:)

I found this on a stumbled upon Chinese blog.

More Thoughts About Tim Russert

I've been watching a lot of memorials. MSNBC is practically 24/7 Tim Russert. I watched the Tim-less Meet the Press, which started with an empty chair. This picture was taken after the show, Tim's son Luke near the chair. Matt Lauer's interview with Luke the next morning on Today was beautiful. And now I'm sitting in a Gillette WY hotel, traveling for work, listening to more on the MSNBC website. So you can gain some of the benefit from all this, here are some of the most interesting, poignant points and my thoughts:

**There was a lot of talk about his faith. He was a walking advertisement for the Catholic faith. And his friends' memorials were further inspirations for the faith.

**Of all the comments about his faith, there was only one mention of him going to daily Mass - here at Vanity Fair (where his wife writes), an article written by Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. He said, "Tim was much more than a “practicing” Catholic: he was a devout and highly serious one who attended church every day."

**One of his best friends, Mike Barnicle, was asked to substitute for Chris Matthews on Hard Ball on Friday. Chris hadn't taken a day off since Thanksgiving and Mike never goes to Washington ("a town that gives me hives"), so the fact that he was there and visited with Tim minutes before he died, was considered by all to be very providential.

**The Washington NBC News office was imbued with his personality and love - they were a close-knit, loving family, much of which shown through during the coverage. Andrea Mitchell said the best way to describe him was that he played the role of a parish priest at the Washington bureau.

**Some people thought it was cruel, I thought it was fitting and profound, that this lover of fatherhood died on Father's Day weekend.

**There were so many stories about how he would find out about someone, especially children or older parents of employees, who was suffering and he would follow up with them. One son of an employee who had cancer and lost his hair received a hat from Tim and then he kept sending new hats as he traveled to different locations. Several employees who had babies talked about receiving notes from him written to the baby, welcoming him to the world and telling him how wonderful life is.

**His son asked if he could have his famous Florida! Florida! Florida! white board and Tim was really touched, until Luke said, "You know what that thing will bring in on eBay?"

In Memory... (UPDATED with link)

I can only hope that when I die I leave behind the love this man did. Love for his family, his God, his country, his co-workers and friends.

I left a message on www.nbcnews.com and there were already 574 pages of comments. Tim Russert was a devout Catholic and I saw him as a role model "for integrating one's faith and values with one's work in a secular environment that can often be hostile to what is sacred."

It's Been Awhile

hasn't it? I've had nothing to say, actually. Which reminds me of a famous quote by someone I can't remember - "When you have nothing to say, it is better to keep one's mouth shut and look like an idiot than to open it and remove all doubt."

Sarah and I are sitting at the Cherry Street Coffee shop after hearing "George Wallace" speak at Chautauqua.
I love Chautauqua. I've gone every year since the year after it was established in Tulsa when we moved here in 1992. The most fascinating speaker this year was Malcolm X. It was so interesting to discover the people beneath the caricatures as they had been portrayed in the media. David always told me I should find out more about Malcolm X. Now that I have I want to find out more. I was especially interested in how God worked in the 1960's through both men who were believers with opposing world views. Did the U.S. culture need both to be able to effectively change? Did we need the compassion that surfaced as a result of seeing non-violent demonstrations with black men wearing sandwich boards reading: "I AM A MAN" as well as the fear that surfaced when we saw black separatists raising their fists and demanding "No More"?

In all, with a Chautauqua focused on the 60's, I'm amazed at the amount of social change that came about in such a short period of time without some sort of collapse - especially related to the civil rights movement. And now to see Barak Obama raising his hands in victory in the same state where Wallace's forces used hoses to keep back the demonstrators - pretty cool. I can't support him for numerous reasons, but pretty cool.

Nothing Special

...today. Just a picture of one of my favorite things...

The Story of a Song

The song had its beginnings in Chicago. Horatio G. Spafford was a successful attorney making his way in the rough-and-tumble world of a growing Chicago economy. He was a Christian who had no idea how soon his faith would be tested. In the late 1860's, tragedy struck Mr. Spafford with the death of his son. Then he was devastated by the great Chicago fire of 1871. He had invested heavily in real estate along the shores of Lake Michigan, and his holdings were wiped out by this disaster.

In 1873 Spafford was advised by doctors that his wife needed a change of location due to health problems. Spafford decided to sail over the Atlantic with his family, but a last-minute business emergency arose, and he was forced to send his wife and daughters ahead on schedule. His plan was to join them on another ocean crossing later. But on the fateful day of November 22nd, 1873, the ship his family had boarded was struck by an English ship and sank in 12 minutes. Mrs. Spafford survived, but all four daughters -- Tanetta, Maggie, Annie, and Bessie -- were among the 226 who drowned in the icy waters of the Atlantic. From Cardiff, Wales, his wife Anna sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.”

Who among us can imagine the grief that filled Horatio Spafford's soul when word of the disaster reached him? Perhaps even fewer of us can imagine what it was like for Spafford to board another ship to cross the swirling waters alone, knowing that he would pass right over the watery graves of his four daughters on the way to meet his grieving wife.

