what topic to write about

It is Tuesday night and I am watching election returns.  By the time you read this, we may have a new president.  Or maybe we won't know who won for several days.

So I am sitting here watching returns, wondering what I should write about for tomorrow morning.  I am going to post it here about 8pm and you will read it in the morning.

What should I write?  Something religious or spiritual?  Gratitude?  Something humorous?  Something benign?  Share something that someone else wrote?

And then I say, I will write this... I will tell this.

Tomorrow night I am meeting friends for dinner.  I am really looking forward to it.  They are some great  folks that I don't get to see very often.

Election worries?  No.  Just looking forward to seeing my friends.

I hope that you have friends, and I hope that you appreciate them.  I would rather have friends and lose an election than have my candidate win and have no friends.

Friends are amazing.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Election Day

Today, Americans will choose a new president.  I hope you vote.  I voted last week in the early voting process.

Tomorrow night when the election is over, some will be happy and  some will be sad or even angry.  I just want to remind everyone that Christians are first and foremost, people of love.  They are not Trump fans first or Harris fans first... Christians are fans of Jesus and follow in his ways of love.

I have voted in 12 or 13 presidential elections.  Some of the people I voted for won.  Some of them lost.  Something that I have noticed over the years is that presidents that I was for and the ones that I voted against, all did a smattering of things.  Both did some good and some things that I wish they had not.

At any rate, I have survived all of these presidents over the years, and so will you.  On Wednesday, the important parts of your life will still be there.  You will still have kids, you will still have your favorite music, you will still own a house and you will still have friends.

Presidents come and go.  Life goes on.  Love goes on.  Don't ever forget that for followers of Jesus, love must always come first.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

read the signs

This picture is from the Melbourne Florida airport. I’ve been to this airport many times. I’ve used these restrooms many times and I was sure that as I approached them from the far side, the men’s was the first one and the women’s was the second.

You can see from the picture that I had them backwards.

Uh Oh... I wandered in without even looking and met a polite young lady who was on the way out.  I saw her and I said oh my gosh, I am so sorry.

If you don't see urinals in the bathroom, that is a sign that you are not in the men's room. If you run into ladies in your bathroom, you may also be in the wrong location.

Paying attention is an important function in this life. Reading the signs can keep one out of embarrassing moments.

It's a Beautiful day in God's world be sure to read the signs!!!

why we are here

I met a man the other day.  We visited for 30 minutes.  He told me that since he retired from his job, he did not understand his purpose.

I told him what I tell people all the time... we are not here on this earth to be doctors, nurses, teachers, policemen, etc.  We are here to be kind to each other... we are here to be good to each other.

A few weeks back, my friend Bruce sent me this...

Once we realize that we are here to be kind, every moment makes sense.  It also makes us happy to be good to others.

Each day, may we remember why we are here on this earth.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

living simply

I fell for it.  

I saw an advertisement from living simply.com.  I thought that it would be great to join up and get their living simply tips.

I now get emails daily or more.  Sometimes there are good ideas in them, but usually it is all a big advertisement ploy.  They redirect you to some other site and then you have to read 8 ads to get on idea about living simply.

I just don't have time for it.  And it is disappointing.  I wish that someone could just put some information out there without having to try to sell you something all the time.

So what is the point of this blog post?  I guess that we should all strive to be genuine humans and stay away from the bait and switch.

It's a beautiful, ad free day @ can you hear the birds sing. com be sure to see the good.

Nov 1 - All Saints Day

Today, November 1st is All Saints Day. It is traditionally a day when Christians remember those loved ones who have gone before us.
On the night before, All hallows eve [Halloween] [yesterday] worshippers would have a party and remember the dead. On November 1st, there were special church services.


Today is a day to remember those we love who have gone on before.

Today, among many other things, I will think of my Parents. They were not perfect. They were children of the depression. They had a hard life. They wasted nothing. They did not tolerate anything that smelled like disrespect. Boundaries were kept very firm between a parent and a child. Questions were frowned upon.

But, they loved us, they cared for us, they fed us and they protected us. They got us through college and they survived our craziness. [we were children of the 60's and 70's]

They gave me a chance at life. I know that they loved us and if they had the chance today, they would tell us that they are proud of us.

I hope that you have parents or mentors that helped launch you. Although not perfect, where would we be today without them?

While I grieve the loss of family and friends, I savor their lives and I am thankful for them.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.

Halloween

Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate Halloween?

They don't like it when random people knock on their front door.

So I haven't told this story for a while.

my mummy took this picture in our front yard.
Halloween 1972.

I was 14 and my mom dressed me up as a mummy for a Halloween party. This is the picture and I still remember her taking it!

There were several hundred kids at the party at the local Christian church.
I won a prize for the best costume and I danced to the long version of In-a-godda-da-vida all 17 minutes of it!  I don't remember the girl's name.

For the many times that I have questioned my childhood and discussed it's dysfunction, this was one memory that was a very good one.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Mission statement found in Ireland

I picked up a flyer at one of the Catholic churches that we visited in Ireland.

