Goodnight Irene...

when i was a child i had a cassette tape of 50's music that my great aunt jo had given me, it was my favorite cassette and I would listen to one song in particular over and over again. You know with rewinding it was quite a hassal to do so ; ) Goodnight Irene is a folk song by the weavers, a quartet that consisted of Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hayes, and Fred Hellerman. The group was only together for about 5 or so years, but they managed to pave the way for a folk music revival that went on through the 50's to the 70's and that some would say is still going on today. I hope you enjoy the song. 

Theophan the recluse....

An excerpt from a letter written by Theophan the Recluse. I read this in a book called "Finding Calcutta" about a woman who went to India and worked with Mother Teresa. I highly recommend the book.

I've found that what is written in the excerpt below can be very uncomfortable to read because a lot of us today are guilty of this exact thing, I know that I am. I very often find myself so concerned with the big picture, with how to "fix" society and the worlds problems yet am blind to the impacts I could be making each and every day with the situations right in front of me. I think its a matter of humility sometimes. Being willing to accept the smaller callings that the Lord has for us in the every day as opposed to some grand world changing calling. I dunno... I'm still pondering the idea. For now, you can read the quote and let it simmer.

"The fact is, however, that "mankind" or "the people" does not exist as a person for whom you could do something right now. It consists of individual persons: By doing something for one person, we are doing it within the general mass of humanity. If each one of us did what was possible to do for whoever was standing right in front of our eyes, instead of goggling at the community of mankind, then all people, in aggregate, would at each moment be doing that which is needed by those in need, and, by satisfying thier needs, would establish the welfare of all mankind, which is made up of haves and have-nots, the weak and the strong. But those who keep thoughts of the welfare of all mankind inattentively they do not have the opportunity to perform a particular work, they accomplish nothing towards the main purpose of life."

Gratefulness... pt. 2

A friend today posted a scripture about gratefullness, I began to write to him the quote from G.K. that i love (and have previously posted) and then I just had a rush of words flowing after that. Funny how the same catalyst can inspire in different ways. Here is the quote again followed by my ramblings. Hope they serve you well. 


" You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink." G.K. Chesterton

To become a habitual "thanks" giver and a sincere one at that, is a very hard thing to do. This quote by G.K. always comes to mind. To give thanks for even the simplest things of life is where its best to start. I honestly think it makes it easier to see the reasons for being grateful in the grander things that come along, however good or bad. If I, who am just your friend, gave you a napkin, or a pat on the back, or treated you to dinner, you would say thank you. You would say thank you if I got you a glass of water, said "god bless you" after you sneezed, waited for you if you were late... you get the point... so why then do we forget to say thank you to God so easily, who provides us with everything we have and who knows what we need even when we dont. The idea/ scripture of "praying without ceasing" is so simple yet so difficult for us to squeeze in. To be in constant communion with Jesus, to converse with him in our every thought, to say thank you for every blessing and blessing in disguise, to trust him in all things, to worship him above all else, and to follow him no matter the cost, no matter the selfish desire we have to brush aside... these are all difficult things, and all things that are so worth doing. 

Trains, Subways, and Feet

Today I spent the day in New York City with some friends who are visiting from Austin, Texas. My friend Kaye is someone I've actually only met once when I was traveling through Colorado a couple of years ago, but is the type of person you only have to meet once and then you never forget them. Kaye, her husband Chris, and her sister as well, are in NY for the week, and since I had the day off today I thought it was the perfect oppurtunity to visit.

I took the NJ transit train up to Penn station and then from there took the subway to greenwich village to meet up with Kaye and co. I arrived early and they arrived late so I had about an hour to sit in Washington square park, soak up the sunshine, and people watch in one of the best places on earth to do so. With such a diverse group of people in NYC I could have sat there for hours and watched them walk by.

Throughout the day we walked through the village, china town, SoHo, little Italy, the waterfront, and stopped in a couple of parks as well. We even got to sit in a very packed park and eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches that Kaye had brought along all the while watching  a vast number of chinese people play all different kinds of board and card games in the park which seemed to be the hub of china town.

