Journey Reminders

Have you, like me, come across something that reminds you of an event or person on your journey?  It happened to me…again.  We live in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a lot.  I grabbed an umbrella from the car to go into the house.  Later, I was putting it away, and I saw on the bottom of the handle “Mr. J.”  That is what my middle school students called me when I was teaching many years ago.  Just as dominoes tip over and contact the next in line, that umbrella brought memories back to me.  It nudged me to remember other memories.  My first thought when I saw “Mr. J.” on that handle was my eldest son.  I taught history, and a year after I left the school, my son took over teaching the same topic in the same room.  What did they call him?  Yep, “Mr. J.”  The first time I substituted for him, a student came up and asked, “Are you the original Mr. J.?”  My name had been stolen, or at least borrowed. 

One day, while I was subbing, a student came up to me and asked, “Mr. J., how old are you?”  I smiled and said, “I’m so old that when I was born, the Dead Sea was only sick." His eyes got big as he exclaimed, “Wow!” (If you heard that joke before, you’re better off than my poor wife, who hears them repeatedly. It’s a small sacrifice to be married to me). I smile as I think about that encounter, and I am grateful to have many more.

Life is a mixed bag; sometimes the memories are sad or difficult.  I call those “The Growing Kind.” 

Reminders can trigger us, especially in grief.  It could be a sight, sound, smell, or even touch. When the stories are good, we sometimes like to have a physical item to help us remember.  They are part of our collective story. 

_______________________________________________________

What about you?  Do you see reminders occasionally that bring back memories?  Care to share one with our readers?  Just email me, Wally, at journeyintostory@gmail.com.  500-700 words.  I’ll get back to you if we can use your story.

 

Breakfast Surprise

 

We went out for a post-Thanksgiving breakfast.  Geo, our friendly waiter, greeted and seated us.  A young couple occupied the table behind us.  Our “neighbor” got a phone call.  One could easily hear that he was congratulating and encouraging a co-worker.  He got a second call later from someone else and was just as encouraging.  I certainly was impressed.

On my way back from getting to-go boxes, I walked up to them and said, “Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but hear your last two phone calls.” 

“Oh, was I speaking too loudly?” he asked.

“No”, I responded.  “Being inside and next to each other, it was hard to miss.”  I continued, “It sounded like you were talking to a friend or fellow employee.  You sounded very encouraging and complimented them on their recent accomplishment.  You did the same with the second caller.”

“Yeah,” he added, “I like to encourage others.  It encourages them, and me.”

“Well, I’m very impressed.  We need more people like you,” I concluded.

I told him about this blog, Journey into Story.  I explained that the purpose is to learn others’ stories.  The more we know each other’s stories, the more we take steps towards mutual respect.  In the end, as it spreads, peace is passed along.

His friend, a young woman, is maybe 20 years old. She is a drift car racer.  (What is “drift racing?”  When finished with this post, click the link at the bottom of the page.)

As I was leaving, I shook her hand and said, “Be careful.  You are too pretty to get into a wreck.”

After they left, I spoke with Geo.  He said, “Your bill has been paid by the couple you sat next to.”  Nice, it made my day, so I put my arm around Geo’s shoulder and put a nice tip into his hand.

Please consider listening to others’ stories and sharing your own.  In the process, everyone receives benefits.

Drift racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK8Gc4vH2YM

Marriage and the Battle of the Blinds

We once stayed with friends while visiting Kansas City, MO.  They had the habit of always keeping their blinds closed.  It drove us batty, so when they were away at work, we opened them up and let the beautiful rays of the sun enter the room.  We made sure the blinds were fully closed when they came home from work.  After all, we had no other place to stay.

Our present home has a full wall of windows from overhead to nearly the floor.  That’s great for the backyard.  Our living room faces the street, with my lounge chair completely visible, so I raise the curtains enough for others not to see us.  I don’t like living in a fishbowl.  My wife isn’t bothered by open shades, so she opens them more than I feel comfortable with.  I’ll come in and see the big center blind open, and I raise it, only for my wife to come by and put it down.  This happens so much, I think the neighbors across the street are probably thinking we are sending some kind of coded message!

