that's one doodle that can't be undid, homeskillet

i doodle. i know that's not some earth shattering confession. but, i bet that more people doodle then are willing to let on. because somewhere along the way, i feel like doodling became childish or something you do when you're bored, or even a sign of disprespect. recently, at a meeting, someone noticed my "artwork" and commented on it. for me, it has nothing to do with being bored, actually it's the opposite. i doodle to stay focused. for us creative types, sometimes it helps to see things in color, or pictures, at least that is the case for me. and most of the time, not always, the pictures directly pertain to what is being discussed.

while venting to a co-worker, and fellow creative type, she mentioned a pastor who tried something different in his congregation, specifically related to doodling. here is an excerpt...

"recently, as people entered the sanctuary on sunday mornings, we gave them small pieces of colored paper - some textured, some not - with a crayon or a colored pencil or a felt pen. for five weeks we gave them permission to doodle as i preached - much like the first disciples mended their nets as Jesus preached. then we asked them to hand the paper back as they exited.

each week, three artists scrunched, folded, and wove the pieces of paper together. they mounted the pieces on a hopscotch of painted canvases and hung them on the sanctuary wall. as the weeks went by, the little scraps of individual paper grew into a breathtaking mosaic that eventually covered two walls of the sanctuary. each week, before and after the services, more and more people stood beneath it, delighted, surprised, and amazed."

i applaud this pastor for being willing to try something outside the box. my question...why are more churches not willing to try something new. and, why can't doodling be about self-expression, or even an act of worship. needless to say, this inspired me. here is a small collage of my own doodling from the meeting i mentioned...

the songs in my head...

for those of you faithful readers who are often telling me you want more updates, i have a couple that i'm working on. but, while i'm busy perfecting those i thought i would share something else with you. i often talk about music and i'm sure that by now you know how i feel about it. so, what i'm about to share should come as no surprise. i encourage you to read the following lyrics. i imagine that we all feel this way from time to time...like a prodigal trying to find his way home.

"prodigal" - by One Republic

we say good-bye, i turn my back
run away, run away
so predictable
not far from here, you see me crack
like a bone, like a bone
i'm so breakable

and i take everything from you
but you'll take anything, won't you?

run away, run away, like a prodigal
don't you wait for me
don't you wait for me
so ashamed, so ashamed, but i need you so
and you wait for me and you wait for me

i'm on the road to who knows where?
look ahead, not behind, i keep saying
there's no place to go
where you're not there
on your rope, i hold tight, but it's freeing

everybody wants to be right
but only if it's not day light?
i keep trying to find my way back, my way back

run away, run away, like a prodigal
don't you wait for me
don't you wait for me
so ashamed, so ashamed, but i need you so
and you wait for me and you wait for me

bright lights...big city...

"that's very urban of you," this was my sister's response when i told her what i was doing on friday night. i think my exact words were..."we're going to Forest Grove to see this random band that we saw on a flyer at McMenamins." i guess it is very urban, to drive 50 minutes to see a band that may or may not be any good. but, we're always making an effor to try new things and to take advantage of all that this area has to offer.

the location was great. first of all, Forest Grove is out in the middle of nowhere. it's true country right outside the city, complete with big ol' pickup trucks. the concert was in the garden cafe of one of the McMenamin hotels, call The Grand Lodge.

this place was built in 1922 as a masonic & eastern star home and has now been turned into a hotel. it was fun to sit and listen to music, eat good food, and people watch.

and, as it turns out, the band, Bombadil, was good. the flyer described the four guys from north carolina like this..."Bombadil incorporates international instruments and styles with its background in Piedmont blues and psychedelic rock, generating everything from straightforward rock to Bolivian waltzes; from heartbreaking, piano-drive laments on loss of life to swashbuckling, raucus marches." now, with a description like that how can you not be intrigued?

they had some great songs and played several different instruments. at one point two of the guys were laying on the ground playing guitar, while the keyboardist sat under the keyboard and played backwards. very impressive and entertaining. overall, the experience was totally worth the drive. although, it was pretty chilly out there...somebody should tell the weather that it's summer...bring out the sun!

goin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches...

last weekend i went home to celebrate my mom's birthday with the family! today is her actual birthday...Happy Birthday Mom! on this visit to my hometown, one thing became clear to me...the longer i live in the city, the more i "see" the country. things that have always been there, that i've taken for granted, suddenly seem to jump out at me.

as i was taking a walk on our country road, i was thinking how things might look through the eyes of a city dweller. if someone had never been to the east side of washington...what would they see? what would stick out to them? here are some thoughts....

1. in one pasture you may see sheep, goats, llamas, one cow, and one horse. my question...how did that farmer know it was ok to put all of those animals together.

2. in the country everybody drives a big pickup truck and they wave at you, even if they don't know you. but, it's not a normal wave, it's the two finger picked up off the steering wheel kind of wave. sometimes you get four fingers, but very rarely, and even then it dose not leave contact with the steering wheel. i call it the farmer wave. i've seen it all my life. i've been on the receiving end of it hundreds of times and i've watched as my father greeted passersby in this same way.

3. dodging manure on the road...enough said. although i find myself wondering if a city dweller would even know that it was manure and therefore needed to be avoided.

4. duck and cover. in the city if you hear something that sounds like a gunshot or a car back firing, it most likely is one of those things. in the country this sound is actually the loud noise used to scare birds out of the cherry trees. but, even if you know what it is it can scare you to death.

5. having to stop in the middle of the road and wait for a tractor, swather, four wheeler, etc. to cross the road. the only thing you wait for in the city are the traffic lights.