845AFC110708
This week I have been thinking about a word we heard often during the protracted campaigns for the Presidency: SOLVE. We need to solve the economic crisis, solve the oil shortage, solve global warming, solve hunger and famine, solve the energy crisis, to solve the causes of war, and to solve a list of other problems that seems endless. We heard a lot about solutions to those problems, too. As I thought about SOLVE I looked into the roots of that word and also considered other words that have the same root.
SOLVE comes from a Latin root that means to unbind or to loosen, to separate, to release and part, to get to the answer. One word that has the same root is DISSOLVE, where dis is the negative prefix and combined with SOLVE it means to break up to disperse or disappear, to fade in or out, to pass into solution, and a dozen or more connotations. There is also ABSOLVE which is the prefix ab which represents off or away from and combined with SOLVE means to remit a sin by absolution, or remove the consequences of guilt, or be freed from an obligation. There is also RESOLVE, where the prefix re is an intensifier which indicates again. RESOLVE can mean successful clarification, or a firm decision, to move from dissonance to consonance as in going from discord to harmony, to form or cause a resolution, to decide, and to separate into component parts. There are other related words like SOLVENT which is something that is unchanged when something is dissolved in it, and INSOLVABLE which means there is no solution, no way to pull it apart, no way to get to the answer.
I believe the things we need to solve are not insolvable, but it will take the firm resolve of all of us to dissolve the greed and bitterness that got us into all these difficulties. In some of these situations, there may be a call to absolve those who brought about the problems so that we can move beyond the causes and deal with the effects. We ill need to loosen and untie the things that bind us to the past where the roots of today’s crises lie buried. I am resolved to be part of that, and I hope you will make the same resolution. In my own past my resolve was expressed mostly in intercession, but in my future it will also be expressed in interaction with those who are responsible for solving these problems because we have delegated that authority to them.
Well, enough of that, eh? I want also to share with you some snippets of local kine stuffs about the Kapa`a Todds’ Kittens. We’ll start with the baby, Frankie. Frankie is in a mentoring program with our alpha cat, Mimi. Mimi is the Supervisor. She has to be part of everything her people are doing to make sure it is done correctly and doesn’t disrupt her orderly household. Frankie has been working on Watching the Making of Coffee, Running from the Sound of the Garbage Truck, and Getting Mama’s Bag (her glucose test kit). He is branching out a bit to Finding Out What’s For Dinner, but isn’t making much progress there. Mimi is also coaching him on decreasing his interest in wrestling by cleaning his clock every time he tries it with her. Meanwhile, Hercules is developing into a Gentle Giant mentality. I’ve mentioned before he’s the strongest cat we’ve ever known, and maybe a little “slow.” He doesn’t take time to figure things out. He just watches Mimi and Frankie to see if they are up to something that might be interesting. That is, until he sees a gecko, or a moth, or a hair-tie, or anything he things he can hunt or toss. It used to be that he would be so nervous when we groomed him that he would drool badly. Now he seems to really enjoy the attention. And finally there is The Portuguese Princess, Zoe (yes there should be an umlaut there, but this word process doesn’t have that character). Zoe lives the life of a Princess regardless of what the others do. She will Play Chase with them but only in the morning, She will occasionally dine with them but usually prefers her privacy. She likes to sleep in her Island Princess box (a brand of macadamia nut candies), and pouts when someone else (especially Hercules) gets there first. When we tell them “Bedtime” in the evening, Frankie and Hercules usually head toward the Cat Condo right away because it is time for a bed-nigh snack. Zoe gives us an argument every time and grumps off to bed. Mimi walks a slowly as possible making sure she is always the last one up and that all the other kittens are in their proper places before stopping at the door’s threshold to give us one last opportunity to pet her. Too much fun!
