On the Mt. with my Sweetheart, meeting Richard the Great

So today was one of the most glorious days on Mt. Hood you could possibly experiences - WOW, wow, double wow! In this retelling of one fabulous day, I'll share with you the story of Richard the Great (Our first time to meet), our adventures on a new trail, and the very fun coffee shop (with cool hand-made earrings for $7.98).

We first met Richard in the snow park lot - he was parked next us. I commented on his ski boots and he told me he was learning to Skate.

Laura and I were trying out the Tea Cup Nordic trails for the first time. It's a great place; so well groomed and a nice Lunch cabin. The view of Mt. Hood and variety of trails make this a great place to cross country ski.

We were about half way around our 1.5 hr. loop when we caught up with Richard. He was skating uphill, working hard (Skater's skis are shorter and smooth bottomed: stiffer boots are the final part that make this type of Nordic skiing different than Classical Nordic). Nordic skating is much faster, more demanding physically, and lots of fun. We visited with Richard for a few minutes and then pressed on ahead. Richard told me he had started Cross Country skiing when he turned 54. How fun it was to meet this guy who at age 71 was learning the demanding sport of Nordic Skating.

As we were parting ways, I asked the man, I call Richard the Great, what his name was; his reply, "Dick." I'm sure his Birth Certificate must say his name is Richard. No one who is so full of adventure, energy, and

strength should be called Dick.

After our 1.5 hour warm-up Laura and I again took on the White River Trail on our snowshoes. This time we left the river and followed a ridge that was simply a great workout. Coming back down the trail Laura simply kicked my butt. It was a warm, sun drenched workout with Mt. Hood staring down at us the entire time. We had so much fun!

We left the Mt. and stopped in the little Hwy 26 pit-stop of Welches Oregon. This time we were trying to find a small eclectic coffee shop we had heard about. After a couple "not the right place" we found it! They not only serve Stump Town Coffee

but they make a wonderful latte! If you bring your own cup they give you a 50 cent discount (they clean and pre-heat your cup too). Laura bought a chocolate cookie that was about 3/4" thick, and baked to perfection (How do you do that with a cookie that thick?). It was full of the perfect f Chip to Cookie ratio. This little Jewel of a hangout also makes breakfast and lunch items that look wonderful. It's a very fun place (free internet, a yarn shop connected, and creative hand made earrings). Check it out - Cafe Aria

I found Laura the perfect pair (and $7.98)! On the trail, and again on the way home we had an invigorating discussion about; "Who in the Old Testament are the three people you admire most?" I started by choosing Abraham then switched to Moses after Laura's persuasive arguments. I almost chose Esther, but a tie between to other people still has me struggling (I'm still trying to decide . . . maybe I blog on it later).

We arrive home just in time to shower and make it to the 5 p.m. service at Living Hope. Pastor John and I have been very much taken up by 3-D forgiveness idea, but tonight John took it to another level by introducing 4-D forgiveness (It was a fantastic talk).

So after a phone visit with my old cycling buddy from Seattle, I'm ready for bed. What a wonderful day. I'm praying I will be on new adventures and great physical challenges when I'm 71, just like my new inspiration, Richard (Dick) the Great!

Snowshoeing details

Even more details yet to come this week - keep checking back! Updated 3.24

LAURA AND I ARE GOING UP THE MT. NO MATTER WHAT . . . YOU CAN JOIN US :)

Overview: March 27 (8:30 a.m.) at Government Camp (NOTE: From Vancouver, you will have to leave about 7 or 7:15 a.m.). This is on Hwy 26 (to Mt. Hood). At Gov. Camp take a left at the first "flashing light" (across from Ski Bowl). You will see the Ski Rental Shop, Mountain Tracks, just right of the Huckleberry Inn (LINK). The rental price is $15 for boots, snowshoes, & poles.

Snowshoeing destination: T.B.D. Most likely near Meadow's Ski hill - a bit beyond Government Camp (this will depend on the snow report). NOTE: Starting early will make for better snow conditions (The snow will be very wet and heavy afternoon).

