Vacation Time

I can't wait for Friday, not just because it's Friday but because la familia y yo are going to California. We're spending time in SF and then Monterey and then Yosemite. It's our first "big" vacation. We've been waiting for our youngest to (a) get big enough to walk at least an hour without much complaining and (b) be able to remember what she saw. Our daughter is so excited she's already packed.

I plan on taking a mix of faux black & white, and color photos. I'm worried about the color photos turning out. For some reason I don't focus the lense so well with color film. I'm also worried about driving in SF, luckily it's very limited driving.

My wife's parents are going to watch the house, the dog, and the hermit crabs for us; I hope PaPa doesn't spoil the dog too much. I wonder if Nannie will make PaPa take care of the hermit crabs...hmmm.

I can't wait; I'm so excited about this trip, I lived in Monterey for a short time many moons ago and getting to share a place that was special for me is a real treat.

Love Your Enemies

An excerpt from “A Knock At Midnight” from Martin Luther King’s sermon “Loving Your Enemies”

It’s not only necessary to know how to go about loving your enemies, but also to go down into the question of why we should love our enemies. I think the first reason that we should love our enemies, and I think this was at the very center of Jesus’ thinking, is this: that hate for hate only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. If I hit you and you hit me and I hit you back and you hit me back and go on, you see, that goes on ad infinitum. It just never ends. Somewhere somebody must have a little sense, and that’s the strong person. The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of evil. And that is the tragedy of hate, that it doesn’t cut it off. It only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. Somebody must have religion enough and morality enough to cut it off and inject within the very structure of the universe that strong and powerful element of love.
…
Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you. Here’s the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don’t do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with bitterness because they’re mad because you love them like that. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.

I share these words of wisdom mostly as a reminder to myself. I copy them out here to engrave the message into my being. I copy them out as a reminder of how Jesus’ words and actions are able to transform all our lives. We live in a global world at odds with itself; Torn between the love of universal brotherhood and the love of power.

I end with two of the promises I made and reaffirm at every baptism from the “Book of Common Prayer:”
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
I will, with God’s help.
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
I will, with God’s help.

A Prayer

This prayer comes from Rueben Job's book, "A Guide to Spiritual Discernment." I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking not only to discern God's will for themselves, but to anyone who wants to build a closer relationship with God.

This is week four's closing prayer:
Living and present God, we thank you and praise you for your presence with us
in all of the experiences of life. We seek your guidance in every decision of life,
and even as we ask for your help, we offer our lives to you anew and ask you to do
with us what you will. Our promise to you today is to follow wherever you may lead us. We are yours. Amen.

Serenity Prayer

Saw this on my friend's blog and thought I'd like to post it here as a reminder to myself:

Serenity Prayer
God,
Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.

Amen.
–Reinhold Niebuhr

Poem

Run swift run quick
So light of foot no echos left
What chases you chases me
The exhilaration of "tag you're it"