Time for the Holidays...

I like the term "holiday". Holy day. Days set apart for God. Remembering, engaging, conversations with the Reason. Setting a day aside, which makes it holy, to meditate, celebrate the reason for the day. The birth, the crucifixion, the resurrection, birthdays, remembering those who gave their lives in battle, in leadership, in labor...

When I was in school it was "vacation" that I liked. It was when there wasn't school. Summer vacation. Christmas vacation. Easter vacation. Forgetting, disengaging, playing with friends, and riding my bike. The days of holidays were days when there wasn't something like school. Sure we went to church, but it was only an hour then we would be able to enjoy the rest of the vacation (the not being in school). It was a good times vacation not a remembering day.

I am looking forward to making time for the holidays...

Happy Thanksgiving...

Watched a little Macy Parade, Dinner with Family Biaselli's. It is good!!!

I was just going to say...

I want to apologize to my friends who have been waiting for me to call or write or something. I am a bit under the gun and haven't been managing my time well. My daughter, Taylor, is getting married December 10, I am pretty committed to a lot of meetings at Camp, Sunday nights are still pretty time consuming but wonderful (I will blog more on that later), and my sleep is not getting better.

Thanks for your patience.

Please! Remain in your seats, I beg you! We are not children here, we are scientists! I assure you there is nothing to fear!

A night of little sleep.
Lots of electrodes.
Cameras watching me while I lay in bed.
Voices.
Early "wake up."

Then the news... I don't qualify for a C-pap.

I failed the test. Dang! More insomnia...

To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub...

I am off to spend the night in a "hospital" for a sleep study.

I don't sleep much. I wake up often. I am tired and not all here... I will be there from 8pm tonight and get discharged tomorrow at 6am.

Then, I will meet with Scott Falk for Perfect World at 6am, and then I am off to Visalia with Rick Irish to attend a pastor's meeting of Presbytery at 9am.

Eric Clapton

I was watching an old concert last night, Concert for Bangladesh and marveled at Eric Clapton. I feel better whenever I see Clapton on the stage. In 2003, he put together an amazing band and a tribute concert to departed Beatle George Harrison - which has become one of my favorite concert. Most of my favorite songs and performances involve Clapton somehow.

Eric Clapton has been a consistent force throughout his almost 40 years of recording. His first album with Cream, Fresh Cream, came out in 1966. He has been a part of some of the greatest bands, such as Cream, Yardbirds, John Mayalls Blues Breakers, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominoes. You can find his guitar work backing up greats like B.B King, George Harrison, Duane Allman, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Delaney and Bonnie. He stands alone as a song writer and a solo act. Great songs such as I Shot the Sheriff, After Midnight, Layla, Tears in Heaven, Wonderful Tonight, Lay Down Sally, and many more. Wonderfully prolific and relevant. He doesn't hang his star on others like Carlos Santana, whom I also love but anyone who hitches up to Clapton usually finds success. It is like cooking with butter. It just taste better.

My generation seems to give place to musicians to grow old with them. Stones, Fleetwood Mac, McCartney, Dylan, Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell. Maybe because they did not die of an overdose or shot by some psycho, keeps us feeling like we have survived and are still young and relevant. We are taking our youth heros with us in to old age. From vinyl to iPod, from the Volkswagen van to the SUV, we are going boldly into growing old as we refuse to grow up.

Cosby and I were pondering about who are the new musicians of today who will stand the test of time and be around and relevent when they are 65 or older.

Who do you think?

Watching people rise to the occasion...

Because of the changes in leadership and some key positions people are having to step up and grow. We all are. Rick Irish is learning the ropes as director of a camp instead of a church. He is good. Huge learning curve, but he will do just fine. It may put some miles on him but he can take it.

I am watching Amy and April take responsibility and creativity in the kitchen. Impressive.

It is not a matter of positions but of place. Not of titles but of calling.

Time runs fast. Lots of emotions. New rhythms and sounds are beginning to influence ours. Change is taking place in our hearts and soul as well as in the furniture.

A change of rhythm...

Change means a different rhythm, a different sound. I am enjoying the change, it is intense, introspective as well as communicating honestly. Listening and allowing the sound and rhythm to affect us and set ours to His.

Quick update...

