TLO is…

A Genius

An Athlete

Blessings,

Buttface

Killing Church Committees and Other Reflections on Church Organization

Here is a fascinating blog about church structures, the comment section is also really full of ideas. I wonder if some of the died in the wool Presbyterians could embrace a more ad hoc approach to leadership?

I guess we’ll see.

Killing Church Committees and Other Reflections on Church Organization.

via Killing Church Committees and Other Reflections on Church Organization.

How do I spend less?

Here is the text from the sermon I preached December 4, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church. The texts were Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-8.

And here’s a link to the audio. How do I spend less?

This season of Advent we’ve invited you to join us in a conspiracy of sorts, an Advent Conspiracy. An opportunity to Enter the Story of waiting, the story of preparing, the story of hope, the story of joy that we find ina manger in Bethlehem; the story of God becoming incarnate in an infant, born in poverty; an infant that would show us a new way to live, a new way to interact, a new way to be.

I will be honest this week’s question: How do we spend less? is a hard one for me. It’s hard because one of the main ways my family shows love is through the giving of gifts. All my life, whether at the holidays or just because the way that my family says, “I love you” is through buying each other gifts.

A few years ago a book came out to help married couples communicate more effectively and help them to understand their partner. This book was called the 5 Love Language. Dr. Gary Chapman explains that these love languages are ways that people show and interpret love.

My family shows and interprets love through little gifts, it doesn’t have to be grandiose or expensive it’s just something. “Hey, I thought of you today and I bought you your favorite candy bar.” “I saw this book on the half off table and I thought you’d like it.” You know stuff like that.

So when I tell my family, we are going to spend less this year and we would like you to as well, it’s like telling them not to show us that they love us. It’s really hurtful, I can hear it over the phone. Even though my parents and sister are flying all the way across country to spend time with us this Christmas (which as you know if pretty expensive and a wonderful gift in and of itself) it is necessary for them to give us and our children something, some token of their love.

Who am I to tell my family that they can’t speak in the only language they know?

My hope is that while we think about spending less, we will hear spend differently. Whether that’s a gift from the Alternative Christmas Market or a donation in honor of your loved one to a worthy cause, or a check to them in the amount you were going to spend to them inviting them to give it away to the something they feel passionate about and tell you why.  There are a million different ways to spend, that can not only show how much you love but also can do good for someone else.

Sometimes I think that we spend because that is the only language we think is out there, we don’t know or have never heard of a different way. There are tons of ways you can give or receive a gift that doesn’t cost you any money.

Let’s look at some of the ways that a gift that didn’t cost anything has touched the lives of our community.

In the passage from Mark this morning we hear about John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus, standing in the wilderness saying, “Hey everybody, something’s got to change and I know that soon someone will come and show you. I can point to him. And he’s going to change everything.”

That’s what we are doing, we are waiting, we are preparing for something fantastic, the birth of the savior, Jesus, who came as an infant, not a mighty king, who broke bread with his enemies, not decimate them, who at every turn did something unexpected.

Even the one who was proclaiming his coming was unexpected. He was in the wilderness wearing camel hair, eating locusts and wild honey. He wasn’t in the halls of power, he never intended to go there, John the Baptist was setting the table for the banquet to come.

He said wake up, there’s something wrong here and I know who’s going to show us how to fix it.

I think right now in our world, in our society, in our economy we are at a crisis point. We are at a point where mere tinkering isn’t going to fix it, we need to completely overhaul the systems we live in, that we have become a part of, that we have fed into. I believe God is doing something new.

Now you might be saying, “You’re crazy!” You’d probably be right. Crazy enough to think that a system that is reliant on spending more and more is unsustainable, crazy enough to believe that an economy based on speculation can’t hold, crazy enough to think that there are people in this world that are willing to stand up and say I’m tired of living the same ole, same ole.

People willing to say enough!

People willing to say that for living in a “Christian” nation we don’t live very Gospel lives.

I’m not an economist, I’m not a businessperson, but I know that some of you are. I may be too young, too naïve, too Pollyanna. But I’m willing to bet some of you are too.

