Sheffa..The Best Earth Can Offer

This is one of those travel weeks that tend to take a lot out of me. From DFW to LAX, very bumpy ride, followed by a very bumpy meeting with a customer. Then a drive through a rainstorm that would make Noah wince. Followed by a flight from LAX to Seattle that was bumpier than the ride the day before. I'm a pretty calm flier, but this was rough enough to make me uneasy. About halfway through the choppy part I realized that the up and down movement didn't bother me nearly as much as the side to side, I believe the pilots refer to it as "yawing" Severe enough it can create yelling, but that is another story.

On the leg from LAX to Seattle, American put me on a "partner" airline..Alaska. Well, I am an Executive Platinum flier with American, but am relegated to a "no-body" with Alaskan. In other words, I sat in the back. So crammed in on a completely full flight, having missed lunch, I bought the "picnic pack." It had little nuggets of beef jerky (I think) and a package of "salt and peppered cashews" (plain would have been great) and a package of Sheffa. Hmm, what is Sheffa? So while I ate the cashews and beef nodules I read the package about Sheffa.

Here is the first paragraph on the back..."Sheffa is an ancient word for abundance. It's also the sublime energy that moves through all creation, Earth-supporting and nourishing, giving in a boundless flow to all beings. Sheffa is what food should be-a wealth of enjoyment and sustenance."

Really? May the Force be with us.

I thought that this is the kind of tree-hugging, sappy, air-headed, worn jeans, bra-less kind of drivel would you expect from Alaska. I imagined either the writer being a 26-year-old from Juneau, or a 56-year-old executive drop out with a pony-tail and ear-ring. Then I looked at the distributor of the product..
Sheffa Foods Inc
New York, NY
A product of? want to guess? Israel. It is Kosher, says so right on the pack.

It contained ground chickpeas (no idea what these are) roasted corn (think beer nuts at the local bar, or so I've heard) pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds (no salt) sunflower oil, spices (unspecified) and sea salt (as opposed to regular salt, but not much of either). It is vegan-wheat free-gluten free-no GMO-no trans Fat-no cholesterol, and I might add very little flavor.

Two things I learned from this:
1. bring a book on board..as you can tell I had nothing to read for over two hours
2. pack an emergency Snickers bar, peanuts, caramel, milk chocolate..all the major food groups.

Want to bet I'm the only guy on the flight that read the incredibly small print about Sheffa?

Godspeed..or Sheffa..or feel the Force. What have we gotten ourselves into?
Don

What a Great Group!

Over the past 6 or 7 years I have drawn a group together to spend several weeks experiencing and practicing the spiritual disciplines. Usually this group is pretty homogeneous; folks my age, life style, circumstances. But this time I recruited young adults, parents of young families, and of course my friends who would have a hard time turning me down. The reason I wanted this was to get a cross view of generational perspectives. Believe me, millennials do not view the world the same way as boomers, or busters, or X-ers. So it is nice group, hopefully outspoken, willing to share their ideas, thoughts and concerns.

So I started this group with the question I always start with..Why? Why care about this stuff? What can you gain? And the obvious answers, Self-improvement, curious, and my favorite..they love my teaching (sorry, ego is an insidious creature)
So we spend some time looking at what the real goals need to be. You see, spiritual disciplines can be a wonderful handmaiden, but a terrible taskmaster. If you don't understand the point, the exercise can begin to create terrible strain and even more guilt than what you started with.

So we spent the time talking about "wisdom" or discernment as our culture would understand it. Dallas Willard says that the world doesn't need more talented people, or smarter people, but deeper people. I agree. You see most churches can't seem to develop a very balanced approach to spiritual formation. Depending on the talent and inclination of the pulpit guy, most churches will tilt towards service, or knowledge, or emotional mountain tops, few lean toward inner piety, but the imbalance will inhibit growth. So this time together will allow us to re-balance our tires, to find a smoother ride in a world that wants us to go along a road that promises to be bumpy.

