Quiet Morning Sunrise
Usually as I blog I can hear AdventureMan singing, whistling or humming in the background as he showers, shaves and gets ready to go to work. This morning, it was quiet.
“Is everything OK?” I asked? Qatteri Cat must have wondered too, because he got up when I did and went back to ask with me.
“It’s fine.” AdventureMan sighed. “I’m just tired of work. I need a vacation.”
It makes me so sad. Not every day is a great day. I love the days when you jump out of bed, excited about the plans for the day. I love to hear him humming in the bathroom as he shaves. I am going to fix him something special for dinner tonight, something he loves – stuffed green peppers. Of course, by the time he gets home, the morning funk will be forgotten and he will have new things going on – thank God, his work has a lot of variety, a lot of scope for his skills.
The sunrise this morning was spectacular:
It is a beautiful day, Kuwait. π
Obama Elected President
I awoke this morning to a new world. This isn’t a political blog; I will not often discuss political events other than how they impact on lives. My family was die-hard Republican until my father retired. During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, it all changed – his domestic policies hit retirees hard. My father was a man who, when we tried to give him ideas how he could pay less in taxes, looked at us and said “Why would I want to pay less in taxes? I served our great country, they paid my salary and now they give me retirement and health care. Why would I want to pay less in taxes.” God rest his soul. But he started voting Democrat – and said Republican policies only helped the very rich, and hurt the middle-class.
I never thought I would see the day a black man would be elected President in the United States. John McCain is a decent man, he would have made a fine president, and he gave one of the most graceful speeches acknowledging his election loss I have ever heard. May God richly bless him. Obama’s win is very exciting – a new day in our country.
I called our son and talked with him – barely believing Obama could have carried Florida. I told him how moving it is to me to see a black man elected (no, I am not black, but you know me, I hate prejudice) and he said “Mom, he is SMART, too.” I couldn’t have been prouder of him than at that moment.
And this is today’s Psalm. I have to share it with you – it seems such a brilliant omen:
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a kingβs son.
2May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
5May he live* while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9May his foes* bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
11May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.
12For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
13He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live!
May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all day long.
16May there be abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field.
17May his name endure for ever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;*
may they pronounce him happy.
18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19Blessed be his glorious name for ever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.Amen and Amen.
20The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
No Sunrise in Kuwait
You will not find me complaining about the rain. I am imagining what a difference this steady downpour is going to make in very short time. People who think of “desert” have no idea of the life in the desert waiting to spring forth at the slightest sign of moisture. It doesn’t take much – and I believe we are going to see some amazing things soon in Kuwait.
I was up for the sunrise this morning . . . no sunrise appeared. This is about the best I could do:
I thought the heavy downpour last week had washed my windows clean, but I think some dust must have come and stuck to the wet windows. Or else the rain is not so clean . . . π¦ Please pardon my streaked windows!
Life interrupts blogging. We had an emergency that had us out on highway 40 to help out a friend in Eqaila. We was a terrible accident on 40; truck jacknifed and hit two cars. Traffic was totally gridlocked waiting for the ambulances and police to arrive. Folks, please be careful out there.
And please, mothers, fathers, protect your children. Anyone who doesn’t need to be on the roads should be at home. These kids, riding on the slick highways, barely visible, are taking a huge risk:
GQSSC – Hot on Her Heels – Q8Dutchie!
I don’t know why I find these photos so moving . . . so poignant . . . but I do! New contestant Q8Dutchie is close on the heels of our first entrant, Ansam, with these great sand and surf photos:
What I don’t understand, and what I marvel at, is why when we know the footprints are indented, do they look the opposite, as if they are coming out of the sand? It must be a trick of the shadows. Woo Hooo, Q8Dutchie!
Great Kuwait Sand and Surf Challenge – Our First Entry: Ansam
Mere minutes after the Great Kuwait Sand and Surf Challenge was launched, we had an entry.
Wooo HOOOO, Ansam, our very first entrant! And what a day at the beach this was. Can you guess my very favorite?
Ansam, you truly capture the joy of a day in sand and surf! (I LOVE the first photo!)
Thinking About Wealth
Today’s reading gives us a lot of food for thought about wealth and how we use it.
At one time, when I was still an Army wife, we had returned to the United States. We didn’t even have furniture – the military had provided it all our years overseas, and were in the process of picking up a few necessary things – like beds! All we had were some beautiful Oriental carpets, which we had picked up, piece by piece, as we were living overseas.
I would wake up at night and worry about thieves breaking in and stealing my carpets. Then I read Matthew 26: 19 – 21 – this verse:
19″Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I stopped worrying about the carpets. I’ve never worried about them since.
