this weekend

We're going to a conference about living in community.

Hopefully we'll network some and learn some.

We'll post post-conference.

Possibility

Recently I wrote a poem to encourage my sense of hope. Since then I've shared it with friends and many have given me back a sense of joy and renewed purpose in writing. Go slow and read it twice - hope you enjoy it. - Shawn

Possibility
by Shawn Latourelle



Early in the morn
when the birds are waking
the light on the water
dawns first

The silhouette of the trees
Is still dark
Waters glow with fore light
In the pre-dawn silence

Here
Is where possibility waits
Along with the sun
(not hurried but coming)

Yet when the sun climbs over the horizon
Potential is born
And its beauty is blinding

Brighter than my eyes can stand

Larger than my heart can contain

Longer than my past can overcome

Is the Vast desire of Hope

Freely released in each new Day

dessert

so maybe one day shawn will write about the Good Friday service. Until then, I'll continue blogging.

tonight, we were waiting for dinner to cook (Shawn was cooking; I was catching up on things). I said I wanted to have dessert.

Shawn said, "you should've gotten some when we went to the grocery store yesterday."*

So I said (in response to him saying I should've gotten dessert at the grocery store), "I felt guilty about wanting to buy dessert because you were there." He, in turn, says, "I really wanted you to buy dessert."

Seems we've still got a ways to go on the communication thing.

*(since we've been married, Shawn's gone to the grocery store by himself. We tried twice, when we were first married, to go together, but it didn't work out. BUT the past two Sundays, we've gone together. And we made it. And it was good times both times! Sunday mornings seem to work. It frees up a night and we still have the rest of Sunday for such things as tennis, running errands, taking naps, and going to church in the evening.)

Good Friday

Loren and I attended our first Good Friday - Tennabrae style. It's a specific service where the lights are slowly dimmed and it ends in the dark. Symbolizing the light of the world being extinguished on Good Friday.

It was encouraging to see community wide participation from Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Calvary Chapel, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, churches. Each Pastor/Priest gave insights on the last words of Jesus while on the Cross. We couldn't help noticing the breadth of viewpoints given. I told Loren "when we open the doors wide we'll get a wide breadth of perspective" Loren was touched near the end when one of the Catholic Priest spoke on how we in the Christian tradition have much more in common than we differ. He also said that what we agree on is vastly more important that what we disagree on -Amen! Then (unscripted) he began to lay the cross down, but because he was advanced in years he needed help, so the Baptist minister got up and helped him lay the cross down. What a great symbol of the entire evening. - Peace Shawn

Tennis

we've been taking advantage of the weather and of day light savings time (even though I don't like it not being light out when I wake up these days) by playing tennis. we have two courts near our apartment. one is just a couple of blocks down the street. the other is just on the other side of downtown. shawn is better than I am, for sure, but I'm able to at least hit it across the net a few times and we occasionally have a good rally. we are averaging playing about two days a week.

Spring is Here

so it's been a while since we've blogged. since the last post, Spring has sprung.

Proof of such is a tree outside our apartment.

Trip to Tahoe

the weekend of February 22-25, we spent in Lake Tahoe. A couple friend of ours invited us to join in their weekend away, so we agreed! We planning on going from Friday evening until Sunday mid-day. But we got snowed in! It snowed from Saturday around 11a until 10p Sunday night. It was so beautiful. We went snowshoeing both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday after our snowshoeing expedition (we went down the end of the street we were staying on because we heard there was a trail head there. But there was so much snow that we ended up making our own trail) we went sledding in the back yard. It was a blast!
We took a few photos. It was nice to have a taste of the snow. And fun to be snowed in just for a day. Our drive back on Monday was clear skies with little traffic.