News and Record Blows It Again - Again

After an initial pathetic excuse for journalism in last Saturday's paper regarding SE High School's wrestling program and MRSA, followed by an even more provocative piece by a second reporter Tuesday, which just added to the appearance of a vast cover up, the News and Record followed with a more positive article Wednesday where pieces of a statement made by the principle were referenced, along with other positive comments regarding the coaches and the wrestling program. So, things were going in the right direction. Then the two families that started the whole mess went to News 2, who ran two stories on the same issue also without doing any better a job of due diligence. Oddly, their online piece was pulled mid morning Wednesday. I wonder why?

I understand that News 2 ran a more balanced piece today. Someone told me that. I missed it.

Then today the News and Record ran a kind of philosophical editorial about how MRSA laws and practices are just so terribly confusing. They should have run an editorial about how their reporter had been so irresponsible. They didn't. Shame on you N&R. You blew it. You messed up. I think you know it. Just say so.

Actually the regulations about MRSA are spelled out on the GCS web site and they really aren't very confusing. The N&R seems confused about different rules regarding school attendance as compared to athletic participation. Duh. Is this hard to understand? Maybe it has something to do with the fact the wrestlers are engaged in serious bodily contact while wrestling, and that bandages can come off the sweaty body of a wrestler during a match.

This isn't rocket science.

And for those who want "the facts," well, the school district cannot release the facts regarding student medical issues. They can't tell you if a student has or doesn't have some disease. Neither can the principal or the coach. There are federal laws and local regulations that are designed to protect the privacy of students. I'm glad those laws are there.

Now, if I were a journalist there are a few questions I would like answered. Why did the N&R reporter tell me on the phone that he had been under pressure to release the story for the Saturday morning paper, even though he had not yet talked to key people involved? Pressure from whom? Why?

Is it true as has been asserted (but not reported) that one of the students involved said several days before the article was released that an article was going to be released? If that is true then it makes it look like the N&R had much of the week to do their due diligence and did not. It may not be true. I'd like to know. Wouldn't you? What did the N&R know, and when did they they know it? (or think they knew it!)

Is it true that the student who was diagnosed with MRSA Thursday was back in school Tuesday? I understand that that is true. So, does he have MRSA? Does he not? I'd like to know. Was he cured? Was there a false positive Thursday? Has he been cleared to wrestle as well as to attend school? There is no way to find out, at least for me. Normally I would say this is nobody's business, except that the News and Record article has defamed the integrity of a coach and a school as regards this student. So, one is curious. I am.

Another question I have is this. In the first article about this matter on Saturday Feb 2, it says: "Doctors diagnosed the MRSA infection Thursday night in Tyler Rush, a 16-year-old sophomore on the Southeast wrestling team, his mother, Sheila Rush, said Friday." But MRSA takes 48 hours to culture. Did the family get a culture back on Thursday from an earlier doctor visit? You cannot diagnose MRSA on the spot. The time line is confusing to me. It makes me wonder.

While I am at it. MRSA is not Ebola. Is not TB. It is serious and can be fatal if untreated like many other bacterial infections such as Haemophilus or Strep B. But MRSA is not considered a communicable disease per se. It cannot be spread in the air. It can't be spread at a water fountain. It can be spread only by skin to skin contact. As far as regular life goes, a good bandage is sufficient. The school's regulations make perfect sense.

It's time for the News and Record to issue a public apology to the principal and coaches at SE High, instead of some philosophical refection about how confusing this all is. That sounds like an excuse or rationalization for poor journalism to me.

As a Christian I believe that in the end my reputation is in God's hands. I cannot control what others say about me no matter how ridiculous. So there is a limit as to how passionately I should care about my own reputation. But I am called to care a lot - a whole lot - about my neighbor's reputation.

The ninth commandment says that we are not to bear false witness against our neighbor. The flip side of this is that we are to work to uphold the integrity of our neighbor's reputation. It takes a lifetime to build a good name. It can be taken away in a moment. This is serious business.

Journalists need to consider this more before they besmurch the good name and reputation of a committed local teacher, coach, athletic director, and principal, and start printing unfounded allegations brought by a third party.

I am waiting for that apology.

