Henry Ford once famously said, "Never explain", but with all due respect to Mr. Ford I owe you a line of explanation for recent absences - the pain levels have just been a little out of reach for the last couple of weeks, & it has made actually completing posts seem like too much. This shouldn't be permanent, & apologies to those who click here & find nothing new, - hang in there (see the original post, which I've been re-visiting this week).
BTW - this counts as a post, so now I'm only 5 behind.
- Steve
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Dancing with my Father
In addition to watching Spring warily edge its way into Ohio, this is the time of year when we celebrate our wedding anniversary and our Son's birthday. It's now been more than a decade and a half since we lost my Dad to cancer in between those 2 celebrations. On the night before Dad's funeral, Mom asked if I would "write something" for Dad. This is what I wrote.
When Dad came back from the hospital after back surgery, he was still able to walk, if he had some help. So - when he wanted to go down the hall, or into the family room, he and some family member would engage in a slow, deliberate dance, with one person walking backwards, providing support, and Dad holding on and directing the operation.
He and I did this strange dance down the hall, with me there for support and his strong, strong hands holding on to my arms. It made me think of so many other times when I had noticed the strength of those hands, all through my life.
For most of his adult life, Dad held a 'white-collar' job, but I always thought of him in terms of physical labor, and pictured always the strength in those hands.
Those hand had, in the course of his life, chopped cotton, picked cotton, and hoed down the long rows of innumerable gardens and fields. They had also held a well-worn Bible with tender care as he prepared to share the Word in worship or with parishioners who, as he did in recent days, knew illness or incapacity.
Those hands, which could display such strength, could gently caress the frailest hand of another, and did - as he stood by countless hospital beds - a steadfast presence when other friends and family members faced death.
I would think of these things as we did our slow, walking dance around my brother's home. It seems strange, in a family which is not usually physically demonstrative, to remember Dad in a word like "dance" - but for me the image connects with an old Shaker tune used in a hymn that refers to Christ as "Lord of the Dance" -
This is for Dad, as he experiences the Life whose promise he shared with so many others, and which he now enjoys. This is from one of your sons, but it comes on behalf of many, many more people.
Thanks - thanks for the dance, Dad.
When Dad came back from the hospital after back surgery, he was still able to walk, if he had some help. So - when he wanted to go down the hall, or into the family room, he and some family member would engage in a slow, deliberate dance, with one person walking backwards, providing support, and Dad holding on and directing the operation.
He and I did this strange dance down the hall, with me there for support and his strong, strong hands holding on to my arms. It made me think of so many other times when I had noticed the strength of those hands, all through my life.
For most of his adult life, Dad held a 'white-collar' job, but I always thought of him in terms of physical labor, and pictured always the strength in those hands.
Those hand had, in the course of his life, chopped cotton, picked cotton, and hoed down the long rows of innumerable gardens and fields. They had also held a well-worn Bible with tender care as he prepared to share the Word in worship or with parishioners who, as he did in recent days, knew illness or incapacity.
Those hands, which could display such strength, could gently caress the frailest hand of another, and did - as he stood by countless hospital beds - a steadfast presence when other friends and family members faced death.
I would think of these things as we did our slow, walking dance around my brother's home. It seems strange, in a family which is not usually physically demonstrative, to remember Dad in a word like "dance" - but for me the image connects with an old Shaker tune used in a hymn that refers to Christ as "Lord of the Dance" -
"... they buried my body and they thought I'd gone, but I am the Dance and I still go on. They cut me down & I leapt up high, I am the life that will never, never die; I'll live in you if you'll live in me. I am the Lord of the Dance said He."
[19th century Shaker tune/Words by Sydney Carter, 1963]
This is for Dad, as he experiences the Life whose promise he shared with so many others, and which he now enjoys. This is from one of your sons, but it comes on behalf of many, many more people.
Thanks - thanks for the dance, Dad.
Why It's Good That There Are Females
The other day I was sitting at a table which had on it (among other things) a tablecloth and a salad fork. As I looked at those items, it occurred to me that if there had never been such a thing as a female, probably neither item would have ever been invented.
I cannot imagine a world populated entirely by guys in which one of them would one day say, "Hey, why don't we put a cloth over the table before we eat?" I can't even picture guys coming up with a placemat, unless it was a practical matter, like eating over the classified ads so that when you were finished you could just fold up the whole mess & throw it away.
