Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Septembeard is Coming!
Similar to Movember last year:
The Daddy-O
The Bubba
The Swellick
Septembeard is a goofy way to bring awareness to prostate cancer.
Are you in? I am! C'mon, some of you ladies can join in too! (you know who you are!) ;-)
http://youtu.be/5TcWek36EKw
The Daddy-O
The Bubba
The Swellick
Septembeard is a goofy way to bring awareness to prostate cancer.
Are you in? I am! C'mon, some of you ladies can join in too! (you know who you are!) ;-)
http://youtu.be/5TcWek36EKw
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Don't Give Away Your Soul This Election Year
In my adult discussion group at church we have lately been discussing the dehumanizing effects of our reliance on labels.
Labels are a natural knee-jerk human reaction to the fantastic complexity of this wondrous existence. Life is such a terribly complex mix of contradictions and nuances that we often tire of trying to gain understanding and instead slip into the doltish habit of just labeling people.
People are "straight" or "gay", "liberal" or "conservative", "white" or . . . . everybody else? Poor or rich. People are "Christian", "Jewish", "Muslim", "Agnostic", "Atheist", or "__________", or, "_________", or (worst of all!), "________".
Worse yet, we label ourselves. We self-identify as a "Ford man", a "Chevy man", a "Prius . . . . wuss"? Bud Light, Coors Light, Abercrombie and Fitch, LL Bean, J. Crew, Pepsi, Coke, Vegan, Vegetarian, Runner, Swimmer, Artist, Accountant and so on.
Here's the thing: Whenever you affix a label to someone else, you diminish their humanity. Whenever you self-identify with a label, you give your humanity away.
Every single one of the labels we use comes with a laundry list of baggage. Think of the top five things that represent Republicans - right now! Off the top of your head! Now do the same for Democrats. Take a look at those lists. REALLY? EVERY Republican and EVERY Democrat fits those descriptions? REALLY?
Lately, whenever I hear (read) someone who says that "the Republicans" or "the Democrats" or "the Christians" or "the Gays" . . . . blah blah blah . . . (I actually can't finish that statement because I stop listening or continue scrolling on my FB page) I think "dehumanizing" and move on.
Whenever I notice that someone is always on the side of the Democrats or always on the side of the Republicans I realize that they have sold a portion of their humanity for some half-baked fictional group identity.
A rule of thumb I have learned from those with disabilities is to always emphasize the person first and soften the descriptors afterwards. In other words, my daughter is not a "disabled girl", she is a 4 year old girl who has some physical challenges. Republicans/Democrats are not being "ignorant". Rather, people that hold to (x) particular viewpoint need to do some more research before we are willing to entrust them with political power. Yes, this takes more time and effort - celebrating humanity always does.
To give an example from my own life: Some would label me as:
42 years old
Male
Father
White
Middle class
Christian
Conservative
Runner
With the exception of the first three (and I am iffy on the third) I refuse to label myself this way or acknowledge the labels you put on me. I am certainly 42 years old and male. However (even though I have a daughter) I don't know what baggage the term "father" carries for you. I don't know what "white" means - I have more nationalities in me that my dog has breeds. I have no idea how you define "middle class". I don't know what baggage you load onto "Christian" - positive or negative - and I assure you I am not as good or as bad as you might think.
I have voted Republican for most of my life but am now unaffiliated and would not call myself one. I have run 118 days in a row but I wouldn't call myself a "runner".
Just as a specific example: I believe that the word "marriage" is a term of art that should have been restricted to religious orders. The government (being secular) has no business "marrying" anyone. Instead, the government should be granting any two consenting adults Civil Unions - be they hetero or otherwise - along with all the rights and benefits thereof. If you want a certificate that says "married" find a recognized religious group that will give you one. So what does that make me? Conservative? Liberal? Or just really, really smart? ;-)
What I am is a 42 year-old man who is doing his damnedest to live a good and beautiful life and leave the world better than I found it. I refuse to be shackled by the labels you fling at me and I refuse to voluntarily shackle myself with labels of my own making.
