You can see all sorts of sights on Florida beaches. Today I encountered what I am calling the Beach Geek. This guy had it all together. Frankly, I was envious.
The enormity of the pain and suffering in Haiti is beyond comprehension for someone whose most pressing concern for the past week has been the discomfort of Florida’s unseasonably cold weather.
Compassionate Heart – definition:
A person who is standing in snow with the temperature at 12 degrees who feels compassion for those who are in Florida standing in the rain with the temperature at 35 degrees.
This morning’s readings from The Reason for God and Pilgrim Heart yielded several quotes which I found to be particularly worthy of some further consideration:
If I am a grass field – all the cutting will keep the grass less but it won’t produce wheat. If I want wheat … I must be plowed up and re-sown. C. S. Lewis quoted in The Reason for God
When one stands at the crossroad looking for direction, one should ask: Who are my companions on the journey? Who challenges my thinking? Who interrogates and exposes my hidden motives, my pride, my blind spots, my selfish desires? Who keeps me honest? To whom am I listening with utmost attention? Pilgrim Heart
… spiritual maturity means living with a certain level of uncertainity and an honest awareness of our own suspect motives. Walking by faith means that we do not enjoy full sight or absolute certainty. We “trust and obey” as we peer through the glass darkly. Trust implies risk and – in the short term – even apparent failure. Pilgrim Heart
… it becomes problematic to try to measure the value of a life close at hand. Pilgrim Heart
This morning we awoke to a heavy frost on the grass. The temperatures continued to linger 15-20 degrees below normal. I suspect there will be a lot of damage to landscape plants and flowers. The upside is that it is sunny and temps will reach the fifties today. Another round of colder weather is moving in this weekend.
Tonight is special as Alabama and Texas play for the national championship. I have mixed loyalties. Alabama being my home state and Texas being such a large part of our lives makes for a hard choice, but I must say Roll Tide. I expect it to be a great game and will enjoy it regardless of who wins.
Despite the cold weather, I am enjoying our time in Florida. I am getting to read a lot and walking and riding my bike regularly. As the weather improves, I expect to catch up on some fishing. It is really hard to complain when I see what the weather is like back in Kentucky.