I Can Dance!

If you haven't had the opportunity to check out the video of Judd Laipply's Evolution of Dance click here. He is creative and very funny.

I recently discovered this song by Willie Mason, titled "Oxygen".

I wanna be better than oxygen
So you can breath when you're drowning and weak in the knees
I wanna speak louder than Ritalin for all the children who think they've got a disease
I wanna be cooler than TV for all the kids that are wondering what they're going to be
We can be stronger than bombs if you're singing along and you know that you really believe
We can be richer than industry as long as we know there's things we don't really need
We can speak louder than ignorance coz we speak in silence every time our eyes meet

On and on and on it goes
The world it just keeps spinning
Until I'm dizzy Time to breathe
So close my eyes and start again anew

Click here to watch the music video of "Oxygen"

Memorial Day Weekend

I searched for a prayer that I could hold in my heart and mind throughout this Memorial Day Weekend and I came across the following:

Memorial Day Prayer - Barbara Pescan

Spirit of Life whom we have called by many names in thanksgiving and in anguish—
Bless the poets and those who mourn

Send peace for the soldiers who did not make the wars but whose lives were consumed by them
Let strong trees grow above graves far from home

Breathe through the arms of their branches

The earth will swallow your tears while the dead sing “No more, never again, remember me.”
For the wounded ones, and those who received them back, let there be someone ready when the memories come

when the scars pull and the buried metal moves and forgiveness for those of us who were not there for our ignorance.
And in us, veterans in a forest of a thousand fallen promises, let new leaves of protest grow on our stumps.
Give us courage to answer the cry of humanity’s pain

And with our bare hands, out of full hearts, with all our intelligence

let us create the peace.

Vermont Road Trip

This past weekend was one of my "bonus" weekends off this year granted to me by the church council in recognition of twenty year's service to the congregation. This is the second one I've taken so far and they have been a great gift to the family and I. We had forgotten what it was like to experience a leisurely weekend. On Saturday we used the time to work in the yard, between rainshowers, and do chores around the house. On Sunday we made a quick road trip to Vergennes, Vermont where we met son, Joshua and his wife, Elizabeth, and grandson, Noah, for Sunday dinner. This was our first opportunity to see them since February when they were here for a visit. We had a delightful lunch at "The Hungry Bear" on Main Street in the quaint city of Vergennes. Afterwards we walked about the town, visited a local antique mall, and had ice cream for dessert. I took the Northway and rt.9n going north and Vermont rt.22a, New York rt. 4, and the Northway coming back. Both routes were very scenic. We especially enjoyed rt.22a. These family times are a reminder to us of how fortunate we are to be blessed with children and grandchildren and to not take them or the time we have together for granted. I thought this prayer by e.e. cummings really reflects how I feel.
Thank You for This Amazing Day

i thank You God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes(i who have died am alive again today,and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birthday of life and love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth) how should tasting touching hearing seeing breathing any-lifted from the no of all nothing-human merely being doubt unimaginably You?(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
e. e. cummings

Duma

Another rainy evening and a good excuse to pop some popcorn and watch a movie on pay per view. We watched, Duma, a film that is part "buddy movie", part "coming of age", and part "a boy and his dog" (except this time the dog is a cheetah). Filmed on location in Africa, it is a beautiful film to experience visually. The film gives you a real sense for the vastness of the African plain and the diversity and beauty of the wildlife. "Duma" is effectively directed by Carroll Ballard who also directed "The Black Stallion" and "Fly away Home". This is a director fascinated by the special bond that can take place between a human and an animal. The realtionship between the boy, Xan, and ,Duma, the cheetah, is portrayed as one of committment and mutual respect as they trek across the African landscape. This is a fine "family film" that is not maudlin or "sweet' but filled with adventure and strong characters. Click here to see trailer http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/duma.html