I heard on the news this week that Black Friday was a success for retailers. Consumers spent millions of dollars, that they out-shined projections and that Cyber Monday was the biggest day of online shopping ever. The stock market was up; people said there might be light at the end of this dark tunnel that we’re in.

From what little I understand about the economy and job creation, we need people to spend money in order for more jobs to be created. More cashiers and stockers, more manufacturers, more everything…but we also need people to have jobs in order to make money to buy more things to create more jobs. This is wholly unsustainable to me.

I know that maybe an oversimplification or a complete misunderstanding. If so, please help me understand. I’m willing to sit down with anyone who is willing to help me understand this. Because it seems to me that we need a change. We are begging for a change, we aren’t going to make it if we don’t change.

I don’t have all the answers, really all I have at this point are questions, but I know that Christ came into this world in an unexpected way and I trust that Christ will continue to come into our lives in unexpected ways. I pray that a gift will unexpectedly relieve the suffering of some of the world’s poorest, I pray that God will call those blessed with knowledge of how economic systems work to sit down with those that understand how just systems work and try and figure out how we can have a more just economic system.

The time is now, Christmas is coming, the savior of the world is coming to shock us, to challenge us, to call us to a new way of loving the lord God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Remember Christmas can STILL change the world!

May it be so!

Halloween 2011

What is Your Legacy? Deuteronomy 34:1-12

This is the text from my sermon last week, entitled “What is Your Legacy?” The Scripture passage is Deuteronomy 32:1-12. Here is the link to the audio (a little different from the manuscript.)

Here is the video we started with:

“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!”

I wonder if this speech is similar to the one that Moses gave to the Israelites shortly before his death?

This speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. occurred in Memphis shortly before he was killed by a sniper’s bullet.

I wonder if Martin Luther King, Jr., I wonder if Moses wishes they had been able to see the promise land, to actually get to the Promised Land.  I know I would have, but Moses and MLK had great a legacy they had set the stage for those that came after them to cross the Jordan, to enter the Promised Land. There was and is work to be done but these men left us with tools in order to face the stress and fear of the journey.

Today, we continue our series, “Spiritual Courage in Economic Grief” and this morning we tackle questions of legacy. What legacy do we leave in our family, our community and our world? How do we invest ourselves in others?

As many of you know my wife is very pregnant with our second child. It could be any time now, we’re hoping for a couple of more weeks but we could get to meet our son any day, which is incredibly exciting and also pretty scary. As a husband and a parent, I’ve started to think about things in a different way, now it’s no longer only about my wants and needs but the needs of my wife and the needs of my children. Sometimes I have to sacrifice what I want to do so I can be there for my family.

I also have started thinking about what happens if I’m not here, what do I want my children to know deep within them that will help them in their own journey. With that in mind I found myself in the office of a life insurance agent as Heidi and I try to plan as best we can in case one of us isn’t there.

I think both of those things are important, being able to provide financially for those that come after me, for my children, but also emotionally, mentally, spiritually provide for them the knowledge that will hold them up in their own times of grief, the wisdom that will guide them and help them to become leaders in their tribes when they are called.

All of this has caused me to think about what legacy are we leaving, especially in the current context we find ourselves. What legacy is our denomination leaving, what legacy is First Presbyterian Church leaving, what legacy are you leaving?

Will the legacy of the Presbyterian Church USA be one of bickering over who can and cannot lead worship or be one that stands with the poor and those suffering from injustice? Certainly, we have a long history of responding to the needs of those in need but will we be able to let go of our institutions and bureaucracy when they have out lived their effectiveness?

Our denomination will die, that is a fact. As the psalmist says, “You turn us back to dust.” The beauty in that is we get a choice in how to live, we will be guided by fear holding on tightly to our structures and our system simply because we have always done it that way or will we live by love, trusting in the God, who is with us, has been with us, will be with us no matter what. The psalmist also says, ^“You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; in the morning it flourishes and is renewed.”

In the morning it flourishes and is renewed. The hope and trust in the resurrection is what guides us to know that, it may not be easy, but it will be ok.

In this time of economic grief, in this time where it feels like we need to hold on more and more tightly to the stuff that is OURS, when it feels like we need to start developing strategies to shield ourselves and everyday on the news seems likes doomsday. It’s flat out terrifying.

