09/09/09....

The working man's "sock tan"...
Reading words of Henri Nouwen...
in the solitude of a boat, in a bay...


Bachi Ball....maybe they play this in India??

Ya, on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year '09, Matt will be taking his back pack and moving to India for at least 8 months. That's this Wednesday, by the way.

What an adventure. What an opportunity. What a great way to offer service.

There are some circumstances in life, I'm sure you will agree, that bring about change to ones life. The circumstances in his life this past year have done just that...in profound ways. In conversation with him last night, I can hear how these difficulties have given him depth and intuitiveness and a whole new way of thinking about love....what it is and what it is not. He has changed in the past 5 months. Now that he will be away these next 8 months, I know he will be changing even more.

But having come to this point in his life will make leaving home and country somewhat easier.

I don't want to be sad about it all. I want to feel pride in his accomplishments and in his decision to go forward and for him to do something totally unusual. This decision to go will affect him for the rest of his life. He will see another side of humanity, a new culture, new places and faces and will be faced with his own thoughts on all of it.

I'm not sure I would or even could face the throng of 14.2 million people in a place I've only heard about. But he's going. He's doing. He's being...and living.

And so, my dear Matthew I leave you with this:

'The Lord bless you and keep you,

The Lord make his face to shine on you

and be gracious to you,

The Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

Guess that's the best thing a mom can do, to offer a blessing on her son........