Football Fellowship; D wins Best Player?!

Football fun.
A few weeks ago, one of our students who works in sports ministry organized a mini-football (soccer) tournament to help build relationships between teachers and students. I love football, it's just part of growing up in the Caribbean and Latin America, so I was one of the teachers who joined in the play.

Play is a divine gift, and I opened with a prayer of thanksgiving and for our play to bring us just a bit closer to each other.

Although the games were light spirited and fun, there was still hefty competition. These girls were really tough! And it seems to me it's no good if you play without getting some bruises--and I got kicked instead of the ball more than once in the shin. Our team got second place. Due, I think to a poor referee decision that caused us to tie instead of win the final game. Another, perhaps unfortunate, part of growing up around football in Latin America is that your team never 'looses' but always gets 'cheated.' When your team wins, it is always fair. Ah. The emotions of the beautiful game! Please, bear with my fanaticism! try see it as charming folly if you can.

As for my own playing skills, all I can do is wait up front and kick the ball or pass it to someone who has an opening. The simple job of a striker! It worked. I managed two assists and two goals--one goal, believe it or not, with my left foot. I suppose because of my willingness to play, my fanatical passion, along with the goals and the assists, the students voted me Best Player of the tournament. Here the students and I receive our awards. Thanks to all, and that you Anthony for organizing everything. It was great to have non-classroom fellowship.

Spiritual Retreat on Doi Suthep Mountain

I've been doing quite a bit of hiking lately around the many mountains and lovely forests that envelope Chiang Mai. The picture above was taken by David on the way up Doi Suthep mountain a few weeks ago were discovered that the sky, often full of smog, was the clearest we'd ever seen! We just had to take in the view. (That day we also discovered that my not-so-young car can make it up the steep mountains! ... good girl.)
I recently went up to national cabins with my colleagues on a meditation retreat, just 150 meters uphill from the Doi Suthep temple. The picture above is my walking meditation in the spirit of the forest-monk traditions of Thailand.

Incidentally, our spiritual retreat was held the same weekend as the beginning of the Buddhist Lent. All morning the faithful made their walk up the 300 plus flights of stairs with flowers to place on Buddha images.
The monks were chanting and the temple bells were ringing, tapped by the constant flow of the faithful into the temple. At the same time, 150 meters up the mountain, we were singing Taizé Christian songs between contemplative silences. Our music and singing, along with the bells and the monk-chants, made for a surprisingly pleasant cacophony of spiritual sounds.

Listen to the spiritual cacophony by playing both parts at once
(above Taizé 'Alleluia,' and below chant of 'The Three Refuges')

[Listening may require Quicktime plug-in and settings]