Somethings I enjoy...

The people that live across the street from me have lived on my block since 1955. They know the history of our street. In late Spring through the end of Summer they sit on their porch for about 3 hours per night. They watch the younger people moving about, doing things that are "important"... I can remember thinking when i first moved in that it must get boring to sit on the porch for hours on end. However, now I wonder if Buck (guy across the street) has figured out what life is about. In fact, now that I think about it I can think of numerous occasions where elderly people spent hours sitting on a porch or in their yard. It appears to me that these people have figured out that life is worth enjoying with sustained sessions of sitting and enjoying the moment - living in the moment. It also occurs to me that it often takes getting older and realizing that what was once important doesn't really matter all that much. Life is better spent in community with people, enjoying conversation, and building memories that will last a lifetime. Buck has inspired me, as difficult as it is, to take time out to sit and enjoy the moment. Often times I realize after the fact that the things that are so important to me takes away from my time with Carrie. I'm not saying that I must get rid of anything that does not include Carrie, just that I need to have a more time for Carrie and other people in my life and a healthy amount of time for what I consider important. If I am not careful I will spend all my free time doing things that are typically fairly solitaire. Some of the photos below are things that I get enjoyment from... first and foremost is my beautiful bride, friend, wonderful life mate. Carrie is amazing!

Thinking about life...

So I am sitting on my deck listening to James Taylor's greatest hits and watching my dogs wander around the yard. The dogs just walk around sniffing things and taking the occasional break, i.e. lay down and look at nothing specifically. I get a sense of enjoyment watching my little friends enjoying themselves in the warm sun and cool grass. It makes me wonder if God watches me enjoy things simple. Does He find the same sense of enjoyment when I go hiking and enjoy His wonderful creation? Lately, I have felt stressing trying to focus on so many things at once without seeking guidance. What will I do for the rest of my life? So frequently I fill my time up with things that really don't matter at the expense of pursuits that have meaningful value... like spending time with Carrie and seeking God fully. Sometimes I feel like I spend 80% of my time on things of no consequence and 20% on things that mean the most to me. I am working to reverse that ratio - it is so hard to take myself out of the moment and see what is really important. "The secret of life is enjoying passing time." James Taylor - Funny, that line was just in a song that is playing in the background. I desire to have deeper relationships with fewer people as opposed to many surface deep relationships. Anyways...

Cherries!!!

So the cherries are ripe! It is amazing how in a matter of a couple of days they went from almost ripe to great! We picked a lot of cherries. I would guess that it was in the neighborhood of about 30 pounds. I never expected it to be that much but Carrie and I weighted what we have and it is around 18 pounds... and our small group from church took home a bunch. Carrie and I are going to try our hand at canning some, making preserves, and a cobbler or two or twenty! The idea of having a tree in my yard that produces something that I can eat and enjoy is really awesome. It is just one of the ways God provides for me.


Our friends from church. Tim, Colleen, Deb, Carrie, and I. Jordan is behind the lense and Joe & Jessica were unable to make it. I think they hate cherries and anything to do with them for that matter. In fact, I think they hate people that like cherries. I haven't spoke to them since I told them we were picking cherries.


Working hard to get those cherries. Carrie is my cherry pie!


Carrie doing what she does best... hanging around with a weird look on her face.


Even my watch likes cherries. You may or may not know but I really enjoy mechanical watches. Their craftsmanship is outstanding and they love cherries. So I took a photo of my watch with my cherries.

It's official... it's my birthday.

So, it's my birthday. The wonderful time of year when you get to send me a gift. What would I like? Well, how about your money. Please send money in a self addressed stamped envelope along with a self addressed return thank you card already filled out. I will sign the thank you card and return it to you. You must include a stamp.

PS. You may be asking why you have to send me a gift when I didn't send you one. The reason is you didn't ask for a gift, therefore, I wasn't compelled to act. Plus, I didn't have a stamp.