But on that ship, the light of faith illuminated the darkness of Spafford's life. Out of the depths of his despair arose the certainty that God was in control, and that he would see his daughters again. In response to that inspiration, he penned this song as his ship passed the spot where his daughters died:

"It is Well With My Soul.”
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control:
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And has shed His own blood for my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Ironically (or should we say mercifully and providentially?), Bliss himself died in a tragic train wreck shortly after writing this music. He survived the initial impact, but died when he went back into the flames in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue his wife. The Spafford family was together once again.

From Rap to Opera

An angel.

A Great Pro-Life Rap Video

This is really beautiful. And hits home to an entirely different population than most pro-life efforts. Thanks, Lisa!

Quote of the Day

"Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, [and] each of us is necessary." Pope Benedict XVI (as quoted by Pres Bush at the 5th annual Catholic Prayer Breakfast)

Again, thank you Lord.

Sex abuse victims who met with Pope Benedict speak on CNN. A more complete, but heart wrenching video version on CNN's website (if it doesn't pop up, click on each of the red links). From Amy Wellborn:

"he is, very pointedly, teaching the bishops how to be pastors. You cannot watch these people speak of their past suffering and what the Pope listening to them today accomplished without hoping and praying that in humility, those of his fellow pastors who have refused to listen and instead dedicated inestimable resources to re-victimizing victims are watching and learning from him.

And perhaps feeling something. A word Benedict has used time and time again these past days.

Shame

Friends from Steubenville might remember another very pastoral, loving man of God who worked tirelessly to bring some semblance of justice to a similar, yet less devastated group of Catholics.

A Snippet for Mary Margaret

This is a beautiful story for all, but especially for my sweetie Mary...

"A priest once asked her not how she does it, but why -- for 23 years, when she could have been elsewhere, when much of her flock cannot pray, or dance or sing. Where else, she asked him, could she walk each day among saints?"

Make sure to check out the video.

Thank you, Lord...

"Pope Benedict XVI held an unscheduled meeting with victims of priestly sexual abuse, shortly after pledging the church’s continued efforts to help heal the wounds caused by such acts.

The Vatican said the pope met privately in a chapel at the apostolic nunciature with “a small group of persons who were sexually abused by members of the clergy.” The group was accompanied by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, the epicenter of the abuse scandal.

“They prayed with the Holy Father, who afterward listened to their personal accounts and offered them words of encouragement and hope,” a Vatican statement said.

“His Holiness assured them of his prayers for their intentions, for their families and for all victims of sexual abuse,” it said."

G. K.

I pretty much can't publish an entry without a picture anymore. So here's one of a man who is going to be a favorite author of mine once I read many of his 100 books. Chris and I went to a lecture at TU presented by the President of the Chesterton Society called, "The Intoxication of Existence: G.K. Chesterton and the Purpose of Existence." Chris had recently read his first Chesterton book and was speaking so highly of him, we both wanted to learn more. The lecture was fascinating and I think I'm in love. Chesterton was filled with joy and had a beautiful outlook on life. I wrote down some (not 100% accurate) quotes, so I'll share them with you:

"The reformer is always right about what is wrong. He is generally wrong about what is right."

"Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to fit the vision, instead we are always changing the vision."

"If there were no God, there would be no atheists."

"I'm not absent minded, just present-minded about something else."

"The things that make us most human are divine things, including imagination."

"Giving thanks is the highest form of thought."

"We should feel the intoxication of existence; it's a miracle that we are here at all because we could have easily not been."

"When we are close to God our art is full of eternity, with universal and everlasting appeal."

"The incarnation is the essence of all art; the love of God expressed perfectly."

"Good imagination restores, bad imagination destroys."

"There are times in Church history when the Church was wedded to the world, but she was always widowed... At times the Church has been dead, but it has a God who knows His way out of the grave."

Theresa's House

Chris and I are in Oakland at Theresa's home. We'll be joined by Mary later tonight. We're all here to celebrate Theresa's confirmation at the Easter Vigil :)
Right now T is at work and we're waiting for our oatmeal to cool. I love her apartment, it's very peaceful, warm, and...Theresa. Tonight one of Theresa's good friends will be hosting a passover meal as a Noble tradition. We brought our seder prayer books, and our Holy Thursday cup and plate (garage sale finds - both with the Last Supper on them, each at a different sale). Later today Chris and I are going to take a walk to T's church to see if it's open for prayer and then for a walk by the lake.
Love you all! Have a Blessed Holy Week!

