The Great California Beach Sleep....

We were on Seal Beach in San Diego doing coastal drug interdiction in cooperation with ATF and the DEA. The fun was all around us as Buds were out at all hours doing there best to survive the grueling training they have to endure. My surveillance unit was dropping sonar buoys out along the invisible line in the ocean separating Mexico from the US . We had been there 2 days when one dusky evening we were on the beach in front of our tents watching the Buds practice beach assaults. We watched intently as units signaled in to receive the appropriate landing area. They had to be a mile or so out and we could see there flashes intermittently as the waves bobbed them up and down. We couldn't understand who they were signaling as we seemed to be the only ones on the beach. As they came in the assault was in as complete darkness as the moon would allow.
Some of the units dealt well with the rough surf and others didn't deal well with it. A few of the zodiacs were rolled and they all ended up on the beach waiting in a ready position around their boats. To our surprise and amazement small piles of seaweed started moving toward them. The SEAL instructors had washed up disguised as seaweed right under our noses and we were a surveillance unit! That night I fell asleep to the sound of the ocean beating against the beach a mere 40 feet away. Every time we went back I really looked forward to the sleep knowing someone was out there watching out for me. Knowing that can make you feel special and if you think about it someone is watching out for us all the time. We can't always be by the ocean or some other ideal place for that matter. Realizing that we have someone watching out for us is half the battle, trusting that someone is the other half . So when you think about it every night could be a night on the beach in San Diego. Trust wholly in God and sleep well.
God Bless You All

Are we inside the box or out????

Recently my daughter and I went to see yet another movie that just came out. My daughter of 12 seems to talk a lot better (to ME) when we are alone in a theatre full of people. There is definitely something surreal about the isolation in the center of movie, I mean were else can you experience the beauty of being a father while enjoying a living book encompassing life. The book is one by C.S. Lewis basically about experiencing true life Outside ( or in this case Inside) the box. We had previously seen Harry Potter 4 together( another book) which in essence deals with the same subject. Belief and magic have to go had in hand. Do you believe in magic? There is both good and bad existing here and now, standing side by side. Now I'm not saying that the things going on in either movie are true and real, but the message that comes out is basically the same. How can we as humans possibly grasp the concept of a virgin birth, the resurrection, and the trinity, not to mention the bread and wine becoming the true presence of our Lord Jesus if we don't believe?
Granted the C.S. Lewis epic is far more compatible with our Christian presence and illustrates the mystery of sacrifice in a unique way. They both present the mystery that things happen that cannot be explained and are referred to as magic. If that is the best word we have to conform our adult minds to that concept then I say go with it. We could all use a little childish wonder when we worship. If these movies get us in touch with those feelings of wonder than I say they were more than worth seeing. The next time you walk past a wardrobe or for that matter a lone boot take the time to thank God for the ability to let reason pass you by once and awhile and enjoy the scenery, it may just save you.

On Dry Spells.....

Recently I became aware of the fact that I hadn't written anything in a while or for that matter anything else other than work, sleep and swim. Today with much warning and fanfare, a coldness not felt in these parts for more than several years came blasting in and reminded me of other things. It seems that the dryness that comes with extreme cold and heating(of the home) always starts to affect me. Now that I am swimming nearly every day this become increasingly pronounced. I realized my reading has also slipped way back and my bible study is just a thought Sunday morning as I prepare for Mass. For that matter my prayer life has gotten to a sloppy prayer at bedtime and the occasional prayer during a peticular dangerous part of my workday.
Sometimes I wonder if I really get everything I'm supposed to? I mean if God really did all that he did and gave us his Son then why am I not constantly begging for forgiveness and beating my chest for mercy? Thanksgiving reminds us what we should be thankful for and advent prepares us for the coming of the Lord. Why then do I bask skillfully in the doldrums of idleness? Why can't I break free from all this monotony and fly headlong into my future knowing what I know? Seasons are God's way of taking the monotony out and refreshing our soul if we can break out of our shell long enough to become aware of it. You see I jumped onto the easy path where all is okay and everything is comfy and normal. It takes a lot of concentration to meditate the rosary at night because I'm tired and don't feel like it . My studies forgotten because it is easier to come into the comforts and not bother with such tedious work as contemplating next weeks readings. An icy push is the wake up call, remember hell will be like dry ice burning and freezing you for all eternity. God's love is warm and inviting, remember that next time you walk in from the cold and thank God for heat.