And when your head explodes...

Too much information. My brain can not process it all. Its trying to keep up with my insatiable appetite for the stuff, but it doesn't know what to do with it. It can't digest fast enough.

Quick hits for the week:

I was deeply touched and saddened by the loss of James Kim. I didn't know him. Knew nothing more about him than what I saw on the news. But like many people, I followed the story with growing concern. I was thrilled when his family was found alive and hurt when he was found dead. A family driving home for the holidays should not be something that we need to worry about. And yet, there are so many other people who go out for a normal thing and never return. I can't imagine the grief that is being felt in that family, and for once I am glad to see that the media is being extremely protectful of this families privacy.

On a similar note, I heard about Jose Uribe this morning, killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. He was one of my all time favorite Giants. I remember when he left the Giants for the Astros in his final season. When he came back, the real fans began to chant his name after yet another spectacular double play - even when it was the Giants he was trying to beat. We all loved this guy.

The wheels continue to spin in Iraq and Washington, but they are not connected to anything real. Windmills that rotate but have nothing to grind - except the innocent lives of young people. I realize that the road is likely to get harder before it gets easier. But arguing about the direction we take is only delaying the inevitable. Let the politics go. Let the partisanship go. Accomplish the mission and come home already.

This is the busy season of the year and I'm just now settling into it. Basketball and holidays and church and presents and family and all that year end stuff at work... I don't need the rest of the world's problems as well. Nor do I need a reminder of how fragile it all is - how I might end up dead doing nothing more dangerous than driving down the street.

The Birth of Christ is supposed to represent hope. God's deliverance of his Messiah to Earth - the fulfillment of His promise. Yet, I can't keep my mind off of Calvary. I can't keep my mind away from the crucifixion. I see little hope, only death.

This is bumming me out. This is supposed to be my favorite time of year. I think its the movies... such a poor crop of holiday films this year. Maybe I'll go home and watch Love Actually again... or maybe sit in an airport and watch people meet their loved ones.