In Alaska: Where Winter Approaches

Monday late evening marked another return to the State of Alaska.  It was good to be back in this state.  A golden color greeted the morning on Tuesday.  The leaves here in Alaska have changed indicating the approaching winter.  It is hard to believe that one more summer has now passed.  However, I do believe that September is one of the best months of the year here with cool, sunny fall days full of changing colors, and seasons (additionally, there are no longer any tourists, er, bugs to speak of).  

The past five weeks (nearly) have been spent in the Pacific Northwest and in the Midwest.  I don't have much more to add to the previous posts on the travels.  This is not to say that a grand time wasn't had, rather, I wouldn't know where to begin.  Highlights of the trip(s) were spending time with friends and family - opportunities for which another chance may not transpire for some time (at least such in the Midwest).  So, it was quite a blessing to have the opportunity to continue the travels in the states and I hope to retain many of the memories and experiences!

BTW, a new addition to the photo album family was made today to highlight just a few of the picturesque scenes from the travels.  The pictures aren't of the highest caliber but do capture some of the scenes from Ohio thru Michigan and even recent excursions around the farm in Tacoma and an escapade to Mt. Rainier.  

The brain is not functioning well tonight.  Maybe the LCD screen of the computer is finally eating its way through my retinas into the brain cavity.  In any case not much more to say right now - maybe someone out there has something interesting to say.  Well, off to pack for hunting on Friday!  

Return of the Blog

Summer always moves by too quickly. As do the years.

I compose this most recent post from the Pacific Northwest, Tacoma area actually; a place where there is a certain chill in the air that was not here just a month prior. It is five days since I stepped off the plane delivering me (and others) from the Midwest.

Nearly a month has passed since I left for the Midwest States. I know, it’s hard to believe. The return from Cleveland, Ohio to Seattle, Washington was completed this past Sunday (11 Sep 2005). The days between the previous post (Wed, 8 Sep 05) and Sunday were charmed with one final house visit and then a few days in Cleveland enjoying friends and the final wedding of the summer (that I will attend anyway).

The wedding weekend turned out to be a grand event to cap off two and a half weeks of traveling across the Midwest. The wedding of Jason and Felicia was wonderful (okay, Jason may have had a few loose nerves) and held a beautiful beginning for these two as they began a life together rich with love for one another. It’s difficult to capture the experience of the wedding and of the entire weekend with this simple text; I believe a great time was had by all in amongst the visiting, ceremony, reception, and just hanging out. I do hope and pray that Jason and Felicia have many joyful years ahead of them.

Jason’s wedding marks the seventh occasion upon which one of a group of college friends was successfully married off. There are nine guys to which I am counting here (yes, including Jason #2 for those of you in the know trying to figure my math), so, only two bachelors remain. Certainly the weddings of the now married seven have been joyous events and wonderful events (although I missed a couple of them) – each with its own adventures and tall tales.

A rich aspect of the many weddings over the past five years subsequent to the first group of us graduating college (summer 2000) is that there has been at least one wedding for every summer following that has provided a mini-reunion of sorts; first it was Spisham, then Schrubs, followed by Jonboy, and now Blush. The reunions have provided face-to-face time for catching up with everyone, figuring out who is next in line for being led down the aisle, and giving one another a hard time (oh, let’s not forget finding out whose next in line with kids!). I completely enjoy the weddings, yet realize that I look equally forward to spending a day or two with friends discussing each others lives and finding out what is new and remembering the old.

It is true that I was happy to return from the Midwest as traveling nearly 3,500 miles in a span of eighteen days tends to wear thin. Yet, it was a melancholy return as the next opportunity to visit with these college buddies (and their wives) is, as of now, a bit of an unknown. Our email skills are not up to par and so, save big events, news of one another is few and far between (thankfully Hogg is an information gathering and distribution point of sorts – or at least he was prior to his current interest…). And so we are left with the remnants of an occasional email or spoken word to relay the happenings of one another.

The unspoken question is now who is next – Hogg or Woody (as I am known to the college buddies)? My guess is Hogg - it’s only a guess - but after this past weekend I don’t think a poor guess by any means… What do you think Hogg? And, so, this may leave me as the last hold out, or at least the last to walk down the aisle with a bride.

Now, why write about something a bit personal? Well, because it has become a captive thought and dream over the past months (not that it hadn’t been previously!) to unite with a woman in marriage. It is something that my brain has struggled with many times over the years and I know little way of dealing with it at this point other then to let it leak out.

