Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
SEVEN WORDS...
I had to speak at Church today. This happens on occasion. We are a lay clergy and therefore, since no one gets paid, the people all contribute and subsequently, every once in a blue moon you can expect to be called upon to speak. Today was my and Peter's turn. We were given a topic out of the book, Jesus the Christ, by James E. Talmage.
My topic was the Savior's first cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem. It's a good topic, full of imagery and passion. Here's Jesus, a 30-year-old, relatively unknown Galilean. He had just spent a great week with his family and friends in Capernaum, which was his favorite city, He went there after He had performed his first recorded miracle-the changing of water to wine a the marriage in Cana. It was a great time for Him. A nice place. An emotional oasis before three years of hard work ending in great pain and turmoil before his final victory over death and the grave.
He finally had to leave Capernaum and go to Jerusalem for Passover and to be about His Father's business. When He got there, he found over 256,000 sheep being sold on the temple grounds. The temple grounds were packed with men hawking their sheep, goats and other animals for sacrifices. There were over 2 million people in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Potters were yelling at the people to purchase their ovens and wares. Every Jew had to pay one-half of a shekel in temple coinage for atonement of their sins and for temple upkeep. Money changers were there to change their Greek, Roman and far Eastern currency into temple currency-after charging the people a 5% exchange rate PLUS whatever other profit they could wrangle out of them illegally. Also, people were now using the temple as a shortcut as they made their way across Jerusalem. This was the scene of chaos that the Savior walked in on after He left Capernaum.
The Savior was so upset when He saw what had happened to the sacredness of His Father's house, that He made a small whip of cords and overturned tables and threw all of the money changers' coins onto the ground. He released all of the animals-just turned them loose. He yelled that they had turned His Father's house into a den of thieves. But interestingly, He was gentle with the birds in the cages and told the men to release them, which they did. And no one stopped Him. Not. One. Person. Because He was acting in truth and righteousness.
They were convicted by their own guilty conscious. It was only after He stopped that He was approached, almost meekly, and asked, "By what authority doest thou these things?"
So I was wondering about my own symbolic temples...my body...or my home. If the Savior returned today, what would be His reaction? I can't imagine Him fashioning a whip and releasing my pets. I would hope that He wouldn't be angry. And then I thought about the seven words that everyone wants to hear when they leave here. The seven words that make everything worth while. The seven words that are the reason that we do everything, we say our prayers, we schlep ourselves and our kids to church each Sunday. The seven words that motivate us to read our scriptures, have faith in our spouses and each other, tithe, fast, adhere to the word of wisdom, keep the sabbath day holy, go to the temple. The seven words that make our mortal journey worth it, all the tears, all the work, all the laughter, all the love.
When it's all said and done, when the Savior makes His final visit, when you're wrapping up your work and reporting it all...when you look into those eyes...the only seven words you want to hear....
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant"...
My topic was the Savior's first cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem. It's a good topic, full of imagery and passion. Here's Jesus, a 30-year-old, relatively unknown Galilean. He had just spent a great week with his family and friends in Capernaum, which was his favorite city, He went there after He had performed his first recorded miracle-the changing of water to wine a the marriage in Cana. It was a great time for Him. A nice place. An emotional oasis before three years of hard work ending in great pain and turmoil before his final victory over death and the grave.
He finally had to leave Capernaum and go to Jerusalem for Passover and to be about His Father's business. When He got there, he found over 256,000 sheep being sold on the temple grounds. The temple grounds were packed with men hawking their sheep, goats and other animals for sacrifices. There were over 2 million people in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Potters were yelling at the people to purchase their ovens and wares. Every Jew had to pay one-half of a shekel in temple coinage for atonement of their sins and for temple upkeep. Money changers were there to change their Greek, Roman and far Eastern currency into temple currency-after charging the people a 5% exchange rate PLUS whatever other profit they could wrangle out of them illegally. Also, people were now using the temple as a shortcut as they made their way across Jerusalem. This was the scene of chaos that the Savior walked in on after He left Capernaum.