Am I being unfair?  After all, the blinds are fully open that face our beautiful backyard.  Isn’t that enough?  Not.  We do have a mutual friend who is a mediator.  Perhaps we should hire someone from his office to assist us.

We have been asked by several people, “How have you stayed married so long? What’s the secret?”  Here is the secret: Are you ready for this? There is no secret.  It’s out in the open.  The answer lies in two words: love & commitment.  Most believe they have the first word down, but what kind of love are we talking about?  It’s not, “As long as you keep me happy, I’ll love you.”  In other words, “What’s in it for me?” 

As a couple’s therapist, I would ask couples if they agreed with this statement:  “Marriage is a 50/50 proposition?”  Most agreed.  The answer is “Marriage is a 100/100 proposition.”  If we only go halfway and draw a line, we can say, “I did my part, now you do yours.”  We get rid of the line if we both give 100% to the other.  There may be a time when someone can only give 60% because of illness and personal struggles.  That’s when the other partner is there for them.

Back to the blinds.  We have both accepted that we each want something different.  Whomever uses the room positions the blind.  If both are in the room, we leave it where it is presently located or ask the other if they don’t mind us moving it.  We can live with that, after all, we are giving at our best…usually.

 

 

FOUNDATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE

I grew up in an inexpensive house.  I knew we were poor when we visited my Uncle Dave.  They lived in a beautiful two-story home with immaculate furnishings.  The style of our furniture was Early Goodwill.  My father and a friend built an addition onto the kitchen.  At the time, it looked big, but it didn’t look so big when I came back as an adult.    

Many of you may have seen the Canadian comedy show, “Red Green.”  Red fixed everything with duct tape.  My dad fixed everything with Liquid Nails.  It often didn’t look that pretty, but was sometimes functional.

The house had a forbidden corner.  It was where a water pump once stood, so the floor sagged in that corner.  It wasn’t good for anything except storing bathroom linens.  My dad would say, “You kids don’t get too close to that corner, you might fall in!”  We were scared to get near it, except to retrieve a bath towel and wash cloth.  I would stand at some distance and reach as far as I could without falling into that chasm where I would disappear for all eternity.  If you ever dropped any change in the kitchen, it would probably roll down there, and the rescue of that coin wasn’t worth the danger.

Fast forward to the present.  We bought a house that had problems we weren’t aware of.  The house is not level!  Our ground is clay near a drainage ditch.  When it rains, the clay acts like a sponge, expanding the foundation.  Now, if a friend falls indoors, we only have to go to the Northeast corner of the room to find where they rolled.  Well, it’s not that bad, but you get the point.

FOUNDATIONS ARE IMPORTANT for houses and for nations.  Friday is Independence Day in the U.S. Our nation has certain foundational principles and ideas.  Those principles came from four basic sources.   The four major influences were ancient thought, Enlightenment philosophy, the English tradition, and Protestant Christianity.  (1) Ancient world thinkers and their failures taught the Founders a lot when constructing the American republic.   (2) Enlightenment thinkers emphasized that the people should rule themselves through a limited government that would protect natural rights and secure the liberties of the people.  (3) The British protected basic rights, such as the right to trial by jury, property rights, and no taxation without consent. The government would be limited, especially the monarchy. (4) The writings associated with the Protestant Reformation emphasized individual liberty from civil and religious oppression. Protestant ideas, based on Scripture, of resistance against tyranny were generally consistent with the other three strains of republican thought. (For further reading on this, click here.)

If you start to erode any of these four building blocks of the foundation of America, it causes instability.  If enough is chipped away, the nation can fall.  The one area that has most eroded is the Biblical principles because they are the easiest to attack and misinterpret.  We have gone on a witch hunt for Christian teachings that were used to build our original foundation.  After all, it was Jesus who told the story about the foolish man who built his house on a foundation of sand.  The winds and rain came, and the house was destroyed.  The wise man built his house upon a rock, and it withstood all that came against it. (Matthew 7:24-27).  We know how we built our foundation.  If we let it erode, we only have ourselves to blame.

