Happy First day of Spring!

I retired a year ago, yay – just the occasional freelance work for our church and a local non-profit! Catching up on a lot of yard work. After a week of near 70s weather when I spread MANY bags of cedar mulch, the weather took a turn and it’s now 42 degrees and windy today! So, no yard work now, but the forsythias from my folks house are in full bloom, the pond is holding water, and it looks great out back

Remembering Tony …

Tony Lackler gravestone - April 1, 1978

Gravestone for Tony Lackler On Forest Glenn ave

I have been meaning to go by there for a long time, but time gets away from you, and chasing this down required a trip to Wheaton/Silver Spring, and I honestly don’t get to Md much unless I go see my dad. To be honest, even tho I was a pallbearer, it’s been so long …I wasn’t even sure I could find it after all this time – has it really been 34 years since Tony died?
But sure enough, the little Cemetery was there on the West side of Forest Glenn Ave – not far from the house he grew up in … The whole family is gone now – Peter died nearly 10 years ago – and Marion a few years later. That’s hard to believe too – such nice people, so full of life!

Summer is coming to the Pond

I love this time of the year. All the plants around our pond are greening up nicely, the fish are awake and splashing about, the birds have returned and are singing day and night … what a great place to unwind … all on 1/4 acre!

Happy Birthday to me, he he he …

Its been a while since I last posted. The site is more a work in progress than any kind of ongoing commentary. Life is pretty sweet over the last 10 years and I don’t often stop and write it large onto the æther …

Anyway, I am just recovering from a nasty bout with Norwalk virus- or something like it – ugh its nothing you’d want to talk about – certainly nothing you’d want to experience, but I’m pulling through and should be back to work shortly.

Happy Birthday to me, he he …

One Song
(Jalallud’din Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks)

All these religions, all this singing
One song.

The differences are just illusion and vanity.
Sunlight looks different on this wall
than it does on this wall,
and a whole lot different
on this wall over here,
but it is still sunlight.

We have borrowed these clothes,
these time and space personalities,
from a light,
and, when we praise,
we put it back in.

Just as one man can be a father to you
brother to another and uncle to yet another,
what you are searching for has many names
but one existence.

Stop looking for one of the names.
Move beyond attachment to names.
Every war and conflict between human beings
has happened because of some disagreement about
the names.

It’s such unnecessary foolishness
because just beyond the arguing,
where we are all one people,
there is a long table of companionship
beautifully set
and just waiting for us to sit down.

break the silence

yep – its been a long time since I last wrote.
I’m not one of the webkids that blogs as a daily diary thing —
This isn’t an automatic writing exercise for me, nor is it particularly cathartic.
But, as the Moodies once sang, “another years useless energy spent” …
So, New Year’s come and gone, Dad’s birthday has come and gone (he’s 87, thank you very much!), my Birthday has come and gone, and my back is out again … Still … I rise.

… Life is too short to be losing friends this way!

I’ve been trying to find out what’s going on with some old friends I’d lost touch with over the years. Lots of different reasons, but – our paths diverged.
So – I’d google their name and see what came up. Usually nothing – most of them had no real web presence.

But today I got info I had been dreading … I’d lost an old friend …
Peter Lackler – Deceased.
Peter-1978-v3.jpg

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Been Missing!

I’ve been way busy in the other world … I just haven’t been updating this site regularly!

Work has been busy –

Summertime always means lots of yard work.

Our friend Janet is now Reverend Janet Avery!

Last weekend we attended Roanoke Pride

Emma has been getting ready to start a new Church plant in Harrisonburg…

And I’ve been building the website for her …
http://www.mccshenval.com/

NoBlog Entry?

Yes, its been ages since I posted anything here – mid-July Emma went off to Calgary for a week for the UFMCC World Conference – I stayed behind and fed the cats, watered tomatoes, and sweltered … gahh!