You want to know me? Start by loving me as a guy muddling his way through this life as best as he can and I will love you right back - we can go from there.
When I see a window decal with a cartoon urinating on an automobile logo, someone with a logo'ed sweatshirt, someone who leads with their sexuality, someone who engages conversations with "church people" or "the gays", I shake my head in sorrow. These people have given away some of their humanity in exchange for a false identity that neither satisfies or fulfills.
So spare me your labels and political hyperbole this election season. I'm not buying it. In fact, if you are willing to give away your humanity to a political label, I question your judgement on other matters as well.
I am setting myself free from you and I am setting myself free from me.
Set yourself free - be human first - be human last - be human only - celebrate the diversity of the humans around you - lay your labels down.
UPDATE:
I just saw this great video featuring Aimee Mullins that echos the point: http://youtu.be/-yKCbnI0IjQ
UPDATE:
I just saw this great video featuring Aimee Mullins that echos the point: http://youtu.be/-yKCbnI0IjQ
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Quote of the Day
I'm better than anything
You have obviously ever seen
And I'm stronger than all of these
Small-town things you've thrown at me
But I can't let you let me down
Yeah we reap what we sow,
So I'm moving on.
Cuz' I'm feeling strong.
- Stephen Ashbrook (Better Than Anything)
You have obviously ever seen
And I'm stronger than all of these
Small-town things you've thrown at me
But I can't let you let me down
Yeah we reap what we sow,
So I'm moving on.
Cuz' I'm feeling strong.
- Stephen Ashbrook (Better Than Anything)
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Children's Hospital Rotation
by Emily Gibson
The call came in the middle of a busy night
as we worked on a floppy baby with high fever,
a croupy toddler whose breathing squeezed and squeaked,
a pale adolescent transfusing due to leukemia bleeding.
It was an anencephalic baby just born, unexpected, unwanted
in a hospital across town, and she needed a place to die.
Our team of three puzzled how to manage a baby without a brain–
simply put her in a room, swaddled, kept warm but alone?
Hydrate her with a dropper of water to moisten her mouth?
Offer her a taste of milk?
She arrived by ambulance, the somber attendants
leaving quickly, unnerved by her mewing cries.
I took the wrapped bundle and peeled away the layers
to find a plump full term baby, her hands gripping, arms waving
once freed; just another newborn until I pulled off her stocking cap
and looked into an empty crater — only a brainstem lumped at the base.
Neither textbook pictures nor cruel jokes about frog babies had prepared me
for the wholeness, the holiness of this living, breathing child.
Her forehead quit above the eyebrows with the entire skull missing,
tufts of soft brown hair fringed her perfect ears, around the back of her neck.
Her eyelids puffy, squinting tight, seemingly too big
above a button nose and rosebud pink lips.
She squirmed under my fingers, her muscles strong, breaths coming steady
despite no awareness of light or touch or noise.
Yet she cried in little whimpers, mouth working, seeking,
lips tentatively gripping my fingertip. A bottle warmed,
nipple offered, a tentative suck allowing tiny flow,
then, amazing, a gurgling swallow.
Returning every two hours, more for me than for her, I picked her up
to smell the salty sweet scent of amnion still on her skin as she grew dusky.
Her breathing weakened, her muscles loosened, giving up her grip
on a world she would never see or hear or feel to behold
something far more glorious, as I gazed
into her emptiness, waiting to be filled.
The call came in the middle of a busy night
as we worked on a floppy baby with high fever,
a croupy toddler whose breathing squeezed and squeaked,
a pale adolescent transfusing due to leukemia bleeding.
It was an anencephalic baby just born, unexpected, unwanted
in a hospital across town, and she needed a place to die.
Our team of three puzzled how to manage a baby without a brain–
simply put her in a room, swaddled, kept warm but alone?
Hydrate her with a dropper of water to moisten her mouth?
