Time to Let That Dream Go?

We hear a lot about pursuing one's dream, but people don't get quite so excited or worked-up about letting the dream go.  There are times, though, when it's the right thing to do.  Let's face it, Larry King is unlikely to be the next swimsuit supermodel.  In an earlier entry, I talked about letting one of my career dreams go.  In retrospect, it was a very good decision.  It's helped make me into the person I am today--not altogether a bad thing.  


For instance, one shouldn't cling so stubbornly to a dream or goal that it makes it difficult to provide for one's family.  I think one symptom of the "me" culture is that we feel somehow deeply violated if aren't permitted to keep banging our head against that brightly colored door.  There may be a good reason why that door is fastened securely shut.  Maybe it's just the timing is off, but other times sacrificing the dream, goal, hobby, past-time, etc. for the sake of one's family may be the right thing to do for everyone.  Having the wisdom to know when to fight for something and when to surrender it, offering it up, are two sure signs of the successful person in my book.  Not every dream may be destined for success, but we all may see real success if we keep our eyes fixed on Him.


While less critical for the single person, the husband and father has a responsibility to provide for his family as well as to serve as an important spiritual role model.   If we are unwilling to lead by example and selflessly surrender those things which impede our relationships or make it difficult to provide a stable household, it's time to take a hard look in the mirror.  The family should come first.

Kimberly Erickson Art Sale!

Super Fred

I wouldn't ordinarily use my blog for this...but we've decided to sell some original artwork this week on Ebay.  We also have one signed print for sale.  Most of the artwork is available now because of a decision not to use the pastel art medium in our next children's book.  If you click on the photo caption below, it will take you to the corresponding page on Ebay.  Happy shopping!




If you have any questions for the artist, you may contact her directly at Kimberly.  Her site can be visited HERE.

Summer Morning

Time for a Bath

Mouse on the Run

Slug's Day Out

Pier Pressure

SOLD

Raymond Arroyo Interview

As the host of EWTN's World Over as well as bestselling author, and journalist, Raymond Arroyo is a man who requires no introduction.  I would like to preface this interview with a sincere thank you to Mr. Arroyo for taking the time out of his extraordinarily busy schedule to answer all my questions.  


I also have to add something about his latest book...We recently bought Of Thee I Zing (co-authored with Laura Ingraham) for the Kindle, and it's currently making the rounds of the house.  Everyone loves it!  Humor with a message is a powerful thing indeed.  I should also make mention of his amazing  biography of Mother Angelica entitled Mother Angelica, The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles.  It's an eloquently written and thoroughly researched book.  I have not been able to put it down since I started it.  It's a deeply moving and engaging story of one astonishing nun's mission to spread the saving message of Jesus Christ far and wide.  I hope you will be sure to read it!



1.  You are a bestselling author, journalist, producer, as well as actor.  Is there one role you find the most satisfying?

Being a father and husband is probably the most satisfying.  At the end of the day no matter how many television shows I produce or how many books I write, it is the children that my wife and I have been blessed with that will most reflect who we are and carry on whatever we have learned.  For me, there is no higher calling or more humbling responsibility.  

2.  As a lifelong Catholic, was there a moment you can point to in your life when you experienced a critical turning point or a “Second Conversion,” a conscious decision to follow Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church?  Did you ever struggle with your faith as a young person?

What do you mean "as a young person"?  Like everybody else, I'm struggling right now!  Conversion is an ongoing process.  This is why I never give up hope on anybody.  None of us are lost so long as we breathe and have life.  The critical turning point that you mention, to my mind, is the moment upon me right now.  Until they lower me into the ground, I will always be faced with the possibility of making good choices or lousy ones--just like you.  I attempt to make the good ones.   

3.  Is there a saint or two for whom you have a special affinity or appreciation?

My patron saint it Saint Anthony.  He was a wonder worker, a gifted preacher and a Franciscan.  And when you lose anything from your wallet to your car nobody is a better friend!  St. Raymond is another saint I can identify with.  He was such a loud mouth (and so effective) that they sewed his lips shut with leather cords--and he miraculously continued to preach.  The lesson: there is no way to shut up an inspired Raymond. 

4.  I like your blog title: Seen and Unseen.  What sparked your choice of those words from the Nicene Creed?  Was there a reason they were especially important to you?

