Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Phrase of the Day

During the message in church on Sunday titled, Good Works or Good News? I found the following phrase be very interesting--

"I'm not a bad as I could be,
but I'm not as good as I should be!"


The message into which the phrase was woven was a great discussion of works versus grace and how a good works system of salvation is arbitrary, can never provide absolute assurance, ultimately requires God to approve of evil and condradicts the Bible (see Titus 3:5).

I also found the phrase to be a interesting counterpoint to the Toby Keith country song "As Good as I Once Was" which has the phrase:

"I'm ain't as good as I once was
But I'm as good once as I ever was."

So when the two phrases are joined together I get something like:

I'm not a good as I should be
But I'm as good as I can be!

Which, by the way, is still not good enough!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Monday Musings - August 30, 2010

1. Well, panic is setting in already here in Maryland--talk of a hurricane for the weekend! Ugh. Snow--hurricane this region just gets fixated on weather.

2. Beautiful weekend in the sun and pool. Reminds me why I love summer.

3. I thinks someone needs to feed the mosquitoes a bit better--in the evening they seem to be starved and flock to me for sustenance. If they were better fed--maybe they wouldn't.

4. Jax decided he wanted to mimic his big brother by jumping off the diving board into the deep end of the pool yesterday. Only problem was, he didn't let any of the adults know his plan. Was a bit exciting for a brief time.

5. Today is the first day of school for children in Howard County and many other places in Maryland--and Chris has to face their smiling faces. Take a moment to thank a teacher or education professional that you know. God Bless Them!

6. Gonna be a hot one today--bring it on!

7. Hurricane Katrina--do you remember it? What have we done to help reconstruct? Five years ago destruction was the word along the entire Gulf Coast. Five years later--oil and BP are the word of the day.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Blooms of Summer


As I was arriving at Nicole and Mike's house last evening, I was struck by the beauty of the roses in front of their doorstep.

The flowers varied from full bloom to long past full. Mimicking the story of the summer.

We are still in a full out run enjoying the summer, but so many things have already happened and are just memories.

Yet even with the fragrance of the summer still on our noses, it is sad that there are not a lot of buds left on the bushes.

Not many flowers will bloom on this bush before it sleeps the winter away to bud and flower again next spring.

And so the summer--there are only a few summer events left to enjoy before the autumn winds begin to make it too cold to enjoy the outside.

But those events surely will be fun!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Mosque at Ground Zero?: It Really is Hard--And Different

I have been spending some time lately talking to people about the mosque and Ground Zero in New York City.

It is an explosive issue--and I have been trying to wrap my head around the explosive nature of this issue.

It really is hard and it is a very different situation for our American culture to face.

In the past, we have fought wars against nations or states or groups (such as the Barbary Pirates). These conflicts were not religious, but rather ideology based conflicts which allowed for the clear identification of the "enemy" from the American "good-guys."

The problem we have right now is that the lines--ideology separate from religion, have blurred. Despite the official position which says that the War on Terror is not a war on Islam, it is very hard for many of us to separate the two entities since the Terrorists themselves keep calling the war a Jihad--or struggle. Some, incorrectly, translate Jihad as Holy War--which further complicates our understanding of the problem.
The only thing that seems to unite the terrorist groups--whether Iran, Iraq, or Afghanistan is Islam. When we are identified with terms such as Great Satan--it is hard, if not impossible, to separate our the religious from the secular context. And the continued use of the Jihad imagery changes the struggle from a ideological one to a religious one in our eyes.

Let me repeat this, the single unifying factor of the terrorist groups is religion and that religion is Islam. Through the filter of my eyes--it certainly has the appearances of a Holy War--Islam versus the secular United States and for that matter all of the non-Islam embracing countries and societies of the world. It may even be the Middle Ages all over again.

Anyone who maintains the Unites States is a Christian country is wrong! They are mis-informed and they do not understand the basics of U.S. history, nor have they read the Constitution of the United States.

