Timber's Morning Coffee

Recently, I have been turning toward the Beatitudes. I have looked at them from every direction and wondered why more "Christians" haven't taken to them as a way of life. The one that really struck me today was Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." All my life, I have been a peacemaker. (Well, okay, there was one period of about 5 years where I tried to stir up as much drama with my family as I could. . .but let's not dwell on the past) I don't like it when people fight and I just want to see people get along. I seem to have been born with a highly developed sense of compassion and empathy. I used to (and still do) befriend what my mom lovingly termed, "The Unlovables." These were the kids that got picked on in school because they were different. The kids that had no friends. I was constantly asking questions as to why people were being treated so badly and my heart regularly broke for the...

Okay, okay. . . I know that I haven't posted in a while. But, I've been consolidating. Purging. Working on myself. And here is the latest in my thoughts and opinions: So, this morning was taken up with hiking in the Woodbine area of Montana. We went to the trailhead for Sioux Charley lake and hiked next to the river. The snow wasn't very deep and we were bundled up against the wind. Our footprints weren't the only ones, but they were the most recent. There were occasionally fox, coyote, wolf and raccoon prints. Amazing what you see when you are looking. You see, Sioux Charley is our peace. It's the place where we go to recharge and to feel a part of something greater than ourselves. No matter where we go, a little part of our hearts always lives in that valley. We've talked about retiring on the Oregon Coast, but the path to Sioux Charley will always be our home. In the city, there has been a lot of pettiness, lately. There has been drama, noise and misc...

History holds that during Christmas of 1914, during World War I, troops from both sides (French and English vs. Germans) called a truce during the war. The belief is that the Germans set up signs in broken English that said, "You no fight, We no fight." There was an exchanging of gifts and even a few impromptu soccer games. This is my paraphrase. If you want to learn more about the story, Google it. Where is this kind of spirit now? Men were able to set aside their differences and remember what the season was all about in the midst of a war, yet we are unable to set aside our politics and give each other a break in order to spend time with our families (no matter their composition) and remember what Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Festivus, etc. are about. Perhaps we should take a lesson from soldiers from nearly 100 years ago. Instead of fighting battles about our differences and making SURE we are heard, perhaps we should look for what we have in common...