Hello Sweet Elizabeth, Today is the first day of your life. This dark, drab room littered with medical equipment, tubes and bio-hazard bins is an unfortunate place to start your life full of adventure and hope. Beeping sounds instead of birds singin. Monitors keeping an electronic eye on vital signs instead of mountains rising high to shout the glory of Read More Here…
Baby Steps to Effortless Joy
This is a shot of my oldest boy at a birthday party about 13 years ago. It was taken in the backyard of our first home. It was a small cottage just big enough for our then average size family. We were young. I had a good job. Our children were mostly healthy and we had nothing much to worry Read More Here…
Blazing Red Maple
One of the things I miss most about our old home is this ridiculously large and vibrantly colored Japanese Maple tree. Oh, and the swing that hung from its branches. So many memories were made around this tree. It was a gift to our family for so many years. I’m glad the swing now hangs in our living room in Read More Here…
Coincidence as Evidence: an Observation on Faith
“Do you have an apartment that you rent out on your ranch?” I asked at the end of a fifteen minute phone call – our fourth in six weeks talking about our upcoming trip to Colorado. He answered slowly as he processed the question, “Why do you ask?” That started a conversation I’ll remember for quite some time. One Answer Read More Here…
Moving Day: Part 2
This story is a reverse perspective follow-up from Moving Day Part 1. Read Part 1 Here. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw him peering out the window as everything he knew grew smaller with each passing street lamp. That was six hours ago. I wonder if he’s seeing what lies ahead. It’s been a quiet ride. Every twenty Read More Here…
Moving Day: Part 1
Note: I started a week-long writing workshop today that required a writing exercise. And I tried to sort through the transition struggles of my 11-year-old. Here’s what happened. I turned back for a final look as everything I knew grew smaller with each passing streetlamp. That was six hours ago. I still can’t seem to see what lies ahead. They Read More Here…
Chasing Dreams…
Chasing dreams will cost us. Dreaming in itself costs very little.
5 Parenting Tips for Boys
Parenting tips can come from all kinds of sources. Here is some advice for raising boys I gleaned from a teenager in a cargo van!
Justification
Justify: [juhs-tuh-fahy] verb. to show a satisfactory reason or excuse for something done. justification. Mr. J swaggered into my place of business about 3 years ago with the confidence of a quarterback that just won his 2nd straight superbowl. Fearless. Firm. Assured. He boldly announced that he could make use of my services as if he were doing me a Read More Here…
Driven to Produce. Fuel or Fire?
I feel less of a man when I am failing to produce results. And today, I feel less of a man! Motivated… Driven… Passionate… Eager… Fervent… I could go on. Those are words that describe the value of a man in America. The Industrial Age has embedded in us the value of “Get ‘er Done”. The results I “should” be Read More Here…
Who Gave You That Balloon? An Encouragement for Parents
Today was a day full of fun with my two oldest! Grace is 7 and Gabe is 4. Daniel is 2, but today he was sick, so he stayed home with mom. That left Grace, Gabe and me to spend the day together. The plan? A birthday party and a church event. The birthday party was a blast! Monkey Park Read More Here…