Food Glorious Food

How much is that doggie
in the window?



I'm so lonesome
I could cry!



froggie went a courtin' he did ride, uh hah




We are poor little sheep that
have lost our way...
baaa, baaa, baaa





Joy to the fishes
in the deep blue sea...
joy to you and me!



A friend emailed these photos to me and I could not resist!
For everyone who thought it was bad manners to play
with your food...now you can and eventually eat it too!

Ring of Power

Frodo’s burden, ring of fire
Isildur’s bane, Sauron’s desire

Gollum’s obsession, eaten alive
Possessor’s poison, hell’s own drive

Middle-earth’s consuming lust
Death devouring, conquering dust

Key to power, all to crush
Hell’s own whisper, all to hush

Cries of torment, self’s own rule
Temptation’s child, to keep…a fool

Ichy fingers, beating heart
Long to have, wisdom depart

Pride’s own passion, common sense lost
Trapped in nightmare, lunacy’s boss

Cut the hand, only hope
Free the heart, will to cope

Something lost, something gained
Joy rebounding ending pain

FIRSTBORN

By the light of the stars
were the Firstborn awakened
And ever after they would love the night.
Middle-earth wakes up to a busy day
but the stillness of the night
belongs to the Elves.
It belongs to them still
and to those who are like them.

IN KHAZAD-DÛM

In Khazad-dum, in Moria,
where Durin’s people dwelled
they made of this mountain root
a Dwarf city called Dwarrowdelf.

Splendid is was, its walls of stone
with pillars of light from torches shone.
Peace there was, till greed took hold
for Dwarves desire mithril more than gold.

Deep they delved, their hunger for gain
awoke the Balrog, Durin’s bane.
From this grief would years unfold
to make of Gimli a similar mold.
He would wreak vengeance with all his heart
thus would the Dwarves have a new start.

SET APART

Could you be wounded for something good?
Frodo would show you the scars if he could.

Could you be forgotten even though you’re a king?
Aragorn could prove it through years of suffering.

There are marks you bear on skin and heart
that will always set you apart.

Picture This

I'm a visual kinda person, maybe that's why I enjoy slapstick over one liners. I'm like that with learning too. I tend to remember stories because I can visualize them over facts and lengthy lectures. One illustration I recall was from an instructor who mentioned that a man once had a vision of heaven and witnessed another person being crowned.
The crown was so big that it fit over the person's head and onto their shoulders.

The man who had the vision asked someone nearby, "Why is the crown so big that its larger than his head? It looks ridiculous!" The answer rebounded in his soul, "The crown was not fashioned according to his intellect but according to his heart."

It became my heart's cry...

Lord make a crown to fit my heart not my head.
Let it not have the jewels of what I know but what I live.

Lord let me speak the words You've given me to say
and not the things that I would want to say.
For Your words give life that I just can't give
and let it not be simply what I know but what I live.

Clothing Malfunction

Okay, calm down. I did not have a Janet Jackson moment. My "accidents" are not telecast nor will anyone know other than the people reading this blog. What was my sin? Everything was zipped and buttoned properly. I was dressed smartly in my black suit, so where did I go astray?

Alas...I almost got away unnoticed but my mother, the clothing hawk, with her eagle eyes spotted the malfunction right away.

mom: "What's wrong with your skirt?"
me: "Ummm, it's no big deal."
mom: "Come closer."
I reluctantly stepped forward.
mom: "Are those staples?!"
me: "The hem went out! I didn't have thread and needle!"
mom: "You helmed your skirt with staples?" she asked in disbelief.
me: "At least I colored it in with a black sharpie!" I said defensively.
Words escaped her as she shook her head.
me: "Look it was busy...there were a lot of customers. I had to use what was available."
mom: "I'll sew it tonight," she sighed like a martyr.
There was no use praying that her tomboy daughter would ever become a lady--my character was fixed.

Other than create a new use for staples and a sharpie I know the whole experience worked greater patience on my long-suffering parent and resolve in me: no, its not that I am determined to become more ladylike--that is a lost cause. It is not to use thread and needle instead...because I'd rather use a stapler. No, I'm resolved to hide the damage better next time; maybe with tape.

Little Things

I love the expanse of sea, earth and sky but I also love the little things that go unnoticed by most: like wild flowers peeking through the foliage or morning dew on the grass. I enjoy the macro and the micro world for there are wonders hidden in both.

