Good Morning,

I cannot believe that I am into the last full week of summer break (or what some people call break). I have always had working summers. Perhaps that is because if we do not work during the summer we do not get paid, and as most writing professors will tell you, working as a writing professor is not a lucrative thing. Therefore, I am finishing grading, class creating, and vineyard writing. There were a couple other chores this summer too, like two articles submitted for publication, a couple abstracts to write for conferences and such. Perhaps, I will take a day or so and be lazy sometime soon.

It is good to be back in Wisconsin as far as being in my own little house again and the green colors and haze over the morning fields. It is a very different kind of beautiful. One we often take for granted until we are away for a while. There are things in Placerville that I appreciated: the way the town has maintained its sense of history; the way that many Californians seem to take better care of themselves and also care for their environment; and, of course, the group at Starbucks. I miss those healthy low-fat Turkey Bacon, low cholesteral egg, whole-wheat breakfast sandwiches a lot.

What I am finding frustrating at the moment is the ability to stay in touch, but all-the-same feeling so distant. Of course, then there is the hours or days when one does not hear something and the mind begins to take over. I can say that I had not text messaged on the phone before this summer. And then there is my English professor background. I am OCD enough to try to do it grammatically correct about 95% of the time. Ha!

I am anxious for school to begin; when I was small it was always my favorite time of year. I was just excited with the changing of the colors and the warm afternoons and cool evenings. I was excited about my classes and seeing everyone. It is still much the same. I am always excited to see what the year has to bring. It will be a very busy year as we are searching for faculty as well as trying to keep up everything that has happened with less people here. It will not be boring.

Thoughts for the day:

What makes us okay?
people, places, things?
It has to be something more . . .
Everything else is fleeting, inconsistent, conditional.

Is it something we do or something we are?
How do we know? Is that faith?
In what or whom? How does God work in our inconsistency?
Is God really unconditional? What is that?

If I ask, will God help me understand or is that something I just want to believe?
Is there really a "secret" like the book? Is it really that secret if it is in the book?
h-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m . . . I want to wave my hands and shake my head like someone I know.

Where are you?

Thanks for the summer!!

Michael