Lance Armstrong is just a couple of days away from his seventh and final Tour de France victory. He said he thought this year would be tougher. It sounds like he’s ready to move on to the “next thing” in his life – whatever that will be…

“Honestly I’m ready for the end,” Armstrong said. “I’m ready for this career to be over and move on to something else. I’ll come back, but certainly not as a racer, primarily as a fan of cycling.”

The talk turned, as expected, to the issue of Armstrong’s legacy as the perhaps the greatest cyclist ever. Check this quote…

“An individual can never dictate their legacy. That’s not my job,” he said. “Whatever the people decide it is, it is. I’m a kid from Texas who learned how to ride fast and overcome a life-threatening illness to come back and win the hardest sporting event in the world. I’ll let other people write on the tombstone.”

That leads to a great thought for this Friday…

• What will “they” write on your tombstone?
• How can you affect that by your actions today?

From Bruderhof’s Daily Dig e-mail newsletter…

Discipleship means complete dedication. It demands everything – the whole heart, the whole mind, and the whole of life, including one’s time, energy, and property – for the cause of love. Half-hearted Christianity is worse than no Christianity.

Right now, I’ve got Nightnoise’s At the End of the Evening in the ol’ CD player. Great stuff for chillin’, for thinking, writing, meditating, winding down.

I discovered Nightnoise, a kind of “neo-Celtic” group during my first wave of Windham Hill enthusiasm, probably ten years or so ago. I’ve really enjoyed their stuff ever since. My favorite of their CDs is A Different Shore, which apparently is no longer available. Somewhere along the way, mine got stolen borrowed, and I haven’t seen it in years. (BTW, if by some strange chance you’ve got my A Different Shore CD and you’re reading this, I’ll take it back with no questions asked. Promise. Scout’s honor. Heck, there may even be a reward in the deal. Please?

I discovered Moleskines a little over a year ago. I’ve just started No.5 this week.

Then I found the Pilot G-2 (blue ink, of course!).

Then I rekindled my childhood memories of wooden pencils. That need sharpening. Black Warriors, of course.

Along the way, I also found out that there are websites devoted to Moleskines and pens. Tonight I found one dedicated to the fine art of the pencil.

Go over there and check out this quote from Mr. Hemingway, on why writers should use pencils…

After you learn to write your whole object is to convey everything, every sensation, sight, feeling, place and emotion to the reader. To do this you have to work over what you write. If you write with a pencil you get three different sights at it to see if the reader is getting what you want him to. First when you read it over; then when it is typed you get another chance to improve it, and again in the proof. Writing it first in pencil gives you one-third more chance to improve it. That is .333 which is a damned good average for a hitter. It also keeps it fluid longer so that you can better it easier.

There is something about writing with a pencil. Maybe it’s the way it sounds slightly scratchy as it goes across the paper. Maybe it’s the fact that – for me, at least – your handwriting is neater than it is with a pen. (No, I don’t know why that is! Do you?) Maybe it’s that great sense that “do-overs” are possible with the little bit of Pink Pearl that extends from the “other” end. Maybe it’s that slight aroma of cedar when it’s freshly sharpened.

All I know is writing in my little journal – whether it’s “a-ha!s” or “hmmmms” or story scraps or prayers or whatever – is a lot more enjoyable for me with the pencil.

Try it!

Thanks to all who’ve been praying for the Bohlenders. See the little “Praying for the Bohlenders” banner over there to your right? See it? Good! Mash it for the latest updates…

You’ve gotta love folks who can keep their “slightly sardonic” sense of humor even in the middle of a very difficult circumstance (Read this whole post…when you get to the part about “healthcare blob” you’ll get it!)

In case you’re coming late to this party, you can get the whole sequence of events here, here, and here.

The latest news from the Bohlenders…

Mash here for the earlier story.

Go here and read the story. You know what to do…

NOTE: I’m going to bump this one every couple of hours or so…

I told you so!

OK, OK! I know that’s an awful scary thought! And you can all just thank your own personal deity that Gary Lamb is not a woman! (Uh, Gary…you aren’t a woman, are you?)

But if Gary was a woman, he’d probably wear flip-flops to meet the President, too! From the news story…

Twenty- and thirtysomethings will pair flip-flops with everything from shorts to cocktail dresses, wearing them at work and at clubs, for a stroll down Main Street or even down the wedding aisle. For their moms, the shoes – best known for the flapping noise they make – are meant for places like the beach.

One of the hottest trends this summer, flip-flops are no longer a dime-store purchase, with some costing several hundred dollars. They come flat and with wedge heels. They have rhinestones and sequins and flowers.

On second thought, Gary would still wear his flip-flops to the White House. At least his flip-flops don’t have rhinestones and sequins and flowers. They do make a statement, though!