And this is the root of why it is hard to understand the complexities of thought associated with the peace loving, American citizen, Islamic believers wanting to erect a house of worship near ground zero and the visceral reaction that many Americans have to it. They are American citizens.

Most Americans do not understand who we SAY we are, AND the Islamic Americans who want to put a mosque near ground zero do not recognize that most of us cannot separate Islam from the terrorists who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.

Both sides are at the same time right and wrong.

The Islamic community has the right, granted to them under the Constitution, to worship as they please, where they please--in accordance with the laws of the land. But it really demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to place a mosque so close to a place many of us consider to be sacred soil.

And we Americans--have the right, granted to us under the Constitution, to be vocal and to express our feelings about the placement of a mosque so near sacred ground; but at the end of the day we have an obligation under the laws of the land to allow the construction and not to impede it.

We do not have to like it--but we do have to allow it.

We are a complex society. A society of exceptions and inclusions. But we are engaged in a war which is stretching our ability to keep or belief system in a narrow box.

It is hard and it is different and it pushes us to fully reconcile what we believe about who we, Americans, truly are.

Do we really believe the words on the Statue of Liberty--
America was likened to the visions in the Bible as "the land flowing with milk and honey." A land where everyone's life has meaning and we believe in "unalienable rights."
We either believe this--or we become intolerant, the same as those who wage war against us and desire that we slip out of existence.








Friday, August 27, 2010

First Day of Kindergarten--A Remeberance

Ethan began his formal school career yesterday.

Kindergarten--one of those rites of passage where kids begin the process of changing from being "ours" into being "themselves." In a way it is sad to lose them that way, but it is something that we must do as part of launching our children tinto the world.

I remember brief glimpses of kindergarten.

It was an old almost three-story green-trimmed white building stucco looking building. Kindergarten was up the first set of stairs on the right. 1st grade was on the left up those same stairs and second and third grade was on the top floor--I don't remember the basement very well. The school only had grades K through 3. When I was in second grade, we moved to the new school in Danby which still stands and was a true elementary school of its day (OK, it was like 1962). I attended it through 6th grade before heading off to the big city of Ithaca for junior high school.

They tore down the old school during the late 60's and built the new town fire station on the site. The building, as I remember it, had been vacant for all of those intervening years.

I was an old four-year old when I was dropped off that first day of kindergarten, my birthday being in late-September. I remember a lot of confusion but I did enjoy playing with the blocks. As I recall--and I may need to correct this, Mrs White was my kindergarten teacher. And I was that square peg trying to fit into the round hole. I don't remember if I cried--but I probably did. It was really scary back then as we didn't not have pre-school programs like today to get children ready for the big school.

The classroom seemed huge. There was always something to do, like show and tell or reading time. But best of all I remember trying to build the tallest structure with the blocks. One significant event I do remember involved black construction paper. We were coloring and I thought it would be neat to use a white crayon on black paper.

That didn't work out as well in real life as I had envisioned it in my head.

I loved riding the bus--but couldn't get down the idea that I had to wait for the driver to signal me across the road. In those days, for some reason, they let me off and picked me up on the wrong side of the road even though the bus had to pass the house and return back by. I think I finally got it right as the school year was ending. My bus used to go all over Danby--I seem to remember the short 10 minute ride by car to the school taking almost an hour by bus.

And so as Ethan did his first day in Kindergarten--all of these memories came streaming back from the deep recesses of my mind. We went out to dinner last night with Ethan and his family to mark the occasion. In typical Ethan fashion, he was pretty closed mouthed about the day.

I even think I can remember the smell of the classroom--I wonder what memories he will have of that first day of "school?"

Thursday, August 26, 2010

You Thought You Had Bad Traffic?

Traffic around where I live can be miserable. At times when driving the beltway around Washington D.C., a normal 40 minute trip has taken almost three hours. Although, one time I just quit trying and went back home.


