Of Cats, and Mice, and Little Nagging Issues That Won't go Away

We lost our little cat about a year ago. Frodo was about twelve, and a much-loved member of the family. His personality fit the family very well. We think the coyotes got him, but of course, we’ll never know. I miss him. About a month after he failed to show up at the house, I noticed that we had a big bag of cat food in the garage. We usually keep his food in a small garbage can, to keep the mice and insects away from it. I told my wife “We’ll have to put that away, before the critters get into it.” But I didn’t do anything about it. Several months later I mentioned it again. “I’d better put that away, before the mice get into it.” But I didn’t do anything about it. A few weeks ago, a full year after we lost Frodo, I finally got around to moving the bag. When I picked it up, it was less than half full. The mice had burrowed into the back of the bag, where I couldn’t see the hole, and had been feasting on the contents. They’d eaten more than half the bag. (Actually, they’d also been moving the contents to other places. A pair of my work boots was half full of cat food.) I realized that this situation has a life lesson for us. We ignore small problems that can drain us of energy and passion. Remember that phone call with your neighbor that didn’t end well? The cross words you had with your brother last Christmas? The handful of office supplies that you took home from work for your child’s homework project?. (You meant to go back and pay for them, but never got around to it.) Some of these things may be almost invisible, but your mind touches on them from time to time. Each time they come to mind, they take a small piece of your contentment away. Take the time to address some of those small issues that may be draining you of peace. Merry Christmas.

Beating up on the French?

(en espanol, debajo) There’s a recurring story that France isn’t grateful for the sacrifice that America made in liberating their country from German occupation. Some say that they are even surly regarding America’s role in WWII. I've heard that many times, and I suspect that you have, too. Could be. But I’ve never seen or heard anything but gratitude. My wife and I have visited dozens of sites in Normandy that commemorated Americans who fell, Regardless of the time of day or day of the week, each plaque or statue was decorated with fresh flowers. These weren’t inexpensive bouquets from the corner grocery store, but expensive floral arrangements. This pattern extended to remote, isolated, farmer’s fields where men and aircraft had fallen. As we moved from marker to marker, we were touched by the care that had been given to preserve the history of these fallen Americans. Every town in Normandy has a corner, square, street, or statue that commemorates fallen Americans, British, and Canadians. Most have many such markers. And these aren't little 12 inch by 12 inch plaques, but huge bronze casts, six to ten feet long. Are all the places where Americans fell marked this way? Of course not. But many are. Are all markers around France decorated with fresh flowers? Probably not, but many are. If you’ve experienced something different, I’d like to hear about it. But don’t buy into idle chatter about France. The French people that we've met were uniformly grateful, they were cognizant of the huge cost of their freedom, and weren’t shy about saying so. By the way, if you are French, you’re welcome. We'd free you from oppression again. It's the American way. Hay una historia recurrente de que Francia no es agradecido por el sacrificio que América hizo en la liberación de su país de la ocupación alemana. Algunos dicen que son incluso maleducado con respecto al papel de Estados Unidos en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. He oído que muchas veces, y sospecha que tiene, también. Podría ser. Pero nunca he visto o escuchado nada más que gratitud. Mi esposa y yo hemos visitado docenas de sitios en Normandía que conmemoraban los estadounidenses que cayeron, sin importar la hora del día o día de la semana, cada placa o estatua estaba decorado con flores frescas. Estos no eran ramos de flores baratas de la tienda de la esquina, pero los arreglos florales costosos. Este patrón se extendió a los campos remoto, aislado, de los agricultores donde los hombres y las aeronaves habían caído. A medida que avanzábamos a partir del MP en Marker, fuimos tocados por el cuidado que se le había dado a preservar la historia de estos estadounidenses caídos. Cada ciudad de Normandía tiene una esquina, plaza, calle, o una estatua que conmemora caídos americanos, británicos y canadienses. La mayoría tienen muchos de estos marcadores. Y estos no son poco 12 pulgadas por 12 pulgadas placas, pero enorme de bronce yesos, de seis a diez pies de largo. Son todos los lugares donde los estadounidenses cayeron marcada de esta forma? Por supuesto no. Pero muchos lo son. Son todos los marcadores en los alrededores de Francia decoradas con flores frescas? Probablemente no, pero muchos son. Si usted ha experimentado algo diferente, me gustaría saberlo. Pero no creo en la charla ociosa sobre Francia. El pueblo francés que nos hemos encontrado eran uniformemente agradecido, que eran conscientes de la enorme costo de su libertad, y no fueron tímidos a la hora que lo diga. Por cierto, si usted es francés, de nada. Le estaríamos libres de la opresión de nuevo. Es el estilo americano.

"I Don't Like Your Religion," he told me.

An acquaintance recently told me that he didn’t like my “religion.” I’m not sure what he meant. It’s a pretty broad indictment. (Between you and me, I’m not big on religion, either. My faith is more about relationship.) If it’s my church that he doesn’t like, I wonder what he is basing his comments on? I’m pretty sure that he’s never been to Good Shepherd Community Church. I know he wasn’t referring to a national organization, like “Baptists” or “Quakers,” because our church is a non-affiliated community church. We aren’t part of any bigger body. It could be that he meant Good Shepherd. True, our church wouldn’t marry a gay couple, but is that a cause for a blanket indictment? The Mormons, Catholics, Russian Orthodox Church, Seventh Day Adventists, and a hundred other churches wouldn’t conduct a marriage for me, because I’m not of their faith. That’s not cause for an indictment - it’s cause for a shrug. (I’m happily married, by the way, thanks, not looking to get married.) If it’s all Christian’s everywhere that he doesn’t like, then I feel sorry for him. It makes no more sense for him to “not like” all Christians than it makes sense for me to hate “all Muslims.” Both comments make no sense. At last check, there were about 2.2 billion people in the world (out of a population of 7 billion) who self-identify as Christians. Can it be that he doesn’t like 2.2 billion people? How many of them has he met? Did he mean “I don’t believe what you believe?” Maybe, but that’s not what he said. And again, I don’t know what he thinks I believe. He and I have never discussed what I believe. Did he mean “I don’t believe that the Bible is true?” Could be, but I suspect that he’s never read it, so that would be an uninformed opinion. If someone asked me what I thought of Shintoism, I would say that I’d never read about it, not that I “didn’t like it.” I sure hope he’s not reaching that decision based on what he thinks he sees on television. TV loves to paint most people of faith - all faiths - as radical, closed-minded, judgmental people. If what he doesn’t like is how I’m living out my faith, I wish he would explain what I do that he finds offensive, because I want to work on it. I’m not perfect, but if I’m actively doing something that he finds offensive, then I want to change. The Bible says that the world will know we are Christians by our love. Good goal, good standard. I hope the love shows through. If it doesn’t, I’m failing in my daily walk. But please, don’t be to quick to condemn the Christian religion. I did a quick check. There are 17 homeless shelters listed in an online Portland directory. Of those, 9 are run by Christian organizations. None of them screen the cold and the hungry to determine what they believe before they are fed and sheltered. The doors are open to all. Christian organizations, for all the disrespect that they are shown, are doing some things right. Oh, and the number of Portland area shelters run by Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Muslims, animists, and Sikhs? All together, they are running… wait for it... zero homeless shelters in Portland. It doesn't mean that individuals of those beliefs aren't volunteering, but the organizations haven't stepped up.