Arrrrr you ready?!?

For a few years now, this is one of my most favorite websites.  I'm not sure how I even found it the first time, but it is a priceless gem in providing actual authenticated holidays that most people don't know they should be celebrating.

And today is definitely in my Top 5 Favorite Holidays . . . Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Really, it's so much fun.  If you've never tried, you must.  I'll get you started.

What is a Pirate's favorite state in the U. S.?

ARRRRRRRkansas. (You know you chuckled.)

What is a Pirate's favorite piece of furniture?

An ARRRRRRRmoire! 

What is a Pirate's favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber song?

Don't Cry for Me ARRRRRRRRgentina!

I know, I could do this all day.  And in fact . . . I will!!! :-)

It would make Johnny Depp so proud.  And speaking of Pirate movies, you should really make a date night and go out and see the new Pirate movie coming out.  You'll want to leave the kids at home, however, because it is rated . . . ARRRRRRRRR!  (I think that one is my favorite.)

One last thing for those of you married females who are still reading . . . note on the website that TOMORROW is Wife Appreciation Day.  Don't miss out on celebrating that one. :-)

And, if you would like a spiritual connection to my Piratical Celebration (okay, maybe it's just celebration in general), Brad gave a really great message about celebration this last Sunday when COTK turned 7!  Check it out here if you like.

Sensational!

I've mentioned this once or twice before, but I think it appropriate to once again confess.

My name is Leah Leach.  And I am a Weather Channel junkie.

I come by it quite naturally.  My mother instilled this addiction into our home at a rather early age.  It's one that is truly outside the realm of understanding for my husband.  He asks questions like:

"Why would you check today about weather on Saturday if you know the weather is going to change several times in between?"  Of course I want to know a general idea of what is going to happen this week.  They can't be that far off.

And when I wake up every morning and go down to check the weather I've heard, "Why are you checking the weather again when you just checked it yesterday?"  Of course, because the weather always changes and those weather people can be wrong.

I realize it makes no sense.  I still do it all the same.

Lately, however, I've stepped back from my Weather Channel addiction and looked at the weather coverage in a new light.  It's difficult to watch the channel for more than 2 minutes (and many times any other channel for that matter) without getting some kind of update on a hurricane or tropical storm that is barrelling into the coastline or even just forming off the coast of Africa.  

What's fascinating to me is the way that weather has become a form of entertainment of sorts, a sensationalized event for people to watch and get excited about the magnitude of the catastrophe.  Maybe it's just me, but it somewhere in the midst of hurricane coverage, watching the insane reporters getting blown over and the massive amounts of water collecting, I forget that I'm not watching a movie set, a blockbuster epic with some amazing special effects.  

That deluged house represents someone's home, their belongings, and their memories.  I get so wrapped up in the drama that is being presented that for a second, some sick part of me feels a sense of disappointment that the hurricane has dropped from a category 3 to a category 2.  That development could have saved the lives and homes of hundreds or thousands of people, and I was disappointed that it was not going to be as exciting of a show.  Sick, I know.

It really challenged my sense of compassion.  I can watch a sad story, on the news or in a movie, and feel some sort of distanced sadness.  A sense of sympathy, maybe, that I feel really badly for those people.  Or, if I hear about a sad story that is similar to something I've gone through, I can feel a sense of empathy, sadness with more depth, knowing some amount of what that person is going through.  But when I hear a story of someone's suffering, and I'm actually moved to the point of doing something about it, I'm acting out of compassion, something that is continually mentioned in the Gospels when speaking of Jesus  He didn't just see a crowd of people.  He had compassion on them and fed them or taught them or healed them or did whatever was necessary to relieve their suffering.

I'm sure that Brad wishes my revelation has caused me to ditch the Weather Channel entirely, but rather it's caused me to watch in an entirely new way.  I am reminded to pray for the people involved and to see how God would best have me respond, not only to victims of weather catastrophes, but the numerous people I see throughout the day that I rarely even think about because I'm too wrapped up in my daily agenda to notice.  To start living a life of compassion would truly be sensational.

Flight Instructions

Brad and I just got back from what I like to call a "mini-vacation."  It was very short, but very sweet and one of those times when even a few days away can be a lovely breath of fresh air.

I can't say that I'm a frequent flyer, but I fly a few times a year, so I'm pretty familiar with the entire routine . . . when to board, where to put the bags, what is said, when you can turn on your iPod, etc.  Usually, I just step right into auto-pilot (pun intended) whenever I'm traveling by plane.  

This time, however, I paid extra attention to my fellow passengers as the flight attendants were going through all the pre-takeoff preparations.  I could not find one person on either flight that was listening to ANYTHING that was being said.  Some of this was probably due to common sense ("Oh, so THAT'S what you do with a seat belt!").  Some of this was due to repetition (there's only so many times you can hear the same thing before you completely tune out).  And I'm sure some of this had to do with priorities (listening to a song, reading a book, or talking to a friend was way more important than hearing the standard rhetoric).  I confess that on just about every flight, I am just like them.

What really struck me this time, however, was the incredible irony of the situation.  What these attendants were sharing was vital information.  In some circumstances, it could mean the difference between life and death.  And yet, for many, the knowledge was considered way less important than the latest romantic happenings of Jessica Simpson.  In the case of an emergency, how many people would wish that they had read that safety card on how to open the door rather than another few pages in People Magazine?  

I couldn't help but see a spiritual connection as well.  How much vital information do I have everyday at my fingertips . . . promises, warnings, instruction located throughout the Scriptures, not to mention a dynamic and personal relationship with God Himself.  All this, and yet how often do I find myself skimming over my Bible reading or busying myself with "more important" matters, until I find myself up against a "crisis" of some kind (either big or small).  I so quickly am reminded of how much I need my Father's guidance.  

I suppose it's challenged me once again to take time and make space to listen throughout my day.  There's a definite difference between hearing someone and listening to what they're saying.  The art of listening is a practice I am choosing to pursue in a very loud world, one that I hope to improve for not only my Heavenly Father's voice, but that of my husband, family, and friends as well.