Living Large

Change is Good

2006-12-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to our family blog, and I hope you'll visit soon:

www.fullermedia.com/family

Still pondering what to do with this site, as it has a fair amount of content I don't want to lose. For now, see the latest at the above site.

Blessings...

New School Year: Dad Is Adjusting

2006-09-07T10:04:00.000-06:00

Life with six children is getting complicated. I am trying to adjust to the new school year, with different schedules and activities. Here's a sample of what a day might be like, actually, it is a picture of how today unfolded.

After morning exercise, took one of my kids out for a bagel. When we got home, Mom had taken one of the girls to a new home-school enrichment program for the day, and had another child tag along for the ride. Oldest son had taken youngest son to preschool. One child at home eating breakfast.

When I left home to head into work, I felt a bit disconnected to my dear family! Hadn't really talked much with my wife. Didn't get to say "goodbye" to several of my children. Did not have our morning prayer routine. Did not expect such an empty house at the start of the day! Kind of an empty feeling, really, as I drove off.

Nothing startingly new here, just an awareness of the usual busyness of a larger family and the need - my need - to adjust to the new fall schedule. I'll get there!

Variety Is Good

2006-08-17T17:25:00.000-06:00

Folks who have met Z or heard me talk affectionately about him wonder how he is doing? Well, I am quick to remind them he is all boy, and actually he is pretty well. Growing. Talking more. Responding to therapy at a good and encouraging pace. He is a smart little man, and does not miss much.

His favorite foods are predictable lately. Almond butter and honey sandwiches. "Elmo" cookies. Oatmeal. Bananas. And lots of "drink." Helping him expand his food interests is something we're constantly working on. His tendency is to dial into one particular food item and stay there, having it often. We respond with alternatives. Left to his own devices, like many kids, he will default to the tried and true, the current fixation. Variety is a good thing, we tell him. He seems somewhat pliable in this, and that is a goood thing.

I think as adults we tend to do the same. Get into a rut, that daily routine offering us some predicatablity and comfort. And we probably need to mix things up a bit.

So next time you are driving to work, or school or just to the store...try a different route. Next meal, put something unusual into the mix. Try a new veggie. Drink that coffee black - or sugared up. Just stretch a bit.

Variety. Its a good thing.

Helping The In-Laws

2006-08-16T19:04:00.000-06:00

Visiting my in-laws for a couple of days. Actually, about 36 hours. Checking in, helping out in lilttle ways. And it has been a fruitful time thus far:

We put in a new microwave today.
Called one of their financial advisors to ask some Qs.
Examined some paperwork related to a 50 year old life insurance policy.
Fixed a clock. Two clocks.
Fixed an outdoor temperature gauge.
Helped disassemble the vacuum cleaner.
Moved a golf cart battery charger.
Ate a huge meal.
Talked to a new CPA.

Though it is late, there's time for a bit more.

And that's fine with me. I am happy to help.

They entrusted me with their daughter...I owe them bigtime.

His Diaper

2006-08-14T15:23:00.000-06:00

I was at a picnic Saturday. My three year old did well, overall. We were about two hours into the event, when he came up to me. Holding one end of his diaper, which protruded out of his little denin overalls. The other end firmly attached.

His dirty diaper. Oops.

Had to grab that and manage it quickly.

The joys of parenting!

Calendar Reading 101

2006-08-11T09:16:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week one of my kids had a dental appointment. It was scheduled on the big "family calendar" kept on Mom's desk. So, she awoke early and we dutifully left the house at 7:30. I dropped her off at the dentist office and drove off.

A few minutes later I was back home, and the phone rang. "Daddy, my appointment isn't until tomorrow."

Really? How did that happen?

We thought that she had it right. Oops, she mis-read the calendar. A day early.

Oh well, back we go to get her.

And the next day, we took her again.

A pain to do that, but it was an honest mistake.

What's a parent to do?

It made me smile.

He Can Vote

2006-08-08T16:29:00.000-06:00

Went to the local high school today, as the primary elections are taking place. Had a first. As the gracious little ladies looked for my name on the voters roll, I pointed to it on the page. And right there, two spots up from my name, was my son's.

I am so pleased about his interest in government and in participating.He's 18 now, and registered to vote. He can vote - and he did. By absentee ballot. Way to go, son!

Overcoming Autism: Bram Cohen

2006-08-07T13:47:00.000-06:00

The San Francisco Chronicle reported a tech story - with a tie that should interest those of us with a child who has Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Success can come to those with autism!

Article here. Some key points:

If life were as straightforward as a Rubik's Cube, Bram Cohen could unravel it in about 90 seconds.

He can solve two Sudoko brainteasers during his 30-minute commute on the ferry between Marin and San Francisco. And he has earned a high score of 320 on Tringo, a combination of Tetris and Bingo.

Other puzzles aren't so easy to crack.

Relating to people can be difficult for Cohen, who has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism that affects social skills. Unlike Sudoko or a Rubik's Cube, people don't always follow the same patterns. But Cohen has learned to read subtle body language and facial expressions. He practices making eye contact, detecting sarcasm and not taking it literally, and understanding other cues that are natural and automatic to most people.

The 30-year-old software prodigy is also trying to get to the bottom of a business puzzle: how to turn BitTorrent -- a tool he created four years ago that is available free online and can be used to distribute large files quickly through the Internet -- into a successful business.

BitTorrent has become the most popular peer-to-peer tool on the Web, more so than the music file-sharing site Napster in its heyday, according to BigChampagne, a research firm. It has nearly 70 million users...

...Cohen, a college dropout who was once fired from Kinko's for insubordination, is co-founder and chief executive officer of BitTorrent, a startup housed in a high-rise in San Francisco's Financial District.

Glad Cohen could compensate for his disorder with such great success!

She Came Home!

2006-08-06T20:58:00.000-06:00

Wonderful Wife was gone, joined by several other home schooling moms to pray and plan for the upcoming year. Left Friday, returned Sun eve. She had a fruitful time, and that is an answer to prayer.

I played single Dad, and gotta tell you, that is one tough job. The girls pitched in to assist with Little Man. That was good. I foolishly tried to fix some leaky faucets...and these are 45 years old, so that turned out to be rather more than I wanted to take on. Three hours later, I started calling plumbers to make an appointment. Leave plumbing to professionals...that's what I always say. Or will always say, from now on.

Also thought it would be easy to replace the old "RF Modulator," a little box that interfaces between my DVD player and 10 year-old TV. Not hard, really. Except the replacement box I bought at Best Buy was defective. So even THAT turned out to be an unfinished project (easily taken care of this fine day, thank you very much).

Needless to say, Saturday was NOT a productive day.

Today was better. Made some calls to family in Wisconsin. Went to church. Had a nice (frozen) meal for lunch, followed by ice cream. The girls finished last year's Pride and Prejudice." They love it. They loved me for letting them watch it.

A few errands, a quick stop at the park - interupted by rain and lightning. And then, as we came in the front door, I realized Wonderful Wife is home. She came back! Hooray!

The night went quickly, and bedtime is here.

I'm smiling. She came home. I am grateful for my beautiful wife, and glad she returned.

Quite a Lot of Activity, Little Free Time

2006-08-02T22:04:00.000-06:00

Since that last post, suggesting I'd devote this site to family matters and such, I have been - interestingly - up to my eyeballs in family matters and such.

This type of situation is not restricted to larger families, but having six kids does add to the complexity of life, and the ensuing level of busyness.

Not that you really care, but a slice of life reveals much. A brief run-down of recent activities in our family, not in chronological order, looks like this: moved all furniture out of the three upstairs bedroom and lived for 8 days and nights in the basement while the hardwood floors were refinished, then put it all back together again; got rear-ended and dealt with Colorado State Patrol, ambulance ride and Emergency Room visit for Mom and Allie, insurance adjusters (two so far), auto body shop, Enterprise auto rentals, and the physical therapist; sent one boy off to camp in western Colorado, sent another boy off to Missouri for a sports camp, renewed an expired drivers license, ignored the leak from the washing machine faucet (I am good at ignoring non-emergency repairs), called 911 due to a temporarily missing 3 year-old (we found him and cancelled the call for help), visited with friends we’ve not spoken to in many months, painted a bedroom, visited the orthodontist, went to Home Depot at 9 p.m. to get some “stair treads” to rebuild the stairs the night before those floors got oiled, made a last-minute run to the store for camp supplies and a few more things I can’t recall. Oh yes, I did put a padlock on the gate at the side of the house…to prevent any further interaction with our city’s Finest.

Now tonight I spoke with a missionary friend from years back who is in town and coming over tomorrow for dinner and an overnight stay. Friday I take her to the airport, and that same morning my Wonderful Wife leaves for the weekend, leaving me in charge of the four children who remain at home. No relief in sight!

So, I have really not had time to post anything meaningful or particularly reflective or inspiring. Sorry about that. Do come by again, and maybe I can slow down and enjoy a chat. I’d like that!

Refining This Blog

2006-07-27T07:59:00.000-06:00

Thanks for checking in.

In order to keep things more focused here, I'm moving the tech/media discussions and posts from Living Large to another site, so that this blog can get back to its roots.

My intent is to keep the posts here centered on life with a lot of kids, spiritual things and general life observations.

(G) “We’re Okay, But..."

2006-07-24T07:57:00.000-06:00

It was a typical Friday afternoon, and as I looked up the clock indicated that, as ususal, I was running out of time. I was knee-deep in a variety of tasks, making a mess so I could get organized.

As the day had progressed, I had enjoyed an hour or two of “desk time,” answering emails, sorting through the paperwork, touching base with folks. General clean-up, and something that happens infrequently. Far too often meetings take up my time and prevent me from both keeping up and then getting ahead with my administrative responsibilities.

The phone rang, and it was my oldest son. His first sentence was, “We’re okay, but let me tell you what happened.” I braced myself for what might come next. This is not what I was expecting to handle on this particular Friday. The mind races with possibilities, dark possibilities.

Dakota was rather calm, and explained the reason for his call.

“We were on our way home from the zoo, and I was driving when the car in front of us stopped suddenly. I braked hard, and I was able to stop, but not before I nudged that car. Then we got hit from behind, rear-ended by two cars. There are ambulances here, and the police, too. Allie is on her way to the hospital – the firemen thought she might have injured her neck. Mom went with her, and I’m here with the other kids waiting for the State Patrol to come, because this is a state highway we’re on.”

“How are YOU,” I asked?

“Oh, I’m fine. We’re all okay, except for Allie, and she isn’t hurt bad, I don’t think.”

“Nobody else is hurt,” I wondered?

“Not us. Just the two people who hit us from behind. The lady is still in her car, a little Dodge, and the man who drove the pickup is hurt, maybe pretty bad. We pulled off the road ahead of them, and I can’t see back there very well.”

“How bad is the Suburban?”

“There’s hardly any damage, just a dent on the front bumper and the rear hitch got smashed in a bit. It is driveable. But the lady who hit us got pushed up beneath us, and her car is wrecked.”

“What about the guy you ran into?”

“Oh, we looked at his car, and the Suburban, and decided there really isn’t any damage to either one. He wasn’t worried about his car at all, and after we talked, he drove off.”

So much for my productive Friday afternoon! I closed the laptop, grabbed my bag and left the piles of paperwork in their messy state. I wanted to see my kids! Early rush hour traffic, along with road construction, made for a 40 minute drive to the scene. Along the way, I made a few phone calls. Within half an hour I knew my daughter was not injured seriously – the emergency room physician had already examined her and pronounced her to be fine. An appointment with our physical therapist had already been arranged for the next hour, just to be sure.

By the time I got there, the State Trooper was finishing his survey of the accident scene, the last ambulance had departed, and the tow truck was about to take the pickup truck away. About 50 yards ahead of that, past the broken glass, was the red Suburban, with the kids alongside it. They seemed calm enough, and a quick look revealed Dakota had been right in his assessment – the truck did not look too bad, and they were okay.

I poked my head into the vehicle, finding our youngest still buckled up in his car seat. The radio was on as the boys listened to an afternoon talk show host analyzing the latest news from the Middle East. The girls were looking at some books.

Apart from the place and circumstances, this might have been just another scene of the kids waiting – in a parking lot waiting for Mom to finish at the store, or for Dad to finish his conversation with someone. Nothing altogether unusual here.

Dakota filled me in on the situation and had already filled out the accident report, waiting for the Trooper to come our way. All was relatively calm. Except for the traffic that whizzed by at 50 miles per hour as we talked at the side of the road. And the knowledge that they had sustained a pretty hard hit, and everyone was relatively unscathed.

Whew. I was certainly glad that nobody was hurt seriously. What a relief! No blood. No injuries of note – to my family. I wondered about the other two drivers. I looked again and expressed my thankfulness to God for protecting my wife and kids. We’re okay, really.

Reflecting on the accident, and how my day was changed significantly with one phone call, I was reminded anew that we when we arise in the morning we simply have no clue about how the day’s events will unfold.

Life is a gift. I intend to live this weekend a little differently, slowing down a bit, looking into the eyes of my kids, smiling a bit more. It’s all a gift.

(P) Family Court

2006-07-20T16:59:00.000-06:00

Excerpts of an interesting article that reminds me of a fact: I cannot control my children and their choices:

Nassau County (NY) Family Court Judge Richard Lawrence of Merrick sees a lot of kids in his courtroom...The court's objective is not to punish as much as it is to help young people get the help they need so they never commit their crimes again. Lawyers call juvenile-delinquent cases "quasi-criminal."

Lawrence plans to run for his second 10-year term on the bench in 2007. "You can really make a difference" as a Family Court judge, he says. "You can do things that parents can't do or don't think of," such as drug testing. "We have all the people right here who can do things right away. You can really get to the root of a problem, and then you keep your fingers crossed."

We can train them up, but we cannot keep them from doing wrong.

If my kids ever mess up, I hope a Judge Lawrence is in their court.

Margin Needed

2006-07-14T18:34:00.000-06:00

Six kids, six different directions. A busy wife who is buried under medical reciepts and invoices. House and yard work to be done. Cars breaking. Appliances dying. Financial paperwork in piles. Busy is an understatement. If things get any busier, I fear a collapse!

We are needing some margin in life right now, but not going to get it.

"Margin"- a concept written about by Dr. Richard Swenson. His premise is that we have pushed life too fast and too hard, that we have too much going on.

His analogy is the written page. Fatigue sets in if you try to read a book which has type running across the entire page. It takes effort to sort through all the text. It drains us to try to decipher that much information.

Swenson suggests that is what we do with life. We cram activity into every nook and cranny of life. We lack "margin," and there is a price to be paid for that.

Get the book, read it and try to apply the principles. You'll be glad you did.

PPG: Coping With A Gas Guzzler

2006-07-12T10:22:00.000-06:00

Larger families need a big truck or van to get the kids around. Necessarily, because we have six kids, we had to choose a 12 or 15 passenger van, or a Suburban. Took the latter, with a bench seat in front, so we can cram all eight of us into the massive half-ton gas guzzler. With a 454 under the hood, we get MPG in the mid-teens.

Perspective here: Rather than MPG, I prefer to think in terms of PGS. People Per Gallon. I can put nine people into this one large vehicle, which gets (conservatively) 15 MPG. Ah, but that works out to 1.6 seats for every 15 miles we go, which requires one gallon of gas.

If we drove two smaller cars, each seating only 5, we'd have to get 30 MPG per car to equal the convenience of driving the Suburban. So, I am fine with the Suburban. Many would say we're being wasteful, but this seems to be the opposite. Only one vehicle to own, maintain, insure. And no need to have two drivers to make a trip. Does this mMake sense? Tell me if I am off base here...