The News and Record Blows It - Again

After printing a defamatory article regarding a local coach and local high school on Saturday morning without having done due diligence in checking the facts first, the News and Record had an opportunity to make things right. But they didn't. They made things worse still.

The headline today (in the online version of the article anyway) reads: "Coach declines to respond to charge he ignored staph."

The staff writer, Robert Bell, chose to sensationalize the matter even more by framing a headline, and a story, around the appearance of stonewalling and further cover up. In other words, the follow up creates the appearance that the parties that should have been thoroughly interviewed in the first place are now stone walling the media, hiding behind their lawyers, or whatever.

The back story remains unreported. The back story in this case is absolutely key. I think that it is the common experience of most people involved in sports that there is always drama on the fringes. One parent has it out for a coach for whatever reason, talks to other people who are unhappy for whatever reason, and soon enough gossip is flying around like nobody’s business. This is true in recreation league sports. It is true in school sports. There is always some kind of drama and some kind of backbiting behind the scenes. It’s amazing anyone agrees to coach anything.

A cautious and thorough investigation would have revealed all this, but it is too late now.There are two problems that make getting to the truth at this point very difficult.

First, now that the original story has been printed, and accusations have been made, the issue potentially has become a legal one. If what was printed Saturday were true, the coaches and principals could be victims of lawsuits, civil or criminal, or, they could be forced into a position to file lawsuits.

Second and trickier still, the only way to refute the charges in an unambiguous manner is to present detailed medical information regarding the various students. But that would be a direct violation of federal HIPAA laws.

Let’s imagine that a women suffering from paranoid schizophrenia with delusional issues calls the paper and says that on Thursday at 2:00pm I sexually assaulted her in my office. Let’s say that on Thursday at 2:00pm there was no one in my office but me. Let’s say that the paper calls me and leaves me a voice mail, and I don’t return the call before print deadline. So they run an article about how a local woman claims to have been sexually assaulted by a pastor in his office. Even if I had gotten the voice mail and returned the call I would not be able to talk about the person’s medical history. I could only say it didn’t happen. I could not verify that it didn’t happen because we don’t have cameras up in our office (maybe we should). My reputation would be in the toilet. People are ready to believe almost any kind of sordid news story. Once the story was out I would be in touch with a lawyer and I would not be saying anything else. I have no idea what would happen to me.

The News and Record has let itself get caught up in a personal vendetta. I am not meaning to imply that the parties are mentally ill. I simply needed to illustrate how something like this could play out in my situation. The comparison has to do with personal medical information and it is handled. Whatever medical diagnoses these students had, and when they had them, well, the coaches cannot tell that to the paper. It is against the law.

By letting itself get caught up in a personal grudge the News and Record has soiled the reputation of a good man and good coach, and called into question the commitment of a school and school system to student and public health. It all seems more fitting for the National Inquirer than our local paper.

The school principle (who is also an extremely good man with the highest personal integrity) and the wrestling coach of SE High have submitted a joint statement to the media relations folks at Guilford County Schools. As far as I understand things, that will have to do for now.

It remains the case that there is no basis for any of the claims that have been made.

An overwhelming percentage of parents and students who are involved in the program at SE High and who are more than aware of the standard practices to protect student and public safety, and who know the character of the coaches and principal at SE High, will have a chance to speak their mind. But as a media issue, because the News and Record jumped the gun, the detailed facts of the case will not be able to be brought to the public eye.

I am extremely disappointed in the quality of reporting of our local paper as revealed by this whole business. It seems that truth is quite secondary to sensationalism. That disturbs me. I am not going to cancel my subscription because I like the Sudoku puzzles too much, but I will take a more cynical posture toward anything I read henceforth. You should too.

I Love February and March

I went on a long walk today. I love this time of year, so pregnant with possibility. It's a busy time outside. Despite the cold of January past, as days continue to lengthen, and as temperatures become a little more mild, life seems to start to break out all over. Have you noticed the tufts of wild onions are popping up in people's lawns. I saw a few dandelions in bloom today, as well as favorite common Spring wildflower Lamium, that purple flower that shoots up with a tuft of beautiful blue/purple flowers in a whorl around the stem.