What to wear: Bring layers, base layers of sports tops, ski pants, or exercise - long pants with under-layer. One heavy pair of socks, a medium pair, and think wicking pair (this will give you the best fit if your renting boots. A light windbreaker and gloves (light running gloves and/or ski gloves.) Hat or ski hat if you get cold easy.

Food, ect: Bring protein bars, nuts, and peanut butter. Two 16 oz. bottles of water and extra for the car afterwards - good! Sun screen and sunglasses will be needed.

NOTE: If you want to come snowshoe, but are afraid of how hard of "workout" it will be - there are options (I can tell you about some great handout places - couches, art, book-store) and you can always met us later on if you like. I hope we can be snowshoeing by 10 a.m. and then be 1/2 down the Mt. (Hwy 26) in time to eat by 2 p.m. I need to be back to the main campus by 5. I think everyone can easily be home no later than 4 p.m. if you wish.

Email me and we can connect (I'll phone you too). More details to come. Brucea@livinghopechurch.com

Our Saturday Night date (You're invited) March 20

So we invited some friends (Our whole East Campus Living Hope Church) to join us this last week for a date. The date is Sat. night - it's a progressive date (Please feel free to join us at one of three locations. You can met us at stop #1):

Feel free to email me at bruce.lhceast@gmail if you want to exchange phone numbers.

1st stop - 5 p.m. at Living Hope Church Main Campus) to hear one of my friends tell his story of how forgiveness changed his life. I think you like it!

THEN - the 2nd stop, 6:45 p.m, is at the Fusion Bubble Tea shop (13503 Mill Plain Blvd. Vancouver, Wa 98684). This place is just East of the old G.I. Joe's in the same strip-mall. It's a funky cool place with some nice art displayed. There will be a band playing there (It could be crowded, and could be crappy music . . . but, hey, it's an adventure. We'll just have to find out . . . . Besides, that makes stop # 3 a good option!).

# 3, our final stop is at Panera Bread, 15 SE 164th Ave, Vancouver, Wa 98683 Time: TBA (it all depends on what we find at stop #2). If your driving East on Mill Plain (from Fusion) it's easier to cross 164th Ave and then turn right and pass the Olive Garden into Panera).

Note: Stop three will involve discussion (Bruce picking apart your brain) of Bruce's sermon he's giving the next day (March 21). Let us know if you want to join us.

Don't forget to check back for details regarding our snowshoeing trip on March 27 (What to wear, options of trails, cost of rental, places we might eat).

The World's Greatest (Perhaps) Love Saga

Well hydrated on Shel Silverstein’s 46 yr. ol

d story, The Giving Tree, I was hurriedly assembling my arsenal of fuel for the day; apples, water, and almonds.

Suddenly my prepared assault on life was interrupted. It was to be a divine interruption!

My little grandda

ughter, Elena, was staring up at me from beyond our cooking island. She was furiously waving at me, all the while expertly chirping,

“Bye! Bye! Bye Papa, bye.”

This, nearly-two-year-old slayer of old grandpa-like hearts was doing it again –

“Killing me softly,” I sighed –then mumbled out loud,

“Dang, if your not the cutest little girl in all the world.”

You may be asking,

“Why Bruce, are you erupting in such a passionate, emotional homily (most likely you aren’t ask this at all - laugh)?”

Because, my friend, Life-breathed experiences like the one I’m about to mesmerize and memorialize you with should never be taken lightly! In fact, these encounters should be immortalized and celebrated – So, let the saga begin (Wow, are you ready?)!

My response to Elena was both normal and predictable.

“Bye sweetheart, Papa loves you. Bye-bye.”

