This I Believe by Richard Dario Duncan

In the 59 years I have been on this earth I have seen and learned many things. Many of them I have forgotten. Many of them remain ingrained on my mind. This I Believe Seward has given me an opportunity to express those thoughts that seem to haunt me.

The past slips away but there are those individuals that everyone seems to have in their lives that influence us, our beliefs, our goals. These individuals may be no longer with us yet they persist and grow within us. I call such persons, Angels...Not because they are from such Heavenly realms, but because they seem to possess a quality that supersedes the norm. I carry these persons with me wherever I go. They may have been a former teacher, pastor, nun, a sister, brother or parent, a friend or neighbor...but they are with us along the way, clearing our path and helping us to see our mistakes and triumphs. This I Believe .

Growing up in a suburb of Detroit, I have experienced many different ethnic people and their unique customs. The Greeks, the Mexicans, the Polish, the Blacks, the Irish Catholics and the German Lutherans. They all were such a unique group of peoples, each with their own styles of clothing, their own languages and their own unique foods and ways to prepare them. It was a treat to visit the Ethnic Festivals held on the shores of the great Detroit River. Each of these groups of peoples has some way or other given me a sense of self and who I am today. When I took on a teaching position in Louisiana I met an even different group of individuals called the Cajuns. I ate their food and taught their children and heard a language derived from the French that was so unique to them alone.

Then I came to Nebraska and the first thing I noticed was the waving of hands even as we drove entering this great state of hospitality and football. What a unique place to settle and raise children. A little slice of Heaven in middle America. My wife and I agreed that the unique people here have truly found the Good Life . All of these unique groups composed of still more unique individuals have stayed within me and have affected my thinking, my behavior and my own growth as a unique individual living and working in this wonderful city that is named Seward. This I Believe.

My father taught me to always look up at the night time sky. He was awed by the stars and planets. He would take the family to the planetarium in Detroit for a Sunday drive. I too became entranced by the many objects that glow at us at night. When it came to be my turn as a father I took my children to the planetarium in Louisiana and now, the Mueller planetarium on the University campus in Lincoln. We have also been to the Hyde Observatory for special night time viewings of constellations and star clusters. What a wonder it is to ponder the Universe! Why is it there at all? Who is it there for? Like Columbus who explored and discovered our Great North America...We are the ones to break out of our shell called Earth. We are to explore what is out there and to discover new planets. We are the ones who will traverse the universe and inhabit new homes. Like traveling cross country we will soon take the ultimate road trip. The Universe is ours to discover new energy resources to bring back home to Earth. Someday our future children will come back to Earth on their vacations and tell us of all the adventures they have had among the stars. This I Believe.

Richard Dario Duncan 3/26/2008