I knew it would resonate with everyone and I like the notion that there are things hidden that we can reveal.  

5.  As a writer also exploring the mystery genre for the first time, I’d love to hear about your new mystery series.  Is it too early to share any details?

Yes, it is too early.  I can tell you that it will be set in New Orleans and that my detective is a charmer.  I have been working on this mystery series in my spare time (ha!) for about 8 years while doing other projects.  I think people will love this detective.  I have known her for 8 years now and can't wait to finish the first book myself.   

6.  Two recurring themes of Mother Angelica, The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles are the great importance and meaning of redemptive suffering as well as the need to pray without ceasing (also very much a part of  Mother Angelica's Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures).  How have you applied redemptive suffering and praying without ceasing to your own life?

I think every moment of life, everything we do can be a prayer.  The trick it to offer it to God.  Even if the task is unpleasant I sort of press on knowing that it has some spiritual value and power beyond the task at hand.  At times I offer up a work for the intentions of a friend or family member.  Like Mother Angelica, I also make deals with God from time to time.  I promise to finish some project if he helps me with a certain situation--- it works.  As for the redemptive suffering, I think some are called to that particular path with God.  I have known many saintly people who have literally moved mountains through their pain and the oblation of their suffering.  It is a mysterious and humbling thing to behold up close.   
   

7.  What was it that sparked your decision to write the biography of Rita Rizzo (Mother Angelica)?  Did you have any inkling at the beginning how huge an undertaking it would become?  Were there moments when you were discouraged with the size and scope of the work needing to be done?

I was inspired to write the biography following many conversations with Mother about her personal life that I knew the public had never heard before.  Had I known it would take 5 years to complete the project I probably wouldn't have started down the path.  But you could say that about anything of value.  I was constantly overwhelmed by the scope of the project, but decided early on that I could only do one thing at a time.  So I did all my research up front, then organized it, wrote a hundred and fifty page outline and then wrote the book.  The writing was actually the easiest part.  It was the wind up that was the heavy lift.  I recently reread the biography for a speech I was preparing and found myself pulled into the story all over again.  I'm very proud of that book and obviously of the woman that led me to it.   

8.  What was something you discovered in your research and interviews concerning Mother Angelica that surprised or shocked you the most--e.g. her terribly painful childhood in Canton, Ohio?

I always look for visual stories that provide some insight into character whether I am writing a fictional or non-fictional work.  One of the most revealing stories Mother shared with me was her memory of sitting at a kitchen table as a young girl.  Her uncle began bad mouthing her mother.  Rita (Mother Angelica) sat in silence through the rant and then at one point picked up a kitchen knife and hurled it at her uncle's head.  It thankfully lodged in the wall behind him.  That told me everything I needed to know about the deep love she had for her mother, her fighting spirit, and (as she later confided to me) the anger that she would struggle to control as she grew older.  It's a great story and I feel honored to have been the person that Mother felt comfortable sharing it with (along with not a few others).     

9.  I really enjoyed reading your humorous and yet insightful new bestseller, Of Thee I Zing, co-written with celebrated radio personality Laura Ingraham.  What are a couple of the most important messages you hope the reader will bring away from this book?

The overall message is that Laura Ingraham and I have very cruel but honest eyes.  I'm kidding.  The message is that we are in big trouble as a culture and of all things we worry about (the economy, politics, celebrities, etc.) nothing has a greater influence on our daily lives than the culture.  The way we dress, behave, our habits, manners all shape the future.  We are trying to sensitize people to the horrors around us and hopefully inspire them to make a change for the better.  It is funny to chronicle the tragedy of the muffin topped, flip-flop mob, but after the laughs, it is still a tragedy.  Lets hope its short-lived.   

10.  Was it necessary in the writing and editing process to leave out much material you had hoped to use?  Is there a particular section in the book that’s your favorite?

Oh there were tons of things that we threw out for good reason.  I love the manners section of the book because it touches on the abysmal slips of decency that we encounter each day.  The other day I actually saw a rather saggy 60-plus year old woman in super mini shorts and a mid drift.  You might have thought I had wandered into a red light retirement district.  I was at the supermarket!  As Mother Angelica once said, "You old gals, please-- Cover it up!"  I couldn't agree more.  