As we consider these things, let’s be thankful for the wisdom of our founding fathers.  They gave us a great start. It is our responsibility to preserve it. 

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Many Forms of Mother

 

For many, the word Mom or Mother represents a term of endearment.  This probably explains why Mother’s Day gets top billing over Father’s Day. 

Americans spent $33.5 billion on Mother's Day-related gifts and activities in 2024. The numbers for Father's Day were $22.4 billion last year.  There are some reasons for this with guilt being a top motivator.  We’ll leave it at that. 

Mothers fulfill an important role in our lives, as do all women.  A woman doesn’t have to be a mom to be a mom.  My friend, Donna, has made a couple of trips to Nepal to help out the churches there, where Christians are persecuted.  The person in leadership of over 100 churches there calls Donna, “Mom.”  It would not be proper to call her by her first name, so she is given that title.  She has made a great impact on his life.

We have a friend from Tanzania, Africa.  His home language is Swahili.  We don’t speak Swahili. Our language is Hoosier (look it up).  In their country, they show respect to an older woman or man as “Mama” or “Papa.” Linda is Mama, and I am Papa. These are terms of endearment.

When Jesus was on the cross, he looked down at his mother and the Apostle John standing with her.

            ²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:25-27 NIV)

Jesus was asking John to take care of his mother.  He was also asking his mom to take care of him.

Women who play a significant role in someone’s life can be a mom, mother, or mama.  They become our nurturers, cheerleaders, and inspirers in our lives.  They are there for us, love us, and guide us.  (Check out my story about Grandma Frye in the February 16, 2024 post, “Circle of Friends” to illustrate this).

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO YOU!

Please "like" and share this story!

Ignorant Misunderstandings

www.flickr.com/

Ignorance is a misunderstood word.  One might be called ignorant, but we somehow hear “stupid.” They are not identical twins or even distant cousins.  Ignorance does not mean a lack of intelligence, but of knowledge.  For example, what is hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia?  You don’t know?  You are not stupid, but ignorant.  You don’t have the information.

I have to remind myself that there are people around me that act unkindly or out of sorts.  My reaction might be, “What a selfish individual.”  How much do I know what that person is facing.  Perhaps they are ill, recently had some bad news, are hungry, or ate something that makes them nauseous. 

I have hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (known as HHT).  It is a genetic bleeding disorder. Over 95% of us have frequent severe nosebleeds. You would look at me and probably say, “I don’t see anything wrong.”  First of all, thank you for saying that.  There are plenty of disorders that people can see.  They get the attention.  That’s not to take away from the other ailments, it’s just a fact.  If I ask for a seat on a busy transit train, people might say, “What’s his problem?” If I were on crutches, they would understand. 

We never know what others are facing, so it’s important not to jump to judgement.  This is especially handy in traffic.  Avoiding road rage is a good thing.

Jesus was going through a tough Friday. The calendar calls it “Good Friday,” not because it was good for Jesus but because it was good for us. He took our burdens, mistakes, disorders, and imperfections on himself so we would not have to carry them around the rest of our lives. 

This was brilliantly portrayed in the movie, “Mission,” starring Robert De Niro as a priest who formerly enslaved the natives of Paraguay, but also killed his brother in a duel over a woman. I invite you to see the clip below. He carried a heavy weight in a net, up a mountain as penance.  It reminds me of what Jesus did for me while carrying his cross.  Because he took my load, I didn’t have that burden. Later, true forgiveness came amidst the wave of emotions and relief. (especially look at timestamps 146-259).

Suffering is difficult, but it can become our mentor regarding life, character, and relationship with others.

(c) Wally Johnston 2025

Language As Story

My new neighbor, Joel, owns a construction business.  He has a wife and three girls.  They are Hispanic.  All of his workers speak Spanish, with half being bilingual in English.  I am bilingual, and I speak Hoosier.  At the end of the workday, they huddle at his house to talk about the day and shoot the breeze.  I like to venture over to tell them a story or a joke.  They listen to me because I often give them some mint candy.  The great part is the punch line. At that point, the bilingual guys laugh. That’s the first wave.  Then they tell the others in Spanish.  That is the second wave. Not every comedian gets a two-wave laugh.

In college, I had a choice of taking Greek or Spanish.  I felt Spanish would be more practical.  What a year that was!  It was a struggle for me and at times it made me frustrated.  Do you know how far a Spanish-language book flies across a room?  It would have gone further if it hadn’t hit the wall.  It was probably at that time that I learned to cuss in Spanish!  I shouldn’t complain.  Most people say English is the most difficult to learn.  English doesn’t make sense.  They have different rules that contradict each other.  One word means many things and we have idioms. 

Language is a gift.  Without it, our stories could not be shared unless we used stick figures. That would leave much to be desired. Kind of like a Rorschach ink psychological test.  That’s the test where they show what looks like ink spilled on paper, then ask you what comes to your mind. People have different ideas as to its meaning.  Have you seen the movie, “What About Bob?,” starring Bill Murray. He is in a mental hospital, sitting on a cafeteria table with several patients and staff around him. 

“I saw a doctor who showed me an ink spot and asked me, “What comes to your mind?”

I said, “sex.”

He showed me another. “Sex.”

A third time, “sex.”

The Doc announced, “It seems you have a problem with sex?”

I told him, “You’re the one with the dirty pictures.” 

Some may think that God didn’t do any favors when he destroyed the tower of Babel and caused people to speak different languages, yet the nuance of the language brings such wonder and beauty to a story.

You can tell a story in a different language, but it doesn’t seem to have the same effect.

My wife and I are from different galaxies. We communicate differently. I’ve often thought we should try out Google Translate to get our ideas across, but I don’t think it works. “No comprenda.”

Language is important to storytelling.  I have gained an appreciation for stories through the ones that communicate, and translate them.

CHRISTMAS WITH A PURPOSE

 

https://pixabay.com/users/gustavorezende-1488336/

Each Christmas time, we kids in the neighborhood would go caroling.  It was a fun and constructive time, and it got us out of our parents' hair.  We lived up in Indiana near Lake Michigan, so there was snow and cold.  Often, when we performed at a neighbor's house, they would give us candy, cookies, or hot cocoa.  We appreciated the cocoa. It kept us going to our next gig. 

One year, we heard about a family from France who moved into the neighborhood at Christmas time.  They were professionals in balancing and juggling.  They had recently appeared on the Bozo the Clown TV show.  We also heard they were on hard times.  The cost of moving and little work added up to a sparse Christmas.

We had an idea.  When we went caroling, we could ask for money for this family rather than the other treats.  We collected a big chunk of change and got the goodies anyway.

We planned our last stop at the French family's rental home.  They opened the door very cautiously.  As we began to sing, they opened the door wider.  They enjoyed the music and the very idea that we would come and sing to them made them smile.  After we finished with, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” we handed them the card with the gift funds.  They had smiles and tears.  Their gratitude was evident, even with the language barrier.

Somehow, it didn’t seem so cold outside as we made our way back home.  I’m sure it was the warmth we felt in our hearts as we gave to others in need.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Be sure to leave a light on for us!

Please...consider sharing your own Christmas story.  Click the pencil below to reply.

 

 

CAR CONNECTIONS

 I have driven different types of cars over the years.  Most of my cars were either given to me, or I bought used.  Used cars come with a certain activity we call “repair.”  

My Dad was old enough to have learned to drive in a Model T Ford, most likely the one with a crank start.  He didn’t keep up with the times.  When my wife and I were first married, we drove a car her father gave us as a wedding present.  When my dad got into it, he exclaimed, “With all of these knobs and contraptions, how can you make this thing go!”  Trust me, it was a standard model from the 1960s or ‘70s.  By the old standards, the cars of today look like the control panels in a rocket ship!

