Favorite Pic

I love this picture! The event was a first communion for these kids. They had done a great job in the service and were great during the serious pictures, so my friend Hagrid (that's what I call him. More about him in another post) let them have a goof-off shot. It's not the hijinx of the kids (though that is fun) or the fact that I look like I have an anchovy over my upper lip. No! No!

It's Pastor Mossman. The fact that he chose a look of consternation is as perfect as it is out of character. I just love it.

Pastor Mossman, in the years he served our church in A2, became a good friend. He was the first older man in my life to treat me as, basically, an equal. That meant a lot to me. He took on a very difficult task - pastoring a church which really was a bit of a mess at the time - and, through patience and wisdom, steered us to a much better place. The care he gave my family during Jon's illness was amazing. It was an honor to serve on his pastoral team.

I think I've seen him once or twice since we left A2. After his time at C&R, he started a well deserved retirement and moved away.

The kids are all grown up and saving China.

Oh, and that's Andrew on my arm.

Same as it ever was

Lately, I've really been enjoying The Talking Heads greatest hits CD. I tend to like their 'powerful' songs (surprise?) like 'Burning down the house', 'Life in Wartime' and 'Once in a Lifetime'.

"There's water at the bottom of the ocean."

Don't think they'll supplant Mahler anytime soon, but...

So, a week and a half ago, I put 'Burning down the house' on at high volume (sorry, Eric and Charlie). Next thing I know, Chris has gotten out his disco ball and...

Ain't nobody bad like you, Chris.

Speaking of same as it ever was, who is that scrounging under the table?

Operatic Bowz

Recently, Reeses has taken to 'singing' when I play certain music. Here, you can see him joining in with the tunes, in this case the fourth movement of Mahler's 3rd symphony. Of course, this is just another way he can annoy me. I know it is intentionally done for that purpose.

I'm particularly displeased about his doing so to the Mahler.

I'm into classical music. I greatly admire Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. I find Stravinsky and Shostakovich very stimulating. Brahms really strikes a chord with me (sorry) and certain requiems and the music of Arvo Part are significant aspects of my spirituality.

But, Mahler I adore. I could explain why, but doing so hasn't made anyone else like his music more (well, maybe Lisa a bit). It's a lonely adoration.

And, now I've got a @^%$*x& sing-a-long bowz! In the words of my bros: "Gee, dat's blessed". It's a good thing he doesn't carry on during the fifth movement which, for me, may be the most spiritually inspiring music ever created. The result wouldn't be pretty.

Why is it that all of my interests are so esoteric?

Imago Dei

I went to church at Imago Dei this morning. It means 'Image of God' (you probably knew that). It was very nice. They met in a high school auditorium and there were about 400 - 500 people, I'd guess. The service was low-key with good music and an excellent sermon. I can see why Don Miller likes the Pastor. He was direct, authentic, and without pretense. None of my highly tuned unhealthy religion alarms went off. They seem very intent on mission, which is good and they are clearly active in genuine outreach.

Based on what I experienced this morning, I could go there. I'm very glad I went.

Portland

I flew into Portland OR today. It is such a gorgeous place. It's a big city, but is too cool to feel oppressive. Sort of like Seattle or SF, in that regard. It is quite clean and, generally, has a good feel about it.

And the mountains...

Today, it is very bright and exceptionally lush. The upside of the rain they usually get, I guess.

The flights went great. I had really looked forward to a quiet weekend at home, but now that I'm here, I think I'll like it.

If it wasn't so far from A², I could so live here.

Chronological parallax

I love the wierd stuff that is being learned in the areas of physics and cosmology these days. For some reason, I find it exhilarating and strangely comforting that reality is so different from what we experience day-to-day.

It must be the post-modern in me.

So, I was reading 'The Fabric of the Cosmos' by Brian Greene (a great author, btw) and he was discussing a truely mind-boggling implication of relativity. I'll try to explain it.

Relativity tells us that time proceeds differently for objects in motion. So, someone who goes on a round trip to Alpha Centauri at 99% of the speed of light will age less than those who stay behind.

