this morning

Need I say more?

I probably shouldn't ruin the moment but I want to say this: I had a GREAT weekend with a life-long friend who walked my legs off, talked to me about the important hard stuff, and watched chick flicks with me; I LOVE my new lens (thank you God for amazing weather); and, I'm really VERY sorry I missed Steve's sermon (again). Since I can listen to the sermons online, I think I win any way you slice it.

While the world is a very beautiful place, it is also a cold, hard place. AJ's best friend's father committed suicide late last week and a family friend (and father of our kid's favorite baby sitter), his brother (priest at the local Catholic church) and a friend of theirs drowned on Saturday off the coast near Warrenton. If it weren't for the Light and weekends like this, I don't think I could stand it.

lookin' for a lunatic?

She's outside standing in her neighbor's pasture taking pictures of this:

If you go outside right now, you can watch it in reverse! Go on - go look. Take a coat. It's cold.

tagged

After doing a beautiful job of explaining the comfort zone to me, Mike tagged me with a meme. Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
2. Find page 123
3. Find the first 5 sentences
4. Post the next 3 sentences
5. Tag 5 people
   

My book is: My Story as Told by Water: Confessions, Druidic Rants, Reflections, Bird-Watchings, Fish-Stalkings, Visions, Songs and Prayers Refracting Light, From Living Waters, In the Age of the Industrial Dark, by David James Duncan is sitting on my "wanna read it someday" shelf on my desk.

Duncan Writes: “I set the hook. But as the rod bends hard, I know before I see it that this is no chub: this is one of Paul’s Lahontan pets. It’s not a leaping fish, but makes several strong runs. Its speed and dogged endurance remind me of a brown trout.” (Yes I can count. Number 3 left you hanging and I needed the next sentence for closure.)

And I tag: Bethany, Christie, Dan, and Allen & Michelle. (Yes, I can count but I'm out of friends who haven't already been hit.)

God in the wild

Steve & I played hooky from church this morning. We were up by 4:00 a.m. and on Mt. Hood by the time it got light. With snowshoes strapped on, water bottles, Kit Kats and Gorp zipped in and camera batteries charged, we set off to see what we could see. This is what we saw:We wanted to see the sunrise on the mountain but at sunrise, we were too hemmed in by trees. Next time we'll start out in a place we know we can see the mountain from the get go. Now that I've posted my homework online and blogged one of my favorite pictures from the day, it's nap time!

Canadian goose

I still really miss Uncle Bill and Auntie Myrtle. Mom gave me this picture last week after she said, "I used the calculator to figure out how old you are now," at my birthday dinner. We are at a petting zoo somewhere in Canada "getting out of people's hair so they could cook dinner." Next to me is my pesky brother (don't let cute and innocent fool ya, he's up to something), an older cousin and my mom. The Canadian goose I'm about to feed is going to peck my hand, completely freak me out, and send me screaming away as fast as my 18 month old legs can carry me. Uncle Bill and I laughed about that stupid goose for 40 years. That, and when a giraffe at another wildlife zoo leaned over the fence and ate my cup of soda. What's with the animals in Alberta!!?

Along with the picture, mom gave me the dress. It's blue and white with flowers and little Dutch girls dancing all around. Aunt Myrtle bought it for me that trip. I don't remember it but I do remember the picture and the story about the goose because it was re-told so many times.

Bill always called me on my birthday.

i love this prayer

Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart,
which no unworthy affection may drag downwards;
give me an unconquered heart,
which no tribulation can wear out;
give me an upright heart,
which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.
Bestow on me also, O Lord my God,
understanding to know you,
diligence to seek you,
wisdom to find you
and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you.
Amen.
- St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274)

(As passed along to the good employees of PNMC by our beloved chaplain in honor of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent this week. And, I usually really, really don't like other people's written prayers but this one spoke to my condition. Maybe it will yours too.)

thots on forgiveness

This morning I spoke to our church's 8th graders about forgiveness. Last week when their teacher asked if I'd do it, I knew I would and I knew what story I'd tell. Its one I don't mention much - the one about sharing a house with another family 14 years ago that ended very, very badly.

The thing that sticks with me even now is this: Think of God, the creator of the cosmos. Do you ever go outside at night and look at the stars and think that it NEVER ends? I do and I have such a hard time getting my head around it. Think how huge the universe is, how big God must be, and how creative he is from the cosmos to humanity to bugs. Now consider that he came down into the confines of a human body that gets sick and falls down and gets hurt like yours and mine. And while he was here, one of his best friends betrayed him for money and his church turned against him, tortured and killed him but he still went home to heaven and said to God, the father, please look on Kathy through my eyes; don’t see her failures and mistakes, see her goodness and beauty instead. If Jesus is able to do all that then how dare I not be forgiving of the people who wrong me?

Does that mean I have to befriend my wrong-doer? No! Does it mean I move on with my life, free from bitterness and resentment, choosing not to wish death and distruction to their house? Yes. I can live and let live, choosing not to waste time and energy obsessing on the situation, on our differences in opinion, and our different lifestyle choices. The journey to forgiving is funny. Today you can seek to forgive someone and tomorrow you might wake up, feel the pain and have to do it all over again. In my case, I did that for a couple years! Still, I'm here to say that forgiveness is freedom - for the forgiver....