I saw a blue bird pair building a nest while on my walk, and a bunch of crows squawking and chasing a hawk. Tree buds seem slightly swollen. Buds are fascinating.

This can be a hard time for birds that gather seed and berries, as well as those who feed on insects. Food sources are in short supply. It's a good time to "feed the birds, tuppence a bag."

Take a walk, take a break, and open you eyes and ears to all that is around you.

The News and Record Blows It

You know, you wish and hope, do you not, that when you open up your paper on a Saturday morning (or any other morning) that what is reported by a local reporter has some connection to the truth. But after this weekend, and a phone conversation I just had with a reporter, I no longer can believe that that is the case.

I just got off the phone with a reporter from the News and Record named Ryan Seals who authored an article printed Saturday morning about a "cover up" of MRSA (that nasty staph infection going around) by the wrestling coaches at SE High school. Yes, it is true, one of the students on the wrestling team had been diagnosed with MRSA. The public needs to know that. But the rest of the story, the whole "cover up" theme, was not time sensitive and needed to be checked out first - and I mean really checked out. I tried to to make a point with Mr. Seals that he had not done due diligence in corroborating his story, especially when the integrity of multiple people was at stake, and especially still when dealing with a public health matter as serious as MRSA. He kept insisting that he had done everything he could reasonably do to fact-check for his article. He believes he did. But he didn't come close. And that is scary to me.

I am sitting here astounded, flabbergasted, flummoxed, by the sheer immaturity and naivite of this young reporter. He alluded to pressure on him to get the story out. Hmmm. I'd like to know more about that.

So, the gist is that a complaint has been made by a couple of sets of parents regarding the coaches at SE High School. There is a significant and ongoing back-story about these families and their relationship to the coaching staff at SE High which bears directly upon the charges being made.

So, highly inflammatory charges are made by a person calling the paper regarding another person and the reporter believes that calling a few people late on a Friday afternoon and leaving messages which are not returned before the deadline amounts to doing "everything that could be done" to verify the story.

Does he have any concept of the work cycle of teachers and school employees? Does he have any concept of real life? How many people to whom you send an e-mail or leave a voice mail call you back immediately? So Mr. Seals calls and leaves messages (of which some of the parties have no record) and he believes he has done due diligence? Is this the journalistic standard of the News and Record? Or do they enjoy ruining people's lives as a hobby?

The basic charge in the article is that the coaches at SE were telling students with MRSA to cover up their sores and to wrestle anyway. But this does not make any sense. Students cannot wrestle with bandages without the referee checking what's under the bandage. There is no evidence whatsoever that the coach said any such thing. It makes no sense for him to say such a thing. To do so would not only be a breach of every kind of ethics, but criminal negligence, or worse. But again, wrestling matches do not work in such a way that that is how a sore would be covered up anyway. It is totally ridiculous. If a coach wanted to fool a referee he would have his wrestler take off bandages and hope the referee did not see any blemishes.

The coach, Mr. Jim Cox, is a long standing public servant who has taught for over thirty years, and coached wrestling for the better part of his career. His son works with him at the school as well. They follow a strict guideline - if anyone has a blemish, as much as a zit - they are given a form and cannot wrestle until a doctor has seen the blemish. This is standard procedure and has been followed faithfully at SE and probably every other school in the county. There is no evidence that such procedures were set aside.

What really gets my goat is the flimsy and cavalier attitude regarding the facts in a story that could ruin a reputation and a career as well as cause widespread lack of confidence in our school system, all because of a personal grudge carried by a member of the community against another. The paper ought to have the ability to know the context of such charges before running with them.

I am further bothered because I have known and been associated one way or another with many different coaches in different sports over the course of the last several years as my daughters have been actively involved in sports at NW High School. The folks that coach sports work long hours for very little extra pay, if any, and deserve the benefit of the doubt, which means a real attempt to check facts, and not a witch hunt like this.

I know this goes out late on a Monday. In my case I have actually talked on the phone to the primary subject of this blog piece. I wouldn't think of writing a story about him without so doing - no matter what pressure I was getting.

I will write more tomorrow, after the News and Record's follow up story. I hope this won't be a N&R cover up of a bad story. Be ready reporters. I am going to be all over you on this.

