A middle aged person carries with them the sorrows of their missed opportunities, the dreams they gave up for the needs of daily living, the moments when they let fear overcome their courage, and the hope that time remains to make amends & do better.

A young person carries with them the hopes & dreams of their parents & teachers, as well as their own; the ignorance of history that leads to arrogance; the energy & drive that is so distractable by hormones & false desires.

A child, if treated well & nutrured properly, carries no burdens or cares yet has the biggest responsibility of them all — to learn & grow into a caring, mature adult who works to fight injustice, fix the messes left by others & improve the world by their time in it.

None of us really live in the same world, as each brings their own burdens & joys & concerns with them and those are the prism through which we see the world. We forget that the viewpoint of each is equally valuable and that actions speak louder than facts sometimes, as often what counts is what we did and how we did it, not why. We forget that there is a difference between facts (which are the same for all) and opinions. We lose sight of the value added to our lives by one another.

And yet, through it all, life is still worth living.

May the One in Whom we live & breath & have our being bless each of you in your respective stations in life. This is my prayer. Amen.

If growing up means anything, it should mean that you can (at least sometimes) look at a situation, recognize it from prior experience, and see the likely risk & consequences before proceeding into it. No one on earth is granted perfect foresight, of course, but grown-ups know how to avoid hurting themselves & others, which is why we hold them accountable when they do so whether by action or neglect.

As I look back over the past 5 decades, it seems clear that America has lost the knack for raising grown-ups & putting them into leadership. How else do you explain the host of problems that beset us, all of which have short-term thinking at their root?

It is as if the birth of the Baby Boom generation AND the radio-and-TV generation before it unleashed a wave of ME-First-Right-Now childishness that continues to this day.

Is bad parenting to blame? Mass media? Demographic shifts from rural to urban? Working mothers? Civil rights?

Is there a conspiracy? To do what? Involving who? One conspiracy or many?

Your thoughts on this are invited.

For instance, as I laid out in a blog entry back in June, Ministry is a relationship of service to the living in devotion to the sacred.

Having a religious faith of any sort is a recognition that we live in relationship with the Holy.

In the mundane world, Labor is a relationship of effort toward a goal for the benefit of the worker, the boss or customer who pays him, and the public at large.

Labor properly understood includes all work that leads toward a goal, not just that which is profit-seeking.

Capital is a relationship between power & wealth & money, none of which are possible without the society in which it exists & the relationships within that society. No one gets rich on their own, no matter what you may think.

All wealth is held under the rules of the society in which it exists, which is why so much money is spent (or wasted, depending on your point of view) protecting Capital.

Those who have the Capital have to learn to respect the value of experience as it contributes to the worth of the Labor, even when its effect on the bottom-line is not immediately apparent. Life is about more than present work or short-term outcome. Experience adds to the ability of Labor to anticipate problems & avoid them, as well as many other benefits that have a more long-term payoff than the quarterly balance sheet.

The great tragedies of modern American life can be traced to short-term thinking & lack of concern about any relationships except those of money & power.

Whether any form of Capitalism (other than Fascist Crony Capitalism & Welfare for the Corporations) can survive these tragedies remains to be seen.

First, J.C. McCarley passed away. For those who knew him, I don’t have to tell you about him. For those who did not, please see the blog for Zaman Grotto (http://blog.zamangrotto.org) for details on his life. He was a major, major influence and presence in my life for the past decade and I will miss him immensely.

Second, after being appointed & installed as Chaplain in 2 York Rite (Masonic) bodies one night this week, I ended my 2 year service as Chaplain at Zaman Grotto the next night & was  elected & installed as the officer at the bottom of the line that leads to being the head of that body. So, just when I was getting comfortable at bringing new prayers & religious materials to the Grotto, I get to shift that focus over to 2 other groups & re-envision my place in the Grotto.  What will make this challenging is that the York Rite is much more religious-themed to begin with and my new position at the Grotto has no stated duties in the Constitution or Bylaws except helping the other officers.  I am looking forward to the challenges these changes will bring.

Third, the day of the York Rite meeting, Joe Cassini passed away. While I never grew as close to Joe as I had to J.C., he had been a strong supporter and volunteer at Zaman Grotto for all the years I have been a member and he will be greatly missed.

