five senses friday ...

last weekend my office had our annual 'retreat'. typically we spend it at the boss's brother's ranch (henceforth referred to as the bbr) a little north of here. this year the bbr was unavailable to us so we traveled to Stonewall, Texas and stayed at the LBJ Ranch (there are three guest houses available to rent). I would return to the LBJ Ranch in a heartbeat. I would live on the LBJ Ranch if the wildest wishes could come true. memorable is hardly sufficient to describe our stay. not only was the retreat a huge success from a business standpoint, but the atmosphere was inspiring. being surrounded by that much history was incredible. invigorating. intoxicating.

taste ... fried chicken. if I am ever in prison, and granted a last meal. it will be V's fried chicken, along with mashed potatoes with cream gravy and marinated vegetable salad.
hear ... silence. out in the country the sound is deafening. only the whisper of a thousand stars twinkling.
feel ... camaraderie. our office family is a tight knit group. we love each other. care about each other. depend on each other.
see ... life. on the way out of town we stopped at the side of the road to see a newborn buffalo calf trying to stand. the park ranger said the baby was born just hours before.
smell ... success. our future is bright. we believe in one another. and in God.

'there is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. this is where respect and love and devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.'