Touch and Laughter

What is it about touch that affects us so much?  I remember my mom used to love to have her hair brushed.  I have a cousin that is about 10 years younger than me and she would brush my mom's hair from time to time.  Mom was like a cat getting all the right spots stroked.  

I'm sort of a touchy/feely person.  I love giving and receiving hugs.  I need more hugs though.  I'm finding more and more how touch calms my spirit and relaxes me.  If I focus on a single touch, I can feel it spread from that area to other parts of my body.  It's like a drop sending ripples across the water.  

I'm sure most of us have read or heard about the power of laughter.  It has been a couple years since the last time I had a good eye-tearing, stomach-straining laugh.  My cousin and I were talking about it last week.  Oddly enough, it was when our grandmother was dying.  She, my sister and I had a couple great laughs.  Then after the funeral, we were listening to a comedy channel.  We had some sore stomachs and tears of laughter.    

Touch and laughter have profound benefits for us.  I want to touch more and laugh more.  

Christmas at Denny's

This is something I like to share every Christmas. 

they got Christmas Muzakpiped in through the ceiling

and the refills of coffee
are always for free
and the waitress on graveyard
and the surly night manager
are wishing that all of us losers would leave

there's a star on the sign
at the Texaco Station
like the star long ago
on that midnight clear
as I look all around
at these cold, empty faces
I doubt that you'd find many wise men here

and I'm dreaming about
a silent night
holy night
when things were alright
and I'm dreaming about
how my life could have been
if only, if only, if only
but somewhere down the road
I gave up that fight
merry Christmas
it's Christmas at Denny's tonight

once I had a home
and a wife and a daughter
had a company job
earning middle-class pay
then Lisa got killed
by a car near the schoolyard
and my wife started drinking
just to get through each day

I will never forget that little red wagon
turning to rust all alone in the rain
one morning I flagged down
a truck on the highway
I just couldn't bear to go back there again

and I'm dreaming about
a silent night
holy night
when things were alright
and I'm dreaming about
how my life could have been
if only, if only, if only
well, it's not just the blind man
who loses his sight
merry Christmas
it's Christmas at Denny's tonight

they say
life's made of cruel circumstance
fate plays the tune and we dance
dance til we drop
in the dust and we're gone
and the world just goes on

the cop at the counter
he's the guardian angel
he watches these orphans
through dark mirrored shades
and the register rings
like a bell sadly tolling
for the fools we've become
and the price that we paid

oh when I was a boy
I believed in Christmas
miracle season to make a new start
I don't need no miracle, sweet baby Jesus
just help me find
some kind of hope in my heart

and I'm dreaming about
a silent night
holy night
when things were alright
and I'm dreaming about
how my life could have been
if only, if only, if only
but I'll still be here
at the morning's first light
merry Christmas
it's Christmas at Denny's tonight
merry Christmas
it's Christmas at Denny's tonight


Randy Stonehill

The Great I AM

Imagine for a moment there an individual whose only job is to love and care for one person in the world. Each person has a unique angel, if you want to call it that, to care for him/her. Now expand that thought to include an angel for every molecule that makes up these people. Again, the only purpose of these angels is to love and care for these molecules. They know them intimately. There are to know them inside and out, upside and downside. They are intimately acquainted with the good and the bad. Let’s expand again to include an angel for every person, molecule, microbe, and atom that exists in the universe.


Finally, go to the staggering thought that there is someone watching over each of the people and things throughout every split millisecond of time. There is an angel, not only for you and me, but for every millisecond of you and me that is in the past, present and future. They are there for each distinct moment in time and their conscious knowledge is complete and without error. Even still, this knowledge and understanding is perfect and seamless and continuous. There are no gaps. So is God who created everything. He is there for every thing. He is with us right now, and in our future. He is still there and active in our moments that have long past. He is present for all the parts that make up our being, past, present, and future. He exists in all, at all times, and for all time. He is the great I AM. 

#howawesomeisourgod 

The End of the Year Makes Me Nostalgic

The end of the year always makes me nostalgic.  When I was single, I used to write an end of the year synopsis and thoughts that I had.  I haven't done that in years.  I'll hold off doing that for a few more days but I do want to mention a couple things now.