11.  Father Corapi was a source of great encouragement after we became Catholic.  The controversy surrounding him of late has been deeply disheartening.  Is there a particular lesson as Catholics that we can take from this situation?

As you know I knew Father Corapi personally and found his preaching arresting.  It is a sad and for many a painfully disappointing story.  But let's see how this story ends before we try to draw lessons from it... 

12.  What’s the next big project on the horizon for you?

At this point I am working feverishly on a series of books for children and I have a date with a certain detective on my dance card down the road.  From there we will see.  I am always a little reluctant to answer such questions as something else always comes up that causes me to delay whatever project is before me.  So I'll put it this way: until a better inspiration hits me I'll be working on these projects and producing the World Over and live events and whatever else I feel called to pursue...  You've got to be receptive in each "present moment," right?   

Closer than a Brother

I originally wrote "Closer than a Brother" several years ago, and I thought that I'd go ahead and share it on the blog this week.  I hope you find it meaningful.

Although Sunday, November 16th, 2008, failed to dawn clear and sunny in western Oregon, there was still hope and excitement hanging in the air at the Erickson household.  Our son’s birthday party was planned for the afternoon, and everyone had been scurrying around that morning to get the house ready for the young guests.  Except for the party preparations, all was a fairly typical Sunday morning for us until we arrived in the Queen of Peace Church parking lot.  As we exited the van and walked towards the church entrance for Mass, my wife Kimberly silently collapsed and lay still on the ground.  I bent down and immediately asked what was wrong and gently shook her, but there was no response.  I tried to raise her to her feet, but she did not move.  Her eyes were open, and I noticed a tear slide down from her left eye, but not a word was said.  She recalls trying to stand, then falling back down, and shaking uncontrollably.  I was afraid that my wife had just suffered a stroke, and I felt utterly helpless.

Just as I was about to send our two children into church to call an ambulance, she spoke, and I helped her get to her feet again.  Within a few moments, I had Kimberly seated back in our van, and I was on the phone to the doctor’s office.  We learned from our doctor a few days later that an MRI had located a possible tumor in her frontal lobe (information sensitively sent via e-mail from our HMO, but for which a genuine apology was offered by the doctor).  With heavy hearts we prepared for the coming storm, but I was also reminded of a mysteriously encouraging warning of sorts I received within a dream the summer before.

The dream began in a dark and frightening place, warm sunlight disappearing behind growing storm clouds on the horizon.  I believe we were standing outside our home, when a priest was suddenly there with us.  I did not recognize this dark-haired man who stood a bit shorter than I.  Looking at us, he pointed off to the distance and sternly warned that a terrible storm was coming for us.  He went on to tell us, however, that there was no need to worry; we would be safe.  The Lord’s messenger was reminding us that we were under the protection of the Almighty God.  Although there were black clouds rolling towards us, I felt at the time that the real storm he was talking about had little to do with the weather.  He seemed to be referring to something more dangerous and destructive than wind and rain.  Before the dream ended, the priest said something along the lines of “Remember John 14:14.”  The verse was spoken with such force and clarity that I easily remembered it when I woke.  Not recalling the specifics of the passage at all, I decided to look it up before I went back to sleep.  I didn’t expect anything particularly significant, as I still imagined it was likely just an ordinary dream.  I was quite stunned to read it.  “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

This, in turn, reminded me of an article ("Mysterious Tools") on prayer I wrote several years ago concerning an experience of healing regarding my son.  In that essay, I wrote about invoking the sacred name of Christ in faithful prayer--with results that left me speechless.  My mind continued to wander after the dream, and, because of the element of prayer, I think I also recall remembering my wife’s first health emergency several years ago.  I remembered driving behind her speeding ambulance on the interstate highway with our crying children in the back of the car.  I prayed to God for protection of my dear wife and invoked the name of Christ in that short prayer we said together in the car.  I pleaded for healing in Christ’s name, and I sought mercy for her and our family--of which she is the most integral part.  After parking the car, I took the kids in tow and headed for the Emergency Room doors, my brain in a haze.  When my son Stephen asked whether his mother was going to be okay, I answered with a certainty which was simply an act; I had no idea, but I was praying it would be so with every fiber of my being.   

