Happy Anniversary!

September 5th, 1981 seems to have been a good day to get married! 
Aside from our (mine and Chris's) wedding on this date 45 years ago, retired air traffic controllers Jerry (and wife Bea) and Elaine (wife Theresa) were also married and are celebrating 45 years today!

My sister Mary (also married to a Chris) and cousin Linda (husband Sunil) also have September 5th anniversaries, but have a ways to go before reaching 45 years.

Happy Anniversary to all of us and may we enjoy the holiday weekend!

Chris and I went out for seafood last night to celebrate a day early. Chris will be leaving for NYC early tomorrow morning to go to see Harry Styles at Madison Square Gardens next week. Forty-five years of experience tells us that she will enjoy the concert more with a friend than with me. I will journey to Louisville next week to meet with our son Aaron and daughter's boyfriend Jason for a couple of distillery tours and a AAA baseball game -- something Chris would not enjoy as much.
I'm sure that a good time will be had by all!
Some things you do together. Others you do apart. Just one of the many things we've learned in 45 years.

It is such a wonderful life that I have that it's hard to believe it's just another day in the life of...

John

Still Assessing; Still Learning

While I would like to tell anyone asking that my deconstruction from evangelical Christianity is complete, I would also have to admit that I am still working out both who I am and where I am spiritually.
If I were to sum up my thoughts on evangelical Christianity in particular or religion in general I would have to say that religious people tend to worship religion -- not God. Throughout the Christian religions, Christians tend to worship Jesus, the Christ, rather than worshiping God, the Creator.

Even more so, they tend to worship this religion built around Jesus that has very little to do with the Creator at its center. 
It seems that other religions have similar structures where they worship practices and doctrines more than an actual deity of some type.

Admittedly, there is a part of me that misses the euphoria of a worship experience. But I don't believe that I will ever go back to that. 
I believe in, and recognize God as divine and as the Creator of all things, but I don't believe that this God wants, needs, nor expects my worship.
I can't really tell you what I think of an afterlife because I no longer consider an afterlife as something to influence my decisions of how I behave towards others, towards the planet, or even towards God. Just making good choices for today seems to be enough.

I haven't really thought of myself as a victim of church abuse or that I have experienced any kind of real trauma from churches, but that is beginning to change as I learn more about religious trauma in general and church trauma in particular. I'd say that my distrust of religions and churches (the people part of  religion) is pretty equal, but in the end I believe that it's bizarre how far people are willing to go to make other people believe the same things that they believe -- yeah, think Crusades, concentration camps, burning at the stake, and even crucifixions. 

It's pretty sad to go through life believing that people suck, but damn -- people suck!
Guard yourselves accordingly.

That can serve as my quotable(?) Wednesday Wisdom contribution for this week -- 
People suck. Guard yourselves accordingly.

John

Heat wave!

It looks like September is beginning with the hottest temperatures of the summer here in SWMO. We topped the 100 degree mark yesterday and will be at our close to that for the rest of the week. Summer is hanging on!

I am okay with that.
Football season is starting, baseball will soon be coming to an end (sooner for us Cardinal fans), pumpkin spice lattes, beer, and other treats are back -- BUT IT IS STILL SUMMER!
While many people are ready to break out the flannel shirts, I will be wearing my shorts well into November and likely in December.

Admittedly, I broke out the long pants this past weekend as I am back to riding my motorcycle. The pants I use for riding are a lightweight, supposedly tear resistant, black fabric. They offer no impact padding, but might save some skin if I ever take a spill. I also have a Kevlar sweater for summer riding and a vented textile motorcycle jacket for when the weather gets cooler.

I haven't decided if I'll be riding or driving to meet Chris for lunch today. Riding when it is hot can be brutal -- especially in town where you have to stop often. 
90+ degrees, long pants, long sleeves, helmet, stopped at a traffic light on hot pavement, surrounded by car exhaust, and sitting on top of a running engine -- like I said, it can be brutal. 
At that point, even riding doesn't cool you down.

Okay. I just decided.
Besides, if I take the truck I can dump some of our recycling while I'm out.

What do you do when it's hot out?
Does it matter?
I have gotten soft about being out when it's hot.
I don't know if it's because I don't like being sweaty and feeling kind of gross, or if it's just too oppressive sometimes. I'm okay staying in where it's cooler.
Honestly, being out more would probably be less of an issue if I'd shed some of the insulation I'm packing. Fat guys and sweat are never a good thing.

Enjoy your day and stay cool.
I'm going to appreciate the sun and summer for as long as I can. 

John