reminders of an (almost) perfect day
This is one of my favorite photographs from a five-mile hike over Penobscot and Sargent mountains in Acadia National Park. It frames the reflection of the Bubbles overlooking the north end of Jordan Pond. I like the way the photo turned out, granite mounds reflected in the still waters, framed by green branches and a half-submerged rock in the foreground.
Stoney, our two-and-a-half year old Australian Shepherd, accompanied me on the hike and we both had a great time that day. At least I know I did!
I had been anticipating and planning this day for a year. Each year for three years, Stoney and I have done a hike in the Jordan Pond area. Last year I heard about Sargent Mountain Pond and decided we needed to see it! The pond lies between the two summits and offers both unusually beautiful views and a refreshing rest stop mid-hike. Here’s a view of the pond …
As Stoney and I headed up the trail from Jordan Pond House, the Pond and the flanks of Penobscot Mountain to the west and Pemetic Mountain to the east of the Pond were engulfed in low-lying clouds. But the clouds gave way to strong sunlight as we made our way onto the summit ridge. The day was everything I had anticipated … and more. The climbing was challenging and exhilarating; Sargent Mountain Pond was a delight; and the views from the top of Sargent were an unexpected treat. It was an (almost) perfect day! And a day I will remember for a long time … at least until next year and our next hike!
(Click on any photo to see a larger image!)
going to new orleans
Even three years after hurricane Katrina, there is much rebuilding work yet to do in New Orleans as this video from the Center for American Progress indicates …
Tomorrow I leave with a mission team of twelve adults from our congregation for a week’s work in New Orleans. We will be one team among many taking part in the ongoing efforts of the United Church of Christ to help the people of New Orleans rebuild their homes and their lives. Ours is a good team — six men and six women — and we go with strong support from our church family. I have high expectations, both for the blessings we will bestow by our work and the blessings we will receive from the people we meet.
We will be hosted by St. Matthew/Central United Church of Christ. We will worship with them on Sunday, make their church our home for six days, share a red beans and rice supper with them on Wednesday evening … and see their city up close, both through their eyes and our own. So we go not only to help, but also to be helped, to be helped to see our neighbors as Jesus does.
Our 400 man-hours of work will make only a small contribution to the larger needs of the city, but, we pray, a contribution that will make a great difference for the two families in whose homes we will work. It is good to be able to do something … to take our faith beyond mere words, to live our compassion beyond mere feelings.
“i will not die an unlived life”
I like the sentiment expressed in this poem by Dawna Markova posted today on the inward/outward website:
I Will Not Die an Unlived Life
I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom,
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.
I like the poem because she writes so eloquently of the sort of life I long for … but am not always ready to risk going for!
And I like it because she writes so eloquently of a life that is not merely “mine.” She doesn’t ask that her seeds might bloom — for her glory, that her blossoms might bear fruit — for her benefit, but that each might be passed on to another in whom they will work their beautiful and nurturing effects.
the beautiful game
They call it the beautiful game.
I am a big fan of soccer, a longtime player and coach, and a big fan of women’s soccer and the United States national team in particular. My daughter (whom I coached and is herself an equally avid fan) attended World Cup games in 1999 in Chicago and in 2003 in Boston. We did not fly to China to witness any of this year’s World Cup matches, but we are watching and taping every US contest. We will be eagerly following their quarterfinal match this Saturday against England.
I am a diehard US fan, but I must admit that Marta and the entire Brazilian women’s national team know how to play the game with style! Marta scored two goals in their 4-0 victory against China, the host team, two of the most spectacular goals I have seen in women’s soccer. Take a look …
It is a beautiful game!
mia or barry?
On our way home to Iowa from our vacation in Maine, we stayed with a friend in Oneonta, New York, and visited the National Soccer Hall of Fame. On August 26, Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy will be honored there as 2007 inductees. Here’s hoping that Barry Bonds, the new “home run king” of baseball, will not merit such an honor in nearby Cooperstown …
Let’s see, Mia or Barry?
One an athlete of character, intensity, passion, compassion, humility, generosity, and unselfishness. The other almost certainly a cheater.
One a player of America’s game, discrediting the game, discounting his teammates, and casting a long shadow over a hallowed record. The other a player of the world’s game, doing more than any other single individual to inspire a new generation of girls (and boys) to a love for that game, for sport itself, and for joy of being team.
One taking the fun out of the game. The other reminding us that fun is what games are supposed to be about!
