Getting ready to head up to Gaylord High School for the Northern Michigan Wrestling Championships. 29 teams from all over the northern lower peninsula and as far west as Iron Mountain in the upper peninsula. This is one of the largest 1 day tournaments in the state of Michigan, the only tournaments bigger are Macomb and Oakland counties down in the Detroit area and the MHSAA state tournament held at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills Mi. These tournaments are two day tournaments. Some of the best wrestlers in the state of Michigan will be there.
Being a former wrestler myself and having a son who wrestles for Gaylord High School makes this one of my favorite days of the year. Literally 100's of matches at all weight classes this will be a great time. Watching young men (and more and more often young women) give their all and leave the mat totally spent just to get that final takedown or pin makes me realize that sometimes we sell our younger generation short and stereotype them to much. These kids have what it takes. Talk to you later.
God Bless, Jay
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Address To The Haggis by Robert Burns
Address to the haggis
Fair is your honest happy face
Great chieftain of the pudding race
Above them all you take your place
Stomach, tripe or guts
Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm
The groaning platter there you fill
Your buttocks like a distant hill
Your skewer would help to repair a mill
In time of need
While through your pores the juices emerge
Like amber beads
His knife having seen hard labour wipes
And cuts you up with great skill
Digging into your gushing insides bright
Like any ditch
And then oh what a glorious sight
Warm steaming, rich
Then spoon for spoon
They stretch and strive
Devil take the last man, on they drive
Until all their well swollen bellies
Are bent like drums
Then, the old gent most likely to rift (burp)
Be thanked, mumbles
Is there that over his French Ragout
Or olio that would sicken a pig
Or fricassee would make her vomit
With perfect disgust
Looks down with a sneering scornful opinion
On such a dinner
Poor devil, see him over his trash
As week as a withered rush (reed)
His spindle-shank a good whiplash
His clenched fist…the size of a nut.
Through a bloody flood and battle field to dash
Oh how unfit
But take note of the strong haggis fed Scot
The trembling earth resounds his tread
Clasped in his large fist a blade
He'll make it whistle
And legs and arms and heads he will cut off
Like the tops of thistles
You powers who make mankind your care
And dish them out their meals
Old Scotland wants no watery food
That splashes in dishes
But if you wish her grateful prayer
Give her a haggis!
In a future post I will tell you what a haggis is. I will say that it is a food and it is delicious. This poem really takes something that is truly uniquely Scottish and uses it in a way to describe and pay homage to Scottish nationalism. This poem was written shortly after the Jacobite rebellion. I must say that I have never really been one for poetry now Robbie Burns ( or Rabbie Burns as they say in Scotland) is rapidly becoming a poet that I like to read. Well off to the gym for weights and 2.5 to 3 miles.
God Bless, Jay
Fair is your honest happy face
Great chieftain of the pudding race
Above them all you take your place
Stomach, tripe or guts
Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm
The groaning platter there you fill
Your buttocks like a distant hill
Your skewer would help to repair a mill
In time of need
While through your pores the juices emerge
Like amber beads
His knife having seen hard labour wipes
And cuts you up with great skill
Digging into your gushing insides bright
Like any ditch
And then oh what a glorious sight
Warm steaming, rich
Then spoon for spoon
They stretch and strive
Devil take the last man, on they drive
Until all their well swollen bellies
Are bent like drums
Then, the old gent most likely to rift (burp)
Be thanked, mumbles
Is there that over his French Ragout
Or olio that would sicken a pig
Or fricassee would make her vomit
With perfect disgust
Looks down with a sneering scornful opinion
On such a dinner
Poor devil, see him over his trash
As week as a withered rush (reed)
His spindle-shank a good whiplash
His clenched fist…the size of a nut.
Through a bloody flood and battle field to dash
Oh how unfit
But take note of the strong haggis fed Scot
The trembling earth resounds his tread
Clasped in his large fist a blade
He'll make it whistle
And legs and arms and heads he will cut off
Like the tops of thistles
You powers who make mankind your care
And dish them out their meals
Old Scotland wants no watery food
That splashes in dishes
But if you wish her grateful prayer
Give her a haggis!
