sister(s)

I said Sister, here is what I know now
Here is what I know now
Goes like this..
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, in your love, in your love"
-ALEXI MURDOCH
 
There are certain points in our lives where we feel old, or just older, as if our biological age was not a reality and all the people around us would stay the same age forever.  There are certain milestones, regarding age, where you just go, "whew" and wonder where you had been for all the time leading up to this said milestone.  One of those is for your little sister to go off to college. 
  Even though I just graduated college, I still haven't felt like my sister is getting much older.  I must be careful here, that is, not to say that she hasn't matured and showed signs of moving into a new phase of life, but sometimes you spend so much time watching the snowflakes, you end up confused by the new foot of fresh powder under your foot.  There have been two main experiences that have really allowed me to realize my sister's age, and also get excited knowing she is ready for the new challenge of college.  The first was her singing in a musical with her school (i had never even heard her sing, no joke) and the second was her going out to Kansas City for the Skills USA competition (yeah bronze medal!).  These experiences, along with many others, are aligning her up with a beautiful end to the chapter that is high school and I Hope she is as thrilled for WSC, as she has come so far,  and with so much good and beauty to come!
  I also want to share about two other special sisters attempting to move mountains in their new adventures...
First off, my friend and sister for over three quarters of my life is heading off on a world wide missions trip called "World Race" no, not the amazing race.  I will let you read about it here and support her too:
Ash WORLD RACE
I Have known Ashley for a long time, and she is a beautiful image of Hope and truth.  She believes, she works hard and she is SO thrilled to take all of her gifts straight to the peoples around the world who need it most, I cannot wait to hear about and pray for her journey- and the journey of all those helped and helping!
  Finally I have this other sister.  Now she also has a brother, just like Ash and just like my sister and I, but he's a good guy, so I think he'd be OK if I was in the fam.  This girl is also venturing forth into a new land, this time, not in a world race, but to study and learn.  She is going to do great, and Love well, but I can understand why she is nervous.  It just occurred to me how we have such similar hearts!  But fear is not the heart of love, and just as this girl inspires and surprises me every time we get to talk, she will triumph and take in every detail of this beautiful trip.  Remember Jeanne Clark, perfect Love drowns out fear; may it find you well.
  I always wish I had a brother.  I always wished time would stop and we could start it up again when we were ready.  Well, neither of these are an option.  Yet I am one of the happiest and most blessed people in the world, and it is in a large part due to the hearts and Hopes of my sisters, biological or otherwise.

May God guide you on the straight and narrow,
and may the light each one of you share and carry so, so well,
guide you into and over whatever this new season brings.

Love, in Hope and in gratitude,

Bud, B2, Brandon

Listen:
Switchfoot- Hello Hurricane (you CAN'T silence my Love)

alex

I was in need of an adventure, in need of a break.
This week offers some alternatives to work (see conference) and a concert with some of my favorite people (and I am not even talking about the bands) before the bump and grind commences on Thursday... and I couldn't be more thrilled at the timing.  Just a couple weeks left for my Americorps post!
So staying local but trying something completely new and intriguing was the theme of today.  After skipping out on Fridays race due to an injury today was meant to be a get away into the woods and some light hiking to limber up and rest my tired body and mind.  Sitting down after the days adventures, "rest" or "light" was no longer in the books as words to capture the day.  But rather the day was summarized by "adventure" and "encounter".  After speed hiking about a quarter of Kearsarge's hidden gem, the Lincoln trail, I spotted another hiker just above me on the ridge, moving slowly but confidently.  Just as I caught up with him, we reached the top of this hill and the trail entered an exposed section with full sunlight. We exchanged greetings and shook hands and i quickly moved forward.  But he was not in the rear-view.  Oh no, rather he was was literally breathing on me and quickly asked if he could get by.  After he moved by I quickened my pace and decided to follow.  The encounter quickly turned to conversation, which led to questions, which further turned to the great tradition of hiker's sharing stories, sharing life;
and Alex, as I later found his name to be,
had stories, upon stories,
adventures, upon adventures.

This man had been places.

Among those mentioned were Warner, NH (of course), Argentina, Peru, Patagonia, Norway, and his current place of work, the Atlantic sea.  That's right, Alex is a lobsterman.  Tried and true, strong and adventurous.
All of a sudden, the quiet Sunday hike turned into something more.
A shared adventure,
a comparing of stories,
a companion for the ride.
After a conversation with another Colby-Sawyer friend at the top (Ricky), it was time to descend;
for myself back down Lincoln, for Alex, down the access road and over off into the dirt of one of NH's many class 6 roads and eventually back to the place where he would spend the night and prepare to go back out on the boat the following day.
This encounter has done more for my spirits and energy then I can even explain,
and it taught me a few important lessons that I believe to be universal to all-
That perhaps it is not about the speed or the distance, but rather the adventure itself,
That perhaps the work we do is only done to earn the means by which to pursue our true passions,
That perhaps each person's story, even our own, has the capacity to be marvelous and exhilarating,
That perhaps each one of us has a mission, a great task, and it likely involves helping another, perhaps some person or group of people that have otherwise been ignored...
 
