Saturday, June 12, 2010

Blog Entry 6-11-10

(continued from Face Book):
We need to make choices to move forward and find the fluid pathway to living our dreams. When big opportunities come your way, do you fear them and simply watch them pass you by? Do you fear them but proceed anyway? Or do you simply hide and avoid the opportunity at all cost? Opportunities present themselves every day, we need to find them, embrace them, and accept the challenge of playing an active role in our own future. Our future is entirely in our own hands.

If one is to live their dream, then one needs to set goals to get those dreams, develop a plan to accomplish those goals and be willing to go outside one's comfort zone to make the plans work. It isn't easy, but then, anything worth having is worth working for. The difference between having a dream and living a dream is setting goals and developing a plan. Without goals, a plan, and a willingness to achieve, one is just a dreamer.

Success happens when timing and preparedness meet. The time is now! It is time to change your future. It is time to take control of your life and set your goals and make your plans for your future. Find an opportunity that will allow you to utilize your talents and create the life of your dreams. Nothing is impossible if you develop a plan and follow it. Dream your dreams, dream BIG, then set your goals to get you there, one step at a time, then plan each step, work the paln and you will find your dreams.

MY DIVING:
I've made several diving trips since my last entry. I've been very busy and haven't made the time to write my blog. I will get back on track starting with this one.

Jim and I have been diving in Lake Wazee. (That's our favorite dive site). Over Memorial Day weekend we camped at the State Park Campground in Castle Mound. We like this campground; it has showers and flush toilets. We made some fabulous dives. We dove the South Ramp on Saturday and played on the 150' road. The second dive we went to 100' but still had an incredible dive. Sunday brouhg more of the same: good diving, great walls, and great visibility. We find the visibility is very good below 150'; above that it's pretty good up to about 65' or so, then it's somewhat hazy from there to the surface. Water temp was a balmy 41 degrees at depth. Not sure what the surface temp was. We had to come back Sunday night due to family commitments on Monday.

The next weekend we were both very busy but did manage to work in a day trip on Sunday. We dove "The Wall", it has almost sheer walls and great viz. We touched 180' for about 16 minutes on the first dive and did 120' for 20 on the second dive.

Our next trip will be to Duluth on the 18th, we are going to be trained to dive in the Great Lakes Aquarium. We don't need training to dive, but we do need training to feed the fish. In the aquarium, the bottom feeders - Sturgeon, Catfish, and the like, don't get any of the food when the other fish are fed. When they put the food in the top, the game fish and other free swimming fish eat it all before it gets to the bottom. So, the bottom feeders have to be hand fed by divers. We get to go down with our bags of food and hand feed the fishes. They are used to divers and used to being fed so it really is fun (so I've been told). We then spend some time cleaning the glass on the inside so the audience can see more easily. We're really looking forward to this trip. A new adventure for us. We plan on taking a trip about an hour west of Duluth on Saturday to dive St. James pit in Aurora. The last time we dove it, we could see the ripples on the surface from 150'. That's pretty good viz. I'll post some pictures from the aquarium after the trip.

MY FAITH:
I was reading today and came across a reference to John 3:16 - "God so loved the world that He gave is only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life". It started me thinking about the duplicity of the cross. On one hand we see an emblem of cruelty and death, the epitome of suffering and pain; an emblem of man's utmost inhumanity to man. I think of the torture that my Savior endured so that we might live. I can't help but wonder how a father could allow this to happen to his son. And then I think about the other side of the cross and the love and comfort I feel when I look at it. All the sins of man were taken to that cross and forgiven. The ultimate sacrifice was made for our sakes. The love that flows from the cross is so powerful that nothing can defeat it. How fitting it is that the emblem of death and suffering would become the emblem of ultimate, unconditional, forgiveness and love. I see the cross as a representation of my Lord and Savior, standing with His arms outstretched, inviting me to come into His presence and be embraced by His love. The only requirement is to believe - and I do!

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