on Veterans' Day

Thank you
I don’t want to be political.
Or trite.
Here’s what I want to say:

Thank you.
To every vet.
To every reserve.
To every serviceman and servicewoman on duty.
To their families.
I can’t thank you enough.

Today was Monday.

Millions of us Americans woke up this morning to yet another day.
We yawned, we drank our coffees, we groaned about yet another week of work or school.

Thank you for your incredible sacrifices so that we could work and learn freely.

So that we could go about our mundane lives and enjoy the Veterans Day sales or the federal holiday.

Thank you.

If I am lucky enough to ever have children, one of the things that I want to pass on is this gratitude.
For the vets who have protected us from some of the greatest dangers and evils history has ever known.
For those on active duty, whether stationed at home or abroad, who continue to keep us safe.
For the reserves, those who are willing to serve at a moments notice.
For the families who have let these men and women do their jobs.

I am grateful. And I want both my generation and the next to feel the same.

Happy Veterans Day.

summer is over... (and maybe thats not so bad)

its been far too long since i've blogged anything. its amazing how addictive doing absolutely nothing can become...i realized that in so many areas of my life, i am completely undisciplined. so just like i'm going to try to force myself to regain a consistent gym schedule, i think i'm going to try to be consistent w/ regaining mental discipline as well - keeping up w/ these blogs, reading challenging books, spending actual quality devotional time....
i feel so mentally/internally lethargic....i need a jumpstart....

Homesick

(originally posted 3/23/07)

i miss the beautiful paradox of my berry friends. Those of you who astounded me, and made me smile with your complex simplicity.
i miss the incredible talents and the late night talks and the random displays of both brilliance and fun.
i miss the atmosphere...the never ending appreciation of one of the most unique places any of us will call home.
and home it was. complete with the squabbles, arguments, and yes, even the dirty laundry. there were definitely moments where all i could do was countdown til the day i could be "free"....
and yet like home...there was the inexplicable, and yet undeniable, connection that has still yet to be broken. I admit it...i get almost homesick for the life, for the time, for the people i had around me for four crazy years...

Spring Cleaning, Blog Style

Note: I'll be re-posting a few things from the other blog (trying to categorize everything - like i said, this blog is going to be more "stream of conscious"/less coherent/less organized than the other one. Its spring cleaning time, hehehe....

at least finals week had a definite end.

everyone has been calling this legislative session the worst in recent history. we've got all kinds of historic moments (bad and good) ... but after four months of this...i couldn't care less any more. i'm tired, worn out, and just plain lonely. I don't remember what its like to have my own life - to set my own schedule, to no longer be at the mercy of politicians who don't really give more than a few seconds of thought about the hard work that their staff does. Well now that its over....we still have a special session left to go. Because we have huge issue left unresolved? No. Its because yet again we've got politicians doing what they unfortunately do all too well - fight for their egos.
apologies for the bitter tone! i just need a break for a long while!

a deep sadness

http://lpe.ajc.com/gallery/view/news/0407/vatechvictims

words aren't quite enough. this is a sad first entry... but tragically fits in with the "theme" of this blog...
human life really could be described in terms of "seeing through a glass darkly" to quote a man much wiser than myself... and events like this really do press the limits of our human capabilities for understanding ("seeing")...
my heart goes out to those who were "left behind"... first to the families whose sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers, wives and husbands will never return home. then to the friends, who are left behind merely with memories, empty rooms, and the dreadful thought that they never got to say goodbye...
life is so precious and so precariously short. for being as independent and ambitious and presumptuous as we are....human beings are still so frighteningly fragile.