I read an article about China's Massive Traffic Jam which makes all of my experiences pale by comparison.


Here are some excerpted paragraphs.


A massive traffic jam in north China that stretches for dozens of miles and hit its 10-day mark on Tuesday stems from road construction in Beijing that won't be finished until the middle of next month, an official said.

Bumper-to-bumper gridlock spanning for 60 miles (100 kilometers) with vehicles moving little more than a half-mile (one kilometer) a day at one point has improved since this weekend, said Zhang Minghai, director of Zhangjiakou city's Traffic Management Bureau general office.

Some drivers have been stuck in the jam for five days, China Central Television reported Tuesday. But Zhang said he wasn't sure when the situation along the Beijing-Zhangjiakou highway would return to normal.


This kind of traffic tie up boggles the mind. I complain if I get delayed for more than about 10 minutes! And if you look at the pictures in the article--most of it is truck traffic. I wonder how the produce going to market is holding up?
It really helped put the three hours we were broken down in the U-haul truck on Saturday into perspective. What if we were only making a half-mile per day? It would have taken about a month to get to Patrick and Tina's new house. Ugh!!
I guess it kind of puts it all in perspective. In the morning on my way to work, when I hit traffic on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and slow down to 35 mph--I should be happy I'm not in China.
Oh, let me think--I am happy I'm not in China, anyway.
But reading this, I sure do appreciate living here a little bit more.


Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Headlights in my Eyes

It happened yesterday morning.

My drive to work at the fairly reasonable hour of 6:30am was accompanied with headlights.
Yuck!

Even with the dark skies though, the top was down on Cat. The cool morning air--and it was cool, high 60's; felt refreshing--yet it made me sad too.

It is amazing how quickly the summer passes.

Monday evening, we took a timeout form the hustle of life and sat on the screened porch enjoying dinner and a bottle of wine and watching the evening fall around us.

Chris and I enjoy those times together, alone except for Makayla who desires to be near us.

We were escaping a bit--right in the middle of where we are. To enjoy conversation and planning, and a sip or two of wine to cap off the day.

We talked about life and the things of the day and the week. Chris reminded me that her favorite season is autumn as we noticed a coolness in the air. I reminded her that autumn makes me sad as I mourn the passing of another summer. And technically it remains summer for another whole month--but we all know the truth, don't we?

Of course, it was Monday evening and it was Chris' last evening before returning to work following another fantastic summer vacation. She accused me of secretly being happy when she returns to work; but that is not true! I wish we both could be on summer vacation everyday.

But we still need to work to live.

Long ago though, I stopped living to work and started enjoying the living a lot more.

So no matter the season--live and enjoy.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Bad From the Start

As I wrote yesterday, some days are just bad from the start.

Let me write about my Sunday.

It all began before I was awake--or should I say as I was awakened with a thumping on my back and my lovely, but sleep deprived wife screaming at me to stop snoring. I asked her what the problem was--because I was startled and not fully coherent. She told me in her best imitation of a sailor that I was snoring and should leave. It being 5:45am and being now fully awake, I just decided to get up, which Makayla thought was great.

Groggy though I was, I did enjoy watching Sportscenter, especially since the Orioles were in the last segment which was just airing as I got the TV on.

My next mistake was making coffee. Although I make coffee all of the time, this morning the coffee pot decided, about half-way through the brew, to stop accepting more coffee--which sent hot coffee over the counter, onto the floor and saturating the rug in front of the sink. A nice mess to continue the day. Although I was later accused of not emptying the coffee from the pot before brewing, I pointed out that the pot was only half full of hot coffee when I poured my first cup and so that could not be the case. Doubts, however, remained in the accusers mind I later found out.

