Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way?

Gee. It seems that, wherever I turn, good, decent people aren't as optimistic as they could be. No doubt there are good reasons for this, but still...

I mean, I keep hearing about how the world is heading for all sorts of unspeakable evils, that the world is, in fact, an unspeakable evil, and that we all might as well, pretty much, throw in the towel because, as everyone knows, The End is Near.

It was my good friend Michelle's comment, in an earlier blog...

Do you ever wonder how things got to be this bad - in our lifetime too.

...that got me thinking. And singing!

I love Cole Porter. From "Anything Goes" (circa 1934)

In olden days a glimpse of stockings,
Was looked on as something shocking, now Heaven knows...anything goes!

Good authors too who once knew better words,
Now only use four-letter words in their prose...anything goes!

The world has gone mad today,
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
And most guys today,
That women prize today,
Are just silly gigolos...

"Bye, Bye Birdie" (1963) ran on TV recently. One song's lyrics:

Kids!
I don't know what's wrong with these kids today!
Kids!
Who can understand anything they say?
Kids!
They're disobedient, disrespectful oafs!
Noisy, crazy, dirty, lazy, loafers!
(And while we're on the subject:)
Kids!
You can talk and talk till your face is blue!
Kids!
But they still just do what they want to do!
Why can't they be like we were,
Perfect in every way?
Oh, what's the matter with kids today?

"Kelly. What the bleep's the matter with you today???"

Oh, I don't know. Call me a simplistic optimistic. (Hey, that sounds like the start of another hit song...Hollywood, I'm standing by my phone!)

No but seriously, folks...there are some wonderful, terrific, amazing things in this admittedly mad, mad world to rejoice in!

Today, I chatted with a leukemia patient.

Obviously in physical pain, he nevertheless smiled with glee, and do you know why? Because Jesus was born, adored by the Magi, and everybody around heard The Father's voice as He was baptized in the river Jordan by His cousin!

Yesterday after Mass...

I saw a kid -- oh, maybe 15 or so -- walk slowly over to the tabernacle, sink to his knees, and adore this same Jesus for so long I left before he got back to his feet.

Yeah, in many ways, the world's a mess.

But you don't have to be and I don't either. There is not one thing that can stop us from revelling in optimism. Jesus Christ deigned -- and with love! -- to be born a man, to establish His Church, to suffer death, to conquer death...all for you and for me.

This is nothing less than delightful!

It's delicious, it's delectable, it's delirious, it's dilemma, it's de-limit, it's de-luxe, it's de-lovely!

So cheer up. The Lord is with us and it just doesn't get any better than that.

Besides, the world isn't evil. God made it, and evil? Evil He doesn't deal in.

"But Kelly, we do deal in evil!"

True enough. But God made us, too. So, we're good. And if we're good, and we are, we can vanquish evil.

It's worth a try.

Try.

What did you see today that reflected reason for hope? Tell!

And may God continue to bless you!