From Psalms 121, a reminder.

“I lift my eyes toward the mountains."

But the mountains are covered by the clouds, my view is obscured, my eyes seemed to be lifted up towards a vast expanse of empty.

"Where will my help come from?"

My answer has always been; "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber."

But what about when the pain tells me that I have slipped and fallen, and I wasn't protected from the pain and that still small voice seems to be sound asleep?

Then I remember that just because I can't see the mountains, they stand as strong and majestic as ever.

"The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.

The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.”

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Words in quotations from Psalms 121, HCSB

Meetings

I know we are all desperately afraid that "refugees" are all just waiting to sneak into the U.S. so they can slaughter us all and force Sharia law on all us infidels,  but here are a few I met the other night, that seemed to be perfectly pleased to be a part of America.

I was at the annual refugee Thanksgiving dinner that several local agencies host (Did you know that Tucson already accepts about 1,000 refugees a year from all around the world, including Muslim, Christian, Yazidi, Bhuddist, etc.) and got a chance to talk with a few interesting people from other lands. Let me introduce you:

I first met R. R. is a young (20 year old) man that worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan as an interpreter. His family is in Kabul and he got to travel around the country in some vital hot spots. This qualified him for a special immigrant visa (I wonder if the U.S. gave him the last name, FNU - or family name unknown. This seems to be a common trick we play when we can't figure things out, and the immigrant gets to keep this last name for years) and he came to the U.S. without his family. Lately, he has been talking to Army recruiters about joining the U.S. Army and serving again.

Next, I met S., who is from Africa. S. and his family have been in a camp in Africa for 9 years awaiting a chance to either go back home or to be allowed to migrate to a new home. This is a common experience for refugees, staying in camps for years and years before finally getting the word that they can grab a few things and move to a permanent home.

I also met S. S. was an interpreter for the Army in Iraq and he also got a special immigrant visa to fast track his immigration process. He is Yazida, a minority group in Northern Iraq. After we left a power vacuum in the area, many in his community were raped and killed by ISIS and his family escaped to Turkey. The Yazidi are not really safe there either and his family has been told they would be getting VISA's to come to the U.S. However, since Paris was attacked by ISIS, the process has been put on hold, possibly indefinitely. I suppose the concern is that perhaps his family has joined ISIS too.

I realize that their are no easy answers to the problem of terrorism and the absolute commitment Jihadis have to forcing their will on the rest of the world, but it is good to remember that real people that are on the side of freedom and liberty are affected by the decisions we make, some of whom who have already risked their lives for us.

Hover boards, flying cars....

It's here!
October 21, 2015!
The day Marty McFly travels to in the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy!

Whatever you think of the story line in this one (should I share my opinion?), they do come up with interesting takes on the gadgets and gizmos of the 21st Century. Hologram movie ads, flying cars, self tying shoelaces and hover boards, among other things, capture our imagination.

And yet, Marty still finds himself going to a phone booth to place a call, even in the year 2015. When's the last time you used one of those?

As we travel forward through time ourselves, even if it is a bit slower than Marty and Doc, we can imagine some pretty fantastic stuff for ourselves. And often, disappointingly,  these dreams can go unrealized (where's my hover board, man?). But, even though we don't always get all the stuff we thought we wanted, we shouldn't overlook the stuff we do end up with that might be even better.

Yesterday, we made a friend

I recently picked up a little book that I carry around.Inside it says, "Interesting People I Have Met".

 I have met numerous interesting people and I thought having a place where I can have them record their names and a little about them would help me to remember them. So far, the only names I have gotten in it were those of my wife and kids. Until yesterday.

We were at some local apartments with some people from our Church, the intent being to serve some of the refugee community that lives there. We were able to do some yard work, clean up, play games, makes crafts and that sort of thing.

We also met a young man named Samson. Samson just arrived here in Tucson from Tanzania on Friday with his Mom, Dad and Seven younger brothers and sisters. He has lived in the refugee camp in Tanzania for the past 17 years, and was so excited to have finally arrived in America. Although, he did admit to being tired, after having just been on five different airplanes to get here

Samson is the only one in his family to speak English, having learned it in school. He also taught English to others at the School in the camp. He really wants to go to the University as soon as he possibly can.

Meeting Samson was a reminder to me that he, and many others, live lives that are completely different than mine. He and his family are going to face some big obstacles as they try to make a life here, and could use some help. But, they have already plowed through some big obstacles just to get here, so I am confident that, with the right opportunities*, they will thrive.

I had Samson sign my book.

* If you are local to Tucson, and looking for a place to make a major and lasting impact on some people that need some extra help, take a look at The TRM site and see how you can get connected.

A Free Lunch --- There is no such thing.

They say there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Maybe not, but check this out. I have a fun announcement that I want to email you. So, leave a comment on here with your email address, and I might randomly buy you lunch.

In other words, I will pick someone (or two or three or...) at random to take to lunch at a location of my choosing.

Fun!

So leave me your comment. Maybe you win will a free lunch with me. No matter where you live. Or a lunch traded for your email address. Or maybe you will just get my fun announcement. We will see.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Becoming Emilist (From Becoming Minimalist)

One of the blogs that we follow around here is the Becoming Minimalist blog that Joshua Becker has put together, all about simplifying your life and inspiring others to "... others to pursue their greatest passions by owning fewer possessions."

 We were somewhat taken aback one day last year when we saw this photo on the page. It looked very much like our oldest daughter, Emily, who had just returned from 7 months in Quito, Ecuador.

Same wispy blond hair, which she often fashioned into braids of various styles.

Same dark jacket that rode the line of trendy with a nod to a bygone historical era that she often wore.

Hands and body staged in a way we had seen many times before, half posing as if for a photo shoot and and half absent mindedly fidgeting while thinking about something a little bigger than whatever else was going on.

We called her over to the computer and said "Hey Emily, this looks just like you."

"No", she adamantly denied "I didn't have a ribbon like that in my hair when I was at Pinchincha!"

It sort of reminds me of telling someone their friend was murdered and them asking, "How many times were they stabbed?"

But, I suppose we will never know for certain.

While you are thinking about that, be sure to check out Becoming Minimalist.

Some More Readings

Here's what I've taken in recently that I have also enjoyed, in case you need to find something to peruse:

A story of airmen trapped on the frozen glacial wastelands of Greenland during the Second World War. It is at times frustrating, compelling and inspiring, and manages to be interesting throughout.

It's been a long time since I've lived where tornadoes are common, but this definitely brings back some memories.

This is a story that has, like the summary says "...heart-wrenching stories...and dramatic storytelling".

I used to have SSgt. Barry Sadler's Album and had most of the tunes memorized and I must have seen John Wayne's movie at least a dozen times. So, of course I'm gonna read this book about today's SF.

Diane is working on this one, so we will have to ask her. But it looks interesting.