Like many useful inspirations, this one got me to wandering further down the path after the first transient thought (if you are looking for a clue as to how guys' minds function, that was it).
Curtains? I doubt it. I just can't picture any part of a world that was exclusively filled with men that would come up with the idea of hanging colored fabrics over windows. Likewise for scented candles - especially any that matched curtains - or pretty much anything that matched anything else in the house, or existed just to make things smell better.
Guys can exhibit a certain genius for using everyday items in a variety of ways. Coasters? Why would you need that when you have old newspapers & magazines? Why would anyone invent a bathrobe when they already have towels? For that matter, towels could replace rugs by the shower, or just about anywhere else that you really needed something on the floor.
I don't think any craft items would exist that were not made of iron or wood - and don't even get me started on fabric softener.
It's not that any of these items are unnecessary, I just don't think that in a world with no females, anyone would have ever thought them up. And, while in many ways it would have been a simpler world, there's little doubt that it would also probably be louder, & messier, & let's be honest, it wouldn't smell so good. So, good job, God, on thinking up the whole female idea.
Maybe you have your own thoughts on what would be missing in a guy-only world. If so, let me know. And I think we can all agree that I was being honest when I promised absolutely no lesson to be had here at all.
[Caution: Absolutely NO Lesson Ahead]
I cannot imagine a world populated entirely by guys in which one of them would one day say, "Hey, why don't we put a cloth over the table before we eat?" I can't even picture guys coming up with a placemat, unless it was a practical matter, like eating over the classified ads so that when you were finished you could just fold up the whole mess & throw it away.
Like many useful inspirations, this one got me to wandering further down the path after the first transient thought (if you are looking for a clue as to how guys' minds function, that was it).
Curtains? I doubt it. I just can't picture any part of a world that was exclusively filled with men that would come up with the idea of hanging colored fabrics over windows. Likewise for scented candles - especially any that matched curtains - or pretty much anything that matched anything else in the house, or existed just to make things smell better.
Guys can exhibit a certain genius for using everyday items in a variety of ways. Coasters? Why would you need that when you have old newspapers & magazines? Why would anyone invent a bathrobe when they already have towels? For that matter, towels could replace rugs by the shower, or just about anywhere else that you really needed something on the floor.
I don't think any craft items would exist that were not made of iron or wood - and don't even get me started on fabric softener.
It's not that any of these items are unnecessary, I just don't think that in a world with no females, anyone would have ever thought them up. And, while in many ways it would have been a simpler world, there's little doubt that it would also probably be louder, & messier, & let's be honest, it wouldn't smell so good. So, good job, God, on thinking up the whole female idea.
Maybe you have your own thoughts on what would be missing in a guy-only world. If so, let me know. And I think we can all agree that I was being honest when I promised absolutely no lesson to be had here at all.
BLOG NOTES: As always, if this is your first visit to "Leaving Nadderby" (especially if, God forbid, this post is your only experience of the site), you are urged to look for "Looking Back" from February 2008 as an introduction. Still working on notifications ideas & ways that you can sign up to receive updates if you want them - meanwhile, continued thanks for any & all forwards. - Steve
Monday, March 24, 2008
Doing What the Stone Could Not
Easter has come and gone again (at least in the Western tradition - the Orthodox believers still have till April 27th to anticipate this centerpiece of the Christian faith). As Easter drew near this year, it occurred to me that the Church has often managed to do what the stone failed to do - keep Jesus in the tomb.
After all of the terrible & bloody tortures of the Passion, and being buried behind a stone door, Jesus managed to defeat Death & escape the tomb only to be delivered into the hands of a Church which has all too often domesticated him, softened his message, and kept him shut within the walls of Churches, where his resurrection goes largely unnoticed by a world which could really use some Good News.
Near the end of the 19th century, a noted British Baptist minister named C.H. Spurgeon was involved in debates about the truth of Scripture. He suggested that you defend the Bible the same way you would defend a full-grown lion-you turn it loose.
Christians have all too often acted as if Christ is their own special possession who needs protection from a rough & tumble world. 'Blue laws' (forbidding most commerce in many communities on Sundays) were an earlier day's effort to maintain a semblance of holiness, or at least better behavior for the day. [As my mother was fond of pointing out back then, this didn't keep the Christians (including us) from patronizing restaurants 'en masse' after Church].
