On Aging!

I turned 62 today. Some observations.

I can begin receiving social security benefits if I so choose.
Waitresses and store clerks frequently greet me as "darl'n" and "honey" and "sweetie".
I now qualify for senior discounts at almost all restaurants and movie theatres.

The hair in my ears, nose, and eyebrows seem to be growing three times as fast as the hair on my head.
I have to tilt my head at an extreme angle in order to read the basketball score on the TV.
"Deal or No Deal" has become "my program" that I watch with regularity.
I can remember when my grandmother had to get home in time to see "her program".

The first task of each day is to take my medications.
Kaylyn, my teenage granddaughter, has taken to calling me "Pops".
My heart leaps for joy whenever any of the five grandchildren look at me.

When I enter a restaurant, entertainment venue, or church for the first time; my first thought is: "Where is the bathroom located?"
I announce in the evening that I am "getting ready to go to bed".
Mary, my spouse of 40 years, and I spend entirely to much time discussing the temperature in the house.

I no longer like "driving at night".
Having a cup of tea in the evening gives me great pleasure.
We are excited about buying a new coffee pot.

The grandchildren helped me blow out the candles on my birthday cake.
Many small things make me truly happy; my wife's smile, spring sunshine, reading the Sunday comics, holding a grandchild, lactose free vanilla ice cream on my birthday cake, sleeping under a quilt made by my spouse, etc.
I get great joy in anticipating future activities; fishing with a friend, a family meal, etc.
I remember the past with gratitude.

Sunshine and Music

Sunshine and music are the themes of this Florida vacation. Check out the above photo taken at Rainbow Springs State Park on a typical early March day.www.floridastateoarks.org/rainbowsprings We also visited Silver Springs this past Saturday where we enjoyed a Beach boys concert. Last week we experienced the music of New Odyssey, a group of 3 guys playing 30 instruments. The drummer was a musical chameleon as he morphed into Elvis, The Blues Brothers, and Tina Turner. What an entertaining and fun show. Almost every evening we have attended a concert or free music and dancing at Spanish Springs or Lake Sumter downtown squares. It is going to be difficult to leave these 80 degree days and head back north this weekend. However, we have missed our family and friends and look forward to seeing everyone again.

Snow and Stock Cars

Our 3 day drive to florida turned into a 5 day adventure due to the great Valentine's day blizzard. We left Monday afternoon and drove to Binghampton in an endeavor to avoid the worst of the storm on I88. We awoke to about a foot of snow on the ground and fairly heavy snow falling. We only made it as far as Wilkes-Barre, Pa. when the conditions deteriotated to the point that I could not see the road. We followed a white truck to a Hilton Garden Inn. All but one restaurant was closed and we were able to obtain the last meal they served before closing. The next morning, after cheking TV, Internet, Hotel Desk, and the Department of Transportation; all of whom assurred me that I81 was moving, we headed south. We were able to travel 2 miles before the traffic cam to a stop. There we sat for the next two hours. That day we traveled about 160 miles in 12 hours. Jack-knifed trucks and rough ice covered road all the way. We departed from Winchester, Virginia on Friday morning and drove to Savannah where we spent the night. On Saturday we were able to conclude our trip, arriving around 4pm. Our Florida Villa is everything we expected. It is very secluded sitting on over 6 wooded acres.
Sunday morning at 3:30 am, John and I got up and headed for the Daytona 500. We were the 35th car in the parking lot on the Superstretch. It was a very windy and cold day but we witnessed a terrific race. While waiting for the race to begin we took the tram to the front side of the track where we went to Daytona USA and experienced the new movie, Dale, about Dale Earnhardt. It was a terrific film and kept us warm for a couple of hours.
On Shrove Tuesday we attended the Mardi Gras celebration at the Villages. It was great fun with music, food, costumed folks, and even clowns. Last night we attended Ash Wednesday services at St. John's Lutheran Church in Sunset Harbor. Tonight we will be attending the Orange Blossom Opry.

Retirement: day 1

I was showered this weekend with well wishes, gifts, affection, and prayers as this new adventure begins. My thoughts keep returning to the quote I shared at the party on friday evening. These words are spoken by the title character, Jayber Crow, in the book by Wendell Berry. Jayber is reflecting on his life as a barber in a small Kentucky town.

I am a man who has hoped, in time, that his life, when poured out at the end would say,

"Good-good-good-good" like a gallon jug of the prime local spirit.

I am a man of losses, regrets, and griefs.

I am an old man full of love,

I am a man of faith.

Mr. Deity

If your religious sensibilities are easily offended, don't check out Mr. Deity. However, if your sense of humor includes your understanding of God and how God works in the world, Mr. Deity is for you. This is a creative and funny mini comedy series that challenges the way we think about God. Check it out by clicking here. Columnist Mark McGuire cautions; "This is comedy, not theology, so don't take it seriously". I would suggest that it is both comedy and theology as theology is any attempt to understand who God is and how the Divine interacts with the world. This is one funny perspective.

