We neither
feel nor hear
the wind;
we remain
dry afar
from rain;
we safely
sit and wait
on board
as the storm
its fury
expends
on New York
where journey
will end.
8 September 2012
Midway Gate B-3
Southwest 1945
Held at Midway
Unspoken
The words still hang unspoken,
yet as silent they remain,
they form anew, regrouping to
press again for enunciation.
He feels, he knows he ought to speak;
he knows, he feels, he does not dare.
Haunting, tempting, the words arise
until he forces his thoughts elsewhere.
3 September 2012
LaGuardia
Purple flowers, Ghost Ranch 6
Ghost Ranch
Abiquiu, New Mexico
29 July 2009
Back to the ranch
delicate petals of purple
in various stages of growth.
See you along the Trail.
Filed under Ghost Ranch Views, Photo
Doesn’t that hurt?
I have seen ducks do this.
Again and again.
And I do not understand.
It’s like an Exorcist thing.
Well, maybe it’s a duck physiology thing.
In any case, it amazes me.
1 September 2012
Central Park, New York
Why I like New York 11 – music in Central Park
I spent much of the afternoon in Central Park.
Music filled the air,
particularly on the Mall.
Soul-filled,
spirit renewing tunes.
These guys were my favorite.
1 September 2012
Central Park, New York
Understanding
Sometimes understanding comes from painful experience.
Sometimes understanding comes after hard work and significant reflection.
Sometimes understanding eludes me.
Sometimes I fail to have even a glimmer of what it is I want to understand.
But sometimes … sometimes … understanding comes in a surprising flash of insight that almost carries a physical impact.
I have started an effort at self-care. Again. I have lost track years ago of how many times I have been down this path.
It involves a change in my food choices, a reduction in the amount I consume, and an increase in activity. This marks the third day. I did not walk as much as I want because of allergy issues, but other than that, all has gone well … until about an hour or so ago.
Cravings for chocolate and chips and crackers and cookies and all sorts of other junk food filled my head. I exchanged some text messages with a friend and that helped. I stayed home and did not wander over to the all too convenient convenience store to buy enough junk food to put the owner’s children through college. Still I felt hungry. To be more precise, I felt that I felt hungry.
Before I could leave, understanding came upon me in an instant.
I had the Steelers game on my computer; I had the BYU – Washington State game on the television.
Football.
When I watch football or when I listen to football or when I do both at the same time, I eat. I eat not because I am hungry but because eating is what I do when following football. All those parties and gatherings through the years have taught me that when the game is on, so is the feed bag.
Tonight that insight has helped me refrain from mindless overeating. Hopefully that insight will serve me will throughout this year’s football season.
See you along the Trail.
In person once again
Plans for a fall trip to New Mexico and Ghost Ranch fell apart yesterday as I realized I had failed to read my calendar properly. I am deeply disappointed that things have gone awry. This will be the first year in a while that I have not made such a trip. I had already begun to pencil in an itinerary that included attending a Menaul School football game. After spending a few days in Colorado, I realized anew how much that part of the country feeds my spirit and nurtures my soul. But this year, it is not to be.
Disappointed as I am, I recognize that this “problem” fails to amount to a hill of beans in this broken and battered world. After a primal scream of sorts, where I acknowledged my privilege, I have begun making plans – plans for what I will do in the New York city area during those days – and plans to increase the likelihood that next year, I will view this in person once again:
Assuming I have read my calendar correctly this time and assuming I can make the plans come together, my alternatives for the fall should result in a fairly significant, in the extremely privileged, not amounting to a hill of beans sense of significance, announcement late in October or early in November.
See you along the Trail.
Filed under Ghost Ranch Views, Travel
Purple flowers, Honolulu Zoo
Honolulu Zoo
29 October 2006
No time machine here,
simply found the time to sort
through folders where additional pictures
were discovered.
While visiting Eric,
during the days he attended
Hawai’i Pacific University,
when he went to class,
I took the opportunity to visit the zoo.
See you along the Trail
Twice blessed
I give thanks for those who pray for the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations and for me. Each of the past two days included an event that reminded me of the power of those prayers.
Second blessing
Today, 26 August, I attended worship at Wellshire Presbyterian Church in Denver. I had the opportunity to speak briefly about the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations during the worship service. A potluck followed worship. There I spoke directly to a number of the members. Before either of those events took place, the Rev. Dr. Pattie Kitchen led the congregation in the pastoral prayer for the morning. She prayed for me – by name – and for the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.
First blessing
On 23 – 25 August, I took part in the Malawi Mission Network meeting. Again I had the opportunity to speak to the whole network and to have many wonderful conversations with individuals or small groups. I reconnected with some friends that I have known, including Mark and Lin Plumb from my college days. I made many new friends, including Mary Mphande, Helen Zimba, and Mercy Nyirenda who helped me don the chitenge that I won as a door prize.
Saturday evening, we gathered in the outside amphitheater at the Highlands Presbyterian Camp & Retreat Center. Our partners from Malawi, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Mission Co-workers serving in Malawi, and staff members serving with the Presbyterian Mission Agency sat in the front rows. As a campfire flickered before us, network members stood around us, laid hands on us, and prayed for us.
Each experience moved me deeply, providing touching reminders of the power of prayer and the grace of community. Twice blessed, I give thanks and will remember these moments in the days to come.
See you along the Trail.
My new friend Kathy Bernard took the photo of the group for whom the Malawi Mission Network prayed.
View from Highlands
Bob Ellis took us outside for his presentation at the
Highlands Presbyterian Camp & Retreat Center.
Not a bad view.
For some reason, Bob didn’t appear in my picture.
See you along the Trail.
Filed under Photo, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