Oh, and I have a new lead. I am told that students spoke as far back as last Tuesday about an article to come out in the paper. I really hope that is not true. Don't you Mr. Seals?

Best Play Ever

Forget "The Catch." Forget "The Immaculate Reception." Last night's fourth quarter pass and catch between Eli Manning and David Tyree ranks as the single most amazing, game-changing, unlikely, and fantastic play I have witnessed in 40 years of watching professional football. I mean, Manning should have gone down. It should have been a sack. But he pulled away from grasping and tugging arms, swung out of the pocket to throw an off balance 30 yard pass to David Tyree, who at full extension and with a Patriot defender all over him, caught the ball with the tips of his fingers, trapped it against his helmet, and then pulled it into his arms as he fell backwards, his body bent back over the defender underneath him. It was simply amazing, the stuff of which football legends are made. I suppose we will get to enjoy it in "best of" football stories for the rest of my life. I feel for New England, the perfect season thing gone, but I was a rootin' for the Giants and Eli. What a game!

For Real, Is John McCain Eligible?

I know others have written about this, but...

Article II, Section I, Clause 5 of the Constitution does state: “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the same time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

John McCain was born in 1936 to American parents stationed at the Coco Solo air Base, an American base in the Panama Canal Zone. Wikipedia calls it an "air" base in one place and a "submarine" base in another place. Was it a navy air base? At any rate, the base was inside of the Panama Canal Zone. As best as I can understand the Panama Canal Zone was never considered to be American soil, and was always a kind of rented property in the nation of Panama itself run by the Panama Canal Company.

So, McCain was born on an American military base in the Panama Canal Zone. Has there ever been a court decision or legislative act that says directly that American military bases are American soil as pertains to matters or citizenship? Yes, children born to American parents on a US military base are citizens, but that is only one part of the total picture. Are children of non citizens born on military bases considered citizens? If a pregnant person who is a citizen of another country were to be visiting a friend on an American military base, and if she were to go into emergency labor, and have a child on the base, would that child be an American citizen? If not then American bases are not the same as American soil as pertains to citizenship.

But citizenship per se is not the question here.

The Naturalization Act of 1790 addresses the question of who exactly is a citizen. Unfortunately the act rules includes racial restrictions, restrictions which have finally been eliminated over time. But the part of that act germane to the question of John McCain is the part that involves citizenship for Americans born "abroad." As the Act states, "the children of citizens of the United States that may be born beyond Sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born Citizens." This Act was replaced by The Naturalization Act of 1795, but the provision quoted above was not changed, including the phrase "natural born citizen." The Act determined that children of Americans born abroad were Americans, but this not necessarily make them eligible to be president.

The Fourteenth Amendment also has language regarding citizenship, but does not speak directly to John McCain's situation. It says, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

There have been a couple of court cases which touch on the issue tangentially, but never one which has addressed the matter directly. It seems that according to the wording of the Article II, Section I, Clause 5 of the Constitution that John McCain may not be eligible. An "Act" such as the Naturalization Act of 1790 does not carry the authority of a constitutional amendment, does it? I am not a lawyer obviously.

Mitt Romney's father George Romney, who ran for the Republican nomination for President in 1968 (losing to Richard Nixon) was born in Mexico. I am not aware of his eligibility having been challenged.

So, it seems to me that John McCain's status is questionable. I don't think it should be, but I think that it is. I wonder if anyone has a plan to go to court over his eligibility if he wins the nomination? It would be scummy thing to do but who knows?

This interests and concerns me because I was highly involved in the candidacy of Charles "Pug" Ravenel for Governor of SC in 1974. He won the Democratic nomination only to be ruled ineligible later by the state supreme court by virtue of not meeting a residency requirement. Though he had lived out of state he had kept property in SC and considered it his home state. It was his Democratic opponents that did him in. The Democratic Party did not recover and the Republican candidate won the nomination.

Despite the wording of the Naturalization Act of 1790, it seems to me that the non amended wording of the Constitution itself could be a problem for McCain. Is someone out there just waiting to pull this card, either before or after the nomination?

