jeff’s blog

Last weekend Katie and I got to go to the Butterfly center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. ‘Twas a bit dark, but still a rather nice time.

Congratulations to Paul Simon, who recently won the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. I’ve long said that I consider Paul Simon to be the second greatest American Songwriter (after Bob Dylan), though in terms of longevity Simon has him beat. PBS aired a show tonight that was basically a tribute concert to Simon and his body of work. If you can watch it as a re-run over the next couple of days, I would highly recommend it. There are several great performances, in my opinion topped off by Alison Krauss singing “Graceland”. Though I’ve posted the lyrics here before, they’ve been echoing through my head the past several days, and, especially as we focus on forgiveness here this week, I feel it’s fitting to post some here yet again.

a couple of quick macros from this weekend.

Today I resolve not to make excuses.

When I am wrong,
I will admit it as soon as I can.
I will not blame my mistakes on others.
I will not pretend my choices are not my own.

I will recognize that I am not perfect,
and will not pretend to be better than I am.

As far as possible, I will be honest,
not denying what I have done
or imagining what I haven’t,
I will own the consequences of my actions,
instead of justifying them.

Today I resolve to listen better.

I will not simply hear the words people speak, but endeavor to bring them into my heart.
I will wait until people finish speaking before I start to talk.
I will not give unwanted advice.

I will do my best to remember
that people feel what they have to say matters,
and they wouldn’t say it otherwise.

As such, I will not discount people’s words as unimportant or trivial.
Rather, I will try to listen not only to what people say,
but also what they mean.

Today I resolve to not take myself too seriously.

I will not think of myself as being more important than I am.
I will not think everything I do is imperative.

I will try my best to do something silly.
I will try my best to do something only for the fun of it.
I will try my best to remember that it is as important to play as it is to work.

Today I will,
as much as possible,
remember there is more to life than being serious,
there is more to friendship than deep conversation,
and there is more to a person than how profound they are.

Today I resolve to be cheerful.

I will not be discouraged by things that are petty.
I will not be distracted by things that don’t matter.
I will not worry about things I cannot change.

I will not allow tomorrow’s worries to destroy today’s cheer.
I will not allow the unexpected to alter my attitude.

I will try to greet each person with a smile,
and say no negative word.
I will try to take the best view of every situation,
and refrain from being cynical.

Today I will do my best,
whatever happens,
not only to be cheerful,
but to spread cheer,
hopefully making the world a better place to be.

Today I resolve to value others.

I will treat each person as if they are the most important person in the world.
I will listen to people’s hopes and dreams and treasure them.
I will listen to people’s fears and worries and respect them.

I will not use people.

Instead of trying to get something from others, I will do my best to give something to them.
Instead of trying to use others to elevate my own position, I will always attempt to elevate their position.
Instead of trying to make other’s think I’m special, I will find something special in every person.

Today I resolve to treat every person I encounter
as if they are God’s treasured creation,
as if they will teach me something essential,
as if there is no one I would rather have in my life.

Today I resolve to be a more trusting person.

Instead of thinking the worst of people, I will think the best.
Instead of acting like everything will go wrong, I will trust in a God who can make things right.
Instead of trying to do everything myself, I will place important tasks in the hands of others.

I will believe that all people are worthy of second, third, or fourth chances, no matter what they’ve done in the past.
I will believe that what people show on the outside isn’t necessarily who they on the inside.

In all of my actions and interactions,
I will strive to give people the benefit of the doubt,
I will desire to treat people with less suspicion and more conviction,
and I will,
to the best of my ability,
continue to be a more trusting person,
even when it leaves me open to being hurt and vulnerable.

some pics today from the air show in slaton