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One has to ask...what was he thinking?
Police spokeswoman Yolanda Hernandez says 29-year-old Long Beach, New York, resident Jorge Geysel fell off his friend's Isuzu Trooper as he was "car surfing" along a road in the west coast community of Rincon early Saturday. Hernandez says the insurance salesman died instantly. It was not clear how fast the car was traveling. Hernandez says she can't yet say whether Geysel's two companions will face any criminal charges.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/07/jorge-geysel-new-york-ins_n_349697.html&cp
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This week I celebrated my 52nd birthday. It was not without its surprises. I briefed a group of industry people on the  Department of Homeland Security budget. There were about 70 people in the room. After the meeting adjourned, I had several people come over to me to ask questions. One good-looking lady came up to me and planted a big kiss on my cheek and said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Sure wasn't expecting that. I am sure my face turned several shades of red, but I must admit, I am not complaining.
Fifty two. Kind of a strange one. No significant milestone. Just 52 trips around the sun. In hindsight, this has been a very rough year. Exactly a year ago I was sitting, with my family, in Keri and Richard Nakamura's dining room in Japan. They all sang Happy Birthday to me after a very long day of visiting temples throughout the Tokyo area. Upon my arrival back in the States, I was released from my job. That began a journey of change through this year that is still ongoing. Watching how God unfolds each day can be much like a walk through a flower garden with a beautiful surprise at every turn, but some days are more like Mr Toad's Wild Ride where we hang on with all our might and even close our eyes in anticipation of what is around the next turn. Nonetheless, it is a journey and He carries me through.
 Some of the old songs have become more meaningful to me throughout this last year. One song - He Covers Me - by Steve Camp, probably written before many of you were born, reminds us that trials are our friends because they draw us closer to Him. The new songs, though, like Hold My Heart by Tenth Avenue North, speak the current Word and drive me to my knees reminding me where my proper place is - at the feet of the Christ. Even to this day I marvel how the Creator of the Universe has an interest in me.
I took some time over the last week to reflect on this trip around the sun. What did I learn? What wisdom did I gain? Each trip seems to give me a different perspective on life, a new understanding of His creation, and I seem to be always learning. Here are a few of the things I think about when reflecting on this last year:
1. Getting older doesn't mean things get easier. Maybe some things aren't quite as important as they use to be - like chores indeed get harder when we put them off, but every now and then, chores can wait because walking on the beach with my kids is something that can't be replaced.
2. Days pass more quickly. Nights are seldom long. (sound like an old John Denver song?)
3. Change is still a lot of fun and keeps each day exciting.
4. Absolutely nothing compares to the freedom of being lost in worship - maybe it is because with each passing day, with each orbit, I understand better what that worship is all about.
5. The very same children that cause me to get upset, bring some of the greatest joy into my life.
6. I never thought preparing to let them go and encouraging them to be independent would be so difficult - on me. Yet I rejoice in their ability to stand on their own.
7. The roof leaks, the wooden porch has some boards that are rotting, and the screen door doesn't work right - all just simple reminders that our life here is temporary.
8. There is nothing quite as peaceful as a walk in the woods on a full-moon night, especially after a rain when the sky is clear and the ground is soft.
9. A daily reminder of who I am and who He is sure makes life better. If I don't take the time to remind myself, He is faithful to do it for me.
10. It is a good thing to be content with my wife, but not to be content with how I love her.
These may not be pearls of wisdom to you...you probably know all these things already. That is ok. As much as things change, they stay the same. The human condition has been constant since the beginning. We wander seeking for a purpose in our life wanting to know that it all matters. These struggles, the trials we endure. We want to know it matters to someone somewhere. Is it worth it?
 As I start my 53rd trip around the sun, I can tell you what I know. I know that each day of our lives does matter. That each one of us has a purpose in this life that God wants us to fulfill. That purpose really has nothing to do with gaining wealth or position in life, although He may use those things. No, the most important thing is having a strong growing relationship with our God. When we do that, He brings others into our life that we encourage and that encourage us. We may never know the impact we have. What we can know is that the Creator of the Universe, the One who makes atoms such that the same ones that are in water are in the air we breathe, that same Creator made each one of us with a plan in mind...and His plans never fail.
