What a wonderful world

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Oh yeah
(George Weiss/Bob Thiele)

Playing catch-up

"this is a ministry that was literally dropped on our doorstep! How can we not respond?"
Michael's passion
seeing the old familiar gleam in Jeremy's eyes
ooooooh child things are gonna get easier, things'll get brighter
no asbestos floating around!!!!
Service man to pastor: How can I be saved?....You answered just right...there's no charge.
actually finding a bathing suit that fits and even kinda liking it
my back porch in the rain
friends asking "How are YOU doing?" and knowing they really want to know
anticipating the arrival of my most favorite first oldest daughter in the whole wide world
anticipation of seeing Darrell and Sheila, Jim and Diane
short but very sweet relief
sleep
being able to see PD, Mary and Henry through the miracle that is the web
little baby boys who can't take their eyes off Rob
big black dogs with large barks and no bite

Today's song

Nothing shatters nothing breaks
Nothing hurts and nothing aches
We've got ourselves one helluva place in my heaven

Looking down at the world below
A bunch of whining, fighting schmo's
Up here we've got none of those, in my heaven

There's pools and lakes and hills and mountains
Music, art, and lighted fountains
Who needs bucks here, no one's counting
In my heaven

No one works, we all just play
We pick the weather everyday
If you change your mind, that's ok, in my heaven

Grandma's up here, Grandpa too
In a condo with to-die-for views
There's presidents and movie stars
You just come as you are
No one's lost and no one's missing
No more parting just hugs and kissing
And all these stars are just for wishing
In my heaven

There's little white lights everywhere
Your childhood dog in Dad's old chair
And more memories than my heart can hold
When Eva's singing "Fields of Gold"

There's neighbors, theives and long lost lovers
Villains, poets, kings and mothers
Up here we forgive each other, in my heaven

For every soul that's down there waiting,
Holding on, still hesitating
We say a prayer of levitating, in my heaven

You can look back at your life and lot
But it can't matter what you're not
By the time you're here, we're all we've got
In my heaven
In my heaven
In my heaven

Mary Chapin Carpenter

O healing river, send down your waters

storms and swinging on the front porch while it rains, the coolness following the storm, cleaning out, Ashley ("Maam, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come out of there!") addressing the wrong dressing room, ice packs

Sweet home Alabama

once again, getting work done, a quiet office, being helpful and hearing "Thank you," quiet campus walks, Matthew McConaughey

Today's song

Somewhere, my love,
There will be songs to sing
Although the snow
Covers the hope of spring.

Somewhere a hill
Blossoms in green and gold
And there are dreams
All that your heart can hold.

Someday we'll meet again, my love.
Someday whenever the spring breaks through.

You'll come to me
Out of the long ago,
Warm as the wind,
Soft as the kiss of snow.

Till then, my sweet,
Think of me now and then.
God, speed my love'
Til you are mine again.

Francis Paul WebsterMaurice Jarre
Also known as the Love Theme or Lara's Themefrom the movie Dr. (Doctor) Zhivago

(somehow, just having the words isn't enough...it really needs that balalaika - that's the instrument it was played on in the movie)

Calm

a quiet house, Olive Garden and tiramisu

When the Holy Ghost shows up

Monday:

once again - being able to finish work uninterrupted, In the Garden, spouses with rhyming names (Maude and Claude), hair styles that never change, JoJo worrying about how she worries, seeing people surprised when someone actually does what they say they will do, Brethren harmony in a place with great accoutics singing songs of "questionable" theology

Today's song

Mem'ries,
Light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
Could we?

Mem'ries, may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it's the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember...
The way we were...
The way we were...

Barbara Streisand, The Way We Were

Happy Father's Day

Ethan Flowers, a church nursery full of kids, "This is where we believe we are supposed to be," Maude and Claude, photos of people who have come and gone, outdoor wedding receptions with white tents, white table cloths blowing in the gentle breeze, a lovely cake with fresh roses from the Forbes' rose garden, Father's Day filled with celebration and memories - bittersweet

"Nephrology department, can you hold?"