Anyway, the point of this post is simple: Go here to find out where the cheapest gas prices are in your community. It is a nifty site, hope this helps as you seek the best use of those fuel dollars for your family.

(T) iPod Weddings

2006-07-10T17:39:00.000-06:00

It is a new trend.

I love it.

If you are heading down the altar soon, consider ditching that DJ for a simple piece of gear: the iPod. Why go for recorded music without all that "fun" banter?

"What could be easier?" said Lori Leibovich, editor of IndieBride.com, a Web site for brides. "You bring it, you program it, it sounds great. It doesn't surprise me at all that more people are doing it."

Full article here.

Vacation...Slow Blogging

2006-06-30T17:24:00.000-06:00

Back when I can...

(P) Sleep Deprivation

2006-06-27T16:19:00.000-06:00

Autistic kids have a hard time sleeping. Our three year-old son is frequently awake multiple times a night. He cries out. He gets up. He moves to the floor. He hollers. He cries. He rarely sleeps anymore through a naptime - waking up earlier than he seems to need.

Perhaps as a parent you can relate.

We've coped, we tested, we've medicated (him, not us...although...). We use ear plugs. We move to the sofa. We pray. We go to bed early. We get up more often and earlier than we really want to. And we drink a lot of caffeine.

We also laugh. Gotta have a sense of humor to effectively parent an autistic child! For that matter, if you don't smile a lot parenting ANY child, you are probably in serious trouble. Anyway, in hopes you'll laugh and be encouraged, a little "Top Ten" list.

Paul Gilbert, a television producer and dad of two small children. He produced "Sleep Like A Baby: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Babies & Sleep," a video for new and expectant parents. Here's his take on sleep deprivation.

THE TOP TEN SIGNS THAT YOU'RE A SLEEP DEPRIVED PARENT

10) It's a good day when you remember to brush your teeth

9) You blame your spouse or partner for everything

8) The circles under your eyes have circles

7) You'll put up with your relatives' neuroses, as long as they'll baby-sit

6) You can barely navigate the stroller, much less the car

5) You now understand why your parents always looked so old

4) You hate anyone who says their baby sleeps through the night

3) There's no such thing as a "long enough" nap

2) If the phone rings after 8 PM, you think, "who in their right mind would call this late?"

AND THE NUMBER ONE SIGN THAT YOU'RE A SLEEP DEPRIVED PARENT

1) You would definitely rather sleep, than have sex

Entire article, including some good advice, is here.

(P) Learning Opportunity: Stolen Cellphone

2006-06-22T06:03:00.000-06:00

Fascinating tale of a lost cell phone, attempts to retrieve it and lost concepts of honesty, justice and shame.

Opening lines from the NYTimes story:

The tale began when Mr. Guttman's best friend Ivanna left her cellphone in a taxicab, like thousands of others before her. After Ivanna got a new Sidekick, she logged on to her account — and was confronted by pictures of an unfamiliar young woman and her family, along with the young woman's America Online screen name.

The 16-year-old, Sasha Gomez, of Corona, Queens, had been using the Sidekick to take pictures and send instant messages. She apparently did not know that the company that provided the phone's service, T-Mobile, automatically backs up such information on its remote servers. So when Ivanna got back on, there was Sasha.

Using instant messages, Mr. Guttman tracked down Sasha and asked her to return it. "Basically, she told me to get lost," Mr. Guttman recalled. "That was it."

So he set up a no-frills Web page with a brief account of what happened, and posted the pictures of the girl and her family.

Now, as a parent, I want to talk this little matter through with my kids. In this real-life account, Sasha was not honest enough to return the phone when asked. She had her reasons, and her supporters. A lot here to mine with your kids, or even just a small group of friends at the coffee shop.

Give it a read, and some thought.

(P) MySpace Content Controls Welcome

2006-06-21T09:31:00.000-06:00

MySpace.com, the leasder in the social networking sector - and alarmingly, also a heavily-prowled site by sexual predators - is implementing some safety features for MySapce users. Welcome news for parents as reported from Rueters:

This may seem like a no-brainer (especially to marketers) but by next week, members who are 18 years or older will have to know the e-mail address or the first and last name of any 14- or 15-year old member whom they want to contact. Also, any of MySpace's more than 85 million members will now be able to choose to hide their information from strangers, and only make their profiles viewable to their friends. For sites like Friendster, this is rudimentary security stuff that the world's largest social network site has been lacking. Perhaps the open nature of the site was partly responsible for its enormous growth--that and its unmatched interactive features. News of the changes came after a 14-year-old girl from Texas on Monday sued Rupert Murdoch and Co. for $30 million, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old man she met on MySpace. The suit says the company did not take suitable precautions in protecting minors from sexual predators. Odds the case will be settled out of court: even. Should they prove effective, the safety moves could be a boon for advertising on MySpace, which said it's also revising its advertising policy for certain age groups; for example, ads for dating sites would not be shown to minors in the future.

Of course, parental oversight, conversations with your teen about purity and wisdom, and general in-home internet precautions are the first steps in helping protect your son or daughter from abusive use of the Web, or worse.

Read the whole story here.

Favorite Bookmarks

2006-06-17T16:05:00.000-06:00

I am finding that I use only a handful of bookmarks on a daily/regular basis. They include:

Netvibes, a customized home page that offers RSS feeds and more. This is my default place to go when I check in

Instapundit, one of the more heavily read bloggers with a conservative perspective and some good links to a wide variety of other sites

Hugh Hewitt, another major conservative voice and a radio talk show host

Dealmac, a handy and very reliable site for discount deals on Macs and other tech equipment

Google News, for a nice summary of current happenings at a glance

Woot, which is a lot more than it seems (One Deal Per Day). Sheer entertainment value is high!

(C) Motherhood and the Future, II

2006-06-12T15:47:00.000-06:00

Continuation of a two-part post I started over a week ago. A provacatie perspective about women and declining worldwide birthrates and what those mean for the future.

Newsweek columnist Robert J. Samuelson notes, among other things that the American fertility is roughly at the replacement rate, 2.1 children per woman. What explains the fact that American birthrates are higher than most other developed countries?

At work are cultural forces of greater optimism, greater patriotism and stronger religious values. People in the USA are generally happier about life, it seems.

A survey by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago asked respondents in 33 countries to react to this statement: "I would rather be a citizen of [my country] than of any other." Among Americans, 75 percent "strongly" agreed; among Germans, the French and Spanish, comparable responses were 21 percent, 34 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

Children are now usually a conscious choice—whereas they were once considered economic necessities or religious obligations.

...generous welfare states may discourage having children. A study by economists at the University of Minnesota found that high Social Security payments and payroll taxes are associated with low fertility rates. People may feel they don't need children to care for them in old age. Or high taxes and poor economies may deter young people from starting families.

Samuelson points out that "by not having children, people are voting against the future—their countries' and, perhaps, their own."

It is easy to imagine the sacrifices and disappointments of raising children. It is hard, try as people might, to imagine the intense joys and selfish pleasures. People ignore Adam Smith's keen insight: "[The] chief part of human happiness arises from the consciousness of being beloved."

This was a good article, and I concur with the writer's conclusion. Kids, while being expensive and life-altering in their impact, are worth every bit of the sacrifice and effort. I cannot imagine my life without six children.

(P) Not What I Needed To Hear

2006-06-08T22:13:00.000-06:00

Many people, upon hearing of our boy's autism, offer well-meaning comments and connections.

The other day a co-worker said his neice is autistic. Nearing the teen years, her condition is difficult. She is still in diapers, is usually in her own little world and eats a highly limited diet. Unable to verbalize meaningfully, she is not receiving any really helpful treatment. This is about the best she will ever be, without some sort of miracle. And that is a bitter pill for her parents to swallow.

My co-worker observed that his relatives act as though the girl has some demon, and that any discussion about the challenges of her disability would anger the autism demons and make things worse. Either that, or these poor folks are simply so overwhelemed and discouraged that they have no hope. The result is that they rarely talk about her needs.

They also have little help. The label/diagnois came somewhat recently, due to some very serious physical maladies that required a lot of surgery and hospital time during her first 8 to 10 years of life.

As we talked, my co-worker trying to connect a bit with your situation, he unintentionally added to my level of concern for my son. The boy is young - not even three - and his long-term prognosis remains unknown. we hope for the best, of course, but we don't know. And so, in the back of my mind - always - is the dread that this little guy may not make it past this level of intellectual, social and emotional ability. I pray that not be the case, that he will enter first grade on time and with no need for any special intervention. That is possible. That is my prayer.

As we spoke, though, this friend only raised my anxieties. What if this is the best he will ever be? What if we find ourselves in our retirement years, still caring for him? What if...?

I know this man wanted to help. What he shared with me, though, was not what I needed to hear.

(P) Learning Opportunity: D-Day

2006-06-06T10:35:00.000-06:00

Remembering the heroes of that incredible invasion. Here's a site that aggregates perspectives and points to some great links.

I am privileged to know a number of WWII veterans. Our deepest appreciation and gratitude to those who served, and to their families.

This is history that our children must know about. I fear that the coming generation is woefully uniformed. Let's change that!

Honor

2006-05-28T21:26:00.000-06:00

To all the U.S. Veterans, young and old, who have served in the military: Thank you. We are proud of you! We thank God for you. We support and honor you.

We especially thank the families of those who died, that we might live in freedom. You have given much.

We shall not forget.

(C) Motherhood and the Future, I

2006-05-26T15:44:00.000-06:00

Article by Robert J. Samuelson in Newsweek (May 29 issue) addresses the declining birthrates in many countries and what that means for the future.

Russian president Vladamir Putin initiated a program to offer cash incentives to Russian women to have (more) children. Putin is trying to rectify his country's "critical" population issue.

Just six years ago Russia's population was nearly 147 million; some statictics show it declining by 700,000 a year. Projections are for Russia to be down to a total poulation of 111 million in less than forty five years (one generation). With that declining trend how can Russia maintain a strong economy, national optimism or a capable military?

Observes Samuelson:

On average, women must have two children for a society to replace itself. The actual number of children per woman is called the "total fertility rate," or TFR. Here are the 2005 TFRs for some major countries: Germany, 1.4; Greece, 1.3; Italy, 1.3; Japan, 1.4; Poland, 1.2; and Russia, 1.3...ultimately, low fertility rates suggest falling populations...

"The forthcoming and dramatic depopulation of Europe and Japan will cause many problems," writes Ben Wattenberg in "Fewer," his excellent book on the subject. "Populations will age, the customer base [for businesses] will shrink, there will be labor shortages, the tax base will decline, pensions will be cut, retirement ages will increase."

Up to a point, we understand plunging fertility rates. The usual suspects: improved incomes; health and life expectancies (as more children survive, parents have fewer babies); growing urbanization (families need fewer children to work the fields); women's access to education and jobs; contraception; later and fewer marriages; more divorces. But our understanding is only partial, because there's one big exception to low fertility rates: the United States.

What do you think about declining populations? Are women cooling to the idea of having children? If so, why? Are there good reasons - strategically, not selfishly - for families to have more kids? It is interesting to me to think about this.

Media Overload For the Very Young, II

2006-05-26T10:06:00.000-06:00

Last post I referred to a Kaiser Family Foundation study which makes clear that TV and media are over-used in most American homes, especially for very young children. More on that report today.

The research showed that an over-reliance on TV time is due in part to homes where TVs are on all the time, and homes that allow TVs in children's bedrooms.

But the report also said parents cite benefits of their young children watching programming. Parents told Kaiser that allowing TVs in the children's bedrooms lets kids watch their own programs; avoid fights with siblings; stay occupied so parents can do things around the house; and help fall asleep.

Parents also said they use TV to reward good behavior, and just more than half reported TV tends to calm their children down.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has urged no screen time at all for kids under 2, and no more than 2 hours a day for those 2 and older.

Dr. Stanley Greenspan, a psychiatrist who has written several books about children, warned that TV and media is wrong for youngsters and said...passive involvement with media is detrimental to children's development.

Application: Anecdotally it seems that our son's special needs and different way of learning is fed in a good way by select TV viewing. He finds some comfort and entertainment in repeatedly viewing appropriate kids videos. Truth be told, the big benefit of that TV time is for Mom! When he is watching those videos or shows she has a bit of a break. He is so very intense in his needs, and she finds a breather in that hour. She tends to the other kids in the family, or to the bills, or makes phone calls.

In our family - right now - we are relying on the TV more than we ever did for the older children. I don't feel guilty about it - until I read a report like this one. Yikes! Can I reconsider? Should I?

That said...at this stage in life, given the circumstances, allowing Little Man to watch a bit more on media seems appropriate, and as we DO monitor usage, not problematic.

And it does seem very, very necessary.

(P) Media Overload For The Very Young, I

2006-05-25T09:33:00.000-06:00

From an Advertising Age article about a recent KaiserFamily Foundation research project, some startling and disturbing stats about media use by the very young:

14% of children under 2 see two or more hours of screen media a day, 22% see one to two hours, and 25% less than an hour a day.

43% of children under 2 watch TV every day and 18% of children watch videos or DVDs every day.

All together, 14% of children under 2 see two or more hours of screen media a day, 22% see one to two hours, and 25% less than an hour a day.

19% of babies under a year old have a TV in their bedrooms and 29% of children 2 to 3 have one.

The study, one of the more extensive efforts yet to track how much time children under 6 spend with various screen media, also reports that 83% under age 6 spend time every day with TV or other screens, and those who watch do so for nearly two hours a day. Media use increases with age, with 90% of 4 to 6 year olds reporting watching or looking at screen media.

What in the world are today's parents THINKING? Or, are we thinking at all about what we're doing to the next generation?

(Thanks to "jwb's mom" for the pic)

(C) With Apologies to Tolkien

2006-05-24T15:30:00.000-06:00

An unknown source provided this to me. For LOTR fans, for conservatives...

MINAS TIRITH (Gondor News Network) - Thousands of peace activists took to
the streets of Minas Tirith and other cities of Middle Earth today to
protest what they termed a rush to war with Mordor.

"We need more time for diplomacy," said a key member of the Middle-Earth
Security Council, Saruman the White. "I am not convinced by the evidence
presented by my esteemed colleague, Gandalf the Grey, or that the Dark Lord
Sauron presents an imminent danger to the peoples of the West."

Many of the people protesting war in Mordor agreed with Saruman's remarks.
"Sauron says he's destroyed his Rings of Mass Destruction (RMD) and that's
good enough for me," said one fellow carrying a sign that said "Elrond is a
Balrog." Another demonstrator urged, "Give the RMD inspectors more time.
There's no reason to rush to any judgment just because Mount Doom is
belching lava, the Dark Tower is rebuilt, and Osgiliath has been decimated."
A third protester piped up, "I haven't heard a single bit of convincing
evidence connecting the Nazgul with Sauron. I think they destroyed Osgiliath
on their own initiative without any support from Sauron. Besides, it's
understandable they're angry with Gondor. We haven't done nearly as much for
the Orcs and Goblins and Easterlings as the Nazgul and Sauron have. It's
understandable they throw their support to them. It's our own fault really."

As the protesters continued their march through the city, they chanted, "No
blood for Mount Doom," voicing a common sentiment that the leaders of the
Western peoples are really seeking to get their hands on the powerful Mount
Doom, where the One Ring of Power was allegedly forged.

Gandalf the Grey was unavailable for comment. A spokesman said he was in an
undisclosed underground location, which sources have revealed is codenamed
"Moria."

(T) Text Messaging? Nah.

2006-05-18T10:57:00.000-06:00

While I am currently in the minority, most cell phone users use their text message capabilities.

From a post at Radio Ink, info about how listeners of select radio formats use their phones:

Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs points out, "It is the most frequent cell phone utility – aside from talking."

