Tornadoes hit home

We were on vacation in Washington D.C. last week when we found out about the tornadoes that struck the Greeley, Colo. area, where Mike and I lived for many years. The tornadoes didn't make news in D.C. -- I just happened to be browsing the Internet one day, logged on to a Denver TV station's Web site and saw photos of the tornado damage.

The tornadoes hit a 35-mile region last Thursday. Amazingly, only one person was killed. The hardest hit was Windsor, a charming little town between Greeley and Fort Collins. One tornado came within two blocks of our former pastor's house. One of my good friends was at work when the tornado struck her building in Windsor. There was no basement, so she and her co-workers went inside a first-floor bathroom. She and another one of colleagues prayed aloud the entire time. "Were you afraid?" I asked her. "No, I wasn't afraid," she said. "I just felt this incredible peace."

She told me it didn't look or sound like what tornadoes are supposed to be like -- or at least what other people have described them to be. Photos reveal a low, big black cloud, but no funnel. My friend said she and her colleagues watched the storm for quite a while before it became apparent that a tornado was headed straight toward them. There was no sound of a freight train. My friend said it was eerily silent, then suddenly everyone's ears started popping because of the air pressure. When they ventured outside a few moments later, they saw cars in the parking lot with their windows literally sucked out of them. And across the street buildings that had been standing a few minutes before looked like piles of sticks. Click here to see aerial footage of the tornado damage.

Since the Weld County tornadoes, even worse storms have hit Iowa and Minnesota. I'm watching a news story about the damage there as I write this, and I'm amazed at what I see. One town was obliterated, entire neighborhoods now just mountains of stuff.

It's hard to put storms like these in perspective unless it directly affects you. Still, the fact that the tornadoes in Weld County hit so close to home for us -- we know so many people in the area -- makes me realize how fragile our lives really are. The tornadoes will undoubtedly draw the Northern Colorado community closer together. I've always thought people in the Greeley area are the salt of the earth, and what's happened will make them even more so.

One Windsor tornado victim was quoted in a news story today as saying, "I have my old life, and I have my new life" -- meaning her life before the tornado, and her life after. All of it certainly makes the worries of everyday life (rising gas prices, work stress, family woes, etc.) seem more trivial -- and more bearable.

My favorite time of year

Spring is my favorite time of year. I had fun taking these pictures this week of the blooming fruit trees in our neighborhood. (Spring is about two weeks late this year -- I have been waiting for these pink and white blooms to appear since early April, and they just started this week.) You'd never know it was spring today because of the snowshowers that blanketed the ground with another round of winter this morning.

I'm not sure when spring became my favorite season. When I was a kid, it was winter, mostly because I grew up skiing, ice skating, sledding and doing other winter things. I think my four years in college in Missouri woke me up to the wonder of spring. There it lasts a lot longer, and the blooming of the season is much more diverse -- with dogwoods and redbuds, real April showers (not snow) and blooming flowers that last. In Denver spring seems to take so long to start, then winter comes back, then spring returns for a short while before, all of a sudden, it's summertime.

Hope you're enjoying the newness of the season wherever you are.

Today Show comes to Colorado

My friend Linda and I on the slopes.











Linda gets into her monoski
















Volunteers unload all the goodies (ski equipment) from the Today Show truck.






Today Show weatherman Al Roker interviews Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler.
The crowd gathers with signs to welcome the Today Show crew.
A truck dumps more snow onto the Today Show "set" at Eldora Ski Area near Boulder, CO.
The Today Show crew sets up equipment (i.e. lots of lights)before airing live -- 7:15 a.m. Eastern, 5:15 a.m. Mountain -- on Tuesday, April 15.


Before the weekend I wanted to post some photos of what I was doing EARLY Tuesday morning.

A friend of mine involved in a disabled ski program at Eldora Ski Area outside Boulder invited to drive up at 4:30 a.m. to be at the ski area for a live feed of the Today Show. The NBC morning show was there as part of weatherman Al Roker's "Lend a Hand" charity program. The program donated a bunch of snowboards, skis, parkas, etc. to the disabled ski program, which is the only all-volunteer ski program of its kind in Colorado.

I'd never been to a Today Show taping. It was cold, windy, dark and definitely early (it was a live feed for the eastern time zone audience), but I estimated about 250 people showed up. Some people painted signs and held them up, as is typical for a Today Show audience. Most just stood around trying to get a glimpse of Al Roker and Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler when he showed up. Why Cutler was there, no one really knew. He's not involved in the disabled ski program, but he sure did plug his own charity on camera.

One funny thing that proves everything is staged for TV: Before the taping began, the Today Show people had extra snow transfered by truck into the staging area . . . I guess so that whever Al Roker was standing, it would look like winter. You see, in spite of the cold on Tuesday morning, it is springtime in the Rockies, and much of the snow at the base of ski areas has melted. In fact, most Colorado ski areas, including Eldora, had closed for the season the weekend before the Today Show came.

