Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

I watched the whole thing - it's a bit over an hour long.



A friend sent me this link...I have great friends.

For Murat - I Found Love

Busy Weekend Ahead

We've quite the weekend ahead.

Saturday is the annual summer "Rumble" for the neighborhood I live in. Then later in the day is Evensong and I'm ushering for the first time.

Sunday is early church for me, help with altar guild, then later in the day a bowling birthday party for the kids; plus a potluck dinner with fellow 'down the blockers' at one of our nieghbor's house.

I'm pretty excited about all the visiting and getting to know one another.

I'm slowly giving to God my worries and letting him keep them...I realized what some of my lessons are right before I feel asleep but, chuckle, it's fuzzier now...something like even in suffering there is beauty...the other lesson is about recognizing wants vs needs. Though finding a second job so we can pay for healthcare is definitely a need and not a want.

My wife was catching up with one of her friends, and she summed it up best - when I'm not worrying about money, I really like it here.

I told my wife I'm willing to struggle and work two jobs during this time of waiting to be able to start the process, and then go through the process - but if after two years and the call isn't affirmed, and we're still struggling, then I don't think we'll stay here. Not because we don't like the space, but because I'll have so little time with my family.

And there in a nutshell is the sum of my worries - the only other thing on my mind of late is that back in Tejas I was the 'chatty one', the one people approached, but here it's my wife who's approached and chatty.

Anyways, hope y'all are having good weeks.

p.s. I highly recommend "The Invention of Hugo Cabret". It's an amazing childrens' book, which I read from start to finish last night (all 550 pages of it).

Voices of Witness: Africa

There's an excellent video at this link: http://www.integrityusa.org/lambeth2008/index.html
entitled, "Voices of Witness: Africa"

Poem

If I knew which way you were headed would I still follow?
Would that I should have preferred the mystery

Not that much has been relieved, well of you that is
What I’ve seen so far, ah memories long past slumbering no more

If I knew which way you were headed would I still follow?
Would that I should have preferred the mystery

Ah but that too is not so true, I’m impatient with these struggles and would have preferred to skip the lessons

Gene Robinson's Blog About Lambeth

I stumbled upon this link on another persons' blog: http://www.canterburytalesfromthefringe.blogspot.com/

It's worth reading.

Pics from around town and Pride

Some pics from around town and two pictures from Pride. It was a small parade, but hey at least they had one.

Home Haircut Results...

...well, a bit shorter than I would like, so the wife is going to get a couple of clippers 2 or 3 sizes bigger. I had her cracking up when toward the end I said I felt like a big hairy man. I had my eyes closed and all I could feel was all this hair coating my arms and neck.

So here's the results...

untitled

please take this brick from my chest, pinned
please wipe away these tears from my eyes, sorrow
please

Some breathes of fresh air

The Church of England voted and affirmed that women may be bishops: here's a link to a blog with a summary of events: http://telling-secrets.blogspot.com/2008/07/cofe-synod-motion.html.

The Prebyterian church has lifted its ban on lesbain and gay ordinations, for an article about this, here's a link: http://newchurchrevolution.googlepages.com/news#Delete%20B.

I hope that this wave of inclusion has enough energy behind it to bring positive changes to Lambeth and the General Convention.

I think I lost my feet a mile ago

It's been a good weeknd so far. Thursday was a rough day all-round, but life goes on. The wife's bike was stolen from our backyard - our fault in some ways; it hadn't been chained up. While reading stories to the kids we think we saw who may have taken the her bike because the 10-12 year old walked into our backyard and proceeded to look under the tarp (we keep the bikes covered) at which point the wife went back there to ask him what he was doing. To which he grunted nerviously and walked away. I would have followed but I was in jammies and had been napping lightly so was abit disoriented. Later, the wife and daughter went to Battery Park to watch the fire wokrs that night - we don't know why they don't have the fire works on the 4th. While son and I stayed home because he got hisself grounded.

Friday we went to a state park about 20 minutes away and had a blast navigating the twisting rocky, rooty, and many a stair pathways with a brief stop by the beach with the dogs. A good time was had by all.

We started today off with a walk in the wrong direction to a local bike shop - about 30 minute walk - at least it was nice out. After lunch we walked to the waterfront cause we told the daughter and son they could swim, but when we saw were they took us - we were both like eewww, no way. So we walked the bike path to a relatively nearby beach, and had a good time in the water. The walk back was exhausting - it took us 40 minutes to get home, but at least we were hot :-) Though I think everyone's necks are now sunburnt.

Tomorrow is church and I think lounging; we may try to go the right direction to the local bike shop.

All told we probably walked 12 miles so far this weekend.