Of the nine in ten who own a cell phone, three-fourths (74%) say they text.

More than one-third (35%) now text at least weekly, while nearly one-fourth (22%) do so on a daily basis.

18-29 year-olds are especially likely to use cell phone text messaging every day.

Women are also more likely to text often.

I used to say I didn't want a cell phone, reasoning that I need some place, SOME place, of quiet, that I don't need to be accessible 24/7. Then I had opportunity to carry a cell phone for a while> I was quickly hooked. Now, of course, we have multiple cell phones in our family. Use 'em all the time! Indispensible.

Wonder if someday I'll find myself liking text messaging? For now, I ain't touching it!

Narnia In Top 20

2006-05-17T15:14:00.000-06:00

From the newswire:

Still going strong, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe brought its worldwide box office total up to $739.6 million in late April, and passed "The Matrix: Reloaded" to become the 20th highest grossing film of all time.

Internationally, according to Reuters, the film has now earned an estimated $448 million. Domestically, the film has earned $291.6 Million, moving ahead of "The Empire Strikes Back."

This is really encouraging, and shows the public interest in a good story, told well, with Truth woven throughout!

(P) Teens Online

2006-05-16T12:39:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I noticed my oldest son online quite a bit. Throughout the day, I observed him at the computer (which we keep in the living room, for safety reasons) numerous times. "Whatch doing?" "Killing time." "Oh, yeah, I've done that, too."

A new study from Forrester Research shows teens are using the web a lot (not a newsflash, eh?), and offers insights into their online habits.

Older teens had spending power of about $193 per month.

They spend an average of more than 15 hours online each week and have been using the Internet for an average of nearly seven years, according to the study.

The majority of online teens also have access to broadband—86% of younger teens and 90% of older teens, Forrester said. Studies have shown that consumers who use broadband spend more online.

The items teens purchased most often online included computer hardware, software, music, DVDs and books.

Full story here.

Question for parents: What is your teen doing on the Internet? What is he or she looking at? Buying? Might be a good dinner-time question for discussion.

(T) Online Radio Listening

2006-05-15T09:15:00.000-06:00

Top Ten in Sunday-Monday online listening shows a breadth of preferences and great audience penetration for such "radio stations."

Personally, I am finding online radio to be a breath of fresh air. Not having much time to listen at work, when I do have some "desk time," I enjoy some stations that give me what I want - and more importantly, don't give me what I am tired of and just don't want at all.

Radio io, #5 in April, has been on a fair amount lately. I'll have to check out the others...assuming I have some time to do so!

(G) A Problem With DaVinci

2006-05-04T15:28:00.000-06:00

The DaVinci Code film comes out in a few weeks. While it is fiction, there is enough believable material here to "fool" well meaning but uninformed religious individuals. And that's why we should not go to see it, for by so doing we'll support the film's premise and encourage the studio to produce more films like it.

Here's a typical - and disturbing - response to the book:

To my amazement, yesterday morning after church, I heard one of our older ladies talking about a “Christian” book she was reading, and being an avid reader, I stopped to listen. She was telling two of our younger church members that she’d been reading the Da Vinci Code and how she doesn’t agree with everything in the book, but once she picked it up, she couldn’t put it down. It had captivated her and she was hooked on it.

This illustrates the problems with the movie and book - even mature Christians are falling for its "truth claims." It is one thing to know DaVinci is fiction, and to enjoy it on a somewhat artistic level. There is good writing, and no doubt the film is well made. It is another thing altogether, however, to read the book or see the film and buy it's propositions. That is, as the individual above noted, dangerous!

The trailers are impressively taut and the plotline is intriguing. Nonetheless, Christians probably ought to stay away from this film. Still, we can - and should - engage others in about the movie. Good suggestions for doing that are here.

(T) Radio Is Reaching Out

2006-04-26T09:56:00.000-06:00

From today's R&R "Newsroom," a challenge to note: Radio Must Embrace The Younger Demographics.

Excerpt:

CBS Radio VP/News Harvey Nagler acknowledged that podcasting was just one of the many ways the network was reaching out to younger listeners. "Radio absolutely has to embrace the younger demographics," he urged. "Radio must also embrace new technology to attract a younger audience."

Nagler stressed the importance for radio to "get as much of your material out there on all of the various platforms." He added, "We don't know how much of it is working, but we know we have to be out there."

I love radio. So it is nice to hear a major network acknowledging that new delivery methods need to be utilized to preserve radio's reach, to get its content to new listeners, to stay current and not go the way of dinosaurs.

I'm especially aware of that as I start up my "Pandora" radio station for today's "radio" listening.

(P) Worms, Part 2

2006-04-23T06:51:00.000-06:00

I chronicled about a dead worm a few days ago. Little T's deceased worm is nearly forgotten, now a week-old fading memory.

As promised, I did stop at a pet store - and learned they don't carry worms. Neither did my next stop. They recommended WalMart (sure, why not, they carry just about everything else!). So, I didn't deliver the goods.

Next day, a trip to WalMart. I avoid the place, usually. Too crowded. But I slipped in the recently opened Lawn and Garden Center entrance, quickly found the sporting goods area and the small cooler containing the venerated creatures. Minimum purchase: two dozen. A few too many. I only need one, really. Just one to replace that precious daughter's dead "pet" worm. So I reluctantly left. I know, I know...I'm a cheapskate, and missed the chance to brighten a little girl's life (with a worm!). Another missed opportunity, or a poor choice? I don't know.

So I was out of town the next night. And yesterday was spent entirely at home...not one occasion to hop in the truck and go to a store...and goodness, that was a good feeling.

Insert a note about the little worm she found in the backyard. It lasted about as long as the "domestic" worm from that Fun Science event. So, her track record is not terribly impressive with pet worms.

So today, perhaps I'll bite the bullet and stop back at WalMart. Little T's heart is on the line here! And I wanna see her smile again, so, sniff, I guess I'll go get a third worm.

(T) Online "Radio" Listening

2006-04-19T15:04:00.000-06:00

Technology Report: Pandora is a neat "radio" service, and it is customized to your preferences. It is currently a favorite way for me to listen to music online.

From Pandora's website:

Ever since we started the Music Genome Project, our friends would ask: Can you help me discover more music that I'll like?

Those questions often evolved into great conversations. Each friend told us their favorite artists and songs, explored the music we suggested, gave us feedback, and we in turn made new suggestions. Everybody started joking that we were now their personal DJs.

We created Pandora so that we can have that same kind of conversation with you.

How it works: You establish basic parameters as you build one - or a dozen - "radio channels." The technology pays attention to your preferences - musical style, artists, specific songs. If you tell Pandora you don't like a particular artist or song, it will never play them again.

This is like creatikng playlists on an iPod, only the music selection is actually responding to your tastes as you listen. Fascinating!

Check it out, if you can, and tell me what you think.

(P) Learning Life Lessons From A Pet

2006-04-17T16:26:00.000-06:00

She was so excited. It was a special. Her very own pet! Ah, but the lessons of life were to be learned all too soon.

“Science is Fun” is an event helping introduce the joys of scientific discovery to youngsters. My first grade daughter was pleased to attend this year. It became a very special field trip because of the pet “Little T” brought home.

A common earth worm, in a small plastic cup of dirt. That was her “pet.” Came with clear instructions on how to care for the thing, and equally clear directions to release the worm in our backyard after a week. Ecologically correct, I guess. My first grader couldn’t be more pleased. Her very own pet for a week! She was so proud to have her own…worm. Hey, we didn’t mind, because worms aren’t really a high-maintence kind of pet.

Later, when we left for the weekend, my wife put that little pet into the Suburban’s cupholder. But Little T couldn’t leave it alone. “I want to check on my worm, Mom.” We had to pass that cup back for her inspection numerous times on the two-hour drive.

“Wormy” had a place on the kitchen counter of the cabin. Throughout that first day, Little T checked in on him (her? it?). Unfortunately, the next morning my wife noticed a conspicuous lack of water in the cup, and a correspondinglack of meaningful movement. Uh-oh. The worm had passed on. “Gone to meet its Maker.” This would be hard.

My dear seven year-old daughter cried. Her little pet worm had died. And it was precious to see.

I guess it’ll be a stop at the pet store tonight to see if I can buy a replacement pet. I can’t wait to see her face when I bring her a new…worm.

(G) Leonid's Devotion

2006-04-11T13:16:00.000-06:00

Thoughts from a recent trip...

At a downtown hotel in Nashville for a conference. So far, some great conversations with a variety of folks. Have connected personally, have seen some possible open doors for partnerships professionally, and look forward to a dinner tonight with old friends from Texas.

The hotel is pleasant enough, but the AC has not been adequate. Especially noticed it yesterday afternoon, when the sun was pouring into the room and adding unneeded heat. Despite having the thermostat cranked as low as I could make it go, it stayed quite warm in here, even until almost midnight.

Finally called the front desk, and a “technician” was summoned. A few minutes later, I met Leonid at the door, and greeted him with appreciation for his prompt response. A shorter man with graying hair, he had his little cart full of tools, lightbulbs and supplies. Quickly he asked me some questions about the direction of the outlet vents, and the fan speed, and how cold I wanted the room. I told him I’d had the unit going full blast, and that the current temp was just too warm for my comfort.

Leonid pulled off the face plate, tinkered around in there for a few minutes, changed out the clogged filter (ewww…), and put it all back together. After carefully cleaning up after himself, he pronounced the AC fixed, and showed me the venting arrangement between the bedroom area and the bathroom, in case I wished to direct 100% of the cold air toward my ‘living space.” I thanked him.

“I wonder if you can repair toilets,too?” I explained that the handle had to be adjusted, as the toilet did not flush without it being fully depressed for almost 30 seconds. Most inconvenient. Leonid took a quick look, and two minutes later was finished with that job. Wonderful, thank you!

Noting his foreign name, I asked where he was from? “Oh, where you guess,” he asked? “Well, it seems to me that you probably grew up in Eastern Europe or Russia.” “Ah, Ukraine,” he replied. Turns out Leonid came to the USA 15 years ago, hoping to give his children better opportunities than were possible while back home. Indeed that has been the result. Now he is working to help his 26 year-old son complete his MBA from Wharton. His daughter, in her early 20s, is in law school. “Now I know that is why so many people come here (to the US). The opportunities here are great. That is why we come.” It occurred to me that Leonid’s kids will eventually earn bigger salaries than he could possibly have imagined making back in Ukraine.

I showed Leonid a photo of our son, adopted from Russia. He smiled, as if knowing that the boy’s life will probably change significantly, much as his own children’s lives have undergone transformations since arriving in America. We talked a bit more, and I expressed my respect for him for what he did, all to benefit his family. After thanking him once more for taking care of the AC and the toilet, Leonid left.

As I reflected on the exchange, I felt a variety of things. Gratitude for my own situation, for the many good things God has given to me personally and to my family. Glad to live in freedom, in a culture that allows a person to chase their dreams, whether that is to go into business, to study law, or to work maintenance jobs so his children can pursue those vocations. Happy to see a father so devoted to his children that he go beyond his comfort zone and leave everything familiar to see them succeed. Anxious to get home to Colorado, so I could see my own children, hold them close, and tell them I missed them a bunch, and that I love them dearly.

And I was glad my AC unit needed some attention.

(G) At 30,000 Feet

2006-04-10T13:14:00.000-06:00

We’re at 30,000 feet, and the setting is…cozy. I am aware of one empty seat in the entire plane, perhaps there are two or three. For the most part, though, this aircraft is packed. One of the less pleasant aspects of flying commercially these days. And there are plenty of reasons to avoid air travel. This one, though, hits anyone taller than six foot or bigger than a middle school football player pretty hard. Sardines have more room in their little cans.

There are a lot of people on this plane to watch. To listen to. To be near, like it or not.

The woman next to me is a talker. She is engaging the fellow by the window in conversation, although it is primarily a one-way discussion. He offers an occasional word of acknowledgement. She, however, is doing the talking. Church, business, friends, housing, entertainment; she is covering many subjects. She knows a lot, too.

I am sitting toward the aisle, feeling especially cramped, as the woman is overweight. Profoundly so. Probably weighs 200 pounds more than she should. And that means she is spilling into my seat. Her leg is taking up a third of my seat. We’re jammed in here, and there’s precious little leg room, and even less elbow room. Still, I take up my little laptop and try to type, hoping I don’t permanently injure myself. Oh well, the flight is less than three hours. I can get up a couple of times. I’ll only type a bit. Mighty awkward, though.

Across the way, the gentleman pulls out his laptop. He fires up some videogame. What is it, Doom? Halo? I am not sure. Of this I am certain, though: It is a violent game. I watch from the corner of my eye as he searches through a dilapidated building, firing some sort of weapon at creatures that arise out of the shadows and race toward him. He shoots a lot, and seems to be successfully defending himself. I wonder if any child behind us is watching him exterminate so many so effectively.

Around us people are doing the usual: talking quietly, sleeping or reading. Some watch the in-flight “entertainment.” Actually, the show on the little overhead video scfreens right now looks interesting. How to vacation cheaply. The hostess revels in finding bargains, especially in regards to meals. She has some good looking food, and it is priced reasonably for a Colorado ski resort. Have to remember that place, in case I can hit the slopes again next year.

So here we are. A planeload of people, mostly ignoring those around them, careening 30,000 feet in the sky at 500 mph, bound for who knows where? At least 150 people, bound for probably more than 100 different destinations. We choose to fly because it is fast. Not because it is all that fun. We put up with removing our shoes, being screened at security lines, long waits on the jetway, turbulence, stuffed overhead compartments, stuffed passenger seating and “complimentary beverage service.”

Thank you, Lord, that I don’t have to do this very often. Thank you that I have never been on a flight that crashed. Thank you that I’m not hanging over my seat into the adjacent seat.

Thank you that I am not trapped by the window. I have it so good.

(G) A Long Embrace

2006-04-04T16:12:00.000-06:00

Waiting to board my flight, I was cognizant of the children. Everyone was, really.

They were wound up and full of life, even though it was only 5:15 a.m. Looking out the window at the planes, which in the darkness stood like gigantic frozen insects, the little boy and girl giggled and exuded excitement. They were probably 3 and 5 years old, and reminded me of my own kids, 1,500 miles and two stops away.

Hearing their mother trying to calm them down a bit, and surmising that they were on a family trip, I smiled at the wonderment and enthusiasm of preschoolers. What child doesn’t enjoy the adventure of airports and flying? And who knows what they were going to see on this trip? Time with relatives, or an amusement park vacation, or perhaps a visit to another country? I’d be excited, too!

My thoughts turned to the upcoming three and a half hours. I wondered if I would have the “privilege” of sitting nearby these precocious children when we took our seats on the MD80. That’d be okay, I would welcome the reminders to my family and the expectation of seeing them later in the day. I was in the mood to be around children, even someone else’s.

As the boarding process began, the gate attendant made an interesting announcement, one I had not previously heard. “At this time we’d like to welcome our soldiers, bound for Iraq, to Flight 436 and invite them to board the aircraft.” It was then that I realized there were about a dozen individuals dressed in military fatigues scattered around the area. While I had overheard a couple of them nearby sharing stories, I hadn’t seen the others. Now they began to line up.

Something inside of me went out to these men and women. I wanted to stop each soldier and express my gratitude to them for their hard work and service to me, to my family, to our nation. Lately I’ve tried to do that, to show appreciation to the military folks I meet in airports and on planes. I smile and offer some affirming words. I tell them that there are a lot of folks across this country who are grateful for their dedication and sacrifice. I assure them that we know they are fighting courageously for our freedom and security. That there is far more success in this battle than is being reported by the mainstream press. That the majority of folks I know are behind them 100 percent.

