In this post, we continue our three part Easter Series by marrying a few samples of our new Exploration Communication spring desert photography with Holy Scriptures that are particularly relevant to Holy Week.

The thought for this approach flows from Jesus telling the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Christians everywhere believe that just as water can bring beautiful color and life even in a desert, Christ can be the ‘living water’ for which our soul’s thirst.

Today’s post comes on what is traditionally known as Good Friday – the historic anniversary of when Jesus was crucified and a day when Christians worldwide recognize that Christ’s suffering was offered for our salvation. Salvation that is available to all, as is demonstrated in his words to the good thief on the cross.

Luke: 23:33-43

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. (Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”) They divided his garments by casting lots.

The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”

Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.”

The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

An old French proverb tells us, “There is no perfect marriage, for there are no perfect men.”

That may be true for human beings–just ask my wife–but, fortunately, it can happen in the creative realm. As I finished up our complete Exploration Communication Arizona Spring Photo Gallery, I got the idea for the perfect photo-remedy marriage.

With this being Holy Week for Christians, I thought it would work well to marry a sampling of this year’s original spring photos with Holy Scriptures.

As a result, photo-remedy postings today through Saturday will feature biblical readings that illustrate why the Easter-related historical events (that happened this week approximately 2,000 years ago) cannot be forgotten.

Holy week leads us to Easter, and as writer Scott P. Richert  has noted, “Easter is a day of celebration because it represents the fulfillment of our faith as Christians. St. Paul wrote that, unless Christ rose from the dead, our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:17). Through his death, Christ saved mankind from bondage to sin, and He destroyed the hold that death has on all of us; but it is His Resurrection that gives us the promise of new life, both in this world and the next.”

New life in the desert this spring; new life ‘in this world and the next’ for eternity. It’s a match made in heaven.

–  Greg

Today, Holy Thursday, we begin our three part Easter series with a reading from the Gospel of John.

John 13: 1- 15

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.

He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,

“Master, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” Jesus said to him, “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.” For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

Long before there was a movie by the same name, people everywhere questioned what elements make up ‘the perfect storm.’ Here in Arizona, I have a very simple answer.

Snow in the desert.

Following a glorious Saturday St. Patrick’s Day–by the way I finally stopped eating shepherd’s pie and corned beef and cabbage leftovers on Thursday–we were treated to a ‘perfect storm.’ The cold front that developed in the Northwest and California delivered precipitation and unusually cool temperatures to us on Saturday night.  Rain and intermittent snow continued through Sunday and Monday with crashing snow levels in Arizona’s mountainous terrain.

Eventually some of the snow, mixed in with a surprisingly generous sprinkling of tiny lumps of hail, came to outlying areas of the lower Sonoran Desert. Seeing the beautiful dusting of snow on the mountains that surround most of Anthem and New River, my neighbor and good buddy Ed and I grabbed our camera gear Monday morning and headed out for delightful photo-remedy.

Just outside of Black Canyon City, we encountered the developing white blanket of nature. The saguaros appeared to be raising their arms in a strange battle cry silently shouting, “You’ll never win.” Even the wildflowers seemingly sported a strange air of arrogance and wisdom, knowing they had a weapon (the sun) that would most assuredly smack down anything the north could throw at them.

They were right.

By Thursday, our temperatures were back into the 70s and rapidly heading to the 80s. This is glorious, familiar territory for me. I will, however, remain thankful that even in the desert mother nature has the ability to occasionally wrap her gifts in white.

It’s a great reminder for all of us. Nothing in life is guaranteed. And, the minute we think it is, new enemies and new battles will eventually surface. Let us never forget that we can also emerge victorious. After all, we have the Son!

– Greg

Today we wrap up our St. Patrick’s Day Countdown with a short exchange that Amanda and I had during her final day on the Emerald Isle. I’ve always had a hard time explaining why I’m so drawn to my Irish heritage. I make a stab at it for Amanda below.

Looking back now, I guess I would just have to say that I fell in love with the passion for Ireland that so many of my Mother’s immigrant relatives possessed. My mother’s relatives were all clearly thankful for, and proud of, the United States. Ireland, however, would forever hold a piece of their hearts. For them, it would always be home.

They fought valiantly to keep some of their sacred traditions alive in their/our new home. When my family and I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in grand style, I feel like there’s a chance we are appropriately honoring their hearts’ desire.

May our Good and Gracious Lord be with you and yours on this St. Patrick’s Day. And may the luck of the Irish be with you all–no matter where you or yours call home–in the year ahead. God bless!