So as for when we depart our homes in the morning, looking for a break and an adventure,
Let us leave with soft hearts and open minds,
for we never know who we'll meet, but,
you can rest assured,
that the craziness and seemingly random connections and correspondences along the journey of life are somehow weaved together to form extraordinary stories;
Would that we can share these stories often,
and play our part well.

"I watched the changes
(I watched the changes)
through your eyes
like a movie of my life"  

Listen:

As Tall As Lions- "if I'm not out burning bridges, I'm buying more matches"

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/200283828-001/The-Image-Bank

presence: Part II

In the last post I spoke about companions and shared a little bit about the companions I have been so fortunate to have in my life.  The companions I have and the companion I am leads into this next idea of presence; that we can be in a place, in different places during a day, yet we may not actually "be there".  Companionship is so great and so important because it allows you to share your heart, to share the very essence of life and living.  It may actually slow life down, slow it down to allow you to breathe, to laugh.  But this is under duress.  Companionship and slowing down enough to grab a cup of coffee with a friend is becoming more and more difficult.  We are Moving TOO fast people!  One issue I see with this is the fact that we can be in different places and do different things over the course of a day and yet not really think about anything we have done or witnessed.  We are not present in the very life we are living!
  There is a scene in one of my favorite movies, Garden state, where Andrew (Zach Braff) has just finished telling the story about how his mother became paralyzed when he was a child.  The scene is set as four people are sitting by a fireplace and the only light cascading through the room is the lit place in a giant, yet otherwise empty living room.  Andrew is sharing the story with everyone, but Sam (Natalie Portman) is the only one really paying attention (they have all had a little to drink).  As Andrew finishing telling the story, Sam asks a striking question,
Sam: You're in it right now, aren't you?
Andrew Largeman: What?
Sam: My mom always says that, when she can see I'm like working something out in my head, she's like, 'you're in it right now' and I'm looking at you're telling this story, and you're definitely in it.
Our lives and our relationships are lived out in reality, but sometimes we get so into a moment, usually from the past, that we exit the reality we are in.  The thing that is neat about this, is that, even though we are simultaneously in two places, in one story, while sharing the same story or moment, those listening are focused on us and this part of us we want to share.  We are "in" one story while living another!  Yet the reality of it is that we have to be present to be in either or rather, both. 
  A great priest once said (Fr. Guissani) "to discover Christ as a presence, we must first come to the conclusion that Christ is indeed, present".  Jesus may be the best example of a presence.  He was always in the moment, so fired up, so focused.  We should be as such for those around us.  Human connection is one of the most sacred and amazing gifts we have to share in this life, and even with the best companions in the world, your presence is still required to live out and enjoy this story; to be "in it". 
  Never underestimate the power of presence.  Entering into a place, a situation, a relationship, or continuing into an existing one, means so much to the people around you.  I had the opportunity to see an old friend recently.  And although we have not kept up for awhile (yet hopefully will this summer!) my presence at his house made hm extremely happy and I believe, was a bit of light for a few of the other guests at the party, especially the kids.  Although it was a different setting then I was used to, my presence was needed there, and, as the band Sleeping at Last puts it so well, "the Light that we hold (EVERYONE HAS THIS), must be buried, buried to Bloom".

Dear__________________,
Welcome to summer.  I'll be voyaging with you the entire time.  Your presence is formerly requested at the rope swing, the mall, the beach, work, the bike race, the family barbecue, the trip to New York, your birthday, the fireworks, camp, your nephews house, a mountain hike, and on and on...
Will you choose to accept?  Will you meet me there?

Your gracious companions,
Infinity, Destiny, & Yahweh

listen:
Brooke Fraser- "CS Lewis song"

Breathless expectation

To all my friends at CSC and those friends I have yet to meet;

May your summer be beautiful, like the stars as they move,
That your faith may hold you, as a mother and child crossing the street,
That your Hope may burn bright, as the fire you dance around,
That your love may move, for it is in the moving that we give words their meanings and actions to the heart,

That you may stand to those things that would have you be pushed and pulled to a place outside of your very own destiny,
That you would laugh, love, live free and sing, (ANBERLIN)
And that your heart would be Alive,
So alive that others follow you for the light you posses,
So Alive, you radiate love and romanticize peace.

So to reiterate the message of TWLOHA; every one of us has a story.  It's completely unique to us, like our finger prints.  Each story ebbs and flows, each story is full of mountain top screams of joy, and bottom of the ocean drowning, dwindling life.  Yet we choose to live, because we are Alive.  The greatest gift is to truly live.  I hope everyone has the people and experiences in their life this summer to help them do just that. 

And in learning and living your own story, that you have the courage to step out, in breathless expectation, to go wherever your Hopeful dreams and Bold heart would lead you... (ellipses)

(image CSC website)