A Faded Flag

One day I stopped by my grandfather's home to see how he was doing. He was sitting on his front porch, hiding from the midday sun. I noticed that he had something folded over his lap--it was an old American flag. The flag was badly worn: the red of the flag was pink, the blue was so badly faded that the stars hardly stood out, and the edges were torn to treads. When I saw the flags condition I asked him, "Papa, why don't you just buy a new one?" He responded, "Well, I guess there's no need to buy a new one when I can just fix this one. I've had this one for about a year...they certainly don't make them like they used to." As I watched my grandfather slowly sew the rips I realized that I probably would have just tossed the flag in the trash and picked up a new one. Yet, I think that Papa's response was better. He was taking time and giving the flag another chance. If I ever find myself in a similar situation--working with something that is torn, faded and ready to be discarded--hopefully I'll think about Papa sitting on the porch with his needle and tread. Maybe I won't be so quick to discard the old for the new.

A Long Pause

I am well aware that there has been an unusually long pause since my last blog entry. Although I've had plenty of blog post ideas, I haven't found the time or motivation to put my thoughts out onto the world-wide web. Nevertheless, I decided to break the silence tonight. I'm certainly not making any promises that I'll begin blogging at full force, but for the two people who still come here every once in a while, I'll try to say something every now and then.

"Thank you for fingers"

At bedtime tonight, Alora prayed the following words:

"Father, thank you for fingers so that I can pick my nose and wipe them on my shirt."

The Spark Now Flames

The spark now flames brightly,
Lighting our hands--held tightly.
The whisper erupts with calling,
Encouraging those who are falling:

“Awake, O sleeper! Awake!
For the Light is shining, and we are alive.”

End of the Semester

Well, I'm finishing up my first year of seminary. I have to turn in one more paper and take a couple of exams...then, I'll be finished for a while. Since the summer is going to be so packed (with a new baby, vacation, youth trips, family visits), I'm not taking any classes until the fall semester.