Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!  What a fun way for a church to share the joy of Christmas!  Take a peek...you'll be glad you did and I'm sure a smile or two will cross your face.

Enjoy!

At 30,000 Feet

Isn't technology amazing?  I am online and writing this from 30,000 feet in the air while flying to Colorado for a few days of fun with Sarah and Jean.

I'm next to the window because Harry is a good sport and spoils me rotten.  The sun has set and as we cruise along all I can see outside the window is darkness with the exception of the red flashing light on the wing alerting all to our presence in the night sky.

The little boy two rows up was singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer earlier, but I think the noise of the plane has lulled him to sleep so he can recharge and be ready to entertain again once the plane lands.  

Little does he know that in only a few days he will gaze into the sky searching for Rudolph's shining red nose guiding Santa through the night and when he spots the red light flashing in the darkness, what he'll really be seeing is the light flashing outside my window at 30,000 feet.

Or is it really Santa?

Run Forest!

I run.  I enjoy the steady rhythm of my feet as they hit the ground.  I enjoy my breath as I fall into a cadence that allows me to continue on for several miles at a time.  I enjoy the way it makes me feel both during the effort and the rest of the day as well.  As I run I enjoy listening to my music, chatting with someone or reaching down into the depths of my inner being and coming up with great thoughts and ideas.

I don't run FROM things.  I don't run because I HAVE to.  I run because I LIKE to.

I run because it brings me joy... and ultimately isn't that the goal?

Sounds of Joy vs Sounds of Discord

Over the noon hour I stood in the rotunda of our county courthouse gazing at smiles and thoughtful reflection on a few familiar faces and several unfamiliar faces as I listened to what heaven must surely sound like.

The ornate dome rose up above us in all it's grandeur and as the students from Bay Port High School sang, their voices filled the empty space with a magic that felt like it reverberated through every inch of my being.

What a contrast these voices lifted in joy and harmony are compared to the voices of discord that can quite often fill a courthouse.

Joy vs Discord.  Today's jury came back in favor of joy.  

All In A Name

Today I spoke to someone about wisdom, deep wells of knowledge, and a joy that fills life beyond what we can imagine.  The conversation both intrigued and captivated me, and I found myself wishing we didn't have schedules we must keep thus forcing our conversation to end.  As we sat and chatted, Sophia, her yellow lab, laid at my side and looked up at me with sparkling eyes that spoke to me of love and understanding.  


Sophia (Σοφíα) is Greek for "wisdom".  I guess it really is all in a name.  

Praying in Motion

Often when I'm out for a run, on the elliptical, or active in some form of continuing movement my mind wanders to my children, my loved ones and friends, or various acquaintances that I know have joys or challenges in their life.  Thinking of them has evolved into praying for them.  It's become a wonderful time to life them up in prayer, asking that their joys be multiplied and their sorrows be overcome.

Movement.  Praying.
Praying in motion. 

The Inconvenience of Distance

Harry is working on the west coast this week and when he called me this evening he was headed out for a walk on the beach after work.  These pictures are not from tonight, they are ones he sent me awhile ago when he was there for an assignment but I thought I'd set the mood in case your imagination isn't as vivid as mine.

I was on the elliptical in our basement when he called, and I continued to "elliptical" while we chatted, but if you could see the images he painted for me you'd have thought I was on the west coast walking beside him.  It was about 40 degrees, no wind, the sun had just set and the sky was rosy.  We were taking a long staircase from the neighboring hotel down to the wide, sandy beach.  There were a couple fishing boats (slightly larger than lobster boats) out a bit from the shore.  Up ahead a dog (about the size of Oscar or Sam) was running and playing on the beach.  The flat, hard sand was great to run or walk on and the waves were crashing.

We chatted and shared the happenings of our day as we walked together along the beach for the next hour... separated only by the inconvenience of distance.

Caterpillar of Lights

Caterpillar at the Garden of Lights

Strolling through the Garden of Lights at the Botanical Garden is like walking through a magical place filled with visions, dreams and stories to be told.  There is something about a simple little light (multiplied by a bo-jillion) that creates an enchanted sense of wonderment.

We were fortunate enough to go with good friends and we laughed, chatted, and even skipped our way along the path.  One simply cannot go through a long caterpillar of lights without skipping, hopping and laughing.

Not Because of Death

I sat looking around the lovely sanctuary filled with people that the memorial service was being held in.  My mother, father, older brother and I had made the trip to Madison to pay our respects to a former Pastor and his family who had been good friends when we were growing up.  Spending the day together with Mom, Dad and Mike had been a treat in itself and it was great to see our childhood friends again.

I listened to the words of the pastor as the service began,  "We are not here because of death.  We are not here because Fid died.  We are here because he lived."  I liked that.  As he said those words my mind quickly thought about his life and what a kind, caring, all around good man he was.  He did live - in every sense of the word.  I liked that.

I will strive to do the same.

O Christmas Tree... Oh Christmas Tree!

 We went to cut our Christmas tree today!  This is a tradition of Harry's that he's shared with me.  (Last year we went during a snow storm and that was really cool.)

I know it may look like Harry did all the work here, but I did help lift the tree to the top of the Jeep.  I also took LOTS of photos so I could share this fun afternoon with all of you!  I guess today I was sort of a photojournalist.  Documenting it all.  Yeah, that's it.

Just for the record, I did get deeply involved in the laughter and the enjoyment of the event and I'm so thankful (and lucky) that Harry shares this with me.