Cheers to a great summer!

ok, folks... I started this post a while back, but I am obviously behind on blogging and even some emails if I owe you one. I am working on catching up....
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Hello from the depths of summer heat and travels! One would think that there would be more time on my hands to blog in the summertime but that simply was not the case. We have had a jam-packed summer and it has been lovely. I'll get this blog all caught up here, and then we can resume as though it's a new school year, since it's back-to-school time around here. I won't promise more frequent posting but I will assert my sincere desire to post more.

I think a fairly standard definition of summer based on the school calendar is Memorial Day through Labor Day. So I will begin this update with Memorial Day.

I have been fortunate to have seen every sib in the Ahern family between January and June of this year. John was here in January, in March I was in DC and saw Abe and Bekah then Rachel in L.A., and then Nate and I saw Rachel and Ed in Norman in May, and Mary Grace was here in June. And we will close off this summer over Labor Day visiting Canaan Hills and the entire family for the wedding of Grace and Jason. Whew!

So as I just mentioned, we were in Norman, OK in May, over Memorial Day weekend. Nate and I packed up the car and drove north where we camped in Chickasaw National Recreational Area and rounded off the trip with a visit to the Knudsens and stopping to see my parents and the new Baby Hendricks in DFW on the way home.
Shortly after we returned, Grace arrived in Houston for a 2+ week visit with us while she went through some violin training a couple miles from our house. It was nice having another body in the house and someone else to share runs and spend the evenings with. We all had fairly busy schedules during this time but we managed to give Grace a taste of the city and even made it to an Astros game and a Houston symphony performance at Miller Outdoor Theater.
A week or so after Grace left, Nate and I went to Alaska with a group of new friends. It was breathtaking just seeing the majesty of God's creation. We spent some time in Denali National Park and the Kenai Peninsula/Homer.

We also had the opportunity to go to Canada this summer. I had a conference there and Nate came along. We managed to find enough time to tour Vancouver while we were there. What an awesome city! It was clean, friendly, and breathtakingly beautiful.
This is a very condensed version of our summer, but it's the best you're gonna get! Cheers to a great summer!
And today, I leave for Grand Junction. Grace is getting married!!

What difference do it make??

I just finished reading a book called What Difference Do it Make?, a follow-up book to Same Kind of Different As Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. These men came from completely different walks of life yet came together and continue to make a difference in the homeless communities across the country. It really opened my eyes to some of the issues surrounding the homeless.

Growing up in a suburb, I rarely encountered homeless people on the streets. Sure, I volunteered at homeless shelters through my church youth group and through my high school, but that was the only time I ever really saw them.

I began to see more of the homeless when I went to college in downtown Nashville, and now, living in the 4th largest city in the U.S., I'm lucky if I don't see a homeless person in a single day.

My heart has always been troubled when seeing these folks on the streets. Many will walk up to you and ask for money. Some stand at busy intersections with signs made from cardboard boxes or with an empty McDonald's cup. Some even carry a bucket of water and a squeegee and wash your windows while you are waiting at the light, in hopes that you will pay them for their service.

My initial gut reaction when I see these people is fear. Here is a dirty, smelly, perhaps mentally impaired person looking in my window and holding his cup towards me asking for change. I avoid eye contact. I roll up my windows. I ignore them. I don't even crack a smile. I pray for the light to turn green quickly. And then as I drive away (or walk away), I feel pangs of guilt. God has blessed me with financial security, a home, food, family, friends... couldn't I have spared a dollar? Or even a smile? Jesus commands us to help those in need, no matter if they are dirty or malicious.

But, you ask, What if you give a homeless person 5 bucks, and then he goes and buys cigarettes or alcohol with it and then gets thrown in jail? The answer is that it is not our place to judge how this person uses your gift to them. You are blessing this person, and what he does with what you give him is up to him. The idea is that we are called to help those in need; what happens after that is up to God. We certainly cannot "fix" the situation of a homeless person when we toss change into his cup. But a simple act of smiling, saying hello, and showing love to someone is our duty as Christians.

Another thing that I was reminded of in this book is that we should never be quick to judge. Not every homeless person is crazy. Not every homeless person is a lazy bum. Not every homeless person is an addict. Some, for instance, are just down on their luck. Maybe, like Denver Moore, their upbringings put them in their position- without even an elementary school education, how can an adult find his place in society? Who will accept him, offer him a job, or even respect him? When we look to help the homeless, we should look past what we see on the surface. We don't know their life histories. Let God do the judging.

Like any other person, the homeless are looking for acceptance, for recognition, for a second chance. Whether they got themselves into this position or not, they are God's children too, and they deserve to be treated as our brothers and sisters. So the next time you give a homeless person some change or a burger, don't question what they are going to do next. Give freely and let God take care of the rest. You never know what difference it could make.

I haven't yet read the first book (Same Kind of Different as Me), but I have it on hold at the library. I would highly recommend the second book, What Difference do it Make, if you are interested in reading more about this topic. It's a quick read, and I wager that it will stir your heart.

More exciting happenings

Is it weird that stories like this make my eyes water? I'm thinking that I'm pretty proud to be a part of the Houston SPCA volunteer team.

As an update to Lois, she is finally flowering. And stinking more.

And stay tuned for a photo update of our summer travels. I know my posts have been sparse and random (ie. trees? corpse flowers? animal stories?).

Blooming Lois

There's always something exciting happening in Houston, and right now we have the largest flower in the world blooming at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, less than a mile from our house. Fascinating. It was projected to bloom last weekend, but hasn't yet! It'll be the 29th flower of its kind ever to bloom in the U.S.

Temporary Home

This song makes me cry every time.

I am not ashamed. :)

It's good to be reminded that this life that we live is merely a speck in time before we spend eternity with our God.

Our Overcup Oak

14 months ago I brought this tree home from an Earth Day giveaway at work:

Here it is now! It's growing fast!

Recycling

It's the little things in life that make me happy.

Our condominium complex just put a recycling bin next to the regular dumpster. Hallelujah! Easy access recycling. I have been moping around for the past 4 years kicking myself for tossing aluminum cans and plastic in the trash. Realistically, all I had to do was set aside a separate bag or box for recyclable items and then drive them over to the nearest recycling center. My excuses included the following:

- too lazy
- not enough space for extra bag/box of trash (this could be solved by having a garage or utility room but we have neither)

These excuses amount to nothing. Think of all the plastic and aluminum and glass I could have recycled. My father would keel over knowing how much we simply dumped into the trash. He in fact did scold me once or twice but the horrid excuses above rang loud in my head.
Thankfully, we've at least been faithful recyclers of paper and have taken frequent trips to the various paper recycling bins around town.

But now, we can dump even our paper into the recycling bin in our own complex. I feel I will now change the world.

Recycling is really an easy, effective way of doing your part in reducing the massive amounts of trash that goes into landfills every day. So don't follow my example of making excuses. There are NO good excuses not to recycle.

Even the Grand Canyon recycles. Our cabin had separate trash cans for recyclables and non-recyclables. This, indeed, enhanced my Grand Canyon experience.