Nice job, genius

Today is the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (anyone of a certain age hearing the refrain of the pop song, Rock me Amadeus?)

Reflecting on the remarkable musical talent of Mozart causes me to consider the gift of genius. Clearly, Mozart was a musical genius; his talent evidenced so strongly at such a young age and so far ahead of any other composer of his era.

How does one define genius? A talent not seen before; near perfection; a new way to do a common thing we each play at; a steady WOW factor that seems to be done naturally and easily; one who sets a standard that will set the bar to be pursued for generations.

Who would make your genius list?

For me, my list includes: Shakespeare, Ansel Adams, Sandy Koufax, Meryl Streep, the Beatles.....I'm going to keep thinking because although I'm a bit tired, I am also troubled that my list only includes one woman....

sj;

Rants and Ramblings...

Clearly, it's been a bit of a week. Every so often in the blog when there is lots on my mind, I will spend a few lines to rant and to ramble. This is one of these occasions.

The closing chapter in the life of Joe Paterno is a sad ending to a good man who, as he admitted, should have done more. The outpouring of support and shared grief in Happy Valley is a powerful witness to the coach everyone knew as Joe. A job well done to whomever came up with the idea to have a player from each of the 46 Penn State football teams Paterno coached take turns standing at the casket during the public viewing. It will be interesting to watch how the university chooses to remember.

Every time I watch Newt Gingrich (and with a Republican debate every other day there are lots of opportunities) I become enraged at his incredible ego and unlimited arrogance. I long for the day when someone...anyone...somebody please... takes on Newt in his self-proclaimed, "I'm the smartest guy in the room" schtick. Truth be told, I want to see an ol' fashioned butt-kicking....for me the "Newt-er" is a combination of the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys --- folks who think they are all that and a whole deli! Lastly, can someone explain to me the criterion used by the southern evangelicals to vote for a candidate???

Will we ever have two consecutive weeks of winter weather? You know... snow... temperatures in the teens and twenties.....What's the big deal about Groundhog Day --- he'll probably come out of the stump holding a drink with an umbrella in it signifying that a warm winter leads to a rainy, cold summer...

As always, I was excited over the announcement of the nominees for the Academy Awards. Do check my TOP TEN MOVIES list and compare. Both the best actor and best actress categories are strong with deserving performances and folks who one just roots for to bring home the little golden man. I admit I did not see the movie, BRIDESMAIDS. The teaser that it was the female version of THE HANGOVER made it a big no for me and my movie tastes. I like Melissa McCarthy and find her refreshing and delightful in being beautifully who she is; yet, to receive a best supporting actress nod for what she did in a drysink is difficult for me to support.

Although I always said Brad Pitt looked like he was "carved out of cream cheese" and was full of as much fluff, he is really starting to grow on me. Very classy when being interviewed for his own Oscar nomination, Brad first expressed how happy he was that his MONEYBALL co-star, Jonah Hill, was nominated. Nicely done.

Is there anyone in all of Steelers Nation who is not pulling for the Giants in the Super Bowl?

Throw me a line

Following yesterday's gospel reading, I've been doing a lot of thinking about fishing. As a child, I accompanied my father on several fishing trips. They were enjoyable times spent with my Dad, outdoors, near the water, quiet...well...I was frequently told to keep quiet.

In my experience, the appeal of fishing is spending time with a person; quiet time, sharing a lunch, talking, being with and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. Seems to me that if you want to draw someone into the "fold of faith" the same strategy works --- spend time with, listen, share a meal, take-in some beauty together.

So much in life comes down to relationships and relationships that are about the person and the gift the person is instead of what that person can do for you in terms of material gifts or adding some notch on one's disciple belt. It's been said by others several times, yet, it bears repeating, for many of the faithful the call to be "fishers of people" is often exercised as being "hunters" and we like to boast about the "good member we bagged for God."

I want to get to know a person and do so by being real and having no other agenda than getting to know the person. It's in real and honest moments that deep conversation and heartfelt sharing occur. Those moments are to be treasured for what they are moreso than what one can gain from them. Be in the moment and let the moment shared be the treasure received.

sj;

Sacred Spaces

I was in Washington, DC this week attending the FAMILIES, USA conference. Every morning as I left the hotel to go across the street to the conference site, I looked to my left and there....I mean right there....was the dome of the US Capital building. Amazing. It didn't matter if it was early morning, mid-afternoon, in the evening I would stop (of course, first I would check the traffic) and look at that site and be moved and wow-ed.

Special places and sacred spaces have that affect on a person. For some spaces they carry a shared wow-factor. The Capital Building, the Lincoln monument, sunset over the ocean ---- those are pretty much a shared wow for the community at large.

Yet, for each of us there is, I hope, several sacred spaces that are personal to us and for what they mean to us. For example, I doubt many other persons would classify the front porch at my mother's home as sacred. For me, it remains so and is so because of the time spent there, the talks, the laughter, the quiet, the learning and the simple grace of being.

Other sacred spaces include opening day at PNC Park; the swimming hole at Ardor Rock on the Buffalo Creek; St. George, location of numerous Beale family reunions on the shores of the Allegheny River; the pulpit in churches where I preach; the Allegheny Bike Trail and the railroad tunnels.

I could go on and each of the places mentioned are sacred to me because of the moments shared and the memories made.

For you, where are your sacred spaces? Those places that hold a heart marker for you and your life journey? Make note of these places and spaces. Be thankful and, if your wise, return there frequently.