Apple and a Psalm a day

I believe in the value of eating fruit, and some what believe in the truth of "an apple day keeps the doctor away." Okay, it helps that I happen to like apples.

I also believe even more fully in the value of daily devotional, bible reading, time alone in prayer with God, and time with my beloved wife in prayer.

Unless one get entirely the wrong impression of me, those who know be best know that I am not consistent. But, I like what Thomas Merton (http://www.mertoncenter.org/) said,"There is only one happiness: to please Him." He also said elsewhere, and I am paraphrasing; It is enough that we earnestly desire to please God. So, I try to remain consistent in daily devotional, bible reading, and prayer.

Actually, these are my Lent positive this year along with trying to be more health conscious. So for, at least in my limited understanding, my Lent negatives, which are really positives for me, I have given up Diet Cokes and sweets.

Oh, as part of my daily readings, I was reading through the section of Psalms 80-90, talk about up and down and inconsistency, at least if you believe that they were written one day after the other, instead of over the course of David's life. In one of the Psalms he will unabashedly sing God's praises and then in the next he will lament his state of affairs and that God seems far away.

This I can identify with, and I am sure, many others can as well. At this time in my life Psalm 90, seems a fair appraisal of the situation, at least at times. Psalm 90 seems to me to a true statement of man or woman's existence under the sun. But, in case you did not know, in Psalm 90, as David usually does, he ends his song of lament with praise for God and a plea for his favor.

So, I too ask for God's favor on all of us, especially myself and those I love. I think that God's favor is better than all the apples in all the orchards in all the world.*

My disclaimer: I intend no slur on apple producers and is this strictly the opinion of this writer and not of the Church.

Now gone

Well time drew close and now is past. Did not make the flight to Texas. Too many little health issues made it look very unpleasant. It is not fun to be sick away from home. So we opted to stay put. Maybe next time we can get some BBQ and Tex-Mex.

Oh, why reflections in a puddle? Well think about it.

What you see reflected depends less on what is being reflected and more on 100s of other factors. Depth of puddle, size of puddle, lighting conditions, wind, temperature of the water, angle or orientation of vision, field of vision, etc.

Thus, the meaning of life. What each of us sees it as all depends on 100s if not 1000s of other factors, many peculiar to the viewer alone, and not much on what it really is.

Draws close

Time draws close -- close to the time to fly to Texas and once again visit family, and reacquaint ourselves with our roots; time to look for a home to buy; time to soon move to Texas; time to begin the transition into yet another type of retirement.

Yet while time draws close, it also runs out. The time for doing all the above will come and pass or run out.

While time for taxes comes every year, time for leaving this mortal plane comes once to one and all.

Every little closer and then out is one more mile marker toward the final time out call. All face that call; some with fear and dread because they will be dead, others like myself with wonder and awe. It will be, for me, the end of wandering and wondering and the beginning of staying and knowing.

Look around!

I am living vicariously through my daughter's experiences in Namibia. One thing it is doing is causing me to once again look around me and give thanks for the innumerable blessings of living in the here and now of where God has placed me. We, those of us living in developed countries, are for the most part incredibly fortunate. Our big worry now is how will the down turn in the economy inconvenience us, and not where will our next meal come from. Hearing that her department only had enough funds for one stapler, when we have three or four lying around the house, is a bit sobering. Why do I get to spend my live in such affluence while so many do not?