Even though I work for an airline, I don't travel as often as one may think.  However, this year I was able to revisit Colombia and Costa Rica.  This is the first year I’ve been to Colombia twice in the same year.  The first country I visited after I started working at Delta was the Bahamas.  I had my parents go with me and it was a lot of fun.  There is a picture of my parents at the beach and it is one of the last pictures I have of the two of them together before mom died.

My parents got to the Bahamas the day before I did.  Mom was waiting outside on a bench when I got to the hotel.  She was wearing a hat that she bought there in Nassau.  She looked so relaxed.  One of the things that I learned about my dad is that he is such a people person.  It is not that I didn't know that before but this trip really solidified that thought in my head.  We'd be in a restaurant and dad would turn to someone sitting close to us and ask, "Where are you from?"  He was amazed at the diverse places people lived.  They were from different parts of the US or Europe.  Dad regularly comments on how amazing it is that we are so similar but none of us are alike.

I remember one restaurant we went to and my parents couldn't understand the accent of the waiter at all.  They kept looking at me to translate for them.  After the waiter would leave dad would ask, "Are they speaking English?"

I have been blessed to have a wonderful family in which to grow.  I'm doubly blessed by my wife and kids.  So many things happen in our lives that make life rich.  It is good for me to get regular reminders.

Carols Sing

Carols sing to the King

Jesus Christ our Savior

Born this day, angels say

in a lowly manger

He came down to the earth

bringing us new birth

Carols sing to the King

Jesus Christ our Savior

Tidings bring

Hail the King

Shepherds did adore Him

From afar, by the star

Wise men sought and found Him

Son of God, Son of man

All in all I see

Carols raise, His name praise

He shall reign eternally

Carols sing to the King

Jesus Christ our Savior

Immanuel

I make this post knowing that my cousin's son will die soon.  He has been on a respirator and it will be disconnected in a few hours.  They don't expect him to live but a few minutes unless the Lord has other plans.  This song went through my mind as I spoke with her. 

A sign shall be given
A virgin will conceive
A human baby bearing
Undiminished deity
The glory of the nations
A light for all to see
That hope for all who will embrace
His warm reality

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

For all those who live in the shadow of death
A glorious light has dawned
For all those who stumble in the darkness
Behold your light has come

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us

Immanuel
So what will be your answer?
Will you hear the call?
Of Him who did not spare His Son
But gave Him for us all
On earth there is no power
There is no depth or height
That could ever separate us
From the love of God in Christ

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

Michael Card

My First 1K

I've been blogging now since early October.  Today I reached 1,000 visitors to my blog.  Thank you to all who have stopped by.  For those of you who care, here are a few statistics:

To Entries
The Way    37 hits
Family History:  David Phillips  26  hits
My Heart is Stone   25 hits
Something I have to Work Through  25 hits
Remember Those in Prison  22 hits

Visitors by country
United States  888
Colombia  23
France  20
Costa Rica  12
India  11
Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Venezuela  1 each


Again, thank you to everyone who has visited.  If you like what I write, please consider sharing my blog.  Also, I welcome feedback.  God bless.  

The Grinch

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.  And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.  Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.  What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.  

~Dr. Seuss

All is Well

All is well, all is well

Angels and men rejoice

For tonight darkness fell

into the dawn of love's light

Sing Alle, sing Alleluia

All is well, all is well

let there be peace on earth

Christ has come, go and tell

that He is in the manger

Sing Alle, sing Alleluia

All is well, all is well

lift up your voice and sing

born is now Emmanuel

born is our Lord and Savior

Sing Alle, sing Alleluia

sing Alleluia

All is well

MWS ©

Everything that we have is God.  Everything we don't have makes us need Him more

A Child at Heart

Kids are silly.  They like to be silly.  I like to be silly.  Therefore, I am a kid, right?.  One of the best things about having children is experiencing life again.  You get the opportunity to see things with wonder again.  Because of my children, I was reminded of how I once was.  Little ones don’t want to go to sleep.  There is so much in the world to see, to hold, to take in and they want to do it all right now.  Sleep?  No, sleep can wait.  There are important things they want right now.  They want to go, go, go.  Their little motors run until the tank goes empty.  Then they simply collapse.  Is there anything like watching a baby sleep?  How precious!  When they do sleep, they get to wake when their little bodies say they have had all they need. 

