A Time For Everything!

"Altars in the Street" is a Docudrama we produced, scripted by son Guy and introduced by Bill Cosby. It can be viewed over at www.savn.tv (Videos). Cosby is five day's older than me. "On turning 75," says he, "some people do this everyday…and some don't." I can resonate with that - three quarters of a century. Wow!

So could James Cagney, the actor who won an Oscar for, "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Born on July 17, 1899, he was among those who turned 75 everyday. I mention him specifically because my great aunt, Katherine Scola, was a screenwriter for MGM during the Hollywood heyday. She wrote a script for a movie, "House Across the Bay," set on Alcatraz Island, and they were looking for the right person to play the lead. Knowing Cagney, who was just a bit player at the time, she recommended him and he got the part - his big break into show biz.

Along with Irving Berlin, she also wrote the screenplay for, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," featuring Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche and Ethel Merman. It won an Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring and was also nominated for Best Picture, Story (now called Original Screenplay), Song, Art Direction and Film Editing. This film is listed in the Top 100 Films of All Time. She tried to coax me into the business, but the Spirit's pull was greater. I will admit a strong temptation, though. And incidentally, she was another of those turning 75 everyday, living to the ripe old age of 95.

Today or tomorrow, depending on which side of the equator you reside, I will pass the three quarter century mark - 27,375 days, give or take. It's been a great ride, and tomorrow (27,376) will mark the first day of the rest of my life. And the ride ain't over yet, still a few more scripts to be written, among them projects for www.savn.tv. Check it out.

With this writing, Ecclesiastes 3 comes to mind:

A Time for Everything 

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.
 A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.
 A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.
 A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
 A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to quit searching.
 A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend. 
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate.
 A time for war and a time for peace.

What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

By the way, Scripture is not clear on the age of Solomon's death. Some scholars say he was another of those turning 75 everyday, others not. No matter, it's but an infinitesimal speck in eternity.

JN