Gerald Ford passing

There has been almost constant coverage on the life and death of Gerald Ford, GR's native son. I watched a well done documentary on Public Television that talked about Ford's upbringing. Apparently, he had a rather large temper, so his mother would make him recite this poem, IF by Kipling, as a way to calm down and control his anger - a more sophisticated way of counting to 10. This was a new poem to me, but I really love it, so enjoy...

[IF]

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

morning walk

Levi and I took a nice morning walk around the neighborhood. With all his winter clothes, he barely fit inside his backpack. It may be time to start looking for a stroller that can double as a bike trailer; I can't imagine having to lug him around this way for much longer.

First we visited the construction site to take a few pictures. Things are really moving along on the garages and the first unit. The first unit is taking a little longer because they have to work out some of the kinks that always happen between what is drawn on paper and what can actually get built. I saw our architect and builder on the site earlier this week inspecting the discrepancies. I think the other units will really fly once the builder figures out the details.


Second we walked through the various parks. Lookout Park was beautiful this morning; the sun was out and there was a haze across the city. It really made me want to hike down to the river and take the trail, but the thought of hiking back up with Levi wasn't do'in it for me. There were a lot of squirrels out, probably thinking spring is right around the corner. It has been such a mild December that I think the next three months of winter will be much more tolerable. We went from Lookout Park back over to Coit Park and took the small path that runs through the park. There were a lot of people sitting on benches and just enjoying the sun. Then it was home again.

for unto us....

Levi's first Christmas and a long weekend of family and friends.

green vs grey

My neighbor/friend Andy I went out for beers last night down at Founders. For most of it we were joined by a friend who is an economic development guru in GR. It was really great to hang out in the neighborhood joint and talk neighborhood stuff! Basically, Spectrum Health is pissing a lot of people off because of their blatant disregard for all things pedestrian. St Mary's just announced their plans to have a "green" health campus - removing parking lots, adding back in greenspace, LEED certified buildings, etc. As our friend stated about halfway through the pitcher last night, "It's green vs. grey". When you look at the monoliths that Spectrum is creating with a major 5 lane road and freeway running through it, you have to wonder where they are getting their ideas from. You would think by this time in America's design history, that the context of a building would matter. Instead, they continue to build inaccessible buildings with no street-life - it doesn't exactly inspire one to think about health and well-being. So good job St. Mary's, keep it up, in the end it will come around and you will be grateful for making a stand now.

Also, a lot of credit goes to Peter Wege who set some standards as to what he would give money to in terms of environmental design. Yet another novel idea, a philanthropists values are reflected in the architecture. You can look at any major building project and see what the major donors care about. So what do the Spectrum donors value if you look at the design? People and Health don't exactly come to mind.

Well, Christmas is almost here. I have a half day tomorrow and then a couple days to enjoy family and friends. We are heading up to Nora's Dad's place tomorrow, my family on Saturday and then the rest of Nora's family on Monday - BUSY! This is one of my favorite times of year if I can keep my sanity and stamina going. I find myself needing to retreat a little each day to recharge the social battery. This will also be the week to reflect back on the great year of 2006.

joel's wedding

I'm out in Washington for a couple days attending an old highschool and college friend's wedding. The wedding was last night here in Lynden, WA with a great service at 3rd church and a reception following at a school. Sitting there in 3rd was really surreal. I leaned over to mom about half way through the service and said, "I think this what heaven is going to be like, a lot of people you sort of recognize and are glad to see, but you're not really sure who they are or why." I had a great time seeing old friends, most of whom I haven't seen in 12-15 years, sort of a mini high-school reunion. Anyway, I'll post more when I have a bit more time.

inspirational change agents

Here is my new favorite website.

TED: Technology, Entertainment, Design

Great site to be inspired and challenged to make the world a better place. I may start doing some linking and reflecting via this blog on some of the different lectures. You can also subscribe to the video podcast through iTunes.

foundational

The foundations for Newberry Place should start going in this week. We are using a Superior Wall System, so the side walls and ceiling go in first, with the basement slab getting poured last. The Shea House is the first to start, with Nora and my building pulling up the rear. First move-ins should be in mid-summer with our own tentative move-in of October. This is great because it gives us a little more time to figure out what we are going to do with our house. Exciting stuff!

christmas party

Last night Nora and I went to the Lighthouse Communities Christmas party. As some of you know, about 5 years ago I started working for City Vision, a sister organization of Lighthouse. Lighthouse has been really generous both to City Vision and to me personally over the past few years. When City Vision went "virtual" last year, Lighthouse allowed me to keep a desk in the corner for my computer and some files. This has really been great for me because I value the comrodery and friendship of all of the Lighthouse staff.

At the party, all the staff was encouraged to bring dishes from their heritage or tradition. We ate like kings and queens and were able to partake in foods from Egypt, Dutch/Indonesia, Urban America, Venezuala and Mexico (we also sampled tequila from Mexico). What an amazing feast. Lighthouse has done such a fantastic job of living out its values of acceptance and innovation be hiring such a qualified and diverse staff. And I know this has made everyone's lives richer.

During the meal, Dave and Donna got a call from their son, Don, who is currently stationed in Iraq. You can read more about Dave's experience at his blog (linked on the right). Two soldiers of Don's unit were shot yesterday. Dave and Donna were obviously shaken up by this event last night, but they also have to live with uncertainty and worry every day that Don is over there. A report I read last week says that we have now been in Iraq longer than our entire engagement in WWII. As Dave and Donna shared the news I became both saddened and furious, not that we are still in Iraq, but that some of us are being asked to carry this burden of war while others are not made to sacrifice. My friend Earl and I were talking on the street the other day in the Madison neighborhood (80%+ black) and we see military recruiters combing the streets. I work at the Community College and daily see recruiters positioned in the hallways. Are these same recruiters setting up shop at our private colleges? Have our taxes gone up to support this war effort? Have I ever been asked by my government to do anything in support of this war other than to buy more stuff to keep the economy on track?