Ah, it's that time of year when things seem just a little bit sweeter, when hustle and bustle are good things, and when every small child has a glint of hope behind his or her eye. I love Christmas. I know that we can't exactly pin down the day that Jesus was born. I know that we aren't told specifically to celebrate his birth on a certain day and I understand that there are many who don't celebrate this at all. I'm very sorry. I don't, however, hesitate to hold the door of Wawa open for, well, just about anyone and heartily wish them a "Merry Christmas". I do it all the time. I am usually met with some surprise and then a smile and then the greeting is reciprocated in some fashion. If "Merry Christmas" is offensive to you though, let me take this time to say I'm truly sorry. If my saying "Have a Merry Christmas" bothers you, then please take it this way. We traditionally celebrate Christmas on December 25, (just in case you live under a rock) and I truly wish "Merriment" (or just plain "Happiness") for you on that day and all the days of the Winter Solstice.
I would honestly prefer that you understand and accept that the God who made the world and everything in it set forth a time when he would send His only Son. On that day, whenever it was, the Angels sang out the news. The news wasn't just that a baby was born. It wasn't even to tell that there was something miraculous about the birth. The news was that He would be the one capable of saving us from ourselves. He could remove the stain of sin and take on himself the death that waited for us all. So the angels sang because a monumental event had occurred. God had finally sent salvation into the world. This salvation is for everyone without limit or exclusion; and its free.
So when I say "Merry Christmas" what I mean is "God Loves You and Jesus Died For You", but if you don't want to hear that, then let it mean "Have a nice day".
Sincerely,
Tom
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
David Phelps O Holy Night.
Okay, if you don't know who David Phelps is, I'm sorry. This is he, and this is my absolute favorite Christmas song. One other note, Dawn and I (along with the Baldwin's) were at this concert on about the same row, though we were ver far to the left of whoever was taking this video.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think. By the way, the sound is soft early, but it builds (wow does it build).
Tom
Enjoy! Let me know what you think. By the way, the sound is soft early, but it builds (wow does it build).
Tom
Gone the Sun
Night falls out of the sky tonight leaving pinpricks of dim light where the mighty Sun had recently shone. His nightly demise places a peaceful sadness on my soul, but with in that sadness there is the ability to reach into the sky with my spirit and reach for God.
A toddler reaches to his father, far beyond his own ability to climb or fly, yet within the child's eye there is a certainty of success. There is success because there exists a promise from above. The promise of a loving father who will reach across a distance which the child is incapable of crossing, and those fatherly arms will bear the child over. The child's success isn't in the climbing or the flying, but simply in the reaching. The father does the rest.
Night falls out of the sky leaving pinpricks of dim light where the mighty Sun had recently shone. I look to the stars and search behind them for the Father. His power is all around me; in the stars, in the yard in the trees and in my heart. My success in reaching exists in my Father's promise to reach across the gulf that I can not cross. He'll reach and he will draw me close.
"Come near to God and he'll come near to you."
Thank you God for drawing us to you. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
A toddler reaches to his father, far beyond his own ability to climb or fly, yet within the child's eye there is a certainty of success. There is success because there exists a promise from above. The promise of a loving father who will reach across a distance which the child is incapable of crossing, and those fatherly arms will bear the child over. The child's success isn't in the climbing or the flying, but simply in the reaching. The father does the rest.
Night falls out of the sky leaving pinpricks of dim light where the mighty Sun had recently shone. I look to the stars and search behind them for the Father. His power is all around me; in the stars, in the yard in the trees and in my heart. My success in reaching exists in my Father's promise to reach across the gulf that I can not cross. He'll reach and he will draw me close.
"Come near to God and he'll come near to you."
Thank you God for drawing us to you. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Age Old Question
WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?
Why did the chicken ever cross the road? Here are the responses of some well known people...
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER:
To get to the other side.
PLATO:
For the greater good.
ARISTOTLE:
It is the nature of chickens to cross roads.
KARL MARX:
It was a historical inevitability.
TIMOTHY LEARY:
Because that's the only trip the establishment would let it take.
SADDAM HUSSEIN:
This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.
JACK NICHOLSON:
'cause it wanted to. That's the reason. You want the chicken? You can't handle the chicken!
RONALD REAGAN:
I forget.
CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK:
To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.
HIPPOCRATES:
Because of an excess of phlegm in its pancreas.
