Lord of the Dance

Think of the magic of the foot, comparatively small,
upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle,
and the dance is a celebration of that miracle. - Martha Graham

7 year old has been taking Irish dance since she was a wee lass -
our motive simply joy - to dance!
For a life that celebrates, for lively family gatherings;
for a spirit that rejoices,  and a body
that can express what words can only intimate.
To empower her to move through the happiest
and the saddest parts of life
with a heart lightened by the lift and lilt of the celts.
This weekend was her first feis - with hundreds of dancers
working out their nerves in the back of the room,
parents anxiously waiting and watching,
fussing (who knew about sock glue?)
and photographing.
I sat in the front on the floor,
amazed at her composure, and took it all in. 

She placed in the reel and light jig, excited to get a medal for each.

It was when I saw the medals that this alone came rushing to my heart...

Christ at the center of it all.

and while I've no doubt there will be other competitions,

the real gift of dance is already there,

May our eyes remain fixed on that prize!

I danced in the morning when the world was begun

I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:
Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
I danced for the scribe & the pharisee
But they would not dance & they wouldn't follow me
I danced for fishermen, for James & John
They came with me & the Dance went on:
I danced on the Sabbath & I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high
And they left me there on a cross to die!
I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body & they thought I'd gone
But I am the Dance & I still go on!
They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the Life that'll never, never die!
I'll live in you if you'll live in Me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

Happy Anniversary

We just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary,
feasting around the kitchen table with our 7 year old
at the end of her first day in 2nd grade,
celebrating with candles and right out-of-the-oven
crisp/soft bread (our own personal heaven),
scampi and fresh lemons, a bottle of wine & a slice of cake from C & L.
After dinner, we played 'give us a clue-what does it do'?
laughing in the living room when Papa gives us this clue;
He makes you happy!
7 year old shouts - GOD!, but he says no....
I shout - Santa Claus!, but he says no...
He gives us another clue;
He fulfills you! (emphasizing the fill, like a televangelist)
7 year old shouts - Jesus!, but he says no...
7 year old shouts - The Spirit!, but he says no...
We are interrupted by a phone call from friends
wishing us happy anniversary (in song no less)
when it dawns on us, and we shout - The Cake Boss!!!!
YES!!! as we erupt in giggles.
It was a funny sequence, as husband and wife exchanged knowing glances,
recognized the surety of what makes us truly Happy.
God, in Christ - the spirit at work, generosity incarnate,
Christmas, family affection, and the delight of moments shared
in constant amazement, huddled together on the couch.
The simple truth is very little is needed to make a happy life.
Counting our blessings, so evident this day.

Bob Blogs

Bob and my husband have been friends since their boyhood days at St. Mary's
(where his mom carried her tupperware purse at yard duty
and was proficient in the corrective uses of the whistle)
and have shared a lifetime of mischievous fun in a lasting friendship.
Lucky me, that this duo immediately and irrevocably embraced me
when I first showed up on the scene back in high school.
Over the years we have laughed and cried,
borne one another's burdens in quiet companionship,
grew up together (with many a crazy adventure), lived together,
quietly prayed through one another's grief,
and Lord willing will grow old in one another's good company.
When Bob sent me this I was struck by the character of his friendship,
the common faith that looks at hopelessness with eyes full of hope,
who refuses the label and looks again to see the life,
 and who has not forgotten how to laugh at the good of it. Cheers indeed!


"We live in unusual times. Here in the middle of homeless Old Town Temecula,
the 2nd great depression has lent us more permanent homeless residents than most .
Unlike the last recession where we had characters named toothless Bob and Shorty,
for whom they and their friends found that our building was perfect for their needs
(backporch showers, frontporch bedrooms ,weekend partying and an occasional five finger discount –
anybody seen a slightly used laptop and overexposed telescope?),
the current times provide us a different kind of park and street dwellers.
I am not sure how you would characterize or classify them but they are different.
I am similarly not sure what to make of a fellow who rakes our leaves
and waters our lawn because he is bored (unless he is casing the joint –
he probably does not know Mark’s laptop is ancient history!).
Just as oddly, I cannot figure out a lady whose new dog poops on our lawn
and she comes over not just to remove the grass-killing pile
but also to clean the grass so no trace exists. These same two “homeless” types
were also spotted doing other nefarious deeds such as cutting our dead branches
and putting them in our dumpster on a timely basis (Thursday dumpster pick up)
and picking up trash in our yard while dog walking ------
sheeesh , what is the world coming to ? ……
this week , at least, I was glad to witness what it is coming to in our little part of the world…"
Cheers , Bob