Time....

Often I stumble upon things through what I like to call, "the rabbit trails of my thoughts". They hop and skip and jump all over the place; like that old game of Telephone where one person whispers a phrase or word in the ear of the person next to them and then that person turns and passes what they hear on to the next, until the last person hears it and announces what they've been told. Quite often, the end result is far off from the beginning.

So, today I was reminded of one of my favorite hymns as we sang it in church-- "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee". Set to the tune of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, its words are descriptive and set my mind ablaze with  wonderful word pictures.  Songs about nature typically do that for me and I can't think of a better analogy for rejoicing and many things in life than nature and her surroundings. The author of this hymn was Henry Van Dyke, a writer, poet and essayist who lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

You may be wondering what Mr. Van Dyke's hymn has to do with time.  Well, that is where the rabbit trail begins.  Time has been on my mind a lot lately, no pun intended, and while researching time, I happened upon a quote from Henry. So, I thought it seemed appropriate to put all the pieces together and come full circle with my thoughts.

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”




I could not say it better myself.

~Reggie

Thoughts of Japan

Postcard image of Mount Asama

It would be almost impossible to not recognize or be aware of the situation in Japan, at present. Even upon the writing of this, the story is still unfolding; it's a tragic story. One whose ramifications  we will all feel in one way or another. However, my goal is not to focus on the doom and gloom that is and may lay ahead, but rather to remember a country that is one of my favorites to explore.

In the summer of 1993, I spent 3 weeks in Japan visiting family friends. During this time we travelled to different regions of the country and spent many hours talking to Japanese college students who were eager to converse (in English) to Americans. It was a wonderful time for me, a Geography major, who loved cultural experiences. The people were gracious and hospitable. The older generation was more steeped in tradition, but the younger ones loved to talk politics and pop-culture.  Former President Clinton was a hot topic at the time and the Japanese loved to ask questions about him.

Omotesando Dori, Tokyo, 1993.
Presently, 100,000 cars drive down this street daily. 

Spending an extended period of time in another culture leaves its mark on you. I remember having thoughts of what Japan would be like, but nothing really prepared me for the modern, technologically advanced country that I experienced during my stay. The Land of the Rising Sun surprised me with its evergreen beauty, moonlit rice fields,  magestic mountains, and miles of coastline (it is an island nation with over 6800 islands to it's name) along with the uber-dense metropolis that is Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures. I was introduced to new and interesting flavors in food (not your typical sushi) and was thoroughly impressed by its state of the art technology. In a funny sidenote, only in Japan have I seen and used a gold plated bathroom, including toilet that was outfitted with more features than I could think posssible!

This country holds a fond spot in my heart. And right now, especially, I'm praying for its people.

~Reggie

Food, food, glorious food!

No, I'm not quoting a line from  Dilbert or the song from the musical Oliver!.  In pondering my daily thoughts, I realize that much of my day is surrounded by food. Granted, it is the sustaining element to keep one healthy and alive, but it's more than that.  Food is comfort; it's a relationship; it's (a foundation for) a relationship with others; it's work; it's celebration; it can be an enemy and yet without it we will die. I thoroughly enjoy food and believe it's one of those things that God gave us to enjoy. At this point I could talk about changes in food over the history of time and such, but that is really for another time.

As a food aficionado, I often admire the subject on my plate or in my cup or the ones grandfully displayed in window and upon farmer's market table, so much so that I like to capture their image for future admiration and memory. With that said, a quick peruse of hundreds, possibly thousands of pictures from just the last year or so proved my photography food fetish to be correct. So, I compiled (and condensed) a little album of sorts to let pictures speak for themselves.

Bon appétit!

Reggie

When I grow up.....

Do you remember saying that phrase as a child, "when I grow up...."?  It was probably followed by "I want to be ________ ".  I can distinctly remember what it was I wanted to be as a child.  And I was reminded of it as a good friend began her vacation with a trans-Pacific flight today. It's probably a bygone era, but I wanted to grow up and be an airline stewardess, á la Pan Am or Continental. Yes, there are still flight attendants these days (not sure it's PC to call them "stewardess/steward"), but the days where airline travel evoked a certain feel and those working for the airlines were looked at with some role of honor is missing.  And yes, when I was a little girl and even so now, I loved the outfits.  Sure, mini-skirts and knee boots were probably not the most comfortable to work in, but they looked kind of fun.  If you fly internationally today, you may still see some of this attention to style detail in the uniforms they wear; including my most favorite: the scarf.

Throughout the years, air travel has changed.  I'm sure it's become safer and in some ways more accessible to all, but along the way something was lost. A luster, of sorts.  Maybe in part it's that childlike view of the world that tainted my vision back then, but I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this thought.  Airlines buy out airlines and gas prices soar and safety woes becoming major concerns and before long nothing really looks like it used to.  Too bad. I kind of miss those days where things at least seemed simpler. 

What did you want to be when you "grow up"?

~Reggie