Amanda takes a "boat break" in Killarney National Park

Day 7 of Amanda’s Ireland Trip; August 26, 2007

Amanda wrote:
Okay, so we went to Knock on Saturday and it was pretty cool. Knock is very small—so it was quite different from the other cities we had seen in Ireland. The Shrine was beautiful, much like the town: simple and rather understated. I guess it just reflects the whole story of the apparition that occurred here. We actually had to sleep on the floor of a dining room in a B&B, as everything else was booked out because of a conference that was going on at the Shrine. On Sunday, we left Knock for Dublin. We missed our first bus to Dublin because we were at the wrong stop. We literally saw the bus drive right past us. It was horrible! We had to wait three hours for the next bus. Our flight to Austria went well. It took just a few hours…not too bad. The journey to our campus in Gaming (pronounced Gahm-ing) was amazing! The town, situated in rural Austria at the base of the Alps, is unbelievably beautiful!! Hope all is well there! I’ll write later!!

Dad’s reply to Amanda:

I’m going to miss hearing about your Irish escapades. I keep wondering if you saw a bit of us in the people you came across. My mother’s family was SO Irish and so emotionally connected to their (our) heritage. I remember when my mom and Aunt Julie visited. As I recall it, they were in a pub chatting with the locals when Julie got all teary-eyed and said, “I feel like we are at one of our family reunions.” That’s how familiar it felt to them. I’m thinking the joint must have been filled with pranksters whose hearts were exceeded in size only by the height of their beer mugs.

We really missed having you here this past weekend. We finally had a blessing and
dedication for the first worship space at our new church. The turnout was amazing
and the ceremony was so nice. Just between us, I had to choke back the tears when
Matt and the gang sang Holy Ground. Of course, I acted like it was the damn sun,
but they were happy tears. I wish you could have been here—everybody is always
asking about you and sending good thoughts and prayers your way. Jeff even has a
picture of you and Andrew in his new Youth Minister’s office.

Holy Ground Medley
This is Holy Ground, we’re standing on holy ground
For the Lord is here, and where He is is Holy.
This is Holy Ground, we’re standing on holy ground
For the Lord is here, and where He is is Holy.
These are Holy hands, we’re lifting up holy hands
He works though these hands, and so these hands are holy.
These are Holy hands, we’re lifting up holy hands
He works though these hands, and so these hands are holy.
– Words and music by Geron Davis; ©1983 Meadowgreen Music/Songchannel Music Words and music by Christopher Beatty; ©1982 Birdwing Music/BMG songs, Inc.

Amanda’s reply to Dad:
I am really sad I didn’t get to go to the dedication, but I bet it was beautiful! And Matt’s voice is amazing! I will just keep praying for even more buildings to get started. Being in beautiful churches over here really makes me miss having a real church to call my own—not some elementary school gym. However, I guess I should be thankful for what God has given us.

Note: For an entertaining look at the story behind the making of Being Amanda in Europe, visit http://www.beingagilstrap.com.

Today we continue our countdown to St. Patrick’s Day with details of Amanda’s 2007 Ireland travels. On the fifth and sixth days of her journey with several fellow Franciscan University of Steubenville students, their adventures (and mis-adventures) led them to a nearly heavenly nap on the fabled Cliffs of Moher.

Day 5 of Amanda’s Ireland Trip; August 24, 2007

Amanda wrote:

So, first of all, let me tell you why my grammar and spelling is so bad. It is because the keyboards here are extremely messed up—I am not used to them and their unusual key placement. And, I am usually writing during the few “breaks” I have during the day. I am almost always rushing to complete my notes. So, yes, I have a defense. It will get better when I am at school in Austria and am back on my own American laptop. 🙂

Amanda (in the middle) with friends in Ireland

Today, nothing has really happened. We woke up in Killarney and went to Mass.
Then, we realized that we were going to miss our bus to Galway and literally had
to run with our 50-pound backpacks to the bus station, and we made it there with
like only five minutes to spare. It was great, LOL, not! I was especially sore this
morning. So, basically we have been on the bus the whole day. I slept pretty much
the whole time because I was exhausted. So, there is nothing too exciting to tell
today. We are at our hostel right now—which is super nice. Soon, we will be off
to dinner. I hope everyone is doing well and Andrew is getting to work and school on time. 🙂 You can tell him I said that. Mom—I know you miss having a girl around. I hope that the boys are not too hard on you! I am there in spirit! Thanks for the writing compliments, Dad. I really appreciate it. I am just trying to get you in the moment too. 🙂 I’ll post pictures on the Internet once I get to Austria. Then you will be able to compare the writing to the photos. Let me know if I do these beautiful places any justice. Ok, I am off. I love you all and miss you!

Amanda

Thank you for the blessings—I love them, and everyone else does too!

Dad’s reply to Amanda:
I didn’t stop to think about the laptops being different over there—I just thought you were writing “instant messaging” style. I’m sure there are a lot of things that are different that we assume might be the same. We are really looking forward to seeing your pictures.