ANDERSEN CONSULTANT:
Deregulation of the chicken's side of the road was threatening its dominant market position. The chicken was faced with significant challenges to create and develop the competencies required for the newly competitive market. Andersen Consulting, in a partnering relationship with the client, helped the chicken by rethinking its physical distribution strategy and implementation processes. Using the Poultry Integration Model (PIM), Andersen helped the chicken use its skills, methodologies, knowledge, capital and experiences to align the chicken's people, processes and technology in support of its overall strategy within a Program Management framework. Andersen Consulting convened a diverse cross-spectrum of road analysts and best chickens along with Anderson consultants with deep skills in the transportation industry to engage in a two-day itinerary of meetings in order to leverage their personal knowledge capital, both tacit and explicit, and to enable them to synergise with each other in order to achieve the implicit goals of delivering and successfully architecting and implementing an enterprise-wide value framework across the continuum of poultry cross-median processes. The meeting was held in a park-like setting, enabling and creating an impactful environment which was strategically based, industry-focussed, and built upon a consistent, clear, and unified market message and aligned with the chicken's mission, vision, and core values. This was conducive towards the creation of a total business integration solution. Andersen Consulting helped the chicken change to become more successful.
LOUIS FARRAKHAN:
The road, you see, represents the black man. The chicken 'crossed' the black man in order to trample him and keep him down.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.:
I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives being called into question.
MOSES (via Monty Python):
And God came down from the Heavens, and He said unto the chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road." And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing.
FOX MULDER:
You saw it cross the road with your own eyes. How many more chickens have to cross the road before you believe it?
RICHARD M. NIXON:
The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did NOT cross the road.
MACHIAVELLI:
The point is that the chicken crossed the road. Who cares why? The end of crossing the road justifies whatever motive there was.
JERRY SEINFELD:
Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask, What the heck was this chicken doing walking around all over the place, anyway?"
FREUD:
The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.
BILL GATES:
I have just released the new Chicken Office 2009, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.
BILL CLINTON:
I'm going to say something important. And I'll say it again to make sure you understand. I did not have sexual relations with that chicken. I did not.
OLIVER STONE:
The question is not, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Rather, it is, "Who was crossing the road at the same time, whom we overlooked in our haste to observe the chicken crossing?"
DARWIN:
Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads.
EINSTEIN:
Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road moved beneath the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.
BUDDHA:
Asking this question denies your own chicken nature.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON:
The chicken did not cross the road .. it transcended it.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY:
To die. In the rain.
COLONEL SANDERS:
I missed one?
Why did the chicken ever cross the road? Here are the responses of some well known people...
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER:
To get to the other side.
PLATO:
For the greater good.
ARISTOTLE:
It is the nature of chickens to cross roads.
KARL MARX:
It was a historical inevitability.
TIMOTHY LEARY:
Because that's the only trip the establishment would let it take.
SADDAM HUSSEIN:
This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.
JACK NICHOLSON:
'cause it wanted to. That's the reason. You want the chicken? You can't handle the chicken!
RONALD REAGAN:
I forget.
CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK:
To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.
HIPPOCRATES:
Because of an excess of phlegm in its pancreas.
ANDERSEN CONSULTANT:
Deregulation of the chicken's side of the road was threatening its dominant market position. The chicken was faced with significant challenges to create and develop the competencies required for the newly competitive market. Andersen Consulting, in a partnering relationship with the client, helped the chicken by rethinking its physical distribution strategy and implementation processes. Using the Poultry Integration Model (PIM), Andersen helped the chicken use its skills, methodologies, knowledge, capital and experiences to align the chicken's people, processes and technology in support of its overall strategy within a Program Management framework. Andersen Consulting convened a diverse cross-spectrum of road analysts and best chickens along with Anderson consultants with deep skills in the transportation industry to engage in a two-day itinerary of meetings in order to leverage their personal knowledge capital, both tacit and explicit, and to enable them to synergise with each other in order to achieve the implicit goals of delivering and successfully architecting and implementing an enterprise-wide value framework across the continuum of poultry cross-median processes. The meeting was held in a park-like setting, enabling and creating an impactful environment which was strategically based, industry-focussed, and built upon a consistent, clear, and unified market message and aligned with the chicken's mission, vision, and core values. This was conducive towards the creation of a total business integration solution. Andersen Consulting helped the chicken change to become more successful.
