The Year of More

I guess the fact that yet another year has almost entirely slipped through my fingers is making me a bit contemplative. I suppose many people begin evaluating their lives during this time. I look back on this year and I see many things I wish I could erase. Instances of embarrassment, heartbreak, anger and depression would be the first to go.

However, this is one of the first years I can remember where I can look back and be mostly pleased. I had what I am labeling as a "The Year of More". I spent more time with God. I volunteered my time more. I traveled more. I talked to my friends more. I loved more. I let go of a bit more anger. I saw the world and people more like God sees them. I've learned to like the way God made me tick a bit more. I've laughed more. I've also learned that more isn't always better. I've let go of my own apartment and living space to rent a small bedroom from friends. And in doing so I think I have found more freedom.

What are my plans for next year? More of the same. Travel, love, laugh, talk, live, give, let go, embrace. What kind of year are you planning?

Texas Winter

Yesterday in the grand city of Dallas the temperature fell below 32 degrees. It also rained/freezing rained/sleeted. Where I grew up in Missouri this really would not have been a problem. Life would have gone on more or less as normal. Sure you would wake up a bit earlier to de-ice the car before you drove away. And, you would go a bit slower to avoid sliding into ditches. But, you would continue to go on.

Not in Dallas. In Dallas everyone panics. There is a rush on the grocery store for items such as bread, peanut butter, canned soup and water. There is a rush at the gas station to fill up your tank as much as possible just in case the next gas supply is not able to make it through the ice. One place there is no rush? The interstate. We all shuffle along very slowly to our work destinations. With the exception of a few brave (can also be interpreted as stupid) souls that decide 70 miles per hour is an acceptable speed to drive on ice. Accidents abound...the sand trucks tip over...general chaos ensues.

Until the following day when the high temperature is 65 degrees. Ahhhhh, life in Dallas is never boring.

Bethlehem

One of the highlights of Israel was visiting Bethlehem. It wasn't quite the peaceful village I have always imagined when reading the stories of Jesus birth in the Bible. As a matter of fact it was quite the tourist trap. From the moment we stepped off the bus we were assaulted by roaming street vendors. We managed to fight our way through them to finally reach the Church of the Nativity.

On a random side note I must mention that we did a lot of walking on this trip. Some of our group wore pedometers and there were days where we averaged 5 miles or more. The streets in most of the cities we visited were too narrow for a tour bus to navigate. So we did a lot of walking to the sites of interest. We also walked up a LOT of mountains. You see, this was an Historical Geography tour. The best way to see the geography of any land is to view it from the top of a mountain. I had no idea Israel was so mountainous.

Back to the Church of the Nativity. This church struck me as very odd. There were no seats in the main sanctuary. It was just a large open room.

We waded through the masses to get to a stairwell that would take us down to the grotto where Jesus is traditionally thought to have been born. The picture below shows as the priest said, "The exact spot where little baby Jesus came out of Mary". Not quite as I imagined it, but no trip to Israel would be complete for me without a visit to the birthplace of my Savior.