In contrast, the older we get the more we just want to relax.  Life is a treadmill and we just want to jump off.  When can I get a nap?  I just want to get my stuff done so I can go to sleep or relax.  The alarm interrupts our rest and we are jolted back into reality.  Adults have responsibilities.  We have things we have to do in order to maintain the lifestyle we want.  However, it is not all negative.  There are a lot of good things in the adult life too.  I have autonomy.  I can come and go as I please.  I can pursue happiness.  However, in doing so I have to take on the difficulties life has.   

Maybe this is why I want to be childlike.  I don’t believe it is an avoidance thing.  I’m not dodging responsibilities or hard times in life.  In contrast, I want to embrace the wonder that life once held for me.  There is still so much in the world to have and to hold.  There is so much beauty.  There is much to cherish.  Adult life makes it hard to notice any of this.  A child’s life lends itself to taking it all in.  Being a kid at heart gives me the best of both worlds. 

Do Not Arouse or Awaken Love Until it so Desires

Here is one thought about reading through the bible I forgot to mention yesterday.

In Song of Solomon, there is a phrase that is repeated at least 3 times in the 8 chapters of the book.  The phrase is this: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

I have heard this before and never really thought much about it.  However, I did wonder if it was a command or suggestion or just something people said.  When reading Song of Solomon not too long ago, I was struck that the phrase is a command meant for protection. 

We are not to arouse or awaken sexual desire until we are able to handle it.  When I realized this, I couldn’t help but think about our society.  Sex is used to sell products.  Sex scenes are constantly on TV and in movies.  Kids nowadays are continually bombarded with sex.  To me, they are awakened and aroused before they are ready.  I don’t know how we can combat this other than, as parents, we are vigilant in what we allow our children to watch and be exposed to. 

Even as adults, we should not expose ourselves to things that are not healthy or promote sex in a healthy, godly manner.

The Bible in one Year

I completed a goal of mine for this year.  I read through the whole bible.  I have read the New Testament several times but never the Old Testament.  Some of the OT books were unfamiliar to me.  I would like to share a few thoughts.  Please know that these are my thoughts based on who I am and where I live. 

1.  I sometimes feel that people ignore the Old Testament because we live in the New Testament age.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever going forward.  Yes, He instituted some changes and now we can be justified through the sacrificial blood of Jesus, but there is still much to learn about the person God is by reading the Old Testament. 

2.  God takes a very serious view on sin.  The penalty for sin is death.  Sometimes, I think very little of what my sin costs.  In the Old Testament, animals had to die to pay for the cost of sin.  The person was making a sin offering had to place their hands on the animal to identify with it.  How much more would we realize the price of our misdeeds when we had to watch something die as a result of them?  Recently, I was in Talamanca Costa Rica and I watched a pig get slaughtered.  It was the first time I have watched something die.  Well, something other than bug.  I realize pigs are not something Jews would sacrifice but for me, it carried significance.  This animal died so people could eat.  My sin means someone had to die.  It is a steep penalty.

3.  I marvel at the specifics of rituals God established to appease His wrath.  So many sacrifices had to be performed in certain ways.  I can’t help but wonder at some details.  Certain parts of animals could be eaten, others could not.  When the sacrificial animal was a bird, the ritual was quite different. The bird was slaughtered by a thumb being pushed into its neck, and the head being wrung off. A second bird would then be burnt on the altar as a whole sacrifice.  Some things seem very random to me. 

4.  When I read through Kings and Chronicles, I couldn’t help but notice most of the Kings of Israel and Judah did “what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”  While reading this, I kept wondering why God kept allowing it all to happen.  I suppose that is the way many of us feel now. 

5.  When I read the Prophets, I got the answer.  God was being patient.  2 Peter 3:9 says that God waits for all to come to repentance.  Still, I believe God’s patience is also a way for Him to be blameless when His wrath does come.  If you forgive someone 7 x 70 times, can you not be justified for doing something about it after that? 

6.  When I read about God’s judgment and punishment of Israel and Judah, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of tenderness mixed with regret for it all.  It was as if God was saying, “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”  I don’t mean God made a mistake.  Simply that God’s people had every opportunity and chance to be His people and He would be their God.  Nevertheless, they preferred to prostitute themselves to other gods.  If God has some human emotions, maybe I felt the hurt God felt due to their rejection.

