Been in something of a contemplative mood for most of the last week. At O's sendoff last Monday, Drew Hyun used a phrase that has stuck in my head - "indelible mark". As in, "so-and-so or such-and-such has left an indelible mark on my life." If I slow down enough to take a good hard look at my life, there are certain events, experiences, opinions, people that have shaped the way that I view the world. It's really quite a trip to take a particular value or affinity or characteristic that I now have and trace it back to someone or something from my past. Just some random examples I thought of...

- Dave Wang's prejudice against Martin acoustic guitars when I was shopping for one back in '97 or '98 or so have probably prejudiced me against them forever as "decent but high-priced ripoffs."

- Jars of Clay's debut album (which I was listening to all last week for nostalgia's sake) has probably shaped my musical tastes for the forseeable future - deep, thoughtful lyrics, tight harmonies, and harmonizing acoustic guitars.

- My dad's propensity to ask questions in order to teach someone how to logically think through a problem... I found myself slipping into that mode when tutoring kids in NYC in 2000.

- The song "Lead of Love" by Caedmon's Call helped shape my attitude of deep appreciation for looking back (kinda like this blog incidentally) at the path I've trod to see God's leading.

- The song "If I Stand" by Rich Mullins, with the lyric "If I weep, let it be as a man who is longing for his home", has helped shape my priorities and longings in this life... that we are made for another world (CS Lewis quote). What am I clinging to tightly to on Earth?

- Psalm 37:4. Simplifies life quite a bit.

- and much much more. If you journal, this is a great topic :-).