Art Buchwald

I am about half way through reading Art Buchwald's latest book, Too Soon to Say Goodbye, when I discover that he indeed did say goodbye, while surrounded by family at his home, on Wednesday. The creative humorist and satirist experienced kidney failure in late 2005. After twelve dialysis treatments he decided to stop the treatments. Doctors told him he had about three weeks to live, so on February 7, 2006 he moved into the Washington Home and Hospice. In March he wrote, "The big question we still have to ask is not where we're going, but what were we doing here in the first place". Death didn't come as scheduled and 5 months later Art moved to his beloved summer home in Martha's Vineyard where he completed the forementioned book and wrote his column. He wrote that the time in the hospice was the best time of his life. In June he filmed his own obituary for the New York Times. You can see this amazing interview on the New York Times by clicking here and typing "The Last Word" in the search space. What an example of what it means to "live in the midst of dying". Art's humor and quick wit has made the world a more tolerable place to live.

A Prayer for the 15th Day of a New year!

Patient God, this day teeters on the edge of waiting

and things seem to slip away from me,

as though everything was only memory and memory is capricious.

Help me not to let my life slip away from me.

O God, I hold my life up to you now,

as much as I can, as high as I can,

in this mysterious reach called prayer.

It is not days or years I seek from you,

not infinity and enormity,

but small things and moments and awareness,

awareness that you are in what I am

and in what I have been indifferent to.

It is not new time, but new eyes, new heart I seek,

and you.

from "I Hold My Life Up to You Now" in

"Guerrillas of Grace" by Ted Loder.

Ice is Not Nice!

As we weather an ice storm in upstate New York these photos of the recent storm in Nebraska are a reminder of how fortunate we are. Click here for some amazing ice storm photos.

Turn, Turn, Turn!

I can't seem to get the classic song, Turn, Turn, Turn, out of my head this first week of 2007. The song was written in the 1950's by Pete Seeger but he didn't record it until 1962. It was also recorded by others including Joan Collins and most famously by The Byrds in October of 1965. Seeger adapted the words from the Biblical book, Ecclesiastes; "for everthing there is a season", and set them to a simple tune. The song helped define the decade of the 60's and the last stanza; "a time for war and a time for peace" became the hope and prayer of a generation. Click here to see a great video of The Byrds singing this classic. There are very personal reasons why the song is my present soundtrack of the mind. Twelve months ago I announced that I would retire in early 2007 from my present position as Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church following over twenty years of service. For the past year my focus has been on "finishing well" and helping the congregation prepare for the transition. People would ask me how I was feeling, my plans for the future, was I excited or nervous, etc.. The truth was that my energies were in other directions and the reality of retirement rested on the fringes of my conciousness. Well, with the advent of a new year and a February 11th retirement date looming, it has now moved to the front of my conciousness. With this awareness comes feelings of excitement and anxiety, optomism and wariness, longing and relief. But the main feeling is the one expressed in the song and in the scripture; "for everything there is a season, and a time for everything under heaven", and this is the right time. The right time for me, for my family, and for the faith community. I am also confident that God has another "season" planned for me. A season filled with new challenges and new adventures.

The Least of These

New York Times' writer Manny Fernandez tells the story of a homeless man who has been living in a "cave" in New York City for eight years and yet reaches out to the homeless and hungry. Click here to experience this awesome story.

Merry Christmas!

The best telling of the nativity story is the most simple. Click Here!

Winter Fun!

Can you identify with this guy?

So maybe the guy is a bit frustrated and disappointed but think about how the owner of the other car is going to feel. Imagine that you are the other guy/gal. Would you feel as if you had just been given a gift? Would you feel blessed? Lucky? Special? Chosen? Would it make a difference in how you went about your day? In the way you treat others?
In the midst of the busyness and distractions of the season I am reminded that through God's gift of Christmas each of us has been given a gift, we are chosen and blessed, and yes, it should make a difference.

It's A Girl!

I am sure that the story of the birth of our fifth grandchild, Jenna Ellie, will become a family legend. After 12 hours of labor, two ambulance rides, a Medevac Flight, and time in intensive care units, mother and child arrived home 67 hours after Jena's birth. Words cannot express our gratitude to those who prayed and those who cared for Susan and Jena. In this season of miracles, we know firsthand the power of God's love.

