2 Chron 32:30
This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.
NKJV

Physically walking among ancient landmarks provokes a torrent of thoughts for me. Sloshing through the long Hezekiah’s tunnel occupied my mind mostly on keeping sure footing in the cold water, not cracking my head open, and trying to stay up with the group. I have to admit to additional mundane ruminations; This tunnel is a lot longer than I thought; I’m going to be bruised from banging into these walls all the time, but at least it keeps me from falling over; Any soldiers that walked through here with weapons were in good shape; My head really hurts from not paying attention to the ceiling; I can’t believe all the whooping and wailing about the cold water, it feels good;

I guess it’s actually amazing how much you can think about while you’re walking through a long, wet, dark tunnel, because I haven’t nearly listed all the thoughts I can still remember having. More significantly, I thought how it was comforting to have faith supplemented by evidences. To know that the stories recorded in the Bible are real. Real places, real people, real events. In this case a real tunnel, hewn out of the rock, with real water.

Ten years past, about, Vicky innocently afflicted me with VFD (Voracious FreeCell Devotee) syndrome. I'm sure she didn’t mean for me to spend hours in front of the computer oblivious to surrounding events. Nor, I'm sure, did she foresee me playing in line, on line, in taxi's, on airplanes, on boats, thus enabled by a Palm Pilot. I'm sure she really didn't want me to try to get a few moves in during traffic jams. Oh boy.

No wonder I’ve not watched network TV for a decade. Who has time for TV when you're trying to win 100 FreeCell games in a row? She gave not a warning of the conflicted state when 60 games won, you want to press on to win another game, but afraid of losing, you play oh so cautiously. At around 85 games, she didn't mention the weird temptation to "cheat" by first pre-playing games on another computer.

Nope. It was so blasé, so daily routine, so "it's just an afterthought." As if I sometime, overcome by ennui, I might take up the challenge for an afternoon or so. "Oh by the way, I won 100 FreeCell games in a row today." Well, I'm telling you. If someone mentions that they won 100 games of FreeCell beware. Don’t listen, shut your ears, close your eyes. Don't even give the game a thought, or a mouse click, or a minute.

Just keep walking. Click on someone else’s more worthy blog. Go watch a movie, or play Rook, or read a book, anything but FreeCell....


By the way, have you tried Sudoku?

In June, 2004 when Dad had come home via hospice care for his final days, I had the chance to stay with him on Wednesday night. My Mother and sisters were always so devoted to taking care of Dad, they were a role model for loving care, and I wanted to do as good a job as possible. We had a matress in the room so we could sleep near by and I had fallen asleep.

Around midnight I was awakeded by groaning and mumbling, and after waking up a bit, I realized Dad was saying something. As I got closer I could understand he was calling "Come on guys, let's go!" He repeated it several times, barely audible, but I remembered that is what he would always call out to us when we were supposed to be leaving for church. It occurred to me that maybe he was calling out, again, for us to go to church. It was Wednesday night, perhaps he was aware of that despite the pain and the pain killing drugs.

I told him that I was there, and asked if he wanted to sing a song. He nodded weakly, and I asked which one? "Nearer My God, to Thee." In a creaky voice, he sang along with me. I had to get the hymnal to sing all three verses, and with my throat too tight to hardly sing, his voice was as strong as mine.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!
E"en tho" it be a cross That raiseth me;
Still all my song shall be, Nearer, my God, to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee, Nearer to Thee!

I asked Dad if he wanted to have some scripture read, and he asked for John Chapter 1. I read verses 1-16.

John 1:1 ff
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. ... And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

Finally, I lead a prayer, too overcome with emotion, I found his old Navy Handbook and read the prayer for those near death.

This completed, he was quieted and went to sleep.

Two nights later, after I returned to Arizona for Paul's graduation, Dad passed into a better life.

I often think of this episode and am amazed at my Dad. Thank's Dad for your example, for your life, and for your love for God, for your love for Mom, and for your love of your family.

Dad died on June 5th. Father's Day was on June 19 that year, and on this third Father's day without you, I miss you.

Driving home last week I was twice irked by vehicles that had stopped along side the road. Their irksome drivers were completly outside the cars and they were looking at the world through a camera lens instead of the front windshield. Happening upon these tiresome souls required me to slow down somewhat and to encroch the opposite lane carefully to nagivate around the motionless automobiles.

Home at last, I slid to a halt on our gravel drive. Leaping from the car and shouldering my computer bag I glanced eastward toward the rising moon. Stunned, my hurried motions ceased while I tried to absorb the splendor of a full moon rising in the technicolor glow of a simultaneous sunset. Slowly turning from east to west the enormity of the grandeur was overpowering. Dropping my bag, I found my camera and futilely worked the shutter.

Ruefully, I contemplated that I likely missed the height of the spectacle as I veered around those blessed witnesses. I sheepishly realized that in the past two months I myself had made an impromptu pullover to vainly try to capture the beauty of a Tucson sunset. I thanked the Lord that we are blessed with a locale that provides a daily rememberance of God's power and majestic creation. And sometimes for some of us an additional reminder to slow down just a little.