Marchng to the Off-Beat.

It is the silence between the notes.
It is the collagen between the cells that makes us.
It is the electricity that jumps from synapse to synapse that moves us.
It is the time when we put our faith on the line and God guides us.

We don't understand the direction, but we know it is right.
Each person that helps us pushes us through the spaces in our lives.
Do we recognize it? Are we looking for the support between our defining moments?
Our motivations seem hard wired into us, but do we realize the help that sustains us?

On the other hand, do we dare to be the silence between the notes?
Do we dare to be the mortar that holds the bricks of our lives and the lives of others together?
Will we be apart off the shocking force that propels each and every one of us to our destiny?
And finally, are we so bold to have the faith that lets God make the Difference?

How do we get to our destiny? One step into the silence at a time.
As we march to the off-beat.

Have You Ever Played Baseball with a Green Tomato

Well you could. I found that out the hard way. The hard way may not be the right phrase. The correct phrase probably should be the absent minded way. I was given a bag of vegetable from a generous co-worker. In order to keep this bunch of corn, squash and tomatoes from going bad, I placed these items in the office freezer. This worked out fine for the corn and the squash not so much for the green tomato. I took the bag out of the freezer and checked the vegetables. I felt around and out of the bag fell a green tomato. It fell to the floor and went

Thud.............Thud...........Thud.....

Well crap, I said to myself. No fried green tomatoes for me. I was seriously disappointed.

After getting over my initial frustration, I began to notice something. This tomato, it had a certain weight to it. When it hit the floor, it bounced a little bit. Since the tomato was not fully grown, it fit almost perfectly in the palm of my hand. The way the notches at the top of the tomato were set it would seem very easy to get some good motion with the little vegetable, perhaps a wicked slider or a good two seam fastball

The little thing had all the qualities of a good baseball substitute. So if you ever need a cheap baseball give it a try, it just might work.

You can put it up there with the other cool things that happen in freezing temperatures, such as your tongue sticking to a frozen metal pole or wet clothes freezing on a clothes line and thawing dry. (You would think they would thaw wet).

So once all this heat passes, give it a try and play a little green tomato baseball

Breeze

“I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it’s both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.” – Forrest Gump

Chasing the dreams of your heart.
Bumping into each other along the way.
Growing and learning together
As our paths converge and part on a whim.

All the while not knowing the ultimate destination.
Using the talents of your mind, body, and soul.
As the craft to carry you through the current.
The vessel that accelerates you to the distant horizon.

As the wind blows
Your will propelling you to new heights
And once the Breeze lifts you to the heavens,
You realize maybe it is both.

jab

Mountains

Clutter

Boom, Swish, Bang
Wake up, rush, Work
City Streets, meetings, Red Tape
Initiatives, Treatise, Oversight

Attempts to make things right
Personal motives in plain sight
What good may come of these things
Depends on the heart of the people who bring

The change that will surely come.

jab

Shimmering Sun

Toward boundless horizons Run!

Take the Chance, Play the game

Throw back your head with a crooked smile,
And Run toward the shimmering sun.

Take the Gleam in your eye
The Spirit in your heart
The Service in your hands,
And Run toward the shimmering sun.

Wear his faith on your sleeve
Walk in his humble ways
Work his plan in your life,
And Run toward the shimmering Son.

jab

Train

"Do we ride the train or does the train ride us?" I am taking a class called Financial Peace University and this quote from Henry David Thoreau came up tonight. We talked about it for a bit and came to the consensus that the train might be a convenience, but in the end the simplicity makes our lives more complex. The one thing that makes it easier to get us from place to place makes our lives move faster. It makes distant interaction more plausible, and things that were once impossible are now possible. Singers and song writers have been putting this idea to the lyric sheet for years.

Johnny Cash "hears the train a comin"

Amos Lee rides his "night train".

Zac Brown is "on a train that can't slow down."

The train ride for each of these individuals is uncertain they don't know how it will end. However, they ride anyway. They ride despite the complexities that lay around the bend. Whatever comes may be good it may be bad. The way the the train moves "ain't fair ya know."

Today it seems as though the train is moving faster. Don't let that hinder you from punching your ticket. Get on the train and ride.

I Need Waders to Read Through This S***T

Well my brother found out that I have a blog, and It was an interesting conversation to say the least. It went as follows:

My Brother: "What the heck is this?" (after seeing the blog on my computer)

Me: "My blog."

My Brother: "You have a blog."

Me: "Yeah"

My Brother: "And people read it"

Me: I chuckle and say, "A couple of folk"

Well, I got him curious. He sits down and reads the first part of my latest entry. He reads the first paragraph or so and gets up and exclaims, " I need waders to read through this s***t."

My first reaction was to laugh, but this was probably some of the most constructive criticism I have received in a while.

Perhaps, I do take things too seriously at times? Maybe?

Swoosh...........Pop

I went home a few weeks ago for mothers day. It was a great day spent with family and friends one event got me thinking though. I got a couple friends together and we went to the park to throw the the baseball around. We went to the middle of an open field and just started tossing the ball back and forth and talking. Just the same old small talk at first, "How's your family " sort of thing. All the while, we were settling in to the game of catch. The ball could be noticeably heard going back and forth through the air and hitting the glove.

Swooooosh........Pop

It was a great relaxing afternoon of reminiscing and talking about the future. The baseball just kind of kept time while we talked going back and forth.

Swoooosh........Pop

We talked about memories of the park. "Do you remember playing soccer on this field when we were little. We used to run all over the place and just not care. All we wanted to do was get the first kick at the ball."

Swoooosh........Pop

How about that birthday party I had in that pavilion when we were eight and you got me that silly booger card that I can't believe I still remember.

Swoooosh........Pop

People also came up such as the security guard who still rides through the park. A bit older now, but he is still making it. An old football coach named George who used to give us a hard time and make us laugh. Family, friends, and teachers who just randomly came up, but who defiantly had made a significant impact in our lives.

Swoooosh........Pop

We also talked about recent occurrences, college graduations, travels abroad, new jobs, and other experiences.

Swoooosh........Pop

Finally, we talked about new horizons. Even though these seem tenuous, they will come just like the rest of the events that we had recounted throughout the afternoon. The only difference was the factor of the future and the unknown.

Swoooosh........Pop

It was a great afternoon full of stories and baseball. One thing that came out of it though was that it seems that if you are not careful, life will pass you by with a

Swoooosh........Pop.

Random

A lot of time has come and gone since I last posted. During that time many things have taken place, Wednesday night dinners, tax season has come and gone, and life seems to be moving at a more rapid pace than ever before. I guess this is to be expected. Most of the time it seems like a river that could rush out of control at any minute. But somewhere, somewhere, in the back of my mind something tells me that there is a method to the madness. People grow out of confusing times and tough situations. As a wise person once told me,"If you feel completely comfortable in your situation, you are not growing enough." In the coming time I want this fear of growth and change to leave my thought process. Because in the end the only thing that really matters are the values by which a person lives. All the rest, as another very smart person once told me one morning before work, can't be taken with you. I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately. This will lead to a new direction in my life. A direction that God only knows.