Venus and the moon looking left.

If you are up before sunrise and you have mostly clear sky, look at the moon. Then bright and immediately to the left is Venus.  Venus is rushing away from the earth.

The morning look at Venus is always looking at a large object becoming more distance and smaller day by day. Tomorrow 12/31/2010 the moon and Venus will be very close.  Global warming people say the moon is millions of miles away. In fact it is well under 300,000 miles away. 

Venus is closer than the sun. Closer than 93,000,000 miles.  The next time Venus is in the evening sky it will be further away than the sun.

Ignore my editorial, look at the beautiful sky before sunrise.  Venus may still be visible 29 days from now. The moon and Venus are once again in the same part of the sky. Why? The moon takes 29 days to return to a similar position. Remember in 29 days Venus will continue to flee the earth.

Picture left; now center; now right

Last night at Merrill Auditorium the in place monster organ was the chief provider and keynote of the concert. However as you look left you see the eleven ladies in the hand bell group, center is the municipal organist backed up by brass and look right to see youth.  Right was an all girls vocal group.  Visual and musical balance.  The hundreds of visible pipes in the organ were supported by the hundreds more out of sight.

Standards and unique Christmas music. Fun sounds from the hand bells as the players rang and also used mallets.  Brief but just right sing-a-long. The young choral group had one fun visual and musical tune.

Kathy and I enjoyed the event.

Job satisfaction.

Dedicated to the Lord today is Favor Niyokindi, son of Roger Niyokind and Suavis Murekerisoni.  I read these words in the church bulletin.  During the dedication sponsors told the congregation some of their story.  Now they were dedicating U.S. citizen, Favor.

Their six year old daughter, Chkina also stood with mom and dad and brother during the dedication.  I had a link with all four.  In May 2010 Chkina jumped into the car as her mom was on a lesson and spoke to me in perfect six year old English. Months earlier she had been in Burundi with her mom and her mom was not sure she would be able to join her husband in Maine. Now in May shortly before Favor's birth, Suavis understood little of what I said. 

Step backward to November 2008.  Dad, Roger, had failed his road test a few times so I received a call from a lady at church. She said, "I understand you are a driving instructor. We have tried to help Roger but I think we need a professional."

I would be glad to help were my words, but my thoughts were more like, I will be in his car and there is no instructor's brake in his car.  Some things will not be in my control.  Roger and I had two lessons and he passed his road test.  Then May, August and September, 2010 the same with Suavis. She spoke and understood even less English but she had heart, respect and motivation.  We did about five lessons.  The last entire hour we practiced over fifteen parallel parking attempts.  I had placed my car on a street nearby and she used my car as the target to practice. Her eyes lit up and she said thank you thank you as she fully understood and executed the three steps we teach (break the process into three parts and do each part correct and the car ends up six inches from the curb).

My real joy was going to church last Sunday and reading the words at the top of the page.  I had sat in their living room as they ate lunch; I had waited at the drug store as mom picked up a prescription for her Favor from God. I had watched sister zoom around the apartment parking lot on her bicycle with friends. Big smile playing outside.  I had touched little Favor's hand. Now I heard Roger read his letter of dedication to his son and at the end he said (signed), dad.

We prayed for a favor from God so when he was born we named him Favor.

Christmas greetings

Merry Christmas early. Our letter similar
to last years format is going in the mail now.

Rest near home this year.