Saturday, July 19, 2003

WEEKEND WISDOM

Saturday...exciting event of the day: culling the closet (hey, it could be worse...I could be reading someone's blog about closet cleaning).

I got rid of the suit I bought more than 20 years ago. I also realized what XL means. It's on clothing I can wear and still exhale.
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Side note: I put in a new comment function. The other system had some problems and this one is much nicer. That means all previously posted comments are gone however, including the only comment I ever received from someone I didn't know....It was a watershed moment and Chuck (whoever you are), "I love ya man".

Although the comments feature will prompt you for an email address it's not mandatory and I wouldn't put one in if I were you.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 7/19/2003 02:29:00 PM  

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Friday, July 18, 2003

SCENTIENT

"Where are You?"

I need to be reminded to breathe.

My body goes through the motions. Inhale. Exhale. Oxygenate the blood. The respiratory rote of system maintenance.

I need to be reminded to breathe.

It's been a hectic week and today I was fixated on the realization that next week will likely also be a struggle at the office. Too few people. Too many demands.

I need to be reminded to breathe.

This afternoon I was caught up in the hot dusty fumes of gas powered engines while mowing some of the church property. The heat bore down. I was sweating. It was unpleasant.

I need to be reminded to breathe.

The mower hit the lemon grass.

The lemon grass...a gentle redolent reminder.

Breathe.

The deep breaths.

The essence seizing lung filling breaths of appreciation and wonder.

"Ahhh...there You are..right where You've always been."

Job 33:4

The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 7/18/2003 05:29:00 PM  

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Thursday, July 17, 2003

BREATHLESS

My sinuses are in raging rebellion. At the office this morning, I started getting whiffs of something in the air. At first, I thought it was the lingering odor of cheap cologne left behind by some unknown overnight employee. Then it seemed to become somewhat more noticeable and reminiscent of my long gone long-haired days of incense. Soon it became overpowering. I quickly ruled out the obvious: that someone was interviewing a hooker on the rock station down the hall; and the obtuse: that the janitorial staff had shown up for the once a year urinal cake renewal.

I put my investigative nose on the case, following it down the hall. I tracked the sickening bouquet to the tiny corner office of our equally tiny Operations Director for the "Soft Rock" station. Apparently he has become a sudden convert to aroma therapy. I initially was going to confront him about the steroidal vanilla scent emanating in waves from candles on his desk, but it was too overpowering. My head was pounding and my throat was tightening as my reddening eyes filled with tears. I ran from the building gasping in desperation for the familiar funk of my moldy car seats (if all the windows of my car rolled up completely I would have no memory of Hurricane Claudette).

I'm sure someone else at the office will raise a stink about "the candleman"...if the O.D. doesn't O-D on his own fumes first.
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It was the smell of money that sank Dan Morales. I have mentioned here before that Morales was the first San Antonio politician with whom I developed a relationship some 20 years ago. He became a shining star in the state Democratic party but now his star has burned out. He copped a plea today to tax evasion and mail fraud charges.

He will go to prison soon, corrupted by the flagrant fragrance of vast sums of money.

My nostrils are being assailed by acrid arrogance.

I am craving fresh air.

Psalm 115: 4-6
But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;
they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 7/17/2003 12:54:00 PM  

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Wednesday, July 16, 2003

NEWS TO ME

Ah...a nap and some food...I'm better now. It occurred to me that I write very little here about my "job". I don't like to come home and fixate on what I did at work. I'm pretty good at leaving it at the office. I don't want to write news all day and then come and write about writing news.

Today however I am still thinking about this ABC story quoting U.S. soldiers in Iraq disparaging their role, and sounding very critical of the White House and the war.

I didn't run this story this morning on WOAI. I saw it. I had access to the audio, but I opted against airing it. It's an editor's prerogative, one I often use, but usually it's because I think a story is boring. I opted not to run this story today because it made vast generalizations. It said that members of the 3rd Infantry division in Iraq were disillusioned and morale was slipping. What it didn't say was how many members of the 3rd Infantry Division were adopting this woeful attitude. Instead the story, by Canadian reporter Jeffrey Kofman, was presented in a manner that implied ALL members of the 3rd infantry division had suddenly lost all faith in their leadership.

