The Wonders of Technology...

I've had the chance to Skype with all my immediate family in the last couple weeks. It's obviously not as ideal as being with them, but helps bridge the gap. I got to talk to 'the nieces' tonight.

Bailey tried a series of submission holds on Daddy.

Bailey also did a little choreographed 'peek-a-boo,' turning away and then adding a turn and tilt for the camera. Pretty advanced moves for almost 9 months.

 Eyla tried to hide but doesn't know my superior Skype-aided 'hide-n-seek' skills. She didn't have a chance.

Mommy even got the heads-up via cell phone that her favorite brother-in-law was 'in the house.'

 

(Even if there was something like Skype when I was her age, I would have broken my little finger in a rotary phone dial trying to call someone to tell them about it. )

Yep... thankful for modern and visual ways to span the distance.

Cure for depression...

I remember reading Rich Mullins' biography (one of my favorites) 5-6 years ago. A couple things stuck out to me... and these are rough paraphrases, mind you.

1) Rich said he didn't worry about eating stuff like french fries b/c God would take him, whenever He saw fit, whether he ate healthy or not. ( And God did take him, a la Keith Green-another great biography- suddenly and without warning)

I use this as fascetious response to 'detractors' of fast-food diets

2) Rich talked about dealing with depression at different points in his life. And one of the best remedies for depression, he shared, was to get outside, take a walk around the block, and be reminded of how big the trees are, and how much bigger the world is than our problems, and, consequently, how much bigger God is.

So... I've been living under some storm clouds since last Thursday. It's a classic example of things not going as I had hoped or planned, and the result was a derailment of my mental and emotional focus.

So... I needed some 'elevation therapy'  and perspective, and so I went hiking...

The mountains have a way of putting me ( and my worries) in perspective. And for those moments when I doubt moving from seeming stability to (at least perceived/felt) instability, they are part of a series of reminders that I'm where I need to be right now.

And I found a good place to journal some thoughts on the back end of 6 miles of hiking...

and then...
I went to church, and the pastor miraculously 'preached right at me' and reminded me to get over myself and get busy doing what God wants me to do for His kingdom. And, in that, I'll find joy and purpose.

And, for the third week in a row, we sang a song with some reference to Psalm 121 ( "I lift my eyes to the mountains; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth...)

And I just smiled and shook my head, and realized that I can't escape.

And I'm glad that I can't.

And I'll probably need reminders of all this stuff tomorrow, or next week. And I'm learning that God is good at reminding, whether I/we like it or not.

And I'm thankful, in my instability, that the mountains are so close to remind me where my Help is found.

And if I start one more sentence with the word, "And," I realize that I'll lose all the good-will of my blog readership...

(And) so, I'll stop...  and encourage you to eat french fries (everything in moderation, right?) and take a walk outside.

The craziest lunch ever...

What is big, white, and goes, "crunch, splash"  ????

The answer...

A big sedan, driven by a lady into the ornamental pond near the office building where I am working.

I was eating lunch at an outdoor picnic table when I heard a loud crunch. I figured it was some construction guys working on a parking lot nearby. Whatever the noise was made me jump.

As I turned to see what the noise was, I saw a car slowly rolling down the bank and into a pond outside the office building. (you don't see that every day) It floated to the middle and then started to sink.  I jumped up instantly in surprise, unsure of what to do. I started toward the pond, scared out of my wits. But seeing some guys closer, and starting to take action to help the driver, I ran back to the picnic table to get my phone and call 911.

My adrenaline was pumping pretty hard as I wondered what would happen if the lady had a seizure or heart attack and was helpless to get out of a sinking car. One of the guys waded in to help her, and we finally saw her moving around. I nervously relayed the information to the dispatcher even as the 'wader' opened the door and helped the lady to shore. (thankfully, the pond was only 3-4 feet deep). The dispatcher lady even seemed a little incredulous.

Without knowing for sure, I think the lady was pulling across a couple lanes of traffic, needed to punch it (busy lunch drivers abound), and probably had the accelerator stick. Her car jumped the curb, struck a tree (the loud crunch) and then proceeded slowly down the bank and into the water. 

Anyway... I won the award for best 'lunch story' and the entire office building took turns going out to see the craziness.

Some of the responses of the eventual spectators were less than kind, sadly. Even as crazy as it was, many joked about how dumb the lady must have been. I actually felt bad for having told anyone what was going on. Obviously, they would have found out, but their responses were hateful. I felt sorry for her. I can't imagine the embarrassment, let alone the trauma of being in a car submerging in water.

I'm hoping for less 'exciting' lunches from here on out.