Hamburgers - Animal Style

Today they opened the first In-N-Out Burger in Texas, and it's in my bakyard - I could walk to it.  That's important, because prior to today, I had to fly to San Diego (or Phoenix) for a good hamburger, fries and a milkshake.
  
I'm gonna save THOUSANDS $$!
  
We tried, but we couldn't eat there today.  I'd guess 100,000, maybe 200,000 people were in line, in cars and on foot.  (I'm not good with numbers - but there were a lot of people).  I was thinking they couldn't possible have had enough food in there for all those people, then a big semi pulled up with the refresh.  I'm thinking of going over late tonight to see if the crowds have slowed down.
       
Someone (a fool at work) told me he doesn't really like In-n-Out hamburgers.  I said - "what does that have to do with it?"  Puzzled (a common look for this particular guy), he asked what I meant.  I had to explain a lot of things to him - including the fact that sometimes it's about the experience as much as the food.  And I asked him if he had ever ordered 'animal style'?,  and of course he had never heard of it.  "Protein style maybe"?, a blank stare.   In the end, it turns out he prefers 'burger king'  (just shoot me).
      
I love going to Starbucks for coffee too.  This same guy told me he doesn't like Starbucks coffee, and I said "what does that have to do with it"?
  
I contend that businesses don't (generally) succeed because their stuff tastes better, or looks better, or is made better than the other guy.  They succeed because they offer more than the obvious - they offer an experience, an identity, an attitude.  A MEMORY.
  
We have a lot of family memories at In-N-Out California  -  and plan to keep that tradition going here in Texas.
  
and, John 3:16 - on the bottom of every cup.  nice.  
   

     

 

Duck Eggs Dogs and Masters

Kahlua ('the' dog with issues) has been just barely catching the female mallard duck in the backyard - every morning - for a week.  Yesterday he got the back end of her and most of her feathers are in the pool now.  But she made it out, floating over the arbor, gracefully - for a duck.  I didn't realize till this weekend that ducks only pretend to fly, until they reach a certain height.  They fake it for the first 50 feet - it's embarrassing really, the flapping of the wings, the dragging of the clumsy feet - it looks painful - but they make it.  I wonder if God created ducks to demonstrate something to us:  you were made for land and water, but you can soar high and far - but it won't be easy for you to clear the fence.  Once you clear the fence, reach some height, and trust in Me, then you can go anywhere and do anything. 
  
But that's a little deep for all I want to say here.
  
I'm looking for advice:  this duck has done the unthinkable in my backyard - she laid 9 eggs.  A week ago someone in the neighborhood sent out and email blast warning all of us that the last thing you want is a duck laying eggs in your backyard.  She has a pool too and some duck took over the pool - laid eggs - and this homeowner eventually spent hundreds of dollars 'relocating' the baby ducklings somewhere into east Texas. 
  
Worse - I have a dog (Kahlua) who wants a duck, and all the babies he can get.  He salivates as he gazes out the window toward the bush he KNOWS houses the duck and her kids.  It's just instinct.  He doesn't want them for himself - he wants them for ME.  I know this dog, he yearns to please me.  And his greatest pleasure is to capture the cutest rabbit, bird, squirrel or whatever - and to lay his gift at my feet (usually squirming just moments from death).  Sorry - not pretty - but it's his instinct and nothing more.  A God-given instinct.  He wishes to please his master.

So now I've got to keep Kahlua out of the backyard for the summer.  Bummer.

But it has made me think of something:

Is your instinct to please your Master?  No matter what, no matter how seemingly gruesome or crazy?  How far do we go each day to just follow our instinct to please our Master?  Not too far I'm afraid.  But then again - who is your Master?  Maybe you do please your master (little 'm').

Until you've met JC (for real), your instinct is to dis-please Him - it's our sin nature to serve ourselves and Satan - and not Him.  It's our human nature to do the wrong thing - to serve the wrong master - and to be disappointed everyday.  Don't live a dead end life serving the wrong master.  Once we learn to serve the REAL Master - life is sooooo good.
       
Anyway - what am I going to do with all these mallards??

I Know What I Should Do ....

Have you ever thought, "why does everyone seem to have their act together - everyone but me?"

Well there's a dirty little secret out there ........  listen ..... listen to me ...... here it is:  No one has their act together  - they just pretend to, and / or - they get lucky.   

Some of us think we know what to do - all the time.  Some of us never know what to do - ever.  The rest of us fall in the middle somewhere.

For instance, I took this picture in San Diego about a year ago.  Someone may look at this and say: "wow - your a good photographer - how do you do it?"  I didn't do anything, I got lucky. I have a crummy camera and I pointed it, and snapped the shutter.  I think it's because its such a rotten camera that the picture looks good - for some reason - less is more sometimes (MOST of the time!).  And sometimes you just have to raise the camera and take a shot - and hope for the best.  (the picture might look better if I 'photoshop' it - but I prefer the real thing - always).
      
What are you going to do?  It's a new year, January is coming to an end already.   Everyone is wondering the same thing:  "What am I going to do?"   And while you wonder, the weeks click by.
 
On the other end of the spectrum are those people who seem to know exactly what to do - all the time - they have the answer.  I generally don't like these people.  Be careful that you think you know too much.  Stop putting so much faith in yourself!  Sounds wrong doesn't it?  The world tells us to have faith in ourselves - to follow our dreams - BELIEVE!.  There's nothing really wrong with that until we trust ourselves too much.
         
