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Neighbors

Families from Portland's Irvington neighborhood enjoy a snowy day in Irving Park

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

Matthew 22:36-39

Families from Portland’s Irvington neighborhood enjoy a snowy day in Irving Park, building snowmen, sledding down the hill, playing with their dogs. This is what America could be, people enjoying their neighbors regardless of race or religion or gender or sexuality or any of the other walls we build to separate us, but it breaks my heart not so much that this country will never exist but that so many don’t even want it to. And doubly so that so many Christians reject in fear those we should be embracing.

I think all of the gospels can be summed up in the parable of the good Samaritan, a parable that Jesus tells not to teach us to be kind to strangers, which he assumes we already know, but to teach us who our neighbor is.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:36-37

The essence of Christianity is this:

  1. Love your neighbor
  2. Your neighbor is everyone

Forget about putting Christ in Christmas, how amazing could this world be if Christians put Christ in Christianity?

The Gaze of DCI Morse Falls Upon Sam

DCI Morse (on the TV) watches our cat Sam

Don’t move Sam, he can’t see you if you don’t move! Wait, does that apply to Detective Chief Inspectors? No worries, DCI Morse humbles the guilty and sets the innocent free! So you are in the clear, right Sam?

Sammy?

Samwise?

Convalescence

Our three cats sleep on my legs

Although only four years old, the vet says Boo has the teeth of an elderly cat and he had to get a couple of teeth pulled on Thursday. As you’d expect he was in a great deal of pain so we kept him in isolation in the guest bedroom for a few days while he was getting painkillers, both to give him some quiet time in a house full of pets and to keep him from running and jumping until he was off the painkillers.

My wife stayed with him that night but he was making such a ruckus through the night from some combination of pain and hunger and frustration at being cooped up that none of us got much sleep. After finally falling asleep I got woken up not much later by our dog Ellie, so I put on my warm clothes and took her downstairs so she could go outside and go to the bathroom. At which point she looked at me with an expression of “I don’t have to go outside, I just wanted to spend some time with you!” “A lovely thought, pup,” I grumbled as I stumbled upstairs, “but save it for the morning!”

We got freezing rain overnight and with the sidewalks coated in ice and the trains off schedule, I decided to take a vacation day and Boo and I curled up and slept off the morning. Friday night was another rough one so Saturday morning we were back to the two of us sleeping it off while the other pets all went to the vet for routine checkups. They had to get shots and were pretty subdued when they came home, so I let them all come in and join us, this is a shot of Trixie, Boo, and Sam (from left to right) curled up on my legs. Ellie was sleeping on the floor, the guest bed is on the frame and she can’t jump up onto it at her age (we keep our bed on the floor so she can still get into it with a little effort).

Boo recovered nicely and was given free run of the house on Sunday after some trial periods on Saturday, although he reminded me of when we adopted him, he’d go exploring the main house and then come back to the guest bedroom for some quiet time. Sunday night we all slept peacefully, that’s Boo in my lap below.

Our black-and-white cat Boo sleeps in my lap

Winter at the Door of Hope

A heavy snow falls around the Door of Hope church in NE Portland

When we got an unusually heavy snowfall earlier in the month, I wanted a picture of the Door of Hope church in the snow. The church sits at the edge of Irving Park and Ellie and I used to pass it as we walked around the path that circles the park, but these days after a quick visit to the dog park she wants to head out into the neighborhood instead of going further into the park.

I had thoughts of making her go up to the church as the snow continued to fall, it isn’t much farther than the dog park, but I just couldn’t do it. This theme continued as we walked, on the one hand I knew this was a historic storm and it was not something I’d have the chance to photograph again, but on the other hand this was also going to be my only chance to enjoy this much snow with the pup, and I chose the pup. I did take pictures on our walk, some of her and some of the neighborhood, but only on streets she chose to go down. An hour and a half later I dropped off an exhausted Ellie at the house and went back out alone for more pictures. The snow was still falling as I reached the Door of Hope and took this picture.

A few days later I bribed Ellie with treats to get her up to the church on our morning walk, now bathed in the morning light, every inch of snow trampled underfoot by families enjoying the unusual snow. I had thoughts about making her sit in front of the little utility building from the previous post, it’s just a little further up the path to the left of this picture, but she wanted to go and I couldn’t say no.

Snow and Sun at the Door of Hope

I Could Live Here and Be Happy

A snow-covered utility building and trees makes for a peaceful scene in Irving Park

Well, except that it’s just a little utility building at the edge of Irving Park. Fremont Street and 7th Avenue are a bit to the right and behind, basketball courts immediately to the left. The walking path around the park goes past here, I’ve walked by many times with Ellie and never thought about taking a picture, but I was struck by how completely the snow transformed the scene and made it seem so peaceful and lovely, like a little cabin in a snowy forest.