After church in the parking lot

There we were. Lucas with his shades to protect his eyes from the sun.
And grandma carrying him across the lot.

I couldn't resist.

Happy Easter

The day dawned with sun kissed clouds in the sky and Springtime trees and flowers in full bloom. The birds were chirping loudly and squirrels were performing their acrobatics high in the tops of the tulip poplar trees seemingly oblivious to the precarious nature of their activity.

The dog is whining to go out again to enjoy the beautiful Easter morning.

And I think I will go out in a minute to also enjoy the day, coffee in hand to smell the fragrance of multiple blossoms on the breeze.

And find some Easter eggs?

No, that comes later after church--because the Easter Bunny comes by just before the grandchildren arrive. Really? Yeah. I have some time to myself.

For the moment, it is quiet and I meditate upon the dawning of the day and the shock, disbelief, grief, and joy of about a dozen men and women some 2,000 years ago who woke up on a similar day mired in grief that soon changed into a joy that has continue through the centuries till today when we still remember that history changing event.

And we remember their greeting--

"He is risen"

And the response from the believers:

"He is risen indeed!"

Happy Easter.

Passover--Easter: The Relationship

Chris and I had the opportunity to celebrate Passover with a dear friend and his family earlier in the week. We have been privileged to be part of his family's Passover observance for a couple of years now--and I always look forward to it. I love the history and the retelling of the story to ensure that all generations remember what God did for the Israelites.

Of course--Passover and Easter are somewhat tightly bound together in that the setting for the first Easter was Passover. Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples as the last meal he ate on Earth. And so, usually, the two observances occur close together.

And that is about as much thought as I ever gave to the relationship between the two.

But this year, as I was celebrating Passover it dawned upon me that there is a similarity between Easter and the Passover observance that I had not thought of. And it floored me.

Now I'm sure there is some reference to this in the Bible and that I have read over it all these many years--but still here it goes.

So I was at Passover dinner hearing the story of the Exodus and Moses' interaction with Pharaoh. And I was reminded that the Passover is a celebration of freedom. Freedom from slavery by the Egyptians.

And amazingly--there is the similarity--and it was there looking me in the eyes all of my life. Easter is a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus which freed us from the law of sin and death. Or put another way--we were freed from the slavery of sin which results in death.

Like the Israelites were freed from being slaves of the Egyptians and death, we are freed from being slaves of sin and death.

And so, I am sure it was not a coincidence that Passover was the time God appointed for his Son to make the supreme sacrifice for us--but rather--as Moses led the Children of Israel out of slavery into the desert and ultimately the went into the promised land; Jesus leads believers out of slavery and sin and into the promised land of eternal life.

Happy Easter.

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.