In a future post I will tell you what a haggis is. I will say that it is a food and it is delicious. This poem really takes something that is truly uniquely Scottish and uses it in a way to describe and pay homage to Scottish nationalism. This poem was written shortly after the Jacobite rebellion. I must say that I have never really been one for poetry now Robbie Burns ( or Rabbie Burns as they say in Scotland) is rapidly becoming a poet that I like to read. Well off to the gym for weights and 2.5 to 3 miles.
God Bless, Jay
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thursday Thoughts
I am sitting here after work and before worship practice looking at the song list for the week. Praise Song- First line in the song is "We praise you o Lord for the Love that you give" This makes me ponder do we praise him for the love that he gives so freely and without remorse? or do we only praise him when things are going well or he has saved our bacon one more time. We are called to worship and praise God in ALL things when things are great and even more importantly when things are not so great. It is easy to thank God when it's all good but when the chips are down do you still trust him? Gods greatest desire is that we come to him at all times in good and bad. That our love for him does not diminish when things start to get tough. When things get tough draw nearer to him not turn away. I have a friend who found out yesterday that he has cancer. If there is one thing I know is that this man will continue to walk with the Lord and draw even nearer to him. There will be times of sorrow and times of discouragement, but through it all he knows that God is the answer to every question he will have. Adam I am praying for you my friend, praying for healing, strength and that through it all God reveals himself to you in ways you never could have imagined.
God Bless, Jay
God Bless, Jay
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Robert Burns
In honor of the 252nd birthday of Scotlands poet Robert Burns born on January 25 1759. This poem is perhaps his most famous work.
A Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns
O my luve's like a red, red rose.
That's newly sprung in June;
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will love thee still, my Dear,
Till a'the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o'life shall run.
And fare thee weel my only Luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!
A Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns
O my luve's like a red, red rose.
That's newly sprung in June;
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will love thee still, my Dear,
Till a'the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o'life shall run.
And fare thee weel my only Luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!
Monday, January 24, 2011
The first post.
At the suggestion of my wife I have started to blog. I have no idea where this will go other than to say I will blog as often as I feel I have something to say. So, lets get started.
On January 4th of 2010 I began a physical and spiritual journey that started with a goal of losing 60 pounds in a year. In 10 months I had far exceeded my goals and had lost 101 lbs. I could not have done this alone I had many people praying for me, holding me accountable and encouraging me and to them all I am so thankful to have them in my life. As important as these people were and are to me and this process even more important is the fact that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was with me every step of the way. I had tried to lose weight before never with very much success this time however I did something a little bit different. Instead of asking the Lord to help me lose the weight I asked him to give me the strength to make the right choices. In doing that he showed me his power in not only giving me the strength and encouragement to meet my goal but to surpass it by more than half. He reminded me that his power is there all we have to do is ask and his grace will be given in amounts that are beyond our reasoning. He reminded me that we not only need to come to him with the big things but perhaps more importantly the small things also. As I continue to post I will get into this journey back to health some more.
I thought I needed to explain the the title of my blog. It is called "The Haggis" primarily because I am of Scot descent. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish cooked in a sheep's stomach. Yummm I have recently became very interested in my Scot-Irish heritage and will talk about that more in upcoming post. That's it for now. Jay
On January 4th of 2010 I began a physical and spiritual journey that started with a goal of losing 60 pounds in a year. In 10 months I had far exceeded my goals and had lost 101 lbs. I could not have done this alone I had many people praying for me, holding me accountable and encouraging me and to them all I am so thankful to have them in my life. As important as these people were and are to me and this process even more important is the fact that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was with me every step of the way. I had tried to lose weight before never with very much success this time however I did something a little bit different. Instead of asking the Lord to help me lose the weight I asked him to give me the strength to make the right choices. In doing that he showed me his power in not only giving me the strength and encouragement to meet my goal but to surpass it by more than half. He reminded me that his power is there all we have to do is ask and his grace will be given in amounts that are beyond our reasoning. He reminded me that we not only need to come to him with the big things but perhaps more importantly the small things also. As I continue to post I will get into this journey back to health some more.
I thought I needed to explain the the title of my blog. It is called "The Haggis" primarily because I am of Scot descent. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish cooked in a sheep's stomach. Yummm I have recently became very interested in my Scot-Irish heritage and will talk about that more in upcoming post. That's it for now. Jay
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