Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day...Exodus...Communion. These have been on my mind lately.

My Bible Study devotional issue, Encounter With God, is currently going through part of the Book of Exodus. With the Israelites wandering through the wilderness encountering challenge after challenge, it can seem like deja vu all over again. One aspect of the Exodus, particularly the Passover, that modern Jews retain is that God is still performing the Exodus today, it is our story. "On this day you shall explain to your son, 'This is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.'" [Ex 13, 8].

An audio lecture that I listened to a while back about the Sacrament of the Eucharist has stuck in my mind because it presented a different and striking perspective that I had never heard before: that the Eucharist is a real time way for us to experience the Passion of Jesus, it is timeless and current. This got me thinking about the movie, Groundhog Day.

I saw the movie when it originally came out in 1993. At the time, it seemed like a quirky, warm, magical romantic comedy. So with the above thoughts in my head, and the calendar approaching Groundhog Day (February 2nd - also special because of my sister Carol's birthday), I borrowed the DVD from the library and watched it.

When I went to the Wikipedia article (above) for the movie, I was surprised to find reference to purgatory and the described as "the most spiritual film of our time." Wow! Lots to ponder. In the movie, Bill  Murray uses his time initially for selfish purposes but becomes despondent. He then uses the time to improve himself and help others. Through this process, he learns to love others and ends up receiving far more benefits (i.e., love).

I think this is something for Christians to ponder as they participate in "Holy Communion"- what is the meaning of this act and where is it taking you?

Two Years

Today is a sad anniversary. It has been two years since the tragic accident and death of my mother-in-law, Judy.

Park

Life's little adventures.... After Richard's roller hockey game, we didn't get very far because Lynn's car (2000 Ford Focus) refused to get out of park. The transmission was locked in the "P" position. Fortunately, she still has the Owner's Manual. Fortunately, I had my car. Fortunately, she is a member of AAA.

To make a long story shorter, we tried several things without success. We had a suspicion that it had to do with the brake lights not working (really!). Putting new bulbs did not restore the lights. We discovered there is a little reset button by the gear selector but we couldn't get that to work. When AAA finally arrived, the driver quickly showed us the trick to how to work the reset button. That saved a tow.

When Lynn took the car in for repair, they found the problem with the brake lights (a frayed wire/connection) and were able to restore the lights and unlock the transmission. So now, Lynn's car has brake lights and full range of the transmission from the gear selector.

Another blessing was that while we waited, Richard and I watched another roller hockey game (an adult league) and got to discuss the finer points of the game. Also, we met an 'old' friend who runs a used sporting goods store. Haven't seen him much since Lynn and Richard moved 4 years ago. A nice chat with Jeff (he was there to play).

Five Guys

After Richard's roller hockey game (and the Ford Focus "P" problem), Richard and I enjoyed lunch at a burger joint we haven't been to in a while. (He showers and changes clothes before we go to lunch).

We went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Farmington. This is a chain that seems to be growing. The burgers are pretty decent, a step above fast food joints. The fries are freshly made at the restaurant. They use peanut oil to make the fries and they have roasted peanuts to munch on while you wait for order to be cooked (however, Richard cannot eat nuts due to his braces). Richard likes bacon on his burger.

11-1

Richard's roller hockey team played another game and lost 11-1 (mercy rule in 3rd period). This is their 4th loss with that score(!).  There are 4 teams in the league. Two are very good and the other two have room to grow. The Sunday morning games feel odd after having Saturday games for such a long time. At least they are at the beginning of the day.

Wintertime is here again!

Decoration on my apartment door.

It snowed this morning. I think we got a few inches here at the shore. Probably more inland.  This was our first substantial snowfall of this winter season (although central Connecticut has already had their share of snow).

View from my LR window looking SE.

View from my LR window looking SW.

As I write this, the snowfall appears to be stopping. I went out this morning ~9 a.m. to get to the bank. Driving was a bit slippery but not too bad although the roads were sloppy (and the side roads were basically untouched). I don't expect that the snow will be around too long since the forecast is for near 50F by Monday.