A Wonderful Day

What a wonderful day. Actually even work was great. Then after work I met Chris and Sarah at Mass. Afterwards the three of us met our dear friends Skip and Frances Whitehurst for dinner (at Caz's Chowhouse - only in OK!). Intellectual stimulation for the whole evening. Beginning with dinner and talk about grammar, kids, education, and, well, um, TV shows . Then Sarah left for work and the four of us went to the Tulsa Gridiron. I had never gone before and neither had the Whitehursts, but we decided then and there to meet every year at the same place (but go to a better place for dinner!). It was absolutely hilarious, as good or better than the best Saturday Night Live skits. It consisted of musical mostly political parodies set to popular songs.
Some of my favorites...five people walking out onto a dark stage wrapped in blankets with flashlights lighting their faces and then singing to the tune of California's dreamin, "All the limbs are down, and the candles glow. I've been in the dark thanks to PSO. I'd be safe and warm if I weren't in OK. Power's for the dreamin' on such a wintry day."
Another favorite sung to the tune of "It's Not Easy Being Green - Kermit's song", called Ode to Obama. "It's not easy being green. Having to spend each day the resident rookie. When I think it could be so much nicer being white, a woman, or old, or something much more electable like that."
Then I came home to find that Sarah had cleaned the downstairs and had beautiful spiritual instrumentals playing. And I have most of tomorrow off. Sigh.

Pink Bikes!

Sarah is home for Spring Break. When she comes home activity begins. We usually exercise by "dancing like no one's watching" in the living room. That's fun. But yesterday she had another idea. Let's go bicycling at Riverside Park with the Free Pink Bikes. So cool and unlike Tulsa (I love Tulsa but I swear they can be frustrating when it comes to being...well, anything like Denver!).
We just used our credit card to release the bikes and there was no charge. There were plenty to choose from and they're well maintained so the bikes were a breeze (literally!) to ride. It was close to 70 degrees yesterday and sunny. We rode FOUR MILES! What a beautiful way to end the day!!! Thank you, Sar Bear!!

What should the Pope say?

Halleluia! The question I've been waiting for was asked by a Catholic publication - America. What should the Pope say when he visits America? Here is the answer I submitted:

I would find it difficult to accept if the Pope did not speak DIRECTLY about the sex abuse crisis. As a faithful Catholic I need to hear him say, on behalf of the Church,

"To those Catholics who have been devastated by the sins of those who claimed to represent Christ, an apology from me as your Shepherd is required by justice and charity, but seems to be wholly inadequate. Nothing I say will remove the grievous harm that was caused to those of you who trusted in your priests and whose innocence was ravaged. I pray, though, that my profound mourning and heart felt sorrow on behalf of Mother Church, by the grace of God will settle upon each of you as a soothing balm for your grieving souls."

No Country for Old Men

Well, we did actually see No Country for Old Men after all. Very interesting. As I expected from the Coen Brothers - extremely well crafted. But if I had it to do over again I wouldn't go see it.

The Coens and Javier Bardem, who played the serial killer, portrayed evil in such a masterful way it was unsettling. And the message was that evil is powerful and unstoppable. Also unsettling. Despairing, too, but for the very last sequence where Tommy Lee Jones recounts a dream. That's where the hope was - but only hope in a heavenly way. Earth was left to evil.

So. Needless to say, you wouldn't want to bring the kiddos, but it wasn't as bad as Gone Baby Gone - Chris and I were trying to figure out if that movie was more or less depressing than Deer Hunter!

Who Wants to Move to Denver?

I just spent a day in Denver with 4 co-workers. We were all here for a meeting and our boss let us take an extra day for "team building" (we decided it was our version of the executive golf outing).
We rode the Ski Train up to Winter Park and spent the day shopping, eating and generally having a great time. We laughed so hard my cheeks hurt!
I was also able to go to Mass during the week at the most beautiful church - The Church of the Holy Ghost in downtown Denver. Here is a picture of it, which doesn't begin to do it justice. I gasped when I walked in because it's so beautiful - rich, dark wood throughout - especially behind the altar.
Downtown Denver is amazing. People walking around at all hours, a free trolley that goes up and down the main street, which is an enormous outdoor mall. And here's something I saw this trip for the first time.

It's the Denver Convention Center. Sure beats our Tulsa Driller!

Flamingos on their Heads

This is a picture of the wonderful guy who lives in the Tulsa area who was rumored to show up at our 100 year celebration party for my employer Williams. And. Well. It was a rumor.

He tends to do cool things like that so the rumor wasn't a crazy one. What was sad was the really wonderful party that was put on, but some of us were disappointed who had heard the rumor! They had it on the first two floors of our building...
which I wasn't really thrilled about until they started setting up for it and everyone started buzzing (that's probably where the rumor started). Then we got there and the number 100 was lit up with window lights on the building, there were search lights, and the two floors were transformed into a lovely entertainment area with food and drink stations throughout, a karaoke game, live non-Garth music, people walking around with flamingos on their heads (you had to be there). We had a great time. And because people were walking around the whole time rather than sitting together at large tables, Chris ended up meeting everyone I work with.

Yesterday we spent part of the day at the Holland Hall book fair - wow was that a good time! 1000's of books. Then we came home and read in front of the fire :) Last night we tried to go see No Country for Old Men but the projector was broken at the theater so we came home instead and we're going this afternoon. I want to see it before the Oscars tonight so I know more about it. I love the Oscars. I think the only time I've missed it in over 35 years is when The Passion was snubbed and I boycotted (I bet they missed me too!).