It is precisely this time that we need to remember the story of Moses, the story of MLK, they had been to the mountaintop, they had seen the Promised Land and they knew, they trusted that we would get there.

If you remember the story of the Israelites, you know that under the leadership of Joshua they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, but unfortunately that was not the end of their struggle, they dealt with war, famine, exile, return, exile, and on and on, after they entered the Promised Land. It may not have been easy, but it will be ok.

I don’t know if MLK would believe we’ve crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land yet but I know he would believe there is work to be done. With unemployment at the highest level it’s been in generations, with corporations having record profits, with people taking to the streets to try and “Take Back America”, whether they be from the Tea Part or Occupy Wall Street, this certainly doesn’t sound to me like the land of milk and honey. It sounds to me like a land of pain and suffering, of miscommunication and anger, of hatred and fear.

I have a confession. I too have been to the mountaintop…literally; I have been to Mt Nebo, or at least where they believe it to be. I have looked out into the Promised Land and I have seen where we are going.

I have seen the Promised Land in the piles and piles of Kits for Kids that have filled this church year after year; I have seen the Promised Land in the hundreds of families who receive food baskets every year. I remember specifically three years ago. It was the first year we had a manger here in the front during Advent. The manger was overflowing with toys and coats and clothes. While we were distributing baskets, someone offered a coat to a child who was cold, then in what can only be described as holy chaos, the coats and toys and clothes were laid out, and those people receiving baskets also received a new coat, a toy for Christmas, a new outfit for school. No one took more than they needed and all left with smiles and warmth, both physically and spiritually. Was it what was intended? No. Was it what was expected? Certainly not. Was it what God had called us to in that moment? I believe so. Was it part of the legacy of this church? Yes.

I have seen the Promised Land in our students in the youth group; we are from 10 different countries, 5 high schools, 8 middle schools, including home schools and 3 churches. We have moved thousands of pounds of food in Los Angeles, we have ask questions about why things are the way they are and we have created space for all kids to express themselves to be vulnerable to shed tears to be real. I have watched a freshman sob while talking about his family situation to the group, while another freshman, his friend, with his arm around him gently holding him and letting him speak.

I have seen the Promised Land in our students who have for their whole lives been recipients of help become the givers of help. I have seen the joy in their eyes when they say, “I’ve never been able to help before, and this is awesome.”

I have seen the Promised Land in two of our college students who raised over $1,500 for an orphanage in Nicaragua in three days. I have seen the Promised Land in people welcoming each other and taking the time to listen to the answer to the question, “how are you doing?”

I have seen the Promised Land in the people that quietly give of their time, talents and money to organizations and causes they feel called to.

All these visions of the Promise Land lead me to the question. How will we as a congregation witness to the existence of a Promise Land, when it seems as if we are stuck in the wilderness?

Will we be guided by fear, seeking to maintain a death grip on the stuff that we have? A beautiful sanctuary, clean carpet, a big building

Will be open to what Jesus called the greatest commandment, “To love the Lord God with all your heart soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Will our legacy be that we died with the most stuff or will it be that we died, having lived our life sharing the spirit of wisdom with those around us? Reminding them that God loves them, no strings attached. Will be witness to the hope found in Jesus that it might not be easy but it will be ok? Will we leave a legacy on this town, on this denomination, on this world that we were faithful when it seemed impossible? Will we stand with those around us who are suffering, will we be a place for people to find refuge, will we lead the path through the wilderness of this time of economic grief, even when no one wants to follow and people are calling us to turn around? Will we have the strength, the courage, to continue to respond to God’s call to welcome all comers? When First Presbyterian Church is gone what will we have passed on to those around us? How will we show spiritual courage?

These are tough challenging questions. I think about them everyday I work with the young people of this town, hoping that I am able to impart some wisdom, hoping I am able to provide them with some tools to deal with their journey ahead.

A few years ago a sociological study came out examining the tendencies of the various generations in our world today.

The G.I. generation, those born around the turn of the 20^th century, the Greatest Generation, those born around the end of the Depression, Baby Boomers, those born after World War II, Generation X, that’s my generation, those born between 1965 and 1980 and Millennials, those born between 1981 and 2001.

