woo hoooooo

At the risk of Nathaniel giving this the ol' college try, I'm featuring this yahoo celebrating on-the-edge biking. Don't try it, my Son!!

Let the season begin however!!!

Nathaniel and Joy

Check out Nathaniel and Joy's wedding blog at nathanielandjoy.blogspot.com.

Only 65 days to go!

Speaking of art...

This Chihuly Glasswork is simply too beautiful - it must be displayed across the blogs of America. I'll start with the Murch blog -- maybe it'll catch on when "Beauty gilds the eastern hills and life to joy awakes."

San Francisco Ballet

There aren't adjectives, similies or metaphors that adequately describe the Perfection of this troupe's world-class performance. These dancers are the most disciplined, finely tuned athletes in the universe. Unless they dance on Mars, I'm staking my claim with the San Francisco Ballet. An absolute must see when in northern California.

Out and about in Dublin, Livermore, & Tracy

Danielley and I danced one round at the Wente Estates Winery. Then enjoyed a smashingly good evening at the Matthews Festive Farm with Cheri, Bob, and Craig. Thanx for the guided tour, Craig, as well as the Cosco marinated salmon. I'm whiffing Bob's luscious cigar right now and missing Cheri0 like none other! Not to mention my very own mid-born Danielle Beth MacMurchy.

Still at the beach

Pictures tell the tale

stop just shy of praise

California Praise: For the beauty of earth and sky and sun and funky folks and sensual overload visual and auditory, I give you thanks Oh Creator.

California Lament: Sometimes the creation is revered while the Creator is ignored. My heart is sad over this.

Children and Poetry

They have two things in common, children and poetry: They must be enjoyed slowly. Pondered and admired. You simply can't rush either one.

And the winner is...Danielle Beth MacMurchy

We'll need a shout-out from Dan0 on this one, but apparently she drew the short straw and won this basket of goodies at some ladies luncheon. LuckyU! Thankfully you don't live near Deadwood with this roll of good fortune, D, cause we wouldn't want you tryin' the slots, but congrats on the Big Prize anyway.
Missing all the Roommate Commotion in Dublin. More Cali trip pics on the way.

The Body of Christ in Action

You simply have to love a principal and school counselor who throw all caution to the wind to cheer up a beloved colleague. My principal, Darrell Stacey, and Mike White delivered pizza to Carol Thomas sportin' the chicken suits.

Carol just last week learned that the brain tumor she didn't know she had, was malignant. I say 'was' because 80% was removed, 20% to go.
When a person is loved by family, friends, and colleagues, you've got to think they're thoroughly Loved! We love you Carol Thomas, Gary, Josh, and Jenna.

You two love birds - Gary and Carol - have always looked to me like you just stepped down from a wedding cake! Too Cute, you are! Looking forward to you climbing back up the cake in sheer cuteness Carol Thomas.

We are asking the Good Dear Lord to let you stay with us to a ripe ol' age.

We love you so - care and olive the MacMurchys

Dale Chihuly's glass came to my alma mater Pepperdine University

"Chihuly Glass come out with your hands up!"

I've been searching for hours on the net trying to locate where to find some of this upspeakably beautiful glass work in San Francisco. I'll be out there in a week and Cheri0 and I are going to the museums one day. There is a restaurant - Rubican - which has a small exhibit. We might have to settle for that as well as Van Gogh at the Fine Arts Museums.

Mercy - what a wonder... And Danielle and I have tickets to the San Francisco Ballet! Goodnight!!

But come to find out in my search for Chihuly's glasswork, my own college - Pepperdine - had an exhibit in '04. I can't believe it! How could I have missed it?

Snow Angel shout-out

There was a winged and haloed snow angel proudly perched in my white front yard tonight when I turned into my driveway. A huge brick brown heart was splashed artistically across the angel's chest which I take to mean someone loves me. Good Night a Hooligan! Now I'm praying for the freezing weather to remain so the darling thing won't melt.

Who created my Snow Angel? You know who you are? It was really more like an upright snowman with angel's wings and a halo made of vines with that Big Brown Heart. Come forward with your hands up and your wings spread! Whomever made this for me has wings too! All angels do.

P.S. And if you have a digital, please flip a pic of this white statue so I can feature it on this Living Blog for all to see. Secretly I think Laura Jean hired someone to place Mr. Snow Angel on the lawn for old times sake! It beats a stuffed michelin boy sitting on a commode! Now those were the days!

UPDATE: Thanx to Larry for catching the Snow Angels creating the snow angel, but he's not tellin'. So I STILL don't know who the artists are! They love me, that's all I know!! hahahahahahaha

Let's hear it for nosey neighbors with digital cameras who can keep a secret!! WOO HOO!!!! love you Dumke's and Mystery Snow Angels!!

MYSTERY SOLVED! Huge hugs to Eli, Luis and mama Val for having the Idea in the first place. "We made it for Robert!" Val said. What a doll!
Now I don't want the sun to melt my Snow Angel handmade by my Snow Angels Eli - Luis - Val! LOVE TO OLIVE YUZ!

What a Day - the test of all happiness is gratitude

Words fail sometimes. I am unable to express what it feels like to be the recipient of liquid love. Love that flows to you and through you like a bubbling brook. Why? Why do folks remember this anniversary? Why do they send *flowers and cards and e-cards and call on the tele sending their love on this second anniversary of Robert's move to Eternity. Why?

