Waiting Is So Hard

I read a quote the other day I really liked. It is by someone named Nikos Kazantzakis.

"God, it seems, is never in a hurry, while we are always in a hurry."

I like that. It would seem that if we believe this than to wait and to be patient and to not always be in a hurry is divine.

I am not sure I am a very patient person. I do not like to wait. This time of year especially seems to jump up the pace of our lives. So much to do in so little time. We are less than a week now to Christmas. Got to get those cards done for sure. Got to get those last minute gifts. Too little time it seems to get it all done. You have to hurry.

Work is another one that drives me at a frantic pace. I race from the moment I arrive till I walk out the door. Whatever happened to that "lazy B" anyway. I never seem to take time even for lunch. People don't even respect lunch time and schedule meetings through lunch time regularly. Hurry, hurry, hurry. Got to get it all done.

But wait. I need to slow down. I can't take this pace. That is what I love about Advent. Those 4 weeks before Christmas. If we follow the practice of Advent then we should be slowing down and thinking more. Waiting. Good things do take time they say.

Let's not hurry this Christmas. Let's let things slow way down. Let's let Christmas come to us in all its fullness. Let's all practice patience and waiting this Advent season.

Waiting for the fullness

I read a great excerpt from a book by Anne Dillard called the " The Holy Firm" that speaks to the importance of patience and waiting.

The story goes that late one evening, alone in her cabin she was watching a month slowly emerge from its cocoon. The process was fascinating but interminably slow. At a point she lost patience and needed to get on to other things, so she picked up a candle and applied a little heat to the process. It worked. The added heat sped up the process and the moth emerged more quickly from its cocoon, but, since a natural process had been interfered with and unnaturally rushed, the moth emerged with ill-formed wings which didn’t allow it to fly properly.
It is so hard to wait. It is so hard to let others we know and love to be fully themselves without selfishness, impatience or unwillingness to violate their reality and natural unfolding. That ability to remain in this tension field is important to maintaining healthly relationships that allow them to reach their full maturity.

Let's use this Christmas to practice our patience and waiting!

Merry Christmas, to you all!

John

Taking Flight

It was with great delight and joy that I was able to witness first hand the first flight of the 787. It has been almost 10 years of my life that I have been working on this airplane. As many that know me it has been a huge part of my life for so many years and I have experienced many highs and lows. I could go on and on but I only want for now to say it is finally here! The "baby has finally been born" (even it it was a breached birth).

I was so fortunate to be able to be invited to Dick Gee's party at his hanger on Paine Field directly facing the runway and I got some awesome pictures the airplane as it roared down the runway in front of us and rotated for a wonderful takeoff just a thousand feet from us. I was jumping up and down and screaming like the Seahawks had finally won the Superbowl (which they should have right).

This is a special airplane and I am so proud to be one of the pioneers of its history!

You can enjoy some of the other picture I took during the First Flight at my Smugmug website:
http://blueskiesphotos.smugmug.com/Events/787-First-Flight/First-Flight/10664932_SFVx8#742289844_TFsQr

Taking Flight 2

I thought this image I took of the some Canadian Geese taking off from Lake Ballinger was so appropriate to the events of this week. I worked to create a pleasing image. I think I got it right.

These Geese work hard to get to the take off speed that will allow them to fly. The almost look like they are walking on water. To get the 787 to first flight was a most difficult journey indeed for the men and women of Boeing. I think in some ways they have almost had to "walk on water" to make it fly!

Congratulations to the great Boeing team! We did it!

John