5:53 AM The Moon and the Crow

It was just another day. I awoke at 5:00 AM and heard the coffee pot start its dripping thanks to its automatic on feature. The dog begins his stretching, snorting, and staring routine. He is waking up too. I shaved while drinking my first cup of the morning elixir. My mind is calm and contemplating nothing.

Walking outside with Bear I notice the weather a bit more muggy than usual. Today's 8 miler may be a bit more challenging than usual. The dog is breathing hard and bouncing around. He spotted his ball and now has it in his mouth awaiting me to take it from him and throw it.

After a few throws to limber him up and get his blood flowing, I toss the ball aside and attach the leash to his bright orange collar. Bear has to fight the urge to grab the ball resting only a few feet from him, but the prospect of the walk is enough to wrest his attention and now we are headed down the driveway, past the newspapers to our morning route.

I walk him to get him pooped and peed so I can run without worrying about him soiling the house. Amazingly, he gets his chores taken care of straight away and we turn back toward the house. It is early and the sun is still below the trees. The sky is beginning to brighten and colors are returning; I wonder where they go at night?

Piercing my awareness, above the background of birdsongs was the cawing of a crow. I looked up in time to see the large blackbird gracefully powering himself across the pale blue sky, eclipsing a crescent moon. I stopped and stared. The moment passed so quickly, but the snapshot is still vivid in my mind. I thought of how I wished I could have photographed that moment to share it with others, but it had passed.

I looked at my watch, it was 5:53 AM. I was alone on the streets. I wondered if anyone from their backyard or front porch had seen that bird fly beneath that moon. Had anyone noticed or been privy to the predawn spectacle? These things often escape the notice of the world. What's the big deal about a crow and the moon? Who cares? Yet that moment, that image and sound and feeling connected with something primal deep inside my chest. These very things strengthen and buoy me.

That's all from here, beneath the moon and the crows. All is well. All is well.

Until the next time
John Strain

Firecracker

This is from the archives.
Text Version

Part One:

Part Two:

Until the next time
John Strain

Revisiting Hobo Garden

Remember: If you click the little pictures with your mouse you will get to look at a bigger picture.

Hi folks! It's me, Bear, posting again. I have been looking through the archives on dad's blog and was fascinated with Hobo Garden. I have been watching my dad spray water on the garden every other day and keep the bird bath clean. The flowers have sure grown up nicely.

Here is what it looks like from the front. The garden is in the shade most of the day so the flowers do well. I watch the birds bathing and drinking out of the birdbath. It is a nice peaceful place to take a nap or play fetch the tennis ball next to.

I have seen pictures of Hobo; dad's last dog. He looked like a good dog and we would have been friends. Dad keeps his collar around the birdbath so he won't forget him. I don't get in the garden and do my business out of respect. I think it is pretty too and don't want to mess it up.

Dad was taking pictures of the garden. I noticed him holding the camera as high as he could over the birdbath. He kept doing it and then looking at the back of the camera. He didn't look happy with the results. The next thing I knew, he had set the tripod down and started walking to the shed.

After a lot of noise, dad came out of the shed with two ladders and wound up tying the big one to a tree. He also tied the big ladder to the little ladder. It looked dangerous to me. I was wondering what his mother would think if she saw him way up in the air like that.

He climbed way up to the top and took more pictures. He was frustrated a couple of times and said some words I don't think I am supposed to hear, but he ended up happy. Dad can get obsessed about things occasionally.

After dad got the photo he wanted, he put my tennis ball in the hands. Those hands give me the creeps. I am afraid they might grab me when I put my face down there to get the ball. Dad was trying to take a picture of me and kept telling me to get the ball.

I finally got up the nerve and grabbed the ball, but I did it so fast, dad almost missed the shot. Oh well, maybe we can take pictures again sometime. It is fun. I just like being with dad. I never know what is going to happen next.

Here is another view of the garden. Oh, did I mention you can see a bigger picture if you click the little pictures with your mouse? I am getting better with the mouse, but I am still a little clumsy. I guess it is a thumb thing. All I have is do-claws.

So that was the adventure of photographing Hobo Garden. It all kind of freaks me out. I suppose one day there will be a Bear Garden. I hope that won't be for a long time though. I really like it here and I think my new family really likes me too.

Well in the words of my master,

Until the next time
Bear (the dog)

Amazing Grace

John Newton Biography

The story of Amazing Grace - Urban Legends

John Newton (1725-1807) wrote the words to Amazing Grace. His mother educated him early on. She taught him to read and provided his Christian education. When John was 7 years old, his mother died and he was sent to a boarding school. By age 11, John left school to go to sea with his father.

Newton's life took on a downward trajectory. He kept the company of wretched men and by his own admission himself became a vile blasphemer. He nearly died on several occasions, sometimes because of his own drunkenness and poor judgment. He was in storms at sea. He was held captive for a year and forced to be a slave. He encountered illnesses that nearly took his life.

Finally at age 23, after surviving a severe storm in the North Atlantic, John became a Christian. His survival opened his eyes to God's grace, mercy, and justice. He did not change over night, but continued to work in the slave trade eventually becoming a slave ship captain. In those days, it was considered a genteel profession and certainly legal. Still, he had moments of conscience where he knew that slavery was wrong.

Due to illness, Newton had to give up going to sea. He began associating with ministers by the likes of George Whitfield and John Wesley. John Newton himself became a minister and in 1779, wrote Amazing Grace, 32 years after his initial conversion.

John Newton spent a lifetime becoming mature and wrestling with his own sin. He became outspoken against slavery and had a hand in abolishing slavery in England.

Amazing Grace was composed through a heart long bathed in the love of God. John Newton knew first hand how the grace of God can deliver even a "wretch like me."

Until the next time
John Strain

Life is good

Everytime I hear this phrase, I take note. It is interesting to me what motivates a person to say, "life is good." My post about the Boston Marathon describes one such encounter.

Often the phrase is used when something is won or achieved. Folks may use it after winning the lottery, "Life is good, I'm rich. "Others utter the words after winning something, "I won! I Won!, life is good."

Wednesday morning I heard these words. This time, they came from the mouth of a family friend of Brennan Hawkins; the boy scout who had been lost in the Utah wilderness for four days before he was found. The man was talking about seeing Brennan in the hospital. He explained how his son and Brennan were good friends. As he spoke, his voice cracked at times, while at other times, he beamed a smile. The man concluded his comments with the phrase, "Life is good."

In this case, "life is good", refers to the joy of recovering someone previously feared lost. From time to time, we all take things for granted. I could list the things from hot water to electric lights we take for granted, but I am sure you can too. Is there a more satisfying shower than the one you get after an interruption of your hot water service? How precious is that first warm day of spring after a long winter? Who can imagine the joy of a parent who receives back into their arms a lost son?

It is sad many do not realize life is good by appreciating what they have, but view life as bad only after losing something. To appreciate now prevents regrets later.

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now am found
Was blind but now I see.
-John Newton 1725-1807

Life is good.

Until the next time
John Strain