Alive and speaking in code

I will not accept mediocrity. There is no telling what one can and will do with a willing heart and reliance on God.

David. Jonah. Esther. Moses. Abraham. Noah. Mary. Paul. Every last one of them, insignicant by their own power. Every last one of them taking on tasks far beyond their limits and bringing glory to God. all of them offering hope and salvation to the world.

What gifts can I bring? I'm rummaging in my basket for fish and loaves as I write.

Cobb County Completes the Streets

On January 27, 2009, Cobb officials took a quiet, but massive step to a greener, healthier Cobb county. Officials adopted a national movement to “Complete the Streets.” While this vote does not guarantee bike lanes on every street, it does indicate a growing desire to expand Cobb's accessibility and green status. Officials pledge to examine all new construction and existing road re-pavement to consider pedestrians, cyclists and disabled persons in addition to the traditionally favored automobiles.

Changes made in other cities across the nation using Complete the Streets measures have allowed those cities to increase usage, decrease emissions, and decrease obesity. Cobb County Commissioners have taken a giant step to clean up Cobb and encourage healthy living. However, remember this vote is not a guarantee. In light of financial cutbacks, it is too easy to let sidewalks and trails slide down the priority list. Your continued vigilance and support are required to turn this quiet vote into reality.

For more information on this and other measures to increase Cobb's sustainability efforts, please visit www.completethestreets.org and www.bikecobb.org.

Fun stuff

My earlier post for BikeCobb was published in a local magazine. I am quite excited. It can be seen at www.eastcobber.com. Woohoo!

Passing days

It is amazing the difference between a good day and a bad day. One glides by and the other never ends. I try and find the grace in both and yet in the later I sometimes only find sacrifice. It is hard to find pleasure in the circumstances that try and test us. There is some truth that bad times help us appreciate the good. It sharpens our perspective for both. It equips us to deal with the mundane so that we have more good days. Previous events that would have rocked us now are easily accomplished.

As I write this, it is a good day. There are a lot in my life. I do still have the other though. Days I celebrate my deceased brother's birthday and take a dog back to the shelter knowing he might be euthanized are on that list. On the bad days, I am sometimes concentrating so hard to get through, that I cannot stop to dwell. If I did, I might get stuck and not make it past. I've had my share of bad days and would be bad days. That's why I know the difference. I used to have a lot of bad days. I made some changes though, and now there aren't as many.

My secret is not a secret. One foot in front of the other and keep walking. Never look down, only up and straight ahead. Freeze good days. Try and remember what got you there. Rarely is it an accident. Good days are often representative of our solid choices to build and speak life into those around us. Bad days are often a snowballed set of responses to the various life events that happen. We do stupid things. We all do. We make mistakes and sometimes we repeat them. The non secret is to look at our thoughts, actions, and reactions and see the big picture. The non secret is to see the big picture and know we are here to speak life and build up one another.

The truth, as we all know, is that the days are all the same length. It's all our perspective. If you are tired, grumpy and always getting the short end of the stick it's time to examine your choices and rewrite what isn't working. I'm not saying it's easy, but the alternative is a lot of bad days.