The other day I had a situation where a bird ended up in The Chapel. We had left the door open for an extended period of time and it seized the opportunity to just waltz right in.
Now, I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried to catch a bird in a 4 story open air chapel…but it is nearly impossible. I am sure we could have hired a professional bird catcher…but I am not one to quit easily.
Unfortunately, the bird kept flying towards light. So he kept trying to escape through the vast amount of windows. I was starting to wonder if this place was actually designed to keep birds trapped in.
I tried for awhile, then gave up and went back to work.
Next thing I knew, the bird walked into my office. Like, I was on a zoom call and he just came walking right in. I had an in-person meeting right after my call, so I had limited time to catch this bird.
I very casually got up, closed the door and trapped the bird in my small office.
For years I described myself as a coffee lover. I would put it in my bio, I would talk about it when I met people, I would ask people about great local coffee shops, and I would buy lots of different coffee accessories for my at home coffee setup.
And by coffee accessories, I mean syrups and stir sticks, a milk frother and collectible coffee cups.
As time went on, I kept on consuming copious amounts of coffee, but when I would start to visit with others who also said they loved coffee…I realized they knew way more than I did.
They could identify flavors and notes.
They would go to great lengths to buy fancy beans from exotic locations.
They would pick up subtleties in the unique coffee that I just couldn’t identify.
I thought I loved coffee…but I just really liked coffee and caffeine. I was a young dad, working full time, and in seminary. Coffee was more about survival than enjoyment.
I’m not sure what your house is like this week, but mine has been filled with family and desserts and presents and keeping little boys busy. It’s been a week of rest and celebration. We’ve taken a deep breath, we’ve done some fun stuff as a family, and we are closing out 2023 being thankful for so many things.
Another year over and a new one just about to begin.
Too many Christmases and Birthdays I am sneaking out the day before trying to buy really meaningful gifts for people. There is really no way to get a meaningful gift at the grocery store or pharmacy on Christmas Eve. My first Christmas with Sarah I bought her a build a bear and wrote her a poem, in which I think I said I would write poems for her forever…I’m pretty sure that was the last poem I ever wrote.
Several years ago I tried doing the Whole30. In case you don’t know what it is, you probably will not want to pay attention for a few moments. The idea is that you take all the fun things…sorry…I mean…processed foods and foods we don’t “need” out of your diet and eat only lame things…sorry…I mean…whole foods for 30 days.