Over the past few months attending four weddings the desire to find that one woman with whom I could share life with has been matched with the rather imposing challenge of going about such an adventure. I believe in the Biblical marriage and know that God has a plan for each of us in relation to marriage provided we involve Him in the process. Jason and Felicia are a wonderful example, I believe, of “a match made in Heaven” – in fact, they aren’t the only example that comes to mind.

But, how do the dynamics of this match making process work? Does it just fall into place and all the pieces just fit? Is marriage between two people something that will happen if “it’s meant to happen”? Or, is the process more involved and intertwined with aspects of building a relationship that seems less then destined for marriage? How does a person know when they have met the “one” or is finding the “one” a development of a longer relationship? How does one know if the feelings are mutual? How does a person know if God is involved in the process as He should be, as opposed to relying purely on emotions? Why aren’t the answers to love easier? Is love an action or an emotion?

Ahhhh! So many questions that probably vary in as many different answers as there are married couples.

Why can’t this marriage process become simple? Why can’t a person just wake up one morning and be married to their “soul-mate”? I think that I know a partial answer to some of these questions, but probably could not give a fully justified answer until I too am married, if ever. Certainly any number of conversations or heated discussions could sprout from this one-sided commentary on marriage.

I believe that the process leading up to marriage does involve some healthy relationship work and is not something that just falls into place (well, some of it may, but not in its entirety). I think marriage is a pursuit of both the man and woman involved, both of whom are seeking God in their lives and desire to have a partner in performing His work. I think that there are any number of marriage partners a person could choose, yet I believe there is that one “Best” choice to which God will play a significant part in that process. I believe that love is part emotion and a lot of action. Christ needs to be the center of the marriage for a truly lifelong marriage of love and joy.

Now it may seem silly to carry on like this on marriage, especially coming from a guy, right? Don’t you think that everyone thinks about this at some point? Well, maybe women more seriously then men, but certainly it is a topic in many a single persons mind. As time passes, it certainly becomes a seemingly more pressing topic. I have felt pressure from this dwindling time standpoint. There is also the implied pressure of parents asking leading questions or providing selected reading material. It would also seem there is an implied social pressure to get married – granted this has probably decreased in modern times. In fact, there is even an internal pressure to find that woman to marry.

However, it is not an exterior pressure for which a reason exists to get married in my mind. Rather it is a desire. A desire for a woman to share life with and to live life with; a partner with whom to seek and follow God’s direction in this life; a desire for a beauty (inside and out) to love and with whom to dream with...

On The Road Again...

The days continue to roll by - many just as literally as that phrase implies. It's hard to imagine that just two weeks ago I was pondering just how this mini-tour of the Mid-West would progress as I boarded the plane at SeaTac. Thankfully the trip has gone better then could have ever been expected and a certainly blessed experience I think.

The highlights of the trip continue to exist in the reconnecting with college friends and family spread out over this vast part of the country. Memories are re-lived and places once visited are visited again. The past becomes a springboard for discussions of the future. Our history together is also the fertile soil out of which the relationships continue to grow. I find it sometimes sad to see how quickly time has passed, yet the future excitement of a growing family or a happy couple easily eclipses any sadness that may yet remain of times once shared.

It is hard to believe that college graduation occurred just over five years ago. Of course, returning to the school this past weekend certainly made that much apparent as I am certain none of the students who were apparently sophomores or juniors looked anything older then what I would guess as high school age...

The culmination of the trip will arise this coming weekend in Cleveland at yet another college friends wedding. It shall be a great occasion and one last opportunity of this trip to enjoy the time with college friends.

Road trips are also a good time for spending a wee bit of time (okay, maybe quite a lot of time) in thought, contemplation, meditation, and prayer. Now this doesn't go to say that the stereo isn't cranked up from time to time (or more often); rather, it would seem that the miles of interstate provide a unique backdrop for thought. Now, one would think that after nearly 3,000 miles there would be some insightful, well reasoned thought processes taking place. I regret to inform you that I don't believe I have much in that line of thought to share with you other then a few random ideas and maybe one grand scheme.

