Bishop Noll Institute Class of 1965

From our Members

TREE-Mendous

Everyyear at Christmas, we un-box the non-real tree,

Forit holds a place of honor in a spot for all to see.

Weunfold bended branches so no holes can be found,

Forits Green Grandeur shortly will be crowned.

Thebeauty of its stature is, of course, its Glow,

TheLights must be perfection, so they can steal the show.

Sowe check each bulb for brightness, there must be no doubt,

Forhow could we bear it, if one bulb burned out?

Andthen it's time for jewels... The ornaments we collect,

Foreach one has a story... So we give each due respect.

There'sone made of popsicle sticks from a nephew dear,

Andone from Uncle Louie, Shaped like a can of beer.

There'sornaments of businesses, of churches and of schools,

There'sornaments of bakery goods, of animals, of tools.

Finally,the Ball teams, Basket... Foot... or Base...

Andmy 2016 CUBS WON! Will never lose its place!

PhilKokandy - Christmas 2022

PS: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THREE-QUARTERS

Who thought that we would ever see,

Three- quarters of a century?

Should we count up our loss and gains?

Or just forget our spills and stains?

Some days seemed slow, some years quite fast,

Sometimes it seemed our chance had passed.

Yet, here we are: this time, this place...

Do you still recognize your face?

It seems familiar in the mirror's gaze,

Though slightly aged,after all those days.

So let us look at the future with hope,

No point to mumble or grumble or mope!

May life bring joy and smiles and glee,

For ANOTHER three-quarters of a century!

Phil Kokandy 2021

A SOCIAL DISTANCE

It's hard to be funny, When noses are runny,

And your temperature rises a bit,

But today it is sunny, And I just saw a bunny,

So there's no use in having a fit.

It's hard to be jolly, When you can't ride a trolley,

Or go to a nice place to eat,

So since it's just folly, To think about Bali,

Be thankful for a cyberspace greet.

It's hard to be witty, When life seems so gritty,

And friends we know are in pain,

But like Walter Mitty, We can act like P. Diddy,

And pretend that we're not all insane.

It's hard to be hopeful, When so many are mopeful,

And each day seems much like the last,

But let's not act dopeful, When we all are quite

copeful,

And we know that this too shall pass!

Phil Kokandy 3-20

SEVENTY

(Can be sung to the tune of "Yesterday")

Seventy,

My medications are a sight to see,

I've got arthritis now in my left knee,

Oh, I believe

I'm seventy...

Suddenly,

I'm seven times I was when I was ten,

I know the meaning of that

"way back when"

Oh, seventy came

Suddenly...

Why I'm growing aged, I don't know,

It's plain to see,

Guess I'll turn the page,

And it reads

Seventy-y-y-y...

Seventy,

Little things do not

Bother me,

Patience is a virtue

Truthfully,

Oh I've achieved

A Seventy!! Phil Kokandy (1-17-47)

Ten Keys to a Good Life:

Be Responsible for the entirety of your life.

Be Open to learn from everything and everyone.

Be Forgiving of all mistakes, yours and others.

Be Truly Helpful by thinking, speaking and giving your best.

Be Impeccable in caring for your body, relationships, home,work, finances.

Be Willing to live with moderation in all things.

Be Aware of the Gift of Love and the Call for Love.

Be Exact with your thoughts and words; they create yourlife.

Be Hard-working with wisdom, gratitude and joy.

Be Good See Good. Think Good. Speak Good. Give Good.

Rules For Being Human
(from an old Ann Landers syndicated newspaper column)

You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for as long as you live. How you take care of it or fail to take care of it can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life.
You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time school called Life. Each day, you will be presented with opportunities to learn what you need to know. The lessons presented are often completely different from those you THINK you need.
There are no mistakes—only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success.
A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it (as evidenced by a change in your attitude and behavior), then you can go on to the next lesson.
Learning lessons does not end. There is no stage of life that does not contain some lessons. As long as you live, there will be something more to learn.
“There” is no better than “here”. When your “there” has become a “here”, you will obtain another “there” that will again look better than your “here”. Don’t be fooled by believing that the unattainable is better than what you have.
Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. When tempted to criticize others, ask yourself why you feel so strongly.
What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. Remember that through desire, goal-setting and unflagging effort, you can have anything you want. Persistence is the key to success.
The answers lie within you. The solutions to all of life’s problems lie within your grasp. All you need to do is ask, look, listen and trust.
You will forget all this. Unless you consistently stay focused on the goals you have set for yourself, everything you’ve just read won’t mean a thing.

Creative Works

FREEDOM

I am free

To believe what I choose,

To read people's words,

To ponder and muse.

I am free

To worship my Lord,

To sing songs of praise,

To foster accord.

I am free

To share all my joys,

To break out in smiles,

To beautiful noise.

I am free

To admit my debt,

To those who have fought,

To every last vet.

I am free

To say what I think,

To right what's wrong,

To be a strong link.

I am free

To reach out my hand,

To ask God's blessing,

On America's land!

Phil Kokandy - June 2010

50 Ways to Gray

Accepting cheers, Enjoying leers,

Facing fears, Wedding tiers.....

Grilling steers, Pickling spears,

Popping ears, Drinking beers.....

Thinking veers, Seeing clears,

Ignoring sneers, Switching careers.....

Graying appears, Wrinkling nears,

Expanding rears, Repairing gears.....

Seeking dears, Wondering where's?

Fighting tears, Missing peers.....

50 YEARS!

Phil Kokandy - 2015

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