Love as a Compass

A few weeks have now passed since leaving Bend, and I knew the day would come when I would long for the simplest things from my home on the Oregon high desert. The brisk morning air. The radiant glow of a Cascade sunset. An afternoon walk through Drake Park. Conversations over coffee with people I love. Sharing our home and a meal with a bunch of teenagers. These are the things that matter most. Why else would they be wrapped so tightly at the forefront of my mind? Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, said, "I don't want to live. I want to love first, and live incidentally." I find her idea to be quite counterintuitive, but no less refreshing, and true. It seems that we too often chase the things we think will bring life or love, as opposed to first loving, and letting that be the compass for our course. Of all the classes I have taken at Life University, I want this to be my major.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

What better way to get reacquainted with my home state than with a good ol' fashioned earthquake? We just experienced a 5.6 temblor in southern California today. The epicenter was in Chino Hills, about 20 miles away, so we pretty much felt the full force of the quake. I was just noting how interesting it is that a single event can be at the forefront of so many peoples' minds at one time. Imagine millions of people thinking about the very same thing at the very same moment. Nature has a way of awakening people from spiritual deep-sleep, and reminds us of how frail we really are. . . even if only for a moment.