Moscow!!! (not Russia)

I am finally back in my American home town with my family. It has been two weeks of living out of a suitcases and the skin is peeling on the palms of my hands.

I went for a walk with my mom and smelled the trees and grass and the clean warm air of my small town. The weather is full of heat and perfect.

I am reminded of how easy life can feel in the United States, of how simple it can feel to stroll down a street, how smooth the rhythms of life can be in a comfortable world like this.

Old Rock Climbing Adventures

Qlash

This is a miniature pair of qlash, the traditional Kurdish shoe. But this pair is just big enough for your keychain. Just thought I'd let you see what the terrorists in prison here do.

However, the real life sized shoes are made by men and women who are trained and skilled craftsmen. Some of the qlash makers are now part of a program that is reaching out to kids in Iraq. Check them out and get your own pair of shoes from Buy Shoes, Save Lives. I think this program is really neat and these people are doing a great work.

Water

I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for my car (it was coming back from being fixed) and I saw a small stream of water flowing from the guard building. Here, more than ever, I have learned some of the beauty of water. It is clear and yet shines and shimmers. It flows over and around things. It cleanses, taking the dirt into itself. It is so beautiful, but also can be so ugly when turned to slime. It gives life to plants, animals, and people too. My ind darts out to the water David poured out because he would not drink the blood of his men. The water and the blood... the Living Water, the Word washes, the blood washes... Here my mind leaps from place to place and soon has too many paths like a fractal patter that continues to split off and divide. I cannot trace it because it just keeps going like something out of control and it reties itself into knots of prayer for my students... my teachers... my friends...