I didn’t greet the soldiers. Instead, I was distracted by another scene. As I watched in them line up and hand the attendant their tickets in silence, I became aware of another dynamic. The little boy and girl were still running around, now unattended. Their mother was standing to the side, hugging her husband closely. They held each other tightly, and it was obvious each desperately wanted to suspend time and stay in that embrace longer. This was not an easy parting.

His fatigues made it clear what the man was doing. Returning to the war. His furlough was over. His conversations with his wife were too few and too rushed. His time with those precious children went far too quickly. The weight of leaving was heavy upon him, heavy upon his beloved. Oblivious to the emotion of the moment, the boy and girl chased each other around the chairs, while Mom and Dad grabbed one last moment together. Then, her eyes wet with tears, they tenderly said goodbye, and the soldier turned to get on the plane. To go to his job. Overseas. To war. To face uncertainty and danger. To say to his wife and kids, knowing that it would be far too long before he could see them again.

Sitting quietly, letting the emotion of the moment touch me, thinking of my own dear family. I thanked God for them. For the soldiers who were going back. I thanked Him for the men and women of our military who leave their spouses and children so I can see mine ‘most every day and night. And for the families left behind, I whispered a prayer…God please watch over them, keep them safe, and reunite them soon. Thanks, and amen.

(P) For Future Generations

2006-04-02T13:12:00.000-06:00

It may be that when we finish the parenting process, at least the first part of it in which we prepare our child for adulthood, we’ll sit down and thank God for how well it all went. We’re happy with the way our son turned out. Or it could be that we’ll fall down in sheer frustration and ask God what in the world happened, wondering why our daughter rejected all we did and made such a mess of her young life...and asking if she will ever be able to salvage a normal life.

Of course, we are ultimately not responsible for the end-result of parenting. That grown child is really an individual on his or her own, free to make decisions – bad or good, to accept or reject the training we have instilled within them, to make whatever they choose of their life.

It is helpful to remember that our role as parents is to prepare the way, and then to allow our child to walk in it. Or not. We aren’t charged to force a proper approach to life upon our kids, only to make one possible. And the truth is that we probably won’t live to see or know just how that child finishes out their life.

In the New Testament, Peter wrote about (in chapter 1, verses 10-12) the prophets, who, like parents, really didn’t know how everything was going to turn out. In his first letter, Peter indicated that the prophets spoke about the grace that was to come to the Gentiles, but they did not understand just how God was going to save the world through His Son’s death and resurrection. The prophets foretold the coming of a suffering Messiah, and his future glory, but they were unable to distinguish when he would appear as a humble servant, nor could they grasp that his second coming would be as King of the world.

It is clear that God compelled His spokespersons to speak of that which they could not fully understand. They were to prepare the way for the coming of the Christ. They told of that which they could not understand, nor would they live to see the blessed Messiah’s arrival. They knew they were appointed for a time, but not privileged to participate in that which they spoke about. They would not live to see how you and I have benefited from God’s gift of salvation and how we are living out our lives in light of His grace.

In a sense, parents and prophets are very much alike. We are given a role to prepare the way, and then to step back and let the future generations make something of our work. We may not – we probably won’t – see the true end product. We cannot control what those who come behind us will do, how they will choose. Yet we strive with everything in us to provide them with what they need. We do this, not to serve ourselves, but to serve them. And their children’s children.

Here’s to work that will last a long, long time…for future generations.

A Good Question

2006-04-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

If God were to take you home today... what would your wife and children hold in their hands tomorrow that would let them know that they were the treasures of your life?

Greg Vaughn, Founder and President of an organization called Letters From Dad, thought about the question and admitted this:

"As I pondered that piercing question, I had to sadly answer…NOTHING, just like my father left me NOTHING."

He continues, "Shortly after this garage event, I called twelve of my closest friends and asked them to go with me on a journey I was calling Letters from Dad. It was during our months together that God revealed a marvelous plan whereby we could leave a legacy of faith, hope and love through the lost art of letter writing. Upon completion of our time together every one of these Godly men told me that it was one of the most significant events of their lives."

Interested in making a difference? Check out Greg's website. And start writing your answer!

Sleep Study "Victim" Survives!

2006-03-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

Last week I was in Denver with my little guy for his sleep study at Children's Hospital. We had a fine time - really! Thanks to the prayers of many, he handled the 25-30 wires affixed all over his body pretty well. He fought the technician at first, then accepted the process of having goop put on, then wires attached, then bandaids and gauze wrapped all over.

Looked like a little mummy, as the picture shows! He slept...well, normally, which is to say he awoke numerous times. The tech said it was a successful study. Hooray!

Should know in a week or two about anything they might have discovered through this process. I hope so! We are ready for him to sleep soundly through the night without medications. That would be nice.

A Joyful Journey

2006-03-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

As parents, we want the best for our children. Our every effort is to guide them to maturity, to cultivate within them a good heart, to equip them with the best tools for success, to enable them to find their place in this world. Those who are Christian dads and mom also seek to fulfill the Scriptural admonition to raise up a child who will fear the Lord, and so shepherd that son or daughter toward having their own personal faith.

None of us, though, can look into the future and see what the end result of our parenting efforts will be. The couple who just got home from the hospital with their precious little newborn baby is just starting a long journey. There is simply no way possible for them to predict where that road called parenting will take them during the coming years, nor to know just what that cute little bundle will be like in another two decades.

The journey of parenting is one of great joy, laughter, some tears, emotional anguish, fond memories and more personal growth than seems possible. Perhaps that is in spite of, or maybe because of, the uncertainties of the task. Regardless, it is one I wouldn't trade for any experience on earth.

If you have kids, I hope you feel the same.

As It Should Be

2006-03-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

Only an hour ago he asked, "When are we gonna start reading Lord of the Rings again, Dad?" I told him I would like that, but we've got some hurdles to surmount. The kitchen duty chores have been divided up differently, so that it is no longer a group effort. Each night a different child takes on the entire task, solo. Well, the table gets cleared off by all, but that still leaves plenty to do for just one person, especially a grade-schooler. We've had some motivation issues, and that requires some parental intervention and assistance, which takes time and energy...and then when the kitchen is finally cleaned up, it is pretty much bedtime (yes, it can take that long to clean up after 8 people - and tonight's BBQ'd ribs was a wonderfully messy meal to clean).

This was not a perfect evening, but a nice one. After a tremendous meal, which the children devoured, the cleanup took some time and effort. I put the little one to bed, and he seemed ready to sleep without much fuss. Now there is a gathering in the living room, as Mom reads a book, Carry On Mr. Bowditch. It is excellent, historical fiction encompassing history, geography, astronomy and more. Really fascinating.

And it strikes me that we need - I need - more evenings like this one. Family dinner followed by some "down time" and togetherness. Our routine got lost somewhere before Christmas, and we haven't found it since. We've had too much going on, some illness, some unexpected travel, visitors. All of that got into the way of our beloved nightly routine. And we all noticed that.

I like what is happening right now. This is our family, as it should be. Oughta be. Needs to be.

It is getting late. We let the kids stay up a bit longer, as we have enjoyed the night's tone and activities. The book is closed, our prayers have been said, and now, it is bed time. G'night.

Apply Yourself

2006-03-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

In grade school I was like many (most?) boys: a bit on the lazy side. Not that I was a bad student, mind you. I could have done better, though. Whenever my parents had their conference with my teacher, they usually heard some perspective like this: "John could do really well, if he would only apply himself."

Well, I finally did learn to apply myself - so some degree - by high school. My grades were good enough, and I had some measure of self-discipline. I found some gratification in doing well, and that helped prepare the way for college.

The first two years at college were within a fairly safe environment. The school was small, and the framework from which we were taught was from a Christian perspective. My biggest challenge, mentally, was a medical ethics course in which I learned to grapple with the gray areas of life. It was a stretch for me, and to this day I am still unsure as to where, exactly, the professor was trying to take us. My lessons in "applying" myself were paying off.

Transferring to another college had a more dramatic impact upon me, especially upon my spiritual life. An art school can be a very unsettling place to be studying! While I had some good friends, I struggled some with the perspectives of the professors and many of the students. The worldview I had adopted a few years prior when I became a Christian was challenged time and time again. I ran into people who were not just apathetic toward Christianity, but were downright hostile.

Through this, I learned the value of applying myself to the task of being a "real" person. The temptation to be an "undercover Christian" was great. Why subject myself to harassment, to ridicule for being so…rigid. As a follower of Christ, I might have been branded a radical, or an out-of-touch weirdo, or worse. I had a choice to make, and I thank God that I was able to choose well, not shrinking from my spiritual life but seeking to prod others to consider their own faith. Fortunately, I weathered those years pretty well, and, in fact, think that my faith was tempered well by the experience.

The apostle Peter wrote to a people of faith, mostly Gentile believers, who were weathering some difficult times. They were pressed by a culture that was not willing to accept their faith, and which persecuted men and women who claimed the name of Christ. They endured hardships for their spirituality. In his first letter, Peter encouraged his readers to prepare their minds for action. He encouraged them to hold fast, but to also "apply themselves" to real Christian living, which required action. Those who were suffering were called to act in a manner consistent with their beliefs, and this meant that they had to be forthright about their faith. This in spite of a society that rejected their deeply held beliefs.

Today there are many across the world who are suffering for Christ. They cannot shirk their duty, to proclaim their Savior and to live a life worthy of His name. These believers must apply themselves to leading exemplary lives despite a hostile environment.

While I was never the subject of persecution, I left that art school with a better understanding of those with differing theological viewpoints, with a heart for the person who rejects the faith altogether, with a desire to live a consistent and authentic life of faith. I am grateful for the time, and for the grace of God which led me to "apply" myself. And every now and again I wonder where some of those old friends are today.

Worked, Sort Of

2006-03-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Status Report: As suggested last time, I did spend time with the kids as they settled into bed. However, having three girls in one room, sharing a bunk bed, does not allow for the most private conversations!

The boys...well, one talked, the other was tired and the third was a handful to put to bed (that'd be the two year-old).

So, limited success. Will modify this and see what I can achieve in the way of meaningful interaction with my wonderful children at bedtime.

Five Minutes, That's All

2006-03-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

In fairness, I first heard of this meaningful way to spend good time with our kids from Joe White, an incredible man who owns and runs Kanakuk Kamps.

Today in a conversation at the office I was reminded about the idea. Here it is. And it is so easy for parents to do.

A co-worker, Rob, has five kids. He is a busy guy. He does something at home that works well in deepening family relationships. It helps him connect with his children. Spends just five minutes each night sitting on each of his children's bed, asking about their day and about tomorrow.

It takes Rob about half an hour each evening to do this. He hears all sorts of good stuff. And then he affirms and says a short prayer for that child. Tells him or her why he loves them (you are a gift from God). Joins them in thanking God for a good day, in asking God for grace or help for the next day.

Five minutes of one on one time with each child. How they must welcome that interaction. Rob likes it too! Those kids will remember that time with much fondness, no doubt. They'll likely repeat the process with their own children in a couple of decades.

What a gift to the next generation and beyond.

I like that idea. Think I'll try it tonight.

Lots of Work, Little Free Time

2006-03-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

Talking to a co-worker who has, I think, seven children, I became aware of how tiring it can be to parent a larger family. We have six kids, and I am acutely aware of time's passing - and the pull of so many urgent things on my time. I am familiar first hand with the difficulty in balancing time between work and my family relationships. How to find the moments to meaningfully connect with first my wife and then each of my children? It is a struggle which requires continual evaluation, reflection, prayer, thought and action.

It isn't so hard to engage the kids collectively. That can be done over dinner, or at bedtime prayers, or in between. Having the wherewithal to talk to my spouse after all those exchanges, though, is another thing. And then to additionally carve out five, ten or more minutes for and with each of the kids…that is a hard task. God, help me do this well!

Anyway, just had a quick conversation with Mike, who has a very daunting task. He has a larger family, and the financial strain he deals with is significant. My situation seems relatively easy compared to his. Mike is working full time at the office. To supplement the family's income, he delivers newspapers every day. That requires him to rise very early each morning. And now with tax season here, he will is spending increasing hours preparing taxes for others. Three jobs! As he described his schedule, I realized that however I am feeling pulled in many directions, Mike is stretched far more.

While I may be tired, he is exhausted. I am blessed to have but one job, and we are able to live sufficiently comfortable on that income, but Mike works three different jobs to provide for his family's needs.

I asked him, "How do you find time to be with your family?" Well, he seems to have - at this time - Sundays off, and a couple of evenings are free.

"Its sure seems that as I feel drained by work, I have a more difficult time engaging with and leading my family. How do you do it?" Mike looked at me, smiled weakly, and said he tries as best he can.

I left that interaction thanking God for my own situation, and feeling that I have little room to complain. I can only hope and pray that I will be the husband and daddy my wife and kids need. Let me purpose here to provide the emotional support they are entitled to from me with strength. I will (try to) guide the table talk with purpose. I'll demonstrate love in meaningful ways to each member of my family.

Guess I'd better start making that transition, from "Mr. Office" to "Mr. Husband and Dad" each day as I drive home.

It takes a lot of work to balance time. How do you do that?

Mix Things Up A Little

2006-03-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

In church today the youth helped take up the offering. As could be expected, the kids were not quite, shall we say, sophisticated about the matter as the adults normally are.

Ours is a contemporary church, non-denominational, and pretty relaxed. At one time we rather prided ourselves on not having a lot of structure and frowned upon routines. We’ve not been heavy into tradition, and yet…yet, there are some expectations about when and how we do things on Sunday morning.

For instance, we start by 10:01. And we end by noon. The announcements usually follow the third worship song that we sing. That sort of thing.

So, the offering. The youth had the principles down for standard protocol in passing the little baskets around. One in each aisle, each usher passing the collection baskets to alternate rows of the section they are “working.”

Today, though, the kids seemed to have forgotten the middle sections. There we were, sitting and watching other “cheerful givers” drop their monies and checks into the baskets all round us. And yet, no one came to ask us for our contribution. The side sections were being served by the teen ushers, but what happened to our section?

The dynamic was fascinating to watch. Whispers arose. The song was forgotten by many who were distracted by the obvious mistake of those kids. The youth leadership was sitting near the front, watching the proceedings with a look of grave concern on their faces. “Who messed up here? What in the world are we gonna do?”

Meanwhile, around me the adults continued to whisper back and forth…it was really uncomfortable for many. I could imagine someone wondering, “How can I give to the church if they pass me by?” “Surely someone will see the error and step in to receive our offerings here in the middle?” “Those kids, just don’t seem to get it.”

Ah, then the young man came by with the basket. He had started at the BACK of the church. Big, red, flashing lights were reminding him that this is not SOP, you don’t start at the back, you start at the front! Sighs of relief arose. The collection will be completed. Clumsily, but at least it will be done.

Then, however, the realization that there was only one usher for our section. Not two. Uh-oh. Now what? More whispers. “Who do I pass this basket to when I am done putting in my offering?” “Hey, this still isn’t right. You mean I have to pass this thing up to the next row myself?”

As yet another moment of dis-ease was registering, out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the guys who is often up front on the worship team. Oh, look! Richard to the rescue! Of course, who else? He is always serving, it seems, and happily. Now he was gathering those wayward baskets, smiling as he did so, if to say to those who had lingering concerns, “It’s alright. We’ve got it under control. Your gift is in good hands. We’ll get through this just fine.”

And so, the offering was indeed completed, and we moved on. But it was an interesting moment. I think it was good, actually. I mean, here we are, somewhat proud for not adhering to a lot of traditional trappings. And - boom – the offering gets done a bit differently and some people seem disoriented and distressed.

I’ve got to think that this was a way for God to remind us that there is nothing particularly sacred about the way in which the offering is received. Really. Get over it!