Jena with her Dad and Big Brother

The Nativity Story

The new film, The Nativity Story, is what a Sunday School Christmas pagaent would look like if a church had a big budget, adults in the key roles, and attempted to stretch the brief story told in less then 100 verses in the Bible to 101 minutes of film. I have often said that only organized religion could drain the excitement from "the greatest story ever told" but this film proves that Hollywood can do the same thing. It appears as if the film makers used their local Sunday School pagaent as a template for the costumes and dialogue of the one dimensional characters. Just as in any pageant, the three Wise Men appear immediately following Jesus' birth rather then some considerable time later as Matthew reports in his Gospel. Creative lisence is used to develop the three Magi as comic relief. We experience scene after scene of said Magi trekking across the desert and bantering with one another.
Having said all this, is the film worth seeing? Yes, I believe it is. The location filming is beautiful and authentic looking. The scenes of daily life are, I believe, quite accurate. Herod's paranoia and evil are dramatically portrayed. The young actress who plays Mary, Keisha Castle-Hughes, last seen in "Whale Rider, is believable. Unfortunately, most of the other characters are played as Biblical cardboard cutouts reading their lines. I believe the creators of this film missed an opportunity to humanize the characters while at the same time staying true to the Biblical account. "The Nativity Story" doesn't thrill and it should.

Happy birthday Little Richard!

Little Richard is 74 years old today and still going strong. Here he is in 1969 singing one of my favorites, "Tutti Fruiti". Click here.

With Gratitude!

Life has been busy, busy, busy and hectic, hectic, hectic. In the midst of this months' challenges and obstacles comes Thanksgiving. This holiday calls me to step away from the stress and demands of everyday life and focus on the many things to be grateful for. Here is a short list of things; small and large, fleeting and reliable, expected and unexpected that I recognize as gifts from a divine source.

a morning shower, the taste of grapefruit, an encouraging word, the sound of my grandchildren calling me "PopPop", my wife's kiss, a donut and coffee, my daughter's belly round with pregnancy, the acolyte's sparkly gold shoes sticking out from under her robe, a stranger's kindness, making "Mickey Mouse" pancakes, a new cd playing in the car stereo, holding hands, hearing the words; "I love you" and saying them in return, and I am most grateful for the children and grandchildren in the photo below.
What would be on your list? I invite you to take a moment and reflect on those "good things that the Lord has surrounded us with". Happy Thanksgiving!

Hugs

One young man, a desire to cheer people up, a crazy idea, and a sign saying "Free Hugs". The result is what is now referred to as "The Free Hug Movement". It began in Sydney, Australia and has spread from South Wales to Tel Aviv. This video depicts how it all began. Click here.

Rescuing Hug
This is a picture from an article called, "The Rescuing Hug." The article details the first week of life of a set of twins. Apparently, each were in their respective incubators, and one was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought against the hospital rules and placed the babies in one incubator. When they were placed together, the healthier of the two threw an arm over her sister in an endearing embrace. The smaller baby's heart rate stabilized and her temperature rose to normal.
They both survived, and are thriving! In fact, now that the two girls are home, they still sleep together, and still snuggle. The hospital changed their policy after they saw the effect of putting the two girls together, and now they bed multiples together.
Ensign magazine May '98 pg. 94 Adapted from the Readers Digest article "A Sister's Helping Hand" May 1996 Pp. 155-56

Everybody needs a hug. It changes your metabolism. ~Leo Buscaglia

Flying!

The prognosis was not very encouraging when our son, John, came to live with us 19 years ago. He began life as a 2lb 1oz premie, suffered a hemorrhage in his brain, and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. John was not expected to walk or talk. Today John continues to struggle with a variety of health challenges as he sings beautifully and plays harmonica and piano in addition to other instruments. He is presently in a transition program at the high school that is preparing him for life after graduation which will take place this June. John has been a wonderful gift to our family and a daily example of courage in the face of adversity. Throughout his childhood John has had the opportunity to grow in confidence through activities like Special Olympics, Make a Wish, Unlimited Potential Music Institute, and Double H-Hole in the Woods Camp in Lake Luzerne, N.Y. Double H is one of the camps dedicated to founder Paul Newman's dream to provide a recreational and therapeutic camping experience for children with serious illnesses.This camp has been part of our lives for almost 10 years and it is John's favorite place to be. A couple of weeks ago we experienced why this place of compassion and fun is so important to John. We were invited to participate in a "work day" at the camp on a Saturday. In the afternoon the campers and their families were encouraged to enjoy some of the facilities of the camp. One of those facilities is a high rope course that offers many challenges. The apparatus available that afternoon is called "The Big Swing". After donning a helmet and being secured with a safety harness, John made his way to the top of a 6 foot step ladder. A counselor then clipped him to a cable that would lift him high into the trees. John decided how high he wanted to go and as you can see from the photos, it was very high indeed. After reaching his destination, a counselor on the ground pulled a rope that released John to swing like a pendulum through the trees. That's when his parents hearts caught in their throats as John spread his arms like wings and began to sing, "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly.

"I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar

I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly"

Click here to listen to song and see music video.

Isaac and Friends

"I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician." Charlie Chaplin

Reformation Sunday

On this Reformation Sunday, a few of my favorite Martin Luther quotes:

"We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards. Strong beer is the milk of the old."

"If I am not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there."

"Pray, and let God worry."

"Some plague the people with too long sermons; for the faculty of listening is a tender thing, and soon becomes weary and satiated."

"There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage."