The view says: See me

It's just winter, that's all

For the sake of record keeping:
This has been the craziest winter for this little town.  

Negative temperatures.  

Snow day after snow day.  

Roads barely cleared.

Today I find myself settling in for work at my table,

with this as my view.

And I don't mind.

Not one bit.

Preview: Life Hashing

Warm welcomes

Maybe it's time to stop talking...

...because there's always tomorrow.

Memories of old, flooding through the lights of tonight.

Anticipation, met by beauty.

Let us tuck up our feet and close out the night.

Ready, set, what's left to say?, go!

On belief

This week, my students and I discuss a real-world truth, that what you believe will inevitably drive your behavior.

We're talking about our musical philosophies, about why we believe music should be an aspect of children's daily lives, and about how those beliefs will drive our objectives in our classrooms.  They're connected, we decide: If you believe that music is important, you'll include it.  If you don't, chances are good that you won't.

And so: what we believe determines our behavior.

I've been thinking about the role of belief in my own behavior recently, and so it doesn't seem all that shocking to find myself discussing this in my classroom.  I've been thinking about it ever since I watched Lincoln, and saw the weight of many lives hanging on this one man's sleepless-night shoulders, and realized it was because he believed in the ending of slavery enough to say:  we must proceed, no matter the cost.

I've been thinking of it ever since I attended a banquet in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., where people of all skin sat together and listened to re-tellings of atrocities committed for no other reason than that there are those who believe that the color of skin is a matter of value.  We gathered together without fear of retribution in order to remember the bravery of one man who made it possible, one man who made a commitment to a Truth beyond his reality, believed that things had to change in order to realize it, and proceeded, no matter the cost.

And I am held by these men, the immensity of their bravery, the sleepless-night complexity of wondering if the foot leading out on the edges of the enemy line was the right decision, worth the hard weary and the blood of all these others following behind.  I am held by the commitment it took to fight a battle that countered the culture, that called out deeply held beliefs determining blind eyes and values of humanity based on surface of skin and said: Enough.

I am held, I am held, by their listening for a greater Truth, and their seeking eyes seeing that one day it could be, and their offering of shoulders, to carry it out.

[I am held, I am held.]

And I've been thinking about it because I see it in my own life, the daily call to stand up and say: Who does God say He is? Who does He say I am, and the people I love, and the people I meet, and the people with whom I dance this thing called living?  Because what I believe about what God says about all of those things will determine the steps I take and the steps I avoid, it will dictate my every move and my every sitting-this-one-out.

And the thing that holds me is: Do I have ears to hear the call of greater Truth, do I have eyes to see beyond cultural definitions holding fast, do I have the bravery of sleepless-shouldering-nights to say: This, here, is Who I believe; this, here, is where I stake my claim; this, here, is where I put my foot on the edge of the enemy line in order to say: Enough.  ...

...Do I?

~~~

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand [Is. 41.10] I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.  These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them [Is. 42.16]

And because this promise I believe: I can, I will, I do.

Of course

Of course, a drive from NJ to PA after the Christmas season would never occur without swinging through my favorite rest stop:

Baxter Land.

A year since our last meeting, boys were far taller, and maturity was rampant.  Because it's a matter of course, however, these new developments did not keep us from card games and their killing me at Guitar Hero.  [At Guitar Hero, I am the worst.]

I met the new pup,

sweet and cuddly.

And, of course,

we had ourselves a dinner making extravaganza,

 a commitment we have made to the point where poor Brent

 was sacrificed to the freezing cold.

And though threats of bad weather cut our weekend short, of course these dear friends and I treasured each moment of our being together, once again.

Here and There, Out and About in NJ

When one very rarely sees one's family, it is good practice to make the most of the time one has with them.

Hence, while in NJ over the holidays, there was a bit of here and there-ing, a bit of out and about-ing, with the express purpose of making a few moments meld into memories.

There was lunch at the China Buffet one afternoon

with Aunt Nancy and this lady, 

followed by a little concert for all of her friends.

There was re-claiming of traditions on New Years' Day,

 with lounging about and eating the fanciest of hor d'oeuvres,

watching old family videos of years gone by.

There was precious time with this little one and her parents,

 as she welcomed me on New Years' Night,

 and attempted to figure out what she actually thought of me...

Her Christmas present-- 

 arriving late in the mail--

 made for some fun adventures,

 as we sent those animals down the chute,

and had ourselves a rocking good time.

There was a shopping day with this dear mother,

 including Bobby Flay burgers

and odd oogly fish.

We closed out the day 

  with a snowy adventure,

tucked inside of Dad's truck,

bracing ourselves through the wind and snowily silent beauty,

in order to take in a movie.

But then, after many sweet moments,

[such as turning the corner to see this man, my dissertation on his lap, his appearance as if dead]

moments of here and there, and out and about,

it was time to say good-bye, until next time!

This was the deal

When the news came out that I would not be 

traveling to NJ for Christmas, a deal was struck:

I'd stay for New Years, 

as long as I could throw a dinner party on its Eve.

Hence, yesterday found me in my mother's kitchen,

making the most of her utensils,

putting her to work.

When the relatives came,

I fed them soup,

 before bringing out the main event

 in all of its deliciousness.

We ate it all up then,

over familial conversation.

Soon enough, however,

 the hilarity 

 [and the confetti]

 was fantastically unleashed.

 Even Grandma got in on the action for awhile, 

before we closed things out with these silly sisters and their particular brand of ridiculously fun fun.

At the turn of the night, 

we watched the ball drop and welcomed each other to a new year.  

2014, we're curious about you: 

What will be your deal?