Sunday has gone from somber to uber somber...

It's just been an off day with sports today for me. First Yankee Stadium (a few posts below) and now this http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20080921017 Giselle Bundchen better be nursing Tom Brady back to health prontO (yes, yes I know he's out for this season, but I can still hope he might make a miraculous comeback...humor me already!)

"The Office" and my hopes!

Seven things I hope will happen on "The Office" for season 5 (in no particular order, of course! ; )

~ Michael will date Holly (and in a later season actually marry her).

~ Phyllis will run for some sort of public office after her party success.

~ Jim will, or will have, propose/d to or married Pam.Karen will get the position now vacated by both Jan and Ryan.

~ Dwight and Angela will get back together as if nothing ever happened to Sprinkles.

~ Oscar will host a Pampered Chef party after Dwight starts an online beet jelly company.

~ Ryan will be assigned to Dunder Mifflin by a temp agency yet again.

A Tower of Yes

Each Yes of mine I added to a tower of others.
With a deceptively sturdy base it as so easy to add another yes-can.
It began with a foundation I could build upon.
It was so simple to add one more seemingly small, aluminum weight yes.
Yes, I can do that. Yes, I will call.
Yes, I will help. Yes, I can listen.
Yes, I will be there, do that, jump that hoop, ride that rail, hoist that sail, drive that car.
Yes. And one more. And another.
But it got hard to reach the top of the pile.
I stretched.
The stack grew higher
And higher and harder to balance.
And then one inevitable day a final yes toppled into another.
And another.
And another.
And suddenly with a rush and roar the cans of yeses tumbled down.
A waterfall of crashing cans falling in a metallic scream that finally echoed into silence.
And then...I heard the calling of the sparrow, and the singing of the crickets, the soft brush of an angel’s wing.
And sitting there in my pile of Yes rubbish I could hear God’s whisper, His voice beckoning, asking me to follow him.
I only needed to answer with one single, solitary,
Sacred and holy,
Joyful and liberating,
Life-giving, spirit-filling
Yes. Oh yes.
~ Anne Gough / I love the imagery of the cans...really helps me to remember to keep my "yeses" in balance! ; )

Somber Sunday

Okay baseball friends....Sunday (9/21) is rapidly approaching for the last official game at Yankee Stadium before its sniff, sniff demolition demise. I still can't believe they're tearing it down all in the name of progress. Wouldn't it have been better (and probably cheaper) to gut it again like it was in 1973, but this time restore it to its former glory (while adding some fan-friendly amenities)? After all, it's only the 3rd-oldest ballpark in the majors, and the two older ones aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Yankee Stadium was built for the game to be played, with a mystic quality and magic that was just there, ya know?! Plus there were no bad seats in da house! I guess that's why I like it so much (no, not just because of the seats.) True, it's a simple park and may not be really clean or perfect, but baseball is the soul of that place...it's seen so much history!! A new stadium will never duplicate that. Sheesh, if those walls could talk....what a phantasmagoria of sights, sounds, and memories they'd flood us with. This is just plain wrong....what is this world coming to??!!! Anyone else sharing my pain?

When Someone Deeply Listens to You

When someone deeply listens to you
it is like holding out a dented cup
you've had since childhood
and watching it fill up with
cold, fresh water.
When it balances on top of the brim,
you are understood.
When it overflows and touches your skin,
you are loved.

When someone deeply listens to you,
the room where you stay
starts a new life
and the place where you wrote
your first poem
begins to glow in your mind's eye.
It is as if gold has been discovered!

When someone deeply listens to you,
your bare feet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home within you.

~ John Fox from Finding What You Didn't Lose (an exceptional book about finding your inner creativity!! I've had this book for years and read it at least once a year!)

And who says size matters!

They seem to make a lovely couple, don't they? ; ) I love how God creates us in all shapes and sizes!
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Guinness-World-Records/ss/events/lf/042005guinnessrecord#photoViewer=/080916/481/c4a760c6c4f84c56875a29e98706984f

(And yes, I do know they really aren't a couple)

A Lifetime Guarantee

"Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life" Psalm 23:6. For some reason like a song you just can't get out of your head, this passage has refused to budge from my rooftop these past few days! When that happens, it's usually God trying to tell/teach me something. By no means am I an expert at all on interpreting scripture, so please bear with me. Here's what it says to me....

Goodness and mercy. Not just goodness alone, for we're all flawed and in need of mercy. And not just mercy alone, for we're all fragile and inadequate, in need of God's goodness. But He incredibly guarantees and promises both all the days of our lives!! Think of the days that might lie ahead: challenging days raising kids, days in a dead-end job maybe, underpaid and financially strapped, or days of sickness or loneliness. Whatever days you might face, the Shepherd will be following you and me. I think we're accustomed to a God who remains in one place; who sits enthroned in the heavens and rules. But like a Shepherd who comes behind, gently coaxing His sheep forward, our God follows us. Pursues us. Tracks us down and wins us over. So often we miss Him; and sadly don't even know when He's near. Yet, He's always there; through the kindness of a stranger, through the question of a child, through a word of encouragement spoken or a hug well timed we sense His presence. Even when we choose our hovel over His house and our efforts over His grace, He's still following. Never forcing us. Never leaving us. Using all His power to convince us that He is who He is , and that He can be trusted to lead us home. Wow! Who says there are no guarantees in life?!! Our God is pretty tootin' AMAZING!!!