Now before we crash together into an emotional pay-dirt like euphoria, an in-the-ballpark-home-run kind of bliss, I must warn you that one might suffer strange unexplainable symptoms or even physical side effects that could leave a person temporarily paralyzed from all practical activities and rational thoughts (that might be a good thing). What I’m about to share could cause you to feel like the words my father used in a letter to my mother more than five decades ago. My sister and I successfully stole and read this letter out loud, amidst enthusiastic cheers, laughter, and some frantic attempts by my father to stop us. This successful reading was due in part to our bathroom having a solid-core door and sturdy lock. My dad had ended his letter to in a most masculine, Zane Gray, sort of way. He signed off with the words,

“My heart drips puddles of purple passion for you.”

XOXOX

Gordon

I’ve never met a man who loved his wife the way my father loved my mom. Their love story is far more incredible than the TV's Fringe! It's beyond CSI solvable - they married 3 months after they met. Their love touched hundreds of lives!

Ok, so here goes . . . I’m back on track to telling one of the greatest love sagas ever recorded . . . trust me.

After Elena tossed me her goodbye, I instinctively echoed back, to my future golf/tennis/cycling and running partner; sweetheart # 2, Elena:

“Bye-bye sweetheart. Papa loves you.”

I’ve said these words at least 2,012 times to my little girl, but this time . . . wait, just one more side street, please? Thanks.

WARNING: Be careful if you’re reading this while driving. Please! Friends don’t let friends drive and read! Ok, the rest of this story is commercial free, promise!

Elena’s flickering, fluttering eyelashes framed her dark chocolate eyes, her eyebrows traveled up and down in metronome-perfect synchronization to her cowgirl “queen-of-the-rodeo” goodbye wave. She then proclaimed with Charlton Heston-like-sincerity . . . did I mention that Elena’s voice was, at that precise moment, the most “wonderful-in-all-the-universe" perfect tone, pitch, and accent? It was so awe-tingling-ly-ly beautiful that I’m sure even Heaven held its breath. Elena said, and I quote,

“I love you.”

Let me repeat, Elena said to me this morning (March 11, 2010),

“I love you.”

Today (March 11) was the first time humankind has ever heard my little Elena utter these revolutionary words. Her mother instantly pumped out pure high-octane joy, like an Indy 500 racecar sucking in fuel at 3 gal. per second during a pit-stop (Honesty friends, I know almost nothing about auto racing)! A mixture of jealousy, happiness, unadulterated laughter, and a lot of well founded pride flooded her eyes. As for me, I cried, I died, and I was reborn again and again (Like, over and over and over and . . . .).

This is one of the greatest days of my life. Elena proclaimed those words so easily, so freely. They are a priceless gift to me, no strings attached. Elena had zero awareness that I would blog, brag, and annoy others by going on and on and on and on about this world shattering, life transforming experience; possibly the world’s greatest love saga!

Hey everybody, did you hear the news? Elena said “I love you” for the first time today! And she said it first to her grandpa!

Later, while tooling down the road, (Old guys lingo for driving.) my phone’s digital recorder zoomed into action. Words bubbled and burst from my os (Latin for opening, or mouth). Small scraps of paper (Fred Meyer gas receipts to be exact) voluntarily enlisted as a primitive Beta iPad, and my #1 sweetheart Laura, had to put her ICU patient on hold so she could take my urgent phone call. She listened as I ranted and raved about how real, lasting, and worth everything love really is (Don’t worry, the patient is still alive)! Here’s a personal truth-note: Laura was genuinely thrilled that I was the first one Elena said these words to. My wife is such a saint! A sexy one too (Just joking – not really. Ok, she really is! If your face has presently begun to resemble a prune, take five, then smile because Bruce is bonkers over Laura. Ok? Feel better now?)!

I’m thinking about some words I jotted down a few days ago; I saw them this afternoon on a scrap of paper next to my black leather recliner. They still illuminate my brain. Their dark, cursive ink whispers,

“Love gives because it wants to, is free to, and chooses to.”

An worn-out old man, nearly a century in years, once said,

“We love because He first loved us.”

Yes! Love is a gift we are able to give because someone loved us before we even knew how to say thank-you.

