Feb 1, 2005
 
Following are a few quotes that I really like right now, from various noted sources.

"When I ask God for happiness I am not talking about medals or money. I'm talking about feeling satisfied. That feeling inside when you know that your life is doing something good not just for yourself but for other people, too. That is the price I ask for my hard work: to make a difference in many people's lives. Not just my own...That is why I must keep running. I must keep making people happy with the talent that God has given me." --Haile Gebrselassie (two time Olympic gold medalist at 10,000m, star of the movie "Endurance" and now Ethiopia's greatest philanthropist while still training and winning like the champ he is) (from an e-mail by Kris Koster to the Calvin cross country team)

"...in the afternoon Shackleton called all hands together into the circle of the center of tents. His face was grave. He explained it was imperative that all weight be reduced to the barest minimum. Each man, he said, would be allowed the clothes on his back, plus two pairs of mittens, six pairs of socks, two pairs of boots, a sleeping bag, a pound of tobacco - and two pounds of personal gear. Speaking with utmost conviction, Shackleton pointed out that no article was of an value when weighed against their ultimate survival, and he exhorted them to be ruthless in ridding themselves of every unneccesary ounce, regardless of its value. After he had spoken, he reached under his parka and took out a gold cigarette case and several gold sovereigns and threw them into the snow at his feet. Then he opened the Bible [that] Queen Alexandria had given them and ripped out the flyleaf and the page containing the Twenty-third Psalm. He also tore out the page from the Book of Job with this verse on it: "Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of Heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with stone. And the face of the deep is frozen." Then he laid the Bible in the snow and walked away." --from "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" as Shackleton and crew abandon their ship, stuck in antarctic ice 350 miles from any land and 1000 miles from any piece of civilization. (Wanna know more? READ THE BOOK! - or see the IMAX movie about their journey...)

" 'Wouldn't it be exciting if right now, in front of you, I could be miraculously healed, get up in front of my chair and on my feet? What a miracle! We'd be excited and praising God. It'd be something we could confirm for ourselves. We'd actually see the wonder and power of God. Wouldn't that be thrilling?' I was speaking to an audience of 1600 young people. I paused as they visualized the scene. Then I continued, 'But even more exciting and wonderful in the long run would be the miracle of your salvation - the healing of your own soul." --Joni Eareckson Tada, in the epilogue to the book "Joni", which she concludes by stating of the book, "But I will be pleased if only one person is drawn to Christ. Even one person would make the wheelchair worth all the past eight years have cost." And she was injured in 1967 when medical treatment for spinal cord injuries was absolutely terrible.

These three people exhibit a very counter-culture attitude, in that they place the further good, the safety, and the salvation of others above their own comfort or material possesions. These values are the basis for any truly loving community - and should be especially in Christian community, as Jesus Christ himself demonstrated be giving himself up to death for all. Truly loving and serving people was one of the things that I was really all about - and I was blessed that it came easily to me most of the time. This is one of the reasons I'm so pumped about the response of people who have joined together praying for me. People all over are joining together to pray for me, even if they don't know me - I think that this is something the Church should be doing: Praying even for those who aren't directly associated with their local assembly.

I need to finish up, but I want to mention a few other things, first of which is Ernest Shackleton's faith. He was a devout Christian, but what I really mean is that he believed enough that he and his crew would make it out of the actarctic to leave everything behind. And even if he doubted their ultimate survival at times, he acted like he didn't by doing what it would take to make it. Also about Shackleton, I like his philosophy of 'sometimes you need to travel light' taking as little as possible along with you so that you can make it to the ultimate goal - in their case, return to society. I think that can be the way we need to live, in terms of emotional and spiritual attachments and memories; to relive an experience again and again, or question a decision time and again rarely results in any beneficial outcome, and can leave one bitter. It's important to learn from the past, but dangerous to dwell in it. This week for example, I've been questioning some things about the accident, things that I could have done. But I know that this will lead to nowhere, that I can't change the past, and that instead, I must live today to the best of my abilities. I think Matthew 6 speaks some to this, though Jesus says, "Do not worry about tommorow, for each day has enough worries..." he might also say, "Do not worry about yesterday, for today has enough worries of its own. If you don't know what I'm talking about, find a bible - or go to one of the websites with the bible on it, since you are online - and read what Jesus has to say. Even if it really has no relevance to what I'm trying to convey, you should, I should, we all should - still read it.

All right, its been a long time since I posted and I have had many thoughts, but I must get back to the hospital, so quickly, I'm continuing to improve each day, I really did get my stomach tube out today, so now I don't think I have any unnatural holes in my body that aren't starting to heal up.

Thanks for praying, visiting, or dropping a note, I'll try to get back to the site sooner next time.

Daryl Holmlund