Anyway, for those who are in the group..welcome. For those who are not, I will share a little of our insights as time goes by.

In the meanwhile..Godspeed.
Don

We've Come a Long Way, Baby

Wednesday I was sitting in the St. Louis Airport, having just had lunch, waiting for my flight. It is common for me to break out the 40 lb. laptop and do some work, but today the emails were flying fast and furious and I was handling all this on my Blackberry. Smaller, easier, not as conspicuous in dealing with fairly short responses. These were email strings where people were responding to short answers.
Earlier, during lunch I had checked my daughter's blogs and made a true comment about how much alike my 6-year-old grandson was like his momma. Apparently his momma took exception to the way I characterized her nature (in a good-humored way)

So in floated a text message about custard pie being made (my favorite) and how I wouldn't get any because I was ugly about her, but there might be some forgiveness anyway. A funny little message followed by 4 exchanges, each shorter than the previous until the last message from my daughter of one word. I laughed and felt warm about the funny little exchange that happened in the midst of a busy day. Probably not all that funny to anyone else, but special to me. Connected by a satellite miles above the earth, through technology that I know nothing about. If asked to describe the technology of cell phones I would revert to my cave-man ancestors and simply grunt and turn monosyllabic.

But it occurred to me that the technology allowed me a moment with my daughter that was unavailable just a few years ago. A few years ago I would have had to wait until I could call, then be mindful of the long-distance charges (yes, kids they used to charge for long distance) and the moment would have been lost. The direct connection made the spontaneity priceless. But why text? Why not call? The instant connection is still there. I think there may be a couple of reasons. 1. The responses can be offered in our own time frame, we don't have to drop what we are doing to respond.
2. airports make visiting difficult, you can't hear, you are conscious of strangers listening in. 3. My eldest and I enjoy the routine of putting our thoughts into written words. I love to write what I feel, to explore the way words can be used to communicate fear, love, warmth, mild teasing. I have had at least one of these with each of my kids over the past few months, and they all leave me content and a feeling of "home" in my fly-around world.

This sense of community is one that I'm sure is driving sociology professors into orbit. Churches are struggling with what this means. Younger generations are redefining "together"
But I like the ability to reach out and have a moment with a loved one, hundreds of miles away, yet as close as my Blackberry. We can now truly speak to each other at any time, in any place. Community draws from our time together, but now does not require it.

Oh I still prefer the physical presence, the hugs, the laughter, the snuggling on the couch. But our world does not allow this type of constant interaction. So instead of railing against the intrusion of technology, I've come to embrace it, to value the moments it gives me, across the miles into the heart of those I hold dear.

Godspeed, as the old ad used to say, reach out and touch someone.
Don

Let's Get Ready to RUMBLE!

I love time off. The holidays we just finished are the just about the best. My body gets beaten down after a lot of weeks of travel. I know you think it is glamorous to fly all around the country, but I'm getting to the age where hauling sample bags, shuttling from one place to the next, in and out of meetings, all takes a toll. So every 3 months or so it is nice to settle in for a week or so of rest.

But there is a significant part of my nature that is always looking to the next thing, the next trip, the new idea, the customer who needs persuading. It is simply my way that I'm ready to move on. So here I am on the first workday of the year anxious to get started. Ready to pack the briefcase, ready to do battle. This morning I got up at 5AM, got dressed and was just ready to hit the road to the office and get the year going.

There are still problems left over from last year at work. We made a ton of mistakes. Somehow, though, this time off has given me fresh perspective, renewed energy, unbounded enthusiasm. I guess we get a little of that from our school days; new lunchbox, new shoes, starched jeans, hair barely slicked into place, ready to move on to the next grade. That little wriggle of excitement in the pit of the stomach feels exactly as it did 40+ years ago, well it just never goes away.

So for those of you dreading this day, hang in there and stay away from my office. The exuberance could maim you.

