Second of four haiku poems on RAIN: “Rain 2”
earth thirsts first for rain
but in moderation please
no flood hurricane
– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, 11/12/12
Sandy – CBS This Morning
Haiku – Rain 2
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Monthly Archives: November 2012
Haiku – Rain 1
rain pings on steel roof
inside is dry and lonely
soggy knocks on door
– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, 11/12/12
The Sound of the Trumpets in the Morning
A sermon preached the Sunday before Election Day at Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, Minnesota.
The Three “Persons” of the Trinity
A sermon preached at Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, MN the Sunday following the death of Dana Niskanen, a member whose father had been a professional shepherd.
Basho and Election Day on Views from the Edge
Old pond,
frog jumps in –
splash.
Views from the Edge jumped OUT of the blog pond two days ago. Then… yesterday… it made a big splash. The daily number of visits soared to 1,466 yesterday, 14 times larger than average. Why would the visits go up … at all … after announcing silence? Was it applause? Three cheers for one less noisy gong?
Answer? An earlier post, “The Germans at the Service Club Meeting,” had suddenly gone viral with 1296 visits – on Election Day.
Why or how it happened is a head-scratcher. Maybe yesterday’s inexplicable splash is a tribute to the efficacy of silence, our preference for the Older Pond over the new one, and reason for a humble re-write of Basho’s (1644-1694) old haiku:
New Pond,
frog jumps out –
splash.
This old frog is smiling the day after Election Day. Big money can’t buy the Old Pond…or the country. 🙂
Opting for Silence
Views from the Edge will be closing down for the time being.
Whether on Wednesday morning we wake to election results to our personal liking or to results that confirm, in our opinion, the adage that one should never underestimate the stupidity of the general public, we will not need more words from pundits. We will need something else. Until Views from the Edge can contribute something more than another noisy gong, we’ll opt for silence and see what, if anything, bubbles up that might be worth sharing.
Thanks for all your visits and encouragement.
Until later (maybe),
Grace and Peace,
Gordon
An English Friend in Norman Coutances (Dennis Aubrey)
This lovely post from Via Lucis was almost deleted in the avalanche of campaign soliticitations in this morning’s in-box. Scroll down for the post. It lifted my spirits, prompting the following thank you:
Dennis and PJ, Your post gave me a lift this morning. Such grandeur. I am so weary of campaign television ads, phone calls, and internet solicitations that reduce the human spirit to its smallest proportions. I need the height, the soaring arches, the clean lines – and the reminder that sometimes even barbarity recognizes something else worth preserving. Beautiful shots and great commentary.
An English Friend in Norman Coutances (Dennis Aubrey).
Their post took me to the psalms, and psalm paraphrases set to music. One is Christopher L. Webber’s “I will give thanks with my whole heart,” a paraphrase of Psalm 138 set to the music of Cantionale Germanicum (1628) arranged by J.S. Bach (c. 1708).
All kings on earth who hear Your words,
O Lord, will give you thanks and praise
And tell how great Your glory is,
And they will sing of all Your ways.
…
The Lord is high, yet scornes the proud,
Protects the lowly on their path;
Although I walk in trouble, Lord,
You keep me safe from my foe’s wrath.
…
Lord, Your right hand shall save my life
And make Your purpose for me sure;
Do not forsake what You have made;
Your love forever will endure.
– Third, fourth and fifth stanzas
Archimedes
Chris Jones was old (he must have been
fifty) to us teenagers back
in 1960. Summers, when
the two of us (a running-back
and center) worked as laborers
for a construction company,
the foreman had assigned him as
our guide. One arm hung uselessly,
although both hands could grip and hold
a shovel. We would flail away
down in the ditch we had been told
to dig. “Use legs, not arms,” he’d say,
“Push with your knee against your fist–
to work all day, swing dirt, don’t lift..”
– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL November 2, 2012
The One who Regained his Sense of Worth
The Gospel of Mark tells the story of the blind beggar who regained his sight. His name in Mark is “‘Bartimaeus’, the Son of Timaeus”. The name is strange because although the word ‘Son’ is in Hebrew (‘Bar’), the name ‘Timaeus’ is Greek, raising the question of what Mark wants his readers to “see” when the blind Son of Timaeus cries out “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Views from the Edge 