Rod and Staff

"Even though I walk thorough the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23: 4)

I never thought of the difference between a rod and a staff, but now I have learned. A rod is a weapon that the shepherd uses to defend and protect the sheep.

(this funny looking weapon is a shepherd's rod)

A staff is like a cane, used for guiding the sheep to the correct path.

With God's protection and guidance, how could we not be comforted? Praise the Lord!

Nummeri

A 1944 poem by Trilussa, a poet who wrote in Roman dialect (the rhymless translation won’t do him justice):

Numbers

I may count little, it’s true
-said the One to the Zero-
But what’s your worth? Nothing: just nothing.
Both in action and in thought
You remain an empty and inconclusive thing.
I, instead, if I put myself in front of a line
of five zero exactly like you,
do you know what I become? One hundred thousand.
It’s a question of numbers. Just like
What happens to the tyrant
Whose power and value grow
The more the zeros who follow him.

Nummeri

Contero’ poco, e’ vero
-diceva l’Uno ar Zero –
Ma tu che vali? Gnente: proprio gnente.
Sia ne l’azzione come ner penziero
rimani un coso voto e inconcrudente.
Io, invece, se me metto a capofila
de cinque zeri tale e quale a te,
lo sai quanto divento? Centomila.
E’ questione de nummeri. A un dipresso
E’ quello che succeede ar dittatore
Che cresce de potenza e di valore
Piu’ so’ li zeri che je vanno appresso.

A Couple of Delightful Americnas

The news usually brought "bad news", and I always hear people saying that America is going down the drain. In spite of the pessimistic atmosphere, a couple guys delighted my day yesterday.

I had a major deadline yesterday, and I had to delicate and rely on my co-workers to finish up the work. Daniel was exceptional. He stayed late the night before the deadline, and finished up the work with quality. The great part was not only the work, because many architects and drafts-persons do stay late to meet deadlines, which shouldn't be so special. When I know how the company compensate him, I think he has produced a lot. When I saw his work attitude, I thank God for America's future.

This same evening, I went to Awana. There is an 8-year-old boy, Mark, who made a great impression. First he knows the Bible, meaning had good memories of the Bible verses. Second, he is very humble and fun. In the group counseling time, the teacher asked what knowledge and wisdom was. He answered, "Knowledge was something that you can learn from a book, but wisdom is not something you can find in a book." Very wise. When I looked at him, I thank God for America's future.

The country is not going down the drain. There are still a lot of people who love the Lord, and a lot of people who contribute in great ways. There are challenging times, yet, I still believe that God bless America for those who love him in this country.