Godspeed, a new year of journey has begun!

Don

Happy New Year!

The new year usually brings about all sort of resolve about how we hope to improve ourselves in the coming year. Losing weight, saving money, etc. get all the top billing. These resolutions are usually defunct by about January 15th and we have slumped back into the life we know and secretly love.

My take on the first day is that there is usually nothing that I really want to do. You see my life is filled with schedules and tasks, people to see and persuade, things to do. Spiritual formulists will tell that the greatest impediment to spiritual growth is the sense of "hurry" that we all are addicted to. We feel guilty if we aren't busy doing something. So the first of January is my "nothing" day. We did fit in a movie with some friends, but it was last minute and certainly not planned. When my bride started talking about taking down Christmas, I suggested I would not be involved, this was too much effort for my nothing day. Also skipped the workout for the day.

It occurs to me that we are victims of the velocity of our lives. We have a very hard time just sitting and ruminating on our lives and being appreciative of those around us. I assure you, when Monday hits, it will suck my back into the vortex of work and travel and home life and the balance that those obligations in my life entail.

But for one day, the first day of the year, there was nothing on my plate. It was the best day of the year...by far.

Godspeed, the rest time is over. We now take the path through 2010. I wonder what it will bring.

Don

Best Christmas EVER!

I know, I know, you think the EVER is a little much. But it is just fact. The only thing that makes me excited is that there may be better ones in the future. So let's look at the list.

1. We had all the kids and grandkids here for a couple of days. No arguments, well, unless you count the thermostat argument. We discovered Christmas morning at breakfast, after the Santa had come and gifts had been exchanged, that each of our kids and their spouses have differing views of what the temperature ought to be for optimum sleeping. By my count the thermostat, in one night, was changed 4 times. The really stunning thing is that my oldest daughter and her husband really had no opinion and only changed it once. My son and his wife were sleeping in a room we just converted from an office to a bedroom and, well, apparently they thought it was a little warm. So when they went to bed, they changed the setting to 60. Which transformed the other two bedrooms into North Pole type rooms. When my eldest went to bed, she thought it was a little cool, so she turned it to 75. Sometime after 11PM, my son got up and changed it back to 60 because his wife had a dream that she was dying of thirst and couldn't get any water. At 3AM my youngest with her 3 month old, woke up and with baby crying realized it was sub-arctic , moved the baby into bed with them and reset the thermostat to 75, thus starting the cycle all over again. I think I'm going to put one of those cages on the thermostat with a key, but
I really don't want them coming downstairs at all hours of the night to get us to change the setting. By the way, yours truly and my bride slept just fine. But it was great fun listening to them give each other a hard time about resetting the temp. Finally after 30 years of teaching they finally understand that what you do affects others...never thought of using the thermostat.
2. Great food. We have started a tradition introduced by my first S-i-L of having Pisoli(spelling?) Christmas eve, a sort of New Mexican dish but with hominy. I skip the hominy, but eat the pork roast. Baked Ziti, Christmas cookies, big breakfasts, all good food, with my favorite people. What's not to like.
3. Non-expensive gifts to me from my kids. I always try to develop a list that costs very little. I don't mind spending a little on Christmas, I just hate having it spent on me. Probably the best thing was a serving platter decorated with my grandkids feet imprints and hands...and yes, a future nod to one who will be here around the first of July.
4. Time with Eli and Phoebe and Lincoln. I will just sum it up to say that I cannot hear "Grandaddy" too many times. It is tonic for the soul.

Finally, this was a great Christmas where all my kids and grandkids and bride are all in a good place. This past year has marked deep and intense prayers for each one. They all had struggle, they all had heartache, they all were making decisions that would impact their world and ours. So I spent the year on my knees pleading for my little family, asking God to intervene, to support, to simply answer. And He did, as He always does. Sometimes quietly, sometimes openly, but He chose this year year to test us all, then bless us all. I was on hand to see tremendous character revealed in each of my in-law kids. I found that their tears impact me in the same way as the tears of my own. But I also was on hand to see their smiles, their gratitude, and their fortitude. There will be times to come that will test us again, but we will be ready, with our faith, our memories, and our character.