Offer her a taste of milk?
She arrived by ambulance, the somber attendants
leaving quickly, unnerved by her mewing cries.
I took the wrapped bundle and peeled away the layers
to find a plump full term baby, her hands gripping, arms waving
once freed; just another newborn until I pulled off her stocking cap
and looked into an empty crater — only a brainstem lumped at the base.
Neither textbook pictures nor cruel jokes about frog babies had prepared me
for the wholeness, the holiness of this living, breathing child.
Her forehead quit above the eyebrows with the entire skull missing,
tufts of soft brown hair fringed her perfect ears, around the back of her neck.
Her eyelids puffy, squinting tight, seemingly too big
above a button nose and rosebud pink lips.
She squirmed under my fingers, her muscles strong, breaths coming steady
despite no awareness of light or touch or noise.
Yet she cried in little whimpers, mouth working, seeking,
lips tentatively gripping my fingertip. A bottle warmed,
nipple offered, a tentative suck allowing tiny flow,
then, amazing, a gurgling swallow.
Returning every two hours, more for me than for her, I picked her up
to smell the salty sweet scent of amnion still on her skin as she grew dusky.
Her breathing weakened, her muscles loosened, giving up her grip
on a world she would never see or hear or feel to behold
something far more glorious, as I gazed
into her emptiness, waiting to be filled.
The Greatest (Marathon) Show on Earth
The running bug has bitten me and hasn't let go. So far, 114 days in a row, 390 miles and 51 pounds lost!
Although I listen to music when I run, I listen to a number of podcasts when I am doing yard work or driving. My podcasts are automatically loaded to my android phone via the Stitcher app which I highly recommend.
One of the great things about Stitcher is that it will suggest new podcasts based on your listening habits and one of the podcasts that came recommended about a month ago was "The Marathon Show" with Joe Taricani. It. Is. Awesome!
Joe travels to various marathons, interviews the vendors and runners at the pre-race expo and then runs the race, microphone in hand, interviewing people. In between races, Joe does a variety of call-in topics and interviews with athletes, race directors and others in the running community.
His enthusiasm for life and his love of running are infectious and I have never once listened to a podcast of his that did not have me grinning ear-to-ear and feeling better about life-in-general afterwards.
At the latest San Francisco Marathon, Joe interviewed the makers of iFitness belts and SnuggBuds and his reviews were so positive I made a note to check out their products. He also extolled the beauty of the SF race which led me to add the SF Marathon to my list of possible future races (and I don't even like San Francisco!).
At my recent AFC 5k, iFitness and Snuggbuds had booths at the expo and because of The Marathon Show, I made a point to check them out. I casually mentioned to the iFitness gals that I had heard about them on a podcast. "Marathon Joe?", the gal asked, "We love Marathon Joe!". I liked the iFitness belts and might add one to my gear sometime in the near future.
I headed over to Snuggbuds and didn't mention the show b/c I didn't want to seem like a "name dropper". I liked their headphones and made a mental note to buy a pair when my crappy drug-store headphones eventually shorted out.
All this just reinforced my love for The Marathon Show so I went online to FB and left Joe a message telling him I loved the show. He responded immediately and said he was sending me a free pair of SnuggBuds just for saying I love the show! The headphones arrived this morning. Whata Guy!
Of course, I don't want to give the impression that anyone who gives Joe a shout-out gets free stuff that would be silly. I just got lucky. But free stuff or not, The Marathon Show is a fun and informative podcast that truly celebrates life through running.
Check it out. You will be glad you did!
http://youtu.be/q2XDJf8h9BM
http://youtu.be/dcbc23Gp4Cc
Although I listen to music when I run, I listen to a number of podcasts when I am doing yard work or driving. My podcasts are automatically loaded to my android phone via the Stitcher app which I highly recommend.
One of the great things about Stitcher is that it will suggest new podcasts based on your listening habits and one of the podcasts that came recommended about a month ago was "The Marathon Show" with Joe Taricani. It. Is. Awesome!