Looking back on these past trials through which we successfully passed only by the bountiful grace of Christ, I am reminded that everything we currently experience is seen through the imperfect lens of our past struggles.  It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that God frequently speaks to us through our past and into our present. That is, those things we struggled under are, sometimes at least, infused with a new and profound meaning when we look back at them from the vantage point of the present.  This also sheds light on the way in which God chooses to communicate with us, which often resembles words shared between friends--only at an infinitely deeper and more personal level.  It is encouraging to remember that any trial or hardship we encounter can be met with success, if we trust in the Lord.  (Of course, “success” may not be what we necessarily imagine or understand.)   

When our family crossed the Tiber and came into full communion with the Catholic Church several Easters ago, it was a decision to follow the leading hand of Christ wherever He led.  The choice was not an easy decision for us.  It was never what I had ever expected to do.  Some of our family and friends were mystified by what they mistook as our turning our backs upon what it meant to be a Christian, and a few friendships were broken beyond repair.  The fact of the matter was, however, that our coming home to the Catholic Church only enriched and deepened our faith in Christ.  We simply opened our hearts to the fullness and beauty of the Catholic Church as we continued to be led by Christ on our spiritual journey.  If we accept that we are indeed created in the image of God, then a conscious effort to follow the will of our Savior is the most transforming and healing power we can bring to bear upon our sick culture—not to mention ourselves.  It also offers a way in which we may offer up all of our daily hardships to the Lord, infusing our daily struggles and sacrifices with meaning and importance beyond ourselves.

When I find myself slipping into a cynical or negative frame of mind at the office or elsewhere, I may recall the act of receiving the Eucharist.  Since Christ died for all of us, each person we meet within our hectic daily schedules is someone for whom His blood was spilled, and, therefore, a fellow member or potential member, of the Body of Christ.  As C.S. Lewis reminds us in The Weight of Glory, there aren’t “ordinary people”.  We all have everlasting souls.  Cultures and civilizations will vanish, but that grocery clerk you may be inclined to snap at has the profound gift of an eternal soul and may be in heaven with you throughout eternity.  If we can apply a kind of internal reverence to our daily lives, we are offering those routine activities up to Christ, and we give them greater meaning.  In this way, we are also acknowledging that we our identity is greater than what our daily life may trick us to think.  In other words, our identity should not be tied too closely to our work or vocation, if our work is secular in nature.  When we understand this, we are transforming the mundane to the eternal and creating stances of grace as we strive to live Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 10:31: “whatever you do, do for the glory of God.”  This mindset also makes us more prepared to endure terrible trials when they come upon us.

While the term “relationship,” has been turned into a bit of a cliche by some recent Christian fiction writers, it’s important for Catholics not to forget the personal dimension of their faith.  Having a personal relationship with Christ is not, after all, simply an Evangelical notion; it’s biblical, which means it’s Catholic.  The problem comes when Christians misunderstand the nature of personal faith.  Like any relationship between friends, there are both boundaries and responsibilities.  If having a personal relationship with Christ means, for example, that it is just “God and me,” then we’re lost in a faith where we alone stand as the final arbiter and the sole authority.  Tradition and valid religious authority educate and enlighten our own interpretations of Scripture and what it means to live the faith.    Furthermore, the Christian faith can’t exist in a vacuum.  To ignore the community in favor of the self is to turn our backs on the essence of our Christian faith altogether.  If the self were all that truly mattered, then there would have been no reason for Christ’s sacrifice.  As we are reminded in Matthew 25:40, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”   Our goal should be the death of self in the shadow of the Cross.     

Someone recently asked me how to place the love of God above all else, since we have never seen or touched our Creator.  The question was posed by a fellow Catholic who was struggling to understand the nature of love.  It’s an honest question that points to a heart yearning to truly know and love God.  Volumes have been written on the nature of love (C.S. Lewis’ Four Loves being arguably one of the best), but, if we are experiencing difficulties in feeling “connected” to our Savior, we should remember that all relationships take an investment of time, energy, and pain.  We should also avoid depending on feelings too much as our spiritual guide.  Just like it takes time to build a solid marriage, it takes time and struggles to build and strengthen our faith.  If all that a marriage is based on is feelings, it has no foundation for when hard times set in.  Perhaps one way to begin to understand and know God better is through the good we find in others.  If we struggle to know how to go about loving God, do we love the qualities of kindness, mercy, compassion, truth, or forgiveness?  These qualities that we see imperfectly reflected in those we love and care for are but faint glimpses of the eternal nature of God.  