Fourth, my sister’s dog died on Saturday. Okay, that does not sound like news to most folks, but the dog in question was my brother’s dog many years ago & he stayed with us for a spell when my brother was, well, unavailable to deal with him. That freaked out the cats we had then so much (even a small dog in THEIR house!) that one of them quit eating for days and developed fatty liver syndrome, which led to years of treatments & his eventual death.  Even so,  Cassidy was a sweet dog and loved all the Gatewoods he met, so his passing is another sad note — and I grieve with my sister at his absence.

Fifth, the news from our nation’s Capital City (Washington DC), as well as from the City where the capital and the real power are both centered (New York) AND from the campaign trail have all shown that the corporations which started buying the USA when Nixon took us off the gold standard and really went on a spree of purchasing the reins of culture and politics under Reagan have accelerated their mopping up. The end of America as we have been taught to know it is getting closer much sooner than even I had feared. There are so many signs of this now that even Occupy movement may have come too late to stop the engineered slide into fascism.

Sixth, despite all of this and the fact that our “children” are cats who just do NOT understand holidays, somehow I find myself getting into the Christmas spirit. Not the spirit that flings anger back at people who say “Happy Holidays” — but the spirit that seeks to spread good will to all and peace to everyone, at least for a few days here at the end of 2011.

We really have no idea what wonders and horrors await us in the coming months.  Therein lies my hope.  I pray that we will stretch forth our hands and grasp the hope and the wonders, working together to prevent & stop the horrors.

“Some of my same age friends have posted items that are critical and even mocking of the OWS movement. Listen, we have to talk…

Have you noticed during our entire adult lives, tax breaks and deregulation have made the rich incredibly richer and more powerful, they have bought the government? That working people like you and me have seen no gains in the last 30 years? How’s that working for you?

Have you noticed that our father’s country — one in which anyone willing to work can get by or even thrive — no longer exists? Maybe you are still getting by, but haven’t you noticed hard-working people like you losing everything? You really think it can’t happen to you?

Look, I used to be a big government guy, because I didn’t see anyone but gov’t and unions standing up for working people like us. I’ve lost my faith in that. I voted for ‘hope and change’ 3 years ago, and I’ve been disappointed.

I see now that Left and Right are just two puppets begin held by the same puppeteer: big money. Huge money. Ridiculously huge money, which now has the right to spend as much as it wants in elections. Hello?

When we were kids, CEOs made about 50 times what a regular worker did. Now it’s like 400 times. Is your CEO really worth 400 of you? When we were kids, one parent could stay home and be with us, now it takes two incomes to run a family.

How is it that if you work and earn $70,000, you get taxed like 30%, but if you inherit it, or win it in investments, doing no work for it, you only get taxed 15%. Is that fair?

Congress under Clinton got rid of the law that puts up a firewall between your family’s money and business trading, and that burned the economy down. They rigged it so they could loan money that never existed to people who can’t pay it back, but they don’t care because they sold the loan and made money anyway.

There is no one to help us.

This is where OWS comes in. They are in the streets for you and me. They are camped out, taking evictions, beatings and pepper-spray for people like you and me, who just want a level playing field.

But right now, the game is totally rigged, and we don’t have a chance. More people are falling back. You might say they spent too much, or are irresponsible or lazy, unlike you, if that makes you feel better. But the fact of the matter is that many are suffering disasters through no fault of their own.

Yeah, so it’s relatively privileged kids who are sounding the alarm. Minorities and people trying to work their way up have been fighting a uphill battle for a long time. But now the pinch is hitting the young and old who should, under the old rules, be able to get by. They can’t anymore.

If things keep going this way, we are next. The middle-class is getting smaller day by day. Half of people that graduate law school aren’t getting legal work, for example.

So, don’t listen to the mocking of the corporate media. Their owners are terrified by Occupy. Someone is actually standing up and pointed out how much we’re getting screwed. No one was supposed to notice. So they’ve sent the cops, who take their orders from the politicians, who take their orders from the corporations to beat them down.

Please, don’t be stupid and blind. Open your eyes and see that Occupy is out there for you.”

By Jim Dey (http://about.me/jimdey). Originally seen on google+. Reposted here with permission from the author.

It took a while to go thru the process & I won’t have access to the funds deposited until next Tuesday (used a check to move the $). It would have been quicker if I had deposited cash to open the account.

