Positive

Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes. Optimism is the expectation that things — the weather, human relationships, the economy, the political situation, and so on — will get better. Hope is the trust that God will fulfill God’s promises to us in a way that leads us to true freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future. The person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands.

All the great spiritual leaders in history were people of hope. Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Mary, Jesus, Rumi, Gandhi, and Dorothy Day all lived with a promise in their hearts that guided them toward the future without the need to know exactly what it would look like.

–Henri J M Nouwen, Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith (HarperCollins, 2006), 16.

Gone Fishing

I caught and released this Rock Bass in Egg Harbor this morning. The big mouth Bass broke my line and got away. No joke!

Smart Machine

There’s a wonderful old story about a group of military leaders who commissioned the building of a supercomputer to solve any military problem, large or small, strategic or tactical. When it was finished, the top brass assembled in front of the new machine for a demonstration.

The engineer conducting the demonstration instructed the generals to feed a difficult tactical problem into it. The military leaders proceeded to describe a hypothetical battlefield scenario to the computer and then asked the pivotal question: Attack or retreat?

This enormous supercomputer hummed away for an hour or so and then printed out its one-word answer: YES.

The generals looked at one another, baffled by this Zen koan of an answer. Finally one of them submitted a follow-up question: YES, WHAT?

Instantly, the computer responded: YES, SIR.

Smart machine.

Abracadabra

“Talk is cheap,” they say, but there’s a small family of words that purports to actually do something. They’re known as incantational words, and the best example is the word “abracadabra.”

Today, of course, we know it as the classic “magic word” uttered by magicians, just before pulling the proverbial rabbit out of the proverbial top hat. The idea is that the word initiates a charm or spell.

Abracadabra is, as it happens, a very old word indeed. Its earliest appearance is in a Roman medical text from the second century. In the centuries that followed, it was frequently written on amulets people wore around their necks in an effort to ward off disease.

It’s thought to have its origin in the Aramaic tongue, in which it literally means “I have created through my speech.”

In that respect, it sounds positively Godlike.

“The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.” Psalm 29:4

Can You See Me?

A man left work one Friday afternoon. But instead of going home, he stayed out the entire weekend fishing with the boys and spending his entire paycheck.

When he finally appeared at home Sunday night, he was confronted by his very angry wife and was barraged for nearly 2 hours with a tirade of his actions.

Finally his wife stopped the nagging and simply said to him “How would you like it if you didn’t see me for 2 or 3 days?” To which he replied, “That would be fine with me!

Monday went by and he didn’t see his wife. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went with the same results.

On Thursday, the swelling went down just enough where he could see her a little out of the corner of his left eye.

Storm Running

We packed up and said goodbye
to a trailerhood friend
when twenty minutes later the radio broke from music
to hear the automated voice say
he was under the thunderstorm and hail warning.
I called him on my cell phone while driving and
heard the rain and thunder through his voice
as the rear view mirror of my Buick showed dark gray.
The radio played music again and we hoped he enjoyed
his T-bone grilled up under his awning on his deck.
We drove on dodging tire splash from the cars
in front of us listening to music
and weather service warnings.
 

Outback

Cool today. A bit cloudy. Scattered drizzle. Not too bad to keep anyone inside. For the most part a good Holiday.

Open the Door

We have enjoyed our “retreat” as we explore the Door. There are still many things to see and do up here.

Song for Pentecost Sunday

Cool Weathervane

I would like one of these!