When dealing with the daily temptations and hardships of life, it’s helpful to remember, as that old hymn goes, “what a friend we have in Jesus.”  At the same time, it’s necessary to bear in mind what an enemy we have in Satan.  “The Father of Lies,” after all, is the true source of our trials and temptations.  The hatred and malevolence he bears for God and the human race can’t be over-stated.  If we see Christ as both our friend and Redeemer, we must remember that Satan is a foe whose only aim is to catch our souls within his snare.  If we find ourselves struggling against temptation, do we surrender to the hater of all life and goodness, or do we call out for aid to the Son of Man who humbled himself as an innocent and died upon the cross for our sins; a Creator who knew us in our mother’s womb and knows and loves us without bounds today?  Rather than embracing the betrayal of sin, strive to remember that “you were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.”  (1 Corinthians 7:23)

I am thankful to add a happy postscript regarding my wife’s illness.  After many days of tests, the doctors determined that sometime before the November incident my wife had experienced a very small stroke in a quiet (or non-critical) area of her brain.  The stroke created a lesion, and this, in turn, sparked the seizure she suffered that morning.  Tests currently show that the lesion is healing on its own, and we’re unaware of any stroke damage.  I am confident that the prayers of friends and family played no small part in her healing.  In fact, we were blest with prayers from several priests around the Willamette Valley.  Even our archbishop in Portland mentioned in a letter that Kimberly’s recovery was in his prayers.  We can never adequately express our thankfulness for each and every prayer offered for her, and it is truly a reminder of the power of our Lord.  Whatever our journey may be, let us endeavor to open our hearts to God and persevere in the race set before us, because “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  That friend is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Union Troubles in Salem

Back in February, I shared a few words about unions in a post called Wisconsin Reflections.  I felt like the time was right to re-visit the issue a bit in light of some "thoughtful" feedback I received from local union organizers when I shared some thoughts critical of SEIU Local 503. 

The problem is, though...whenever I talk about labor unions I come away feeling like I need to take a shower when I'm finished.  It's kind of like a dog picking-up something dead on the beach.  It may bear some investigation, but you shouldn't forget to wash your hands (or paws) afterwards.  The comments back from my post in a union forum were insightful and articulate, however.  ...Oh, never mind; those were mine.

The gist of my concern was the union (after contract negotiations with the state which might have been better handled by trained cocker spaniel) was taking money from "fair share" state employees while there's no contract actually in effect.  While it may seem like a technicality and not a big deal, it's just another example of the union behaving in a way which would make Lady Gaga (or is it Goo-goo?) seem a downright respectable lady.  Let's face it, the union is all about the pursuit of money and power.

Since the matter seemed a little fishy, I asked around at the office, but never received a really satisfactory response from anyone on the matter.  (A union steward friend of mine is looking into it.)  Of course, the local labor organizers were quick to take my concerns (posted online) and attempt to turn them into a personal attack.  A sure sign that your opposition has no legitimate argument to counter you is when a substantive concern is addressed solely by a personal attack.  While that's not really anything new, it does remind me of insightful observations a friend of mine made concerning what the perceived anonymity of the internet has done to "debates" of this nature.

Bruce Smith of the local union wrote me back that I should "go work somewhere where there is no union if you don't like it." Not to be outdone by this sparkling little gem of wisdom, another labor organizer named Deborra Low passed along some awe-inspiring advice when she said "I hear Wal-Mart is hiring."  Thanks, Deborra!  I didn't realize that union people even spoke the name Wal-Mart these days.  


Yes, there were even more tidbits and strangely irrelevant quotes provided, too.  Deborra, in particular, repeatedly edited her comments in order to convey just the right union tone of contempt--not an easy thing to do, you know.  This resulted in me receiving repeated automated e-mails for each of her little edits.  For a moment, I almost felt like a community organizer with my inbox filling up with such prattle.  All in all, it was quite the experience.  Have this strange need to wash my hands now with bleach.