This is a plea, I guess, for the Church not to settle for keeping Christ always within the walls of the Church building. Sunday morning is not only the most segregated hour of the week (as Senator Obama recently reminded us), it is the most invisible hour of the week for most of the world. For the unchurched (oh...there's a churchy word), the things that happen within churches are mostly unknown or, even more scandalous, uninteresting.
Turning Jesus loose into the world beyond the comforts of Church life will be messy, and it will make most Christians uncomfortable. It will take serious effort on the part of church-folks to move beyond the contentment that has characterized most church life for the last century. If the Church is brave enough to truly engage the world with Christ & not just with church-stuff, however, there may be a delightful surprise waiting.
The One who couldn't be held in by the stone door of the tomb is already there.
After all of the terrible & bloody tortures of the Passion, and being buried behind a stone door, Jesus managed to defeat Death & escape the tomb only to be delivered into the hands of a Church which has all too often domesticated him, softened his message, and kept him shut within the walls of Churches, where his resurrection goes largely unnoticed by a world which could really use some Good News.
Near the end of the 19th century, a noted British Baptist minister named C.H. Spurgeon was involved in debates about the truth of Scripture. He suggested that you defend the Bible the same way you would defend a full-grown lion-you turn it loose.
Christians have all too often acted as if Christ is their own special possession who needs protection from a rough & tumble world. 'Blue laws' (forbidding most commerce in many communities on Sundays) were an earlier day's effort to maintain a semblance of holiness, or at least better behavior for the day. [As my mother was fond of pointing out back then, this didn't keep the Christians (including us) from patronizing restaurants 'en masse' after Church].
This is a plea, I guess, for the Church not to settle for keeping Christ always within the walls of the Church building. Sunday morning is not only the most segregated hour of the week (as Senator Obama recently reminded us), it is the most invisible hour of the week for most of the world. For the unchurched (oh...there's a churchy word), the things that happen within churches are mostly unknown or, even more scandalous, uninteresting.
Turning Jesus loose into the world beyond the comforts of Church life will be messy, and it will make most Christians uncomfortable. It will take serious effort on the part of church-folks to move beyond the contentment that has characterized most church life for the last century. If the Church is brave enough to truly engage the world with Christ & not just with church-stuff, however, there may be a delightful surprise waiting.
The One who couldn't be held in by the stone door of the tomb is already there.
BLOG NOTE: If this is your first visit to "Leaving Nadderby", you are strongly urged to go to the February 2008 link for "Looking Back" as an introduction to the site. My blog advisor is urging me to increase production & to understand the nature of "blogs" & not to approach each one as a piece of writing (so that more thoughts get published more often). For this week & April, I'll commit to 3/week, on matters great & small, as a way of trying to learn that. As always, I am thrilled to get your feedback, on the site or in person (even if it is just 'Hey, I'm here!'). Thanks for the generosity I've been shown as this begins. - Steve
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Encased
If a person can't get out at least one blog during a Level 3 Snow emergency, then he/she doesn't deserve the hallowed title of "blogger" - (or am I assuming too much about how highly esteemed bloggers are?) - so here are some thoughts from the snowy wilds of western Ohio.
Before the snow & wind brought us a much more conventional Winter storm, our area had one of the most interesting storms I had seen in my first 1/2 Century. To say that we were covered in ice last week would give the wrong impression. Over the course of a day it appeared that every vertical surface in our immediate vicinity had grown a quarter-inch of ice. Not just trees & fences, but individual blades of grass stood out with a clear, glass-like coating of ice. It looked as if it had been applied one molecule at a time.
One by-product of this storm was a massive power outage, lasting from several hours to a few days in our area. Another by-product was an incredible beauty shining through the crushing power of all that ice. The entire region is still littered with broken limbs & even some trees that split vertically all the way to the ground. Homeowners & Utilities officials can be seen, chainsaws in hand, sizing up some of the trees which have suffered the most severe damage. I hope they will not decide too quickly which trees are beyond help.
As the thaw progressed, hundreds of trees which had been bowed to the ground underwent a heroic transformation, recovering in ways which had appeared impossible. First the midday sun turned all those tapestries of ice to silver. Then, after more than a day encased completely in unimaginable weight, most of the trees endured, bent, and began to recover. This Spring, the ones that survive the chainsaw will bear their scars as a part of the story they have lived. If there's not some kind of lesson to be had there, we're not paying attention.