It was maybe fifteen or so years ago that I restated to Elena’s father, my son Marcus, some words I’d read in a Hippy-type book: A saying that concisely expresses reason why we exist:

“Love people and use things, never love things and use people.”

This morning my little Elena revived an ancient, anti-Greek, Hebrew philosophy. It’s one of those original Avatar-like truths: A Genesis concept that says that physical things are good, not evil. If you’ve no clue what I’m pontificating about your probably much safer and saner than me. Don’t worry it’s only my dislike for Greek beliefs that became A priori voodoo (mistruths) for almost all of the Middle Ages (I still think Dark Ages is a better phrase) and the basis of what most world religions define as sin –"don’t touch, look, taste or listen to . . . ." Any-how, that’s a coffee date, right?

Elena has successfully performed a permanent catheterization of this timeless truth, deep into the left ventricle of my cor (Latin; core; M.EN, hert; E., heart). Undisputedly, the most important chamber is the left ventricle, I think. Nevertheless, I don’t believe we are truly human, only potentially so, until we are in real, authentic friendship.

Elena wants to be my friend and I am hers. I am a very blessed man. What a gift I’ve been given! And I did absolutely nothing to “earn” this gift. I don’t think I deserve it. I doubt it has anything to do with deserving or not deserving –IT’S SIMPLY A VERY PURE, GENUINE, GIFT! A freebee from a little girl I love very much! What a grand memory.

I hope this story has blessed your life. Try Loving back as much as you are loved. Have a great day! And for sure, re-read Shel’s short story, The Giving Tree (LINK).

The Band, The Snow, and 2nd Saturday :)

2nd Sat. Serving Others Event: Laura and I will be joining about 800 other people who "hate" religion (rule-based fear driven organizations) and love God (www.livinghopechurch.com) and serve the community. Go to our East Vancouver blog for details this week (www.lhceast.com). Date: Sat. March 13, 9a.m.-1p.m. (Meet at Living Hope's Main Campus).

My friend Adam sounded like the Band "Everclear" (to my ears) this week during one of his songs (LINK). It made me smile.

Want to go snowshoeing? Laura and I going Sat. March 27! Use the following email if you want talk with us about going, Brucea@livinghopechurch.com. We many have families with kids. It all depends on who wants to go. We WILL have fun!

Check out these books? Laura and both loved Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (so inspiring) and then got turned onto Half the Sky by Kristof & Wudunn (We went to Lloyds theater to see the event too) - Wow, what a tragic and inspiring book for a lot of people.

My favorite authors book I'm just finishing: I've got five pages left on Brennan Manning's The Furious longing of God. This book turned me onto a new way of looking at Shel Silverstein's classic poem from 46 years ago, The Giving Tree. This author so inspires me how much God loves me (you too)! After reading this book, I wrote a paraphrase with some of my favorite thoughts. Check back tomorrow & see if I've posted it yet.

The final book that I'm so enjoying right now is an author I've never read before, Timothy Keller - the book? The Prodigal God. This book, unfortunately, uses some old "religious" language, but has some thoughts on Luke 15 that I've not found very many places. It also has some incredible "one liners." It's an amazing read of Jesus' story of the two sons and the one who came back to life (known as the Prodigal Son).

Fun this Thursday Night

Want to join us for a movie this Thursday Night?

Also: Snowshoeing this Sat. at Mt. Hood (check back Thurs. for details).

Laura and I are reading Half the Sky right now (I just finished it) and really want to go to this Movie event. It will introduce the authors of the book and several people working to free women around the world who are enslaved in many different ways. I was very touched by this book and especially how it focuses on direct connections we can each make in freeing people around the world. There will be some featured music and then a short film.

The short film is about a young girl in Ethiopia who, with her father is fighting back. It's an inspiring story. I just reread it in Half the Sky.

Let us know right away if you want to go: Here's a bit more info.

The movie: Half the Sky: a one night event

Where and When: Regal Lloyd Center 10 (Link) at 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $11.50 at the window ($12.50 online)

Links: The Event

Book review

Review of the Filmed Event (Link)