Seriously, though, I didn't used to be quite so anti-union as I am today.  When SEIU Local 503 recently invited a Socialist to give a presentation it was one loud wake up call for me.  (I tried to find online links concerning this speaker, but had no luck I did find Communist Party Member Jarvis Tyner as a regular speaker for SEIU.)  Another one was following the union members to the Oregon State Capitol for a protest.  I thought their behavior was boorish and adolescent to put it mildly.  I do have several good friends who are union stewards, and I wish them well. 

I agree that unions served a necessary purpose in the past, but I suspect that their usefulness may be starting to wane now.  The corruption, intimidation, and rude behavior of many union members as well as leadership makes me want to have as little to do with them as possible.  The latest comments only serve to confirm earlier suspicions.  


A friend made an interesting point concerning the differentiation of "a living wage against entitlement." Are unions a necessary evil in these economic times, or are they a relic of the past calling out for the trash heap?  Part of the challenge facing us is that this is the environment or dynamic we've all created here.  That is, the state bargaining team takes the positions it does because it has insights into the union demands.  This makes it difficult to inject meaningful change into the process without placing the interests of one or both sides at great risk.  


Still, I submit that the time has come to, at least, consider elimination of union representation for state government employees.  We need to realize we (as citizens and employees of the State of Oregon) are in this together.  We should all expect to make reasonable sacrifices in these times for the larger good of the state.  The state, on the other hand, has to be willing to do likewise.  If my co-workers' increasingly hostile attitudes towards the union mean anything, perhaps dissatisfaction is growing?


I would like to ask SEIU Local 503 members, however...how is all that "hope and change" working for you these days?  

Living Within the Present

If you're anything like me, you may have a soft spot for television shows dealing with the topic of time travel. I still enjoy watching classic Twilight Zone episodes because of the high quality of storytelling usually found in those programs--and the time travel ones are often some of the best. I have to admit, there's another program called Dr. Who from BBC which we also enjoy watching as a family. The truth of the matter is, however, that we're all time travelers. It's just that our traveling tends to leave us all a bit the worse for wear--unless your a "Time Lord" from Dr. Who.

Lately, I'm noticing that it's increasingly hard to concentrate or feel a part of what I am presently doing.  My mind is always racing ahead to some other activity or project.  I listened to a strange movie trailer this morning for something called Suing the Devil.  While the movie might not exactly be my cup of tea, I did like Satan's dialogue towards the end of the clip where he expounds upon the wonders of all the technical distractions he's created: the noise of modern life.  

It's hitting on a point I raised in an earlier in blog entry I wrote called "The Connection Illusion," but it bears repeating.  With all of us becoming so accustomed to the electronic distractions of daily living, I wonder if it subtly changes our mental perspective, contributing to the difficulty of focusing upon our present?  In addition, I also fault our cultural inclination to schedule our time to such a degree--especially for children.  Kids, in particular, need free time to play and enjoy childhood.  This sort of soccer mom scheduling may seem good at the time, but it simply burdens children with living on a schedule much more than should be necessary.  A better approach for young people may be what a college friend did for (or to) me once while riding a Washington State Ferry back from Bremerton.  She simply took my watch.  It was quite effective for getting my mind off time and any pressing engagements--for a while, at least.


It's interesting to reflect upon our vacation in the mountains last month and remember what it was like to temporarily abandon virtually all handheld electronics--with the exception of my daughter's Kindle.  Time did seem to slip by at a slower rate, yet we accomplished more.  Even there, though, there was still very much the sense  that time was slipping away, but it was less pronounced than a typical day in the city.  What I encountered in the forest was perhaps more akin to the joy C.S. Lewis described in Surprised by Joy.  It's the savoring of the moment.

 The reader who finds these three episodes of no interest need read this book no further, for in a sense the central story of my life is about nothing else.... I will only underline the quality common to the three experiences; it is that of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic... in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again.

In my mind, then, living within the present is the only way to truly prepare for the future that awaits us.  This living within the present requires us to focus upon it, not watch it out of our peripheral consciousness as we stare intently at our iPhone.  It requires focus and concentration, as well as perhaps a conscious trimming of those distractions around us.  