The Savior was so upset when He saw what had happened to the sacredness of His Father's house, that He made a small whip of cords and overturned tables and threw all of the money changers' coins onto the ground. He released all of the animals-just turned them loose. He yelled that they had turned His Father's house into a den of thieves. But interestingly, He was gentle with the birds in the cages and told the men to release them, which they did. And no one stopped Him. Not. One. Person. Because He was acting in truth and righteousness.
They were convicted by their own guilty conscious. It was only after He stopped that He was approached, almost meekly, and asked, "By what authority doest thou these things?"
So I was wondering about my own symbolic temples...my body...or my home. If the Savior returned today, what would be His reaction? I can't imagine Him fashioning a whip and releasing my pets. I would hope that He wouldn't be angry. And then I thought about the seven words that everyone wants to hear when they leave here. The seven words that make everything worth while. The seven words that are the reason that we do everything, we say our prayers, we schlep ourselves and our kids to church each Sunday. The seven words that motivate us to read our scriptures, have faith in our spouses and each other, tithe, fast, adhere to the word of wisdom, keep the sabbath day holy, go to the temple. The seven words that make our mortal journey worth it, all the tears, all the work, all the laughter, all the love.
When it's all said and done, when the Savior makes His final visit, when you're wrapping up your work and reporting it all...when you look into those eyes...the only seven words you want to hear....
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant"...
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A LONG AND WINDING ROAD....
One of the nicest things about Saturdays is getting the Arts and Books section of the L.A. Times. This past Saturday, a piece was done on Paul McCartney. He's 66 now...still working...still producing quality stuff...his band is in their 20 and 30s and one can only imagine the "worshipping/teaching" that must go on...the interviewer caught McCartney during rehearsal in a relatively empty theatre that was actually in N.Y. where he was sitting on an empty stage with nothing but a piano. He started toying with the keys and began playing "Let It Be", which "could make a bare cinder-block building feel like a cathedral..." wrote Geoff Boucher. When he finished the song, there was a mini standing ovation from the people who were setting up the stage and the few who were there to witness it. In fact, Boucher wrote, that they were "dabbing their eyes".
McCartney spoke about how "Let it Be" means something very different to him now than it did when he originally wrote it in 1969. He said, "In truth, a lot of them [songs] mean new things to me. I hear stuff I didn't hear in the past." He mentioned the song "Long and Winding Road" also and said, "What it means to me here and now, from this perspective, when it has been a long and winding road for me, well, it's so different. When I wrote that song, it already had been a long road, you know, from my youth up to that point. We were going through quite a lot. But now I look back and that song..."
I get that. Things can look differently. I looked at the pictures that Emily sent of our family from the 80s and perspective kicked in. At the time, I thought, "yeesh, look at my arms and that hair!", or something like that. Then I looked at it and I saw my cute little sons and daughters gathered around me, their little faces and bright eyes. I didn't see their futures or their children, or even their missions. I just saw them on that Easter afternoon. I even remembered who took the picture. It was Uncle Bill who was kind enough to bring his Kodak camera with him and give us that photo. I saw Eric with his little arms crossed and his big attitude. I saw Emmy with her ready-to-please smile who I'm relatively certain had to corral Eric into place. I saw Jette with her pretty little face that belies the fact that her right arm was draped over her little brother Eli to hold him in place because he was a fireball of activity and I saw Eli whose face can barely contain the fun he was having with the game of Jai Lai they were playing, which Jette and I are still holding the baskets for.
And I can look at it longer and see a musician/composer, a couple of mother hens, a father, a poet, a financial analyst, two husbands, two wives, two returned missionaries, a couple of comedians, a writer...four adults who contribute to their communities, who are raising children of their own, who are patriotic, who are giving back.
Yea...it's been a long and winding road since 1987 and I see things differently...and I've learned that we don't divide our love, we multiply it...and I'm grateful for everything that's happened to me because I've learned from it, even if I didn't realize it at the time...and I'm thankful for family that loves me, warts and all...and if I had ruby slippers on right now, I'd click them together three times...there's no place like home....wherever home is right now....heartland or desert....
McCartney spoke about how "Let it Be" means something very different to him now than it did when he originally wrote it in 1969. He said, "In truth, a lot of them [songs] mean new things to me. I hear stuff I didn't hear in the past." He mentioned the song "Long and Winding Road" also and said, "What it means to me here and now, from this perspective, when it has been a long and winding road for me, well, it's so different. When I wrote that song, it already had been a long road, you know, from my youth up to that point. We were going through quite a lot. But now I look back and that song..."
