Brrrrrr

The first frigid day in Chicago this winter with wind chills down to twenty below zero.  It is hard to stay warm under these conditions.

The drive down the Drive was beautiful this morning, but a little slow.  It seemed like folks were leaving a little earlier because of the weather.  The main streets were clear, with the sides a little slippery.  The sun is at a point in the sky now about 7:20 AM so that it is right at the end of the Belmont ramp as I am driving up it.  Luckily today it was nestled in the low hanging clouds over the Lake so I didn't even need my sun glasses.  As I drove south the Lake had its own little foggy condition hanging up to about ten feet off of the water while the sky above was a brilliant blue ( a great day to fly, I am sure, compared to yesterday).  The view of downtown was spectacular with the towers on top of the Hancock, Trump, and Sears towers standing proud in the frigid air.

There was a traffic copter hovering in the distance over the S curve and I was hoping that there wasn't an accident there snarling traffic (there wasn't).  The sun was still behind the low hanging clouds on the horizon trying to break through as it continued its days journey - no luck yet.  As I reached Grant Park it finally freed itself from  the grasp of the clouds and on went my sun glasses.  Traffic moved well and courteously southbound as the northbound traffic started its daily backup just south of the museum campus.  Moved swiftly by Soldier Field and am happy that I don't have tickets for the coming debacle on Sunday against the Packers.

The drive down to Promentory Point was uneventful as I enjoyed my drive with one eye on the road and one on the Lake.  Hopefully the day will be the same.

Blessings to you and yours during this holiday season.

Take care.

Life

I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood, and I look upon time as no more than an idea, and I consider eternity as another possibility ...

When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms ... I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.


- Mary Oliver, from her poem "When Death Comes"


What a thought!

Take care.

Tuesday, in this time and place

As I rode the Hyde Park Express Bus from Jackson and State this morning with many other folks going on their way to their normal daily activites, or not, I again marveled at our wonderful Lake so bright and blue with the suns rays bouncing off the water so radiantly that I wished that I had brought my sunglasses.  It was brilliant and I don't know how many folks on the crowded bus really noticed.  Many of us were standing and looking around, but those sitting were napping or reading a paper or a book, and there was one young lady copying her Japanese assignment over neatly on a clean peace of paper.

It is a wonderful little part of my life, this trip down the lakefront, and it gives me a charge of the beauty of God's creation, and makes me feel my responsibility for helping to take care of it, as we were given that task when we were created.  To love and care over the world and everything in it - to nurture and support - to help everyone and everything grow to its fullest capacity.  To appreciate what we have.

I will try.

Take care.