Reflections on another Weekend

1) The four female friends from the PHS class of 96 - my wife Sarah, my sister Ruth, and Andrea P and Lois P - and their respective families got together in Edmonton over the weekend and we had a nice time together. My sister Ruth and her husband Nathan graciously hosted all of us - eight adults plus six children under age 5. Among various other thoughts going through my head, I again am more convinced than ever that the LORD kept the most fabulous one of the four for me... to be/come my wife!... actually the most fabulous woman in the whole-wide-world!

2) I don't know what tonight's episode of "House, MD" will be like... the last two have been deeply challenging. "Birthmarks" (episode 504) really made one think about the impact of a father's life on a son, specifically how one lives his life among his peers, both superiors and subordinates at work, and how that same "issue" appears in home relationships. Last Tuesday's episode (Lucky Thirteen, episode 505) dealt with the issue of how does someone choose to live when you know life is terminal. Of course, I've thought about that issue much in my life... and pretty much always presumed I was living on "borrowed time" so make the most of it. Of course, the reality is that we are all going to die, some medical conditions and diagnosis just happen to give a more specific range of date than most of us want to know.

3) Sarah and I watched "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno tonight including the interview with Michelle Obama. Both Barack and Michelle strike me as truly real, genuine, people. While I realize that there will need to be some "distance" officially if he is elected as President of the USA next Tuesday and Michelle becomes the first lady, I really do sense that they are down-to-earth people. Frankly, I don't get that feel from Sarah Palin or from John McCain's wife, though I do think John McCain is a pretty straightforward guy. It will be interesting to see what happens next week in the US election.

4) Just a few miscellaneous "funny/strange" things happening across the sidewalk that give me cause to laugh fairly regularly. Ask me in person and I'll tell you about them!

5) Just came across a nice short article on Leading in a Climate of Fear, especially relating to the current financial crisis. It comes from John Maxwell's INJOY leadership group (though the article is not written by him).