And for the camera, of course, there was the staged unloading of all the ski equipment from the "Lend a Hand" truck. People from REI and Office Depot were there up in front, their company logos prominently displayed on hats and T-shirts. The ironic thing is that in a conversation with a ski program volunteer later in the day, I learned that the volunteers have been going around to area businesses for years trying to drum up donations of equipment for skiing, office stuff, etc. Few were that interested until the Today Show announced it was coming and offered them an opportunity to be the heroes on national TV.

Another ironic thing was that they also got a donation of a car. I had to laugh when one of the volunteers looked at the Subaru Outback and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "What do we need a car for?" I think they'd rather have more ski equipment so disabled people can learn to ski.

The best part was after the show, Eldora opened two of its lifts to the disabled ski program. (I'm not a part of it, but I'm thinking about volunteering next year.) It felt way too early to be skiing -- by the time the Today Show people started packing up to leave, it was only about 7:30 a.m. But I got in a few runs with some new friends who, despite their disabilities, smile all the time, have postive attitudes and share a passion for skiing.

Whew!

Wow, it's been a crazy last couple of weeks.

I'm kind of bleary-eyed because I just finished a huge editing project. I helped my friend Lisa Gibson through the first edit of a book she wrote. Her brother was killed on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, a terrorist bombing that was eventually linked to a Libyan intelligence agent. That agent was eventually convicted, although the country of Libya never officially admitted any wrongdoing. The December 1988 bombing was the worst terrorist attack against Americans until Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorism became a household word. Lisa went through 15 years of healing and a couple of years ago started a foundation aimed at building bridges with the leaders of developing countries. The first country she's helping is Libya, which has had a strained relationship (that puts it lightly) with the United States since the Lockerbie bombing.

Lisa has an amazing story of forgiveness and what it looks like to love your enemies. It was a pleasure to be a part of the editing process of her book. She hasn't found a publisher yet -- part of the reason for an initial edit is to make the book as presentable as possible before giving it to a publisher. But she has quite a few publishers interested in looking at it. She has an important voice in the debate about terrorism and how to respond to it. She was 18 when her brother died, and much of her life has been centered on the healing process and now reconciliation with those who caused so much pain.

For me now it's on to other writing and editing projects. I've got just a few assignments on my plate right now. I'm excited about the opportunity this summer to spend some concentrated time sowing into my writing business. Since I started teaching college journalism classes three years ago, I've taught every summer as well. Although teaching gets easier as you go, it still takes up a huge chunk of time with all the preparation and grading involved. Therefore I haven't spent the time needed to really invest in building up contacts and clients in the writing world, although I've been able to do a lot through word of mouth. Can you believe I've been working as a freelancer for four years without business cards? I have a business name and a logo design but no cards. That's another thing on the to-do list for the summer.

On a roller-coaster ride

If you've ever read or even thumbed through the book of Daniel, you know it's rich with history, drama and some downright confusing, albeit intriguing, stuff. I first studied this Old Testament book of the Bible in the fall of 2006. This spring I'm doing the same study again -- Beth Moore's study, "Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy" -- with a fantastic group of women at my church.

As we moved from the chapter 6 (the famous "Daniel in the lion's den" chapter) to chapter 7 last night, we all concluded we're embarking on a roller-coaster ride. Since I've done the study before, I know it's an accurate description. We'd better hang on and enjoy the ride.

The first half of Daniel centers around Daniel living in the decadent culture of Babylon, which has a lot of similarities to our American culture -- a society focused on self-indulgence, pleasure, youth, beauty and an "all-about-me" attitude. In fact, the Beth Moore version of the study draws such a parallel between Babylon and the society in which we live, it's impossible not to be challenged by it. Living biblically truly goes against the grain of our culture, and the disturbing part is most Christians have allowed the culture to have more of an influence on us rather than us having a greater influence on it.

The second half of Daniel centers around biblical prophecy -- i.e. dreams and visions Daniel has about historical empires (prophecy we can now look back at as history) and the still-to-come return of Christ. This is rich stuff -- challenging, mind-boggling, confusing at times, but so fascinating. It's a roller-coaster ride to say the least.

The most important thing I learned from studying this part of Daniel a couple of years ago is that you can't read the book of Revelation without understanding Daniel, and you can't read Daniel without Revelation. Amazing, huh? That a man who lived in ancient Babylon and a disciple of Jesus (John, the author of Revelation) who lived centuries later both prophesied about the same events. I've also learned that our tendency as Christians is to want to know the exact times, places, etc. of the return of Christ. The bottom line is that most of those details are a mystery, and we have to live with that "grayness," if you will, as opposed to the black-and-white of knowing for sure. All we know is the big WHAT -- that Christ will return, that He will right every wrong, and we will come face-to-face with Him. The thought of that scares some people, but it excites me.

A woman in our Bible study group said last night that some people approach the return of Christ as if they're throwing up their hands in the air on a roller-coaster ride. Others squeeze their eyes shut, bury their face in the shoulder of the person next to them and wonder why they got on the roller coaster in the first place. On a real roller coaster, I am the latter. On this figurative roller coaster, though, I want to be throwing my hands up in the air in joyful anticipation.