Joe travels to various marathons, interviews the vendors and runners at the pre-race expo and then runs the race, microphone in hand, interviewing people. In between races, Joe does a variety of call-in topics and interviews with athletes, race directors and others in the running community.
His enthusiasm for life and his love of running are infectious and I have never once listened to a podcast of his that did not have me grinning ear-to-ear and feeling better about life-in-general afterwards.
At the latest San Francisco Marathon, Joe interviewed the makers of iFitness belts and SnuggBuds and his reviews were so positive I made a note to check out their products. He also extolled the beauty of the SF race which led me to add the SF Marathon to my list of possible future races (and I don't even like San Francisco!).
At my recent AFC 5k, iFitness and Snuggbuds had booths at the expo and because of The Marathon Show, I made a point to check them out. I casually mentioned to the iFitness gals that I had heard about them on a podcast. "Marathon Joe?", the gal asked, "We love Marathon Joe!". I liked the iFitness belts and might add one to my gear sometime in the near future.
I headed over to Snuggbuds and didn't mention the show b/c I didn't want to seem like a "name dropper". I liked their headphones and made a mental note to buy a pair when my crappy drug-store headphones eventually shorted out.
All this just reinforced my love for The Marathon Show so I went online to FB and left Joe a message telling him I loved the show. He responded immediately and said he was sending me a free pair of SnuggBuds just for saying I love the show! The headphones arrived this morning. Whata Guy!
Of course, I don't want to give the impression that anyone who gives Joe a shout-out gets free stuff that would be silly. I just got lucky. But free stuff or not, The Marathon Show is a fun and informative podcast that truly celebrates life through running.
Check it out. You will be glad you did!
http://youtu.be/q2XDJf8h9BM
http://youtu.be/dcbc23Gp4Cc
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Quote of the Day
"Not till we are lost, in other words, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations."
-Henry David Thoreau
-Henry David Thoreau
A Life Well Lived
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57495803/oregon-town-says-goodbye-to-man-who-spent-life-helping-neighbors/?tag=showDoorLeadStoriesAreaMain;ENLeadHero
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Quote of the Day
Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
- Mark Twain
- Mark Twain
Sunday, August 19, 2012
5k Update
It was a great day!
This is just before the race (we had to wake Annie up to get movin' this morning and she was still "powering up" in this photo):
Not knowing what to expect, I placed myself at the back of the pack just before the walkers.
And away we go!
Annie always gets a thrill out of races that we have been to and she got in on the action by cheering runners as they passed.
The splits:
I set up RunKeeper on my phone to record 5 min intervals. RunKeeper is always a little iffy when it comes to precise accuracy but here goes:
0min-5min: 7:03 min/mile pace - This is a fast start for me but is probably accurately reflecting the excitement of race day.
5min-10min: 8:09 min/mile pace - This is probably accurate as well as I got bogged down in the crowd a little (during the first 5 min I was able to run around the crowd by running on the sidewalk instead of in the road with the hoard). The entire race I was passing people and was never passed by anyone else. This doesn't mean I am fast, it means I seeded myself too far back in the pack. Next time I might try a middle of the pack approach (it's just so crowded!).
10min-15min: 5:25 min/mile pace - WAIT! WHAT? The day I do a 5:25 minute mile you'll know I am in my car. This can't be right! Plus, I am pretty sure this was the long hill that we climbed so it should be a slower pace than the rest.
15min-20min: 7:02 min/mile pace - Thank you AC/DC and Tesla! I was hoping to negative split the race so my plan was to spend the first couple of songs finding my form (Orchard and I Have the Touch). The next song digging in (Roll Away Your Stone). Then pouring it on (Back in Black and Getting Better). Then trying to hang on (Beautiful Day, Little Less Conversation and Born Again).
20min-25min: 6:51 min/mile pace - Thank you U2, JXL and a race course that ends with a down-slope! When I realized I was going to finish in the middle of the JXL remix, I knew I would beat my 30 min. goal.