As you could tell from our trip this summer to the beautiful Plaza in Kansas City, capturing the spirit of a special place in a picture is one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes I think to myself, “There would be so many more people who appreciated this place if only they could see it the way I see it through the viewfinder.” I think God is like that too, with places AND people. Looking though his viewfinder, or through his eyes, we are all special.

IRISH BLESSING OF THE DAY:
May God give you…
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Love ya,

D@D

Day 6 of Amanda’s Ireland Trip; August 25, 2007

Amanda wrote:
Hey Parents! Today was interesting, to say the least…Ha Ha Ha! We left for the Cliffs of Moher early this morning. After about a two-hour bus ride, we got there at like 10-ish. It was crazy. It was really foggy, but the cliffs were still so beautiful. There were moments when the fog cleared and you could see the grandness of the cliffs. It was crazy! Granted, I was expecting cliffs like the Grand Canyon, but they actually were not as tall as I was expecting. Nevertheless, they were still really unique and beautiful!

We went off on this side-trail that was definitely marked “Private Property—Do Not Enter.” But, we thought, “What the heck?” A ton of other people were doing it, so we followed suit. 🙂 We hiked a good ways—and all the hiking was like literally right on the cliff’s edge. I was so scared, but it was really cool. Then, we found this one spot that had a large area to sit, but it was still very close to the cliffs. We hung out and impulsively decided to take a nap. All of us fell asleep for like 45 minutes! It was the best nap I have had on this vacation. Falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing and the birds flying around while calling out to each other was so cool! Then, I woke up and just prayed a peace prayer (which is
this thing my friend Greg gave us). It was just cool to be in the midst of God’s grandeur—praising him for the special moment and this whole trip. After that, we went back to the main area and, no joke, we had to hitchhike back to the closest city to the Cliffs of Moher (which was like nine km away). When we got back there, we had lunch and then we hitchhiked back to Galway. It was really not as easy as it sounds with seven people! We had to travel in groups of three and four. Jagla, Becca, and I finally got a ride after about an hour to a city that was a 30-minute bus ride from Galway. We just caught another bus from there! It was really hard trying to get someone to stop—I think most people would have, but they just didn’t have the room. Darn those tiny cars! But, it was a lot of fun. Both of the people who gave us rides were really nice and we had great conversations with them. While I enjoyed hitchhiking here in Ireland, it definitely is not something I would recommend in the States. Last, we met back up with the rest of the group and went to dinner. Now, we are going to hang out! I hope all is well! I miss you guys! I hope you are printing this out so Mom and the boys can read this too, Dad!

Love you!

Amanda

Dad’s reply to Amanda:
Pumpkin: You may be overseas, but your mom and I still feel the need to be parents and say, “What the heck are you doing hitchhiking?” We would obviously sleep easier if
you didn’t do that. Moving on…today you learned an important lesson of travel and, perhaps, life. And that is: everything is relative and based on our own experiences. If you had never left Kansas, where you were born, and the deceptively beautiful landscape had never been more severe than rolling hills, I bet those cliffs would have seemed much more imposing and monumental. Spending a decade and a half or so in Arizona obviously sets a high standard for other places. It is harder for the landscape to appear completely grandiose when your frame of reference is, in fact, the Grand Canyon. Of course, it can work in reverse as well. A cool breeze and the breaking of the ocean waves on the rocks is something we don’t see every day here. Keep taking it all in—enjoy the moment!

IRISH BLESSING OF THE DAY:
The love and affection of the angels be to you,
The love and affection of the saints be to you,
The love and affection of heaven be to you,
To guard and to cherish you.
May God shield you on every step,
May He aid you on every path,
And may He hold you safe on every slope,
On every hill and on every plain,
On earth and on sea until you are home again.

Love,

D@D

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Our countdown to St. Patrick’s Day 2012 continues today with additional excerpts from Being Amanda In Europe. Highlights of days three and four of Amanda’s Ireland trip include exploring the beautiful Killarney National Park and biking the Gap of Dunloe.

Day 3 of Amanda’s Ireland Trip; August 22, 2007

Amanda wrote:
I am sorry the house is so quiet now! William will probably not like all that attention, but I am chuckling to think that would upset him! Yesterday was pretty relaxed. Our bus trip from Dublin to Killarney was six hours! It was pretty
tiring and boring ’cause I forgot my Ipod! It ended up being a great conversation time with everyone. The directions to our hostel stunk, but we eventually found
it. We then went to a grocery store, bought dinner, walked in this amazing park, and had a picnic. We then walked through the park to a castle. Yeah, that’s right, I said castle in a park! It was amazing. It was right on a lake and we were fortunate enough to be there at sunset. It was just so beautiful! I took a bunch of pictures that I can’t wait to show you! Then, we came back out of the park and decided to
try and find a local bar with traditional Irish music. We got the first bar wrong.It was like 90s music; good, but not Irish. Then we found the traditional bar. It was sweet; it was really laid-back and we just chilled out. It was exactly what I had imagined.