I would like to see us amend this part of our constitution, maybe as suggested by Orin Hatch in 2003:

SECTION 1. A person who is a citizen of the United States, who has been for 20 years a citizen of the United States, and who is otherwise eligible to the Office of President, is not ineligible to that Office by reason of not being a native born citizen of the United States.

SECTION 2. This article shall not take effect unless it has been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States not later than 7 years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress (CITE).

Hatch’s proposal never got any traction but it seems worthy of consideration to me.

For the record, though I am not a big John McCain fan, I think that if he isn't eligible to be president no one should be. But there is that pesky constitution...

Some Scenes from South Elm

South Elm on a January Afternoon

Looking north from outside The Guilford Building, 301 S Elm, Greensboro, NC. For more photos of Greensboro and Guilford County look here.

200 Years and Climbing

I saw a billboard on the way to the office today that said something about the 200 year anniversary coming up. It inspired several reflections.

1. The decision even to have a Greensboro was one born out of significant political upheaval on the county level. Whenever we think things today are just not as civil as they used to be, well, we need to read our history. I think the opposite is true.

2. Being downtown I would say that I have more of a heart for this city than I have had in my 18 years here. But I find this to be a bit of a puzzling town in many ways.

a. I think that for a county seat and a "planned" city especially, the manner in which Greensboro was originally laid out was really poor from a practical and aesthetic standpoint. I think this is because so few people were really invested in the new city. It was brought into being simply and purely to have a central location for a courthouse. Most of the people lived in other communities. So what did they care.

b. I've driven quite a lot the last two years through small southern towns that are county seats, and there is definitely a common pattern of a square containing the courthouse with streets on all sides providing for the possibility for shops and businesses and the like. Many of these old squares are making a revival. They are often quite beautiful. Our forbears put our courthouse in the middle of an intersection.

c. In addition, there was little to no provision for wide streets, open spaces, churches, or cemeteries, those things which tend to make many downtowns more pleasant. It is hard for me not to think of my home city and how wonderfully well laid out it was and is - but it was a state capital. Oh Columbia.

3. If it had not been for John Morehead's political acumen in getting the railroad to travel through Greensboro, I think Greensboro would to this day be little more than a Wentworth, and Guilford County more like Rockingham or Caswell County economically. Because of the railroad, Greensboro came to prosper, and yet that prosperity was built, as it were, on top of a city not well planned for prosperity and growth.

4. Which brings me to the present. This city has paid the price for a lack of planning, but does it need to continue in its old patterns. Given its rather extreme sprawl and chaotic exurban growth, it seems that planning is more important than ever. Is it too late? I don't think so. But if we're going to "plan" can we not stick to our plans?

5. Given everything working against downtown prospering, it is especially pleasing to me to be down here and watch the renewal take place, a little here, a little there, every day. I may not be a native son, but I'm pulling for you Greensboro.

It's Been a While

Wow, I can't believe it. I am actually typing in a Blogger text editor! It's been a while.

I write from my new perch on the fifth floor of the Guilford Building, looking north out of my window at the brightly sunlit JP and Wachovia buildings a few blocks north, listening to Jackson Browne's "These Days" and typing on my new Dell "Vostro" laptop. It's not too bad a gig that I have really.

Any other bloggers down this way? Maybe we could have coffee or play pool over at The Green Bean.

Comments machine gun style here - probably just repeating comments of others.

Thank you Joe Guarino for your excellent article on abortion in the News and Record. I think you were 100% on target. I appreciate the kind and respectful way you have of addressing a very hard and divisive issue. And thank you to the News and Record for printing a piece which I suspect the editorial staff would not agree with.

Wow, huge thanks to David Craft and all the others who helped raise public interest in the Haw River State Park project. I am grateful to all the parties who worked out the deal, but don't think any of it would have happened without all the signs and all the letters and e-mails. The people still have power. Go people!

I'm trying to feel sad about Terry Grier leaving, but I'm not. I don't know him. It's not personal. I'm glad the "drama" is ending. Now why is it that we continued to employ a person we knew was looking for a bigger/better job? I am hoping the School Board can take back the reins. I wish we could put an end to EOG focused teaching.

