Barley Pops

Some days are wonderful but not for apparent reasons. Some days the magic, the ju-ju, just kind of sneaks up on you when you don't expect it.


This is some of what St. Oswald has to say about Feb 16:

We all have any number of visions and ideals when we are young, but sooner or later we find that we have no power to make them real. We cannot do the things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come and say - "Arise from the dead." When the inspiration of God does come, it comes with such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do the impossible thing. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life comes after we do the "bucking up." God does not give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says - "Arise from the dead," we have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand - "Stretch forth thy hand," and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative. If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately.


Sissi and the boys and I are up at Mammoth. The weather and snow and friends have been perfect--spring conditions, great meals, and a great combination of people.

Tonight we had fondue, good wine and great cognac with some friends (I'm giving up cheese for the Lenten season, I think). Sarah and I came home and watched Crazy Heart. An amazing story about a drunk and washed-up country western singer who falls in love with a younger woman and her son. He loses that relationship because of his drinking, but that loss finally puts him at rock bottom and gives him cause to sober up. He bucks up, then God delivers the inspiration to begin writing great songs again.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, the alcoholic singer/songwriter. There are a lot of overlaps between Jeff Lebowski and Bad, from the opening scene in a bowling alley to the "barley pops" ("oat sodas" in The Big Lebowski) that Jeff and Robert Duvall drink whilst fishing to kill a hangover. I don't drink a lot of beer anymore, and I rarely drink it from a can, but today I had the same barley pop as Jeff and Robert did in the film, a Pabst Blue Ribbon, which was pretty much perfect with my chili on the slopes. Guess I have some bucking up to do myself.

initiative
barley pabst blue hand stretches
my inspiration