Morning View

This is a pretty typical view of what I see while I am doing my morning Bible reading/study as the sun comes up. You might notice something at the upper left of the window. It is a stained glass spider web (see below). A couple years ago, I was at a craft show at Milford Green with my son, Richard. We spotted it and I bought it the next day. The colors of the glass are subtle (the web is not as blue as the picture below shows) but the yellow spider is a striking contrast.

Hat Trick!

Today was the 4th game of the Winter session for Richard's roller hockey team, the Gremlins. This is a new team for him because his previous team, the Rangers, disbanded after several players outgrew the league and not enough players were left.

So far, the Gremlins have a perfect record: winless. However, Richard had a banner game today scoring three (3) goals (that's called a hat trick in hockey)! Today's game was the first one that they did not lose 11-1; it was the first game that went the entire game and was not truncated by the "mercy rule." His mom and I are really proud of Richard's persistence, dedication, and his growing skill.

After the game, we had lunch at our local Boston Market restaurant. It was a good choice because earlier in the week Richard visited his orthodontist for his monthly tuneup and consequently had a bit of difficulty chewing (pun intended). So he was looking for soft, easy to eat food: meatloaf, mac & cheese, and creamed spinach. He also sampled some of my chicken salad and a bit of my sweet potatoes.

The Wedding Singer

During the Christmas break, Richard helped out his school friend (M) on an all teen production of  the musical version of The Wedding Singer. He helped set up the lights and other stage stuff. Lynn even helped a few times during pre-production. There were three performances; Richard helped out on the Thursday show and also helped with the post-show "clean up" (e.g., take down the lights, etc.).

When Richard first told me about the show, I immediately thought of the 1998 Adam Sandler movie (although I had never seen it). I'm not much a fan of AS because his work typically involves too much gratuitous vulgar language and situations, in my opinion. However, my curiosity drove me to my local library to borrow the DVD of the movie.

I was pleasantly surprised when I watched the DVD: I enjoyed it immensely! Despite the occasional, expected lapses of good taste, it is essentially an old fashioned screwball comedy that is reminiscent of the plots of many Fred Astaire movies. The movie is firmly in support of life-long marriage.

Upon reflection, I wonder if our society's values have deteriorated so much since 1998. I don't think today's society would support a new movie with the values found in the 1998 Wedding Singer.

I also enjoyed all the humorous jokes about the 1980s culture and times. These jokes will pass over those who weren't around in the 1980s.

Overall, "the Wedding Singer" is a warm, humorous movie with decent values that would be appropriate viewing for older teens and adults.

80 Lady!

Today is my Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!

My siblings have a big celebration planned for this coming weekend, a big "surprise" party (but Mom already knows).

Picture at left: Me and my mom during our Christmas visit December 2011.

Picture at right: Richard, Mom, and Lynn during Christmas visit December 2011.

I think that Richard and I are bending in order to get closer to my mom's height.

My sister KAT supplied the scan of mom's childhood picture. Thanks!

Guide & Tour Book

I have been reading this book for several weeks and finally have completed it. I read a page or two each morning after I'm done with my Bible study reading.

I've never been to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Someday I hope to get there, perhaps spend a couple of days soaking in the art and architecture. In the meantime, this book provides a nice introduction. It only costs $3.50, a real bargain since the nearly 150 pages each has color pictures. If you want to get a no-cost sample, click on the link above to go to the website where you can take a "virtual" tour.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sunrise on New Year's Day 2012 from my living room window.

I slept a bit later this morning than I intended (probably because I stayed up last night to greet the new year). Awoke around 7 a.m. in time to see the sunrise. The sky is perfectly clear and blue (so that makes for a boring sunrise). I played around with my camera trying to capture the blue sky and this is the best I could do.

As some of you know, I have plans to make major changes with my life this year (2012). I have begun to put them in motion. Please pray for me that I don't do something really stupid even though I do such things regularly. As the changes occur, I will report them on this blog (I hope).