And maybe He was also telling us that we need to lighten up a bit. If we don’t want to get stuck in routines and too much structure, this kind of exercise might be just the thing we need to do more often. Mix the order up, try some new things, be less predictable.

As I finish this entry, I am aware of yet another application, one for me personally. perhaps God is reminding me to be open to new things in all of my life, to not get too comfortable in how I go about my daily routines and expectations. Could He be leading me to question - in fresh ways - what my life is really all about? Hmmm.

I hope the kids are leading worship next week at church.

Choosing Time Well

2006-03-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

You and I have been given by God the gift of time. He affords each individual the same 24 hours a day. It is ours to use as we see fit, and many people have little choice in how they fill each day's time.

Around the world are people who must spend vast quantities of their time trying to survive - either tilling the land or working one or more jobs just to put food on the table and provide shelter for their family.

Here in our country we are, of course, much more fortunate. We have more choices than most of the world can comprehend, and I am not saying there is any particular virtue in that circumstance. In fact, at times I think the responsibility of what we have been given - in the way of time, tools and opportunities - is a heavy burden to bear.

That said, you and I have time at hand, and we make daily choices about using that time. For the benefit of ourselves, our God, others. And if I am ever tempted to complain about having too little time to do this or that or the other thing, a little perspective is all I need.

Then, SNAP, I am put in my place and stop complaining.

Hmmm. Maybe it is time to shut down the computer and get some rest...

Ghost Soldiers

2006-03-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

The lesson about time, how it marches on, and how I need to reckon with it and utilize it well came home recently. Took me back about a year...

I was reading a book, Ghost Soldiers. This is a powerful account about the horrific experiences of a group of WWII prisoners, men who were sorely mistreated and neglected by their Japanese captors, men who over the course of several years wasted away to almost sheer skin and bone (hence their nickname, Ghost Soldiers).

Despite being helplessly forgotten in a prison camp, an ocean away from anything or anyone familiar, they suffered unimaginable horrors, had few resources at their disposal and frankly, knew little hope of survival. Yet, in this dire situation the men put to work their only assets, their intellect, their imagination, their abilities, their attitudes and their time.

They had time abundant. These prisoners really had time to burn. And they used it well. Read the section about their constuctive approach toward time management (!), involving language lessons, athletics, studying astronomy, exchanging individual expertises, creating art, improving their surroundings, and more. Ghost soldiers, perhaps, but men with a sense of using time well. Try perusing pages 132-136 for more.

Back to today. You and I have been given the gift of time. In the coming new year, many competing priorities will arise, demanding our time and energy. Some of those will revolve around work, outreach, education. There will be time demands from family. Our stuff will require our energies and attentions. How do we balance? How do we apply ourselves to the most significant, most important (which is certainly not going to be the most urgent) priorities? That, of course, is a major question most of us deal with at one time or another...

By grace we have 365 days a year, 24 hours in each day, to spend somehow. Most of us in the US are fortunate in that what we do with that time is pretty a matter of choice. Unlike the men above, we're not typically faced with an abundance of time and few distractions. Still, there are lessons to be learned from them.

The men at Cabutuan made good use of their time, engaging in meaningful relationships, encouraging and caring for each other, exercising their minds and bodies, carving meaning out of a nearly meaningless situation. Somehow, if they could make time purposeful, I suppose I can too.

How? How will YOU use your coming days?

A Real Video iPod?

2006-03-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

Interesting speculation out there about the next big thing from Apple (now that they've introduced an iPod boombox of sorts and a new Mac Mini): A larger screen, bigger capacity iPod with real video appeal.

Someone made a quick graphic, and it looks very nice. Avid iPod users may note that there is no mechanical click wheel - it is a software element, brought to the fore of a touch screen when pressure is applied in the right place on that screen. Several sites seem to indicate this is all going to be announced in the next month or so, with full length movies offered on iTunes.

In light of Microsoft's latest, an "ultraportable" PC (albeit with very short battery life, no input mechanism and a price tag of $700), this is a pretty interesting alternative.

Maybe this is what Apple has up its sleeve? If so, what does it mean for consumers? Will they pay for and watch video on a 4-inch screen? If I had an hour long daily commute, which many people in big cities face each way to and from work, I'd consider that a good way to spend some of that time. Would I use thisw device? Or the other guys' "ultra" thingee? Not much of a decision, really...

On The Road

2006-02-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the middle of Texas, off Highway 287 at a very nice rest area. With a playground. And WiFi. Something unimaginable when I was in the back seat of a '67 Ford watching the miles click away through the plains of Dakota. Who'd have thunk it? WiFi and ecologically-friendly rest areas.

So, the kids are stretching and burning some energy. Which is good, as the trip, while certainly not bad, has had some challenging moments. Nothing unexpected, nor anything of great significance. Just children being...well, children.

My wife and I have had to remind each other of the need to let kids be kids, and to see that the training process is a long one. Now, that seems especially the case on a road trip of 13 hours in a day. There are some "incidents" on any such trip, but the thing we - I - must remember is that the parenting task extends to all circumstances, and is one which requires special patience and grace when a bunch of us are in the car/truck.

On this particular venture, we're dealing with a lot of emotions. After visiting the grandparents' place, we're all adjusting to life as we know it to normally be. The routines, disciplines and expectations experienced in our home have been missing, and now we're slowly "re-entering."

Grace, Lord, give us grace. Only 500 miles to go today.

And here they are! Playtime is over, and we need to get back. On the road. Again.

Sounds like a good song title.

Busy Days

2006-02-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Tech: Web-Enabled iPod?

2006-02-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Show of hands: How many of you have an iPod? Some other MP3 player? MP3 capable phone? MP3 capable PDA? Have at least seen someone in public walking around wearing those ubiqitous while headphones?

My point in asking is to illustrate that which we did not think possible even a mere five years ago. Who would have thought that we'd consider MP3 (or in the case of Apple's iTunes software, MP4) the standard way to organize our music and take it with us wherever we go? And yet, here we are, and most of us either have a player. Certainly nearly all of us at least knows someone who does have an iPod (or similar).

So, in five years, what will we consider "normal" for our audio consumption patterns? Well, here's one probable trend that will take us closer to that day.

From today's Radio and Internet Newsletter, an interesting bit of speculation. Apple dominates the MP3 player market, and what they do affects most other player manufacturers. So when you read something like this, you know that a new development - affecting a lot of our audience, and also offering us some great opportunities - is just around the corner.

Even if the idea has no real merit today, it will likely end up being true in the coming year.

Wi-Fi Bluetooth iPods sound like the ultimate in convergence fantasy for a wide variety of tech industries. But for RAIN readers, talk of such a player could signal Internet radio capabilities for the world's most popular portable digital media player.

Picture this: When you turn on your iPod, an "Internet Radio" menu would appear, where you could browse through your favorite stations' streams from your iPod's display. This would realize so much of Net radio's portability potential, and in a very mainstream way. Pair that with the hottest personal player going, and what follows should be absolutely huge.

I find this all very interesting. For those of us in the audio business, it means a lot of new ways to deliver our programming. And ways to reach new listeners.

There's a world of new listeners out there! How will they want their audio?

Parenting: Too Much, Too Little

2006-02-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Time...how do you spend it? How do your children spend THEIR time?

According to a report by the Kaiser Foundation a couple of years ago, children spend far too much time with the electronic media and far too little time with books (and being read to by their parents). Some of the findings:

Two hours a day: The average amount of time each day that children 6 and younger sit in front of a television set, a computer monitor or playing video games.

Only 39 minutes per day: Average time that children spend reading or being read to by someone.

Too much time with the media.

Too little time with books.

Seems like a parenting issue to me.

Ah, No Dear

2006-02-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

A neighbor’s house was “TP’d” recently. The Charmin was streaming all over their trees. It was a thorough job. Only problem: The intended victims were not home. And within a couple of hours, caring neighbors (not us) were out there picking up every stray sheet of the white tissue paper. There was little damage done, and no lingering effect. Sorry about that.

Ah, but the perps caught word of their fruitless efforts, and soon struck the same house again. And in great style. Paper streaming everywhere. It was a rather windy day that followed, and the effect was somewhat pretty, actually. Which probably was the reaon behind my 7 year-old’s question to me the next morning.

“Daddy,” she asked, “Can we decorate OUR yard like that one?”

“Ah, no dear. That’s not really supposed to be there in the trees…er, how do I explain this to you?”

The delightful innocence of a first-grader.

The joys of parenting.

Gotta love it.

Touching Hearts For Adoption

2006-02-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

I got a bit emotional the other day I saw the Heart Gallery, a traveling exhibit is helping raise awareness about children in need of a home. How deeply I was touched by the photos and stories!

The exhibit features pictures of more that 50 foster children in Colorado, some of whom have been placed recently in "forever families," others who have waited years...and are still not part of a loving family.

In Colorado Springs, TV station KOAA, Channels 5/30, covered the exhibit. Look for video here. Here's what one tour organzer, Diane Ingolia, said:

"The pictures really capture the personality and the spirit of each of the children and then to be able to read the biography on them-- just that short little phrase that makes your heart say 'oh, there's just so many children out there and maybe I can do something."

I was sobered and quite moved. I prayed. How will you react if you see a similar exhibit?

The (Digital) Natives Are Restless

2006-01-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Stimulating article in USA Today, January 29 article about the latest move by Apple to establish itself as a leader in the digital world:

Apple Computer Inc. has introduced "iTunes U," a nationwide expansion of a service that makes course lectures and other educational materials accessible via Apple's iTunes software.

Internet access to college lectures is nothing new, but listening to them on portable gadgets is a more recent phenomenon of the digital age, spurred in part by the popularity of podcasts, or downloadable audio files.

The University of Missouri offered podcasts of lectures through its school network before it signed up with Apple last summer as a pilot school. But "iTunes U" offered a software and service package for free, said Keith Politte, the development officer at the university's School of Journalism.

The market dominance of Apple's iTunes Music Store and iPods, which helped spawn the podcast movement, also was key.

"Our students are digital natives. We seek to meet our students where they are, and iTunes is the interface that most of our students are already familiar with," Politte said.

That lasat observation is very helpful to remember. Anyone with a high schooler at home knows this to be true. These kids are multi-tasking experts, and they are indeed "digital natives."

We need to be about reaching those natives with our message. How are we going to do that? How do we connect in meaningful ways?

Parenting: A Welcome Reminder

2006-01-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day to spend time with my oldest daughter. It wasn't planned that way, but it turned out to be time well spent.

We started with our weekly "Bagel and Bible" time, in which we head to a local shop and have some breakfast. Along the way, we open the Scriptures and interact about a particular passage. Yesterday was a hard one - Lamentations. All of it. The "weeping prophet" needed some contextualization for an 11 year-old, and I think it was a meaningful conversation for both of us. I benefited from the reminder of right living and God's forgiveness.

Several hours later, I ended up being the driver to pick her up from an after-church event. That made for a nice drive home, in which we discussed the activities and people involved.

Mid-afternoon found us headed for the ski shop, where we picked up some rental equipment for her. Casual, a little chit-chat time for us.

Late afternoon she called when I was at the grocery store, and asked me to bring home some Cheerios for a dessert recipe she had started. This was a treat to take on the ski trip. Dutifully, I grabbed a box. Not an overly meaningful exchange, but I helped her out in a small way.

All in all, a number of little interactions with a girl who looks up to me and values my attentions.

So...this morning. As I head out the door, on my desk I find a small item, wrapped carefully in foil, with a note. It was a nice little gesture. And it reminded me that the payoff was not just today, in getting a sweet treat from my daughter.

The payoff really was yesterday. Time invested wisely. Not always overly purposeful. Didn't have to be. The point for my adolescent daughter was that she spent time with her Daddy. And that I cared enough to be there for the little rhythms of life. I had made time to be with her.

Her note was simple and to the point. And it made me tear up.

To my father who loves me.

What a welcome reminder...of the power God has given me as a Daddy.

Parenting: Making Mistakes

2006-01-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a good reminder about the need to allow others to make mistakes. While writer Alan Mason intended the readers to use the advice in their work-world activities as managers and leaders, it strikes me that this is very appropriate for the parenting process.

Every parent wants their child to do well in life. Sometimes, though, we forget that kids make mistakes, and lots of them, as we train and coach them toward maturity. We can be discouraged by the failures along the way. "Why can't this child finally get it? How much longer do I have to teach, and train, and tell them to do better?"

After Mason sets the context by noting that we often want better for those we lead and manage, he observes:

The problem is that we aren’t always very good at producing improvement in other people. We explain what we want, and then just expect it to happen. We don’t understand and embrace the first law of coaching:

You have to give people permission to make a mistake in order to improve.
Few of us try something new and are immediately perfect at it. We try, fail, try again with what we’ve learned, and so on. Which brings us to the second law of coaching:

Look for progress, not perfection.

As long as the individual is moving toward the goal, they are succeeding. It’s our job to look for movement, even small movement, toward the goal, and applaud it. Without positive reinforcement there will be no progress.

To not do this is the biggest mistake of all.

As I think about it, this notion of allowing for mistakes is something I need to apply to my own life. As a parent, I've certainly got a long ways to grow. I fail as a Dad daily. Lose my temper. Overpromise, underdeliver. Speak hastily. Express bad attitudes.

So even as I make mistakes today, Lord, would you help me make progress toward the goal of being a godly parent today?

The complete article is at Mason's blog for Tuesday, January 24, 2006.

Sanctity of Every Life

2006-01-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Today is yet another day of commemoration, in which we mourn (or celebrate, depending on our particular viewpoint) the infamous "Roe v Wade" U.S. Supreme Court ruling so many years ago. It is a somber day as I think of the millions upon millions who have died at the hands of an abortionist. And it is a day to reflect on the very nature of life.

I found an article that is absolutely correct in its assertions about the sanctity of every life, and the need to protect every preborn child. I read it over the weekend, on the eve of "Sanctity of Life Sunday." Selected portion:

If a woman has a prenatal test for Down Syndrome and it comes back positive, nine out of 10 of those pregnancies will be terminated.

So in all this hullabaloo about women controlling their bodies, we’ve opened up the Pandora’s box of selective genocide. If your genome isn’t quite right, practice shows, we’re fine with sucking you out and flushing you. It is a loathsome prenatal discrimination against the handicapped.

A group of handicapped, by the way, which the last generation realized happily are typically capable of being full and productive citizens.

Indeed.

I recall reading Koop and Schaeffer's Whatever Happened To The Human Race, in which they powerfully made this very point. The handicapped are quite capable of being happy, of having a rich and meaningful life. Who are we (the presumably healthy individuals) to suggest they aren't worthy of life? What audacity. What recklessness. What an affront to the Maker of Life.

The "less fortunate" among us is still created in the image of the Almighty. Let's not "play God" any more. Let's accept the gifts the Creator gives us. Even those packaged differently than we expected.

Thanks to Bob Lonsberry for writing this. Read the entire piece here.

Er, Make That 31 Extra Toothbrushes

2006-01-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Last post I noted the exess inventory we have of toothbrushes. I found nearly two dozen extras when I cleaned out some of the bath cupboards.

Lo and behold! I found another stash in the hallway closet. And yet more unclaimed, minimallly used toothbrushes in the girls' bathroom. So, the count is up to 31 now.

Maybe if I persist, I'll find even more. I am motivated to hit the magic number of 50. I doubt that they've hidden away that many orphaned toothbrushes. With six children, however, one never knows!

The Mrs. gets home tomorrow. I'm sure she'll not be surprised by any of my "single-dad-for-a-week" discoveries and adventures. She's a seasoned pro at these things.