Our Goddaughter, Lily Mae, grows more beautiful every day. She has mastered Turning Over, and is just a joy to be with. And Moon Beamers, so are you! That’s a wrap for today. Make it a great weekend, and strengthen your resolve to solve whatever needs a good solution.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.
chick
845AFC110708
This week I have been thinking about a word we heard often during the protracted campaigns for the Presidency: SOLVE. We need to solve the economic crisis, solve the oil shortage, solve global warming, solve hunger and famine, solve the energy crisis, to solve the causes of war, and to solve a list of other problems that seems endless. We heard a lot about solutions to those problems, too. As I thought about SOLVE I looked into the roots of that word and also considered other words that have the same root.
SOLVE comes from a Latin root that means to unbind or to loosen, to separate, to release and part, to get to the answer. One word that has the same root is DISSOLVE, where dis is the negative prefix and combined with SOLVE it means to break up to disperse or disappear, to fade in or out, to pass into solution, and a dozen or more connotations. There is also ABSOLVE which is the prefix ab which represents off or away from and combined with SOLVE means to remit a sin by absolution, or remove the consequences of guilt, or be freed from an obligation. There is also RESOLVE, where the prefix re is an intensifier which indicates again. RESOLVE can mean successful clarification, or a firm decision, to move from dissonance to consonance as in going from discord to harmony, to form or cause a resolution, to decide, and to separate into component parts. There are other related words like SOLVENT which is something that is unchanged when something is dissolved in it, and INSOLVABLE which means there is no solution, no way to pull it apart, no way to get to the answer.
I believe the things we need to solve are not insolvable, but it will take the firm resolve of all of us to dissolve the greed and bitterness that got us into all these difficulties. In some of these situations, there may be a call to absolve those who brought about the problems so that we can move beyond the causes and deal with the effects. We ill need to loosen and untie the things that bind us to the past where the roots of today’s crises lie buried. I am resolved to be part of that, and I hope you will make the same resolution. In my own past my resolve was expressed mostly in intercession, but in my future it will also be expressed in interaction with those who are responsible for solving these problems because we have delegated that authority to them.
Well, enough of that, eh? I want also to share with you some snippets of local kine stuffs about the Kapa`a Todds’ Kittens. We’ll start with the baby, Frankie. Frankie is in a mentoring program with our alpha cat, Mimi. Mimi is the Supervisor. She has to be part of everything her people are doing to make sure it is done correctly and doesn’t disrupt her orderly household. Frankie has been working on Watching the Making of Coffee, Running from the Sound of the Garbage Truck, and Getting Mama’s Bag (her glucose test kit). He is branching out a bit to Finding Out What’s For Dinner, but isn’t making much progress there. Mimi is also coaching him on decreasing his interest in wrestling by cleaning his clock every time he tries it with her. Meanwhile, Hercules is developing into a Gentle Giant mentality. I’ve mentioned before he’s the strongest cat we’ve ever known, and maybe a little “slow.” He doesn’t take time to figure things out. He just watches Mimi and Frankie to see if they are up to something that might be interesting. That is, until he sees a gecko, or a moth, or a hair-tie, or anything he things he can hunt or toss. It used to be that he would be so nervous when we groomed him that he would drool badly. Now he seems to really enjoy the attention. And finally there is The Portuguese Princess, Zoe (yes there should be an umlaut there, but this word process doesn’t have that character). Zoe lives the life of a Princess regardless of what the others do. She will Play Chase with them but only in the morning, She will occasionally dine with them but usually prefers her privacy. She likes to sleep in her Island Princess box (a brand of macadamia nut candies), and pouts when someone else (especially Hercules) gets there first. When we tell them “Bedtime” in the evening, Frankie and Hercules usually head toward the Cat Condo right away because it is time for a bed-nigh snack. Zoe gives us an argument every time and grumps off to bed. Mimi walks a slowly as possible making sure she is always the last one up and that all the other kittens are in their proper places before stopping at the door’s threshold to give us one last opportunity to pet her. Too much fun!
Our Goddaughter, Lily Mae, grows more beautiful every day. She has mastered Turning Over, and is just a joy to be with. And Moon Beamers, so are you! That’s a wrap for today. Make it a great weekend, and strengthen your resolve to solve whatever needs a good solution.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.
chick
About Chick Todd
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
