7 Quick Takes

1.

I've felt sickish for three days. Not enough to take off work until now, but last night I fell asleep on the couch at 6:30. I later woke up covered in sweat and very confused. So. I'm taking a day off of work to rest and hopefully to get my car registered, if I can gather up the energy.

2.

Over our trip in Chicago I read Elie Wiesel's book Night. It's short and very sober, powerful book. In my opinion, it's not just about his time in Auschwitz and Birkenau, it's almost more about moving from a very devoted and passionate Jewish boy to facing the horrors of humanity, and becoming an atheist. What I found most interesting was the foreword of the book, written by Francois Mauriac (who got the book published) who was an outspoken Christian. His response to the loss of faith was stunning, and I read it again and again. I quoted it and wrote about it here.

3.

One of the Catholic bloggers that I follow had a discussion about purgatory on her blog. It was the first time I'd heard it presented and defended by Catholics, and I came away a little shocked, I guess. Usually I don't feel a distance between what I and my Catholic brothers believe, but I did sharply disagree on this one, and it surprised me. You can read my thoughts on the doctrine of purgatory and the response from some thoughtful Catholic bloggers here.

4.

Isaac started seminary again this week, and his stress level is sky-high. I keenly feel my responsibility in these times to provide him with a place to relax, affirmation that he's doing a good job, and lots of hugs and kisses. Hah, last week before school started he cooked dinner one night (that never happens). As I was dishing my food up he went and settled in his easy chair, clearly very pleased with himself, and said, "Man, it sure is nice to see me contributing more around here." Hah! I burst out laughing at how self-congratulatory he was.

5.

Fireants are killing my plants. I planted herbs this summer for the first time. The cilantro died immediately and the basil is still struggling to decide whether or not it wants to truly grow or not. The oregano half died but the other half looks decently healthy still. The rosemary has done really well, but the parsley was thriving the best until a month ago. Around that time, fire ants started building a nest in the corner of the pot. After a couple of weeks the top of the pot was covered with ant's nest, so I performed emergency surgery to attempt to save the withering plant. This week the re-potted plant started out looking good but .... the ants are still there, just in smaller quantities. Ahhh! I tried some remedies a few people listed online - grits and Cayenne pepper. Both = total fail. This morning I attempted using real ant killer - it's really my parsley's last chance!

6.

Just because I love my brother Matt and stories about him, this video is from Christmas. Matt can't sing on key to save his life, and most of the time it is SO FUNNY, especially when he's standing with you in church singing loudly. It is SO hard not to burst out laughing.

7.

When I am sick or sad or stressed, I generally start missing Papua, where I grew up. Yesterday as I was falling asleep on the couch, I was startled awake and was surprised to find myself in the US. The noises of cars and a motor cycle, the distant laughter of children playing, and the sound of cicadas... I felt like I should be sitting in my living room in Sentani, listening to the Papuan Pos 7 kids, the motorcycles driving up the hill, and the beginning of the army of night cicadas. It is amazing to me that I have been gone 8 years, because it really does feel just a breath away to me.