Parenting: Ten Tools For Homeschooling

2006-01-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Informative list of things every homeschooling parent needs. Here are nine of the top "items" (go here for the complete article, including the tenth):

1) school boxes

2) a wall of bookshelves

3) a lateral file

4) a plan book

5) an answering machine or voice mail

6) a calculator

7) a VCR or DVD player

8) a computer

9) a copying machine

We've homeschooled for 11 years, and are now on child #5. And I think the author has captured the essentials. I'd add a few...maybe next time.

(BTW, some years ago I gave my wife a copy machine I found on sale at Sam's. She still thanks me for that "gift"!)

A Long Week At Home

2006-01-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

This week I am a single dad. My wife is away, helping her parents with some matters, and so the responsibility for our children and home fall to me. Am I up to the task?

I took the week off work, and there has not yet been a day in which I can readily manage my time, our time. My regard for the Mrs. has always been high, it has now elevated to reverance. How she does what she does in the home is truly astounding!

Things have gone smoothly, although there have been some emotional moments (hey, we have two teens and one teen wannabe, so that is to be expected!). I've kept up with orthodontist and schooling and church activities. The meals have been made on time. The naps for Little Man have been daily.

I'll admit to being tired, due to the youngest not sleeping at night. He has been up 3-6 times each night, and that doesn't allow me to feel very rested. Lower sleep levels invariably lead to lower levels of control, and higher probabilities of anger. Lord, give me grace?

I began the week thinking I'd surprise my wife, and have a number of overdue home projects completed upon her return. There's that sink needing replacement, the paper pile on my desk, the cleaning that she'd like to see done downstairs, the front storm door is showing its age, and more. Hey, I can do that while the kids are occupied with...(fill in the blank).

My optimism, however, has now collided with reality. Get them up, "do" school, feed 'em, drive them to various appointments, make phone calls and more. THAT is what I am doing this week. If lucky, we'll maybe get one of

Today I did get ambitious! Cleaned out the bathroom a bit. Found 12 extra toothbrushes hidden on the shelves...how in the world can a family of eight have so many partiallly used toothbrushes lying around? Sigh. Smile. Gotta love living large! And what a sense of purpose I have now.

Truhtfully, I can't wait to get back to work...where order and some level of accomplishment awaits me. For now, I thank the Lord for my dear wife, praise her for her stupendous work with the children and in the home, and look forward - eagerly - to her return in a few days.

Who Dresses Better?

2006-01-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm a Mac guy. I like my Apple computers, and my iPod, the iTMS, OSX, iMovie, iPhoto and most of the other Apple apps. That's pretty much all things Apple.

I like Steve Jobs. He has "cool" - much like his company's products.

Steve seems to own no clothing besides black turtlenecks and jeans. But hey, he is Mr. Apple, so who cares about looking suave or wearing a tie? Not needed, people. I make cool computing hardware and software.

Last week, at the big Mac event, Jobs made an incredible fashion statement. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of a new Apple partner, Intel.

The new Mac-tel computers look nice, just as I'd expect from Apple. But in the joint presentation during which the new machines were unveiled, a most unusual thing happened. Someone had convinced Intel that the "high tech look" was needed for this announcement.

So, Steve looked...well, like Steve does. Black. Denim. Apple Chic.

The computers were typically Apple cool. Clean, neat, but not clunky or unapproachable. Great engineering, as usual.

Unfortunately, the Intel CEO did not look so good.

How in the world did Jobs and all that good looking hardware get joined by a man in a moon suit?

Yikes!

Humiliating.

Earth to Intel PR/Marketing: Get up to speed, and please, protect your CEO from looking so out of place next time.

Ouch.

10 Things I've Learned About Adoption

2006-01-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

There are tens of MILLIONS of orphans in the world. Most will never have a family, but every year about 15,000-18,000 children are brought home from oversees orphanages or foster homes.

There are lots of misunderstandings and even myths about adoption.

We adopted a child from Russia a few years back. Since then, I've taken a lot of questions from friends interested in bringing an orpahn into their family. The adoption maze can be daunting.

I offer these tips to those who are considering it:

1. It is a long process
2. It is an unpredictable process
3. It is an expensive process
4. It will be memorable process, even if it is hard a lot of the time
5. It requires flexibility
6. It requires patience
7. It requires prayer (even if you don’t believe, you’ll pray sooner or later in the process)
8. It allows you to meet new people (at adoption agencies, at the police station, at state offices, at travel agencies)
9. It will be a story you like to tell, and will never tire of telling
10. People care and want to be involved

I hope you'll consider adopting a child who has no hope, who needs you.

Enlarge Your World?

2006-01-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Roy Williams for shaking up my thinking this fine Monday. This is a wonderful, yet unsettling, perspective as shared in his weekly email.

It hit me. "I've become an eavesdropper, listening to the conversations of strangers."

It's 5:00AM and I'm sitting at the bar of an all-night café on the wrong side of town eating a three-dollar breakfast, listening to the smelly, funny stories of downtrodden people who know each other well. Their sparkling banter gives me a glimpse into problems I'll never touch, victories I'll never celebrate, a life I'll never have. These are they who will never have internet access, a credit card or cable TV.

But they seem happy.

I've come here to learn what it means to be an outsider in America.

People tell me they want to write. I respond, "You can't find a pencil?" In truth, few want to write. Most want only to have written. People tell me they want to travel, have adventures, meet interesting people and learn about different cultures. They want to expand their world. I'm betting you can guess my answer to that one... "If you will expand your world, you must crawl on your hands and knees, get on your belly and squirm under the fence that surrounds your insulated life."

For most people, travel means being pampered by accommodating servants in exotic places. But interesting people, strange cultures and high adventure don't await you on the other side of the world. They await you on the other side of town.

Hmm...good challenge.

Final thought from Williams:

Are you willing to get on your belly and crawl under that fence? Will you invest an hour to enlarge your world?

Seems to me that this is what Christ calls His followers to do. Take the harder road. Become aquainted with the downtrodden, those who are not so proud to admit they have failigs and needs. Those you and I might overlook, unless we take a step into their world.

I might go to Denny's tonight...

Ten Road Trip Tips

2006-01-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

It is too late for the Christmas travel season, but I had some thoughts about road trips with youngsters. This was prompted by a conversation today with a co-worker, who survived, sort of, a drive to Chicago with three little ones.

Here are some quick tip for parents who want to survive a long time in the minivan with toddlers (or even with teens!):

1. Pack lots of snacks. Dry cereal, juice boxes, nuts, whole grain breads. Avoid the straight sugar highly processed stuff…don’t want to wire the kiddos up and then force them to sit still in their car seat for 10 hours.

2. Take lots of toys. Age appropriate, of course. One at a time, space them out over the course of the trip. Older kids will like an iPod or DVD player!

3. Take books and magazines. Little eyes will want to interact with something they like, take a variety of things.

4. Pack “travel gifts,” some little items from the dollar store that can be pulled out and unwrapped, then enjoyed for a time. Space these out, not all at once.

5. Pack wipees and extra napkins/paper towels. Messes will occur. Spills will happen. Be prepared.

6. Pack an old bath towel. In case someone gets REALLY sick.

7. Pack a plastic bucket. Good for all sorts of roadside emergencies., Use your imagination…

8. Take audio books. We always hit the library and stock up on some good literature. We’ve enjoyed a wide range of goodies, from Hank The Cowdog to Back of the North Wind.

9. Stop often. Ignore the urge to press onward to the point of breaking. Instead, plan to stop every two hours or so. Let the kids walk or run around. Keep it short, 10-20 minutes is all we’ve ever needed.

10. Eat meals in the car, not a restaurant. Why pay big bucks to sit some more without going anywhere? Can be a miserable experience. Eat in the auto…drive-through fast food, handmade sandwiches, or even a take-out pizza (we’ve done it, and it works nicely). They all are fine. The point is to avoid making the kids sit quietly while you try to eat…better to occupy them on the road as the miles click away.

There are more things I've learned about making the best of road trips. They'll wait until another time. These are good starting points.

Why 16 is Good

2006-01-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last post I linked to a feature article about the family with 16 children. The next day, I heard Hugh Hewitt talking about an article by Mark Steyn about a related matter.

This is a stark assessment of our society's "smaller families are better" mentality, and it certainly makes the case that those of us with larger families are effectively helping preserve western culture. Really! His suggestion is that we are losing western culture, as other worldviews gain a foothold through rising birthrates among their adherents.

This is a very long piece, but worth the read.

Couple of choice paragraphs:

When it comes to forecasting the future, the birthrate is the nearest thing to hard numbers. If only a million babies are born in 2006, it's hard to have two million adults enter the workforce in 2026 (or 2033, or 2037, or whenever they get around to finishing their Anger Management and Queer Studies degrees). And the hard data on babies around the Western world is that they're running out a lot faster than the oil is. "Replacement" fertility rate--i.e., the number you need for merely a stable population, not getting any bigger, not getting any smaller--is 2.1 babies per woman. Some countries are well above that: the global fertility leader, Somalia, is 6.91, Niger 6.83, Afghanistan 6.78, Yemen 6.75. Notice what those nations have in common?

Scroll way down to the bottom of the Hot One Hundred top breeders and you'll eventually find the United States, hovering just at replacement rate with 2.07 births per woman. Ireland is 1.87, New Zealand 1.79, Australia 1.76. But Canada's fertility rate is down to 1.5, well below replacement rate; Germany and Austria are at 1.3, the brink of the death spiral; Russia and Italy are at 1.2; Spain 1.1, about half replacement rate. That's to say, Spain's population is halving every generation. By 2050, Italy's population will have fallen by 22%, Bulgaria's by 36%, Estonia's by 52%. In America, demographic trends suggest that the blue states ought to apply for honorary membership of the EU: In the 2004 election, John Kerry won the 16 with the lowest birthrates; George W. Bush took 25 of the 26 states with the highest. By 2050, there will be 100 million fewer Europeans, 100 million more Americans--and mostly red-state Americans.

Here's the complete article.

16 and counting

2006-01-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Fascinating family in Arkansas, profiled in AP reports. They have 16 children. They may have more. They seem so...normal...yet are surely remarkable for their faith, their fortitude, their example!

Happy New Year!

2006-01-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

While 2005 was a wonderful year, it had a lot of difficulty, as well. Through it all, God was present. For that I am grateful, and most humbled.

I anticipate that 2006 will have much for which to be thankful. He will move in incredible ways during the next 12 months. I intend to be part of it all. I commit this day and the coming 363 days to Him, to His Kingdom and glory!

Five Books I Read In 2005

2005-12-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

I don't always read newly released titles, and it is obvious I am developing a taste for history, especially books about WWII.
1. We Die Alone, David Howarth
2. Ghost Soldiers, Hampton Sides
3. Franklin and Winston, Jon Meacham
4. Black Hawk Down, Mark Bowden
5. BLOG, Hugh Hewitt

Ten Things About Having A Larger Family

2005-12-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

1. We have to drive bigger 15 passenger vans or Suburbans
2. Eating out gets expensive very quickly
3. We need two hotel rooms
4. The food bill is getting pretty significant
5. Storage of children’s clothes, school materials, bicycles, and such requires lots of space
6. People will look at us and ask impolite questions (“Are they all yours? Don’t you know what causes that?)
7. We don’t need much external entertainment – we have lots right here in the home
8. Quiet is a rare commodity
9. Our marriage is not so easily nurtured as it once was
10. Joy is a constant – these children are precious gifts!

Thoughts About The "Little Things"

2005-12-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today a thought about God's sovereignty.

In "Apollo 13," scene 8, there is a moment in which the main capsule's power is shut down and the men are moved to the LEM. Their lives were now controlled, to a degree, by the good folks in Houston. These three are powerless, literally, to do anything about their immediate circumstances.

This reminds me of a point I read the other day with my son, from the shorter catechism, about the tension many feel when thinking about God's control over ALL creation. This includes the "over-all" picture, and encompasses the "small things" as well as the "big" things of life.

"In other words, the 'big' things really depend on the 'little' things. If the little things are not under control, the big things cannot be either."

The objections to this doctrine, including the argument that this means men are but pawns on the chessboard, or are reduced to helpless robots, were answered simply:

We know from the Bible that we are responsible. We know from the same Bible that God does control us, so that He also determines what we do. So we accept this teaching because it is the teaching of the Bible, and not because we can explain it.

