Thursday, September 27, 2007

Fall

What I love about Fall:

The cool, crisp air.
My breath before me.
The ground covered in dew.
My car's rear window defroster.
Shorts and a long sleeve shirt.
Leaves beginning to change color.
A gentle breeze.
The smell of autumn.
A bonfire and a good cigar.
Poker night.
The baseball playoffs.
The first fire of the season in my fireplace, and a good book.
The North Shore.
Trick or treaters.
Turkey.

What makes you come alive this time of year?

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Love God, Love Others

"Strange is our situation here upon Earth. However, there's one thing that we do know. That man is here for the sake of other men. Above all, for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends. And also for the countless unknown souls with whoms fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. "

Albert Einstein

9/11

Last night, sitting around a fire, enjoying good conversation, good coffee, and a good cigar, Eric, Lisa, and I found ourselves discussing where we were 6 years ago when we heard the news of the attacks. I remember being at work (HGA architects in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis) and hearing of the news from a co-worker who had just heard about it on their radio. The next thing I remember is a group of us huddling around someones small black and white TV at their cubicle, straining to hear the news reports and to see the footage. The next vivid memory I have is seeing the second tower being hit. The rest of that day is a blur, with vague memories of driving home and watching the news unfold on TV for hours on end, into the next day as well. The rest of the story, as they say, is history. The U.S. has been embroiled in the "war on terror" ever since, losing many brave lives of our soldiers, in addition to those we lost during the attacks.

Where were you on that fateful day? What memories do you have? What memories are you still trying to forget? Has the war affected your life and/or family? Did you draw closer to God, or move farther away from Him?

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Being Green

"God's beautiful earth will not be saved by words or good intentions. It will be saved by humble, anonymous acts like turning off the lights, hanging clothing on the line, bicycling to work, and planting trees. People who are grateful for God's abundant gifts, people of faith who are not afraid to be held accountable for care of his creation, will save it."

J. Matthew Sleeth, "Serve God, Save the Planet"

I'm sorry Kermit, but it is easy being green! There are many simple, effective things that we can do to save the earth, what are you doing?

Monday, September 3, 2007

Memories

Today I took a walk down memory lane. This morning I hopped in the Jetta and went for a drive. I found myself in the neighborhood that I grew up in, Seward, in south Minneapolis. First, I drove by the house that I spent my first 20+ years in. The latest owner has done a really nice job of painting the house, and has done some beautiful landscaping with rocks, small trees, and many, many flowers - my Mom would have enjoyed the new yard. But, my brother, his friends, and I would not have been able to play football ("smear the queer") in the yard any longer! Most of the other houses that I remembered from my youth had also gone through a significant face-lift, and the yards all seemed a little bit smaller to me than I remembered them. Also, the trees seemed a lot bigger than when I saw them last, because the block now seemed very tiny, and was dwarfed by many tall, lush tress. I began to wonder about each house, and if the neighbors I once knew still lived there or not.

Next, I drove about 12 blocks away to my elementary school, Seward, and the parkboard that shared the same block, Matthews Park. The moment I parked the car and got out to walk around the park, memories came flooding back to me. The playgrounds have changed a bit, with newer swings and slides, and they've added some grassy areas where once only hot blacktop stood. But, I could still remember running around that playground each day for recess, or when we were finally able to go outside for gym class each Spring. The outdoor pool was still there as well! They have added a nicer iron fence around it, but the whale in the middle of the pool was still spouting a steady stream of water out of his blow hole - good to see some things stay the same! I can remember countless summers spent in that pool, running underneath the stream of water, and even sitting on that poor, old, tired whale. I was surprised to find that the smell of the pool water was a familiar smell from my youth, along with the sound of the stream of water slapping on the pool's surface.

I then found myself wandering over to the basketball courts and the tennis courts. I never did get a chance to play hoops there, because there was always a game or two being played by the older kids, and they never let any of us join them. The nets looked rather short, and I could now touch the rim without a problem - where was a ball when I needed one?! I spent a few summers on that tennis court too, taking lessons from the parkboard, and I got to be a pretty good player for a 10-year old.

The next thing that caught my eye was the sledding hill. What a great time we spent on that hill, sliding down it at breakneck speeds, and then having to walk back up the side of it to get back to the top. The walk up this time wasn't too bad, and there still was a pretty good view from the top. That's when I spied the baseball diamonds. I hadn't stepped foot on them in over 20 years. They are still in as rough a shape as they were back then! I walked to the mound on Field #3, and was instantly brought back to my little league days. This was the mound that I stood on many summers ago, throwing countless hours of batting practice, and eventually giving myself a very sore elbow. I used to have to soak it in ice water after each practice, and I could still remember how cold it felt at first, and then how numb it became shortly thereafter. Standing there in my flip-flops, I went through the motions of throwing a few pitches - I felt oddly enough at ease, like I never left that place. I hope no one was watching me, and wondering what that idiot was doing!

After taking in as much as my brain could handle, I got back into the car and continued my drive. I found a very nice cafe that was in a building that once housed a grocery store that was close by my school. The cafe is called the Clicquot Club Cafe (www.clicquotclubcafe.com), named after the mural that was painted on the side of the building many, many years before. The store that used to be there only let a few people in it at a time, but was now full of happy, talkative diners. I ordered my sandwich and iced tea and sat outside in the area known as "the garden" - a handful of adirondack chairs surrounding a small pond and waterfall, with many plants and trees. It was a great place to sit and reflect on my day.

Even though many things have changed in my old neighborhood, and many people have come and gone, it still felt nice to be able to walk back into my past, and to relive countless memories that had been stored away in the depths of my mind. Thank you God for a nice time spent in thought and memories this morning.