My Dad was a Rambler car man.  His first Rambler was a 1960 American.  I never understood his fascination with them.  Our air conditioning was a 4-40 (4 windows down while going 40 miles per hour.) When it was time for Dad to buy me a car, you guessed it…a Rambler.  We pulled up the front of the seller’s place, he said, “Now that’s the car for you!”  I knew I was going to get stuck with it, but I had no choice…he was buying.  It was a stick shift on the column station wagon.  Later, I bought my car, a Chevy Belair.  I was moving up in the world.

My older brother, Dave, was the mechanic in the family.  I never bothered to learn to work on cars, I had him around until I headed off for college and seminary.  It was time to learn something about car repair.  This was pre-YouTube, so I had to rely on a printed repair manual.  I think my first adventure was replacing brake pads and shoes.  With the mission accomplished, I had fellow students saying, “Hey, I hear you work on cars.”  “Sort of” I replied.  I was willing to take a stab at other repairs, under the condition they bought a repair manual and any tool I needed to get the job done.  That is how my tool inventory began.  Fifty years later, I’m still helping others with repairs.  I recently worked on a car belonging to my friend from Tanzania, Africa.  

Cars seem to take on the characteristics of their owners like couples who grow old and start to look like each other.  I guess you can tell a lot about a person by seeing how they decorate and treat their automobiles.  We also associate certain vehicles with people we know.  Before they get close, I know who is coming.  Sometimes, I only know new neighbors by their vehicles.  Next door is “White Van.”

I see my friend, Dean, every few years.  Out of the blue, he wants to go to breakfast.  Last week he picked me up.  I wasn’t sure what vehicle he was driving.  He sent me a text, “I’ll be there in a few.  Wear a jacket.”  While I was standing outside waiting, I saw this nice, new black pickup as it turned the corner.  He looked like he was going to pull over.  I took one step forward and he continued.  Coming from the other direction was Dean, driving a blue shoe box on wheels, with no windows.  Hence, a need for a jacket.

Cars can be a gift of encouragement.  While living in Santa Monica, California, I served on a church staff.  I held a Bible study for employees of City Hall.  I started this with my friend, Jim.  Jim knew I didn’t make much money.  Perhaps he learned about the time I pulled up by City Hall.  While parking the car, it started to roll back.  Some officers came to my rescue.  I said, “Hold it,” while I reached under the seat to grab a brick and place it under a wheel.  I said, “Sorry.  My emergency brake doesn’t work, so I use this emergency brick.”  One of the officers replied, “Chaplain, you need a new car.”  I couldn’t agree more, and that is where my friend Jim comes in.  He asked me, “Are you taking a vacation this summer?”  I said, “Well, we are just going to stick close to home.  Maybe a day trip.”  The next week at Bible study, he handed me a check and said, “I had a used car I was going to sell and felt the Lord wanted you to have this to help you out.”  We had that vacation.

A lot of memories are created in cars.  As a family, we usually took a driving vacation each summer.  In doing so, we had some wonderful experiences of seeing many of the U.S. States.  Jim, my kid brother, and I had some great adventures.  

The most important things in life are experiences.  We didn’t have to have a lot of money for us neighborhood kids to ride with my dad on a fishing or camping adventure.

What memories do you associate with or without cars?  Consider sending them in so others can enjoy the good times with you.  Send an email to journeyintostory@google.com. 

 

SEEK TO UNDERSTAND

Seek To Understand

By Cate Arnold (c) 2016

While I was quietly re-elected to City Council in November, 2016, the angst over the presidential race was loud, angry and full of accusations. The attacks on conservatives versus liberals, Republicans versus Democrats, government employees, and so many “others” continue to rage.

My mother taught me the importance of the words: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” She taught me the importance of caring for family and community. She was impeccable – not perfect, but someone who desired health and happiness not only for my siblings and our own families and friends, but for our fellow human beings.