7.  God’s punishment would go to the fullest extent, He would not hold back, and Israel and Judah were severely punished.  Also, when God poured out His wrath on His Son on the cross, I believe Jesus carried that penalty to the fullest extent. God doesn't do thing half way. 

8.  God used Babylon and other countries to do His dirty work to punish His people.  Still, God judged them when all was said and done.  They were punished for how they treated His people.  God is sovereign. 

9.  I am reminded again that we need to give God the honor and praise He deserves.  I don’t always do it but I must.  He is the God who created the universe.  He knows each of us better than we know ourselves. 

10.  God sent His Son to die for our sins.  He did not do it simply so His creation could be with Him for eternity.  If we think that, we are being short sighted and arrogant.  Ultimately, He wants the praise He deserves.  We are His people.  He is our God.  He was God before He chose us.  Therefore, it is all about Him and not us.  To His honor and glory!

Last Christmas With Mom

Christmas 1991 was a wonderful holiday for us.  My oldest daughter was about 6 weeks old and we were in a nice, new apartment.  Mom and dad were coming to visit for Christmas.  The plans were made that as soon as dad got off of work, they would drive down from Ham Lake, MN to our place in Glendale Heights, Il.  

All of us were excited to see them.  It seemed the perfect holiday.  While the temperature wasn't too cold, there was snow on the ground.  Our oldest son was 7.  He had such an spring in his step in the days leading up to Christmas.  He was so good with his baby sister.  All of us had smiles.  

After supper on Christmas Eve, we sang Christmas carols and opened a couple presents.  My wife put the baby down to sleep and she went to sleep too.  That left the 2 men of the house.  D wanted to stay awake until grandma and grandpa arrived or until Santa got to the house, whichever came first.  Of course, I wanted him to go to sleep.  

Normally, D will fall asleep as soon as he is tired.  He still is like that.  He was visiting a couple months ago and I woke up in the middle of the night and heard the TV on.  I went down to shut it off.  He was sitting in a chair that he put right in front of the TV.  He was slumped over with his head almost on his knee.  I shut the TV off and told him to go to bed.  "No, I was watching that." he said.

This night was different.  I could see the determination in his eyes that he wanted to stay awake.  I decided to try someting.  It would be a time of bonding and would probably knock him out.  When I was younger, I started doing something each holiday season that I still do each holiday season.  I lay down on the floor close to the Christmas tree and look at the lights. Sometimes I do this with music and sometimes without music.  I look at the lights and feel the peacefulness of the moment.  I particularly love doing this when it is snowing.  There is something special about Christmas and snow for me.

D and I got down on the floor next to the tree and I told him about my tradition and how I was sharing this with him.  We did this for a couple minutes and he got bored and wanted to do something else.  Darn!  That didn't work.  We read a couple stories and something else that I know longer remember.  He was still awake.  

Finally, I had to pull the parenting trump card.  I said, "You need to go to sleep or Santa is never going to come to this house."  Finally, he relented as long as he could sleep on the floor next to the tree.  That was fine with me.  Once he is out, you could drop him off a bridge with a bungee cord tied to him and a bomb that would go off when he stretches the cord and he wouldn't wake up.  

Sure enough, in about 5 minutes he was out.  Santa arrived shortly after and grandma and grandpa about 20 minutes after that.  D didn't wake up until daylight despite talking for hours and later making breakfast.

One other thing that stands out about that Christmas is the relationship that built between my daughter and mom.  B was a good baby, but she was a little fussy when grandma was there. Finally, mom said that she thought B was hungry.  My wife said that she just fed her.  My mom made a couple more ounces of formula and fed it to her.  She gobbled it all up to my wife's surprise.  While mom was feeding her, B just kept looking at her like she was trying to figure out who she was.  

From this early age, B seemed aware of things.  A few days before, I as listening to the song All is Well and I had a few tears in my eyes.  I was holding B as I listened to this song.  She kept looking at me and it seemed like she was trying to ask why I was crying.  This is partially why the song means so much to me now.

B and my mom developed a special bond in the short time they were together.  They would only spend Valentines Day and a couple other days together before mom died.  

