My Faith, My Family, and then there's Birding
I didn’t do anything to earn this 365-day experience of healing and recovery. I didn’t pray rightly enough, live rightly enough, or think rightly enough to make it happen. I just accept it as a mysterious gift from Almighty God, and promise to do my best to make the most of it–out of my gratefulness.
My younger brother is a best friend. We can discuss different viewpoints and values without jeopardizing the love and appreciation we have for each other. It wasn’t always like that, especially when we were teens and our sense of competition with each other was at its highest. He was becoming larger and stronger than I, and I felt a compelling need to try regularly to subdue him in a wrestling, punching, or verbal match. Our fights were almost always about insignificant things, like which radio station would we listen to in the car, or who would drive. The need to Read More
My life began in Kansas, though I’ve only lived there the first 3 years of my life. I enjoy visiting, and love the various landscapes and sceneries. The contrast of the farmed prairies and the extensive marsh areas attract some very interesting birds and wildlife. I always make the 45-minute drive to Quivera National Wildlife Refuge when we are visiting the Hutchinson area. We were there in early August, and I saw more than 50 species of birds in one visit to the Refuge.
What if new information ends up denying what I hope is true? If I am wrong, would I really want to know it?
About 40 years ago I was sitting in a courtroom, complete with a real judge, real prosecuting attorneys, and real defense attorneys. But it wasn’t in a courtroom. It was a school classroom in a remote First Nation. The room had been commandeered for the day and officially transformed into a legal court of law. The proceedings were fascinating: partly because I was not a participant in any way, and mostly for the fact that I was friends with all the individuals facing the judge. The court personnel were all Caucasians from a city. All of the various accused were Read More
It seems to me that all of human responsibility relates to bringing order from what is, or could be, chaos.
My mother had a lot to think about. She felt responsible to care for a large family, with the prospect of many more offspring to come. Her experiences in the Great Depression likely contributed to her concerns about having enough of life’s basic needs. To add to Mom’s anxieties, a common theme in the ’60s was the threat of frightening and global changes to our existence. The church and the news media both promoted a fascination with the end of the world as we knew it. When I was a child, I remember Mom’s musings about saving things–even considering saving worn-out shoes in case Read More
I remember numerous Christmas experiences from childhood, and I’m very fortunate that they are happy memories, for the most part. I grew up in a very large family where relationships and togetherness made the Christmas season feel like a happy occasion. I’m not making that up. My parents didn’t put a high value on buying gifts. Maybe that’s because shopping for 15 children would be a daunting project. By the time I came along, there were already in-laws and grandkids added to the family. Gifts were limited, and gifts were small. What seems remarkable is that while we eagerly anticipated Read More
I want to be near birds. I love to observe them, to pursue them for learning about them, and to identify them. I love the challenge of getting near enough to get a good photo. I feed birds, so that they come closer. I learn to recognize their language so I can persuade them to come closer. I don’t like it that birds are so flighty. Sometimes the smallest movement causes a whole group to swirl into the air and leave the area. Just when I think I’m quietly getting near, the bird I’m pursuing takes off for another part of Read More
It was a wake-up, for sure. I suddenly became aware that I was looking out at the receding highway through the back windows of an ambulance. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised; but I didn’t know how I got there. So I asked. I got a short explanation. For the next hours in the hospital emergency and critical care unit, awareness was still an illusive and elusive thing. I thought I was aware. Then I realized I hadn’t been. Then I thought I had a grip on it. Then I realized it had escaped me again. I have never been as aware Read More