Happy Friday, it's funny how I seem to get happy on Friday. I think it says something when you look so forward to the weekend. Life resumes for a few days and work goes away. Temperature soared today as it reached 97, only shows what is ahead. Time to start the summer habits again, wake up very early, get things done early, enjoy the a/c or the pool the rest of the day. It isn't so bad in the morning and you can get a lot done when there is an incentive.
We are headed out for a long run tomorrow or Sunday, hope to get up to 7 miles at least. It is a nice distance to keep. Things did not go well at the Copper Crawl so we need to keep up the distance. Miami was a neat little town and I guess it could be said it is the Copper town formally known as a ghost town or old mining town. It had snowed, do you believe 60 miles from here could snow? So they delayed the start of the run and that was enough for us, we needed to get back. We did get time before we left to check out the town and do the stair climb... twice. It is packed with antiques and antique stores, not bad prices and so prevelant that it is like stepping back in time.
We liked the town, the buildings are pretty old and not very good shape. But they do have character and with the copper flowing again, I'm sure the town will pick up. The best building in the town is the old YMCA and is up for sale. Even though we couldn't run the race, we did get the shirt and pancakes. Great pancakes and pretty scenery made for a very nice morning. Only thing missing was good coffee, none to be found. Go see for yourself, it is pretty there. Maybe not for long though. The copper mines are strip mines and that ruins the mountains beauty. They are producing jobs and from what I hear there are 6 active mines now in Arizona.

Trust... it can be so hard to gain and so easy to lose. As we grow in mind and in wisdom it seems to be a good lesson to learn. Without trust people can not work together it is like a lower branch of Maslov's hierarchy of needs. You need the trust in another that they will be true and will not falter in their commitment to you. Max De Pree writes of a covenant that needs to be developed between employer and employee, and I can see that.
An employee needs to believe an employer will reward hard work and dedication with true honest intentions. Employees are not commodities they are assets and need nurturing and appreciation. With this they can do great things, amazing things. Without it, they can do little. They will be so preoccupied by looking for another job or occupation where they can grow and flourish.

Got some great pictures of the Netherlands from Andy. Him, the children and his wife moved to a nice country house. I think I'd enjoy living in Europe, but not sure. The novelty would wear off, but at least I wouldn't have as much TV to choose from. What a pretty back yard...

The neat part in Amsterdam are the canals, they divide the city into small islands. It's fun to walk the streets and see buildings over 30 years old. Many very, very old. There are a lot of stories there I saw where Anne Frank hid from the Nazis for all those days and nights. They had lived well in Amsterdam until the Germans started to decide Jews needed a solution. That would have been a frightening experience. As you go through the little rooms they occupied in the attic and walk through their halls, you can picture their life. I liked looking out into the backyard and thought Anne probably did too. There are carvings on the walls the hieroglyphics of the Holocaust. It is Hitlers birthday tomorrow with all the bad events that seem to occur lately in association with it, I think it is just the perpetual bad kharma.

I noticed the Dutch have a real sensitivity to the German invasion and the Nazi occupation. It has a connection to the bikes you see all over Amsterdam. Evidently, the people there are still very upset over the Nazis stealing their bikes when they fled Amsterdam. I was told they took most of the cities bikes as they were trying to flee from the allies. I think my friend Shawn would understand the way resentment can simmer when someone messes with your bike. He's had repeated problems with someone vandalizing the light on his bike.

It is off to the Copper Boomtown festival in Miami AZ this weekend. Some fun events, like lugging my butt 13K with a 1200 ft elevation gain. The good part though is the pancake breakfast afterward. Pancakes are my favorite and it ties back to Amsterdam, because they have the best pancakes. Except they should not be called pancakes, more of a cross between a crepe and a pancake. And they put regular food on them, like chicken, cheese, veggies and all sorts of great stuff.

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg VA, what a terrible thing that happened there today. 33 young lives ended far, far before they should have. There are those who believe that all things happen for a reason and that something good might be found from this. I don't think so... I don't think any of those poor families, the mothers, the fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, loves, any who knew or cared for any of those people would find the good from this. There is probably pain and sadness, a deep sadness, maybe numbness flowing through their body. They might imagine it is a dream or hope it is one, or maybe a mistake and that their loved one will walk through that door at any time.
Any of us who care for someone we lose in this world can relate, there is that aching in your heart. The part of your life that feels empty or missing, and why can't it be restored? We are a society, a family, friends, and we all feel it now. I saw a door mat I liked this weekend, it said: "Friends are the family you choose" There were a lot of friends taken today, it will take a long time for healing. Probably a long time before they will feel safe. Now more than ever they will need patience, love, space, time... time to heal. Safety was taken from all of us in a more or less sense.
We have this silent agreement between us all, it is a basis of trust we build between us. We agree we won't kill each other. That trust has been damaged, and we will all need time to heal from this. It is always a selfish self-centered act, someone putting there own emotional needs above anothers existence. Now when we need each other the most, we will be a little less trusting. We will be more protective over the people we care for, which limits how we care for each other. I mean no criticism, because I feel it too. If my daughter was here with me, I'd hold her hug a little longer, I'd tell her I love her a little more, I'd hound her to be careful. We do not want any of the sadness we know the ones who loved those people in Blacksburg are feeling.
I can only pray for those that lost someone, that they will be healed. I pray that we will all be healed. That we can rebuild the trust we lost today. We need to restore the trust we have in each other. That trust is what allows us to work together, to participate in our communities, to help each other. With trust we can obtain peace, which helps even more to strengthen our communities and build stronger relationships. The Dalai Lama says,
"Peace starts within each one of us. When we have inner peacee we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is at a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities"
Blacksburg, I pray that peace will come to you and wish you all peace. God bless all those who lost their lives there today.