Life As I Seize It

I had quite the wine collection back in Florida.  Some very fine vintages that I had collected or been gifted with, others . . . well, I'm not quite sure how they ended up in my wine stash.  Possibly bottles that people had brought to dinner and left . . . I do not have a wine cellar on the QEIII.  She is quite a comfortable highway-sailer, handles well, has all the comforts of home, a decent sized galley with a side-by-side fridge/freezer, a convection micro-oven, an adequate head, but there was no provision for a wine cellar. (What were these designers thinking?) For those of you just dropping in, the QEIII is a land yacht, chosen for her three separate living areas, which makes it appear that I have more room than I really do.  I mean, how much room can there be in a 40' motor coach? There is a media wall between the dining area and salon, and that visual break gives one a sense that there is more going on back there than there really is. I like the fact tha...

I had this written back Thanksgiving and am now just getting around to posting it.  I know that the purpose of a blog is to blog and then post . . . obviously I had to amend a paragraph or two . . . I have had a lot on my mind lately . . . other than the change in latitude . . . Every day, periodically through the day I have begun unconsciously doing a spiritual check-up, and have been asking myself: When people see me, do they see Christ?  Do I reflect Him?  Am I giving the non-believer, the unsure, those seeking something more from life, a glimpse of Christ?  Over the past months I have been spending more time with the Lord and less time with the distractions of the world.  I am in the world, yet somehow I feel as though I am detached from it, especially from things that steal my inner peace and time with God.  I have an incredible hunger for more of the Word that seems insatiable. It's a thirst I cannot seem to quench. God has put it on my heart ...

Written December 12th. 2009. In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy, but in passing it over, he is superior.  ~ Sir Francis Bacon For some time God has been interrupting my life.  When God interrupts it is usually unexpected, often unwanted, and generally poor timing . . . at least on my part. Lord, I'm kind of busy at work right now . . . Lord, I just can't take time . . . Lord, I am not the one who should be apologizing . . . and on and on I go, arguing with God.  When does arguing with God ever accomplish anything? A few months back someone in my family acted in an inappropriate, mean, and most un-Christian way towards me; I was hurt and surprised, but considering a lifetime of selfish behavior from this person I have no idea why I was caught off guard.  In retrospect, I think I was stunned because I am generally the peacemaker in my family; besides, we are orphans, all grown up and beyond past misconceptions and hurts, or so I t...

It's a crisp, cold, clear day and my dog finds possibly the best spot in the house: she is sitting as though beside Queen Elizabeth, poised and quite pleased with herself on the wool oriental in my foyer.  Contentedly, she is basking on the rug where the morning sun is falling onto her through the leaded glass door, creating a kaleidoscope of warm, fuzzy sunlight which sprinkles dapples of gold onto her.   I watch her momentarily before she spots me.  She gives me the look, the same look she throws me when we cruise together in the car with the top down.  The look that says she's very pleased. The one that says she is happy with her life and diggin' this moment. She may be "just" a dog, but she has taught me one of life's most important lessons: happiness is a series of moments basking in contentedness.  Just throw your head back and howl at them.