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June 19, 2005

Comments

gavin

love thomas merton, he puts complex thoughts in a language that i can understand. as erin says to me, 'don't become a monk though!' spent time here in mom and dad's new place. it's pretty cool. be glad you are not here as tony, david & myself all got a 'list' of jobs to do. i think nikki just got razzed about the boys running around naked almost all day long. granny & granddad came up (that's a funny story) & tiff was here as well. stuart, your old childhood friend, came by with his two twin daughters. it was good to catch up with him. and the bakanes dropped in as well. you were definitely missed & there's a basketball goal game with your name on it, tony and i saved that one for you..

Lance

Am I counting right? - does that spider have ten legs?

Shawn

Well, she has 8 legs. Those two in her front were tentacle feelers. They are the same size as legs, so it does look like she has 10. Either way, she surely got our respect and was eventually let go.

Some Soldier's Mom

Shawn, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I understand that they get bigger -- much bigger -- as the summer wears on... Take care...

Bro Dave

And they like men in uniform!

We use to catch scorpions back in 29 Palms, CA and AZ. Great pets!! Low maintenance!

Next posting on the blog site will be Shawn at a Spider show, with the spider on a leash.

Dave

m0m

Hi Shawn.You be careful of those big spiders.We are trying to get used to Alabama roaches again.I had forgotton how gross they were..
We missed you this weekend and loved having Tiff with us.It wil be nice to see the two of you back together where you belong.
So you will be turning 30 in a few weeks.Anything Special you want for a celebration.I sent you a box of goodies out yesterday but wondered what special thing you need for your birthday.?

Monk-in-Training

Shawn,
Gavin linked me up with your site, and I am certianly impressed. I have added you to my prayer list.

I wanted to share with you a bit about the true self/false self you mentioned. Our response to God's creation of us is to seek power and security -- to create a false self which thrives on the illusion that each of us has power and security. This means we never get to know the true self which God created and to whom God speaks, and with whom God visits. This false self finds it necessary to become our own god rather than submitting ourselves to the gracious love of God.

In the call of God to our lives God calls the true self, a self we do not know and thus a call we cannot hear. The true self is a reflection of God (imago dei) and thus the only way we can learn our true self is to invite God into our lives and looking into the face of God we come to know our true selves. It is this union with God that teaches us our true self and in contemplative prayer, the prayer of waiting on God in silence, we seek God by doing nothing and allowing God to be God -- allowing God to act.

I am a seeker, seeking my true self, may you find your true self also.

Greta Perry

And I was stressing out about the little brown recluse spiders I keep finding. Hang in there & don't forget to route for the Gators (heh he - my team).

PebblePie

Hi Soldier,
Just found you. Nice blog.

A Military Mom

So, this adventure does come to an end. Have a safe trip home. and May God Bless you.
Thanks for your willingness to serve our country.

Chad

You let it go!?! You shoulda slapped it on the ol' BBQ, for some fine Iraqi cuisine!

Prayin for Mark and his kin.

I hope you have a safe trip home, Shawn. And keep on the blog, feller!

Chris

I appreciate the Manning paragraph, particulatly as I have come to view my own spiritual health in terms of my success (or lack thereof) at finding times and places for solitude. There is a phrase from this paragraph that stirs something deep within me: "God's relentless tenderness for us revealed in Jesus Christ." I wish I'd written that. Relentless. Tenderness.

You and your fellow soldiers have experienced much that I hope never to experience--including the dreaded camel spider. But I hope we all have the experience of God pursuing us relentlessly, in war or in peace, in joy or in sorrow, in faith or in doubt. And I hope we all come to see that the God who pursues us does so in mercy, tenderness, and love. I am reminded of one of my favorite poems, "The Hound of Heaven" by the British poet Francis Thompson. It describes the experience of fleeing from the God who hunts one down, only to find in the end that the God who relentlessly pursues is Love. http://www.mcs.drexel.edu/~gbrandal/Illum_html/hound.html

Relentless tenderness. Beautiful, and true.

Peace.

epm consultants

A soldier's basic principle in life. Im totally amazed on his belief.

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