Intesity and Faith

I came upon a great post at Law and Gospel that answered a tough question from Dave at Here I Stand

Law and Gospel's story comes from her work as a Chaplain in an ER. She wrote about watching a doctor slowly interact with a family. She wonders why the doctor seemed so slow in coming to speak to the family and ask any questions about what had happened. Was it the racial and cultural barriers that needed to be overcome. Or was it something else; another barrier.

the story got me thinking about the barriers I and others build up as emotional defenses. The past couple weeks have taught me again that intensity is a real part of any life and death situation. People are raw. They don't know what's coming next for the person they love or what to do with themselves. The old question, "Why God" bubbles up deep inside and we have no good answer to offer beyond an answer of faith and trust.

Tonight an ICU doctor came by church for the visitation of a member who died after a week in his care. He sought me out after meeting with the widow and his parents to express his condolences. I'd watched him do everything possible to keep this man alive, and it wasn't enough. He said it was just right to be there after a week of working hoping to keep him alive knowing and telling his family all the long that it "didn't look promising."

I've seen good people build barriers around themselves. I judge they push away people in hard situations in order (unconsciously or consciously) to push off some of the deep emotions that they might otherwise encounter in other people or in themselves.

What do you think?

Olympics begin

Maybe we're just corny mid-westerners, but we tried to make a night of celebrating the Olympics by going out to our local Chinese restraunt (a buffet) . One of our girls even had on her official Olympic t-shirt complete with the "blue friendly" that we picked up at the Olympic Traing center in Colorado Springs.

It's good to see the Olympics begin and realize even as they do that they still represent a dream that no nation has yet achieved, freedom for its own people and peace with all other nations.

Summer's winding down

Just about this time every year I start to notice some signs that summer is starting to disappear right before my eyes. This morning I noticed the change when Teddy, the Water Spaniel, and I were running and the dew started to gather on us just after dawn.
Sure I've started to see the change every morning as the dawn comes a little later each day but this later dew is different, its the kind of thing that happens as the nights get a little cooler.

Back home

We're all back home and as of today all back to work. The girls are getting up earlier after 2 weeks of staying in bed as long as they wanted and Ilm back to church. After Colorado Springs we spent a day with my Dad's oldest sister in the Nebraska panhandle.

Our last 2 free days were in Hot Springs South, Dakota. We were coming back to the hotel after the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore when we saw a buffalo on the highway in Cave of the winds National Park. As we slowed to go passed one buffalo we saw two others silouetted by the moon on a ridge 40 feet to our east. I sure wish I'd had the presence of mind to slow down and get a great picture.

Back in Colorado Springs

We're pretty regular visitors to Colorado Springs. My sister lives here so it's not unheard of for us to spend a week or two here each year.

One of our new stops in Colorado this year was at Santa's Workshop at the North Pole. It's located just west of Colorado Springs on US 24.

It's a great amusement park for families with kids under 10. There were very few rides that weren't right for our whole family.

On Thursday we left the Springs with our niece joining us for 3 nights of travel and headed to Denver and then west up I70 into the mountains.


My beloved's cousin lives in Frisco. She gave us a tour including a stop at a top notch play ground and a small mountain pond called Rainbow Lake. One really fascinating and disturbing part of our stop was all the devastation that we saw happening in the forests in Summit County and Grand County. The Pine Beetles are wrecking huge stand of timber in a matter of 5 or 6 years depending on who you ask. Some estimate that up tp 90% of the Ponderosa and Lodge Pole Pine will be gone after this infestation runs its course.

After Frisco we headed to Winter Park for a night and then to the YMCA of the Rockies and to Snow Mountain Ranch for a reunion of my wife's family.

Vacation posting

We've covered some real ground this week.
We started with the prairie of Southern Minnesota, Northwest Iowa, Nebraska, and Northeastern Colorado. Most of these photos are from the arch at Kearney, Nebraska. Its a great view of travel across the prairie from the Native American hunters who followed game trails, the prospectors and pioneers who came across in covered wagons, the Pony Express. Notable to our girls were all the things left behind as people crossed to the west because they didn't want the furniture, books, or other items they had thought necessary to pack for their trip.

vacation on the road

What happens when 4 people get in a van and drive west? Vacation.

we've covered a lot of miles, and a nifty wireless web device makes posting possible. We've had 2 good stops all 4 of us would recommend.
1 Wells Dairy Visitor Center in La Mars, Iowa. it's a top notch ice cream shop in the middle of Northwest Iowa. We headed downn the road next to US 20. The road winds through Nebraska's beautiful Missouri River Bluffs. Even West of Kearney the whole state has been green from this years considerable rainfall.
2. Our second notable stop was the Great Platte River Archway Museum just east of Kearney. It's a neat museum complete with life size wagons, welcoming costumed staff, audio accompaniment, and ok special effects.