It will be up to 2 weeks for my debit card & up to 3 for the checks to come in. Checks deposited will likely be held longer than at the bank until I establish some history with the CU.

Their basic account costs more than the bank, unless I have at least 1 direct deposit a month.

Even the biggest credit union in the area has fewer ATMs and branches than my current bank.

My point in telling you this? Be prepared for this change to be bumpy at first. It should smooth out over time.

Banks got us with convenience. We may (probably will) have to give up some of that to get free of the banks.

My services include:
** Standard Notary Public services at my home or my business address for $5.00 per document;

*** Traveling Notary Public services anywhere in Shelby County (except inside jails, prisons or the penal farm) for a $30.00 trip fee that INCLUDES Notarizing up to 3 documents (if you have more than 3 documents to be notarized, add $5.00 for each additional document after the first 3);

**** Notary Signing Agent services to assist on loan closings in Shelby County & other west Tennessee counties at fees to be set when you call based on particulars of the scope of work you need to have done.

For all these services, the signer (or signers, if more than 1 person is signing) must appear before me with the document(s) & their I.D.

Acceptable forms of I.D. include Driver License, State issued I.D. Card, Passport or US Passport card, or military I.D. The I.D. must be current (not expired) & must have at least as much of the signer’s full name as the document.

If the person(s) signing does not have one of those types of I.D. that is current, I have to already know them personally — or know someone personally who knows the signer(s) and is willing to show up in person to verify the identity of the signer(s). It IS best to have one or more of those forms of I.D.

Payment for standard Notary and traveling Notary services is due in cash at the time of signing.

Payment details for Notary Signing Agent services will be set when the assignment is agreed upon.

Please see my website at http://notarymemphis.com or call me at 901-375-1091 for more information.

– Notary Tim Gatewood (on Facebook); @notarytim (on Twitter); and Tim Gatewood (on Google+).

This is because a large portion of the NSA business was sub-prime lending and that part of the business has shrunken in a big way as a result of the 2008 mortgage meltdown, with lenders, title companies and signing agencies closing their doors or pulling back to re-examine how they do business. That is on a national level.

Here in Tennessee, we have the additional burden of a law regulating so-called “high cost” loans, which made it harder for Tennessee borrowers to qualify for loans, even if they are not sub-prime, and which required all “high cost” loans to be closed in offices of lenders, settlement agents or attorneys — that basically ended the in-house or at-office convenience of having an NSA meet the borrowers where they preferred to meet for those types of loans.

So, now is not a great time to be entering into this business and competing with those who are already established in it. Many NSAs are now diversifying, adding loan orginations, field inspections, title abstracting or other services to their business just to stay in business.

If you are determined to get into this business despite this, please read the following.

Before you can be a Notary Signing Agent,  you must first be a Notary Public. In Tennessee, that involves filling out an application, signing it before a Notary Public, and turning it in along with the fee to the County Clerk in your county of residence or business. Your state probably has a similar procedure — check with the County Clerk in your county or with the National Notary Association for details.

If you are in Shelby County, you will want to see the Shelby County Clerk’s website about the process at http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/index.aspx?NID=566. If you are in another county, please google the county clerk for your county – most of them are online.  If that does not work, call the County courthouse in your county.

Then you will need a Notary Bond from an insurance company and a Stamp from a stamp or office supply company. The application and a bunch of information about what it means to be a Tennessee Notary Public is in the Tennessee Notary Public Handbook, which you can reach from the Secretary of State’s Notary Commission page here: http://www.tennessee.gov/sos/bus_svc/notary.htm. 

You need a copy of the latest handbook, anyway, because one of the things you agree to do is abide by the handbook.

Next, once you have your Notary Public commission, there are all sorts of places online you can go to get information about getting started. One good source is Brenda Stone, who does the marvelous Texas Notary website and who now has an online “book” called the How to Start Notary Signing Agent book that is recommended. Here is the link to that: http://www.texas-signing-agent.com/free-notary-book/book.htm

Another good source is the National Notary Association. While I have some real issues with some of the actions taken and advice given by the NNA, they are the only company in the business of selling educational materials to Notary Signing Agents whose materials have been accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training, which is the body that generally accredits institutions of higher education. ACCET accreditation is recognized by the US Dept of Education.