As I sit here tonight writing this, my dog Bay is curled up at my feet, it is getting cool outside, and the house is silent since everyone else is in bed. I look back over my 52nd orbit and I eagerly look forward to my 53rd trip. What great adventure does He have for me? I don't know, but my prayer is only for one thing. In all that I do, in every step of my life, TGBTG forever and ever!
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...thank you for all you did, for responding as you are trained, and for being there when it mattered...
A civilian police officer who shot the Fort Hood gunman four times during his bloody rampage stopped the attacker cold, a U.S. Army official said Friday.
Officer Kimberly Munley of the Fort Hood Police Department is a "trained, active first responder" who acted quickly after she "just happened to encounter the gunman," said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, Fort Hood's commanding general.
Cone said the officer and her partner responded "very quickly" to the scene of the shootings -- reportedly in around three minutes.
Munley "just happened very fortunately to be very close to the incident scene," Cone told CNN's "American Morning."
He said she shot the gunman four times and was wounded herself in an exchange of gunfire with him.
"Really a pretty amazing and aggressive performance by this police officer," Cone said.
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Folks, If any of you are interested in helping out with this project, please contact Ed Meagher, aka Husky Elf, directly at emeagher@cox.net. Ed is a recently retired civil servant who worked at VA for many years.Calling All Elves,
It is indeed that time of year again and we are once again recruiting for elves to participate in Operation Covert Santa III.
Operation Covert Santa is a very simple idea. Christmas is a very difficult time for recently injured soldiers and their families.
They are dealing with so many stressful issues in an unfamiliar setting away from home. Providing gifts for their loved ones is often too difficult or impossible under the circumstances. We approach these recently injured soldiers and their families and ask them to give us their “Santa List” and to leave the rest to us.
Many of them are reluctant at first. It might sound to them as if we are offering charity and they are too proud to even consider that prospect. Our response is to ask them, “Don’t you believe in Santa Claus?” This isn’t charity. This is simply Santa Claus doing his job.
We then take these lists, remove the individual names and identify each list by a description of the soldier or family member.
This is where you come in. Each elf can choose to provide the gifts from a Santa List for a whole family, an individual family member, an individual gift, or make a cash contribution towards a gift. You wrap the gifts and deliver them to us. We deliver them to the soldiers and their families from Santa Claus in the true spirit of Christmas giving.
As one of the elves pointed out this is the purest form of giving. A gift given and received anonymously.
Last year over 200 elves provided a wonderful Christmas for 81 severely injured soldiers and their families. This year we are attempting to expand our reach by including the sailors and marines from Bethesda Naval Medical Center (BNMC) as well as the soldiers and airman from Walter Reed Army Hospital (WRAH) and we think there could be 150 service members and their families who need to leave it to Santa to take care of their Christmas lists so we will need that many more elves to step forward.
If you would like to become an elf and help fulfill these Santa lists or have any questions please send me an email.
Thanks,
Husky Elf
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My friend, Tommee Profitt (yes the same one who did the goofy Man vs Ball videos), is a finalist in a songwriters contest. The contest is sponsored by Chris Tomlin for his next worship album. Below is the note from Tommee and the link to vote. When you go to the web site, you will see how easy it is to vote. However, it isn't easy to see how to hear the songs. You have to click on Media, then click on FQ Radio. It will launch a player where you can scroll through the songs. Please go to the site, listen to his song, and vote for him. Listen to the songs and I think you will agree, Tommee has an awesome song here. If you want to see how he produced the song, he made a series of videos and posted them on his website. Click here.  Tommee Profitt New Song "Beautiful Grace" chosen to move on as semi-finalist in CHRIS TOMLIN'S WORSHIP SONGWRITING EVENT! Need your help to VOTE (takes 10 seconds): http://fqworship.com/vote-now/ |
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