Gud 'Un

He really is, you know. Yesterday I locked my keys and everything in my car the second I got to work. He left work on the northside of the county, drove home to the southside to get the spare key, came to me on the westside in order to get me into my car, and then drove back to the northside to go back to work.

When I got home yesterday he had run the vacuum. Earlier this week he spent some time at a friend's house trying to fix her water heater (it's ready for burial). Last night we talked about my upcoming trip. He offered to give me all of the money from the Christmas Club account - even though he is not going on the trip with me!

Rarely a complaint, almost always encouragement, unending support.

Yeah, I got me a gud'un.

(God has been good to me like that)

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm a Lumberjack...

As parents, situations involving our children often come to our attention whether we seek the information or not. Most of the time the circumstances come as no surprise to us. Still, we cannot help but shake our heads, roll our eyes, and think, "Here we go again!" When certain occurrences come crashing into our lives we wonder if past decisions we thought were so right were actually all wrong. Parenting is a game of footing, much like a lumberjack trying to keep his balance on a rolling log that is halfway submerged in a cold rushing stream. We fall off on a regular basis, get cold, wet, and discouraged, but something inside us forces us to climb back onto that blasted log and try again. Maybe -this- time we'll get it right...

...whatever "right" is.

Being Selfish

People don't usually think of Jesus as selfish. Let's be real: He gave all there is to give and then some. How on earth would anyone ever say He was self-centered? Well, He wasn't. However, there were times when His actions could have been viewed as such.

When Jesus' cousin John the Baptist lost his life, what did Christ do? He left a multitude of people who needed Him and went off to be alone. Why? He was hurting. He was tired. Wonder how far off the mark it would be to say He was discouraged?

Selfish? No. Jesus was in need of healing, strengthening, and peace. There was one way achieve that: going off alone and thinking solely about Himself, if only for a few moments. When He was rejuvenated, He put Himself back in the game.

The death of John the Baptist is but one example of a time when Jesus separated Himself from others. What have I learned from His example? If Jesus Christ, the sinless and perfect Savior, took the time to be alone to nurse His wounds and heal, then it must be okay for us to do the same.

Near-Perfect Moments

I just came back from the bank.
I was sitting at a stoplight and a breeze came by.
I was in the best place for it.
Leaves blew off the trees
and swirled around before landing on the ground.
It sounded all crackly and crunchy.
A 3 year old let go of her mommy's hand
to take a detour off the sidewalk
and shuffle through the leaves,
kicking them into the air with her feet.
It was one of those near-perfect moments.
And I needed it.

Asking Questions

The asking of questions often adds complications to our lives. It is not so much the question being asked, but to whom the question is directed. Many times we choose the wrong person. Dare I say sometimes we wrongfully ask God when in all honesty the person we need to ask is ourselves.

The "Why am I here" question is like that. What truly matters is our own motive. Why do we do the things we do? Why do we put ourselves or allow ourselves to be put into certain situations? When we take the time to be still and examine our motives, a lot of the outside garbage is put into the proper place. Then, the problem that caused us to ask the question in the first place no longer exists. As usual, it is a matter of perspective. When we find our center, some things just don't matter anymore.

The lesson? Do all that is within our own power to do. The rest is up to someone else or to God. Most things really are out of our control. There is no reason to get upset about those things. In fact, there is no reason to get upset at all. Just do your best, keep your perspective, and let the rest go.

Great words. Wonder why they're so difficult to live by?

Green and East Carolina Football

This is an email I sent to my Dad today.

I spent a lot of time counting money this past week. The dollars come in and it's my job to account for them. Several times while counting I would pause and think of Dad. I couldn't figure out why until Wednesday. The dark green on the bills reminded me of his winter uniform color. The leaves and scroll work reminded me of the other uniform embellishments of which I would take notice from time to time.

Today was Military Appreciation Day at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and over 4,000 tickets were donated by various individuals so those who are serving in our armed forces could attend the game at no cost to them. Just after ECU's Marching Band played their own very nice arrangement of our National Anthem, four F-15 Strike Eagles flew low over the stadium.

Call me sappy. Call me emotional. Or call me a patriotic fool. I really don't care how you classify it. Tears rolled down my face for a good five minutes after the fly by and I realized I had not yet written my yearly Veteran's Day email to Dad, so here it is. Whether or not the country agrees with the policies and procedures of the Commander in Chief of the hour, men and women from this nation serve our country for various reasons and I am proud to have known and be related to many of them.

It may be an overused addage, but freedom really isn't free. Perhaps one day people will stop taking that freedom for granted. Until then, I will remain thankful for those who served in the past, who are serving now, and will serve in the future.

I love you, Dad. And thanks.

Cruise Correspondence

Between father & son.....

Pat,
I listed your cell number as the emergency contact
for when we are on our cruise so
they will call you if the ship sinks.
If the ship sinks or is bombed, please feed the cats and birds for us
:)

Dad,
I'll kill 2 birds with one stone (hah) and feed the
birds to the cats.
pat

I love my family!

Balanced Diets