Sunday Sermon

Appreciation

I've seen some great sights this past week. Here are a few in no particular order:

- Mark and Tessa going off to be grown-ups.
Mark's new job took them both to Elko, Nevada this week, They'll be moving there soon, and they have an expectant air about them. After so many years of starving as college students, they are about to actually have money and a real life. They look so... adult.

- My Sea Devil in the air.
Unfortunately, it was a very brief vision. We didn't really have favorable wind conditions (so still no pics), but Jim and I had to fly. His new Spirit quad line looked great during it's first brief flights as well.



- Ajax standing on one foot, waving with the other.
We had a communication breakthrough of sorts, and not only is he understanding some physical tricks that he didn't get before, he is finally trying new foods. He now tolerates banannas (which he literally threw at me before) and pine nuts are a new favorite. He seems to really want to be with me now, as opposed to just tolerating me because he has to. Parrots are complex, emotional little people, and it has taken him a long time to really be happy here. It feels like he's not just going through the motions anymore.

- Tara riding the mechanical bull outside The Buckhorn.
Oh my goodness; women like her are proof that there is a god and he loves us. That I didn't have my camera with me is a tragic loss you can't even begin to understand. I never saw rodeo as an erotic activity before... Jubilee Days has new meaning for me now.

- Several employers who actually want to hire me.
It's not that I've ever really had a hard time finding a job. It's just that this is the first time I've looked for a job since graduation, and it's a different kind of interview. Of course, they all wonder why I have a degree in Religion, but even those explanations are kind of fun. "No, I'm not a preacher - well, not in the traditional sense." I haven't quite figured out yet how to tell them that I'm less Billy Graham, and much more Jesse Custer...

The point of all this is that even though we might not be where we want to be at every moment (and you all know that I've never wanted to be in Laramie) there is wonder all around us. Sure, I'd rather be on bikini patrol in California, flying my kites in good wind and surfing a bit, but these moments are fabulous too. Look with fresh eyes in the next week - see what beauty life puts before you.

Go in Peace.