This study called the G.I. generation, a generation of builders, the Greatest Generation was a generation of maintainers, the Baby Boomers were a generation of destroyers, Generation X, my generation, were ignorers. In this study that means the Millennials are the next builders.

That means those people 10-30 years old are building things, they are building the structures that will be maintained by those who are being born today. These Millennials aren’t apathetic, they aren’t disconnected, they aren’t selfish any more than anyone else. They are becoming organized, they are doing work, they are building.

We see them on the news, in the streets, chanting, “We are the 99%!” We see them, returning to their faith, but not a faith based on platitudes and rhetoric, on big buildings and social status, but one based on living out your beliefs not just believing them. When I see these people when I hear their passion, and their commitment. It is a passion and commitment I see in you, in the faces in this congregation right here, right now. Young and old. I hear your stories I know your struggles; I know it’s scary. We have an opportunity to be the message of spiritual courage in the face of economic grief.

We have an opportunity to help; we have an opportunity to help this town, this denomination, this country build structures that will be based on faith and trust in something bigger than itself. We have an opportunity to model for them; we can be Moses to their Joshua.

It’s up to us.

It’s up to us to rally together, to hold on to one another, to listen to each other, to love one another…warts and all.

It’s up to us to provide the spirit of wisdom that will guide them to continue to risk in the face of fear, to love in the face of hate and to stand up when the world is telling them to be quiet.

Let us not be remembered by how long we are here, but how we were here.

And in the word’s of Dr. King, “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!”

May it be so.

Bouncing Off The Wall

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TLO and I decided to check out the indoor play place. We’re currently working on her basketball scholarship

Taking a Grounder to the Face

Last night, I was playing shortstop for my softball team. We had a pretty good game going and we were leading in the 4th inning with one out and a sharp grounder was hit to my right. I decided to backhand it, instead of getting all the way in front. This proved to be a mistake! When the ball got to me it hit something, probably a rock, bounced up hit the heal of my glove and careened directly into the bridge of my nose. Which subsequently started bleeding. I walked off the field and several of the wives that were sitting in the dug out quickly rounded up napkins and tissues and ice. They were wonderful, I’m not the best patient, especially when I’m pissed, which I was. I finally stopped spitting blood and stuffed a napkin up my nose and went back onto the field before the inning was over. That’s probably because the other team scored a bunch of runs but anyway. I finished the game and even hit a home run. But, I think I broke my nose and we lost. So I’ve got that going for me.

Here’s some pictures of the damage:

Blessings,

Buttface

The God Who Loves the Platypus, Volcanoes and You

Here is the text…mostly of the sermon I preached last Sunday at First Presbyterian Church–Bend, Oregon.

The scripture was Psalm 19:1-6 and Psalm 24:1-2. And if you don’t want to read…here’s the audio link

Also, let it be known that I learned I would be preaching this sermon about 3:00 PM on Saturday. Be nice!

The Picture of the World:

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night-to-night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

The Mountains give voice to the majesty of God, etc.

Speechless when I see them.

Often when I am running with my dog Walker, I’m listening to music and I am struck by how blessed I am to live in this place and I am brought to tears as I see God’s voice to me in the beauty of my surroundings.

I look at this picture of the Earth God created and entrusted to us and I am struck at how small it is, relative to the entire universe that God created.

I am struck by the fact that we look at this Earth from above and see how small it is, yet when we see pictures from India or China or Arkansas or West Virginia it feels like a totally different world. A world we have no connection to, a people we have no connection to, an Earth we have no connection to.

This morning I have a question for you. When you see this picture and you think about your place on God’s Earth, do you feel connected?

Sometimes I wonder if we feel connected to the Earth, not in a symbiotic way not in a tree hugging way, not in a way that I hear trees screaming when they are cut down way, but in a way that I understand that my actions have an impact on the Earth in the same way that my actions have an impact on my relationships. I certainly think about how, what I do affect my relationship to my wife, to my daughter, to my loved ones but do I think about how it impacts God’s Earth?