This is the latest thing to be happening at Calvin Crest.

This Sunday, tomorrow, we will be sending Rick Harrison off with some stories, songs, prayers, and anointing to his new call in Southern California. Rick Irish will take the interim director's position beginning Monday morning. We are looking forward to what is instore as we enter this new season...

A home town game...

Last night's football game (we won, by the way - still undefeated) was a treat to be at. I have seen many high school football movies, Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans, Longest Yard, etc and enjoyed them very much. But it is different when you live in a small town and there is only one high school and everyone who is anyone attends the game. You see your pastor, grocery clerk, septic sucker guy, Harry Baker (the richest guy who owns the phone company), CHPs, Sheriffs, girl at the drive up window at McDonald's, the woman my son crashed into her car, her attorney who sued us and was my son's best friend's father, and many other people who just come because it is what is happening in town. We built a new stadium two years ago and it has boosted the attendance.

I bought and ate the obligatory linquisa sandwich, a cinnamon roll from the Country Fair Cinnamon Roll Concession, and a diet Pepsi. What a gourmet meal. It goes with the game. I wore my lamb's wool boots, a pair of Levi's, a turtleneck, a fleece sweatshirt, a leather jacket, a scarf that Hillary, my daughter knitted for me, and a cap, which kept me toastie warm and a bit fashionable.

I was amazed at the cheerleaders, I always am. Don't get me wrong I think they have a place at the game but I wonder about the "spirit gestures." After a cheer they do the special gestures with their hands, arms, maybe a quick kick or something. They were doing a kind of a typewriter spirit gesture after one that seemed new. Who comes up with these things? Is there a channel on Cable, "the Cheer Channel" or conferences where they learn the latest spirit gestures. Are there names for the gestures and strategies about when they plan on using them? In my day... there were no gestures, only encouraging words like "push 'em back, push 'em back, way back" or the simple "De-fense". Some times we would get confrontational with the opponent's crowd, "We got spirit, yes we do, we got spirit, how about you?" until the new rules came out prohibiting such unsportsmanlike conduct. It was fun... but no gestures.

I thought there should be some cheering outside of the "game". Maybe some spirit gestures at Von's. You know when you get through the checkout line, stop, then lift an arm, point and give a hoodie-hoot, Clap and do the the Typewriter spirit gesture. The bag girl just stared and didn't ask if I needed help taking the bread and milk out to the car like she always does. She didn't have the spirit, no she didn't. There was a crowd of shoppers in the canned goods aisle who only stared when I asked them to form a spirit tunnel for me to run through. They were at the game, I saw them. They still had some cinnamon roll remnant on their cheek.

I do have a problem when someone who is not paying any taxes yet, tells me to stand up for the kick off. Sometimes I can't get all the spelling down during the cheers, I have dyslexia, so again the academics rub it in my face. The whole seating arrangements are bad. We went with my daughter, Taylor and her soon to be husband, and I couldn't carry on a conversation with them because it was very linear sitting. And for someone like me who is more spacial I couldn't get a word in edgewise. The guy who sat behind me had an opinion about every call by the referee and the coach. He even criticized the cheerleaders and the band. Something about he was use to a more progressive cheer program like what was shown on the documentary film, "Bring It On."

The band seemed excited. Lots of drums and trumpet charges. I asked them if they knew any Fleetwood Mac and the conductor told me to sit down or he would call one of the Junior ROTC cadets over to escort me out. I told him I didn't like Fleetwood Mac at first either but Stevie Nick was a fox, even at 57. So sure enough the cadet came over to escort me out but luckily, the Badgers scored a touchdown and he had to run over and do pushups according to the score. I lost myself in the crowd and snuck back to my seat and behaved myself for the rest of the game...

Where O' where...

I am sorry that I have been away for a while. I visited my son and daughter-in-law in Napa, been in a few meetings here and about as things wind down for Rick Harrison and Rick Irish ramps up.

I am very optimistic about the changes that will take place and the new spirit that we are sensing at camp as well in these meetings.

I am heading off to a Yosemite High Football Game. The team, by the way, are undefeated and highly ranked in California High School Football. It is great fun to be a part of a community that enjoys this instead of mocks it as trite and unsophisticated.

Will write tomorrow.