There's Always Something...

Smiling Through...

2009. Bad  year in many ways personal. Lost a son. Lost a dog. Daughter gone.

Still, it was our 60th wonderful year of marriage and today we can't imagine how life could be much better. We go smiling through - regretting the bad things we can't control, celebrating all the rest, looking forward to whatever the future holds for us. We love each other and life as it is.

The best of all; God is with us!

 

Susanna...

Garrison Keillor adds so much to my daily life through listening and reading his wonderful blog.

Today's was especially poignant and I share a portion of the text with you.

Susanna by Anne Porter Nobody in the hospital Could tell the age Of the old woman who Was called Susanna I knew she spoke some English And that she was an immigrant Out of a little country  Trampled by armies Because she had no visitors I would stop by to see her But she was always sleeping All I could do  Was to get out her comb And carefully untangle The tangles in her hair One day I was beside her When she woke up Opening small dark eyes Of a surprising clearness She looked at me and said You want to know the truth? I answered Yes She said it's something that My mother told me There's not a single inch Of our whole body That the Lord does not love She then went back to sleep. "Susanna" by Anne Porter, from Living Things: Collected Poems. © Zoland Books, 2006. Reprinted with permission.

Our Son Andy Is In Poor Shape...

I've referred to some "family issues" in recent days on this blog. We're pretty private folks in our family and probably some of you have wondered what the problem is. I haven't said.
Well, our son, Andy, who lives up near Boston is in critical condition. We're going up to see him in a few weeks.
Our oldest son, Roger III, went up to see him last week and has written movingly about Andy's condition in his blog.
I'd like to share his words with you.
http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/10/16/loving-andy/ You will understand. I'm quite proud of the way Andy is handling the dying process - which all of us must handle ourselves some day. He's quite a guy.

They Cut it Down Today...

Mt favorite dead tree. A century old monument that housed each year a little family of hawks, much to the wonder of folks who live northwest of Phoenix. Taking its place - new housing for seniors. Just 2 blocks from my house and featured repeatedly on my photoblogs. Goodbye, great tree!

Grand Canyon Flood...

This morning I came upon this blog - probably the most interesting and exciting piece I've read during my few years of blogging. It's about a group of friends camping in a beautiful section of the Grand Canyon when an earthen dam broke upstream and almost wiped out everything and every one.

If you follow up on the above link you will see several other links the author did about the trip, including one with photos of the flood. Hold your hats and check it out!

What an Honor!

Some amazing news from a country preacher. Today one of my Photoblogs, "Secrets From the Desert" ranks number 5 in the "Outstanding Photo" category and my photoblog has made their "Hall of Fame" at number 25. I find it a bit hard to believe and, of course, with characteristic humility, hasten to share it with you.

Here's the picture that got the honor. The two trees in question are scheduled to be cut down tomorrow. I'm heading over today with my Nikon to get a few last shots.

Tim Russert...

Tim Russert Died yesterday and the country is a sadder place without him. I loved his professionalism, enthusiasm, family-orientation, Irish-Catholic ethos, and his tough-minded interviews. I'm thankful for all he was.

12,000 Dead...

Word comes that there are 12,000 dead and still counting with an estimated 6,000 thousand still to be found in the catastrophe in China. I have a hard time understanding numbers like that when they refer to dead people.

If a single person died on our block, we would be quite upset. 3,000 died on 911. We were upset. 4,000 militatary people have died (plus thousands of "also killed") in the "war" in Iraq. We are very upset.

18,000 +/- in one day in China? I simply don't know how to get my mind around numbers like that. And the tragic thing is that most of us glance at the headlines, shake our heads and say, "My goodness!" Then move on.

Can we get used to almost anything as long as it is kept at arm's length.

I'm Sorry...

(John Moore, Photographer - Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery / Getty Images)

The most devastating  photograph I've ever seen is this one by John Moore, taken in the Arlington National Cemetery last year.

Last week word came that 4,000 of our men and women had been killed in the administration's 5 year adventure in Iraq. Thousands and thousands more have been maimed in mind, body and spirit.

I let Mr. Moore's photo of a young woman lying on the grave of her lost lover solemnly speak for this nation's agony.

Amen. Amen.

Jo Ann's Birthday...

Yesterday was Jo Ann's birthday. We had a grand time of it! One of those birthdays that ends with a zero. Political correctness, for which I have never been noted, dictates that I be no more specific than that.

The thing I kept thinking about was that, counting a few years of courtship, she has given me 60 years of her life. What a sacred gift. I never figured out why she fell in love with me - or put up with me all these years - but she did and has. She's not the kind of woman one can take for granted. She has been a gift and a treasure every moment of it. I am still in awe. Some woman. Some Person. Some wife!