaving looking into a large convex mirror. I didn't dare take his picture. When we came back around the corner on our way home,  he was behind the building I assume dressing or finishing his daily cleaning out of sight. The large green box in the corner of the pic is a clothing drop off. My guess is that is where this homeless person may find "new" clothing. There are many homeless people on the streets. 

The temperature has been mild here. Almost balmy.