Good Friday 2010

Low points and high points.

Did you ever notice the relationship between them?

It seems that when we hit a very low point in life, there invariably follows a high point or some type of mountaintop experience. And later, another low point. Followed again by high points.

I admit--I'm still looking for the high point after getting annihilated during two racquetball matches on Tuesday--but I'm sure I'll run atop one during my trip to Napa next week.

But here's the point--

I believe there is a relationship in our lives between high points and low points. If life were nothing but highs, in a pretty short time we would begin to not appreciate how good we have it and we would see the highs as average--or as an entitlement. Likewise, if life were nothing but low points--we would be very depressed and lack the perspective necessary to help us through these life turning and life wrenching events.

Good Friday and Easter together remind us of this cycle.

I have always believed that I must pass through the darkness and despair of Good Friday in order to truly appreciate the incredible and unmerited joy of Easter. And this is my personal journey every year, but it is through this dark path that I experience God's unbelievable grace and forgiveness.

I used to be so busy during the Lent-Easter season that I didn't have time to actually reflect on the meaning. On how the days were positioned just perfectly. It seemed I was racing from one church service to another and planning another--and before I could even stop to reflect, it was all over and I was sitting at the table after consuming a huge Easter Sunday meal wondering where the time went. Feeling deflated and let down.

Surely there is something more?

There is.

I can appreciate the cycle now--

It is like Springtime. I never would enjoy Springtime as much as I do without having struggled through another Winter. It is in facing the Winter that I can find renewed joy at those first signs of Springtime.

And so--take a moment today to reflect on the your blessings, and if you are so moved, to reflect on Good Friday and why although it seems oxymoronic, the name Good Friday really isn't.

Many blessings on you--and may your joy be full and bright in the morning when the sun/son shines upon you. May your day be peaceful and filled with what pleases you most. And may you always give thanks to God for the blessings that you have.

Thursday afternoon

Enjoying the day.

OK--so I didn't mow the lawn. But I did enjoy my daffodils. This one is right off my front step. And it is just awesome.

I also checked out the camera on my new cell--yeah, Chris finally wore me down and we switched to I-phones.

I feel as if we have gone over to the dark side.

But the afternoon warm sun was great and the flowers are just bursting with Spring.

Bring it on.

April First

Already the first day of the fourth month of 2010.



My how time flies.



We were struggling with snow and cold just a short time ago and today is supposed to be in the 70's close to 80 degrees.

I think I'll mow the lawn this afternoon just to celebrate springtime.

We have crossed over the 12 hour per day mark for sunlight as of about March 20th. In fact, we will have almost 12 hours and 39 minutes of actual sunlight (dawn to dusk) and over 13 and a half hours of usable light. It is funny how the sunlight gets stronger and longer by such a small amount each day that we barely notice it. But here is the really nice part--the high is supposed to be in the upper 70's.

I believe we can only truly appreciate these blessings because we have in the very recent past, had something so dramatic to compare them to. Let's remember February 10th--only 49 days ago. The high was 30 degrees, the total sunlight was 11 hours and 29 minutes, and we received 15.5 inches of snow.

I like this better. More better even.

You make the call:

15.5 inches of snow or top down on the convertible flying down the parkway?

I know my vote.

Happy Birthday Patrick

Today--March 31st is Patrick's birthday--I would not mention it except to note that he is 25 today--a number which I consider fairly significant.

Patrick is in the early stages of a really significant year--which will include getting married and has already seen him move along from his job of many years at Best Buy to a position more suited for his varied talents.

And when the family assembles to celebrate birthdays--as we always do--it is a special time.

And so--I wish Patrick all the best on completing his first quarter century and blessings upon his future, wherever he is led.

Healthcare Reform - One More Time

I had the opportunity to dine with friends last week. And as we were traveling to dinner, it became clear that we are on opposite sides of the current health care reform issue.

Fortunately, not a problem. They were gentle with me.

What a great country, and what great friends. We can disagree about a very important issue and still be friends.