I get that. Things can look differently. I looked at the pictures that Emily sent of our family from the 80s and perspective kicked in. At the time, I thought, "yeesh, look at my arms and that hair!", or something like that. Then I looked at it and I saw my cute little sons and daughters gathered around me, their little faces and bright eyes. I didn't see their futures or their children, or even their missions. I just saw them on that Easter afternoon. I even remembered who took the picture. It was Uncle Bill who was kind enough to bring his Kodak camera with him and give us that photo. I saw Eric with his little arms crossed and his big attitude. I saw Emmy with her ready-to-please smile who I'm relatively certain had to corral Eric into place. I saw Jette with her pretty little face that belies the fact that her right arm was draped over her little brother Eli to hold him in place because he was a fireball of activity and I saw Eli whose face can barely contain the fun he was having with the game of Jai Lai they were playing, which Jette and I are still holding the baskets for.
And I can look at it longer and see a musician/composer, a couple of mother hens, a father, a poet, a financial analyst, two husbands, two wives, two returned missionaries, a couple of comedians, a writer...four adults who contribute to their communities, who are raising children of their own, who are patriotic, who are giving back.
Yea...it's been a long and winding road since 1987 and I see things differently...and I've learned that we don't divide our love, we multiply it...and I'm grateful for everything that's happened to me because I've learned from it, even if I didn't realize it at the time...and I'm thankful for family that loves me, warts and all...and if I had ruby slippers on right now, I'd click them together three times...there's no place like home....wherever home is right now....heartland or desert....
Sunday, April 12, 2009
FEEDING THE ELDERS....
The Elders just left. You know, the 19-year-old missionaries that spend two years away from family and friends and girlfriends to go wherever in the world they're sent and do things for other people and only other people until they go home. They had Easter dinner with the hubs and I. Little Eli had dinner with his older brudder, so it was just the four of us. I thought I would play "Jewish Mother" and throw a little food from the "homeland" into the mix. These young men are just that-YOUNG. And being from Utah, typically they're "right off the farm" and not exposed to a lot of the world and I suppose that includes some of the ethnic foods that are available. I went easy on them...believe me...
So, in addition to some user-friendly baked chicken (okay, I sprinkled some cumin on there...what could it hurt?), and some nice, easy rice, we had matzoh ball soup, gefilte fish, chopped liver and matzoh crackers (for the unleavened bread). I told you I went easy....
They were very polite (as all Elders are) and ate a smidgen of everything...well...one of the Elders didn't even attempt the chopped liver...and all had a good time. I explained some of the customs of the traditional Seder and they listened because they're polite (as all Elders are)...and then we set up the computer at the table and watched a slide show, as one of the elders showed us photos of his vacation to London and Paris he took with his mother before his mission...because we're polite.
It was a nice, easy Easter. I have to keep it nice and easy, because if I let the real message and meaning of the day overtake me, I'll break apart. And I think I've broken apart so much lately on this blog, I probably should try to hold it together a bit...
So, I hope the day was a beautiful day for all of my family and friends who worship in their various houses of faith...I hope you were spiritually nourished and uplifted....as for me and my house, we rejoiced in the resurrected Christ...and the company of our Elders....whom He sent...
So, in addition to some user-friendly baked chicken (okay, I sprinkled some cumin on there...what could it hurt?), and some nice, easy rice, we had matzoh ball soup, gefilte fish, chopped liver and matzoh crackers (for the unleavened bread). I told you I went easy....
They were very polite (as all Elders are) and ate a smidgen of everything...well...one of the Elders didn't even attempt the chopped liver...and all had a good time. I explained some of the customs of the traditional Seder and they listened because they're polite (as all Elders are)...and then we set up the computer at the table and watched a slide show, as one of the elders showed us photos of his vacation to London and Paris he took with his mother before his mission...because we're polite.
It was a nice, easy Easter. I have to keep it nice and easy, because if I let the real message and meaning of the day overtake me, I'll break apart. And I think I've broken apart so much lately on this blog, I probably should try to hold it together a bit...
