Bald Eagle lunching on Mallard

Yesterday morning I noticed a gathering of between one to two dozen mallards in a small section of open water on a holding pond at Bassett Creek Park.  The water was still open because it drains in this area to Bassett Creek.  With a morning temperature of 11 below zero, I was wondering if these ducks were still happy they hadn't flown south.

Later in the morning I spotted an American Bald Eagle in the Cottonwood tree it often frequents, mainly during the summer months.  I wondered what it was up to on this chilly day.  I discovered a couple of hours later when I saw this majestic bird fly by my home office window with something in its mighty talons.

I bundled up and grabbed my camera to see if I could discover what the eagle had caught.  After walking around the park and taking a few photos of cattails and the gently falling snow, I thought that the eagle had vanished.  However as I neared home much to my surprise I discovered the eagle perched on a cottonwood, munching away on its prey.  Turns out that one of the mallards who had chosen to stick around this winter was now the subject of the eagle's lunch.

Trumpeter Swans

 Over the weekend we took a drive to Monticello, a town along the Mississippi River, to view Trumpeter Swans. They are the heaviest birds, native to North America.  In addition to being big and beautiful, we discovered they're also quite loud... hence their name!

It was just 50 years ago that a law was passed protecting endangered species.  Let's all give a big honk for that!

Increased productivity through rest

Resting on park bench

I heard an entrepreneur on Minnesota Public Radio share how he often has long work days, but he always takes Sunday off, as a time to recuperate and share with his family. Paradoxically he finds this is also his most productive work time.  Earlier in the week he may find a seemingly insurmountable problem, but then when he's at rest, the solution will come to him.

This is a great reminder for us all to take time to rest and unplug from the business of our daily lives, especially when we're under the most pressure.

Cattails, morning sun, frost and clouds

The pond at Bassett Creek Park was especially beautiful yesterday morning.

Obesity rate in Mexico tops US

Even in Mexico, a nation that has a staggering rate of poverty, obesity is a huge problem. Mexico tops the world with an obesity rate of 32.8 percent. The nation's president, Enrique Pena Nieto, is now encouraging Mexicans to exercise an hour a day.  The parliament has also passed a law which adds a significant tax on junk food and sugary drinks.

Like the US has discovered, the healthcare consequences of obesity are staggering.  Already some 9.2 percent of the children in Mexico are impacted by diabetes.  In addition to the rising popularity of fast, highly processed foods, Mexicans drink on average 43 gallons of sugary drinks, like Coca Cola, per person per year.

An article, Mexico to tackle obesity with taxes on junk food and sugary drinks, further describes the situation.

PS  The obesity rate in the United States is 31.8 percent.  We can give significant credit to our legislators for this. The cost of soda, chips and other junk foods made with corn syrup, is subsidized by the US government (How billions in dollars subsidize the junk food industry) .

What color was baby Jesus?

Olive skinned Jesus, Joseph and Mary

Recently a misinformed FOX television "news" host, Megyn Kelly, stated that Jesus was white, just as was Santa Claus.

Historians believe it would be most likely that Jesus would have had olive/brown colored skin.

Cultures around the world have crafted Jesus in their own image.  It has always been popular to interpret scripture in ways that accommodate our world view and values.  Despite our tendency to form God into our image, the message of Christ was about being welcoming of all, whatever their race or gender... ALL are created in God's image.

You can read further about this controversy in an article by Jesse Washington, "The race of Jesus, unknown, but still exerts a powerful pull on humanity."

Holidays without a loved one

While going to retrieve my coat after this past Sunday's worship service I overheard one of the members commenting about how he couldn't wait to get through Christmas.  He had lost his wife earlier in the year, and was confiding with another friend who had lost a spouse a few years previously.  Then, before we had our coats on, another gentleman joined in the conversation about the difficulty of the holiday. He too had lost his wife earlier in the year.

I had recently considered the idea of doing a "cross training" retreat for couples to prepare for the inevitable loss of one of the partners before the other. The idea of the cross training would be to help spouses understand the roles of the other; whether it be food, finances, computers or home maintenance. When I asked what could have been done to prepare them for loss of their spouse, one person commented leaving their financial matters in order is a great gift to the surviving spouse.  However they all agreed nothing could fully prepare one for such an enormous loss and change in life.  Kind of like becoming a parent, no books or training sessions are adequate to get one ready for such a dramatic change.

So, while holidays are a time of great joy and excitement for many, let's also remember that for others they can be a painful time, living with the void and loss of a loved one.