Everyday I walk around the block. I take Harlow's dog Chloe with me. It is always an interesting walk. Who would think that one square block could warrent a blog post. Just as I leave my building, there are several commercial buildings. One is a bare bones deli. If you like a cheap egg and bacon sandwich for $2.50 this is the place. Milk is high priced as is the rest of the stuff there. Next door to the deli is the Italian social club, Castellammare del Golfo. Now there are not too many people left
in the social club which originated on the northern shore of Sicily. The old timers come here nightly. Only for special events will the wives be seen. In late August they have a feast which has boiled down to grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. Along with the feast they have the local priest come from the Italian Catholic church and bless the patron statue that they keep guarded in their club. Most of the time they have a little service in front of the club which included communion. I talked about this several posts ago. This year they tried something different. On a somewhat rainy day they
decided to march with the statue to the church about 8 long blocks away. The parade to the church included the wives who marched in front of the Men who marched along side of the statue. (Double click on any picture to see it more clearly) Behind the statue was a 5 piece Italian band that I think played for funerals. Since there are virtually no Italian families left in this area of Brooklyn it was a very interesting event for the Asian and Russians to observe. When your culture disappears your traditions often stand out as a bit abnormal.
Walking down the block at corner is a construction site. The Asian family living there decided to build on an addition to their home. All day people walking by this building stop and make comments. Being in the building business and being aware of the importance of zoning, I was also waiting to see what was being built. They
used heavy steel beams which gave the impression that they were going to build a high building in an area that had all three story buildings. People commented that this structure would destroy the neighbor's property by placing a huge brick wall on the side of their property which was once an open space with good air flow. In Sunset Park, a few neighborhoods away the Asian population has taken over the look of the neighborhood by erecting many high rise buildings. Because they are used to crowded cities, a high density, high rise community seems normal to them. But to people who live in Brooklyn this increase of density of people is very troublesome. Because immigration from Europe mirrored living e
xpectations here there was little adjustment to new cultures. Asian culture is not the norm. When a community like Flushing turns completely Asian, the American people left behind end up in a world that is very unfamiliar to them. 8th Avenue in Brooklyn has become just that and Flushing Queens made the complete transformation with the last American Grocery store leaving the area this summer. This culture shock is increasing with the influx of Asians to the United States and especially Brooklyn. I think that we are going to have a lot to learn in the future.
As I continue around the block there are several interesting houses. One house is pretty broken down with a sour cherry tree in the front yard ( You make cherry pie from sour cherries). It has a weed infested garden of huge proportion on the side lot of the house. Several houses down is a home where for many months it appeared like the entire place was full of weeds. As I walked passed I wanted to knock on the family's door and tell them to please clean up the mess.
Then one day in late August I turned onto the block and as I approached this house the whole front yard was in bloom. The lily like flowers were breathtaking. It took me by complete surprise. I came back with a camera to capture this amazing gift. There is no doubt that from weeds can come beautiful flowers and this certainly was proof. How often do we treat others as weeds and try to extract them from our communities. David in Psalm 139 reminds us that we are wonderfully and fearfully made. When we think that we are in the presence of a weed, it may be that the weed has not had a chance to bloom.
On this same block two houses away from the lily house, was one of the most unusual statements of faith that I have ever seen. You might think this is incredibly funny or you may look at this and be deeply moved by the statement a 7 year old who decorated his front lawn unintentionally makes. You be the judge.
in the social club which originated on the northern shore of Sicily. The old timers come here nightly. Only for special events will the wives be seen. In late August they have a feast which has boiled down to grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. Along with the feast they have the local priest come from the Italian Catholic church and bless the patron statue that they keep guarded in their club. Most of the time they have a little service in front of the club which included communion. I talked about this several posts ago. This year they tried something different. On a somewhat rainy day they
decided to march with the statue to the church about 8 long blocks away. The parade to the church included the wives who marched in front of the Men who marched along side of the statue. (Double click on any picture to see it more clearly) Behind the statue was a 5 piece Italian band that I think played for funerals. Since there are virtually no Italian families left in this area of Brooklyn it was a very interesting event for the Asian and Russians to observe. When your culture disappears your traditions often stand out as a bit abnormal.Walking down the block at corner is a construction site. The Asian family living there decided to build on an addition to their home. All day people walking by this building stop and make comments. Being in the building business and being aware of the importance of zoning, I was also waiting to see what was being built. They
used heavy steel beams which gave the impression that they were going to build a high building in an area that had all three story buildings. People commented that this structure would destroy the neighbor's property by placing a huge brick wall on the side of their property which was once an open space with good air flow. In Sunset Park, a few neighborhoods away the Asian population has taken over the look of the neighborhood by erecting many high rise buildings. Because they are used to crowded cities, a high density, high rise community seems normal to them. But to people who live in Brooklyn this increase of density of people is very troublesome. Because immigration from Europe mirrored living e
xpectations here there was little adjustment to new cultures. Asian culture is not the norm. When a community like Flushing turns completely Asian, the American people left behind end up in a world that is very unfamiliar to them. 8th Avenue in Brooklyn has become just that and Flushing Queens made the complete transformation with the last American Grocery store leaving the area this summer. This culture shock is increasing with the influx of Asians to the United States and especially Brooklyn. I think that we are going to have a lot to learn in the future.As I continue around the block there are several interesting houses. One house is pretty broken down with a sour cherry tree in the front yard ( You make cherry pie from sour cherries). It has a weed infested garden of huge proportion on the side lot of the house. Several houses down is a home where for many months it appeared like the entire place was full of weeds. As I walked passed I wanted to knock on the family's door and tell them to please clean up the mess.
Then one day in late August I turned onto the block and as I approached this house the whole front yard was in bloom. The lily like flowers were breathtaking. It took me by complete surprise. I came back with a camera to capture this amazing gift. There is no doubt that from weeds can come beautiful flowers and this certainly was proof. How often do we treat others as weeds and try to extract them from our communities. David in Psalm 139 reminds us that we are wonderfully and fearfully made. When we think that we are in the presence of a weed, it may be that the weed has not had a chance to bloom.On this same block two houses away from the lily house, was one of the most unusual statements of faith that I have ever seen. You might think this is incredibly funny or you may look at this and be deeply moved by the statement a 7 year old who decorated his front lawn unintentionally makes. You be the judge.
Many Blessings, Barre.
