Grief

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Sometimes the news comes quick. Sometimes the news comes slow. No matter how or when it comes, grief travels in the wake of the news. Grief is heavy, weighty, a burden, especially when it involves someone deeply loved. Grief is not meant to be carried alone. It’s too heavy and may last a while—and that’s ok. That’s what family and friends are for, to share the load. Jesus stood outside the tomb of his friend and wept but He did not weep alone. It was a deep, human moment. “ Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted ” (Matt 5:4). If anyone knows how we feel in grief, it’s Him. But His grief did not linger long, as at the mention of his name, Lazarus came forth. We are not meant to dwell in grief, but should leave room enough for it. Let it run its course. Like the song says, “ Every Storm Runs Out Of Rain .” Another song says, “ The storm We will dance as it breaks The storm It will give as it takes And all of our pain is washed away Don't cry or be afraid Some things...

Day 13: A Day In The Life

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The title by no means is unique to me or The Beatles, sorry to say. I'm of the persuasion that the hit 1967 song was inspired by the short book "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn published in 1962. But I could be wrong. A gripping book, by the way. A short read but deeply moving, full of deep, beautiful and tragic thoughts:


But I'm taking the long way 'round to this post. My intention is to give a kind of a snapshot of a typical week-day in my own life. It's a journal post, after all. 
  • 5:45 a.m. Wake up, fall out of bed, find coffee. Should be brewed and waiting.
  • 6:00 a.m. Shower, get dressed. Drag the comb across my head.
  • 6:15 a.m. Fix breakfast, get lunch together, keep waking up.
  • 7:15 a.m. Leave the house.
  • 8:00 a.m. Arrive at the University
  • 8:05 a.m. Start coffee (most mornings), eat breakfast and get all systems booted up.
  • 8:10 or :15 a.m. Start workday: e-mails, phone calls, so-forth and what-not
  • 8:30 a.m. Once a month, meetings until 11:00 a.m.
  • 11:00 a.m. (when school is in session) Chapel
  • 12:00 p.m. CrossFit in the Fitness Center (or lunch meeting, depending); shower
  • 1:00 p.m. Back in the office (generally, unless meeting carries through until mid-afternoon)
  • 1:15 p.m. Fix lunch and work 
  • 2:30-3:00 p.m.-ish Get out from behind the desk and walk around a bit.
  • 5:00 Close up "shop"
  • 6:30-ish Dinner, clean up, work outside a little, read, write, watch TV until
  • 10:30-ish Go to bed. 
Exciting, my life, eh? 

That's ok. I'm going on vacation in a couple weeks and all this won't matter. 


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