Oh the changing weather...

So the weather out here has been crazy of lately. As fall approaches, it rained for days on end and was incredibly cold. I think everyday though is cold as my circulation system still has not adjusted back to normal. Now for the next few days we are getting 70 degree weather with sunshine. it has been delightful...I guess this is one of God's last gifts before the snow.

More Rhode Island Pictures

Here are some more pictures from my weekend trip to Rhode Island. By waterfire, there is this tunnel of tiles that were painted by school children after 911. Most relate to the World Trade Center Towers and having hope. They were inspirational. This was my favorite tile...
This is a picture of the beach from Point Judith. Beyond, you can see Buck? Island. It might be Black Island. I need to double check with Robin.

Another shot of waterfire. Robin hanging with baby Sarah while we watched conference at her friends' house. It was a lot of fun. I am thankful for their hospitality as everyone was so welcoming and kind in Rhode Island. I am already planning my next trip back.

Waterfire

Waterfire occurs in Providence, Rhode Island. It is where they light bonfires on the River. It is beautiful. This is Robin and I standingin front of the river.
This is a blurred view of the fires. I spent like ten minutes trying to figure out how to take pictures on night mode on my camera. It was funny, but frustrating. This is a circle of fire that was light between two bridges. We walked around this whole area.
This is the river reflecting the fires. I tried my best to get the best possible pictures. Some more waterfire.

Narrangansett, Rhode Island

This weekend, my roommate Robin invited me and my roommate Rebecca down to her house for the weekend to watch General Conference. She lives a half hour away from Providence, Rhode Island in the town of Narrangansett. It is a cute little town situated on the beach and across the way from Newport, Rhode Island. Robin literally lives down the street from the beach. This picture above is of the Narrangansett Towers, which are spectacular.
Robin's parents were incredibly kind and sweet. After Rebecca and I got in on an evening train, her mother cooked us spaghetti and meatballs. It was delicious. The next day, we watched conference at their friends' house, the Smiths. They had four children who kept us entertained. Their youngest daugther, Sarah is two and could be Eli's future wife. Just Kidding!!! You never know. On Sunday, between sessions, we had a big pot roast lunch. it was good. I am thankful I got the chance to spend the time in Rhode Island, plus I got my hair done fore free. Robin's mom, Nadine cleaned it up by blending my color and cutting off all the dead ends. Robin and I are standing in front of the lighthouse at Point Judith, which is outside of Narrangansett. There are lighthouses everywhere.
This beach is literally in Robin's backyard. Across is the bridge you take over to the next island and beyond that is Newport, Rhode Island (think Breakers Mansion).
This is me standing on the beach. I just got my hair done and was enjoying my Saturday.
This is the mall in Providence. It is huge. Robin, Rebecca, Robin's mom, Nadine, and I had a girl's night out on Saturday. We ate at the Nordstrom's Cafe before going to see Waterfire, which you can see in this photo. Waterfire is where they light bonfires on the Providence River. It was neat to see.

Update

I am hoping by sometime tonight to post pictures of my trip to Rhode Island this past weekend. My roommate Robin invited us to her house, which is located right by the ocean for conference weekend. We had alot of fun. We went to this event called Waterfire, which was awesome. Wait until you see the pictures (well, I took them so they are okay, but they did turn out).

Finding God Before It's Too Late

Today, a good friend of mine, John Boland sent me this commentary that was written by Ben Stein and recited on the CBS Sunday Morning News regarding our culture and its perception of God. He makes some good points about how many people have forgotten about God.


The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters
celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

A Bum asked for help with his sign...

I have had the weirdest things happen to me this week. It began Monday with the woman cashier at CVS Pharmacy telling me about the four surgeries she had to fix her bloating problems. Did I really need to know that? She was suffering from a case of indigestion and thought she needed to share this knowledge with me when I asked her if she was alright. Too Much Information!!! THis was a forewarning of what was to come. Then after exiting CVS and crossing Porter Square, a bum was writing on his sign. As I was waiting to cross the street, he asked me if I could help him spell correctly "intellectual" for his sign. He was pretty close as he put an "i" where the first "e" should be. His sign related to politics and the current economic crisis. He was accusing the government of stealing his land. I am glad I could be of service. I hope many people read his sign that day because I was part of it. Who ever thought that I would be helping a homeless person with their sign. At least, he did not ask me for money.

Cambridge is just a very interesting place to live. In Harvard Sqaure, you have to watch out for Obama supporters trying to flag you down to explain why we should vote for him. I avoid them at all costs but they try and hunt you down. I love living here. Something different always happens each day. Now the weather is turning and fall is coming. The leaves are about to change (I promise I will take pictures). Things are going good and Renee will be out here in like two weeks. I am excited to see her and show her around. What more could I ask for. I have plenty of reasons to smile these days. I miss home. I miss seeing my nephew every week and hanging out with Nathan and Laurel. I cannot believe how big Eli is getting. I was glad he talked to me on the phone the other day, but whenever I tell him I am living in Boston, he thinks I am talking about my cat Boston. He tells me that we need to go pet him. We will go pet him when I come home. Nathan and Laurel have one cute kid and another on the way. I am excited about the impending arrival of my second nephew.

Days do get stressful though. I think I hit a point yesterday when I thought, how am I doing this? When I get here, I call my dad. He always knows what to say or he just lets me babble on and on until I feel better. I am blessed with great parents for I would not be out here without them. They want the best for their children and grandchildren. They really do. I love them.