The flyer had a missions statement on it.

"Our faith is the good news that Jesus Christ is the God of love.  Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ accompanies us both in this life and in the life to come.  To live and to share that good news is our mission."

I love that.  It is not about fixing people or changing them.

God is love.  God is with us.  Let people know that however you can.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Mission statements

Most churches have mission statements.  The United Methodist Church's mission statement is "Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."

I used to like it.  These days, not so much.

Here is why... I find the word "making" to be confrontational.  We don't make people do anything.  Surely Jesus didn't force anyone to do anything.

Churches for centuries have gone to far away lands to "convert" the heathen.  The church largely ignored and demonized the native religions.  We taught people to talk like us and dress like us.  It was a form of colonization.

In the 1920's churches went into rural Nicaragua and built churches.  But they did nothing to help the people who were starving.  Is this the kind of outreach that God hopes for?

In my old age I have come to believe that it is not my job to convert people.  God can do that with out me.  It is my job however, to love people.

And I believe that when we get good at loving people, they will be drawn to our spirits, to our way of life and to our God.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Trip reflection

Looking back on the Ireland trip I have a few reflections...

First of all, it was wonderful to see the beautiful and historic places.  Secondly, I so enjoyed the people that travelled with me.  We also met some new friends on the bus from the other group.  So people wise, it was fantastic.

The guide was great and overall I give the trip a 10.

Those who were injured on the trip have recovered and I hope they will join me again next year.

I am working on a trip to Italy for next year, October or early November.  Let me know if you are interested.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Irish saying

I was talking to one of the porters in Ireland.  We were chatting about life and kindness.  He told me that his grandfather shared with him this old Irish saying...

"everyone's shoulders are broad enough to carry manners."

I love that.  Kindness is not out of anyone's reach.  Having manners and being kind is a simple choice that any of us can make.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Ireland Day 7

 Today we visited 2 awesome castles.  One was the Blarney Castle where many in our group made the climb to kiss the blarney stone.  Both castles are in fantastic condition.

we saw lots of swans in Ireland!

protrusions above the castle door where hot oil
and other nasty substances were poured onto enemies.

Best preserved castle in Ireland

view from the top of Blarney castle

Blarney castle stairway.  Ugg I had terrible
fear of heights, but I made it to the top
to kiss the stone!

Blarney Castle

One of the joys of visiting foreign lands is appreciating the amazing things that you see.  May we also get better at seeing and appreciating the things right here at home.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Ireland day 6

Today we drove the ring of Kerry.  It is a famous scenic drive in western Ireland.

beautiful scenic views

circle fort, bottom right.

cliffs of Kerry

stopped at a church.
they had the stations of the cross on display.

probably going to go down as one
of my favorite pictures from the trip

Unfortunately while we were visiting the cliffs of Kerry, a very large wind came up and literally blew three of our travelers off of their feet.  One landed on her knees and was ok.  One fell face first.  Her nose is broken and her hand is injured.  One fell and hit her head.  She was knocked out.  

Long story short... we fixed her up and cleaned her up.  While the bus when on to lunch,  a few of us took her to the doctor.  The doc checked her out and we met the bus and were on our way.  Later that night, the bleeding started again and we had to take her to urgent care where they got the bleeding to stop.  Then later to the hospital.

I am glad to tell you that she is now ok and seeming back to normal.

Oh, my how life can change in a short moment.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

We also saw the cliffs of Kerry.  The cliffs of Moher were closed due to weather.

Ireland Day 5

We continue to see amazing sites.

Sometimes words cannot describe what you are feeling and seeing.

It was cold.  Gina Harris loaned me a scarf.

Visited a castle from the 1600's 
bedroom furniture from that time.

view from the castle down onto the plains
below.  Lots of sheep grazing.

Store in Irish town nearby.

Embry and Heck Methodist Church.
John Wesley Preached in this building.

tallest round tower in Ireland.

So it is odd to write a blog with words.  Sometimes words cannot capture what you are thinking and feeling.  We learn so much on these trips.

I thank God for the opportunity to go.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Ireland Day 4

We are enjoying the country and the guide.  We are learning a lot.  The people are friendly and the music is fantastic!

lots of sheep in Ireland.
It is very green.  It is called the Emerald Isle
because it is so green.  And it is so green because
as they say, they have two weather forecasts:
rain and it's going to rain.

lots of rain = lots of rainbows.

Shannon Bridge built 1757

I absolutely love visiting the old monasteries.

Another tall round tower to protect the
monks from the Vikings.

I love going on these trips.  The things that you see, the people that you meet, and the people that you travel with... it is all such a blessing.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Ireland Day 3

We visited Northern Ireland for the first time.  We learned about the civil wars and the difference between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

We saw some lovely churches.  

This church, was built in the 1400's.  It was partially destroyed by Henry the 8th and rebuilt in 1780.  John Wesley preached here.

This is a beautiful country!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.