The holidays are a difficult time for people who have lost loved ones.  I know this first hand. However, when the pain of the loss has subsided, the memories of them burn brighter than ever. I wouldn't trade these memories for anything.  

What is the Christmas message?

This is an oldie, but I like it.  What is the holiday message below?

A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

What's your guess?

Christmas Prayer

Loving Father,

Help us to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and the worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.  Let kindness come with every gift, and good desires with every blessing.   Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.  Amen.

Robert Louis Stevenson

An Evening in December

As I wait here on the evening in December

I remember how it felt to be a child

This old house still feels the same

all the family will be here in just a while

I hope dad gets here first to build the fire

He's the only one who has that special touch

Then my sister with her kids

and my grandma who I love so very much

Sometimes out on the road it gets so lonely

Cause I miss those special people I hold dear

Though our calendars are full

at least for this one night we'll all be here

How the children love this evening in December

While the smallest ones are playing on the floor

There's a warmth I can't explain and

I feel the love of those who've gone before

Keep the fire burning here

until we all come back next year

and I'm glad we're here together

on this evening in December

We'll watch the falling snow and

hold each other close

I'm so glad we're here together

for an evening to remember

On this night

on this December night

Child in the Manger

Child in the manger, infant of Mary

outcast and stranger, Lord of all

Child who inherits

All our transgression

All our demerits on Him fall

Once the most holy

Child of salvation

Gently and lowly

Now as our glorious Mighty Redeemer

See Him victorious

o'er each foe

Prophets foretold Him

Infant of wonder

Angels behold Him on His throne

Worthy our Savior

of all our praises

Happy forever

are His own

from MWS Christmastime © 1998

Unsnow Poem

(So titled because I never use the word, snow)

Cold and frosty, it silently falls

"It's coming down!" excitement calls

Wonder covers the earth

temporarily increasing worth

Children building and a man is made

The balls are ready, but I'm not afraid

I have my own weapons to hurl away

If only this whiteness could stay

Dear bright covering, you blanket of white

How I love the way you paint the night

The quiet loveliness our world knows

but I love it also when it goes

Ouch!! A Christmas Memory

December 24, 2002 was a good Christmas but I was a bit stiff.  Let me tell you why.  

Growing up, I couldn't roller skate.  I liked to skateboard but I was uncomfortable on skates.  Flash forward to me being an adult with kids.  All the kids could roller blade so I felt pressured to learn.  Little by little, I got better at rollerblading.  I like blading now but don't do it that much.  

We live have a great location for all of us to blade.  The kids and I would play roller blade tag or other games that require one to go fast, take tight corners, and just be dangerous.  I got to the point that I was getting bored with these games so I decided to start jumping over things.  Now, I wasn't jumping over objects, just predetermined distances.  

I started small...jumping over cracks.  I kept adding distance until I decided that I would jump over the manhole cover a few feet into the street from our driveway.  I did this a few times and my confidence was growing.  

The day before Christmas found us skating.  I decided that I was going to jump over the manhole and a skid mark a few feet away from the manhole.  All together, the distance was 6 or 7 ft.  I jumped the distance a couple of times when I decided that we needed to get in the house but everyone could do one last thing.  I was going to do my jump again.  

The start gave me no indication of the disaster that was coming.  Even the initial jump was fine.  Of course, the start and jump meant nothing.  The landing was everything.  

When my wheels hit the ground, the skate flew forward out from under me.  Due to my forward motion, I was moving to a horizontal/sitting position.  This meant that the first part of my body that would hit the ground would be my tail bone.  

People often talk about how your life flashes before your eyes.  Well, I didn't see any of the that, but everything slowed to 1/2 a mile an hour.  When my tailbone hit, I could feel every vertebra in my back hit against the next.  Like dominoes, zzzziiippp, up my spine.  I hit square in that one area and slid along the ground.  

I lay there stunned and embarrassed.  I could hear the kids calling out to me, "Are you ok?'  "Dad, are you alright?"  I started accessing the damage.  Everything still seemed to be attached.  Check 1.  I don't see any blood.  Check 2  I can move...Check 3....as I started to roll over.  I stayed on my hands and knees for a moment and tried to breathe.  I could breathe.  Check 4  I'm alive  Check 5

I told the kids that we were done for the day.