Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A poem for my brother Ted, on the occasion of his 31st birthday: March 24, 2009


The student
I thought he would study all his life and never begin 'life'
But then I realized that this was life for him
And that it's just as much life as the other kinds
More in his case

Learned
Is he on language #8 yet?
I think so.
Latin, Greek, German, French, Hebrew, Bemba, English
I think I'm forgetting one or two
Too many interests
Tries to study all of them
And does
So it takes time
But he's becoming a scholar
Scholar Ted
Edward
The hare's competitor
Who keeps going
And always finds a way

Loyal
If he had $1,000 that I needed
He'd give it to me
And eat Marmite for lunch
Expecting God to provide
Because he always does with Ted

The friend
Always including everyone
A one-on-one meeting turns to a party
Where half of them are strangers
He met along the way
Compassionate
Not one to hold grudges
Not one to stay angry
Not one to allow gossip
Slow to speak an ill word
Looking out for the un-looked-out-for
A friend to the friendless
And then
Without trying
Watching them make ten new friends
With the others he brought along

A dreamer
Always trying to do more than is possible
Totally unrealistic
And so he shoots for the sun
And gets far further than he would have
Always moving forward
Slowly
But always advancing
And touching lives along the way

A hybrid
Between an introvert
And an extrovert
Loves studying--
Can only do this alone--
(Learns languages by watching Sesame Street
On youtube
In that language)
Studies alone
But loves people
Can't get enough
So it's people, people, people
Can't turn them down.
Is energized by them
And them by him
Up all night
Chatting
Friending
In a way that matters

Persistent
Doggedly so
Annoyingly so
But it's taken him where's been
And where he is
And God has always worked with it
And blessed
Like a handful of grain
Planted in too much shade
Finds a thick ray of light
And thrives in it
Bearing fruit
Somehow more
Than the grain in the field

So here's to Ted
To the LIFE he lives
To his love of discovery
To his last-man-standing there-ness
To his love of the unloved
To his shooting for the sun... and the moon... and the stars
To his love-one-another exuberance
To his always going somewhere
And God's always going with him
To bless whoever's there
ar TORONTO, CANADA | 2023+

APRIL


MAY

27 Sat (1) 11am Commencement speaker at R. University, (2) ~3pm+ time w/ V/AR+
29 Mon (1) 9:30am VT prayer, (2) 3pm mtg DerCh - Mississauga
30 Tue (1) 10am ph call (AA), (2) 5:30pm video mtg (IsTan), (3) 8pm neighbourhood prayer mtg

JUNE
1 Thu (1) 11:30am Zoom mtg (LM), (2) 4pm mtg (VS,KBr)
2 Fri (1) 10:30am ph call (PVDW; SL w/ boys; ~J working)
3 Sat SL w/ boys and MG
5 Mon (1) 9:30am VT prayer mtg, (2) 2pm Europe call, (3) 5pm mtg/walk (YM)
6 Tue (1) 11:30am lunch (GD) - St. Jacobs, (2) 4pm mtg (AF) - Cambridge, (3) 7:30pm worship night
9 Fri ~J's b'day
10 Sat North Bay trip
13 Tue 11am mtg (DAy) (~J school trip w/ ~Co | text BD)
14 Wed 9:30am time w/ BD
15 Thu 4:30pm video mtg (Paul T.)
16 Fri (1) 9am video med appt, (2) 15-km run (Prayer Journey "warm-up")
17 Sat Prayer Journey (my own: 50km GTA bike-ride; Jessie's: 5KM) and speaking at GTA after-party
23-25 Fri-Sat poss. SL
26 Mon 2pm Europe monthly call
29 ... July 7 Thu-Fri poss. holiday in Arkansas

JULY
... 7 Thu-Fri poss. holiday in Arkansas
~8-17 SA+ in Toronto; P/H Bell likely visiting too
15 Sat aft+ baptism (Saj; NaB may be coming)
17-21 Mon-Fri Kids Kapers camp
24 Mon 2:45pm med. appt
26 Wed (1) 11am video mtg (SM), (2) 3pm Zoom mtg (SMa,SB), (3) 7pm ~J speaking at Greenhouse/Zoe - UofT downtown
27 Thu 10am video MVT board mtg
31 Mon 3:05pm med. appt
July/Aug CCWM board mtg / AGM

AUGUST
2 Wed 11am video mtg (SM+)
6-12 Sun-Fri Cottage w/ O/DN+ and UB/AC - Windermere; plus Muskoka
19 Sat poss. ~J fam beach day - Brighton area
25-29 Fri-Tue MoveIn staff retreat - southern Ontario

2023+
Sep 21 Thu - MVT board mtg
Sep 23 Sat poss. date of GV memorial
Sep 24 Sun ~Ch's b'day
Sep ~26-28 Poss. time in Lushnjë, Albania
Sep 29 - Oct 6 MoveIn Europe Conference+ - Durrës, Albania
Oct 21 Sat poss./unlikely date of GV memorial
Oct 21-27 Dollar-a-Day week
Early Nov Poss. fundraising event - Niagara
Nov-Jan Poss. time in India - Goa; Philippines - Manila+; Indonesia - Jakarta/Bali; LA/San Diego