And I obtained some clarity on some of the real health care issues facing many people and why the current healthcare reform bill--while imperfect, is necessary.

It is a first step to guaranteeing all Americans some form of healthcare access. And that is definitely a good thing. I live in a somewhat insular world when it comes to some issues and I got so focused on what is wrong with this legislation that I overlooked the obvious intended benefit.

I was so in tune with larger constitutional and states rights issues, that I missed the idea that the bill will actually be helping people who need help. What a concept.

I was able to watch some of "Meet the Press" on Sunday and witnessed a lively debate between Senators Graham and Schumer.

Senator Schumer pointed out:

"The positives are going to start weighing in. Senior citizens will get much better opportunities to buy prescription drugs, which we know they care about. Small businesses will get tax breaks so they'll be either able to cover their employees--many small business people want to but can't afford it--or keep the coverage if they have it already. People will be less likely to be--have their insurance policies canceled when they get sick. That's a big thing to people."

And I hope so--I am still worried about the cost, the erosion of personal freedom, the increase of taxes necessary to maintain this bottom heavy giant, and the federal mandates directed at the states without funding to support them--which will be another tax bite.

Senator Graham later spoke to some of my fears during the show:

"You spend Medicare money twice. You take $570 billion out of Medicare to pay for the healthcare bill, then you're using that same $570 to say it lowers the growth of Medicare over time. It's a giant Ponzi scheme. You create a new entitlement called the Class Act where you sell long-term health insurance to the public. You take the premiums and you don't keep them in the system, you pay for this healthcare bill. Where does the money come from when they need the health care? So it's a house of cards. It is a Ponzi scheme of the first order. It's going to blow up the deficit. It's going to affect every business, every family in this country."

During the Reagan administration they called it "Voodoo" economics.

So, let's roll out the increased access and the guaranteed coverage and the good aspects and trim the fat a bit and maybe we have something workable here for the millions of people in this country who do not have the access to healthcare that everyone should have.

Thanks guys--for getting me to look at this again and see the good start which with a bit of tweaking and a tad of reform can do something really good for many many people.

Monday Musings - March 29, 2010

1. Palm Sunday--and Holy Week begins. A time for reflection and rededication.

2. Patrick enjoyed his birthday present--a Penguins 3rd Jersey--and then he went out to get shoes to match!

3. The grass is getting so green--I'm sure that I am going to have to mow it soon. Before the end of March? Nope. But early in April. I can't wait for the smell of fresh cut lawn to fill my nostrils.

4. Next week--Napa. I can hardly wait in fact I am already totally distracted by the though of getting away for a week.

5. Ever notice there is so much more to do when preparing for a trip than really needs to be done? Think about it--we always over pack and over plan and then wind up dragging too much stuff around.

6. My sojourn to the landfill this weekend was much more pleasant--only a 30 minute wait with all of my Howard county neighbors. They opened up another section for lawn debris to more than double capacity. Way to go Howard County!

7. Now that the pile of lawn debris form last year is finally gone--I wonder what the next project will be. I fear the apple tree is not going to make it too far into April. Chris has her eye on a Redbud tree to replace it. The apple tree doesn't produce apples and its bloom production is way off--so it is time for it to become firewood!

8. Just for the record--no one is touching my plum trees! I just wish the plums would ripen after I get back from Florida in early August, because the way it is now--the squirrels get them all before I do!

Saturdays are great

What a productive day I had Saturday.

Unfortunately, I did have to spend it with only my trusty dog--but she made the day by showing me how much of a puppy she is when I took her for as walk in downtown Annapolis while I was picking up some wine we had ordered. She was paralyzed by all of the activity--although she did enjoy looking at the ducks out in the marina. It reminded me how much of a puppy she still is. Secretly, I'm worried she has some trust issues. But it was good to have her with me in the big city. And she enjoyed riding in Cat--shotgun. Shhh, don't tell Chris she wasn't in the back seat.