Yet, it has come to mind in recent times a few certain phrases that friends have written. One person wrote to me to continue to "grow your dreams". That seemed to me a realization of just what I was doing - was I living out my dreams or just carrying on as one would expect in today's world? It's a phrase that continues to resonate in the dark corners of my head and is slowly working it's way forward to be considered under the spotlight of the life now being lived. I had once heard it said that "a goal is just a dream with a deadline". How many people out there live out their dreams? Is it more then just a "pipe dream" to consider living out what one dreams about? Certainly it would be easier to not live out the dreams of the heart, however, would life not also become a tad less of an adventure if one did not? And so as the dreams slowly take shape in the developing solution of the imagination one ponders just how to go about living the dreams into reality.

Now, in contrast to such lofty aspirations and a rather ballooning imagination I had recently read a blog post by a friend who, with significant insight and honesty, sums up the experience of life in a Monday post as follows: "Life is an adventure we each live alone. Surrounded by people, we occasionally have the impression that we are sharing our life with others. We do share experiences; we share time, we share laughter and tears, but in the end our life, the sum of all our thoughts and experiences, are ours alone."

The gut reaction for me was to disagree with that paragraph. But, as it is considered and mulled over, I would have to say that it is a true, if not bluntly so, observation that bears a certain clarity for life's reality. Yet, I wonder if such agreement to the statement would be shared by, say, a couple who have been married for a lengthy period of time, or say a person who had spent many years in service to God. I don't mean to diminish the quote above in any way - the statement paints a photo which captures the sudden realization of a life's truth for all to consider.

And, yet I also wonder that the significance of that statement is not just captured in it's wording but within what it seems to imply (at least to me). I would contend that the significance of life in such a context then is not just within our own experiences and thoughts but rather as is also captured in those honest and open relationships with people to whom we choose to share our life with.

And so I would close here to say that the moments of life that shape and sharpen are those with which others are significantly involved - this would include God, if not moreoverly so. Of course such considerations bear obvious reason for further contemplation and, at least in my case, such should happen as the miles of road ahead provide quiet and solitude and much imagination.

Thus, it is on to Kalamazoo, Michigan from here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tomorrow the road will provide for the final destination of Cleveland - with an estimated 3,300 miles traveled by that point I can say that I am looking forward to reaching that goal, yet do intend to fully enjoy the traveling. On the road again...

Neglect and Travels

The afternoon finds me typing away here near St. Paul, Minnesota. Thanks to the gracious friends with which I am staying for a few days I have had a couple days of quiet solitude to do a little studying, a little thinking, and a little emailing.

Thus, after burning some time catching up on email I thought it quite appropriate to update the neglected blog site, just in case someone interested in viewing the site would care to find themselves upon a new posting...

It would seem that traveling across the Mid-West is rather more exciting than I thought it would be. Now I don't mean to diminish the wonderful opportunities of visiting the friends and family spread out in this area - such visiting has been a great time and wonderful to do. Rather what I speak of is the actual traveling from place to place - much of which seems to be cornfields in the mid-west... In any case I had forgotten just what an expansive place the mid-west is - I don't think one gets a good feel for this by looking at a map - the distance is truly something only to be experienced by physically traveling it in a vehicle or some other method that takes one over the ground.

So, with over 1500 miles on the rental car in the past week and plenty of miles left to go I can say that this country is certainly a vast expanse of - well - corn fields in these parts anyway. Well, not completely corn fields, but it sure makes for a funny (or boring) thing to imagine. The days ahead are certainly anticipated for the different country to view and the people to visit, but I do predict that by the end of the next week and a half I will be ready to end the current nomadic sort of travel.

One stark point in the past few days has been the sharp rise in gasoline prices. After just filling up yesterday morning at $2.55/gallon the price had increased to near $2.89/gallon yesterday afternoon and near $2.99/gallon by this morning. However, just as I start to dwell selfishly on how expensive a gallon of gas is it becomes increasingly clear that the reality of the situation is not focused on the true tragedy; I would contend that the tragedy to which we should focus our prayers and thoughts is upon the people affected by Hurricane Katrina. So, that is a challenge to myself and to anyone who would wish to participate - instead of focusing on the matter of $ for gasoline say a prayer or provide some help for those affected by Katrina.

From here the travels will extend to northern Minnesota, Upper Michigan, Lower Michigan and finally Cleveland, Ohio. Hope to return to Alaska around 19 Sep following a week back in Tacoma, Washington. We shall see what the future brings...

So, anyone out there want to share what life means to them? What do you believe life is for?