The Starving Eyes of Man: Why We Ache to See Glory | Desiring God
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Friday, December 16, 2022
Should I Take (Advantage Of) This Trip?
Chemistry. You've heard that word before, and no doubt you've experienced it for yourself. That's the best word I know to describe sexual tension / attraction between two people.
I vividly remember facilitating a project meeting (during Rob's architecture career) at a Mississippi university 10+ years ago. There were 6-8 of us in the conference room of the Physical Plan, and partway through the meeting, a lovely young lady was invited in. She was a campus museum curator, and now in attendance because the university-owned museum (that she oversaw) would be impacted by said construction project in the near future. Therefore, we felt compelled to include her early on within the planning stages in order minimize disruption for her department.
I immediately took note of the chemistry between her and one of the young engineers in the room. It was easy to spot as they dialogued regarding scheduling / logistical coordination pertaining to the project scope. Looking back, I've often wondered if they ever followed up with each other after the fact.
Body language, pupils, facial expressions are dead giveaways to chemistry.
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My oldest daughter has a pronounced impact on certain men. Even when she was in early high school and still wearing braces, I'd witness younger men react "chemistrially" to her presence. Because she was a minor (& I was present), you could clearly see their discomfort as they wrestled with the situation, they now found themselves within.
An old Samson friend used to react the same way around her (he hasn't seen her for many years). Even with his own wife / children present. It was always amusing to me due to the fact that I knew his porn diet consisted solely of "Barely Legal / Girls Next Door" models.
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On the opposite end of the spectrum is chemistry between younger men and older women.
Here's another memory: my second (sophomore year) potluck college roommate once bragged about having a sexual relationship with one of his friend's moms. This guy looked far older than he was, primarily due to his hugely muscular build. That, combined with his overall machismo, lead me to not question his track record in spite of how uncomfortable it made me whilst ruminating on.
Similarly, I have friends now within Samson Society who've admitted to bedding older women, many of which were married (at the time) and mothers.
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I serve as a board member of a local (community) volunteer organization. I ended up therein by providence, having run-into the org's tenured director (she resides within a neighboring community) one Sunday morning whilst out running (exercising).
As I came to know the director better, I began to see how much I admired her commitment to this org and subsequently to the community she and I both have been longstanding members of (which the org directly serves). This woman is highly intelligent / driven / passionate. As such, she talks incessantly about whatever's on the forefront of her prefrontal cortex (which is A LOT).
It didn't take me long to sense the chemistry between us (much moreso on her end than mine).
I've been serving as a board member for most of '22, and though she and I haven't worked directly on any projects throughout this calendar year, she's beginning to propose that we do (in '23).
Know too that this wonderful lady is retired and serving as her (almost entirely homebound) husband's full-time caregiver. They've had a long, successful marriage, but unfortunately at the present, his health is failing rapidly. She, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is as vibrant and youthful as ever.
So, I know what you're thinking. What does she look like?
She's pretty hot for a grandmother. In fact, she's the hottest grandmother, by far, that I've seen in some time (other than my mom who obviously CANNOT / WILL NOT count).
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During our last board meeting (a few weeks back), an out-of-state regional retreat was discussed. It quickly became apparent that it was a retreat (hosted within the larger eco-system of the org itself) that someone needed to attend from our board. I spoke up to represent our group, and soon thereafter duly coordinated my '23 calendar accordingly to accommodate the two-day excursion. The aforementioned director regretted not being able to attend (ailing husband). As such, my commitment to do so was warmly received by everyone in attendance.
Yesterday, (12/15) I received an email from our director stating that she'd like to attend too.
?!?
[I couldn't help but be reminded of my mother's adulterous trysts with her boss 40 years ago (I was 10 years-old at the time) during out-of-town trips to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.]
The director went on to say that her husband "used to" accompany her on trips like these.
?!?
