Monster

This is one of my favorite children's books....just thinking about it brings back wonderful memories of bedtime stories or time spent with mom and dad...thanks guys for reading to me and instilling in me a love to read and an appreciation for children's books! If any of you out there haven't read this lovable book, or just want to revisit it, you can follow the link below...oh, feel free to post comments about your favorite children's books...I always like suggestions! http://smollin.com/book/mikes/tmonstr/mon001.html

Pez y mona

Today while having coffee (one of my favorite things to do...EVER) with a friend, Sonia, she taught me a new phrase in Spanish (that happens like every ten seconds...haha). It is, El pez que se muerde la cola. It literally says, The fish that eats its own tail. I´m a little fuzzy at the moment about why this phrase kept comming up, but I believe it was because we were talking about how so many things in this world are self-defeating, destroying the very things that they claim they are or want to be. They tend to be cylical as well, like the image of a fish trying to eat itself. For example, if I enjoy coffee and go to Starbucks everyday I will get addicted and eventually become sick of Starbucks and eventually stop going (WAIT...what?!...me? stop going to Starbucks?) Ok, maybe a more serious example would better demonstrate what she was try to say. If a child becomes pregrant and has a child then they are no longer a child. They become more like little adults with burdens and responsibilities beyond their age. Does that make sense? This was actually what we were talking about at the time when she taught me the phrase... I learned another phrase this afternoon while at a cafe with another friend, Ainhoa. You could say, Que mona, if you saw a girl that you thought was pretty or you wanted to compliment a girl on her appearance. It is when it is translated into english that it gets comical. I don´t think that any girl would appreciate being called a monkey (mona) by some well-intentioned Spanish guy...haha...somethings just don´t translate!

Gospel Conversations

Yesterday some friends and I were talking about life and spirituality as we drove back to Barcelona after being on vacation. We got on the topic of the Gospel and seemed to stay there for awhile. I welcomed the conversation, but also found it confusing and challenging in ways I had never expected. Let me explain...I've always thought I had a working "definition" for what the Gospel is and now I'm finding that maybe it isn't that easy to define, describe or grasp. Here are some questions I thought I would throw out there. Anyone can feel free to answer. 1. What is the Gospel? 2. How is the Gospel most appropriately communicated?