BLOG NOTE: If you are new to "Leaving Nadderby", I urge you to click on the "February 2008 " link & go to "Looking Back" as a place to begin. Continued thanks go out to all of the encouragers & forwarders who are helping me figure out this process.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Read and Follow [SOME] Directions
It is not often the case that a pocket-sized purchase from a museum gift shop can teach you life lessons for decades - but I know that it is possible.
When the kids were young a favorite destination was the Children's Museum in Indianapolis. (If you have never been there I strongly urge a visit - grab the kids, or borrow some if you don't have any handy, & head over - you won't be sorry). At the end of one trip I was fascinated by a small, flat top called a "Rattleback." Like any top, it spins, but if you follow the directions & spin it clockwise, a fascinating thing happens - it stops & reverses itself. [When I know a LOT more about Blogs than I know now, I'll insert a video here, but for now you'll just have to take my word for it].
The Rattleback shudders to a stop before going in the direction that it "wants" to go. Here's what is interesting to me. If you DON'T follow directions - if you spin it counterclockwise - it will keep going merrily in that direction (until friction, etc., interferes). I'd like to offer the Rattleback as a reminder that some directions in our life need (and are worth) constant attention, AND that we need to take seriously how we're 'wired' as we face life.
This toy reminds me that there is occasionally a case for creatively ignoring instructions. If I keep bashing my head against the same figurative brick wall over & over, maybe it's because I'm trying to go in a direction for which I am fundamentally unsuited, & I might need to listen to what my body & life are telling me. Now here's where I wish that it were all as simple as just saying 'no' to directions & going with my own flow.
There are times when I need to keep nudging my life in a 'proper', clockwise direction, even if it's not what I want in the short run. If I avoid the cookies today, I'll still have to choose to eat something that won't kill me tomorrow. The trick is to only follow directions when they lead me towards light & life. Directions will always flow freely from other folks who don't have any idea which way I need to spin.
Both clockwise & counterclockwise decisions need to be part of our lives. We need to breathe out as well as breathing in. If we eliminate either one, we're quickly in trouble.
When the kids were young a favorite destination was the Children's Museum in Indianapolis. (If you have never been there I strongly urge a visit - grab the kids, or borrow some if you don't have any handy, & head over - you won't be sorry). At the end of one trip I was fascinated by a small, flat top called a "Rattleback." Like any top, it spins, but if you follow the directions & spin it clockwise, a fascinating thing happens - it stops & reverses itself. [When I know a LOT more about Blogs than I know now, I'll insert a video here, but for now you'll just have to take my word for it].
The Rattleback shudders to a stop before going in the direction that it "wants" to go. Here's what is interesting to me. If you DON'T follow directions - if you spin it counterclockwise - it will keep going merrily in that direction (until friction, etc., interferes). I'd like to offer the Rattleback as a reminder that some directions in our life need (and are worth) constant attention, AND that we need to take seriously how we're 'wired' as we face life.
This toy reminds me that there is occasionally a case for creatively ignoring instructions. If I keep bashing my head against the same figurative brick wall over & over, maybe it's because I'm trying to go in a direction for which I am fundamentally unsuited, & I might need to listen to what my body & life are telling me. Now here's where I wish that it were all as simple as just saying 'no' to directions & going with my own flow.
There are times when I need to keep nudging my life in a 'proper', clockwise direction, even if it's not what I want in the short run. If I avoid the cookies today, I'll still have to choose to eat something that won't kill me tomorrow. The trick is to only follow directions when they lead me towards light & life. Directions will always flow freely from other folks who don't have any idea which way I need to spin.
Both clockwise & counterclockwise decisions need to be part of our lives. We need to breathe out as well as breathing in. If we eliminate either one, we're quickly in trouble.
BLOG NOTE: If you are new to Leaving Nadderby, I want to urge you to click on the "Looking Back" post from February 2008 as a place to begin. Please continue to forward wildly, and many thanks for all the contacts so far, including MY FIRST LINK! While Googling, I found Leaving Nadderby linked by a good friend to his "Unnecessary Buffness" Blog - http://unnecessarybuffness.blogspot.com/- if you don't already know Jon, he is someone well worth knowing. Also, here is how to find the Indy Children's Museum - http://www.childrensmuseum.org/- Enjoy.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Rest Stops & Un-rest Stops
There were times in my childhood when the sound of a car's blinker sounded like Heaven.