For Saturday:

Owen's smiles and hugs, imagining having huge stained glass windows in my home, black labs, Roanoke City Market on Saturday morning, Bobby trying to catch flying shrimp in his mouth, Baskin Robbins cookies and cream cake

Take me out to the ball game

being able to actually do one thing at a time at work and get it done, watching Diana "boogie," Bub Hannah and 14 hour plane ride stories, Charlie Tuck and macho kidney stone episode stories

blah, blah, blah

Communication. It seems that the older I get the less there is. Some of it I do, I really do understand. The rest of it...well, I guess its lack of respect, lack of trust, shame, disregarding or wanting to avoid.

Oh, and I really do like the daisies in my back yard.

in green pastures, beside still waters

having the sun lull me into happy slumber in my hammock from Ecuador, a house so cool I don't have to shut the windows and turn on the air conditioner, limeade and tea

"We can do no great things; Only small things with great love." Mother Teresa

memories of Paul and Kay, new people at church, sue and her "geetar", young men who call me "maam" and appreciate that their mom would know in that "mom way" if they didn't, completing 4 assignments even before the class begins

Don't wait

JOHN MAYER
Waiting On The World To Change

Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the meansT
o rise above and beat it

So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
It's hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change

Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want

That's why we're waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
It's not that we don't care,
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
And we're still waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change

One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

John Mayer

"What are you thinking about?" "Home."

memories of Bet and Jimmy and their pine paneled living room and smoking in Jim's garage bathroom, getting things straightened up, sunlight filtering through trees onto my dining room table, the delightful change in temp on Mill Mountain, small children peeking at large turtles, bird's eye views of the 'Noke, watering flowers

Small things, great love

"treading" to Indigo Girls, reading John in Greek, singing in the choir, hobos, Lynsey's bright face

Find the hope that feeds you

Today's song....

Whatever it was, is wasn't manumission
To spill the blood, to pull the weed
You can bury the past, but it's a mausoleum
With the ghost of a fist that won't let us be
Can we bring it together,
Can we call from the mountain to the valley below?
Can we make it better,
Do we tether the hawk, do we tether the dove?

I kicked up the dirt, and I said to my neighbor
"We keep making it worse, we keep getting it wrong"
He tucked in his shirt, he stood a little bit straighter,
He said "We need a few less words dear, we need a few more guns."
But will it bring us together,
Can we call from the mountain to the valley below?
Can we make it better,
Do we tether the hawk, do we tether the dove?

Enduring love
Why so much and so strong, beyond this short existence?
So don't be still
You say there's a long line behind you
And it's hardly worth the mentioning
But I will
Cause we may flicker and fade,
But we never will be through with this
I see this world battered but not broken
here's a fallow heart, it's waiting on a sowing hand

You can grow what you want,
But one day it's gonna rise up
So plant what you need to make a better stand
And we'll bring it together A
nd we'll call from the mountain to the valley below.
And we'll make it better
Let go of the hawk, we let go of the dove.
I sing to you, all you true believers
With the strength to see this and not be still.
I'm telling you now, find the hope that feeds you,
Don't let 'em bleed you of your will.

Tether - Indigo Girls

When you look, it's amazing what you can see

sunshine and cool breezes, daisies in my backyard, surprise visits at work, meeting former NFL players who now are committed to helping children, new glasses, completing a prayer shawl, calm in B's voice, really cheeeeeesy mac 'n cheese

Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord

After looking through the entire Old Testament, even Googling each for prayers, I was finally given my scripture for the retreat by Trish. I hope this will touch their souls as it does mine.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree does not blossom
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will exult in the God of my salvation,
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.

"Send out your bread upon the waters"

http://qpugetsound.blogspot.com/2007/04/reflections-on-ecclesiastes-11-and.html