I remember browsing through a book of frozen water crystals...the colors and shapes fascinated me--there are worlds within worlds. My brother teased me later and said, "Simple things for simple minds." He's probably right.

I never want to gaze at the stars and think like an astronomer..."Look, there's Betelgeuse, a red super giant: when that goes nova it will blast everything within a hundred parsecs!" I'd rather behold their beauty and be lost in wonder like a child, "twinkle, twinkle, little star...how I wonder what you are!"

What fascinates me even more is that God created the universe with all these wonders intertwined and dependent. When I realize how much He cared for the works of His hands then I realize that I am no accident: created with nothing, because of nothing, for nothing.

Coming from a former atheist--that is no little thing.

There is a Kinship

There is a kinship in pain;
no words need to be spoken.

The healing comes in sharing,
the bond remains unbroken.

There is an intimacy in joy--
impossible to keep alone…

intensifying as it spreads
humanizing hearts of stone.

THE SCENT OF SPRING

The scent of spring gets stronger everyday;
promise of life to rise from winter’s decay.

Let this renewal last forever--to start slow
rejuvenating cold heart and weary soul.

SIMPLE PEOPLE

I’m one of those simple people…
I actually like paintings
that represent the real thing.

I like books that clear up
some questions instead of adding to them.

We can be so artistic
no one understands us.

We can be so clever
that we are all alone.

We can have the praise of the elite
and miss the heart of humanity.

NO LIMITS

Sky is not the limit for me.
I do not want to be earth bound…

I want the countdown and ignition.

I want the power to break
the bonds of gravity.

I want to live on the edge
of worlds unexplored

Lost in Translation

It was our last day in Japan but before we were to be taken to the airport, my cousin wanted to know what kind of food we'd like to eat for breakfast. "American or traditional Japanese?" he asked. All ten of us piped up, "Japanese!"

I had to translate everything since my brothers, sister-in-laws and their kids understood very little Japanese. I made it plain to them but something got lost in translation. We all had miso soup, rice, eggs in mind but that is not what was on the menu.

Upon entering the restaurant, we took off our shoes (that much was a given) and we were served by waitresses wearing kimonos (that was different). Sitting on a tatami floor and served a ten course meal was wholly unexpected.

All I wanted was a nice cup of coffee and a piece of toast but noooo such luck. Out came dishes so strange that I wanted to throw the contents back into the sea (where the little creatures had come from).

I don't want to be an ingrate but eating something with tentacles and suckers just does not appeal to me: morning, evening or late night snacking. Though I hardly touched my food, I had my trusty camera with me and my Japanese cousins were happy to see me memorialize our meal in film.

This happened over a year ago so why am I reminiscent? It's because in a few days my cousin and his family are coming to the States for the first time and I hope he does not have a gastronomical surprise like I had. Whether he'll be pleased with the food has yet to be known but one thing is for sure...I'll do my best so nothing is lost in translation.

Annie Get Your Gun

There they stood: youthful, confident, smiling. My first reaction was surprise...what were teens doing with machine guns and rifles? I blinked, did a double-take and then duh...it hit me--I'm in Israel. You blooming idiot, I thought to myself. Every eighteen year old must join the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) including women.

Yes, you read that right...teenage girls with estrogen eruptions armed to the teeth. Now have I got your attention? I thought so!

Now I have no problem with females so armed, but I noticed that a few of the men in our tour group were wiping sweat off their brow. Maybe it wasn't because girls younger than their own daughters had rifles strung over their shoulders--the reason could have been that it was over a hundred degrees in the shade but I like to think that it was both.

Depending on how strong a female's cycle can be...PMS not only stands for the obvious: it can also mean Premeditated Man-Slaughter. If you are a thoughtful, rational man you'll remember the acronym. Remember to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Why am I so considerate of the male gender and would give them a heads up? Maybe its because I grew up with two brothers or maybe its because I had an aversion to the feminist of the 1970's. Anyway, grab the advice while its hot.

If any of you are thinking about visiting Israel--don't hesitate. Let me assure you that the media makes it seem danger lurks everywhere but it is much safer than they let on. How do I know? I have the proof of my own eyes. Our guide took us up to the Golan Heights and lo and behold the vaunted, noble, distinguished United Nations compound was on the Israeli side and not Syria. Maybe they know something that the media does not.

If that doesn't convince you then let me comfort you with the fact there are still teenage girls armed with real weapons and ammo. Trust me, after the first initial surprise--you'll get used to it.