Franciscan University Men in Ireland

I had a Bulmer’s Cider—it was way good. Then I tried a Jameson whiskey on the
rocks—really good (both are made in Ireland)! Today might be the day I have
been looking forward to the most! We are off to church. We then plan on making
breakfast in our hostel and going on our own biking trip around the park. We
might go fishing and boating! I cannot wait. I wish you could see it here; it truly
is out of a story book. I will keep taking lots of photos!

Thanks for the Irish blessings; I love them!

Amanda

Dad’s reply to Amanda:

With the three of you kids gone during the day, the cats have seemed to come out of hiding. Little Stella is hanging out a lot in my office now. She stops by two to three times a day and gives me this sweet little “Meow.” I think it means, “Hey, fat man, pick me up!” So I do. She snuggles and purrs for a couple of minutes then she is on her way. It reminds me a lot of when you were young (two to three years old). You’d get in trouble for this or that, and when I (finally) got done explaining why you shouldn’t do that, you would stomp your feet and yell, “Hold me!” I think you meant, “Hold me, damn it,” but you didn’t actually say “damn it” until a few years later.

IRISH BLESSING OF THE DAY:
A Wish for a Friend
Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

Love,

D@D

Day 4 of Amanda’s Ireland Trip; August 23, 2007

Amanda wrote:
Oh jeez, Dad! I am pretty sure I was not thinking “Damn it.” I probably just
thought I deserved it and that I’m your only girl! Today was amazing, Mom and Dad. I don’t think I will be coming back to the States. I am just going to move to Ireland in December and live in Killarney!

The Torc Waterfall

We went to Mass today at a Franciscan Friary. After the service, the priest came up
and offered to give us a tour of the Friary and the gardens! It was great, and such a
blessing! Then, the boys made us breakfast. Later, we went and rented our bikes.
Dad, oh my gosh, the Killarney National Park is amazing! I can’t even put into
words how beautiful it is. We went to Muckross House. It was huge, and the
gardens there were fantastic. I think Ireland only produces magnificent gardens! Then,
we went to Torc Waterfall and climbed the waterfall. I totally fell in, big time. I mean I was
purposefully getting my shoes wet, but I then accidentally fell in up to my chest. It was typical me!

We then biked down the highway, or what I like to call the “Death Highway.” It was this two-lane major highway that seemed like it was only built for one car and there was no room
for another car (let alone several bikes). We were so crammed on the side! I didn’t want to do it, but everyone else insisted. The reason we went on it was because we were on our way to bike the Gap of Dunloe—which was probably the toughest bike ride I have ever done! We biked up these huge mountains all the way up to the top of the gap. Dad, it was horrible—even you would have walked your bike (Editor’s note: This is where Amanda is just plain wrong. Before my back surgeries and having to terminate my beloved bike riding, I would have made it up the mountain). It was so tiring…but the scenery was beautiful! Then, biking down was great! I felt so victorious! The view was even more spectacular on the way down!

The whole time, I kept wishing you all were here! I feel so unworthy of being here
without you guys. I really wish you could see everything, I did take videos—I
hope that helps. In the end, we biked over 30 miles uphill. Go look at a map of Killarney National Park and you can see our route. Start with Killarney and then trace to Muckross
and then over to the Gap. Yeah, we biked all of that!

Ok, I gotta go. We are off to Galway tommorow!

Love you!
Amanda

Dad’s reply to Amanda:

Don’t feel guilty being there without your (mostly) Irish Pop and before I get to see the homeland of our relatives. Your notes are so fun to read. We can live vicariously through you. Mom and I will get there someday and you are giving us some great tips to think about. I may be the trained journalist and have worked in the tourism industry for nearly 20 years, but I’m not sure I’m the best travel writer in the family. Despite your technology-age grammar and spelling, you really have a nice ability to bring a place to life. I’ll bet your brother, the English major, would be awesome at it as well. Keep it up—we are really enjoying your colorful descriptions. We can’t wait to hear about Galway.

IRISH BLESSING OF THE DAY:
May the Irish hills caress you.
May Her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Note: The mission of Photo-remedy is to help those fighting chronic pain and other ailments to use photography as a powerful tool to move their focus away from whatever ails them. In the process, we strive to enhance readers’ ability to see beauty and experience elevated joy in their lives. There are many gifts that can accompany health challenges; one of the greatest offerings is it frequently forces sufferers to set better priorities for their lives and assists them in seeing the world in new and more impactful ways.