Steven in a letter to the editor of the Bend Bulletin in 2007, quotes William Sloane Coffin saying, “The modern world, in the pursuit of progress, has unfortunately divorced creation from Creator.” He continues, “As modern civilization has supposedly advanced and progressed, a sense of wonder and awe, reverence and respect for creation has declined. And, unfortunately, our souls and the soul of the community we live in are the poorer for it.”

I want us to take some time to look at some pictures and see if we can reconnect the creation to the creator. See if we can re-introduce ourselves to the Creator through God’s Creation.

Slide Show

We see the pictures, they take my breath and I wonder. I wonder if like William Sloane Coffin suggested, we have lost our sense of the awesome majesty that is found all around us, whether in a scenic view of the mountains or in the thistles of a juniper tree. My question is what do you see when you look at them? Do you see something to be used for your own pleasure? Do you see something to be celebrated and explored? What do you see?

Theologian and ethicist, James Gustafson talks about the entirety of Creation in a way I had never heard before. He talks about it in terms that are challenging and shocking and I want to get some feedback from you. Gustafson says that humans are not the center of God’s creation but only one part of the larger make up of what God intended for God’s creation. How does that strike you, the thought that we are not the center of the universe, we are not God’s favorite, but part of the picture of God’s Earth and the fullness thereof?

I love that idea, partly because I am fairly confident, some say cocky, partly because humility is not what I would consider one of my strengths. I actually have a hat that says “It’s Hard to Be Humble When You’re From West Virginia.” But that’s a sermon for another day and if I get off track now there’s no hope.

The humility it takes to recognize that we are part of the story not the whole story changes my mindset when I think about how I interact with other beings and living things on this Earth.

Listen.

I’m not here to try to make you feel guilty, or to make you run out and buy a hybrid, or eat local or any of that stuff. I think there is plenty of trying to guilt you into caring about the Earth already out there. My hope is that we can get back to being in awe of God’s Creation.

On this Earth Care Sunday my hope is to invite you back into relationship with the Earth, invite you to remember how much God loves you and how you are part of God’s Creation just as the trees outside these windows are, just as the mountains we hike and ski and snowmobile and camp and play in, just as the rivers that we float and that give us electricity, just as every thing we come into contact with in God’s natural world.

My hope today is to remind us that, as the Psalmist said, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,”

I could probably wag my finger at you and say, “You’re not doing enough” but what would that solve? You’d probably just roll your eyes at me. Honestly, that’s probably what I would do if someone were trying to make me feel bad for not doing enough.  I mean I care deeply about environmental issues, not because of their political nature but because I think it is one way that I can respond to God’s call to love my neighbor.

Today I want you to remember that God loves you, and hopefully you love God. I also hope that one of the ways that you express that love is through nurturing the Earth that God has surrounded us with. Today we have a special opportunity to love our neighbor and nurture our world.

Following the service members of the Green Team will be stationed at the main door and the side door. We have the opportunity to pick up around Bend High. Green Team Members will give you 2 bags, one for garbage and one for recyclables such as bottles and cans.  You will also be given a glove or two just in case you don’t want to get TOO dirty.  When you return you can bring the filled bags downstairs behind the church where the big garbage bins and the recycle bin are located.  There will have someone there to show you where to put things.

May it be so.

Blessings,

Buttface

Saying Goodbye to Hannah

This is the post I wrote the day I put my dog, Hannah, down.

Today has been an interesting day so far and it’s only Noon.

I’m supposed to be writing a sermon on Forgiveness is Freedom from Bitterness but all I can think about is my dog Hannah. Hannah is about 13 1/2 years old, she is a mix of Blue Healer and Australian Shepherd and she is a beautiful dog. Today we learned that it is time to let Hannah go. Hannah is suffering, she’s tired and she’s been a great dog. I will miss her, I already miss her, but she is not the same dog that I met 12 or so years ago in Greenville, SC.

She has a pretty great story that I would like to share with you. It might only be for my own grief process but I hope that you enjoy it.

My Nana was watching the noon newscast in one day about 12 years ago when the Humane Society segment came on. On that segment was a 1 year old Australian Shepherd mix named Hannah, that was just as cute as she could be. What you need to know about my Nana, she did not get around very well and she lived in a second floor one bedroom apartment and had just said goodbye to her beloved Cocker Spaniel, Cookie.

