Let me add my voice to what is undoubtedly a cacophony of voices reacting to the news that Barack Obama has secured the number of pledged and super delegates needed to become the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
I have to admit, I wished for this to be the outcome, but I was secretly afraid that it would not really come true. I have been deeply disappointed by the outcomes of votes in the past. So much so that I didn't want to believe that it would happen. I didn't want to get my hopes dashed yet again.
But the man who has made hope his whole campaign, the man who has inspired me and millions like me to donate money to help him win, the man who is working to bring our level of discourse to a new high, has prevailed.
After 14 years of living in San Francisco and spending loads of time across the Golden Gate bridge in Marin, I finally took the opportunity to enjoy the Mountain Play on Mt. Tam above Muir Woods. I have seen signs for it every year and have though many times that I would love to go. But, alas, thinking and doing are two very different things.
Well, yesterday I finally went. My friend Michelle and I decided that we should go so we gathered a few other women to go with us for the outing. The play (musical, really) for this year is "The Wizard of Oz."
We gathering in a park and ride lot at 11 am and took the shuttle up the mountain. After finding seats - which took longer than I expected since lots of people arrived long before we did! - we settled in and enjoyed the picnic lunch we had brought.
It was a gorgeous day - warm, no fog, little wind. The play was good - the actress who played Dorothy did an excellent job. And the company was great. I definitely want to do this again. And next time, I won't wait 14 years to do it.
Summers are quiet at the seminary. There are only a few classes taking place for people pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree. And those are completed by the beginning of July. Most students are off on trips or working to fund their seminary experience.
Because it is a slow time in the life of the institution, we are typically given Friday afternoons off. For June, July, and the beginning of August, everyone is allowed and encouraged to go home at 1 pm. I don't have to be told twice on that one!
Today, I decided to spend my free afternoon on my new bicycle. I didn't have a chance to commute to work on it this week so I wanted to get out for a ride. And that's exactly what I did.
The last few days have been quite warm - even in San Francisco. That rarely lasts for more than a few days in a row before the fog rolls in and puts the smack down on the heat. Well that fog rolled in last night and battled valiantly against burning off today. That means that the wind was whipping but good when I got on my bike to make my way around the north and west of the city.
Couple that with the significant hills that make up this fine city of mine and that equals one difficult ride. It was only 20 miles long but it sure felt longer than that. That is until I turned around and headed home. Then I was spinning near my top gear and loving the push I was getting from behind! (Unfortunately, that only lasted for a couple of miles. But I'll take what I can get.)
Still though, I would rate this as an excellent use of my free afternoon.
My friends Monte and Bruce both have school-aged children who finished this week for the summer. They both marked that event by posting a video that they thought of that spoke to this momentous time in every child's life.
I like the timing of their posts. Just this morning while I was running I came across a child's math workbook lying open at the base of a tree outside of someone's home - obviously forgotten in the rush to begin enjoying summer break. This immediately made me think of a song that was played EVERY summer while I was growing up (and probably still is).
Starting Friday, 20 June 2008, I will be going to San Jose, CA, every day for a week. I've been there many times before to run the marathon and half marathon put on each October as well as to be a spectator on the finish line of the recently initiated Tour of California bicycle race.
But this time my purpose is quite different. This time I am going to participate in the national gathering ( the General Assembly) of my church - the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This will be my first time attending such a gathering and I am truly looking forward to the experience.
It all starts with a couple of days of intense work with my colleague and good friend, Bruce Reyes-Chow on his campaign to be the next moderator of the national church. That will be followed by five days of wandering the halls, meeting old friends, and making many new ones, as well as watching the church do it's best at living into the fact that we are a "connectional" church.
Those who have been a part of this church for much longer than I have varying degrees of cynicism about this whole process. But I am new to it so I am unabashedly excited about seeing and experiencing it all.
Here's hoping (and praying) that God will truly be in the mix and that we all can come away with a renewed sense of God's call.
When I heard that GA was coming to San Jose, I was excited. This will most definitely be the closest it will come to me in my life time - a 45 minute drive if there is no traffic, a one hour train ride if one catches a 'baby bullet' train, or a one-and-a-half hour train ride if one takes the train that makes all of the stops on the CalTrain.
And, because it was so close, I decided not to stay in San Jose. I don't think I would make the same choice again. Because I was staying at my own home each night, I had the illusion that I needed to keep up on things there - like laundry and dishes. Things that I didn't really have time to keep up with since I was almost constantly either in transit or at the assembly in San Jose.
Next time (in 2010), the gathering will be in Minnesota - no danger of repeating this scenario again. Then maybe I'll be able to enjoy more of the after parties and early morning breakfasts.
As I was riding the CalTrain down and back from San Jose all last week, I kept thinking about the many stories I had read about people being hit by these trains and the delays to the schedule that resulted from trying to clear the scene and figure out cause (read: was it suicide or not?). I was glad to make it through the week without having any delays whatsoever. I counted myself lucky.
I didn't know how right I was. This afternoon just such an incident occurred. I can't imagine how horrible things must be for people to choose to end their life by being hit by a train. But I am also concerned for the CalTrain conductors and the riders who are witness to this method of ending one's life.
I am thankful that I did not have to be such a witness but I pray for those who are.