Arlo, Peter, and being a Grandparent

Grandma and I (who the grandchildren refer to as PopPop) endeavor to find effective ways to share our values with our four grandchildren. It's pretty easy with the two toddlers. Jacob, 2, and Noah, almost 2. With them it is about being warm, loving, and fun. Simply being with them and being consistent is enough. But the two oldest, Kaylyn, 13, and Brendan,11, are beginning to ask the right questions and make critical choices about who and what they believe. Being available and loving and accepting of them is critical; yet something more is necessary. We look for opportunities to share experiences and activities that reflect those values that we feel are important.
We had such an opportunity this past weekend when two folk music icons were performing in the area. You can imagine the kids confusion and reluctance when we said that we were taking them to see Arlo Guthrie and Peter Yarrow. Who? They asked. And what kind of music? But they trust us and besides they don't drive yet and besides that, I was paying. So on Friday evening we headed off to Proctor's Theatre for Arlo Guthrie's 40th Anniversary of Alice's Restaurant Massacree Tour. The theatre was packed with baby boomers and aging hippies with a few retro younger people thrown in. I watched the grandchildren as they searched in vain for other people their age and I watched in delight as Arlo's humor, music, and message captivated their spirits. Guthrie talked about raising funds for Hurricane Katrina victims and he sang a beautiful rendition of "St. James Infirmary". Of course he told the story of "Alice's Restaurant" and the "27 black and white photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one". The song was adopted 40 years ago as an anti-war song and the message is just as relevant today. I loved how the evening bounced back and forth between the silly and the profound. One minute we were singing along to the "Motorcycle Song", "I don't want a pickle, I just want to ride my motorcycle", and then we were a choir singing Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land". The most moving part of the evening came at the end when Arlo taught the audience a song titled "My Peace". He explained that his father had written over 3,000 songs on scraps of paper that were left all over the country. His sister has been collecting these lyrics and inviting different musicians to put music to them. In this way there are "new" Woody Guthrie songs popping up all over. "My Peace" was written in the '50s and Arlo had recently put music to it. One reviewer wrote the following, "The song is an instant classic and Guthrie should record it as quick as he can and give it to the world". It was as beautiful a benediction and blessing as I had ever experienced. The grandchildren left with smiles on their faces and singing the songs we had just heard. On Sunday, granddaughter Kaylyn, sang the "Peace Song" for the congregation and did so beautifully.
Sunday evening our church hosted Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame) and his daughter Bethany in a benefit concert for the EPES ministry our congregation supports in Chile.
Once again the children heard songs that lifted up messages of peace and justice. Songs that encouraged them to speak out against injustice and to live up to their potential. Peter gave a moving and sensitive reading of his song, "Don't Laugh at Me". His daughter Bethany "took us to church" with her souful and soaring melodies and once again we found ourselves singing along to the anthem, "This Land Is Your Land", and in that sanctuary it sounded like a prayer of gratitude. Peter invited all the children on stage, there were others this time, and they sang "Puff the Magic Dragon" together. Both Kaylyn and son, John had brief solo parts as Bethany shared the microphone. Peter emphasized that the "Magic Dragon" was the love and potential and future that each child held in his or her heart. A reception followed the concert and Peter took time to pose for photos and speak to everyone. I watched as he held Kaylyn's face in his hand and told her how beautiful she was and encouraged her to live out her dreams and make a difference. As we tiredly headed for home, both grandchildren thanked us for the weekend. John, Peter Yarrow, and I
At one point in the Sunday night concert, Peter reflected on how many call him "crazy" and he asked how many "crazy" people were there that night with him and we all raised our hands. On Friday evening Arlo referred to us in the crowd as "freaky, weird people". The implication in both cases was that to be a person who was interested in an event that focused on peace and justice issues was to be crazy, freaky, and weird. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share those values with our grandchildren.

Hog Wild

Move over! No, you move over! I'm the one they're taking a picture of.. No, it's me they want to see me. Stop pushing!!!

Doubts and Questions!

A friend reminded me this morning that Frederick Buechner writes that everyone who comes to worship on a Sunday morning has one question in the back of their mind and that question is; "Is it true?" They come hungry for truth in a world that fabricates, exaggerates, reshapes, and spins "facts" to defend and promote. I believe that the Divine One welcomes honest questions and doubts. As Buechner writes, "Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith, they keep it alive and moving." I invited 30 Junior High teenagers to write down some of their questions tonight. Here are some examples.

Is God male or female?