My word, a couple of our July first wedding anniversaries nearly slid by unnoticed. My favorite is the time Robert's Mother called July 1st and inquired innocently, "Doing anything special today?" We looked at each other - Robert and me - like a couple of "World's dumbest bandits" and laughed for days.

Now, don't get me wrong, Robert was mindful of all things pertaining to planning and time. But when you love each other every day, the Big Events aren't nearly as important. The Special Days just compliment the Everyday like baby's breath around the roses.

Thank you to all who thought of us today, prayed for us, sent a greeting, flowers, cards and the "Robert Book" on sale at a bookstore near you. UnBelievable! You all are the baby's breath around the Rose which is my life. Love to olive yuz!

*As I am looking up close and personal at these gerber daisies with colors that are beyond description, I think this says it best: Flowers are a foretaste of Glory Divine! I'm wondering if they die in Heaven like they do here? Because to cut a flower is to kill a flower.

They live in Heaven. I'm sure of that...

Remembering Robert

FELLOWSHIP by definition means ‘fellows together in a boat.’ Now that’s obvious but what’s the shoe-leather application? Paddle meets rapids when your True Love is with you one moment and gone the next and your boat’s taking in water. It could capsize. But it hasn’t and never will because “The Lord is good to those whose Hope is in Him.” And your friends rally around like rescuers at the Titanic.

Our adoration and thanksgiving will forever rise to the Lord when time is no more; romping like carefree children around the Father's throne waiting to sit on his large lap.

Merci - All.

Floating butterflies and all things hoped for

AS A BUTTERFLY FLOATED BY, I once had this thought way back in my college days while sitting on my friends' hacienda deck overlooking the great gray Pacific:

If I snatch at that marshmellow-floating butterfly, I might destroy it and I'll surely frighten the thing, so just let it be. Maybe it will come back to me. I remember that notion like it was an hour ago.

And now three decades later, my research is complete: Goodness has come back to me like a butterfly again and again. It's found me and it seems that just the drifting thought of a desire, "Whew, I'd love that..." or "I wish..." ends up happening.

This is a tried and true truth: "As I delight myself in the Lord, He does give me the desires of my heart." Of course he trims and weighs those desires so that they fit His own.

Now I'm standing on the sideline cheering my own Kathryn Joy/Joy Kathryn as she's learning this reality again and again in her love walk with Nathaniel/Nathaniel. The Good Dear Lord brings the illusive butterfly to them again and again.

The latest was today's elated phone call that for $17 they had 'found' the candle vases the bridesmaids will carry. "They're perfect, mom, just what I'd pictured." Of course, Joy. God our Father first plants the longing and then like a Daddy hiding Easter eggs waits for our Discovery. "Chazaam, yippee" - we exclaim like glee-filled children on a scavenger hunt or Robert finding golf balls in the middle of a water trap.

What fun the Father must have planting and hiding, watching and waiting for our Big Discovery. All the butterflies of the earth His Ambassadors of Delight. What a joyous Father he is.

The one unfulfilled wish thus far is my yearning to stumble again onto a beautiful Mozart piece that I was going to use at my wedding. But never did. I've lost track of the name of the concerto. But someday that music will drift into the air I breath like a fresh blast of Malibu air. I know it will. I'm just waiting out here in butterfly season.

And sometimes a roller-coaster-thrill falls in your lap and you haven't even wanted it; like a moment ago when my Near Neighbor Terra threw me on the back of her HUGE 4-wheeler in this gorgeous just-fallen snow. "Hang on, Care!" What a blast and I hadn't even wished for it. Thanks Terra and Bill.

Joy and Nathaniel's Engagement Ring

No Fellowship of the Ring going on here! Dat gum it, I was heading north to Fargo to see Joy, her new RING and the Ring Giver, but alas the weather turned south to say the least. Freezing rain last night that's now ice as thick as my scull and blowing snow which we call a 'light blizzard' up here in the Netherland.

So now Joy's crushed with temporary disappointment and me too; I can't believe I haven't even seen The Ring up close and personal.

So here it is here: You all are seeing it virtually along with the Mothah of the Bride. Gracious sakes alive!

Fargo or Bust next weekend, if the Lord's willing and the ice melts.

The eyes of the Lord

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."

Even amidst the crowds, Jesus always sought the one. His high and low search for the One is profoundly insightful. The Father aches for all of His children to come Home. Every One.

nearly an epiphany

I've long thought that homosexuals - both male and female - have endured a father or mother wound. Donald Miller acknowledges that homosexual men know what they need; a healing nurturing relationship with a man.

I was telling my friend yesterday that The Great Invitation to enter the Father's Family is extended - To All. All the ones considered outcasts by other outcasts, are beating down the door into the Father's House because Jesus has found them. Jesus left the secure 99 and searched high and low for those who had lost their way and didn't even realize it. "Won't you come? Please come."

But if the invitation is accepted, the old life is in jeopardy. All those in the Father's House begin to think and act differently - more like their Father and brother Jesus.

Scripture puts it this way: "Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, slave or free, circumcised or uncircumcised, but Christ is all and is in all." Here there is no gay or straight, Christ is All.

The ones Jesus loves - all who know they are loved - are all safely home with their Father. Loved by their father. At last...

Someone once said, "I wish I could have a whole new life." The Glorious News is - you can.

All our denegrating labels are gone: We're just family.

Creative Goodness

We see it everyday. God creating; He still is. This hummingbird will soon have newly hatched baby hummingbirds.

"In the image of God" must have something to do with reflecting His creative goodness in and through our lives. Gracing others so that they sense the aroma of the Kingdom near.

"It is Good."