So, I hope the day was a beautiful day for all of my family and friends who worship in their various houses of faith...I hope you were spiritually nourished and uplifted....as for me and my house, we rejoiced in the resurrected Christ...and the company of our Elders....whom He sent...
Saturday, April 11, 2009
TODAY WE DROVE THROUGH IDYLLWILD BY WAY OF MIDDLE EARTH...
Today the hubs and I drove up to the mountains of Idyllwild. This is a beautiful little community alongside mountain pine forests. It's loverly. We enjoy going up there through all the seasons. It's cooler in the summer, we find snow in the winter, monster pine cones in the fall and lilacs in the spring. It's tough to find fault with Idyllwild. They have groovy log houses and A-frames all through the woods. It's a funky, artists' town with a huge jazz festival that's known for its out-door rib fest. It's all good up on the moutain. And here's a fun fact for anyone older than 40. Remember the opening scene of Bonanza when Pa and all of his sons are riding towards you on their horses in that beautiful field with the moutains in the background and the big ponderosa pines? Yea...that's Idyllwild. We pass that same exact field everytime we go...and it still looks the same.So, I snapped a few pics of the hubs in the snow. We stopped at a little general store (log cabin, no less) to get our requisite candy that we munch on during our road trips and I noticed the gentleman's dialect. I've gotten quite good at "hearing" these things. So I asked him what part of the Northeast he was from. "Maine" was his reply and that was all it took....he and the hubs were best friends for about 30 minutes. His name was Bruce and he was about 65, maybe, it's difficult to tell these things. He was absolutely charming and his store, Harmony Farms, is a total blast to walk around in. A. Total. Blast. He and Peter didn't live too far from one another in Maine. I told him that if we ever lived back there, it would have to be around Bangor because of the teaching jobs at the colleges there. He was pleased with that because it was close to where he was moving back. He and Peter each agreed that the desert wasn't fit for human habitation during the summer....It went on from there...
We then had dinner at a little place in the village, bought more candy, and came home. It was a great day. The best part of the drive home was this: as we were driving out of Idyllwild, through a particularly dense mountain pine forest, the clouds were very very low. The elevation is high anyway, over 5,000 feet, so the combination made for a very foggy/cloudy day. The effect was stunning. The best word is "enchanting". The forest was very green, the clouds hung quite heavy, the sunlight was spotty at best and shone in occasional shafts. The entire scene look like something out of Middle Earth. As we drove our car along the winding road, we could see the sun-drenched hill side miles ahead. It was quite surreal...and after yesterday's rainbow encouner, maybe I should stay away from the moutains for awhile.....
Anyway, that's my report on today's activity...Idyllwild...I recommend it....just don't go into the enchanted forest alone....
EXPLAIN THIS RAINBOW TO ME PLEASE....
So as I was driving back from Emily's house, I ran into some rain...I LOVE that...it's so fun for me to hit "weather"....I realize that may sound odd to those who live in the heartland...or actually, to anyone who doesn't live where I live, which is sunny every. single. day.
ENOUGH WITH THE SUNSHINE. THANK YOU. IT'S LOVELY.
But sometimes I just want some dramatic clouds. A thunder-boomer. Lightening. Variety.
As I came over the mountain, through the pass, it was dark and rainy. Absolutely stunning. I was in heaven. And there, off to the left, as I was hugging the side of the mountain on the switchback, the arc of a rainbow was in the distance. So I pulled off to enjoy the moment. Sheryl Crow was the CD of the moment, I had a cane sugar root beer in my hand, and a rainbow in front of me. Life was good...very very good. It's good to take a moment and enjoy things like that and I have no problem "pulling off the road for a rainbow moment"...none at all....
As I re-emerged onto the road, the sun also re-emerged a bit...enough to brighten the rainbow...and to enlarge it!...GREAT I thought....this is getting better and better....and then the arc portion turned into a full-blown stem to stern rainbow with TWO ends now...I looked down to the valley and the end on the left appeared to actually be resting on the floor of the valley and I thought to myself, "the people on the ground must be sensing color where they're standing because it appears to be at ground level"....it was that bright and that low to the ground...I'd never seen anything like it..it looked like the trees were orangish and bluish...so I kept looking for a turn-out to get a picture....