Why did God all of a sudden decide to make the world?

Can all people get to heaven, even those from other religions?

Why was the Bible written?

Is a sin worst if done by a pastor, or a pastor is the target?

How does it feel to be a pastor?

Is God a Gangsta?

I am grateful that there are a lot of "ants in the pants" of these children of God. If you would like to find out more about the writings of Frederick Buechner check out this article. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/109/51.0.html

Canticle for a Busy Wednesday

As I prepare for a busy and challenging day tommorrow I prayed the following:

Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield over shadow me.

Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Check out the following site for meaningful prayers like this one for each day. http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/PraytheOffice/morningprayer.html

Iowa Trip

Danish Windmill in Elkhorn, Iowa

One of the Bridges of Madison County, Iowa.

"Land, freedom, and hope. In the narrow stony valleys of Norway and the heavily taxed towns of Saxony and Westphalia, in Ukrainian villages bled by the recruiting officers of the czars and Bohemian farms that had been owned and tilled for generations by the same families; land, freedom, and hope meant much the same thing in the last quarter of the nineteenth century: America.

(all quotes in this blog from "The Children's Blizzard" by David Laskin)

John Wayne's Birthplace in Winterset, Iowa

And so they came as steerage passengers, packed into unventilated bunk rooms below decks where they slept on boards side by side with 650 other immigrants, all dreaming of a new life in the mid-west and the plains of America. Evidence of their courage, imagination, and ambition is present everywhere we traveled. In towns like Winterset, Keota, Elkhorn, and Villisca where Mary's mother lives. In the countryside one sees vast fields and rooster tails of dust as farmers hurry to till and plant before the Spring rains make it impossible to get into the fields. Many are working the same land that their great grandparents settled in the 19th century.

Postoffice in Nodaway, Iowa

"The Homestead Act, signed into law by Abraham Lincoln in 1862, was the first color-blind, sex-blind equal opportunity piece of legislation on the American books. White or black, male or female, foreign born or native born, it made no difference. As long as you were twenty-one or older, could muster $18 for the filing fee, and lived on the land and farmed it for five years, 160 acres was yours. "

Mary, John, and I flew into Chicago on April 18th and then drove across Iowa to Villisca where she grew up and where her mother, Bette, 80, still resides. We saw freshly planted fields, budding trees, and blooming flowers. We accompanied Bette to the Senior center where she serves lunch daily, to the Nursing home where she serves the afternoon snack, and to church on Sunday morning followed by a community dinner at the community center. John was invited to play piano and harmonica and sing at each of the venues. It was wonderful to see how proud Grandma was of her talented Grandson. We ate to much, sat on the front step and waved to everyone who went by (that's what you do in small town, USA), read, went for walks in the evening, attended the "walk-in" for the High school prom, and I even got in an afternoon of fishing at a farm pond filled with hungry bass. We drove to Keota on the 24th to visit Mary's brother and then on to Chicago to fly home on the 25th. I really enjoyed taking "blue highways" across the state and visiting the small towns. Enjoy the photos.John entertaining at Nursing HomeMary and John at "R's Place" in Western IllinoisCatching a big one in a farm pond

Holy Week Images

Here is a great quote to begin a new week no matter what challenges you might be facing.

Somehow I can't believe there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man (or woman) who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C's. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.

Walt Disney

Mr. Disney certainly demonstrated the truth of these words in his own life. Think about all the people who have experienced happy moments because of his vision and confidence. This week I will be reading, studying, experiencing, and sharing the events of this week that we call Holy. Through those events I encounter one whose vision and confidence transformed the world. With faith in the One whose footsteps we trace this week we can face whatever challenges lie ahead. See more contemporary images of Jesus like the one below by clicking here.

Virginia is for Lovers!

