#70 -- Ritual

Today Dad forwarded a string of emails between him + his brothers about hymns they recal from back in the day. I chimed in with:

"I'm convinced that ritual contributes to saving us from ourselves in darkness. When we don't know what to do or our world seems to be spinning out of control, ritual can shore us up until we get our feet under us again. My school experience in Jamaica and New York included hymns and pledges recited as daily ritual. I can almost recite the entire Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag... from THIRTY YEARS ago."

God encourages us to honor and remember His blessings in our lives through Festivals and other ritual activities. In my old age I've decided to clasp ritual to my bossom by putting a few daily and weekly routines in place... starting tomorrow. Ideally, I'll be able to maintain this new pattern well into my twilight years. I want to kickstart a lifestyle change... not a new year's resolution that will erode and vanish within a few week. I know it's all up to me but I think it begins with a realistic mindset about why + how I add routine to my LIFE... not just my days. Obviously I don't want to become Pharasaical about it but hopefully commitment will last based on reasonable targets that I'll feel the benefits of easily. I sure hope I'm not kidding myself about all this. I'm gonna give it a try anyway. Stay tuned.

Friday Night Lights... north of the 49th !!

What a magical night! Friday Night Lights for real !! So here's the background on it. St. Francis HS is THE Calgary high school football dynasty. Notre Dame HS is a new school... built in St. Francis's neighborhood. All the kids who now attend Notre Dame, would have gone to St. Francis. Last year Notre Dames' football team goes UNDEFEATED to win Div 2 City Champs. This year ND moves up into Div 1 to take on St. Francis. And so the era of Calgary's biggest rivalry begins !

Notre Dame led the game (2-0) for much of the game. A blocking penalty took away a ND td in the 2nd quarter. St. Francis scores a td in the 3rd quarter and led 7-2. I left my spot on the far side of the field when the clock said 1m20sec left in the game thinking the game was pretty much over, wanting to beat the rush of spectators exiting the park.

When I reach the far side I hear the ND kids EXPLODE with sound. I rush back to sidelines to find myself standing beside "Baz", the ND Athletic Director (Celeste Bazinet). ND recovered a fumble with 40 seconds left in the game and marched down the field to score a td with 3 second left on the clock... to WIN, 9-7. WHAT A GAME !! Baz + I are freakin' out the whole time... high fives every 2 seconds... with a whoop! "N what?! N D!" ND kids are laughing at the two of us celebrating with sheer joy! I wasn't shooting any more photos because my hands couldn't endure -5C weather for TWO HOURS with NO MITTS. But I think Baz got some good photos of the triumphant moments. oy vay!

DEFINITELY a game worth catching pneumonia over. I think I picked the perfect high school to develop a relationship with. Hallelujah ! Thank you JESUS! amen + goodnight. I'm going to bed. It's 4am and the photos are finally uploaded to the website. peace out!

looong time comin'

Wow, last year was my most recent post. Yikes! Well, no time for a full update. I'll incorporate flashbacks as I roll.

I'm putting a ton of effort into freelance sports photography these days. It's part of the master plan to swing my career into a fully sports-related orientation. So far I'm having more fun than I imagined. My biz plan maps a mandate that focuses on adults. But last week I shot some high school girls soccer. Waaaay too much fun! Plus there's a huge high school football rivalry in the making-- Notre Dame v St. Francis. Notre Dame is a young school (4 years old) but already they're hoisting City Champ banners to their rafters. Last year their football team went UNDEFEATED and won City Champs. This year the senior football squad moved up a division to take on the perennial super powers-- St. Francis. Notre Dame will face St. Francis for the first time next Friday @ 6pm-- the quintessential Friday Nite Lights. Gotta be there for that!

I feel selfish in my pursuit of a career that I'm 110% passionate about. Or maybe I feel selfish in how I pursue that career. Regardless, I'm grinding out what I know how to do and seeking ways to fine tune my game. Fine tune? Who am I kidding? I've got leaps + bounds of progress ahead of me. I guess what I meant is that I'm taking it one small step at a time... which feels like tweaking, or fine tuning. But I know I'm on the right track because all the grinding I'm doing doesn't seem like work. Editing + uploading images has become more pleasurable as I raise my standards, understand the marketable range of an image, and consider the psychology of sales.

The next piece of the sports career mosaic-- sponsorship that makes sense.

it's ma burfday

My birthday has come & gone. I turn 37 this year. I think this is what 27 should feel like. Regardless, here I am... and happier for it. I sent out a letter on my birthday. There are several individuals I neglected to include in the mailout so I'm posting it here.

YAAAAY !!

i love this day of the year. i'm so grateful for a spectacular year. 2007 has been FILLED with wonderful moments. i'm so happy. the future looks bright too. i've come out of a very difficult time (2001-2005) and slowly pulled myself up ... with God's help. in those difficult years i built an amazing spiritual foundation and momentum that has pushed me forward like i'm surfing a wave. i feel the undercurrents of that spiritual foundation pushing me in the right direction and i'm so happy to be finding my way in life... FINALLY !!

HUGE THANKS to all of you who have helped me find my way and supported my growth, listened to my stories, laughed and prayed with me. life is about relationships and i'm so blessed to be in a healthy relationship with you. it's due in part to your contribution that i can look back on such a wonderful past 12 months. thank you for opening up your heart, sharing your life, and nurturing me. i love you more than words can say.

A friend remarked at how rare it is to see someone so focused on GIVING on their birthday... instead of receiving. I guess I feel that I've received so much throughout the year that birthdays are ideal moments for remembering and celebrating how fortunate you feel to be alive... and blessed.

Passion directed

Falling in love has shown me just how much time & energy I can put into something. It is a visceral reminder of the lengths I go to when passion is in play. I’ve done it many times before. Getting up for varsity team practices before (high) school. 30-40 hour sleepless stretches of work spent labouring over design studio projects during architecture studies. Waking up at an “ungodly” hour to watch a World Cup Soccer match live in a distant time zone… repeatedly over a 40-day period. Passion pushes me.

But when I look at how much I can do for my own self-interest, I realize how much more I can do towards my relationship with Christ the King. I love my father, Derek G. I maintain regular contact with him, sometimes several phone calls a week. I pray for him. I encourage him. I talk about him CONSTANTLY. I praise him to others. I am real with him. Am I less so with my Heavenly Father? It’s hard to gauge but I fear the answer is (at times) ‘yes’.

Is it ok with God if my attentiveness to Him cycles through sine waves of activity? I’m going to guess that He’s more merciful and understanding about it than I can imagine. But I anxiously gather myself to face Him adroitly and renew commitment to pursue Him passionately. I ask Him to light a fire in me to seek His will and live out His plans for my life… ‘cause that’s the only way it’s gonna get done in any semblance of excellence. I’m glad He’s doing the work in & through me. I’m glad I can rely on His love to draw me to Him. I’m glad I have the Holy Spirit to sharpen & renew my mind—a constant companion.