Category Archives: Life

Slowing life down

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Life moves at break-neck speed. Are we built for speed, pressure, stress of this magnitude?

My Amish Rocking Chair

My Amish Rocking Chair

I answered “Yes!” until hearing impairment garbled the sounds, muted the music, confused conversations, and made solitary moments my preferable times of day. I chose slowness over speed, ease over pressure, peace over stress – an end to the vocation of active ministry with a loving congregation.

“How’s retirement?”

Life is slower. I share the quiet with Kay and our canine friend Barclay. I write a lot, which was my intention as the hearing loss progressed.

Still, I’m addicted to speed. Between my MacBook Air and iMac, I’m still dependent on speed – the speed of the internet. The speed of instantaneous communication. The speed of news makes my head ache. I can’t keep up. The pressure builds in my head. My heart gets heavy. Not a good thing, I think, for a privileged person who chose solitude over crowds, silence over confusion, low-pressure and low-stress over high-pressure and high-stress.

Slowing life down is a spiritual thing. The Amish rocking chair in our living room reminds me of the virtue of spiritual simplicity. But I rarely sit in it. I rarely sit and rock without my MacBook Air. The speed, pressure, and stress are in my head or, as the Hebrew ancients would say, in my heart. My heart and head don’t easily un-learn what they’ve been taught. But it seems now that un-learning, not learning, is the privilege and task of solitude.

“Barclay, want to go up and take a nap with Dad?” Barclay races up the stairs and takes his place at the foot of the bed. If I’m late with the invitation, he comes to get me for our intimate hour with no speed, no pressure, no stress – and no MacBook Air!

  • Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, February 5, 2016.

 

Verse – Brothers

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tuhmb_refugee

Steve Shoemaker

Our parents clearly could control our births:
Each one of us born three and a half years
After the other–boys, four boys… Our baths
Could hold two squirrelly kids, but always tears
Would start to stream, if three or more. Now all
Of us at sixty-two to seventy-three
Swim in our own oceans at home, but still
Can shower at the beach house by the sea
In our own room. Our ten grand-kids will scream
As they run up and down the halls, fly kites,
Stomp through the castles in the sand, and dream
Of being oldest, strongest–win the fights
That always happen when the cousins dart
Around–all born three or four years apart.

  • Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, Jan. 31, 2016

NOTE: Steve and his his brothers are together this weekend in Urbana, still three and a half years apart! But very much together.

Loving, Obituary Humor

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Nick Harris“Multi-talented and always interested in mechanics and construction, Nick continually renovated the house at Olson Gulch. He was especially interested in various heating methods and experimented with solar, waste oil burners and various wood-based fuels. Unfortunately, he didn’t leave the instruction manual.

“After graduating from high school and spending some time in college, Nick joined the Army in 1953 and was stationed in South Korea. Nick never said much about the two years he spent serving his country, except to say that he was cold the whole time, the kimchee smelled terrible and the water was unusable!” 

A construction and ironworker, Nick “started at the Anaconda Job Corps in 1983, as a maintenance mechanic where he enjoyed working with the staff and students until his retirement in 1995.”

– Excerpts from the Montana Standard obituary published January 26, 2016.

Allyn “Nick” Harris, 82, of Anaconda passed away surrounded by family on Jan. 25, 2016. 

Nick was a “mainstay” at St. Timothy’s Memorial Chapel, the summer chapel overlooking Georgetown Lake. Blessings and peace to the experimenter’s wife, Lois, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

  • Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN who shares Nick’s love for St. Timothy’s Memorial Chapel and its people, January 29, 2016.

 

 

Mr. Bluster and Mr. Trump

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Those who grew up on the Howdy Doody Show will recognize that Mr. Bluster is at it again tonight in DesMoines, Iowa. The only things missing are Buffalo Bob and FOX.

The Story of Ed

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Click The End of Exile to read the story of Ed, the beloved Jewish atheist communist in the assisted living facility. The story is memorable, especially for those losing their memories.

I’m hearing voices in my head

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This original composition by Momoh Freeman is inspired by Momoh’s fellow Liberian refugee who lost his entire family. Scroll down for what the lyrics and what inspired the song.

“It was the morning of August, 1995 in Liberia when my friend went out to look for some food for him and his family. When he got back, he met the bodies of his family laying there. They were killed by the rebels. He moved to the U.S. in 1997 still carrying the pain and suffering he saw that day. One day he called me and asked me if I could come visit him at the Mental Institution. I said yes. So I went there. He told me what was going on and that he hears voices in his head and all this stuff, so I wrote a song about it. Hope you like it and thanks for watching.” – Momoh Freeman

Lyrics (copyrighted)

V1. I’m hearing voices in my head.
They are telling me I’m not good enough.
I asked myself what’s going on…… I think my
mind is playing tricks on me… can it be I’m going
crazy…? don’t want to go near insanty.