The 3rd Infantry Division deployed 16,500 troops to Iraq. To my knowledge, Kofman spoke to five soldiers.


Are soldiers who learned they're not going home as scheduled disappointed? Yes.
Is it fair to air a story implying U.S. troops are losing faith in their Commanders because of the remarks made by five soldiers? From an editorial viewpoint, I didn't think so.

But I'm not ABC.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 7/16/2003 07:54:00 PM  

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PERCHANCE TO DREAM

The rain is coming down and I've been up for too long. The dogs are howling and I'm looking for some peace and quiet. Claudette is going away and the little birdies are back on the ledge.

Our reporters are asking our troops to complain about serving their country and Barry Diller wants Tom Brokaw to run for President.

The world is upside down.

I need a nap

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 7/16/2003 12:06:00 PM  

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Tuesday, July 15, 2003

WHOOSH

The winds are kicking up. Claudette's fluttering her skirt fringes in San Antonio and I'm watching radar hoping she's full of bluster and little more. Either this is a freak storm or our weather forecasters are really just guessmen. I've never seen a storm change from its predicted course so often. At 3 this morning "the experts" were talking about Claudette making landfall "tonight". The eye of the storm hit before noon. We wait for this hurricane for days and now she's suddenly in a hurry.

Women.
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One thing Claudette has accomplished is she's cleared the lingering swallow nestlings off our porch. The remaining trio bravely moved out their nest last night, but didn't venture much further. They were on the ledge when I left for work early today



Now they're gone...hopefully Claudette just gave them an indelicate nudge. Maybe the encroaching rains will wash away all the little birdie reminders splattered before our doorstep too.


posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 7/15/2003 01:47:00 PM  

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Monday, July 14, 2003

THE IMPERFECT STORM

There's another woman in my life today...Claudette. She can't make up her mind.

Claudette is a tropical storm, apparently bent on becoming a minimal hurricane. This morning (at least what I call morning although sane people call it the middle of the night) Claudette was taking aim at Brownsville, in deep deep South Texas and appeared to be nothing more than a passing nuisance to my world. Now she's bearing down north of Corpus Christi which means I must alter my course too. I must fixate on planning as we try to out-guess the storm, get people in position, and information on the air.

As of right now, the plan is in place, I'm all set to go, but now I must wait for Claudette to ready herself.

There's a certain familiarity to all this...the women in my life have trained me well.
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Speaking of imperfect planning. Did you see this?

What if this is really a subtle terrorist plot?

Do you really trust your garden gnome?

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 7/14/2003 04:25:00 PM  

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Sunday, July 13, 2003

THE GREAT CONSUMER

My friend Kelley is watching her mother die. Her mom, Gail, has had repeated bouts with cancer and now there is nothing more that can be done. Doctors say she will die within the next two weeks.

Kelley has gone her entire life without losing someone truly close to her so this is the first time she's had to confront the end of life from the front row. It's hard. Very hard. For the past year, Kelley has dealt with little else and now she will spend these next two weeks at her mother's side, waiting for the inevitable and trying to find some way to deny it.

Amy and I spent last night with our friends John and Denise. They have had to face the realities of death too often and are also struggling. John and Denise have quickly tried to get on with their lives following the death of their son less than two months ago but they acknowledge their facade of strength has many cracks.

They need more time. More patience. More prayers.

The Psalmist talks about being "entangled in the cords of death." That's what is happening to these friends of mine. They are not dying, but their lives are snarled in death's shadow.

There are no words capable of easing their heaving heartbreak so we will borrow from death's own gameplan to try to provide comfort. Amy and I will wrap ourselves around these friends who have been consumed by the deaths of others. We will embrace and embrangle them in the grip of God's love and hopefully, in time, extricate them from some small part of their pain.

Psalm 119:50
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 7/13/2003 07:30:00 AM  

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