Taking RunKeeper with a grain of salt, the negative splits tell me I didn't go out too fast and managed my pace well but that big fat 8:09 tells me I need to seed myself a little farther up the pack than dead last. I wish I hadn't set up my intervals this way. Instead of time, I should have set them up in either mile or half-mile intervals which would have been much more helpful to me afterwards. Live and learn!
According to my playlist I crossed the line in under 27 min but I forgot to stop my RunKeeper for another 10 minutes or so and the official #'s won't be up until this afternoon. So I am not sure what my exact time is.
It was a total blast and I am looking forward to running a longer race next. Maybe a 5 miler or a 10k? We shall see . . . . My next 2 challenges on the calendar are the Magic Mile starting September 9th and the 5x50 which also starts September 9th!
Today I saw a T-shirt on a runner in front of me that read "Run Hard, Live Easy". Well, I did half of that so far today and it felt GREAT!
UPDATE: Official Results Are In!
Time: 25:20
Overall: 120th place
Men's Group: 83rd place
Men 40-44: 8th place!
Not bad for a first-timer who couldn't run 5 minutes straight 3 1/2 months ago!
This is just before the race (we had to wake Annie up to get movin' this morning and she was still "powering up" in this photo):
Not knowing what to expect, I placed myself at the back of the pack just before the walkers.
And away we go!
Annie always gets a thrill out of races that we have been to and she got in on the action by cheering runners as they passed.
The splits:
I set up RunKeeper on my phone to record 5 min intervals. RunKeeper is always a little iffy when it comes to precise accuracy but here goes:
0min-5min: 7:03 min/mile pace - This is a fast start for me but is probably accurately reflecting the excitement of race day.
5min-10min: 8:09 min/mile pace - This is probably accurate as well as I got bogged down in the crowd a little (during the first 5 min I was able to run around the crowd by running on the sidewalk instead of in the road with the hoard). The entire race I was passing people and was never passed by anyone else. This doesn't mean I am fast, it means I seeded myself too far back in the pack. Next time I might try a middle of the pack approach (it's just so crowded!).
10min-15min: 5:25 min/mile pace - WAIT! WHAT? The day I do a 5:25 minute mile you'll know I am in my car. This can't be right! Plus, I am pretty sure this was the long hill that we climbed so it should be a slower pace than the rest.
15min-20min: 7:02 min/mile pace - Thank you AC/DC and Tesla! I was hoping to negative split the race so my plan was to spend the first couple of songs finding my form (Orchard and I Have the Touch). The next song digging in (Roll Away Your Stone). Then pouring it on (Back in Black and Getting Better). Then trying to hang on (Beautiful Day, Little Less Conversation and Born Again).
20min-25min: 6:51 min/mile pace - Thank you U2, JXL and a race course that ends with a down-slope! When I realized I was going to finish in the middle of the JXL remix, I knew I would beat my 30 min. goal.
Taking RunKeeper with a grain of salt, the negative splits tell me I didn't go out too fast and managed my pace well but that big fat 8:09 tells me I need to seed myself a little farther up the pack than dead last. I wish I hadn't set up my intervals this way. Instead of time, I should have set them up in either mile or half-mile intervals which would have been much more helpful to me afterwards. Live and learn!
According to my playlist I crossed the line in under 27 min but I forgot to stop my RunKeeper for another 10 minutes or so and the official #'s won't be up until this afternoon. So I am not sure what my exact time is.
It was a total blast and I am looking forward to running a longer race next. Maybe a 5 miler or a 10k? We shall see . . . . My next 2 challenges on the calendar are the Magic Mile starting September 9th and the 5x50 which also starts September 9th!
Today I saw a T-shirt on a runner in front of me that read "Run Hard, Live Easy". Well, I did half of that so far today and it felt GREAT!
UPDATE: Official Results Are In!
Time: 25:20
Overall: 120th place
Men's Group: 83rd place
Men 40-44: 8th place!