Application: Today I want to practice "powering down," as the astronauts did in the movie...let go of any sense that I am in control of my life, and place my day in God's hands, into His control. I desire to acknowledge His sovereignty in all of life, including the small things, and let Him work as He sees fit in our lives.

~~~~~

For your reference, here's the point from the catechism:

Q.11. What are God's works of providence?
A. God's works of providence are, his most holy,(a) wise,(b) and powerful (c) preserving (d) and governing (e) all his creatures, and all their actions.(f)

(a) Ps. 145:17
(b) Ps. 104:24
(c) Heb. 1:3
(d) Neh. 9:6
(e) Eph. 1:19-22
(f) Ps. 36:6; Prov. 16:33; Matt. 10:30

His Coming Changed Everything

2005-12-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Year after year, every December I turn to many wonderful recollections as a child. I enjoy seeing the hundreds of “Kodak moments” associated with Christmas which are etched upon my mind. Truly, a special time of year.

Invariably, too, thoughts about that first noel occupy my heart. And nearly every year I turn to a favorite author, Frederick Buechner. Many years ago a friend gave me a devotional by this good writer. “Listening To Your Life” is a compilation of Buechner’s works, broken into bite-size pieces for daily consumption and enjoyment. He is a thoughtful writer, and one who prompts many thoughts and leaves a good taste in one’s mouth.

Here’s part of the entry for December 26, showing what Buechner about the birth of Christ:

…a great many biblical scholars would agree with the skeptics that the great nativity stories of Luke and Matthew are simply the legendary accretions, the poetry of a later generation, and that were we to have been present, we would have seen a birth no or less marvelous than any other birth.

But if that is the case what do we do with the legends of the wise men and the star, the shepherds and the angels and the great hymn of joy that the angels sang? Do we dismiss them as fairy tales, the subject for pageants to sentimentalize over once a year come Christmas, the lovely dream that never came true? Only if we are fools do we do that, although there are many in our age who have done it and there are moments of darkness when each one of us is tempted to do it. A lovely dream. That is all.

Who knows what the facts of Jesus’ birth actually were? As for myself, the longer I live, the more inclined I am to believe in miracle, the more I suspect that if we had been there at the birth, we might well have seen and heard things that would be hard to reconcile with modern science. But of course, that is not the point, because the Gospel writers are not concerned primarily in the facts of the birth but in the significance, the meaning for them of that birth, just as the people who love us are not really interested primarily in the facts of our birth but in what it meant to them when we were born and how for them the world was never the same again, how their lives were changed with new significance. Whether there were ten million angels there or just the woman herself and her husband, when the child was born, the whole course of history was changed. That is a fact as hard and blunt as any fact. Art, music, literature, our culture itself, our political institutions, our whole understanding of ourselves and our world – it is impossible to conceive of how differently world history would have developed if that child had not been born.

I believe in the biblical account of Jesus’ birth and the details presented to us details recorded by Matthew and Luke. They gave us a glimpse into what transpired two thousand years ago, and how the Messiah entered into this world.

Having said that, here’s why I like Buechner’s emphasis on the meaning of Christ’s birth: there is an inescapable conclusion one reaches about Jesus’ humble beginning, and to the life he lived on earth. And that is this: He left an indelible mark on everything. On everyone. Believe Him or not, He changed the world. Even skeptics acknowledge this every Christmas season when they call upon the world to peace, to give generously, to practice love.

This was Christ’s message. This was His life, His death, His resurrection.

The force of Buechner's words bear repeating: "...when the child was born, the whole course of history was changed. That is a fact as hard and blunt as any fact..."

It was real. More than a dream. He was - is - a world-changer. How has He changed your life?

Just A Fire

2005-12-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

It was a causal conversation. One of those “how’re you doing?” calls, which I try to make in the midst of busy days at work. I know she has had an even busier, less predictable day at home with the kids, regardless of how smooth things are going there or how hectic things are for me. So, when I had a few minutes, “I just called to say I love you” (to quote a song line by Steve Wonder).

After a bit of chatting, she suddenly, but quite calmly, announced that she had to wrap up the call, because one of the children reported to her that there was a fire. “Something’s burning!” was what I heard one of them say in the background. “OK, goodbye.” That was the unceremonious way she concluded our conversation.

I hung up, thinking that a busy Mom is used to many things, from stopped up drains to small fires in the kitchen. She has had both, and many other household calamities. This was surely nothing to get too excited about.

“Well, she can handle it, however bad the situation is. She’ll call with an update if this is a bad fire.” I walked out of my office and mentioned the circumstance to my assistant, who was amazed at how this news of a fire at home had not rattled me. Over the years I’ve learned that my wife will let me know if an emergency arises. Otherwise, she will certainly solve the problem. Indeed, she did not call back, and I was correct -- this was one of the more routine fires. Later I learned that the kids were making some craft in the oven, and some bit of spillage had ignited. Not a biggee. Thank goodness!

So it goes in much of life. We occasionally overreact to things that aren’t really a big deal. Not a life-threatening matter, not a significant loss or injury. Just stuff. And as a friend observed, “if money can fix it, it really isn’t a problem.”

Good advice. And a reminder about what is really important, and how I need to keep perspective.

Now, I wonder if that fire extinguisher is still in the kitchen cupboard, and if it still works…

Parenting Tips: Raising A Rude Child

2005-12-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

Catherine Seipp writes about an incident that made her pause. A hateful, liberal, "Bash Bush" moment caused her to think that some parents are really messing up their children:

My sister has a new project that involves buying me various t-shirts she thinks express my bossy inner personality. Recently she got me one that says, "Stupidity Is Not a Crime, So You're Free to Go."

Now I don't normally wear t-shirts with slogans on them outside the house. Too corny, like putting emoticons or "LOL" in email. But this shirt is nicely cut and since I hate shopping, lately I've been running out of clothes. So not long ago I threw it on when I dashed out for a quick lunch and a movie.

There I was, eating a hotdog in the sunshine at an outdoor L.A. mall, when a mother passing by with a small child smiled, hesitated for a moment, and then volunteered: "I'd like to send that shirt to our president!"

"Well," I said pleasantly, "I wouldn't, I guess, since I voted for him." (I wish I'd thought to add perkily, "I'd like to send it to Cindy Sheehan, though!" but my mind was in a hotdog-induced funk.)

"Oh..." she said, flabbergasted.

"That's OK," I added. "But you should know that not everyone is on the same side politically."

At this point, her son, about four years old, began a pantomime of stomping on ants as he yelled, "Stomp Bush! Stomp Bush! Stomp Bush!" Evidently he'd been trained to do this, like an organ grinder's monkey, whenever the word "president" is mentioned.

Ouch. Let's hope most parents are doing better than this.

Here's the full article.

Two Decades, Plus One Year

2005-11-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that 21 years ago I woke up a married man. Here we are, though, and all the more in love!

The wedding day was perfect. Weather was warm and sunny. Had a special breakfast for out of town guests, and it was a relaxing start to the significant day. Eventually off to the church to walk and pray a bit, then to practice one last time those memorized lines about loving each other through thick and thin, forever and always.

Photos before and after the ceremony. The guests started arriving, the place filled up, the smiles became irrepressible. Dena looked stunning. I was nervous, but only a bit. We stood at the stage as my brother played the trumpet processional. The bride was escorted to us, and the service started. Tom officiated, and his warm, relaxed tones guided us through a most memorable half hour. My cheeks hurt from smiling so long and so intensely. I had every reason to be grinning!

Our vows.
Our rings.
Our kiss.
Our journey begun.

The closing song played, we walked down the aisle, smiling even more and holding hands tightly. So many people came to share our joy! We got to the back door, and she burst into tears of joy (and in so doing also released weeks and months of stress!).

Greeting family and friends. More photos. Sign the license. To the reception, greet more folks and get tired of standing and smiling and shaking hands and thanking people.

Exhausted, we finally changed into our travel clothes, and then scurried out the door. The well wishers cheered, the rice bombarded us. We drove away from the church, unable to fully comprehend all that took place that long and beautiful day.

Thanks to Aunt Patty, we shared a plate of reception food while we made the 90 minute drive to the bed and breakfast, Wise Manor. A very nice place, and the dear woman who ran it was very welcoming as she showed us to our room. She even pointed to a bottle of wine in the frig, if we wished (we didn’t, but it sure was fun to know it was there!).

Goodness, that was 21 years ago. As I wrote this it seemed like just last week.

We have much for which to be thankful!

How Far Can A Dollar Go?

2005-11-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here's something I find very interesting, and very inspiring. The story is here.

I have a part in the story. Maybe you can too. I hope so!

Happy Thanksgiving.

One Answer

2005-11-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

Earplugs. Silicon earplugs are the answer, at least one answer. Why we didnt think of this solution before, I do not know.

My wife has for some time now used Macks Ear Plugs to drown out noise during her nap time. There is much noise to drown out in our home. These are silicon balls that, inserted into the outer ear, effectively reduce external sounds by many decibels. They work very, very well!

When, out of sheer desperation, she put some ear plugs in a few nights ago, she did not her Little Man wake up at all. I did, of course, but that was part of the plan. So, I got up several times that night. She slept likewell, like a dead person. And she was dead to the world, alright. Did not hear the boy, was not even aware of me getting in and out of bed. Ahhhhh, she was refreshed.

I knew I had to try those ear plugs, and soon!

So now we have a routine. We are alternating evenings wearing the ear plugs. At least one of us will get a good nights rest each night. Last night, she wore the plugs, and Little Man only woke me once, so we both did pretty well. Maybe we're coming out of this difficult season. I certainly hope so.

Anyway, ear plugs, specifically Macks Ear Plugs, are an answer. Every parent contending with a little person throughout the night ought to have a good night's sleep, at least occasionally.

Ahhhh.

Sleepless Nights

2005-11-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

Today, a parenting thought that many can probably relate to, although I hope not!

Bleary eyed after a rather exhausting night, this morning I grabbed my Bible and took a puzzled look at Psalm 3, verse 5 this morning. “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.” Hmm. I need to meditate on this verse a bit. See what is in here, as I feel like I am missing a point, maybe THE point.

OK, Lord, I understand the “wake again” part well enough. Last night ranked in the bottom third of my “restful evenings” rankings. Every two hours, nearly to the minute, we were awakened by our two year old. Usually he would cry out, and by the sounds he emitted we knew he was not merely stirring, he was awake. One of us would slide out of bed, go into his room and, sure enough, find him sitting up crying at the walls.

Like first-time parents of a newborn, throughout the night we found ourselves drifting off, only to be roused from any semblance of slumber by this poor boy’s tossing and turning.

This is different than a new baby’s schedule. First, Little Man is louder. Second, he is not easily sidetracked and will, sooner rather than later, turn the frustration or disappointment into a full-force rant. Third, eventually he will leave the bed for the floor, or for outside the door. So, “ignore him we cannot,” as Yoda might put it. “Demands attention he does.”

Now, we’re experienced parents. We do have five other children who have passecd through this type of sleepless phase in life. And so, we have put our hard-earned knowledge to work on this matter.

We’ve tried variations in his food intake prior to bedtime. This or that medication, or none at all (we’re told melatonin can help, but it has no appreciable effect upon the nighttime experience). Have him active before bedtime, trying to wear him out. Have him calm before bedtime. All of the routines have been considered, scrutinized, changed, noted. We’ve tried it all, hoping for a difference, only to be awakened throughout the night. Every night. Two months now. We are feeling old…yikes, we are tired!

And the questions keep coming up. What is keeping him from good sleep?

What is awakening him from much needed nighttime rest?

Why can’t Little Man go to bed and stay there on any semblance of a schedule?

Hat are we doing wrong? What can we do differently to help him sleep? To help US sleep?

Why don’t you listen, God, to our prayers for rest?

Well, it is apparent that there are no answers right now, only this little Russian puzzle whom we love dearly. And we do. We’ve worked through any simmering anger at him – he is not trying to get up each night. He is not the enemy. We’ve got to shepherd him through this season, and try to get him to a point of through-the-night sleep and rest. In the meantime, we wait.

We’ll learn the key, sometime soon, I hope. Or perhaps he will simply start sleeping well again on his own.

Until then, sustain me, Oh Lord. Thinking back to that psalm, I am not sure You and I agree about what “sustain” means, but help me accept YOUR definition. For now, please sustain me.

Tale of Two Leaders

2005-09-05T17:44:00.000-06:00

I recently reflected upon two biblical leaders. After reading their stories and thinking a bit, I offer some observations, thoughts and reflections about their failures and successes. And some application, for each one of us who are given the opportunity – and privilege - to lead others.

In 1 Kings, chapter 12, we see that Rehoboam, son of Solomon, failed to exercise his leadership with any real success. All of Israel came to Shechem to make him king, and it seems that he did have a great deal of popular support. However, he soon squandered that.

The new king was asked by Jeroboam and the entire assembly to “be considerate and lighten the load upon the people.” They assured him that such leadership would lead to their “followership,” saying “we will serve you” (if you listen to our concerns).

Rehoboam sought counsel from two diverse sources. First, he heard from the older men of his inner circle. They wisely advised him to “be a servant to this people, answer them well, and they will serve you forever.” Scripture tells us that, unfortunately, Rehoboam rejected their sage advice.

Then the throne turned to younger men (evidently Rehoboam’s peers), who said essentially that he ought to chastise the whiners, assert his authority and power, and aggressively enforce his very high standards.” Such talk appealed to the King’s pride and ego, and it seems, was irresistible.

We see in verse 15 the sad account of the decision Rehoboam made. He “did not hearken to the people” – dismissed their concerns – and in return, Israel revolted and instead followed Jeroboam.

Rehobaom showed arrogance, egotism, selfishness and foolishness. The outcome was a “divided kingdom” for the next 444 years. His poor leadership affected ten generations to come.

On the other hand, a man who had to deal with the effects of that divided kingdom, Nehemiah, was found to be a godly, effective leader of Jeruselem. After the Babylonians had captured Jerusalem and carried away captives, the holy city was left virtually destroyed. The story is chronicled in Nehemiah.

Chapter one records the beginnings of this leader. When Nehemiah learned of Jeruselem’s disrepair, he sat down and wept, mourned for days, and continued to fast and pray. A leader who cared, genuinely, about the city and its inhabitants, was about to be released by God to do a great work there! It started with his heart and humility.

Some time later (as detailed in Nehemiah chapter 5), after he started the rebuilding process, Nehemiah heard about injustice among the people. A practice of greed and usury was being carried out, even as he was attempting a bit work which could hardly afford for any lack of unity among the people. His response was not to overlook or ignore the situation. Instead, he expressed empathy and then called people (vision) to something better: treat each other fairly, justly, selflessly. And then, in effect, he said to them, “And I will show you what that looks like.”

He demonstrated sensitivity to the people’s sufferings by not laying heavy burdens or taxation upon them. Nehemiah reflected humility before God by refusing the trappings of power. He lived a life of frugality when he refused the typically generous governor’s food portions which were standard for those public officials. He showed a spirit of inclusion when he regularly invited quite a diverse cross-section of guests at his meals.

Nehemiah accomplished much with little – and in only 52 days the walls of Jerusalem, decrepit for so long, were rebuilt sufficiently to protect the refuges there and keep them safe from attack. He led wisely and with personal godliness, humility, empathy, and vision. He is often looked to as a very effective, successful leader.

The applications we can take from these two men are numerous. I could make a long list of ‘do’s and don’ts” but will try to boil my own thoughts down to two points. First, when we lead out of our own egotistical needs and with indifference toward our followers, we often cultivate difficulty and even disaster. This was tragically the case for Rehoboam.

Second, and conversely, when we lead with godly humility and with sensitivity to our followers and their concerns, we will often find great things happen. People will follow us more willingly and through hardship and challenges when we first show we care.

Followers want to know we care. When they have that assurance, as seen by our actions and attitudes, they’ll likely follow us through many difficulties and challenges.

301 and Counting

2005-07-12T08:57:00.000-06:00

"I have a prayer ministry," he said. "I pray for people around here."

I told David appreciated that, and he paused for a moment.

Suddenly he did a Columbo slap to the forehead. "Heh. I don't pray for YOU. Let me do that. Put your name on a sticky note and I'll pray for you."

As I wrote my name on the paper, he looked at me and said, "I probably pray for 300 people. Now it'll be 301. What difference does one more make?"

I smiled.

"There WILL be a difference. For me."

Expectations

2005-07-06T14:53:00.000-06:00

Why we hold onto expectations so firmly, I am not sure. How we form them seems to be related to who we were growing up and how we learned to cope with life’s disappointments and difficulties. What they do to us is clear: expectations shape our relationships, our attitudes, our choices.