This is bizarre enough on its own, but the really wierd thing Brian was presenting was that a result of this relativity is that what I experience as 'now' at any given moment of time during the trip would be different for that traveler. Ok, well, I guess that follows. But a deeper implication is that the time discrepancy exhibits a sort of parallax depending on how far away the objects in motion are from each other. So, an object that is moving with respect to me and is far away from me will experience the discrepancy being amplified by the distance. Playing this out, our Alpha Centauri traveler would experience the discrepancies between his or her 'now' and ours as growing as he or she traveled away. And when he or she reached Alpha Centauri, it might be that he or she would, looking back at us, detect 'now' for us being quite a bit in the past, or even in the future depending on the direction of the motion. As in, we might not be born yet or we may have been dead for 100 years!

This parallax is made greater by the relative motion of the two objects and their distance and could conceivably cause one object to see the 'now' of the other object being any time in the past, present, or future of that other object.

This is so incredibly bizarre.

This means there is no universal, absolute 'now'.

It also means that the notion that 'now' is all that exists is false! What is past, present and future depends on the reference (with respect to position and motion) of the object experiencing the 'now'. 'Now' has no special meaning or status. All of time can be 'now' depending on relative motion and distance.

I can hardly get my mind around it. But it sure is fun trying.

Metaphor

A² is, of course, a metaphor. An allegory. Right now, in my life, it's a powerful one and one I'm actively cultivating.

We had a wonderful visit. I'm exhausted and will probably need a month of introversion to recover, but it was worth it. I did make it to Zingerman's (everyday and twice on Saturday) and brought back scones for next weekend.

Metaphors like this are good as long as the line between them and what they represent is maintained clearly. I've learned that lesson with heroes so painfully that I may never need to learn it again.

It seems that it is very important for me to learn that life in exile can be very blessed and I am to work at it becoming so. Not A² is also a metaphor (that's one reason why I'm not naming it - its name is beside the point, though perhaps that is offensive to those for whom it is home). It is full of glorious potentialities.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

Psycho Killer Qu'est qe c'est?

Here is a picture of Beth and Reeses, her dog. She forgets that he was given to her. Well, not at the intellectual level.

Reeses and I have an interesting relationship. I'm not wild about dogs and I'd rather not have one, but since I have to have one, Reeses is as good as they come. So, he always is trying to get on the good side of the alpha male and I'm always subjecting him to (very) low level ridicule. Some, especially dog lovers, think I'm fooling and that, deep down, I really love him, but they're wrong. That's probably a shame, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

It always annoys Beth when I get 'psychological' in our conversations. That means whenever I say anything even slightly intelligent that she doesn't want to hear. Just kidding.

Hence, the title.

Haven't been to Zingerman's yet today. "I ain't got time for that now."

Heroes

I think it is a good thing to have heroes. I'm not sure why, but I've been thinking about mine the last few days (9 hour trips give one time for such things).

If nothing else, having heroes keeps one from letting purposelessness and cynicism take over.

A while back I had no heroes. I realized this through a conversation with Vinny, a friend of my son Jon. We were talking about who we would choose to spend time with if we could as a make-a-wish (Jon was fighting cancer at the time). Vinny said he would choose the Dalai Lama. I couldn't come up with anyone, though I thought the Dalai Lama would be an excellent choice.

Since then, I've identified a few heroes for myself.

The first one is Jon, my son. Jon died of his cancer soon after that talk with Vinny. He fought the cancer and accepted his death with courage, concern for others and a lack of complaining or self-pity. This would be admirable at any age, but at the age of 14...

I gained another hero through the experience of Jon's illness. Jim Williams was Jon's Oncologist at the University of Michigan hospital. Anyone who works oncology, especially pediatric oncology, has my lasting respect and admiration. What elevated Jim to the status of a hero for me was the extent that he allowed his heart to remain open to the children he cared for. When Jon died, Jim grieved like he had lost a son. I can't imagine going through that so often and choosing to stick with it. I'm glad people do.

Paul Farmer is a hero of mine that can become yours as well. I only know Paul Farmer through reading 'Mountains Beyond Mountains'. Paul shows that one person can make a huge difference in the world. Read the book. Allow yourself to consider that you, too, could live like that.

Lastly, at least for now, there is my wife Lisa. Lisa loves me. That alone is enough to prove hero status. But, more significantly (perhaps), I continue to grow in my admiration for the tenacity with which Lisa allows the hardships we've experienced to mold her into a better person.

If you have no personal hero, I recommend seeking some out. I'm so glad for mine.