LOUIS FARRAKHAN:
The road, you see, represents the black man. The chicken 'crossed' the black man in order to trample him and keep him down.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.:
I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives being called into question.
MOSES (via Monty Python):
And God came down from the Heavens, and He said unto the chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road." And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing.
FOX MULDER:
You saw it cross the road with your own eyes. How many more chickens have to cross the road before you believe it?
RICHARD M. NIXON:
The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did NOT cross the road.
MACHIAVELLI:
The point is that the chicken crossed the road. Who cares why? The end of crossing the road justifies whatever motive there was.
JERRY SEINFELD:
Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask, What the heck was this chicken doing walking around all over the place, anyway?"
FREUD:
The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.
BILL GATES:
I have just released the new Chicken Office 2009, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.
BILL CLINTON:
I'm going to say something important. And I'll say it again to make sure you understand. I did not have sexual relations with that chicken. I did not.
OLIVER STONE:
The question is not, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Rather, it is, "Who was crossing the road at the same time, whom we overlooked in our haste to observe the chicken crossing?"
DARWIN:
Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads.
EINSTEIN:
Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road moved beneath the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.
BUDDHA:
Asking this question denies your own chicken nature.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON:
The chicken did not cross the road .. it transcended it.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY:
To die. In the rain.
COLONEL SANDERS:
I missed one?
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Harvest Time
I had previously said that I wouldn't be blogging very often during harvest, but that when I did I'd have some fresh pictures. Well, I am nothing if not a man of my word so here they are. This first image is of the gathering crew in a beautiful red ring of berries. I was blessed to be in some waders on today when I took this and so I was very close to the fruit.
Next we see from a week or so ago the hands of Santa (seriously) in so
me fresh picked cranberries.
When we flood a bog to get ready for picking, millions of little (and some not so little) spiders scamper away from the water and end up making webs on the sides of the dam. Here is a picture depicting such an event.
and finally, Beauty and the beautiful beast. This is a wonderful picture of a spider on the berries (ergo the beauty and the beast reference), but take a close look at the back of the spider and you'll notice that this icky critter is actually a mommy walking away from danger with all her icky babies on her icky back. How wonderful; icky but wonderful.
More to come...
More to come...Tom
Thursday, October 2, 2008
For better and worse
Dawn is both a little better and a little worse. The treatment increases in dosage every couple of days. Yesterday was her first increase and it nocked her a little further into woozyville and added a bit more to the nausea with which she's been dealing since beginning these treatments. As for the "better," she mentioned this morning that the pain seems to have lessened a little. We're not doing backflips yet, but our prayer is that the easing of the pain will continue through the coming days.
The view from the waiting room holds a nice angle of Billy Penn as the early Sun pushes its light over the tall buildings. This picture is of Mr. Penn's statue, but I didn't take it and the angle isn't from the waiting room window. Still, you get the idea.
Tom
The view from the waiting room holds a nice angle of Billy Penn as the early Sun pushes its light over the tall buildings. This picture is of Mr. Penn's statue, but I didn't take it and the angle isn't from the waiting room window. Still, you get the idea.
Tom
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Dawn's Procedure
Good morning to all. Here is a Dawn Update. She is doing alright. We've now been to two of her many Ketamine treatments and is a bit groggy for her efforts. She has had to go to Philly for the treatments where she stays recumbent for 4 hours in a recliner while they administer Ketamine intravenously. She comes out of it a little nauseous and woozy the first day she had some strange and vague dreams. All in all she's holding up well under the circumstances. Today is my first day back at work away from her and I miss being there. I didn't do much but sit, pray and read while trying not to hear the television (Good Morning America, Rachel Ray and The View aren't really my cup of tea). She's there now without me. Wonderful people from the church family here are pitching in to help us with all her back and forth travels, and I love them all. Of course Dawn's parents are extending their considerably wonderful helping hand with the kids through this. Kayleigh is getting some really cool Pop pop time and Mom mom is coming over daily to help the kids get off to school. Today Christian is at home with a slight fever. We think it might be a sinus infection. We'll get him up and running (not just his nose) soon, Lord willing.
Thanks to all for the prayers. Needless to say that all of this happening at cranberry time couldn't be much worse. Still though, I'll thank my God for the blessings I have.
Tom
Thanks to all for the prayers. Needless to say that all of this happening at cranberry time couldn't be much worse. Still though, I'll thank my God for the blessings I have.
Tom
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