To quote Oswald Chambers (Jan 29):  "God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions.  We say, "I know that this is what I should do" -  and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance."

Trust Him - alone.  And to hear what he's saying, we need to read His Word (a lot) and ask Him for wisdom and to speak to us directly.  And then take the shot.    
       


  

My Dad @ 80

In 1930, somewhere in New York, Donald Edward Kanaley was born.  Now, he's EIGHTY (80!) and he's been my dad for over 50 years.
 
(fyi, in this picture, he's not 80 yet).
   
Turns out, he came from a broken home.  I never met his father, my grandfather.   Things happen.  People make decisions.  It happened back then, and it happens today.  You think things are tough now, but they were tougher back then.
   
When he was 20 years old - someone walked into dad's life:  Jesus.  He told him to 'follow me', and dad was obediant - like Peter and Paul.  From that day on, dad followed - sometimes blindly, by faith alone.  And he's still following.  Some people think that's an easy road (walking with the Lord) - I know - I hear them, I've talked to them  (but I don't tolerate them much).  It's the HARD road, the narrow road.  A life lived for Christ is anything but easy.  It's joyful when you're walking with Him, but miserable in ways you can't imagine (and until you've done it, you'll not understand the paradox of it).  The world despises you, loathes you, laughs at you, mocks you.  Outside the US, they simply kill you for being a Christian.  No big deal, thousands a day. 
 
Like the Israelites in the desert leaving Egypt, God gave them enough bread to eat for one day at a time - that's it.  It forced them to trust Him everyday and to not look past that day.  So too, with dad it seems - always given enough to survive on for the day.  The result has been amazing to watch over the years.  He's been taken care of.  And the family has grown to some 17 or 18 grandkids and 23 or so great grandkids (I can't keep track).

None of it came easy and none of it was simple (and never will be).  But the result has been grand.  So hang in there and keep on pushing - stay on the narrow path - the tough path.  Don't ever give up!

Dad is our example that Christ takes care of his flock.
     

   


 
    
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3 kids

Yep - I have 3 kids.  And they don't look like this anymore.

Ledger Cross

Ledger Cross Moreno:  9.02.10  7.13oz  21.5"
  
This isn't about me, I'm just sayin, I swear, on my grandmothers grave, both of them, it would not be advisable for someone to walk up to me and call me 'gramps', 'grampa',  'peepa', 'granddad', 'grandpa', 'papa', 'pawpaw', 'bompa', 'big paw', 'pop', 'pop-pop', 'bumpy', 'boppa' or any other word stating with a 'p' or 'b' designating me as an old man.  Ya, I'll hit fast and hard - so don't try it.

But, that said, you can call me "Mzee' anyday of the week.  It's 'Mzee'.  Like:  MMMMMMMM ZZZZZ-EEEEEE.   Like 'Hay', with an 'M' in front of it, without the 'h', but insert a 'z' zed.   MZEE.  You have to pronouce the 'MMMM' - then add the 'ZAY' - but it's spelled 'MZEE'.   (lord help us all).

You'd think I was speaking another language or something.  But, yes, it's Swahili - look it up if you want - google it, tweet it or something ...... but trust me:  It's MZEE - and millions of grandkids around the globe call their best friend - Mzee.

It's all about Ledger Cross Moreno.  The best looking baby in the Americas today.  I'm serious,  Ledger is the #1 cutest baby boy on the planet.  I'm sorry if you have one of your own, this isn't personal, it's just the way it is - you'll get over it.
       

I couldn't be more proud of my Ledger!
  
(ps.  grandmas name is 'Aya' - (whatever) 

My Sister Cynthia

I wasn't ready for this.
 
It's been 11 days since Cindy left.  She passed away in the evening of July 11, 2010.  I got there too late, on Monday July 12th.  We placed her in the ground on Saturday July 17th.  During that week, we planned, talked, laughed and cried.  Mostly, we remembered my sister Cindy by recalling who she was and what she meant to each of us.

Family and friends came from all over.  People opened their homes and brought food for the crowd.   

I'm just her brother.  I never knew life without Cindy.  Until  11 days ago, there's never been a day that she wasn't there.
 
I have to complain - because this world isn't fair:
 
She died of cancer, a disease they should have figured out a cure for decades ago.  I heard that my sister was taking medications that were developed in the '60's and '70's - and it is considered the 'best we've got to offer'.   Researchers / Scientists are too busy focused on the wrong stuff.  I would like an accounting of where all that money goes - seriously.  Everyone's raising money for cancer research, but how are they spending it?  She tried 13 'kinds' of chemo.  She took 90 doses of various treatments of chemo (maybe a world record).  She endured multiple, major, surgeries.  And, until her very last days - she was active, out of bed, touring the world and dancing at weddings. 
  
My sister was tough as nails, and had a personality to match.  She loved the world.  She was passionate and loving.  She was smart, and savy too.  She knew how to laugh and how to cry.  She loved God and trusted Him to the end.  She had a personality that exploded in public.
   
I miss my sister and will never forget her.  The best news?  I'll see her soon!  Like the morning mist, our time here is short.  We'll be reunited fast.  James says "What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  (james 4)
   
As usual, she's leading the way - charging forward to prepare a place for the rest of us.  She's setting the table for our arrival, placing the feast on the table, lighting the candles, arranging the chairs and orchestrating the entertainment.  There's gonna  be a party! 

Love ya Cindy!