Seek to understand: can we gather accurate information about what’s happening in the moment? For instance, I was talking to a gentleman who said that we can’t fix our roads because politicians are wasting our money. I explained that over the years, we’ve had serious structural changes: a huge decrease in the federal funds available to build new roads, massive expenses for maintenance of the roads we’ve already built, and static fuel tax rates while construction costs rise every year, including some years of double-digit inflation for inputs like asphalt and land costs. Replacing politicians doesn’t change these conditions.

We must have the patience and wisdom to understand the lands that we live in. Only accurate physical accounting gives us what we need to find solutions. Only by understanding our structures can we devise solutions and find better ways towards a better world for those coming behind us.

I hope to start a new movement, the Impeccable Moms’ Movement. What would an Impeccable Mom do? Get to know the people and lands we live in, understand and work with others in spite of our faults, spend our hours caring for our communities rather than attacking others, expect accurate and honest information about what we face; and face our problems head on together with integrity, respect, kindness, and hope.

Cate Arnold is one of those people you want to talk to.  She has her own story and is willing to share it, but she loves hearing other people’s stories.  She is bright, educated, and down-to-earth. To see what she thinks is most important for Beaverton, OR, look at 3 Essentials on www.cate4beaverton.com. To contact her, send your phone number to cate4beaverton@gmail.com

 

  

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU!

 

My wife and I recently went through the same medical procedure; cataract surgery.  Because I'm a gentleman, I let her go first (she claims I had another reason for doing so).  The surgery wasn't so bad.  The tricky part was remembering to put in the eyedrops 4, 3, 2, times a day that differed for each eye.

They took the patch off the next day.  It is amazing how bright the lights and colors are now.  When I compared them to the untreated eye, they were yellowish in one eye and brilliant in the other.  I looked in the mirror and realized, "I don't have renal failure after all!"

Many things in life can color our vision of the world around us.  We may see others through the lens of opinions or prejudices.  The problem is that we think we are seeing things clearly because the lens has been tainted for so long.  Don't let anyone tell you they see clearly on every issue.  While you are at it, don't claim the same pronouncement.

There is only one person who walked this earth who didn't need his lens cleaned...Jesus Christ.  If he saw something and made a claim about it, it was clear and true.  He hung around some sketchy figures.  He didn't see them as sketchy, but people with needs.  He saw what they could become. I wish I had those kinds of lenses!

I read about a man who wanted to see others as Jesus did, so he took a grease pencil and put a cross on each lens of his glasses.  He then stated, "I now see the world through the cross of Jesus." 

We will always have some discoloration as we look at others and the world, but if we allow Christ to help us see more clearly, it can make a difference.  That's the kind of “different" we all can use.

Here's looking at you!

 

                                                    

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

 

I had a tight circle of neighborhood friends when I was growing up.  I was part of a trio of three best friends.  We played ball, fished, camped, and made up adventures together.  Both were at our wedding (more about them later).

I learned to appreciate my circle of siblings later in life.  There is quite an age difference between us.  Only three remain out of six kids: Karol, Jim, and yours truly.  Jim and I had our little brother, big brother stuff. Once at dinner, he said he had an upset tummy, was dismissed, then ran out to play ball. I knew he was faking, so I  ran after him and yelled, "You Faker," while hitting him over the head. We survived and we are good adult friends.  Karol has stood by me during difficult times. What can I say?  I love my Sis.

Friends come wrapped in different surprise packages.  Doug and I got together over our differences regarding climate change. I could call him an "Alarmist," and he could call me a "Denier."  Neither is accurate.  That subject is long past.  We now share many things, including prayers for each other. 

I'm at the age where I keep losing people.  Our bodies wear out, much like clothing.  I have my favorite shirts and wear them over and over.  Each time they are washed, fibers of the fabric come off and end up in the lint trap.   I clean the screen and toss the lint away, and regrettably, I have to pitch my favored shirts when they wear out.  Slowly, and sometimes quickly, our bodies break down until there isn't anything left. 