And I wish the federal government would get out of the education business. I think education is one of the few issues where everything works better the more local the decision making is. I wish we could redivide our huge county wide district into smaller and more local districts, along different lines than before the merger maybe. We could divide the tax revenues evenly but have smaller districts for decision making. I wish. A pipe dream.

I've been amused by all the hoopla surrounding John Edwards' comments about the homeless veterans, and Bill O'Reilly's replies. My personal experiences from working with homeless people in another place and time, talking to people who work with the homeless now, and reading about the issue, have all led me to believe that the vast majority of homeless people do in fact suffer from mental illness or substance abuse. I hate to see these neighbors "used" by any politician or journalist. I also don't think it is any more tragic for a veteran to be homeless than anybody else. The bottom line is that these people are human beings, they are our neighbors, and most of them are not going to get better. Good economy, bad economy, they, the homeless, these dear people, will always be with us. And regardless of mental illness or alcohol or drug abuse or both, these neighbors need friendship, need to know someone who cares about them and that someone cares about them, need to know someone who will miss them if they die, need someone who will help them find a warm dry place to sleep and a hot meal to eat. And that "someone" is you, and me - all of us really. I wish we could come together and support a few more people full time to care for and advocate for the homeless, not to absolve the rest of us, but to help us.

I am so tired of Bill Clinton. I wish he and Hillary would just go away. He, they, are demeaning not just the office, but even the process of obtaining the office. It's embarrassing.

Because of the abortion issue I don't know if I could ever vote for Obama, but I like him very much, and respect his candidacy. He is inspiring to me. The speech after the Iowa win - wow! We need an inspiring president. It would also be nice to have a president who can speak a complete sentence. It's hard to get excited about any of the Republicans right now.

I saw several movies over the holidays that I liked a lot. We rented a movie called "Once." If you like music, you just might like a movie about how music happens. This is a cool movie. You'll end up buying the soundtrack, so keep that in mind. There is a fair bit of Irish street language, but that is what it is. We also rented and really very much liked "Reign Over Me." I am a huge Don Cheadle fan, and this movie was interesting and engaging at many levels. When the similarly entitled song played at the end I almost wept, because it is one of my favorite songs of all time, and was such a perfect ending for the movie. The title explains the movie pretty much. I like Adam Sandler more and more. We rented "The Kingdom." I had seen it already but liked it even more the second time. Despite the bad aim of the Islamic radical dudes, I think the movie is deeply thought provoking and moving. I saw "Dan in Real Life." Great flick. Very intriguing love story, and family story. Steve Carrell was perfect. I went to see "No Country for Old Men" with my brother and a few of the older kids over Thanksgiving. It's dark, violent, funny in places, creepy, and generally not a real inspiration. Thus I liked it. The bad guy is seriously bad. Tommy Lee Jones is his usual excellent self. Finally, we rented and saw "Bridge to Terabithia." Wow. Great flick. Just keep tissues handy!

Go Ringo.

Well, better get back to work.

Joel

A Moment's Joy (An E-Letter to My Congregation)

Today I did not have a lunch appointment with anyone, so I walked over to Cincy’s for a quick lunch of chili salad. I took my sermon materials and enjoyed the quiet and the time to read and ponder the passage from Sunday. I thought a lot about Mary “treasuring up in her heart” the things she had heard. I’ll have more to say about that Sunday.

This has not been a “fun” week. I am trying very hard to get my office life in order, which has meant hours and hours of very detailed data work and such. I’ve enjoyed my times of fellowship over lunch this week with some of you, and my time alone today.

It’s kind of nippy outside today. I had been listening to my iPod the last ten minutes or so at Cincy’s, and on the way back I decided to play a Lucinda Williams song called “Blue” as I waked back to the office. Heather had mentioned the day before listening to this song on her birthday iPod while studying at the UNC library. Heather and I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Lucinda play this live back in September at the Carolina Theatre (see review).