Next was the breakfast bagel. By now my lovely sleep deprived wife was with me and I offered to make her a bagel after I completed mine. She was happy that I offered and I cut her bagel and placed it in the toaster at which point I noticed that there was a bagel setting on the toaster that I had not used. Feeling very pleased with myself I selected the bagel setting and pulled the handle down. A short while later I heard the toaster pop up and then the smoke alarm sounded. Seems her bagel was a bit crispy. I gave her the unconsumed half of my bagel and took one of her crispy halves. The smoke alarm stopped wailing after a short while.

We prepared to go to church and the last thing I do before leaving the house is put my wallet in my pants. I never lose my wallet. I know where it is. Yet, this morning we could not find it. We looked all over the house in the usual and unusual places, retraced steps to the car--but no wallet. Finally, as we became later and later departing for church, I realized that the last place my wallet had been located was my pants pocket from the day before after moving Patrick and Tina. Great. Or not. Someone had thoughtfully picked up my pants and washed them while I was swimming in the pool. Yes, we found my drenched, ruined wallet still in the washing machine. Fortunately the losses were not too great--but one of Chris's shirts was destroyed as the color from the 10 or more year old wallet had run into her shirt.

And so it was off to church with my driver's license in my pocket--but no wallet. What could happen at church? Nothing right? Well almost. No sooner had we seated ourselves and stood for the opening songs when I could not find the bulletin to doodle on. It had fallen under the seat in front on me.

One would think, that with the time being only about 9:20am and this many things going wrong that I would have gotten the message, right?

No.

We returned home after I had been coerced into grocery shopping, a stop which went from "we need a couple things for dinner today" into major grocery shopping.

I unwittingly decided to mow the lawn. After dutifully inflating the tires on the mower, and my truck and Kitty; the mowing went relatively uneventfully until I crashed into a short tree stump that I forgot was there because it was covered with grass that I wanted to mow. This bent the mower deck so that the blades would not turn--but thankfully, did not break the drive belt. Two hours and one severe rainstorm later, I had finished repairing the mower deck after saying some unkind things to the person I live with who showed up late with suggestions about how to fix the mower deck. I was very hot and sweaty because the humidity was up around 100 percent.

Was I bright enough to just call it a day at this point?

No. Sadly--

We went over to Patrick and Tina's to help them unpack and move in. Everything went great right up until the last project of the night. Patrick and I were hanging a quilt on the wall. It is a very big, beautiful quilt that Tina's mother made. The hanger needed a bracket in the middle to stop the sag. Right where I wanted to put the bracket in the wall was something into which I could neither screw a screw nor even drill with a masonry bit. Ugh! With the ends already in place and secure and the quilt already modified for the middle bracket I had to move the bracket a bit, the quilt is about 1 inch off center. UGH!

With that--and it being 10pm, Chris and I took Makayla and went home ending one of those days that should never happen to anyone.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Monday Musings - August 23, 2010

1. Some days are just bad from the start--and then they continue to get more frustrating until, finally, crashing into bed and drifting off to sleep ends them.

2. Moving is hard. Packing is bad but unpacking is worse.

3. Some weekends pass by so quickly that on Monday morning as I am preparing to go to work I hardly feel refreshed for the workweek ahead.

4. Makayla didn't see too much of me this weekend--I'm sure in her doggie-mind she was wondering if it was something she bit.

5. Sales at major department stores really bring out the crowds on a Sunday afternoon.

6. I was reminded this weekend that the next time I move--we will definitely pay someone to move all the stuff.

7. Fish are great to look at, they are really difficult to move. It doesn't matter if they are salt or freshwater--I've helped move both and they require a lot of care to arrive alive.

8. The pump on the pool burned out. I wonder how long I can keep the pool from turning green and will the new pump arrive before that happens?

9. And here is an interesting tidbit: On this date in 1617, the first one-way streets open (London). Where would we be now without them? (From Brainy History)Link

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Moving day disaster

So the u-haul broke down within a couple miles of the starting location.

Jeremy showed up for comic relief.

We are still here after like three hours.

Help.

We are in moving day hell.

My Zimbio
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