It was a really great day all around. I got to catch up with Kaye, talk about her pregnancy, talk about what God has been teaching us over the past couple of years, got to know her husband Chris and her sister, and really just soak up the company.

The way home was a bit tricky, at this point we were in little Italy and I had to take a couple of subways (one wrong one) in order to get back to Penn station where I would then have to purchase my return ticket home for the train. After about an hour in subway time I was at Penn station, had purchased my ticket, and was then approached by a 20 something homeless man asking for some food. I didnt have any on me and so offered to buy him something at one of the many food places within penn station. He agreed and so off we went to pick out his Turkey and cheese sandwich. I asked him his name and as he answered me I noticed this look on his face that seemed to convey that he hadnt been asked that question in quite some time. It was almost a look of shock, as if he had forgotten he had a name. It really hit me hard. As I ran down the platform to catch the train that I would in fact be too late for I began to think about all the homeless I had encountered that day in the city. What are their stories, what are their names, who is wandering where they are, what do they think of themselves, and do they find any sort of identity in anything anymore or only an identity through the way people treat them, or dont treat them?

My train finally came at about 4:30pm and once I found my seat, I laid my head against the window and shut my eyes. About ten minutes later I awoke to the smell of oranges and as I opened my eyes I saw a man sitting next to me in the act of peeling the rind off of the citrus fruit. As he turned to me I mustered up a warm "Hello" and he handed me a piece of orange, which I accepted. It was a very unique interaction between two strangers but it opened the door to conversation. He asked me where I was going and where I was from. I answered and followed by asking him his name. " George Ibrahim" was his reply. We continued this way for a while, asking all the ordinary questions that pass between to individuals just getting to know one another. I was excited to learn that George was from Egypt and was a devout Christian. From that point on during the train ride we spoke of nothing other than the bible and our personal relationships with Jesus. It was insightful, inspiring, encouraging, and challenging. At the end of the trip I walked outside with George so that I could meet his wife, who was picking him up at the station. After exchanging phone numbers and saying that we should all have dinner together one night, I walked away towards the parking garage in awe of what had just occured.

Just to think, if I had sat even a few rows away I may have sat with someone completely different. To think that if I hadnt gone to Colorado a few years back when Kaye was living there instead of Austin, where she lives now, I never would have gone to NYC today in the first place to visit with her. To think of all the twists and turns of life that bring us to where we are right in this moment is absolutely mind boggling. To think of all of this and to not be grateful to God is insanity. So I end this blog with a "Thank you God for all the intricacies of life and for all the miraculous details that you choreograph around us and through us, thank you thank you thank you!"

YES! to pete seeger and john denver!

the past few days...

This is the work I've done in the garden over the past few days... much more to come....

The digging has begun...

Majority of the day on saturday was spent digging up the plot of this years garden which I am naming "Yardley." My dear friend Johnny Blanding came up for the weekend to visit from Virginia and I promptly put him to work shoveling. He was an amazing help and I couldnt have gotten done nearly as much without him. My brother Bud had built me three frames for raised beds in the garden, so Johnny and I dug up all the grass and weeds from the area that would be housing the frames. Also I wanted to have a border around them to place rocks and some flowers as a walk way to get to the beds. Here are some photos from the day taken by my dear friend Mel who brought us a much needed lunch and good company. 

Johnny and I digging up some dirt from another part of the yard

johnny and I posing as an old married farm couple....................

the raised beds and their border.......................... 

     Mixing in the peat moss with the soil before adding more soil.........

words for the day...

"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful. "


 ~Abram L. Urban

Easter by the Sea...

This year our family spent easter weekend by the sea. 18 people, family and friends, gathered round tables to feast and celebrate the rising of Christ Jesus! It was a really fun, relaxing, and thought provoking weekend... here are a few photos. I hope your easter was just as enjoyable!

Photos

I received my camera charger in the mail yesterday, and after 6+ months without a camera I took a few random photos in my room. And, here you are...

p.s. expect many more photos in the near future.