Anyway, so I was walking south on South Elm, on the east side of the street, approaching my building, the Guilford Building. When I got to the corner of Washington and Elm, the sun, already sinking into the southwest sky, was beaming directly down on that corner and on the building behind me – the one with all the Virginia Creeper growing up the south side, where the frame store is. I stopped. I stood. I kept standing there for maybe ten minutes soaking up the sun and the view and the music. I was thinking, “This is my little corner of the world, where I work and live.” The view down South Elm, and especially down both sides of the opposite corner of S Elm and Washington, was really lovely. The sun was warm on my face. It felt really great. At Cincy’s I had been pondering the works of God that Mary had treasured in her heart. Now I was treasuring many things in quick succession. I heard a train even over my iPod music and was able to look to my left several blocks to see the train cross over Washington Street going south and bending west around and behind The Depot, and then see it cross S. Elm two blocks down. That was cool.

Often when I listen to music I “translate.” Between the music itself that I was listening to, and the words “as translated” into my world view, I was just feeling an upwelling of joy. You wouldn’t think a song entitled “Blue” would do that, or the other Lucinda song I listened to (“Ventura”), or even the other song I sang to myself after I turned off the iPod - John Denver’s “Sunshine on My Shoulders.”

Here is the chorus to “Blue”:

Blue is the color of night
When the red sun
Disappears from the sky
Raven feathers shiny and black
A touch of blue glistening down her back

The melody is so beautiful, and the imagery so vivid, pointing me to the beauty of God’s creation, and even on a downtown street corner there was enough of that to notice and be thankful for.

Here is the chorus to “Ventura”:

I wanna watch the ocean bend,
The edges of the sun in
I wanna get swallowed up
In an ocean of love.

I felt that way in that moment – swallowed up in the ocean of God’s love, with sun beaming down not upon an ocean but a city block.

And of course, here is the famous line from John Denver, which I was feeling pretty intensely myself:

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

And that’s how I felt standing there at the corner of South Elm and Washington, happy, joyful, blessed, swallowed up in God’s love, attentive to His presence and Lordship even over that one little corner of one little ordinary town.

You just never know how God will bless you.

Photo of the Day - November 27, 2007 - Alleyway Mural, S. Elm

One of the many pleasures of hanging around downtown are the many and various murals. Hope to document them all eventually.

Photo of the Day - November 26, 2007 - Poor Little Butterfly

See my other pictures on Flickr here.

Photo of the Day - November 21, 2007 - Downtown

The JP Building reflected off First Citizens. I like the abstract effect.

View my Flickr photostream here.

By Design, Not Default

My good friend Mack Arrington has started a new blog called By Design, Not Default. Check it out. He is new to Blogger and to blogging.

Strange Goings On

Odd things are happening at our house as we approach the holidays.

photo of the Day - November 12, 2007 - Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio, Florence Italy, late March 1978. The most wonderful, beautiful, fascinating, romantic, historic, interesting bridge I have ever seen or walked upon. I LOVED Florence! See some more pictures of Europe here.

Ohoto of the Day - November 10, 2007 - Blood Orange

This picture was taken while sitting atop the Leaning Tower of Pisa in late March, 1978. My fondest memory of that time was singing our own version of "Favorite Things," being able to laugh at our many travel woes, and remember the good times.

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Photo of the Day - November 9, 2007 - Anna Running

This was taken at the very beginning of the 4A regional Cross Country meet at Tanglewood on October 28. This was first attempt at a pan type shot with my new camera lens. Northwest girls won the meet. The girl in blue went on to win State the next week. She is an amazing athlete. But in the regionals she came in second to another runner. Anna came in fifth.

Photo of the Day - November 8, 2007 - Pooped

In May 1976 Bill, Beau, David, and I set out on what would be a 600 mile bike ride around the state of South Carolina, starting from Clemson where we all attended school. This picture was taken on the second day, on the ride from Ninety Six SC to Columbia SC. There were a lot of hills between Ninety Six and Batesburg where this photo was taken, and we were pooped! Our travels took us from Clemson through Anderson to Ninety Six, from Ninety Six to Columbia, from Columbia to John's Island, then a day riding around the Charleston area (and over and back on the old Cooper River Bridge - in traffic!), then from John's Island to Beaufort (pronounced Byoofirt, the "beau" as in "beautiful")), from Beaufort to Hilton Head, from Hilton Head to Savannah, and then from Savannah back up to Columbia. On the ride back to Columbia we wimped out and hitched a ride in a pick up for about half the 130 mile distance! Sissies.

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