A Defining Moment

On Friday afternoon in the kitchen I experienced some chest pain... nothing terribly serious, but enough to get my attention. My immediate response was to take something, so I went to the refrigerator, opened a container Sally had filled with thinly sliced Irish cheese, and popped a slice into my mouth.

Now you may not think this a rational response. What good would cheese do were I having some type of heart emergency? No good, but I would die with a really pleasant taste in my mouth.

I have no death wish, mind you. But it does occur to me that, if I thought I was about to leave this plane of existence I would not be carefully counting Weight Watcher points. I'd be eating cheese.

Green Bay 31, Pittsburgh 25

I got to watch the Super Bowl. That might not seem like a big deal to most people, but most people don't work in the church. My viewing of the NFL playoffs was spotty this year as there were meetings scheduled against them week after week. I nearly faced the same problem with the Super Bowl, as a family requested a private memorial service this afternoon. Yes, I could have declined, but I found it difficult to explain to a grieving family that I couldn't help them because I needed to watch television.

It turned out well. The dearly departed was a Packer fan, so the family offered to move the service time to 2:30 so we'd be done before kick off. I did miss Christina Aguilera botching the National Anthem, but that was about all. In retrospect, conducting a funeral is more tolerable than watching the over-hyped pregame show anyway.

Flight Plans

The plan was for me to fly to Portland early this morning, spend the day at the District Assembly meeting, and fly back tonight. I got to the airport at 5:10am to discover that my flight was delayed until 9. Given that I was already going to be too late for the opening events of the meeting, the delayed flight was going to result in my getting to Portland just in time for lunch and a workshop. After thinking about it for an hour I decided to punt. I told the ticket agent that I was going home and they gave me a full refund! Nice. So, I have a day instead of an event. It's an acceptable trade, though I was looking forward to seeing my colleagues again.

February

As a boy I remember playing golf in early February. OK, it wasn't every year and we had to chip the ice off of the holes to putt, but we DID play golf. Ever since then I've viewed February's arrival as a harbinger of Spring. That view was reinforced three seasons ago when Sally and I first rode our bikes to the grocery store in February. Again, there was ice to deal with and it was hardly balmy, but we rode.

Sally and I rode the bike trainer in the basement yesterday afternoon. The temperature outside was in the low 20's, with a fall into single digits forecasted. But that was last month, when it was still January. It's February now. Although inclement weather will undoubtedly appear, we are gaining nearly three minutes of sunlight per day and winter has passed its zenith. Optimism reigns!

Perhaps I am unduly affected by the news that Megan and AJ are planning a September wedding. They seem very happy, which makes me happy as well. With their nuptials in the offing and Evan and Angie's to follow in June, we shall be in a celebratory mood for months to come! Huzzah!

Really Slick. Really.

Sal and I were taking it easy this morning - we'd thought about going skiing but decided against it - running an errand or two and planning on breakfast out. Just as we were leaving the house it started raining very lightly. Not normally a problem. This morning, however, the temperature was 27 degrees. When the mist hit the street, it lightly and evenly coated it with ice. We drove VERY slowly, and still slipped and slid around.

Within minutes the roads became nearly impassable. We were at Hogan's Diner by then, and nearly slid into a parked car. We parked the Smart car and watched in terror as a large pickup truck slowly skated right alongside and by us, all four wheels locked. We went into the diner and got online, only to learn that this surprise ice storm was wreaking havoc all over town. The county sheriff was asking everyone to stay off the road. We saw scads of people driving through the parking lot as if they were late for their own funerals. Wishful thinking, perhaps.

I experienced ice like this in Indiana growing up, and in other parts of the midwest later on. The difference here is how hilly everything is (something you notice when biking or when ice coats the world) and how stupid the drivers are. Are really hate to think that Spokane drivers are less intelligent than Indiana drivers. However, this morning out, and slowly home again without incident, gives me pause.

MLK Holiday

I was sorry to hear that Steve Jobs has had to take another medical leave from Apple. I'm wondering if there's any truth to the rumor that he announced the decision by twittering "iSick".

The weather in Spokane has turned downright balmy. It was a record 51 yesterday, and close to that today. Most of the snow has melted, and the roads have dried, laying bare the studded-tire-carved pavement beneath. We've enjoyed a day off, but tomorrow will return to what I will henceforth term, "The Rut Race".

Sally has coped with her cabin fever by engaging in a series of projects of which I am the grateful beneficiary, as long as she doesn't ask for any assistance. So far today she has put a couple more coats of finish on Dad's rocking chair, prepared Machaca beef in the slow cooker, and baked a bread pudding. She had another project or two in mind. Amazing.

On the other hand, THIS is my idea of a major project.

There. Finished.

Horatio Alger

In my sermon yesterday I noted that in the late 1800's Horatio Alger, Jr. published 100 books for boys which all followed a "Rags to Respectability" formula. My point was the prevalence of the underdog theme in literature and culture. Please note that I did not refer to Alger as anything more than the author of the books. Following the service a visiting dignitary told me that since he had learned that Horatio Alger, Jr. was forced out of the Unitarian ministry for his elicit relationships with two teen-aged boys, HE would never use Alger in a sermon illustration.

Perhaps that is good advice. I will no longer make reference to anyone who is of less than stellar character in my preaching. Martin Luther King Sunday will be dropped from the schedule. There will be no further mention of John F. Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, or Joseph Campbell. In fact, as I think about it, were I to eliminate everyone of less than stellar character from my references, there would be no one left but me and you.

And I have my doubts about you.