Upon returning from an amazing trip around the world, it quickly became apparent that I had work to do at home. If you have read these website posts from the beginning, you know I am a retired high school science teacher with a passion for nature, a love of photography, and a desire to stay relevant by combining these things. Posting stories and images that promote curiosity and encourage people to take stock of what they have is something I would like to do while and if I can make it happen. Anyway, I have had to reassess priorities and take care of things on the home front. I have not been able to post in quite some time now, and I want to apologize to anyone who might have been hoping for an update.
For the last decade, I have been living next door to the house I grew up in; a house my parents, until recently, still owned. We moved into the house in 1960. From an early age, the location with the small, spring-fed stream in the backyard, influenced me to wonder about nature. My mother passed away a few years ago and my father was living alone in the house when I left. At 90 years old, my father’s declining health caused me to be worried that I might not be able to complete my journey. He encouraged me to stick to the plan. Fortunately, my two brothers also live nearby and they were able to look in on him. His health did, in fact, take a turn for the worse. He had to be hospitalized briefly. While I was away, my older brother and my younger brother were able to convince my father that it was in his best interest to move to a retirement home. They found an excellent one, and Dad is doing better. He was even able to be convinced that the time was right to sell the old house. As you might imagine, after so many years, the house was full of “treasures” that needed to be cataloged and dealt with carefully. This has occupied much of my time recently and provided fuel for thought and hopefully some good stories. Sometimes life gets in the way and we are blessed with new opportunities and challenges.
While writing this I received some very sad news. I learned a colleague of mine, whom I have known since the early 1980’s, passed away. Monica was a wonderful person. She shared her passion for education, discovery, and the German language with so many people. My youngest son had the very good fortune to call her his teacher. She was an extraordinary human being and her kindness will be remembered by the many people she touched as she taught. She traveled the world together with her dear husband, Dan. Over the years, they led hundreds of students and adults to foreign lands. My wife, and I had the privilege of traveling with a group of people, including Monica, and Dan, to the Holy Land two years ago. I was going to use a different photo with this post when I sat down to write it, but after I received this news, the quotes (in German) from the Bible, photographed while on the trip in what is believed to be the tomb of Lazarus, seemed an appropriate message.
I think it is translated:
Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The glory of God shall be seen by those who put their faith in Jesus in times of greatest distress and hopelessness, they are certain that he is greater than any distress, even greater than death itself.