meditation on hurtling to the finish and today's schedule

Today’s schedule;
Today the labyrinth will be in the fireplace lounge at MBSC, from 10 am to 4PM. Come for a walk of refreshment, Learning to take time for tactile meditation is a life skill.
Tonight, we’re viewing “A Time for Burning” 7:15 PM at Filmstreams, 13th & Webster (Nodo) tickets are $6 and Ben Gray of UNO will lead the discussion following. Don’t forget supper at Panera’s tonight will be early tonight: 6PM. Learning to reflect on racial tensions is a must.

Meditation on hurtling to the big finish

The excitement is building for the big finish of the semester. Professors are beginning the last of the follow-ups with students, making sure everyone is clear about the expectations of their courses. Students are waking up and realizing there is one more paper and one more group exercise and one more major lab and one more test. It feels like a hurtling rock toward the sun, increasing in speed as the rock gets closer to the center of gravity.

Isn’t this fun? You bet! It comes with passion for the work and passion for the work is infectious. When we’re with people who are rockets of energy around a project, we enjoy being part of it. When someone has drive, initiative and purpose, we respond. This is the time of the semester when we want to kick our lives into overdrive and fly for the finish.

Of course, there are a few derailments here and there. For example, on Saturday, while hosting relatives and friends for a time of Thanksgiving, we engaged in a three part “Great Race” event. First was golf (hitting closest to the turkey), and potato digging (finding the largest). The third event was canoeing across a pond to an island where a ceramic pumpkin awaited to be transported to a finish line. Three canoes took off. Three quarter of the way to the island, one canoe capsized. On the way from the island, another tipped over. That left only one of three canoes making it all the way. The water was really cold, and so the adventurers were surprised and wet, too. They were ushered to safety and warmth. After showers were had and warm clothes put on, we laughed and told stories of the debacle, while the clothes dryer worked overtime. Hot food tasted especially good.

We all learned: the overpowering desire to win can cause a wreck; that teamwork takes many forms; that water is cold this time of year and woolens are not great swim gear; and the main thing--that friends, family and warmth are worthy of celebration and gratefulness.

When you approach your “end of semester big finish” with initiative and purpose, people will marvel and you will do well. We all love those who keep the main thing the main thing and do not waver too much from that.

Jesus set his face to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) and that decision determined everything he said and did. That was his big picture. We all need a big picture that’s worth it—for the end of the semester and even beyond (btw, have you thought of joining us in New Orleans during spring break?) What’s your big picture? Is what you’re doing in line with it? Who’s going with you?