Even when we return to places we remember fondly, it's seldom like no time has passed in the interim.  It's difficult to reclaim a true sense of how a particular place struck us at a particular past point.  Time changes everything--including our perceptions.  This dimension of time is what I wrote about in a 2002 essay for Episcopal Church News entitled A Week on Whidbey Island Shows Changes, Eternal Truths.  It's not that we can't remember the past with clarity, but we can't return or reclaim it; it can't be re-lived.  Here's how I put it in that article for the Episcopal Church News.

When we recently had the opportunity to spend a few days at Seattle Pacific University’s Camp Casey, situated on the Admiralty Inlet side of Whidbey Island across the choppy strait from Port Townsend, it reminded me of some experiences I had working there as a college student during the summer of 1988. I decided to take my daughter Sarah on a walk one cool afternoon along some of the forest trails to the north of the conference center grounds. The path wound its familiar way up among the wind-swept evergreens and the occasional madrona.  We paused to explore an old fort from the 1890s; its once busy walkways and concrete bunkers now quiet and much overgrown with blackberry bushes and tall weeds, and its stories and pictures slowly fading from collective memory.  (Fort Casey State Park itself lies a mile or two to the south.) 


We then proceeded on along the needle-lined trail, heading up a gradually leveling incline with the forest on our right and a cliff overlooking the crashing surf some twenty feet off to our left. Making certain that Sarah was safely standing on the trail, I carefully stepped towards the left, searching for the place where I recalled having devotions from time to time during the summer of 1988. I found what appeared to be the right location, but its look was quite different now. Instead of the broad sandy cliff face with a fairly clear path to its center that I remembered, the cliff now seemed much higher and closer to the trail. Not being particularly comfortable with heights (just try to get me on the 4-mile Astoria-Megler Bridge again!), I returned to the path, and we resumed our trek to the north for a time until the trail faded and then disappeared entirely among the grass and trees.  We plodded back to Camp Casey to watch and wait for the late afternoon’s arrival of the grazing deer.

It occurred to me recently that this experience was instructional in a spiritual sense. When we return to places from our past, they frequently seem smaller--not more expansive. It’s something akin to visiting your hometown for the first time after being away in college (depending on where you're from). This homecoming is reminiscent of times long gone and the community may stand smaller than recalled.  So, this experience of returning to a place I held close from younger days was odd in that it did not conform to the usual and comfortable perceptions. The vantage point from which I recalled reading and gazing upon the gray heaving waves below had changed a great deal over the past decade.  Considering the winter storms that lash Whidbey Island, that alteration of scenery and environment should not have been so surprising. 


What it does remind one of, however, is that while much concerning us personally, and the landscape surrounding us for a time, undergoes a continual "sea change" or evolution, our God "does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).  Instead, He is the same yesterday as He will be tomorrow. In a time of national crisis and an uneasy future, there is something comforting in acknowledging this simple, yet profound, attribute of our God. No matter what changes here, we hold that what is most important stands eternal, and that we need not be pulled-down by the continual disintegration and moral entropy surrounding our lives from all sides. 

Like the Eagle Cap Wilderness river photo I captured above, the flowing, rushing water is constantly changing; the river, then, becomes an excellent metaphor for time.  As Plato quoted Heraclitis,"You can't enter the same river twice."  The contemplative life seems to offer refuge from this cultural scourge.  Reading Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain, for instance, doesn't paint the picture of someone obsessed with the passage of time--or "multitasking," which just means learning to do simultaneous activities poorly.  It seems to show someone living each day to its fullness for God.


I wish you well in learning how to be a good steward of your own time, both savoring and learning from it,  as we traverse our allotted span of time here.  After all, we look forward to living the eternal present someday in heaven.

My First Coffee Table Book

I found myself a bit between projects this weekend after a great deal of writing lately, and I didn't know what to do.  That being the case, I decided to write another book.  


Well, not exactly.  For a while now, I have wanted to create a book collection of my photos of northeast Oregon, but I didn't know precisely where to start.  Using the self-publishing site Lulu.com, I created a coffee table book entitled Oregon's Blue Mountains, A Photographic Journey.  


While it's not particularly slick or professional, it does include some lovely photographs of the Wallowas.  I realize it's expensive (more so than I expected), but you can use the preview function to look at the first few pages, if you like.


I hope you can check it out!


Updated August 14th: Today, I decided to replace the book with a calendar.  Selected twelve of my favorite NE Oregon shots.  I hope you can pick one up!