The end of the rainbow on the right rested on the mountain side to my right and was also brilliant and also appeared to be extremely low-not high in the sky at all. I had never in my five decades ever seen a rainbow do this. It was still very overcast with shafts of sunlight coming through. At one point, the colors of the rainbow appeared to be on the outside of my car windows and traveling alongside as I drove, as though I was driving through the rainbow. I was approximately 3500 to 4000 feet altitude at this point. I slowed down to keep the effect going. As I passed cars going the opposite direction, I attempted to look into the cars to check the expressions on their faces to see if they were as shocked and reactive as I appeared to be and they just weren't! When I finally reached a safe place to pull over, I threw open the door, grabbed my camera and looked: behind my car was dark grey, in front of me was bright sunlight, and all evidence of the rainbow was completely gone. My heart sank!
I felt a combination of feelings: loss, shock, even fear! I ran around the car looking up and down the mountain and the valley (having no clue what I expected to find) but eventually had to get back into my car. I sat there for another minute or two just to get my bearings right again.
I'll never forget that. I do have photographic evidence that I, indeed, saw a rainbow. Below is the series of photographs I took. You may be able to tell that the rainbow got brighter and brighter with each picture. This is the rainbow that I was enjoying when I initially pulled over to enjoy the root beer and the music. It was after I pulled back onto the road that it got crazy. If anyone has any explanation on what could have possibly happened, I'm open to any and all suggestions. If you prefer to email me, you may do that as well at: katzbox1@gmail.com.
Thanks.
ENOUGH WITH THE SUNSHINE. THANK YOU. IT'S LOVELY.
But sometimes I just want some dramatic clouds. A thunder-boomer. Lightening. Variety.
As I came over the mountain, through the pass, it was dark and rainy. Absolutely stunning. I was in heaven. And there, off to the left, as I was hugging the side of the mountain on the switchback, the arc of a rainbow was in the distance. So I pulled off to enjoy the moment. Sheryl Crow was the CD of the moment, I had a cane sugar root beer in my hand, and a rainbow in front of me. Life was good...very very good. It's good to take a moment and enjoy things like that and I have no problem "pulling off the road for a rainbow moment"...none at all....
As I re-emerged onto the road, the sun also re-emerged a bit...enough to brighten the rainbow...and to enlarge it!...GREAT I thought....this is getting better and better....and then the arc portion turned into a full-blown stem to stern rainbow with TWO ends now...I looked down to the valley and the end on the left appeared to actually be resting on the floor of the valley and I thought to myself, "the people on the ground must be sensing color where they're standing because it appears to be at ground level"....it was that bright and that low to the ground...I'd never seen anything like it..it looked like the trees were orangish and bluish...so I kept looking for a turn-out to get a picture....
The end of the rainbow on the right rested on the mountain side to my right and was also brilliant and also appeared to be extremely low-not high in the sky at all. I had never in my five decades ever seen a rainbow do this. It was still very overcast with shafts of sunlight coming through. At one point, the colors of the rainbow appeared to be on the outside of my car windows and traveling alongside as I drove, as though I was driving through the rainbow. I was approximately 3500 to 4000 feet altitude at this point. I slowed down to keep the effect going. As I passed cars going the opposite direction, I attempted to look into the cars to check the expressions on their faces to see if they were as shocked and reactive as I appeared to be and they just weren't! When I finally reached a safe place to pull over, I threw open the door, grabbed my camera and looked: behind my car was dark grey, in front of me was bright sunlight, and all evidence of the rainbow was completely gone. My heart sank!
I felt a combination of feelings: loss, shock, even fear! I ran around the car looking up and down the mountain and the valley (having no clue what I expected to find) but eventually had to get back into my car. I sat there for another minute or two just to get my bearings right again.
I'll never forget that. I do have photographic evidence that I, indeed, saw a rainbow. Below is the series of photographs I took. You may be able to tell that the rainbow got brighter and brighter with each picture. This is the rainbow that I was enjoying when I initially pulled over to enjoy the root beer and the music. It was after I pulled back onto the road that it got crazy. If anyone has any explanation on what could have possibly happened, I'm open to any and all suggestions. If you prefer to email me, you may do that as well at: katzbox1@gmail.com.
Thanks.
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