Sober parent

It's always sobering to think parenting. All I have to do is visit with my daughter to see in what areas I surley went wrong. On the other hand, there are those moments when everything said is just what needs to be said. I can't see a trajectory line when I look at my daughter to know if 30 years from now she will have "come full circle" and not be stuck in her self-centered, counter-productive activities. I know that she fights two forces, her mother's and mine, for we have left two very different examples for her to choose from. Then there's her own example that she is bent on providing for herself.

All I know is that she is on her own path, one that she to some extent will control, at least in the early going. Life will spin out of control gradually as she ages. What will her end be like? But that is not in the crystal ball for me to see. I simply ask the one who could control to nudge, cajole, coax, and give opportunity for her to stay on the path that leads her home to Him. In the meantime, it's sobering to think of parenting.

Imagined opinions of equal weight

It's always interesting to carry on a conversation with someone who begins talking and thinking that I, the other conversant, am on the same page with him. As it dawns on him that I am polar worlds apart, then I guess he feels betrayed because the defenses come up. People do that with me about the Bible frequently, but is more marked in the field of language. It is my experience that disagreement over time becomes contempt. So be it. If educational training has taught me anything, it has taught me to yield in an area I don't know much about, and to stand my ground in an area that I do. That principle rankles some people. They would like to have the same knowledge without any of the training. In fact, they imagine themselves as having equal training footing so that their opinion might count as much as a more informed or trained opinion.

In the end, one opinion counts as much as the next person's, especially in casual conversation.

Groupings of sayings

Over time many things happen. What a difference a year makes. Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? Living life on the installment plan. There's always tomorrow. Enjoy it now—and later.

All of these are sayings about the wisdom of stretching things out. Even the Maker decided his creation needed a little more than 30 years for the body to wear down, wear out, and finally give out. So, life in the fast lane and the early bird gets the worm might not be sayings for the ages. But, even if they are, I am going to discount them for the lifestyle represented by the first group of sayings.

Appreciating spring

The scenery was beautiful on the last drive to Austin that I took. One could tell that spring was in the air. The countryside teemed with new life. The color green was everywhere. Nowhere was even a hint of the sun scorching the earth. Nothing was brown unless it represented what had not given way from the winter to the verdant green announcing spring. The same drive just a few months ago portrayed a different season of the year.

It's odd that I would notice spring in such a way in the first place since long ago I left the spring of my years in terms of the seasons of life. If I take the average age for mortality, I must be in the fall of my life. Now, if I live as long as my grandmother, I am only half way through life, so I would still be in summer. But, I'll go with the average age for now. Maybe I still notice spring because I have a daughter behind me in the spring of her life. Or a son behind me etched forever in the spring of his life.

But I am not intrigued by spring because I know what is ahead–the burning days of summer, the shed leaves of fall, and the bitter cold of winter. I just know how to enjoy spring. And perhaps there is a message in this musing for me. If I take the seasonal cycle as a microcosm of the life we only get to experience once, then I need to pay attention to the rhythms of the microcosm and know how to enjoy each part of the cycle. So the pressing news for me is to know how to enjoy fall weather. At first there is a moderation of temperature. Leaves don't fall till late in the cycle. Then, comes winter.

Arbitrary words

Words are arbitrarily chosen to represent ideas. But do the words chosen really represent the ideas? Stock phrases like Happy Birthday wouldn't be said any other way, such as Glad Birthday or Happy Day of Birth. But in running speech the ideas we have are not so common as to have only one way to say it. So, Our troops are still in Iraq, and Our boys have yet to return from Iraq, only have a small chance of representing the same idea. Who is making the utterance has everything to do with what the idea may be. If a mother of a soldier were speaking, utterance #2 would probably be chosen. If a reporter was asking Don Rumsfield to comment on the status of the troops, utterance #1 would be chosen over utterance #2. Utterance #1 seems more factual while utterance #2 seems fuller of sentiment.

I had a chance recently to discuss at length some of the principles of translation when translating the New Testament. It's always interesting to see how others react to a discussion of translation principles, but I was talking with a fellow translator. If I had to characterize the discussion with the main idea of the discussion, I think we mentioned time and again how arbitrary words are in representing ideas. Neither of us would be able to answer the question, "What is the best translation?" or "Which translation most accurately reflects the original language?" Judging matters like the attitude of speakers or trying to figure out how much fact or sentiment was involved becomes tricky since it would guide the translator to select a certain set of words to use. For example, are "I am the light of the world," and "I'm the world's light," the same expression? What about "I am the one who lights the world," or "I light up the world?"

Although I am reminded how careful one must be when translating, I am equally reminded that a great degree of liberty exists in translating. And in that I am relieved. That liberty is the very essence of the one who created the ideas in the first place. If the Son of Man set you free, you are really and truly free.

Finding the flash

It is exhiliarating to be a fish in water, to be in an environment that you know you were born to be in. Every circuit in your brain is working flawlessly and efficiently. Energy flows without end. Everything seems interesting. You go for hours on end without flagging. Everything is familiar in one way or another and connections to new ideas are everywhere.

Once every three years or so, this is the case. It's beautiful when it happens. It rejuvenates, refreshes, and retools. It makes you ready to go fight the good fight for the next 3 years. It affirms your previous course of action. It prepares you for likely changes on the horizon. I's sweet to the palate.