Eternity

My mother made her final step in life this morning at 3:00 a.m. and joined God in eternity.

I am the Captain of my soul ....

Brad's good friend Greg Kelly was wise enough to pass this on.  I know you will appreciate this as much as I do.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.


In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.


Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.


It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley (1849 – 1902)

We are what we love ....

"We are what we love.  If we love God, in whose image we were created, we discover ourselves in him and we cannot help being happy: we have already achieved something of the fullness of being for which we were destined in our creation.  If we love everything else but God .... we cannot help being unhappy ..."

Thomas Merton

Success & Values

"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value."

Albert Einstein

Try to become a man of success who gives back to the world more than the world gave to him, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, become a man of values.

E.S. Kraay

I am not alone ...

A new friend introduced me to a wonderful poem by Sister Joyce Rupp.  When we face challenges in our lives, it's quite reassuring to know that we are not alone.

"The Exodus in me is marching again
and I fear the nearness of slavery,
I yearn for some unnamed freedom
and the quiet assurance of promise land.

"The days stretch into sand and barrenness.
I do not taste the manna or see the cloud,
the tiny path of my faltering foortsteps
tells the tale of a long, lonely journey.

"Are you near, God-who-never-abandons?
In my weakness, I can barely whisper your name,
in my weariness, my hand does not outstretch,
will you come, God-who-never-fails?

"The Exodus in me is marching again
and I am caught in struggle and pain,
fighting the demon of discouragement
who tags along and haunts my heart.

"God of the wandering ones and my God
protect me from the Egypt of my own making.
Pillar of Fire & Cloud of Light,
assure me that I am not alone."

Sister Joyce Rupp from her book

Dear Heart Come Home

The Book of Eli

I really appreciate unique stories and storytelling.  The Book of Eli certainly qualifies.  I knew nothing about it other than it stars Denzel Washington,  Your Mom and I really like him and I can't remember the last film we saw with him.  Ten minutes into the flick and I was hooked, and the conclusion is well worth the two hours of speculation.  I note that Denzel Washington produced the film, and it occurred to me that had Mel Gibson starred as Eli, the film could have been titled Mad Max IV: The Book of Eli.  Having said that, I though Denzel Washington was terrific.  The film also reminded me of The Road, another film we recently watched and really enjoyed.  Here's another interesting note ... Grandpa has been watching our Friday night movies with us.  Two films, both over two hours, that he never dozed a single time through are Kindgom of Heaven and The Book of Eli.  He found this very interesting and had no problems with the handful of F-bombs.  Five stars from this boy.

Bicycling and hip replacement

In 1990, I thought I had a bad groin pull. Several months later with no relief, I consulted a doctor and learned that I no longer had any cartilage in my left hip. The doctor said I was too young at 41-years old to get a hip replacement. “You’ll get to the point,” he explained, “when you will know it is time.” For the next dozen years or so, I took glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, which I was told could rebuild the cartridge. I really don’t think that worked. I took Celebrex for several months, and that did ease the pain, but I didn’t want to mask the pain because then I would be unable to accurately know what the situation was.


For anyone who’s experienced a similar situation, the pain is pretty intense. I learned to live with it. Finally in 2003, I came home from the soccer fields one evening and barely made it into the house. It was time. I had the hip replacement in 2003. Again, for anyone who’s done it: instant pain relief. I know the procedure has progressed significantly in the last seven years.

While I was pleased with the pain relief, I was not satisfied with the result. Maybe I just didn’t understand it, but I thought I would be able to play soccer, tennis, basketball, etc like I used to. I was very disappointed when I couldn’t. I did all of the therapy, but I still walked with a limp. While I would get out on the tennis court and even the basketball court, I was as limping player who couldn’t cover the court or play defense. All I did was hobble. If the ball was hit to me, I could strike it, but I just couldn’t run it down. The change occurred in 2009, and the change is the point of this story …

My son Brad and daughter-in-law Stephanie gave me an old bicycle that was gathering dust in their garage. I was still living in Missouri at the time. Once my butt got used to the seat, I started riding five miles about four days each week. I thought it was a big deal. Other than the fact that the old mountain bike wasn’t sized right, it worked fine. In October, Marie and I moved back to Arizona, and I started to get more serious about the bike riding. I received great inspiration from 1981 Academy grad John Mooney who finished 81st in the 105-mile Tour de Tucson in 2009.

In short order, I was riding 6 miles a day, five days a week. Then I started stretching out to 10 miles …. Today, I routinely ride 8 miles a day Monday through Friday and 25 miles each Saturday and Sunday. The result has been startling …

I’m playing tennis and covering the court without limping, without pain and without problems. Then I started going down to the basketball court. After a few weeks of half-court games, I got into some full-court games with players 30 and 40 years my junior. I could actually run the court and contribute to a 5v5 game on both sides of the ball. I’m told I don’t limp anymore. Maybe …

The final point is this: if someone asked me how to recuperate from a hip replacement, I would say there is no better alternative than bicycling. The results for me have been unbelievable. I only wish someone had told me five years earlier! The side benefits speak for themselves.