The state of Virginia has been using the motto, Virginia is for Lovers, for 37 years. We discovered on a recent trip that Virginia is a place for people who love history, airplanes, and good food. Mary and I celebrated my 61st birthday on Saturday, March 25th, by running away from home. We took an early morning flight that got us into Dulles International airport before 8 am. After a delicious breakfast at the IHOP we made our way to The National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. What an awesome museum housed in a aviation hanger that is 10 stories high and the length of three football fields. The planes displayed include the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gray, the Air France Concorde, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Also on display is the Space Shuttle Enterprise along with various rockets telling the story of space exploration. We spent a fascinating three hours wandering through the hanger and experiencing an IMAX movie that put us in the cockpit of an F15-Eagle.
Our next stop was an Arts and Crafts Festival that was in a building almost as big as the Air and Space museum. Hundreds of artisans displayed their creative products that included photography, quilts, woodwork, hand crafted furniture, jewelry, paintings, and hand woven baskets. It was like being in a very eclectic gallery for over two hours. Now exhausted we checked into our hotel and took naps. In the evening we had supper at The Potbelly Sandwich Works where we had old fashioned milkshakes and delicious sandwiches while listening to acoustic guitar played by a fella sitting in the loft above our heads. Check out their web site to find a Potbelly near you. We concluded my "birthday" day by seeing a movie at an enormous theatre in Fairfax. (Why is everything so large in Virginia?) The movie was the new Spike Lee film, Inside Man, starring Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster. This is the first "commercial" film that Spike Lee has made and it has many of his unique trademarks. Denzel gives a very laid back performance that brings a lightness and humor to what is a very intense story. It was a fine ending to a very busy and exciting day.
The next day we treated ourselves to the Sunday Brunch Buffet at the Blue Iguana in Fairfax. Omelets made to order, fresh sliced turkey and roast beef, waffles, fresh fruit, seafood pasta, and more. So elegant and so good. Then we were off to George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. American history came alive as we stood on the very floor that Washington stood on when he received news that he would be the first president of the United States. Even more significant, for me, was to stand next to the chair that he sat in when he decided to give up the presidency so that it would not turn into a monarchy. Thank God for the vision and courage of this man and his colleagues. It was a great trip and a lovely way to celebrate a birthday.

Ah Spring!

It was the first Sunday of April and granddaughter, Kaylyn, climbed a tree with a good book. The warm sunshine, chirping birds, and awakening earth encourages us to go beyond the ordinary and explore new possibilities. They call it "Spring Fever", this urge to escape the shackles of winter and embrace the promise of new life and new adventures. In his book, Guerrillas of Grace, Ted Loder prays the following.

It is spring, Lord.

and my blood runs warm with the song of the sap.

longing

for a beauty I would become.

And there is the mystery

and the smile of it.

The buds are swelling on the bush,

the sun is beginning to coax the color

from where it's been curled against the cold,

the air is sweet to the nostrils;

even the city seems to be rubbing its eyes

from a long sleep.

It is spring, Lord,

and something stirs in me,

reaching, stretching,

groping for words,

peeking through my defenses,

beckoning in my laughter,

riding on past my fears,

pulsing in my music.

Ah Spring!

Laptop withdrawal

I had to take my Toshiba laptop to the computer hospital. It has been "locking up" at the most inopportune times, like during a power point presentation. She, I think of the computer as female, has also been sporting a white vertical line on the screen and recently produced a high pitched screech when I turned her on. I have labeled the laptop as female because 1) I need her and desire her 2) She cooperates with me only to a certain point and 3) I appear smarter than I am when she helps me. I also feel lost without her. I keep going to the backpack to take her out to find that she is not there. I miss her terribly. So I have decided to run off with the most important female in my life, my spouse, for a few days. We will rest, enjoy each others' company, disengage from our hectic schedules and try not to think of deadlines, appointments, and sick computers.