This was, indeed, the best one yet.

Godspeed, the new year is full of promise, but what a way to end this one.
Don

Surprise!

Saturday was one of those days you get in the pre-holiday weekends. I had decided to get the Christmas decorations cartons back in the attic, which is a little bit of a chore. Picture a very large plastic storage bin being shoved up the ladder into the attic opening, then pushed as far as possible towards the back of the attic, then the next bin...40 times or so. My eldest s-i-l has the best situation, their house has a huge storage space that you can walk into. Needless to say, by the time I'm through I have gotten a pretty good work out for the back, legs, arms and just about everything in between. Of course it would be nice to do this only once in the season, but we have to pull down the storage bins, so my bride can decorate, this takes about a week. Then I have to put the storage bins back because they take up too much room to leave out. After the season, they all have to come back down for reloading, then back into the attic. In my bride's defense, though, when we don't have the kids coming to Christmas,we don't decorate, we sort of become those people who don't celebrate the season.

So Saturday morning I put on my sweatshirt and sweatpants and started hauling it all into the attic. My bride made one appearance to inform me that the bin that I was holding had clasps that would prevent it from spilling. We did not exchange words, we merely looked at each other and she said, "well do it the way you want to, I was just telling you." I have long held that you can tell me what to do, or how to do it, but not both. At the end of the event, though, she was very appreciative, so it all worked out for the best.

We ate lunch and got ready for the rest of the day, which included dinner at my son's house. My bride has figured out that it is best not to tell me how many stops we have between here and there. More than two and my ears stop listening and my head sinks to my chest. Errands are the anathema of my weekends, regardless of how necessary they are. So we headed out towards Container Store, and points north.
Usually my son and D-i-L are pretty good about just saying when we get near call them, then just come on by. But Saturday our son kept being vague about when we could come on over. Now, he is by nature vague, but in this instance it was out of character. So we kept calling, and he kept stalling until late afternoon.

Finally we got the come on over signal and we pulled up to the house, gathered all the stuff we were supposed to bring and rang the doorbell. The door opened and we were greeted with a throng of kids (both daughters, son and D-i-L) plus THE GRANDKIDS! ALL OF THEM! Eli and Phoebe and Lincoln, all in one place, all at the same time. I remember Miss Phoebe Mae squealing, "Shurprish! Shurprish!" and dancing from one foot to the other. Nena (my bride) was stunned. We waded right into a maelstrom of hugging grandkids and kids. What a great surprise. Apparently my kids had cooked this up earlier in the week and kept it very quiet. I'm a little concerned that my kids all get along so well that they can, with great success, plot against their mother and myself with such ease.

But this memory gets filed with so many others. It still surprises me that the kids would go to this effort to surprise us, to make us happy. It was an unadulterated success. So what happens to these memories? They make up so much of our lives. They are in some part our entire anthology. We are our memories. I have no idea what heaven will be like, but I hope we get to keep our memories, especially the good ones, the ones that filled us with warmth, that brought us to happy tears. I wonder if part of our "worship" in heaven will be the eternal keeping of these memories. Memories created by a loving God to give his creation a sense of belonging, a sense of right-ness with those around us who matter. What if at that moment we get to remember all the events that made us who we are..first kiss, first dance with a lover, holding our little ones for the first time, moments of intense belonging, last kiss, last hug, last "I love you", a moment of never forgetting, of eternal remembering. Sounds like heaven to me.

Each day is a surprise, a treasure of memories, a glimpse of fleeting rapture. Memories..like so much thread woven into the fabric of our lives.

Godspeed to the travelers on this journey. Make this a season of eternal memories. Tis the season..indeed.
Don