But along with the obligatory springtime trip to the landfill to rid the yard of more limbs and debris, a quick shopping trip to the store for the essentials of life: birthday cake fixings for Patrick's Sunday party; and doing the wash--it was just a really awesome day. A bit cold--but still a nice day.

BTW--although Patrick's birthday is not until Wednesday, celebrating it on Palm Sunday is fully appropriate since he was actually born on a Palm Sunday morning.

But what really made the day awesome was the realization that the weeping cherry tree is about to burst forth in color.

Question. Do you know how hard it is to take pictures of cherry buds and keep them in focus when the wind is blowing? Answer. Very hard and in a stiff breeze almost impossible! Operative word is--almost.

We figure our springtime flowers will be fully in bloom while we are away in Napa next week.

Riding the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail

Well--Thursday evening, after a hard day of work and a morning racquetball match, we did it.

We drove our bicycles over to the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail for our first bike ride of the year.

I do admit that my legs were screaming at me after a few miles because I had played a tough racquetball match in the morning--but it felt good to out on the trail in a short sleeve shirt in the 70 degree afternoon.

It was Chris' idea, and it turned out to be a good one. We enjoyed the warm afternoon from atop our bicycles--which, by the way we did not use at all last year because we were training Makayla. So we did not want this year to get away from us.

The signs of Spring were evident along the trail--daffodils especially were in bloom. But people were out everywhere--doing the same thing--enjoying an unseasonably warm Springtime afternoon.

But now the real problem--what to do with the bikes when we are not riding them? I have had them in the pool house for the winter to free up space in the garage for my new car. But if we are going to use the bikes at all, they are going to need to be accessible--I definitely need a larger garage.

But since that isn't going to happen anytime soon--I need an alternate solution because I already am attempting to get 15 pounds of potatoes into a 10 pound bag with the car in the garage.

Oh well that is one of those problems I'm not going to solve today--I think I'll just enjoy the memory of the ride and try to forget about tripping over the bikes when I take the garbage or recycling out.

Mulch in the Afternoon

I walked out of work the other day and smelled the newly installed mulch around the plants and trees lining the parking lot.

The smell just hit me with--It's Springtime!

Gardening, and mulch and the rush to get gardens all done and together.

The tulips and daffodils and crocus popping up through the newly laid mulch which looks so clean, unlike the mulch which had remained in the gardens from last year.

It is amazing how spiffy new mulch makes a garden look--and with its unmistakable smell--it just calls to me.

And the flowers, especially the yellow daffodils, look so spectacular against the new mulch, too.

And now the rain showers are back--to further incite the Springtime into action--the warm rain, and it is relatively warm with the temperature in the 50's. It is hard to believe we are facing the threat of frost this weekend and we are going to have to move the plants we wintered back inside for a couple of days.

But that's OK--Spring is truly here. The grass is green and our plum trees are green with leaves and soon will burst forth in bright white blooms.

Peepers in the Springtime

One of my readers from Upstate NY wrote to me about one of her favorite first signs of spring:

"Just got back from walking the dogs (no poopy equipment required) through the wet and muddy (but finally snow free) fields to the pond in the woods and I heard the peepers!"

What is a peeper, you may ask? Well, check out the link and you will find them more correctly called Spring Peepers and they are little frogs which become a deafening chorus during the springtime.

And I too, listen for the peepers. We were out walking Makayla the other evening and stopped to listen to the chorus coming form the wetlands near our house. And after a long, cold, silent winter their joyous springtime chorus is a thrill to hear.

We here in Maryland have been blessed with their chorus now for almost two weeks.

As we were walking, we noticed how the houses in some places muffled their song--but you could still hear it coming from the wetland, if only you took the time to pause, and listen for it under the noise of the traffic on I-95.

It is so much fun to watch and hear the earth coming to life again after winter. To see the signs of rebirth everywhere--even in places one might not expect.

It just takes a bit of time--stop and look for the signs and listen for the sounds and then, allow yourself to be amazed.

It will make you smile, I'm sure of it!