Not bad for a first-timer who couldn't run 5 minutes straight 3 1/2 months ago!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Live it Slant
Tell all the Truth but tell it slant – Emily Dickinson
by Emily Gibson
A life well lived is no flat passage.
There are bumps and hollows,
pinnacles and valleys.
Looking up from the path,
beyond the next step,
it is surprising to see
where the road is leading:
sometimes straight up into the blue,
sometimes a plunge into an abyss.
Living slant is each step taken
with eyes focused ahead–
no looking back;
even if the climb exhausts,
the descent precipitous,
to tread unafraid to reach
a destination unknown
yet sure.
Live life but live it slant.
Attention Race Fans!
When I started walking / running back on May 3rd, I never intended to be running every day and I had no plans or goals to sign up for any official races. I just wanted to lose some weight and get back in shape. Well, it's now been 108 days in a row, 368 miles (that's about a 5k every day) and a total of 50 lbs lost (35 during those 108 days). So it made sense to make this running thing "official".
I signed up for the America's Finest City 5k. Race day is tomorrow.
I am surprised at how excited I am. I went to the pre-race expo yesterday and picked up my bib, swag bag and t-shirt. I had planned on just going out and running the race alone but the family insists on cheering me on so we are all-in (even my running partner, Buckley!)
So do I have any goals for tomorrow? Absolutely!
1) Don't injure any other runners
2) Don't injure myself
3) Try to finish in under 30 minutes without breaking #1 and #2
I have a running playlist that I listen to on my ipod when I run but it is in no certain order and I just hit "shuffle". Now that this is becoming "a thing" tomorrow. I thought I would put together a special 5k playlist with songs in a specific order.
If you click through the songs starting around 6:45am tomorrow you can listen with me.
So here they are:
1) "The Orchard" from Phenomenon (I bought the song on itunes. This is the movie scene and the song starts about the 1 min mark)
http://youtu.be/fkYjmBtox5E
2) "I have the Touch" by Peter Gabriel
http://youtu.be/CSj-V-I3NWI
3) "Roll Away Your Stone" by Mumford and Sons
http://youtu.be/hZzRd3q9pEM
4) "Back in Black" by AC/DC
http://youtu.be/CwIvBNsSywQ
5) "Getting Better" by Tesla
http://youtu.be/oISIMqIBmaQ
6) "Beautiful Day" by U2
http://youtu.be/co6WMzDOh1o
7) A Little Less Conversation by Elvis vs JXL
http://youtu.be/Zx1_6F-nCaw
8) Born Again by Richard Ashcroft and the United Nations of Sound
http://youtu.be/eAbFZ_slsRQ
Yeah, you could say I have an eclectic taste in music . . .
I really want to be "in the moment" so I am not going to wear a watch tomorrow. I'm just going to do what I can. Like I said, I would like to finish in under 30 minutes so I only cued up 30 minutes of music. If I finish before the music does, I'll know I made it!
I'll tweet / FB my unoffical RunKeeper time once I cross the finish.
Wish me luck!
I signed up for the America's Finest City 5k. Race day is tomorrow.
I am surprised at how excited I am. I went to the pre-race expo yesterday and picked up my bib, swag bag and t-shirt. I had planned on just going out and running the race alone but the family insists on cheering me on so we are all-in (even my running partner, Buckley!)
So do I have any goals for tomorrow? Absolutely!
1) Don't injure any other runners
2) Don't injure myself
3) Try to finish in under 30 minutes without breaking #1 and #2
I have a running playlist that I listen to on my ipod when I run but it is in no certain order and I just hit "shuffle". Now that this is becoming "a thing" tomorrow. I thought I would put together a special 5k playlist with songs in a specific order.
If you click through the songs starting around 6:45am tomorrow you can listen with me.
