well, its late

its late, and i should be going to bed.

i just got back from ireland yesterday, and it was an amazing trip. so much to see over there, and such a beautiful country. went to dublin, galway, greystones, and brey. also saw the cliffs of moher. such a beautiful place. drank some guinness. drank some bulmer's cider - that was excellent. ate a bit of fish and chips. took in a bit of the pub life. just a great time. but alas, i have more to write than what i did. it was a lot of what i noticed.

see, they value things differently over there. they value their relationships, their friendships. and not that i really got to know them or anything, but it was one particular thing. the fact that their stores close at around six-ish said it all. the grocery stays open. as do pubs and restaurants, but thats it. no late night shopping at malls. no getting home at 11 o'clock if you close at a retail store. the store closes at six.

this speaks volumes to me. we have to have our malls open late and be able to shop. in the stores mind they need those hours to make more money. is it capitalism? sure. . .and its not the worst thing. but i think the irish, and much of europe gets the importance of relationships. everyone gets together at night. everyone buys a round for everybody. its the irish way. we want to shop. its the american way.

in no way do i mean to criticize america, but what we consider to be important. i only pray that more and more we will realize what is important and what does last. relationships with those we care about.

so take someone out to dinner. take 'em out to lunch. have a beer, a glass of wine, or a cup of coffee and spend some time getting reaquainted(i can't spell sometimes, so that might be wrong). just spend time and listen. i know i need to. i think we all should.

g'night. be good to each other. look at christ. peace