Nirvana

After finishing an excessively grueling week at work, juggling almost a dozen jobs at once, I finally experienced Nirvana.  It came in the form of times alone back on the back porch, starring out into the ever alive surroundings or into a book which came in the mail about two weeks ago.  The book arrived at my doorstep because I had forgotten to cancel the monthly book club  selection with IVP.  “Forgotten” is maybe not a fair word, because in the back of my mind I probably secretly desired it.  Who knows?  But it came and I read and I actually finished it TODAY.

The weather these past few days has been flawless.  And all I could do upon escaping from work was glory in its magnificence out on the porch (protected by mosquitoes.)  The book arrived the same day that I blogged about doubt and questioning.  I remember because just after blogging, I opened the package to find the title of Dr. Timothy Johnson’s book, “Finding God in the Questions.”  This hard-cover book is written by the M.D. who works for ABC news as its medical journalist.  I agree with the comments on the back cover.  “Nightline’s” Ted Koppel calls it “a balm to the soul,” while the Dean of the Harvard Medical School describes it as a brilliantly analyzed deep humanitarian exposition.   I’ve pondered its insights and call it a “good book.”

I suppose it’s a little like some of the blogs out there only very well edited.  It’s a nice balance of science, medicine, journalism, and his own story of faith with some touching and vulnerable moments of failure and triumph.  With a pile of about 10 other books laying around the house at various degrees of completion, I suppose the fact that I finished this one within a week speaks to its ability to enthrall and satisfy.

So that was part one of my Nirvana experience—being able to sit and read without distraction.  Part two as I’ve already alluded to (“alluded to” reference in honor of Rev. Todd Kussman) is the absolutely phenomenal weather of late.  And I’m practicing what I often preach to my kids, with weather this nice it is a SIN to be indoors.  Get out and play.  Maybe the short stint of hot humid days made me appreciate the good stuff all the more, but I can’t speak highly enough of a mid-summer day in Minnesota with low humidity, temps in the 70s, blue sky, scattered white fluffy clouds, and an overabundance of deep greens against the brown bark.  How can one not scream out (at least inwardly) in praise to a very gracious God?

I had enough energy earlier to go into further detail concerning the book, but now that’s gone.  Suzi and I went to a friend’s 50th birthday party and then to Home Depot to buy some replacement parts for a broken closet organizer.  Those two events were enough to zap the energy right out of me.  Suzi reminded me tonight that we were married when my parents celebrated their 50th birthdays.  Egads.

Mark and his wife both turned 50 this year, so they had a joint party.  I couldn’t find any joints around however.  Maybe that was for later in the evening.  Mark and I go back quite a few years, and we had a chance to share in each others’ weddings.  We were married within a year of each other and had the same color schemes.  (This last comment was to impress my wife and make some points.)

But what I really remember about Mark is his love for gospel music, comic books, fantasy literature, good conversation, good food, and travel.  During his college days he worked for the Park & Recreation Board in the winter staffing the warming house for ice skaters.  He alternated shifts with another friend of mine.  To make the time fly by they would take turns writing chapters for never-published novels.  I remember the most fun they had was in trying to mess things up for the other person.  One of them would try to establish a plot or flesh out a character only to find that the other one had completely changed direction the next day.  It made for some wild stories.  He and our mutual friend Greg have always been great story tellers and they truly let their imaginations run wild during those long cold winter nights.

I’ve often thought it would be fun to be a part of an exercise like that with Mark.  He’s been a great friend over the years and he does a great job bringing the best out in people.