Picture of love

I'm borrowing today's blog entry from Valorie Burton, a Maryland-based author, speaker and life coach. A friend referred me to her Web site and weekly newsletter. Click here for more information about her.

I thought Burton's take on the "love" chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 was thought-provoking. I realize Valentine's Day was two weeks ago, but I think we could all use a daily dose of inspiration/guidance about love . . . and not just the romantic kind of love. How are you doing at loving the people in your life?

This week, I would like to serve as your loving reminder of what it means to love someone. These are seven straightforward, at times difficult, but always effective strategies for loving others - and experiencing more love in your life. Saint Paul wrote them in the 13th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians. We often hear the scripture recited at weddings. This week, meditate on these seven principles. Find news ways to express love on a daily basis and strengthen your daily interaction with others -- whether loved ones or strangers, co-workers or neighbors. The greatest use of your life is to love. When you apply this kind of love to a situation, it never fails:

1. LOVE IS PATIENT.
People won't always do what you want when you want them to. Practice being patient - whether with your children, your significant other or the grocery cashier who takes too long to ring up your order. Everything happens for a reason - and that includes the timing of when things happen. Be patient and learn the lesson that comes in the process of enduring the wait. Sometimes the lesson is simple: Slow down and enjoy life.

2. LOVE IS KIND.
Every single day, choose to be kind. Ask yourself each morning, "How could I be a blessing to someone today?" Whether it is a kind word, a loving gesture or helping someone in need, seek ways to be kind daily. Not only will it be a blessing to those you encounter, but it feels good to your soul.

3. LOVE DOES NOT ENVY.
There will always be someone who appears to have "more" or to be doing better. Make a decision not to be envious of others, but in every circumstance of life to find a reason to be thankful. Jealousy poisons your attitude, builds resentment and can ruin relationships. Rather than envying others, learn from them. Even be inspired by them. And simultaneously, choose to be content with what you have while you journey towards something better.

4. LOVE DOES NOT BOAST AND IS NOT PROUD.
Resist the temptation to boast about yourself, your accomplishments or your loved ones. It often only makes others feel "less than," which of course, is not an expression of love. Practice humility. Allow your accomplishments to speak for themselves. Others often notice your good work and deeds, even without you having to make a big deal of them. In fact, it is far more attractive to simply "be" great than to try to convince others of your greatness.

5. LOVE IS NOT RUDE OR EASILY ANGERED.
We've all had our moments when our behavior has been less than considerate. Next time you feel the urge to be rude, inconsiderate or to jump to conclusions, stop yourself. Take a deep breath and ask, "What would be a more loving response to this situation?" That doesn't mean that you allow others to walk all over you. You can speak the truth to people in a very matter of fact way, without being rude. Be considerate of others feelings and be willing to give people the benefit of the doubt.

6. LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS.
Have you ever known someone who remembered every mistake you ever made or everything you ever did wrong? As you have grown and become a better person, all they can remember is the person you used to be. It is very frustrating and you may even find yourself ready to distance yourself from that person. Learn from the past behavior of others - and protect yourself accordingly, when necessary - but resist the temptation to continually bring up everything someone has done wrong. Love others by encouraging them towards a better future, not defining them by their past.

7. LOVE REJOICES IN THE TRUTH.
So often, it seems we are afraid of the truth. When something is wrong, we pretend everything is OK. Often both parties will pretend even when both parties know there is a problem. One of the most important love skills you can learn is to be honest. Refuse to live lies or to accept lies as truth. Have truthful conversations with yourself and others. It allows you to get to the core of issues faster. It empowers others to trust you. It relieves the stress of tiptoeing around the real issues. Learn to speak the truth in a spirit of love and kindness, and your life will be richer and more fulfilling.

Running away from politics

I think I've had enough. And it's only February.

I'd already had enough with the bantering going on the last few weeks between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Then today came the New York Times article about John McCain's alleged "romantic" relationship with a female lobbyist -- although the article never provided any evidence that he'd had a romantic relationship with the woman. At least the story provided some discussion in my reporting class this morning over the use of anonymous sources. Anonymous sources should be avoided, I tell my students all the time, for the very reasons today's story highlights. How do we know the story is true if the sources aren't named? How do we know there's any credibility behind the information? Ah, yes, I forgot . . . if it's about a politician, it must be true if there's an anonymous source. Watched "All the President's Men" lately?

I'm not a huge fan or follower of politics, and the last two months have done nothing to change my point of view. This election -- and we haven't even entered the official election season yet -- has already done me in. I'm tired of talking about it with my students. I'm tired of hearing about it on talk radio. I'm tired of the news reports with the latest on the candidate of the day. It's just too much. I started to launch into a spew of negativity about politics this morning when my husband cut me off. "Let's talk about something else," he said. Good idea.

So this blog is where I can get it off my chest once and for all that I'm done! I think I'm going to take a vacation when the Democratic National Convention comes to Denver this August. And declare a media fast for that week. I don't want to be anywhere near it.

Baseball season, anyone? Only 38 more days until opening day. Go Rockies!