Soon, my wife and I celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary (Applause!).  While waiting for our meal at a restaurant, we decided to imagine we were at a huge round table with family and friends who had made an impact on our lives. (Disclaimer: this is not an exhaustive list, but I want you to stay with me).  My earliest friends were Dale and Mike, the other two of the tight trio. neighbors on our dead-end street.  These are the friends you take everywhere you go, though miles separate.  Grandma Frye was a special friend.  She wasn’t my grandma, but a neighbor who lived across the alley from us.  She lived in a garage apartment next to her son’s home.  When I visited, she had a treat and would tell me Bible stories and listen to Billy Graham on the radio.  It was a place I could go to be a child.

Where we live now, we have a neighborhood "Mayor" named Bill.  He's the go-to guy to discover the latest gossip, I mean news.  I'm the "Cop."  I keep my eyes on the neighborhood.  My wife is the "Person of Peace" who learns about the concerns of our neighbors and does something about it, with the permission of the Mayor and the Cop (who agree if they want peace in the neighborhood).  In reality, everyone in the hood has a role and a story.  We are a loosely connected circle that becomes a tighter circle when the need arises.  

We belong to other circles outside the neighborhood.  They make a constellation in our lives that makes our universe better and happier. 

(What Circle of Friends do you have?  Please share YOUR story by clicking on the pencil icon below).  

 

     

   

     

NEW YEAR FISH!

As we approach a New Year, we may think things don't look too promising.  If we only look at the news, we will get a very negative view of things.  It seems like people's enthusiasm has dwindled. What would happen if we shared some enthusiasm in 2024?  What might it look like?

My wife and I were on our way to visit my new hematologist.  His office is in the Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, OR.  It is certainly a different atmosphere than one finds in a typical doctor's visit.  While walking down the halls, you see children and families everywhere, along with multi-colored decals on the walls.  Each nurse's station was identified by a certain animal.  We walked past elephants, giraffes, lions, etc.  I don't remember what my station was, but knowing my luck it was a laughing hyena!

There was this beautiful large aquarium.  When we walked by, a little girl, with great enthusiasm yelled "Fish!"  She didn't want us to miss it.  Apparently, she didn't want anyone else to miss it either. Everyone who walked by got the same enthusiastic message.

I can't get that little girl out of my head.  Now, throughout my day, I yell, "Fish!"  My wife has even caught on!  Try it.  Whenever you need enthusiasm, think of this story and yell, "Fish!"  It sounds so simple, but what it can do to lift your spirit and get excited about something is amazing! It is contagious. Spread the "Fish!"

‘Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement,’ writes Rabbi Abraham Heschel because ‘everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.’*

*This phrase is used by Julian E. Zelizer in Abraham Joshua Heschel: A Life of Radical Amazement, (Yale University Press, 2022) p.88

HAPPY ENTHUSIASTIC NEW YEAR!

DIVINE CHRISTMAS APPOINTMENT

I have a row full of Bibles on my bookshelf.  Now you can download and read them on a tablet and save space, yet, there is something about physically holding a Bible.  

I parted with one of my Bibles today.  My eyes aren't stellar anymore.  I bought the Bible recently but when it arrived, I realized I couldn't see the print very well.  

I sold it on social media.  Rafael contacted me about buying the Bible for his son.  We agreed to meet at a designated place.  I got there first and waited a few minutes for him to arrive.  He drove up, got out of the car, and I greeted him.  He said his son is 37 and has had a drug problem.  "He wants to read the Bible," he told me.  When he paid me, I asked, "Rafael, can I pray over this Bible for your son?"  He said, please do." We both held on the to Bible and asked God to help his son, Emanuel, to overcome his addiction, and that the Word of God would help him on his journey, and give wisdom to his parents. His face beamed with a smile as he thanked me.

In the Bible, Isaiah 9:6 proclaims, 

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  

With that kind of Wonderful Counselor helping him, Emanuel can discover a new life.

I learned a long time ago, you can't plan these things.  They are truly divine appointments.  I find it interesting his son's name is Emanuel, meaning "God with Us."  This all happened less than a week before Christmas.  His message still makes a difference!

Merry Christmas!