She immediately called the station and said, “I want that dog!” The next day she went to the Humane Society and picked up Hannah, an energetic, loving, young, herder of a dog that loved to run and herd cars for the most part. Needless to say, my Nana was in over her head with Hannah. Hannah need a place to run, some one to take her on long walks and at the very least a yard to play in. Shortly after getting Hannah, my Nana called my dad and asked for help. So naturally we said yes, what’s one more dog…right? We already had an ornery old Cocker Spaniel, Murphy and a fat cat, Spud.

We drove to Greenville and picked up Hannah. This is when Hannah and I had our first adventure together. We said our goodbyes to my Nana and put Hannah in the car and drove across to my other Grandmother’s house, where we had been staying, to get our stuff. We kept Hannah in the car, without a leash on (this will be a key point in a moment) and started loading the car. I opened the back door and…flash…Hannah was out of the car! She didn’t go far so I tried to grab her by the collar but I missed and the adventure was on.

I first tried to play coy with her and walk calmly to her, thinking “if I stay calm she won’t run away”. This was a false assumption! Without going into all the details let just say I ran around the woods and neighborhoods near my Grandmother’s house for several miles and at least an hour.

Finally, Hannah got tired or bored or thirsty and she laid down and let me get her. Back in the car, with the leash this time, she went and we headed for home.

This was not the last time that I was seen chasing this dog around the neighborhood or stopping her from herding cars (a practice that calmed down with age).

Skip ahead a few years and I had taken a job on a 500 acre camp and conference center in the hills of West Virginia called Bluestone. The director already had three dogs and knowing that a) Hannah got along with other dogs; b) she needed more exercise than she was getting; and c) I needed someone to talk to in my cabin in the woods my parents decided to let me take her with me.

She was like a duck to water. She not only showed the two male dogs who’s boss she also loved to run and play and get in streams, run through the woods, chase deer and other wildlife, but every night she would come to my porch and sleep in the cabin with me, every morning ready for the days adventures. She helped me mow grass, herding the tractor, she kept me company while I split logs, she was always around when I needed her to be. It seemed like we were both living the dream.

One day after chasing the director with the other three dogs down to the lake she came back with a limp. The vet reported a torn ACL. I didn’t even know dogs had ACLs. The quote was “She probably zigged when she should have zagged.” She needed rest, so back to my parent’s house she went to rest and recuperate.

I went to seminary and she stayed with my parents. Then in 2007, Hannah, my mom and I got in my truck and moved me to Oregon. Once we got here it was amazing. I had a running and hiking partner and a companion to sit with me while I looked for a job. I remember my sister saying as we left, “You’d better take care of her!”

About a month after we had moved here I was shoveling snow at Beloved’s house which was a 10-acre plot surrounded on three sides by BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) just west of Redmond. Hannah was outside with me and the snow was getting pretty deep. I got a phone call and ran back inside to take it. I was literally gone for 2 minutes and when I came back Hannah was gone! I decided to use all of my suburban tracking skills and follow her tracks. I followed them down the half-mile long driveway, off into the BLM land around the house, I kept following what I thought were her tracks. I came face to face with a momma dear and her two foals. I jumped a fence then I realized that I was LOST…bad! I had ended up at Eagle Crest (a resort community outside of Redmond). Where Hannah was? I had no idea. Luckily, I had my cell phone with me and I called Beloved at work, I was pretty freaked out at this point. She came and picked me up and drove me back to her house. I then began the search again, only following known trails this time. No luck! Hannah was no where to be found, it was getting dark and the snow was coming down harder and harder. I was convinced that I had killed my dog, left her to fend for herself among God knows what in the woods outside of Redmond. Heidi came home from work and there was little hope.

About 2 hours later, there was a noise on the back porch. I looked outside but didn’t see anything, I opened the back door and there sitting in the snow with a gleam in her eye and wagging her stump of a tail was Hannah, just as happy as a clam! I ran and fell into the snow and embraced her. It was great!