I replied to her email with the following: "I only agreed to attend the regional conference in your absence, therefore once you make a final decision on attending, if you're unable to go, I'll gladly sign up to represent [the org] during that event. I have coordinated my work schedule accordingly, therefore I'm on standby to sign-up. There's no need to expend [our org's] resources for two reps to attend."
Thanks mom (for the memories)!
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Honoring A Grieving Samson Brother
Larry Blackman regularly attended the First Baptist Church Jackson Samson Society meetings throughout a number of those initial (outset) years ('14-'16). He was separated from his wife at the time. She was in Michigan, and he was here. They were a childless couple who both loved music. In fact, from what I vaguely remember, Larry's passion for music served to indirectly promulgate his eventual need (crisis) for Samson Society.
I haven't seen, heard nor thought about Larry 'till earlier today. Mr. Don Waller was kind enough to loop some of us Metro Jackson Samson "old timer" guys into a depressing update that came from Larry directly to him.
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The thing I remember most about Larry is he was never not smiling. To the point of being giddy (or high). Whether we were in a Samson meeting or at an after meeting, he seemed overjoyed to simply be there with us. The second thing I remember about Larry was his brilliance. He was an engineer by trade, working at a sizable corporate outfit (branch) here in the Magnolia State. You could always tell his processor was spinning at a much faster rpm than your typical Mississippi redneck (me).
Thirdly, Larry was always, always asking questions of whomever was within earshot. And these weren't overly personal questions like I tend to ask, but questions that were more philosophical in nature (grounded in generalities). I could never tell if he simply was avoiding being probed (via his provocative chattiness), or if he truly was innately curious as to how others around him might respond to his seemingly endless inquiries.
I can tell you, having known other engineers (from out of state) who landed here as he did, within the butt crack of America, most of those were / are just as uniquely peculiar as Larry.
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My fondest memory of Larry was his presence at the 2015 Samson Society Okatoma rafting trip. A perfectly scaled group of us Samson guys went down for an overnight (Saturday) trip, enjoying a day of rafting that summer afternoon. Larry and I were both in one-man kayaks (you can choose either a kayak or canoe) on the river, and this was to our advantage due to the fact that we got caught in a thunderstorm. He and I raced downstream throughout the squall as all the other boaters (hundreds) took shelter along the banks. Once we reached the exit point, he and I waited together for quite a while as our crew eventually caught up to us. By then, the storm had long passed. I can still remember my being amazed at how much speed this diminutive dude was able to achieve throughout that unexpected drama. I'm here to tell you, Larry was FAST.
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So, what prompted Larry to reemerge today, via his digital communication with Mr. Don Waller?
It was his sweet wife's unexpected death that served to motivate. Here's what he shared with Don:
Hi Don! I thought I’d send this obituary to you since you’ve been very important to me and my wife, and your key role in our healing.I lost my wife last week in an unexpected, but medical way, last week. It was not the result of her chronic conditions, but is an emotionally wrenching mystery. I’m just emerging from the shock, and have faced dehydration just from tears alone. I know God works things in certain ways, but the hurt is now spread over the myriad fragments of my broken heart and the silence where my music once was. Thank you for being my inspiration during a difficult period in my life; still, the unimaginable grief I’m in ha [sic] exceeded all of my life’s experience.I hope that all is going well for you with Samson activities and your family. Tirzah and I really intended to get our Christmas cards going last week; now there’s just this void; I’m bridging it with keeping busy and talks with friends/ family. Maybe God is calling me for something, but my tears are obscuring my vision on a regular basis. Perhaps the music will recover soon ...Merry Christmas and absolutely sincere regards,Miss you!Larry (big ler, Lars)Don, you can share this with the guys, particularly those who may remember that kayak trip picture you sent back in March.Sincerely yours,Larry
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Please remember Larry, through my memories or via your own, and please pray for him as he grieves this terrible loss during the holidays. (He's the Samson brother wearing the sunglasses in the photos below.)
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