So here they are:
1) "The Orchard" from Phenomenon (I bought the song on itunes. This is the movie scene and the song starts about the 1 min mark)
http://youtu.be/fkYjmBtox5E
2) "I have the Touch" by Peter Gabriel
http://youtu.be/CSj-V-I3NWI
3) "Roll Away Your Stone" by Mumford and Sons
http://youtu.be/hZzRd3q9pEM
4) "Back in Black" by AC/DC
http://youtu.be/CwIvBNsSywQ
5) "Getting Better" by Tesla
http://youtu.be/oISIMqIBmaQ
6) "Beautiful Day" by U2
http://youtu.be/co6WMzDOh1o
7) A Little Less Conversation by Elvis vs JXL
http://youtu.be/Zx1_6F-nCaw
8) Born Again by Richard Ashcroft and the United Nations of Sound
http://youtu.be/eAbFZ_slsRQ
Yeah, you could say I have an eclectic taste in music . . .
I really want to be "in the moment" so I am not going to wear a watch tomorrow. I'm just going to do what I can. Like I said, I would like to finish in under 30 minutes so I only cued up 30 minutes of music. If I finish before the music does, I'll know I made it!
I'll tweet / FB my unoffical RunKeeper time once I cross the finish.
Wish me luck!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Recently Read
I read a great (and short) post today:
You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life
Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. Hurry destroys souls. As Carl Jung wrote, ‘Hurry is not of the devil; hurry is the devil.'
Read the Rest
You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life
Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. Hurry destroys souls. As Carl Jung wrote, ‘Hurry is not of the devil; hurry is the devil.'
Read the Rest
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Wuv You
With Annie's speech delays, we get pretty excited around here whenever she comes up with something new.
This morning I walked into the nursery drenched in sweat from my morning run. The wife had the wee one on the changing table. I gave them both a good morning kiss and as I was leaving the room, Annie looked at me very intently and waved her arms as if she wanted to get my attention. So I stopped, looked at her and said, "What is it, baby?"
"Wuv you", was her response.
She has said this to mommy before but this was the first time she said it to me.
This has already been a GREAT DAY!
This morning I walked into the nursery drenched in sweat from my morning run. The wife had the wee one on the changing table. I gave them both a good morning kiss and as I was leaving the room, Annie looked at me very intently and waved her arms as if she wanted to get my attention. So I stopped, looked at her and said, "What is it, baby?"
"Wuv you", was her response.
She has said this to mommy before but this was the first time she said it to me.
This has already been a GREAT DAY!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Quote of the Day
"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."
- Jack London
- Jack London
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Quote of the Day
Nobody stands on the edge of the Alps or the Rockies or the Grand Canyon in order to go there to feel better about ourselves. Do you know why you go there? Because you were written to be satisfied with splendor, not self. You were created and a law written on your heart to be infinitely, eternally, fully, joyfully satisfied in a grand splendor not a great self.
- John Piper
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Quote of the Day
"Can't we, when we are working and drop something, instead of getting mad about it, say thank you God for giving me the strength to pick this up?"
- Rev. Earl H Merritt
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Quote of the Day
With virtue you can't be entirely poor; without virtue you can't really be rich.
-Chinese Proverb
-Chinese Proverb
Monday, August 6, 2012
Quote of the Day
"The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance, and even our very existence depends on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to our lives."
- Albert Einstein
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Real Work
by Wendell Berry
It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.
The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Quote of the Day
"When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it."
- Edgar Watson Howe
Thursday, August 2, 2012
HOPE
I have been quietly avoiding this Hope thing "hoping" it would pass me by but a friend called me out so here goes . . .
Everyone suffers to some degree in this life. I realize that. But in the past few years I have come to have a whole new understanding of suffering.
Married at 22, my dear wife of now 20 years and I struggled, and struggled, and struggled . . . always delaying children until we felt we were more financially secure. After 14 years of marriage, we both finally had decent paying jobs (mine in the Real Estate industry). We bought a fixer-upper, an SUV and a convertible Mini-Cooper. We had "the talk" and decided, "Yeah, kids".