We had another good year together, running, hiking, hanging out and training for a half-marathon. Then in March of 2008 while in Philomath, Oregon planning for Beloved’s and my wedding on a 5 mile training run we had one of the worst experiences of our lives.

We had covered about 4 miles with Hannah and we were just tired, so we decided to walk. There aren’t many sidewalks around where Beloved grew up so were were walking next to a two lane road with Hannah on a short leash. We were about a mile from Beloved’s parent’s house when a minivan approached us and another small car came from behind us. There wasn’t much of a shoulder so we got as far over as we could (we had already been passed by many cars so this was no different…so we thought) there was a deep ditch to our right. Just as the minivan got to us…with flash Hannah dove at it’s front quarter panel, mouth ready to strike. Unfortunately, the minivan, traveling at about 30-40 mph) won. Hannah yelped and was spun around in the middle of the street (all while still on her leash). The minivan stopped, I dove into the road to help her. There was blood all over the place, it was awful.

My mind was racing, would I sprint the last mile to get our car, cash, phone while Beloved stayed with Hannah on the side of the road, what were we going to do?

An angel in a gold Honda Accord pulled up next to me kneeling in the street rolled down her window and said, “Do you need a ride to the vet?” We immediately jumped in and took off.  (I always felt bad about this because the minivan that Hannah struck had stopped and I never even saw who was driving, I never had the opportunity to talk to them. I wish I had.) The woman in the Honda drove us to the nearest vet in Philomath, we walked in, I was covered in blood cradling Hannah in my arms I’m sure looking frantic. They told us that they didn’t have an emergency department, that we needed to go to Corvallis (about 10 minutes away). The women in the Honda said, “Let’s go!” We drove to Corvallis, the Philomath vet had called ahead. Hannah was rushed in, we waited anxiously for news…any news. I was convinced that Hannah was going to die. After the x-rays and examination it was determined that she had lost three teeth and her lower front left had been broken in two places. Surgery would be required…surgery was expensive. After pray and a couple of hours of talking Beloved and I decided that we owed it to Hannah to have the surgery.

Several months and several thousand dollars later Hannah was healed. She could no longer run with us but she could hike some…a little.

Fast forward two years and Hannah was diagnosed with Anemia. A disease we treated for the better part of a year. Over the past year she has gotten increasing less active, less able to stand, less able to bark.

Which bring us today, we woke up knowing this was going to be our last weekend with her and found her unable to move even to go the the bathroom. The decision was made for us. We called the vet.

At 10:53 AM, Saturday, March 26, 2011 Beloved and I said goodbye to our amazing companion, Hannah.

She will be missed terribly. I’m going to have to get out of the habit of putting my plate on the ground for her to lick.

I would like to thank Dr. Wren, who performed the procedure today. He was as pastoral as I ever known anyone to be. He stood silently and allowed for Beloved and I to weep to say our goodbyes and to grieve the loss of our friend. He kissed Hannah’s forehead and gave her the shot. It was peaceful, it was quick, it was beautiful.

Thank you Hannah for 13 years being the best dog I’ve ever had.

 

Blessings,

Greg

1 Shining Moment For a 2-Sided State (via michaelpowelson)

As someone who moved to West Virginia after college and attended WVU for graduate school. This post sums up my (some would say) irrational emotional attachment to WVU athletics.

I identify with the expressions in this article and it explains why I get weepy when I think about MY state.

I was accepted by the people of West Virginia for who I was. They held me during dark times in my life and they celebrated with me in the bright spots in my life.

I AM a West Virginian, by heart if not by birth.

There is a quote that I love, “Thus, it is with those nurtured in Appalachia—they leave, but they look back, remembering pleasant things. The land has claimed them, and its ties will not be severed.” –Maurice Brooks

Thank you

There’s something I’d like to do before I die. As lifelong ambitions go, it’s not decadent or even particularly grand. But it is something I have no control over, and so the self-actualized, better Spocks of my nature think it’s silly. They'd prefer I not talk about it, and prior to this writing, I never have. Before I die, I’d like to wake up early in the morning and fight a searing headache to the local newsstand to buy a paper. The front-page … Read More

via michaelpowelson