The NNA also has the largest list of signing services (and a good list of title companies) of any site on the web. So, for those starting out, I would say joining the NNA and its NSA Section and taking their courses to get their Certification is a minimum requirement to being seriously involved as an NSA. Once you have that certification, market to the list of companies available on their website (don’t just wait for them to find you on the list of NSAs there and don’t just use the site to sign up with the companies listed — do real marketing to these potential clients) and you will be on your way in the business.

I also suggest visiting all the sites listed on the pages of my website at http://notarymemphis.com and reading everything on those sites to get much more information and training in this business. Some of those sites will require that you pay a membership fee to gain full access to them; usually that gets you a listing in their database, which can be a good way to get your name out there and make yourself more visible for potential clients. Most offer discounts on any products that they sell once you become a “member” of that site.

You WILL need a website of your own if you are serious about doing this business and these other sites can contain links back to your website — the more links you have going to your website, the easier it will be for potential clients to find you using google and other search engines.

Of course, your Notary Signing Agent website could be a blog, so you could set up a website for your business right here on WordPress. You may want to get a domain name for your business (I recommend mydomain.com for that, as they have good prices and you can redirect the domain to whatever actual URL you want — including your blog.)

You can also get information in the forums on 123Notary.com, NotaryRotary.com, and many other sites where Notaries are listed and where they congregate to compare notes and chat.

Also, there are email lists and groups on yahoogroups and google groups (search under the term Notary or Notary Signing Agent) which can be good, free resources (but sometimes very chatty).

Just be sure that you don’t believe everything you read on any of these forums or websites. As always with anything on the internet, check the info you gather and compare it with other sources before relying upon it. Some folks know what they are talking about, some just think they do, and some have less-than-charitable motives for saying what they say.

I have dropped my link to 50 State Notary, the website of Victoria Ring for several reasons. (You can email me if you want to know what they are.) Unfortunately, because of her marketing success, Ms. Ring’s materials may be the first thing some NSAs ever see about this industry.

I urge you, if you are brand new to this business and still learning to distinguish good information or advice (about being a Notary Public or about being in this business for yourself) from questionable materials, please consider starting with other sources, such as  The Signing Registry or the National Notary Association, the American Society of Notaries, or the American Notary Network .

Also, many Notaries speak very highly of 123Notary andNotary Rotary.  (I really like the Modern Journal of Notarial Events that Notary Rotary sells — it makes being an NSA much easier than any other Journal I have seen and it costs less than the NNA Journal.) Most of those sites have message boards and/or email lists you can join to network with other members.

As with EVERYTHING you may see on the Internet, just because it appears online that does not make it true. Caveat Emptor ! (That is ancient Latin for “let the buyer beware!” )

Study before you do, study again before you buy, study some more before you use what you buy in ways that will affect other people.

Finally, if you have done all these things and still feel that you need more training, I may be available for one-on-one mentoring in the Memphis area for a fee

You don’t expect me to actually train my competition for free, do you?

PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY:
If you are arrested at an Occupy Event, call the National Lawyers Guild:

New York City: (212) 679-6018
Los Angeles: (323) 696-2299
Washington, DC: (202) 957 2445
Chicago: (773) 309-1198
San Francisco: (415) 285-1011
New Orleans: (504) 875-0019
Baltimore: (410) 205-2850
Minnesota: (612) 656-9108
Michigan: (313) 963-0843
Portland: (503) 902-5340
Boston: (617) 227-7335
Pennsylvania & Delaware: (267) 702-4654
Idaho: (208) 991-4324

Be very sure to write the applicable phone number in PERMANENT marker somewhere concealed on your body, protected from the elements. Do NOT assume you will be able to retrieve the number from a phone or a notebook. It is very likely you will be stripped of all your belongings.

The country is governed for the richest, for the corporations, the bankers, the land speculators, and for the exploiters of labor. The majority of mankind are working people. So long as their fair demands – the ownership and control of their livelihoods – are set at naught, we can have neither men’s rights nor women’s rights. The majority of mankind is ground down by industrial oppression in order that the small remnant may live in ease.

~ Helen Keller, 1911

You see? The struggle now emerging as Occupy Wall Street  is one long-standing, ongoing fight over who shall decide the circumstances under which the vast majority of the world live. Will it be the bankers and other super-rich? Or the people themselves?