When our Dad would drive us from Ohio to Oklahoma in the '60s, the trip would begin at 4:30 a.m. We would be transferred from bed to the back seat and he would aim the car down the road as far as humanly possible (& occasionally beyond). This mode of travel focused on gobbling up the miles, not sightseeing, which meant that he left many Rest Stops in his wake. The signs would appear promising an oasis of green, a chance to move, and some cool shade (in those pre-AC days), in addition to the all-important restroom, and then, as the road widened into an exit lane, Dad would drive right by - it often seemed to me that he even accelerated just a bit, to forestall whining or hope from the back seat.
Oh, but when we heard that turn signal begin to click & felt the car slowing . . . (!) - we would scramble to get our shoes back on and the anticipation was wonderful. As a kid I could never figure out why Dad wanted to get away from these rest areas so fast. Now I know that they are not places to set up camp - they are there to help make the journey possible. They are not destinations.
I want to share some stops along the way where I have found refreshment & hope online. I urge you to pay a brief visit & let me know what you think. The first is http://www.shipoffools.com/- which bills itself as "the magazine of Christian unrest." These folks are 'survivors' of what used to be a real-world magazine that folded. It's a community of people who have both questions and faith, and who aren't afraid of either. Then, for those of you who never outgrew Mad magazine, there is http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/- which bills itself as 'pretty much the only Christian satire' magazine (this one still also exists as an actual, paper magazine, too). The writing & ideas at the Door can be uneven - it doesn't always 'work' - but when they really connect it can be beautiful.
For rest & rejuvenation, though, there is http://www.sacredspace.ie/ - a site that invites you to prayer by way of '10 minutes in front of your computer' - & which offers a daily guide through Scripture & meditation. It is literally a chance to pause & take a deep breath, and to remember who you are. Like the best rest areas, it offers beauty, it is possible to visit briefly, it can connect you with fellow travelers, and it can offer enough renewal to be brave enough for the next steps on the journey. A taste of Heaven can do that.
- Steve
BLOG NOTES: There should be a button at the top of your computer screen that says "Add to Favorites" - if you add "Leaving Nadderby" there, you can easily check back for new posts (and you won't have to worry about how to spell 'Nadderby'). I'm still learning how to get word out about this, so let me urge you to Forward liberally. For now I will be working on a list & notifying folks by email. Thanks for your notes & encouragement as this begins.
When our Dad would drive us from Ohio to Oklahoma in the '60s, the trip would begin at 4:30 a.m. We would be transferred from bed to the back seat and he would aim the car down the road as far as humanly possible (& occasionally beyond). This mode of travel focused on gobbling up the miles, not sightseeing, which meant that he left many Rest Stops in his wake. The signs would appear promising an oasis of green, a chance to move, and some cool shade (in those pre-AC days), in addition to the all-important restroom, and then, as the road widened into an exit lane, Dad would drive right by - it often seemed to me that he even accelerated just a bit, to forestall whining or hope from the back seat.
Oh, but when we heard that turn signal begin to click & felt the car slowing . . . (!) - we would scramble to get our shoes back on and the anticipation was wonderful. As a kid I could never figure out why Dad wanted to get away from these rest areas so fast. Now I know that they are not places to set up camp - they are there to help make the journey possible. They are not destinations.
I want to share some stops along the way where I have found refreshment & hope online. I urge you to pay a brief visit & let me know what you think. The first is http://www.shipoffools.com/- which bills itself as "the magazine of Christian unrest." These folks are 'survivors' of what used to be a real-world magazine that folded. It's a community of people who have both questions and faith, and who aren't afraid of either. Then, for those of you who never outgrew Mad magazine, there is http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/- which bills itself as 'pretty much the only Christian satire' magazine (this one still also exists as an actual, paper magazine, too). The writing & ideas at the Door can be uneven - it doesn't always 'work' - but when they really connect it can be beautiful.
For rest & rejuvenation, though, there is http://www.sacredspace.ie/ - a site that invites you to prayer by way of '10 minutes in front of your computer' - & which offers a daily guide through Scripture & meditation. It is literally a chance to pause & take a deep breath, and to remember who you are. Like the best rest areas, it offers beauty, it is possible to visit briefly, it can connect you with fellow travelers, and it can offer enough renewal to be brave enough for the next steps on the journey. A taste of Heaven can do that.
