Transitions

What can I write when my mind is abuzz
With all that is going on?

My thoughts ricochet around in my head
And won't rest on one subject too long!

I think about this and I think about that
And I think about how it should be.

But the thoughts aren't connected in any real sense;
At least not so it's easy to see.

So, I step out on faith that all will be right
While telling myself not to fret.

It will all come together in spite of my worry
With only a minimum of sweat.

I have to accept that God's in control
And will overcome all my mistakes.

Thinking that everything hinges on me
Is just like applying the brakes.

The Father knows best what I need in my life
And works all ways for my good

'Cause he knows that I love Him and trust in His ways
That I never have quite understood.

___________________________

³¹ “As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
³² For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?

2 Samuel 22:31-32

Rain vs. Dirt

I understand there is a typical March dust storm howling at home today.  This is the time of year for such.  Many, especially the younger people, don't realize that such storms are fairly typical.  When I was a kid they were common occurrence, but it seems that for the past ten or twenty years that have not been frequent -- until last year when they presaged the devastating drought conditions that prevailed throughout the summer.

I'm in Kentucky today.  It is cool and raining.  The fescue grass is green and growing and the buds on the trees are swelling.  Some of the flowering trees have started to bloom but many more are on the verge and the next few weeks will be filled with an explosion of color on the hills and byways of this part of the country.

I am fortunate.  Although there is a dust storm at home, I am able to enjoy a rainy early Spring day in Kentucky.  I'd better not get too used to it.  Tomorrow I will be headed back to the land of raging winds and dusty skies.

Chris

Impatiently Indecisive

Sometimes the things we do hinge on other things that we do or that we wait on others to do.  I guess I should be used to that after all these years, but it seems that now is one of those times when the number of things that I am waiting on others to do has created something of a logjam in my scheduling.  I know it probably sounds a little crazy but my to-do list is filled with items contingent on other things occurring first.

It makes me feel indecisive -- although that isn't really the case.  It's as if I don't know what to do next because some of the big stuff is on temporary hold waiting on others to perform their part.  (Hmmm....I think I've said the same thing about three times here....)

I'm not very good at waiting on other people.  My impatience begins to show.  When you are in an anticipatory mode and what you are expecting is delayed, it can make for frustration.  I am left with the desire and need to do something but am somewhat unsure just what it is that I need to be doing.  So, here I am, impatiently indecisive.....

Chris

Dusty Boxes and Shipping Tags

Over the last few weeks I have spent quite a bit of time cleaning out and going through "stuff" that we don't use on a regular basis.  Being located in the wonderful arid Panhandle of Texas, there is dust.  It is amazing how the super-fine dust can get in places where water can't.  It is even inside some of the boxes.

We've been in this house since 2003.  Why do some of the things I'm finding still have the little green labels from the moving company?  Let me rephrase that.  Why do we have "stuff" that we don't use frequently enough to have removed the little green stickers put on it by the moving company almost nine years ago?

Something is definitely wrong with this picture.  If we needed it we would use it.  The Amarillo Association for the Blind will get a nice pile of "stuff" that we apparently don't need.  Sadly, this first step in simplification is still insufficient.  There's still too much "stuff" left.

Chris

Doing the Wave

Driving is something that takes up a large part of my time.  It is one of the hazards of my profession.  It goes along with the flying.  It seems that I am constantly flying or driving somewhere.

The advantage of so much travel is the chance to see many different things.  I have been from coast to coast and border to border of this great country and have even had the opportunity to go to other countries a few times.  Unless you've experienced the type of business travel that I do, it is difficult to imagine that after awhile it gets pretty tiresome.  Motels and airports look alike no matter where you are.

When I travel I try to keep it as interesting as possible.  If time permits, I really enjoy stopping at historical sites along the way.  I have posted a number of times about places that I have visited.  The other thing that I am constantly watching for is wildlife.

I guess some people really don't pay attention to the wildlife that can be seen along the highways and byways of the U.S., but I do.  I find myself counting the number of antelope I see or the number of coyotes or deer.  I see flocks of ducks and geese crossing the sky.  I see mourning dove and songbirds.  I see raptors of many shapes and sizes from the Kestrel to the Bald Eagle.  I even took note this morning of two crows which seemed to be on a mission to somewhere.

I have always been intrigued by the behavior of large flocks of birds.  Other than ducks and geese, such flocks are not as common as they once were.  I'm not certain of the reason, but many would blame the demise of such large flocks on poisoning.  After all, those flocks can devastate a field in a very short period of time due to the sheer numbers.  This morning I saw three different large flocks of starlings.

Starlings often look like a smudge in the sky when seen at a distance.  There can be many thousand individuals in a flock of starlings.  They move in a way that makes them seem to flow across the sky.  The entire flock turns or rises or dives as one organism.  I don't know what makes them move in that manner, but I suspect air currents have something to do with it.

This morning, each of the three giant flocks although separated by many miles, was doing the wave.  They would rise and fall in a rippling pattern as they made their inevitable headway against a brisk breeze.  I know it was due to the breeze, but in my mind the thought occurred that they were celebrating the morning.  After all, it was a clear sky with the sun just cresting the horizon in the east.  It was almost as if they were cheering it on saying, "here comes the sun, here comes the sun...."

Sometimes it's the little things.

Chris