My bride had certain expectations about her birthday. She wanted to go to the mountains, and that underlying hope/desire fueled her expectations that we would indeed trek to the hills for the weekend. There was also an expectation that this year she would simply live with the fact that her broken foot would prohibit any activities in the mountains. It is a lot of work to prepare for even an afternoon away…our crew requires food, clothing, and so much more. So these dueling expectations battled for supremacy in her mind, and in her hopes.

A week or two before her special day, she announced to me that she was praying God would do something special for her, that He would provide some meaningful escape. No mention of what that might be, just a feeling He was going to move. So when we found ourselves offered an opportunity to spend a week at camp, in a valley surrounded by Colorado “fourteeners,” on a property with a creek running through it and in a beautiful lodge…the answer was, with a smile, “Yes, I think so! Of course!”

We came to camp with expectations. Of rest. Reading. No coooking or kitchen clean up. Times playing with our children. Having some relief from the rather intensive care that our toddler requires (the camp offered child care, even knowing his special needs).

We’ve found all of those hopes met already, and we’ve only been here one full day. We’ve also had some things come up to challenge those very expectations. More on that next time.

Father’s Day 2005

2005-06-22T11:44:00.000-06:00

Awakened at 4:45 a.m., our toddler reminded that I am a Dad. He was screaming loudly. “Come get me outta here!” Delaying the rescue did not help the situation. He was not a happy camper until I went in and got him.

We laid in the bed for a while, and he was then ready to go. Downstairs for some game time. We played Tinker Toys. We read a book, “My Light.” We occupied, as the rest of the household was sleeping. This is okay, as it is Father’s Day, and I am with my son. Finally, Mom was up and took over the caregiving so I could go for my morning walk.

When I returned I told the girls I would take them out for a bagel. We had a grand time, talking about the 60s (try explaining that era to a 9 year-old) and an assortment of other interesting topics. A lady nearby kept watching us, why I do not know. I was pleased to be out in the public with three darling daughters. It is, after all, Father’s Day.

After lunch I was given a Father’s Day present, a very practical item. Who ever gives their Dad something that doesn’t require batteries, a cord or physical exertion? Nice little label maker so I can organize my life. I like it!

Our small group had a picnic in the late afternoon, and it was a most pleasant time. Good food (ate too much, always do at picnics) and good visiting with people we like and care for. The children had a grand time, and the rain clouds stayed away.

As we prepared for bed, our middle girl came to me and asked how my Father’s Day had been. Perfect, just perfect, thanks.

Saturday, Day 22: Homeward Bound

2005-05-26T06:13:00.000-06:00

After saying goodbye to our kind hosts, we headed south to DC. Only a few missed turns, and we arrived at Gene and Liz’s just after noon.

Dropping off the borrowed playpen and carseat, we then returned the van.
Operational miscue: Should have dropped off the passengers and luggage before going to Budget. Thanks to good friends, we hauled all the luggage to the terminal and dominated the check in area for half an hour.

Eating a quick meal at TGIF, amidst the busyness of the airport – and that of Zane. He is getting tired. BTW, glad that “blowout” diaper happened here and not in the air.

Rushing through security, then waiting for a delayed plane. Only a few minutes late, though.

Seat 15B: Thirty minutes of holding a tired, sleepy, over-stimulated, screaming toddler. Sorry about that, ma’am, I know you don’t like this, but neither do I and frankly, I don’t have many options here…

…Ah, the last row of the plane is empty. Zane fell asleep in my arms back there. Until someone let the nearby restroom door slam. Oh, look. He can be even louder when he is startled awake. Another thirty minutes. At least the attendant was understanding. Even asked is I needed anything. Finally eh went to sleep again, and didn’t arise until after touchdown.

Eating purchased sandwiches in DFW airport. Sitting on the floor. Happy baby. Not much talk. Weary, all. So good to have had this incredible trip. So glad to be going home.

Hit the ground right on time at 7:22 p.m. Well done, American! Our neighbor Mike was awaiting us at the airport at the appointed time. Grateful for his help in getting this crew home. Good to see ol’ Rojo, our Suburban. Nice to drive through the city towards our neighborhood.

The setting sun reminds me of how lovely Colorado springtime evenings are. The lawn, green and freshly mowed, looks great. The house is still intact. We only lost one pet, a parakeet who is now flying free – or in birdie heaven. The dog is waitig for us. The neighbor children are out playing. Dear Tony comes over, and expresses his joy at seeing us home (our children are fortunate to have him as a surrogate grandparent).

In a matter of only a few minutes the truck is unloaded, the re-entry is well underway.

So very glad we made this trip. So good to be home.

Friday, Day 21: All Good Things…

2005-05-26T06:12:00.000-06:00

…Must come to an end, and so this trip doth cometh to an endeth, as well. A rainy day when we awoke, and the gentle rain came down all day long. We hung around the farm, packing, having some down time. Paul and Sylvia tended to various tasks. In the afternoon I went to their radio station and had a brief time visiting the staff.

The evening was spent finalizing our packing and preloading the van. In bed at a reasonable time…thinking how rich a time we have had on this trip. So glad we made it. And yet, quite glad we are going home tomorrow.

Thursday, Day 20: Seeing Amish Country, Playing On The Farm

2005-05-26T06:10:00.000-06:00

Beautiful day. Our personal tour guide, having grown up in Lancaster County, knows the area very, very well. Paul took us to see the Boehme Church, city market downtown (wonderful old buildings all around), a gorgeous church built in the early 1700s, Willow Valley (a retirement center), and ended our a.m. tour at the Hans Herr House. The latter, built in 1719, is a fascinating structure, and we learned much about this historic landmark and the family behind it.

Oh, I think the windshield washer short is related to the AC fan. When the AC is turned on, and only at the two lowest fan settings, the washer runs. Any other condition and it is fine. I am uncertain how that works, but glad the mystery is solved! Just in time for the final two days of driving.

Back at the farm, we were put to work. The boys learned the tractor (which, by the way, their sister mastered the previous day) and did some mowing. They also took the “Gator” out for a spin on the property. I had the privilege of moving dirt for Paul, as he wanted to control erosion from the stream and that required a bit of front end loader work. What fun!

It is one thing to drive through and see Amish country. We had a most interesting visit with one of the neighbors, with whom an arrangement had been made. He took a break form his business of small diesel engine repair (their people do use such power for some farming purposes) and brought his horse and buggy over to the farm. Riding around for 10-15 minutes, learning firsthand a bit more about him, his family and their lives was a rich experience not soon forgotten.

The evening brought some frozen pizza out for the children, as the adults went to the renowned Sight and Sound Theater, which I think is in nearby Strasburg. It is a massive structure, finely appointed and stands out a bit like a sore thumb – only in that it is the kind of building one would expect to see in a metropolitan area, but sees oddly misplaced in rural Pennsylvania. It is, regardless, an impressive place visited by over 700,000 a year. The reason they come: live drama about biblical characters and events. The occasion this night was the opening performance of “Ruth.” It is hard to describe the ambition of the theater, but the exterior is not any more inspiring than the events inside. The acting, the sets, the scope…all was magnificent. Far more than was expected! And the presentation of the Good News was crystal clear. Met some very nice folks, indulged in some rich appetizers, and was inspired by the amazing story of Ruth. Wonderful evening.

Wednesday, Day 19: Gettysburg

2005-05-22T09:29:00.000-06:00

The boys and I went to Gettysburg today. Incredible, really, to envision the thousands who fought and died there. As a boomer, I am sure I learned this kind of history back in grade school. But the 60s are so long ago, and I must have forgotten so much of what I learned back then.

It was quite an experience to be here, and I gained a much better sense of the nature of the battle and the intensity of the fighting back then.

The boys and I looked around the visitor center, watched the Electric Map (while low-tech, it offered a good overview of the battles), walked a tour with a Park Ranger and then drove with an audio tour CD for a couple of hours. Really, really a worthwhile visit.

We returned with some dinner for all, and after more playing on the farm, retired.

Tuesday, Day 18: To Lancaster County

2005-05-22T07:18:00.000-06:00

Drove from Lehigh to Lancaster, with no compelling delays, stops or events. Paul & Sylvia were waiting for us, and welcomed us with open arms. They immediately showed us “the farm,” which is beautifully situated on a hilltop overlooking the valley. A 200 year-old house has been remodeled and it is lovely. They are gracious hosts to take us in.

For dinner we feasted on Pennsylvania Dutch fare at Good-N-Plenty, in a nearby community. What a spread they offered, and how we ate.

The wiper washer on the rental van is goofy, turning on and off at will. There is a mystery here, and I aim to solve it soon.

Monday, Day 17: Philly Traffic and Cheesesteaks

2005-05-22T07:17:00.000-06:00

“An hour,” they said, is all it would take to get into downtown Philadelphia. So, we optimistically made our way toward Independence Hall, planning to arrive mid-morning – in time to look around a bit before lunch. Hah! What foolishness…

Ah, the traffic. Living in the West I am unaccustomed to the constancy of thick, slow-moving, bumper-to-bumper stuff of daily life on the east coast. It took TWO hours to make the 58 miles trek into Philly, and we hit the visitor center for an overview of best options. Quickly grabbed somne of the last tickets for the Independence Hall tour, getting into the very last one of the day, scheduled for 4:30. Everything here out east closes at 5 p.m., so we had to be a-moving.

Met Bill and Kim and their two children and found some genuine Philly cheesesteaks for lunch (thanks, Bill!). They were greasy and good! After fueling up the gang, we made our way to see the Liberty Bell, which had a good bit of historical introduction along the walk preceding the actual bell. Then we toured a bit more of the grounds, and eventually saw the rooms where the Declaration of Independence was actually signed. What an amazing event to think about, and it was indeed a wonderful moment to be in the very rooms where our country’s founders met on that historic day!

We dawdled for half an hour to allow the afternoon rush hour traffic to thin out a bit before heading back to Lehigh. Only took 90 minutes to make it back, and a pleasant meal topped off the day.

Sunday, Day 16: Skyline Drive to Lehigh Valley

2005-05-22T07:15:00.000-06:00

Headed to Shenandoah National Park, just a short way from Charlottesville, and climbed the grade to Skyline Drive. At altitudes of only 3,000 feet, the “mountains” are much smaller than we are used to seeing in Colorado, but the scenic tour were certainly beautiful. Green and lush, the park offered numerous turn-outs and impressive views of the valley. Driving along, and thinking back to the creation of the National Park system, we are appreciative of the vision to preserve such treasured lands and all the efforts to keeping the system operating.

We stopped for a picnic lunch before pressing on toward Lehigh Valley, outside of Allentown and Bethlehem, PA. Used to living in the West, where it can take all day to traverse one state, I was struck by the fact that in a matter of an hour or so we had gone from Virginia on to West Virginia and into Maryland before crossing the state line into Pennsylvania. The farms and their tidy barns reminded me of life back in Wisconsin, so rural and agrarian.

That picture evaporated quickly enough as neared our destination. Inexplicably, on a Sunday afternoon, one giant traffic jam had developed. We waited on the Interstate for an hour, trying to make the last few miles to the hotel in Lehigh Valley. Finally, we arrived and settled in quickly so we could join our friends, Kostas and Kim, for a meal at the hotel restaurant.

Zane and Sophia reacquainted themselves again, for the first time in more than a year. They were cute as could be! What changes they have experienced in those13 months. They’ve obviously grown immensely, physically and emotionally, and each has developed quite a personality. It was very entertaining to see them interact! Indeed God has done great things in their lives, and we are ever so grateful for His good hand of blessing.

I am glad we could make this a stop on our trip.

Saturday, Day 15: Driving Adventures, Monticello

2005-05-16T06:43:00.000-06:00

Spent our morning enjoying, for one last time, the ocean. The view, the sound, the feel of the salty wind and the sand in our toes. A cool morning, with the sun trying to poke through the clouds. It has been a good respite here in Virginia Beach, but we must head out.

The drive west was eventful. We had bickering, vomiting, traffic jams and more…all before leaving the coastal area. To say that it was a great time would not be accurate. I will be so glad to arrive at our destination.

Yikes, traffic is thick, thicker than Minnesota mosquitoes. Wonder why? It is, after all, Saturday morning. We make little progress over the course of thirty minutes. Here it is: an accident. Sort of. A car is on the side of the road.

Here’s another reason for traffic. Richmond Raceway, where a big NASCAR event is taking place today. We’ll do our best to miss most of the 100,000 spectators.

Arriving later than we wanted at Monticello. The tour of the property is very informative, and the grounds are just lovely. Jefferson was exceptionally gofted at design and had a fabulous vision for his home. The house is an architectural landmark, of course. There were some story-tellers and exhibitions at the estate, which the children enjoyed.

Cheap dinner at “the Colonels,” and we missed the rain while dining. Stuffed into the hotel room (a freebie on rewards points”), we fell into a deep sleep…

Friday, Day 14: Dancing, A Ship, and (gasp) More Swimming

2005-05-13T09:44:00.000-06:00

Dancing With Waves
A chilly day. Cloudy, windy and cool. No ocean swimming today.

After breakfast, I took a strenuous Oceanside walk down toward the boardwalk. Disappointed to learn that it costs to even go out on the pier. Oh well, I will enjoy the water from the sandy beach.

On the way back, couldn’t resist the urge to run. Danced with the waves…staying as close as possible to the water without getting wet. In the waves came, out they went. I went back and forth, trying to let my senses protect me from anything quickly overtaking me from behind.

Back in the room, the baby was napping (already, at only 9:30 a.m. We have worn him out!). The children watched Monsters, Inc. on the laptop. Dena went for a walk (sans walking cast, on the beach), joined by Dakota. When Little Man wakes up we’ll head to the Navy Museum, housed in downtown Norfolk.

The Ship
We drove for about twenty minutes after lunch and found ourselves feeling mighty patriotic when we arrived at our destination. The tour was of the USS Wisconsin. A very fine tour of an historic destroyer. The tour was free, and the ship was quite impressive.

The docents were all WWII vets, and the first we spoke with had served on the USS Benjamin Franklin, for which the Wisconsin provided security at one point in the war. What stories he told! A fast ship, Iowa class, suffered no casualties in combat, enjoyed quite a service record in three active tours.

Later, I thought that this would ship and these men would make for a great documentary.

The Navy Museum, adjoining the ship, was fascinating. We were a bit tired, though, so did not stay as long as we might have earlier in the trip.

The Swimming
What could top off an arduous field trip to see a naval vessel? More swimming in the pool, of course! Then we ate…and then they went swimming again. Hooray! Some day we’ll have a vacation at a local hotel, and order out for the meals – or microwave something – and they’ll think it just a fine way to live…

After some reading, all will be in bed soon. Tomorrow, we pack up and head toward Charlottesville, VA to see Monticello.

Now at the two-thirds mark. I suspect this final week will fly by. Drink it in, JF, drink it all in.

Thursday, Day 13: Sun and Surf

2005-05-12T19:58:00.000-06:00

Last night I found the ocean sounds outside to be absolutely beautiful. Soothing. Powerful. A delight.

Today was an easy day to capture in words: Swim. Swim. Swim.

Swim in the Atlantic.

Swim in the outdoor hotel pool.

Swim in the indoor hotel pool.

Repeat.

Oh, we did take some walks. Mom pushed up the beach with the girls, looking for seashells. The oldest and youngest boys and I went the other direction, seeing nothing in particular, just catching the local flavors. After dinner, I took the girls up the beach. We had fun looking for trash and treasure. Found a fair amount of each.

By 9:00 pm all were in bed, save the scribe. Sunburned – slightly. Tired – quite.

Good day. No driving anywhere. No sight seeing anything.

Just swim. Eat. Swim. Eat.

Great day.

Wednesday, Day 12: Lingering & Leaving

2005-05-12T05:30:00.000-06:00

We lingered some more at Colonial Williamsburg today. I would not have thought it necessary, nor desirable, to spend yet a third day here. However, as previously stated, the place really is quite remarkable in its scope and offerings. We walked the streets, talked with wigmakers, brickmakers, tanners and more.

Toured the Wythe House, which – unusually – is the original structure in which Thomas Jefferson’s teacher lived. At 3,500 square feet, and beautifully appointed, it was quite a mansion. The hostess there told me that, at times, Washington, Franklin and Henry all dined and socialized in this very house.

All in all, a very memorable time here. With some reluctance, we left Colonial Williamsburg. Highly informative and educational, and entertaining.

Enjoyed…sandwiches!... as we drove eastward to Virginia Beach. Settled into a Courtyard, where we have an oceanfront room with two balconies and enough space for a few days. The children immediately enjoyed the ocean, where they began with mere steps into the cold water, but ended absolutely drenched. Little Man was frightened a bit initially but became comfortable with a bit of coaxing. He really laughed and splashed.

Youngest daughter found a fish washed up on shore. It was, in her delightful way of putting things, “half-cutted.” I love that little girl.

Tuesday, Day 11: Stepping Back In Time

2005-05-10T19:18:00.000-06:00

The entire day was spent at Colonial Williamsburg. Warm, sunny weather made our time most pleasant. And we stayed from 9:30 a.m. until nearly 6 p.m. Zane’s hour-long lunch-time nap made it a “do-able” day.

A highlight was the presentation by Patrick Henry. The man was quite persuasive and winsome, and our regard for him only increased after hearing such rhetoric.

Stopped at many shops, seeing the gunsmith, the miller, the baker, and more.

Another memorable event involved chatting with the Honorable John Page, who was enjoying some quiet time at the Raleigh Tavern (where Jefferson and others often spent hours in friendly conversation and sometimes heated debate). Mr. Page was most engaging, and three of the children spent a good part of an hour with him, learning many things about the days leading to Virginia’s declared independence, as well as some card games…perhaps parental supervision would have been in order!

Back to the hotel, where the girls are now swimming. They tell me the water is warm, although I don’t believe them. When they tire of this, or when they get hungry enough, back to the room for some dinner, and then bedtime. For the moment, however, the sun is still shining (albeit fading in intensity), and they are having a grand time.

Oh, now I am told by Mr. Seth that the new “odor-control” socks purchased last night at WallyWorld don’t work. I’ll choose to believe him.