I distinctly remember driving to work and "Worlds Apart" by Jars of Clay was on the ipod. I prayed the song; "God if I am not in the center of your will - take my world apart". Huh - he apparently was listening.
http://youtu.be/JCezEbaMHdA
The mortgage industry collapsed, I had trouble paying the mortgage and car payments. My wife became pregnant. The doctors said our unborn daughter had a severe case of Spina Bifida and would not live more than a few hours after birth. The doctors also said my wife had ovarian cysts which might be cancerous. My cat died (true story).
I was in danger of losing my job, my house, my cars, my first child and my wife (did I mention the cat?). I became convinced I had cancer because it was one of the only travesties that had not yet befallen me. This was a situation of Jobian proportions.
To struggle for so long, to come so close, only to have it all taken by forces beyond my control. It was more than I could take. I began to have panic attacks and anxiety-fueled hallucinations.
Wonderful friends organized an extreme home make-over for our fixer-upper that was sliding into foreclosure. For all the beauty of the gesture, watching our friends sacrifice for a house we weren't sure we could hang onto added to the pressure and anxiety. I wanted to die and I set about trying to accomplish the act by eating and drinking with abandon. I didn't die. Totally. But much of me did. I gained 50+ pounds.
As it turns out my wife did not have cancer and my daughter did not die. She has become one of my inspirations. Plunged into the world of disability, I began to see a side of God that I had never seen. God had taken my world apart just as I had asked and was slowly putting me back together like a shattered Japanese Bowl. In the meantime I was putting one step in front of the other in what seemed to be utter darkness.
There have been a number of pivotal moments for me since those bad-old days that seem both very distant and yet very near. One of those moments was being invited to co-lead a weekly adult discussion group at my church. I believe that serving others by intentionally planning topics for our group has led me to deeper understandings of God, life and myself that I might not have otherwise received.
A more recent pivotal point came at a Life Rolls On event in April 2012. I love the ocean and I love being of service to others and this was the first time in my life that my physical condition (those additional 50+ pounds) hindered me from serving the way I wanted to.
I was ready for changes.
I started eating salads - a LOT of salads. I started running. A LOT (92 days and 300+ miles as of this writing). So far, 48 pounds lost (back to my college weight and none of my clothes fit anymore). Other things lost? My job and both our shiny new cars. But we kept the house and were given a couple more (less shiny) cars.
So where is the "Hope"? I have discovered hope in the utterly transforming power of suffering. God is making a new creation in me. Gone is my reliance on labels. Gone is my dogma. Gone is (some) of my judgement (still working on that one). I am seeing Christ and, as a result, life in new ways. I believe I am more loving, more real and more genuine.
The best parenting advice I have ever heard is: "Be the person you want your child to be". In fits and starts am slowly becoming that person.
God has taken my world apart and is slowly putting me back together. Through his grace I am stronger in the broken places.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
- Leonard Cohen
I watch this video and I think of my daughter's battle with her physical disability. I watch this video and I think of my battle with my own spiritual disabilities. But don't take your eyes off us.
My Annie is gonna show you . . .
I have wrastled with an alligator,
I done tustled with a whale,
I done hancuffed lightnen,
Thrown thunder in jail
I'm gonna show you how great I am.
- Muhammad Ali
A battle-tested hope is the strongest of hopes. I pray you know HOPE like I know HOPE.
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:
in great endurance;
in troubles,
hardships and distresses;
in beatings,
imprisonments and riots;
in hard work,
sleepless nights and hunger;
in purity,
understanding,
patience and kindness;
in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;
in truthful speech and in the power of God;
with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
through glory and dishonor,
bad report and good report;
genuine, yet regarded as impostors;
known, yet regarded as unknown;
dying, and yet we live on;
beaten, and yet not killed;
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
poor, yet making many rich;
having nothing, and yet
possessing everything.
- 2 Corinthians 6:3-10
Quote of the Day
"Our culture has accepted two huge lies: The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear them or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”
— Rick Warren
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