9/11 - I Remember

I remember that morning ten years ago today. Normally we didn't watch TV before school but that morning Johnny happened to turn it on so that he could set the VCR to tape a soccer game that was gong to be on later in the day. He came into the kitchen and told me to turn on the TV. I did and I remember feeling confused at what I saw on the screen. He had to explain to me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. The TV anchors didn't seem to know what was happening either, until that second plane hit. Then we knew we were under attack. I stayed glued to the TV all day and watched in horror as the towers fell. I listened as the reporters talked of thousands of deaths but also reported the lines of New Yorkers around the Red Cross Centers waiting to give blood. They spoke of off-duty firemen, policemen, nurses and doctors rushing to the scene to help. Strangers embraced strangers. Help and offers of help came in from all over the world! The TV anchors referred to our 'common humanity' but the thought came to me that actually it was our 'common divinity'. This song by Janice Kapp Perry came to my mind on September 11, 2001. It came into my mind again today. We do have a divine nature. We are children of God. I'm thankful for that knowledge and I will never forget.

My Nature is Divine

Why is it when I hear a baby cry
My arms reach out in love I can't deny?
Why is it when I see my neighbors need
My heart is touched to do a kindly deed?
Why is it when I see someone alone
My instinct is to share the love I've known?
Why is it when I sing a hymn of praise
My spirit yearns to follow in His ways?

Could it be
Oh could it be a sign
that deep within
this simple soul of mine
I sense by some miraculous design

My nature is divine?

Why is it when I touch a fevered brow
I know that I must give relief somehow?
Why is it when I see someone with less
I'm urged within to share my goods and bless?
Why is it when I see a soul in sin
I long to share the light I have within
Why is it that a joy beyond compare
Distills upon me when I kneel in prayer?

Oh could it be a sign that deep within
This simple soul of mine
I sense by some miraculous design
My nature is divine?

City of Roses

Portland is sometimes called the 'City of Roses' and here's why.....

And remember it is September!

Where in the world are George and Marilyn?

Looks like Japan, huh? But actually we are in the Portland Japanese Gardens! There in the background is Mount Hood, looking like a watercolor painting on the horizon.

We spent Labor Day with George's boss who is visiting from India. It was lunch at the Peruvian Restaurant and then the Japanese Garden. A lovely day!

George in the Gorge

"George in the Gorge" just has the right ring doesn't it? Actually George, Marilyn, Martha and Larry enjoyed a great lunch and a lazy afternoon at Skamania Lodge in the Columbia River Gorge.
What a beautiful place! I want to come back for a weekend get-away and enjoy the pool, hot tub, hiking and a massage....not necessarily in that order! And I want to spend some time doing absolutely nothing in one of the comfortable chairs while I enjoy the view up the gorge!

If you are paying any attention to what time it is, you can check this sun dial.

And yes it was about 3:10!

Random thoughts from Education Week

I've just finished typing my notes from Education Week so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite random quotes:

Acts 12: 1-7 - In these verses we read of James who was killed by the sword and Peter who was rescued from prison by an angel. Was Peter more righteous than James? Had he prayed more? Had the people prayed more for Peter than for James? Sometimes life gives us the 'sword' and sometimes we get the 'angel'. We don't always understand why things happen the way they do but adversity will come to us all! When it does, we need to 'turn outward' and serve. There are times when we may be the saving angel for someone else going through trials.

Neal A. Maxwell, "Patience is tied to faith.Lack of patience shows that you think you know more than God."

I'm not sure where this quote comes from but I love it. "Sometimes He calms the sea and sometimes he lets the sea rage on and He calms the child."

"Grace isn't a booster engine but a constant source of power. Grace is the presence of God enabling power. We aren't earning heaven we are learning heaven!" Brad Wilcox

If you’re going to enjoy thinking about it in the future, if you’re going to laugh about it later, enjoy it and laugh about it NOW! Randall Wright