- Steve
BLOG NOTES: There should be a button at the top of your computer screen that says "Add to Favorites" - if you add "Leaving Nadderby" there, you can easily check back for new posts (and you won't have to worry about how to spell 'Nadderby'). I'm still learning how to get word out about this, so let me urge you to Forward liberally. For now I will be working on a list & notifying folks by email. Thanks for your notes & encouragement as this begins.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Looking Back
Do you wish you could see the future? Are you sure?
Before Karen & I had been married for 5 years, she was involved in a very serious auto accident. She was at the end of a day on her job as a reporter. I was three hours away doing my weekly stint at school. A full-size Olds going about 50 m.p.h. hit her car directly on the driver's door. She was, thank God, driving a '65 Chevy Impala, and all of that steel and Providence combined to save her life.
Days before, she had learned that she was pregnant. As I drove up I-75 that night towards her hospital, the initial assurances from an ER nurse wrestled with images of losing both her and our unknown child. Thankfully, she proved as tough as the '65 Chevy she was driving.
The journeys we are on involve going on past surprises, mistakes, and sometimes outright disasters. She made it through that first pregnancy with the aid of a wheelchair, crutches, determination, and faith, but it was not the road we had pictured in those first moments of learning about a new life entering the world.
In the years since, both family & dear friends have gone through events that detour, sometimes cruelly, the route we thought we were going to travel. That's why I think there is a kind of grace at work in our inability to foresee the future. I think most of us would run like thieves if we knew up front all that we would have to handle. As it is, shock, duty, and sometimes plain luck work together to get us through this one day in which we live, and move, and have our being.
THE BLOG'S NAME comes from the beginning of Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. As the book begins, Lewis' protagonist (Ransom) is in a foul mood. He has been denied a night's lodging in the village of Much Nadderby, and now his walking tour has become something like a sprint to reach the next village before nightfall. What he doesn't know is that a far greater journey is beginning - one that will literally take him to other worlds where he will see wonders beyond his imagination and mysteries that will make sense of some of the central Mysteries of his own existence. That's how I see us living many of our days.
Walking on past former goals and dreams, often grumbling (or weeping) over our shoulders at what has been lost, we journey on to learn that there are still wonders in store beyond the unexpected, unwanted, changes which have forced their way into our lives. It is not the road we imagined or planned for that carries us on to our ultimate goal, but the road that we are really and truly on - the one with Nadderby behind, and the true journey of a Lifetime ahead.
- Steve
Before Karen & I had been married for 5 years, she was involved in a very serious auto accident. She was at the end of a day on her job as a reporter. I was three hours away doing my weekly stint at school. A full-size Olds going about 50 m.p.h. hit her car directly on the driver's door. She was, thank God, driving a '65 Chevy Impala, and all of that steel and Providence combined to save her life.
Days before, she had learned that she was pregnant. As I drove up I-75 that night towards her hospital, the initial assurances from an ER nurse wrestled with images of losing both her and our unknown child. Thankfully, she proved as tough as the '65 Chevy she was driving.
The journeys we are on involve going on past surprises, mistakes, and sometimes outright disasters. She made it through that first pregnancy with the aid of a wheelchair, crutches, determination, and faith, but it was not the road we had pictured in those first moments of learning about a new life entering the world.
In the years since, both family & dear friends have gone through events that detour, sometimes cruelly, the route we thought we were going to travel. That's why I think there is a kind of grace at work in our inability to foresee the future. I think most of us would run like thieves if we knew up front all that we would have to handle. As it is, shock, duty, and sometimes plain luck work together to get us through this one day in which we live, and move, and have our being.
THE BLOG'S NAME comes from the beginning of Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. As the book begins, Lewis' protagonist (Ransom) is in a foul mood. He has been denied a night's lodging in the village of Much Nadderby, and now his walking tour has become something like a sprint to reach the next village before nightfall. What he doesn't know is that a far greater journey is beginning - one that will literally take him to other worlds where he will see wonders beyond his imagination and mysteries that will make sense of some of the central Mysteries of his own existence. That's how I see us living many of our days.
Walking on past former goals and dreams, often grumbling (or weeping) over our shoulders at what has been lost, we journey on to learn that there are still wonders in store beyond the unexpected, unwanted, changes which have forced their way into our lives. It is not the road we imagined or planned for that carries us on to our ultimate goal, but the road that we are really and truly on - the one with Nadderby behind, and the true journey of a Lifetime ahead.
- Steve
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