The Madness of March

The madness of March extends far beyond the NCAA tournament that began this past Thursday. Like the tournament, the weather for March is predicted in the midst of uncertainty and upsets. Here in upstate New York this March has been typically irregular, irrational, and irresistible. It began not like the predicted lion but more like an irritable house cat with snow showers and a high of 29 degrees. Then March struck her seductive pose on the 10th when we basked in sunshine and 66 degrees. The following days brought summer like storms with driving rains, booming thunder, flashes of lightening, and widespread power outages, then temperatures dived back down below freezing and we experienced snow squalls that caused white-outs on the interstate. The madness of March disturbs my fragile equilibrium. Shakes my emotional foundation. Fractures my superficial sense of security. March backs me into the corner of my life where faith lives, where I trust in the one who promises “that for everything there is a season”. So, despite all evidence to the contrary, I believe that Spring is just around the corner.
I am not the first to struggle with the insanity of March. In Ancient Rome, March was called Martius, named after the Roman god of war and it was the first month of the year in the ancient calendar. (I guess that way, things could only get better.) I like the name the Ancient Britons gave it, “hyld-monath” which means very loud or strong. But back to Ancient Rome, where the month was filled with celebrations. one of which ended with a nine day fast, followed by a blood-letting by the priests of Cybele (a fertility goddess) and then two days of rest. Modern culture has replaced all that craziness with Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, etc.. I recently discovered that this is also National Optimism Month. OK then, I choose to be optimistic, to have faith that spring will arrive, and that the One who “holds me in the palm of His hand” has a firm grip even in the madness of March.

Apocalypse Now?

I suppose that in the land that gave us Hot Pockets it was just a matter of time before someone would come up with this gastronomic delight. Why not combine fast foods' artery clogging bacon cheeseburger with a Krispy Kreme donut? You will be able to bite into this culinary creation at the GMC Stadium in Sauget, Ill., home of the Gateway Grizzlies, a minor league baseball team. They are calling it Baseball's Best Burger. I guess they might have to change the words to Take Me Out To The Ball Game to "buy me some peanuts and this burger and I may never get back". The press release describes it this way;

"The burger...consists of a thick and juicy burger topped with sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon. The burger is then placed in between each side of a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut."

I will be planning a road trip this summer to experience baseball and this ballpark delicacy.

Chicken Joke

This was my laugh for a Monday morning. I found it on Chuck Sigars' blog.

A guy walks into a restaurant, sits down, examines the menu for a few minutes, then asks the waiter, "How do you prepare your chickens?"
"Well, usually, sir," the waiter replies, "we just tell them right off that they're all gonna die."

Honest and direct communication is best!

Celebrating 39 years of Marriage!

This Saturday will mark 39 years since Mary Linda Roberts and I began our marriage journey together. At that time a postage stamp cost just 5 cents and a gallon of regular gas was 33 cents. In 1967 the median household income was less than 8,000 dollars and you could buy a new home for about $25,000. LBJ was president and our cities were exploding with racial tension. The year Mary and I married both PBS and Rolling Stone were born. It was a great year for movies; The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In The Heat of the Night, and Cool Hand Luke (one of my all time favorites). Frank Sinatra and The Beatles were fighting it out on the airwaves with Frank's Strangers in the Night winning record of the year and the Beatles Michelle being honored for song of the year. Dr. Christiann N. Barnard and his team of South African surgeons performed the first successful human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky. Mr. Waskansky, a dentist, was 54 years old and he died 18 days later. The median life expectancy in 1967 was 70.5 years.
Thirty nine years has brought a lot of change in the world and, as evidenced by the photographs, in us. We have experienced the birth of 4 children and 4 grandchildren and the adoption of another child. We have been through the celebrations of the marriages and the pain of divorces with our sons and daughters. At age 30 I began an 8 year educational journey that culminated in the ordained ministry. We have experienced the deaths of three parents and one sibling. Almost four decades of laughter and tears, joys and sorrows, successes and failures. Over 250,000 meals, 13,235 days and nights, at least 25,000 kisses (minimum 2 per day), and over 2,000 arguments (about one per week).
So, what have I learned in these seasons of love totaling twenty million four hundred ninety seven thousand and four hundred minutes? I think the lessons of a good marriage can be best summed up by the words of Antione Saint-Exupert which appear on a scrap of paper that I recently took out of my wallet and taped on the bookcase in my study.

Love does not consist in gazing at each other

but in looking outward together in the same direction.With great joy and gratitude I celebrate with Mary thirty nine years of shared values.

A Real Superstar!

Sometimes in sports something happens that is truly a celebration of the human spirit. The story of Jason McElwain and his four minutes of super stardom is a shining example. If you haven't seen this video yet, enjoy. Click here. What I like most about it is the reaction of Jason's classmates.