Now, like others, we have watched all the monies we have carefully invested for our retirement dwindle, and it is hard not to despair. And here again, comes a reading to make it clear to us where our real wealth lies. Our “wealth” is only on paper – it doesn’t really exist until we buy or sell. Our real wealth is what we are storing, day by day, towards our next life.
This reading is from Forward Day by Day:
Luke 12:13-31. So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.
How often have you interrupted a preacher during a sermon? Probably never. In today’s story, a man interrupts Jesus while he is still preaching. Perhaps Jesus sniffed greed behind the man’s question as he responded with a parable about the right attitude to riches.
Advertisers try to convince us that good food, comfortable homes fitted with all modern conveniences, a healthy bank balance, and no financial worries are the stuff of which the good life is made. Jesus, who came that we may “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10), warns that an abundance of possessions cannot secure for us this abundant life.
Yet there is no condemnation of riches. It is not because of riches that the man in the parable is labeled a fool, but because wealth, rather than God, took first place in his life. The rich man’s barns overflowed with perishable grain, but he was spiritually bankrupt, for he had failed to store up imperishable riches in heaven by wise and generous use of his wealth.
God’s concern is not ownership (what we have) but stewardship (what we do with what we have). To be truly rich, be rich towards God.
The Great Kuwait Sand and Surf Challenge
OK, so here it is, the new photo challenge. You will have three weeks. All your photos must be in to me or posted on your blog and linked to me by Saturday, November 22. The poll will go up then, and voting will continue to November 29, when the polls will close and new winners will be announced.
Sand and Surf can be anything related to beach activities – tidal pools, boating . . . this contest is open to Kuwaitis, residents of Kuwait, and people who have an attachment to Kuwait. We don’t require that the scene be recognizably Kuwait, because well, sand is sand and surf is surf. The photos do not have to be Kuwait, but we want them to be entered by someone remotely Kuwait-related.
Ready on the right!
Ready on the left!
Photographers, take your target!
Fire!
Off topic but related – on the top floor of the Al Rayya Shopping Center (attached to the Marriott Hotel near Dasman Circle) is a really intriguing photo exhibit. It looks to me like all Kuwaiti, and some of the photos are purely spectacular. Some are very moving. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you enjoy photography, this exhibit is worth a visit.
Cold Virus Hotspots
This is from BBC Health News:
Warning over cold virus hotspots
TV remote controls, bathroom taps and refrigerator doors are hotspots for the common cold virus, experts have warned.
Researchers at the University of Virginia swabbed these common household surfaces in 30 homes and found traces of rhinovirus 42% of the time.
While coughs and sneezes do spread the disease, everyday objects in the home are another important source and should be cleaner regularly, they say.
Each week in winter, a fifth of the UK population suffers from a cold.
As the virus can survive on household surfaces for up to two days, a single family member or visitor can spread the virus to other members through touching such things as door handles and taps, the researchers told a US infectious diseases conference.
Infectious rhinovirus was detected on almost a quarter of subjects’ fingertips one hour after touching household surfaces contaminated with the virus.
And genetic material from the virus was still transferred to the finger tips of more than half of the 30 people studied 48 hours after the surfaces were contaminated.
Lead researcher Dr Birgit Winther said the public needed to be aware of this route of transmission.
“Some people still spray the air with disinfectants, but rhinovirus doesn’t fly through the air. I think that the message from this research is that we need to focus more wisely on cleaning commonly touched surfaces in the home.”
Professor John Oxford, virologist at St Bartholemew’s and the Royal London Hospital and chair of the UK Hygiene Council, said: “The cold virus is a hardy one because it survives on surfaces for so long and can then be passed on, putting the whole family at risk of infection. Home hygiene is key in the fight against colds.
“Recent government recommendations mean that doctors can no longer prescribe antibiotics to alleviate colds – so it’s vital that families target these key surfaces in the home to protect themselves from colds this winter.”
Happy Halloween
This is from the New Yorker
We love their cartoons. This one, unfortunately, is more true than funny.
Heading for the Desert
Every now and then I wish I were a man. When I was a little kid, our dads would all head out on a big boat, going hunting. Mostly, women stayed home. Some women hunted, but it is hard work, and, I think, maybe men don’t always want women along when they go out hunting, they want to (in Alaska) drink and party and play cards and talk crude and don’t want anyone around reminding them to mind their manners.
The truth is I don’t know what they do. I can only imagine, based on things I’ve heard, movies, my imagination.
Today, my neighbors are headed out to hunt. How do I know? They have their falcon with them. It is perfect weather – clear, relatively cool, the heat has definitely broken, it is wonderful to be able to drive without any air conditioning. . . .
I know, I know, there is still this kid in my heart that thinks that going hunting with a FALCON is very very cool.
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