November 20, 2008 - The Day of the Meteorite

So, two days ago I experienced one of the most memorable birthdays of my life. In some good ways and some....well....not as good!

I went into work and got spoiled rotten - flowers, chocolates, well-wishes all day long. It was all going well, and then I talked with my sister. You see, I had received a YouTube a few days ago that was a short film of a guy turning the pages of the foreclosure listings for Wayne County, Michigan, in the Detroit Free Press. There were....are you sitting down, reader....136 pages of foreclosures. Unbelievable.

I asked my sister if that was true. And she said she thought so, yes. So, I asked her how she experienced this personally. And she told me her subdivision has a lot of empty houses with foreclosure signs in front of them. I asked them where these people now lived. She said many people are living in their cars or RVs. The police are very busy in Detroit, I am guessing.

What other ways is she experiencing the economic downturn? She said that restaurants are closing, the retailers are desperate, there are too many cars for the car lots - no place to store the excess, neighbors are getting laid off or hours and/or salaries cut. Food prices are soaring.

I hung up the phone with Jackie, and sat staring at the computer screen for a few moments.... and the tears came. A huge wave of sadness overwhelmed me right then. All these people thinking there would be no end to the good times for years....and now this. Who knows? It might have happened to me if I was there still. It is so easy to overextend. When everyone else is going to lunch, it is hard to say no, isn't it? When everyone else is planning trips to warmer climates, it is hard to say no, isn't it? For me, it isn't the warmer climates or the trip the matters, but I do feel a need to have shared experiences with people I enjoy. That does not justify the behavior any better, though, does it.

When I came to Edmonton, I felt more at home. It was not the mad rush that I experienced in the Detroit area. But over the past few years, it has sneaked in here, too. I recently spoke with a new friend of mine who is working with young adults, teaching them how to handle money, through a study that Dave Ramsey in the U.S. has put together. She has numerous examples of young adults who are not exercising good financial practices, either because they haven't been taught, or they haven't learned. But there are so many people here now who are overextended. And the pressure continues....

A friend of mine, who is a single mom struggling to make it on a receptionist's salary, has a 9 year old son who would like an IPod for Christmas. They are priced at about $400. There are people who actually think she should get him the IPod, when it should be seen as "living beyond your means." Period. End of discussion. When did it become sad if you can't have an IPod??? Man, we are really, really poisoned.

Anyway, back to the birthday experience.....

I was feeling quite....well....out of sorts, a bit apprehensive, sad even, as I took off to meet friends at the movie theatre to see "Madagascar". I was nearly there, sitting at a red light at St. Albert Trail and 137 Avenue, when suddenly it was daylight for 2 or 3 seconds...and as I looked up there was a ball of fire that appeared to go up and then down. I would have guessed that the ball of fire fizzled out and dropped within a quarter mile. I thought, "What was that? Must have been an explosion of some sort." But I couldn't make sense of it. I thought further, "What in the world is going on today?" Then I started thinking bigger. What if that was a chemical explosion or nuclear? I wondered how long it would be before the poisoned gas would reach me if so. And bigger yet... I wondered if all of a sudden one day, darkness will turn into daylight, and the Lord will be before me. Will it be like that? Will I be sitting at a stop light and all of a sudden, daylight all around? Was I ready?

Ahhhhh....am I ready for that today?

Anyway, I was really quite disconcerted as I went into the movie theatre moments later, hoping I would hear later it was some firework or some minor explosion. Connie was there and it was good just to see a friend at this point. A group of us watched Madagascar - it was a relief to watch good clean comic fun.

This is my second most memorable birthday in my life. The day the meteorite streaked across the prairie skies, turning darkness into daylight along the way.

Of all the videos of the meteorite videos out there, this is the one that is like what I saw:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSL3b6bCR7s

Remembering

"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25 - 28 (NIV)

There are many scriptures that talk about the value of sacrifice, the laying down of our lives for another or others. Today is our day to remember those in our families, cities, counties, states, countries, who have laid down their lives for us.

This is one thing that has always fascinated me about men in particular. I mean really. Just as I sit here drinking coffee and writing this little blurb.....years ago, men in my family and others woke up, drank coffee, and heard or read something that caused them to say "sign me up" to serve.

Today I'll remember those I know of in my family:

My father, Douglas Brown, enlisted in the Air Force when he was 17 or 18. He was stationed in England in the late 40's/early 50's, but was never involved in armed conflict.

My uncle, Mike O'Brien, was a career Coast Guard Officer.

My uncle Steve O'Brien served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and upon returning, served in the Reserves.

My brother, Dale Brown, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served for 3 years.

My cousin Erin's husband, Brent Orr, is a full time captain in the North Carolina Army National Guard and an Apache helicopter pilot, and has served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The ability to step up, serve, risk and possibly give one's life for a greater good, so that others might live, certainly portrays a picture that Christ himself painted for the disciples. The vast majority of those who have served and do serve in our armed forces do not hold positions of great authority or power, but nevertheless have served with their lives, in an "everyday" kind of way, so that the rest of us may live with the many freedoms we enjoy today.

Thank you.

An Early Winter Night's Joy

Surprised. I was quite surprised.

I had seen a ballet earlier this year - "Mozart's Requiem", and it was quite good, but a bit heavy and dark. Prior to that, my last ballet was "Swan Lake" performed at the Kennedy Center with Rudolph Nureyev as the lead male dancer, perhaps 30 years ago. I don't remember much of the performance, except for being absolutely amazed watching the swans dance their beautifully synchronized dance.

So, as I headed off to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" a couple of days ago, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. With my limited experience, I expected a serious, somewhat dark ballet. As I said above, I was quite surprised.

First of all, the set was beautiful. Not too complicated, so very sophisticated. The opening seemed as if it was occurring in a dream, and we understood why that was when a filmy filter curtain lifted during or after the opening dance. Brilliant.

Mendellsohn's music was light and fun. The choreography was....well, astute, I think. In other words, I think that the story was told so well, and the humor conveyed so aptly, that even the viewer who least likes ballet would be entertained!! The dancers danced in a beautifully winsome fashion - to my untrained eye, they were flawless. The children's performance was top-notch, and the Pro Coro Choir was phenomenal. As I heard the beautiful music drift up from the orchestra pit, I envied the musicians in the Edmonton Symphony.

As the potion put a spell on the lovers in this story, so this performance enchanted me. I could not have asked for a warmer experience on this early winter night!

Thank you, Alberta Ballet.