Bridge: If I loose my mind, where does that leave me
will I be a shell of what I used to be?
send down the rain, and wash away my fear
send down the rain and set me free

V2. I don’t think that I can take this alone
I need some help from above
I can hear them getting louder
and these voices are driving me crazy.

V3. What can I do to get these voices out of my head
I can’t sleep, as if monsters under my bed….
I need some help to get me through the night…
what can I do not to be afraid anymore…..

PERSONAL NOTE:

Momoh’s works in a group home for mentally-challenged adults, serves as Music Director at Immanuel Lutheran Church in North Branch, MN, and performs in various venues on weekends.

Momoh and I served Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska for eight years. He defines for me “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” In his voiced response to his friend’s voices, I hear God. Thank you, Momoh, for the privilege.

  • Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, January 26, 2016

 

Not Lemonade

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“When life gives you lemons… make something else. Tell us about a time you used an object or resolved a tricky situation in an unorthodox way.” – Not Lemonade

The invitation brought to mind an altogether different memory. It’s unorthodox, but not what the Daily Post had in mind.

The memory is “Lemonade-on-the-Lawn” at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. During the summer months worshipers gathered on the church lawn at the corner of Observatory and Michigan for conversation over lemonade.

Visitors frequently misunderstood the pulpit announcements to be an invitation to eliminate on the lawn. They were relieved to learn about the lemonade.

  • Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, former Pastor, Knox Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, January 26, 2016.

 

 

 

Spell check chuckle

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Kosuke Koyama, Ph.D

Kosuke Koyama, Ph.D

Was the professor’s career distinguished or disguised?

Last night’s post stated that Kosuke Koyama had “a disguised career as John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Professor of World Christianity at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.”

The distinguished professor would get a chuckle.

Thanks to Carolyn Kidder (no pun intended) who had a disguised career as a music librarian at the University of Pennsylvania, for arresting the spell check error in the fourth paragraph.

  • Gordon, Chaska, MN, Ja. 26, 2016

The Varieties of Religious Appearance

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Pulpits and lecterns are “One size fits all!”
Visiting preachers will cover the wall.
A very short woman,
She carries her step in
I’m very tall, so I carry a hole…

  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, January 25, 2016

NOTE: These photographs of Steve kneeling (l) and standing (r) were taken several years ago at the historic pulpit of Sheldon Jackson in Colorado.Sheldon_Jackson Sheldon was a smaller guy with a big heart. Steve’s has the same heart and is likely much more humorous than Sheldon, but who’s to say?

No Problem!

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When was the last time you heard “You’re welcome” or “I’m sorry”?  “No problem” used to mean there was a problem. Someone had made a mistake or had inconvenienced you. 

The Restaurant

Would you like a refill?
Yes, please. That’d be great.
NO PROBLEM.
Thank you.
NO PROBLEM.

Can you tell me where I might find the Rest Room?
NO PROBLEM. [Wait person gives directions.]
Thank you.
NO PROBLEM.

I’m sorry. I ordered the ribeye medium rare. This is a NY strip well-done.
NO PROBLEM.

Vacation Rentals

I just checked out the rental car. It’s a mess. There are dents and scratches everywhere.
NO PROBLEM.

We have a reservation. We’d like to check in.
NO PROBLEM.

I’m sorry. I have a hearing problem.
NO PROBLEM.

The plastic deck chair on the balcony just broke apart. I’m lucky my hip’s not broken.
NO PROBLEM.

The handle on the toilet just broke.
NO PROBLEM.

The Supermarket

Can you please help me find the Splenda. It’s not next to the coffee and CoffeeMate.
NO PROBLEM.  [Employee says it’s in Aisle 4.]
Thanks so much.
NO PROBLEM.

I hate to butt in, but I think it’s your son who just tipped over a row of canned fruit in Aisle #8.
NO PROBLEM.

Do you have a _____ Reward Card?
No.
NO PROBLEM.

The Airlines

Um. I don’t mean to be an alarmist. But the pilot just boarded the plane with dark sunglasses, a white cane, and a seeing eye dog.
NO PROBLEM.

Would you like coffee, water, Sprite, Diet Coke, regular Coke, orange juice, or tomato juice?
Coffee please, with two Splendas and cream.
NO PROBLEM.
Thank you.
NO PROBLEM.

_____________________________________________________

Gordon: Thank you very much for coming by Views from the Edge!”

Steve: NO PROBLEM!