Saturday, January 24, 2009

sights






I see life in nature: strong and shading trees; unmoveable mountains; unobtrusive Pacific Ocean waves; the water cycle either as snow, rain, or fog; home-owners leaving their uniquely architecturally-designed homes that take advantage of the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, dogs cowering from the unusually colder weather, cyclists freely speeding down the road en route to the city. Vancouver is full of life: vegetation stretches farther to soak up the rare sunshine, healthy citizens explore their surroundings, natural cycles continue to provide life.

But death is here as well: fallen or cut trees; rubbish collected near water sewers; lonely faces; persons coping with HIV or AIDS (in North America, it is here where the highest percentage of people who are HIV positive or who have AIDS live); shopping carts full of people's only belongings or maybe full of bottles collected hoping to get some change in return to buy a small meal; hopelessness; consumerists unconsciously purchasing beyond their needs or financial abilities; depression; empty churches. Vancouver is full of death: waste, marginalized people reaching out for hope and mercy, emotionally, mentally, sexually, physically, and spiritually torn apart.

Life and Death. This world needs some things to die: selfishness especially of the rich, abuse of the weak, ignorance of the cries of fathers and mothers and children dying in far-off places, sexualized content everywhere, passivenes. Death comes from life. Life comes through death.

This is what I see.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

captivating

I have been trying to think of something funny, creative, inspiring, profound, strange, remarkable, or bewildering to write. And each time I sit down to write, I am at a loss for words, pictures, or stories. This is rare because so often I recognize connections or simply want to share a story.

I want to tell you instead about some things that have caught my attention recently and left me smiling. As I prepared to leave my home in Kitchener-Waterloo, I was captivated by:

- the honest and inspiring conversations I had with some of my closest friends
- the prayers of my family
- the sound of my Ugandan friends' voices, laughter, and hope
- the embrace of my church family
- the items I have collected that remind me of my second home in Uganda
- the competitive yet sportsman-like football games
- the cumulative and astounding white snow

I left Kitchener-Waterloo. I arrived in a big new city full of life and death. And I have continued to smile. These are some things that have captivated me in my new home in Vancouver, B.C.:

- the kindness and generosity of roommates
- the affection and warmth given to students by faculty and staff
- the companionship of new friends
- attending a church where a homeless man gave all his money in the offering plate
- receiving a message from a friend in Uganda telling me her newborn daughter is called Michelle, after me
- receiving encouraging and exciting messages from friends throughout Uganda
- walking towards downtown in the evening and singing in the rain with friends
- the effect of 1 foot of snow to incapacitate a developed city
- the immense duration of rain in a largely-populated city

I am captivated. Above all, I am captivated by the immeasurable and infinite love of God. Here I am, surrounded by life and death and I can find serenity, rest, and hope. I wonder what will captivate me tomorrow?