Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Now Will Our Dreams Come True?

Posted: August 25, 2010 in Family, Life
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Just got back from vacation. Had a wonderful time. What an adventure we had as my wife and I loaded up our four children and trekked down to Florida. Moreover, what a wonderful time we had as we explored the magical kingdom of Disney World.

Having four children, it was fun to see things through the eyes of two teenagers, an eight-year-old daughter and a just-turned-six year old son.

 One of my favorite moments occurred as we watched the fireworks display at The Magic Kingdom. My six year old looked up at me and said, “Now will all of our dreams come true?”

I did not answer; I just smiled.

 I love the innocence of children. Their ability to believe and have faith is untainted by the disappointing moments in life. My son heard the announcer say at the fireworks display that all of our dreams would come true. He simply believed. What a wonderful lesson in simple faith.

I did learn some other things while I was on vacation.

One, I learned that if you are miserable, angry, and unhappy…even Disney cannot fix that. I saw many people fighting, arguing, and tearing each other down. It was sad.

Two, I also learned that the best part of my vacation was what I left with. Incidentally, it was also what I came with. I arrived at Disney with a wife who loves me, and four wonderful children who like me! I arrived at Disney with peace in my heart that comes from my relationship with God. I arrived at Disney with hope for the future that stems from my faith in that same God.

As wonderful as Disney World is – and yes, I am just a big kid when I am there – the best part of my vacation came home with me. For true happiness and genuine fulfillment is not found in where we are or what we are doing; true contentment is discovered in the relationships we have.

 I look forward to my next vacation. However, though our tour of the wonders of Disney is over, I am still smiling as I hold my wife, gaze at my children and pray to my God.

Hmmm…I guess all of my dreams did come true.

Random Thoughts on Dadhood

Posted: June 18, 2010 in Family, Life, Seasonal
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In honor of my father and in retrospect of being a dad, these are random words and phrases that captured my thoughts.

Smiles and frowns

Bumps and bruises

Lessons learned; lessons taught

 Incomprehensible love; unbearable heartache

 Asleep in the back seat; Awake at the wheel

Asleep in his arms; asleep in my lap

Diapers…

Late nights; early mornings

I love you dad; I love you too

Little hugs; slobbery kisses

 Remembering; Forgetting; Forgiving; Missing

Hopes and dreams; disappointments and heartache; hopes and dreams again

Unscheduled fun

Doctors visits; Dentist appointments; retainers; braces; an uninsured smile

Baseball; softball; soccer

Music He likes; Music I like; Music my kids like; Music we all like

Playing guitar; Playing piano; Playing together

Winning moments; painful losses

Homework he don’t understand; Homework I can’t comprehend; Homework that doesn’t get done

Learning to ride a bike; teaching to ride a bike; learning first aid

Christmas morning

Going anywhere with dad; going anywhere with my kids

Children’s movies

 Legos and tinkertoys… x-box and the wii

The little Rascals; Gilligan’s Island; The Brady Bunch – Dora the explorer; Spongebob; Hannah Montana

Teenagers; cell phone; texting; internet

Learning to drive; patience; dents; insurance

Dating; first impressions; broken hearts; crushes; first loves; a father’s hugs

Behavioral training; attitude adjustments; being grounded

Money saved; money spent…money spent… money spent

Vacations

Time lost; time found

School programs; music recitals

 College; Careers; Marriage; Kids

Life decisions

Praying together; Church together

Learning what matters most; realizing what doesn’t matter

Learning to cherish every moment, before the moments are gone.

Happy Father’s day dads.

I Almost Lost It

Posted: May 25, 2010 in Family, Leadership, Life
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Last week was a very busy week for me.  I had something scheduled every single day. It seemed like I had something scheduled every hour.

I went home for a brief moment to clean up, change clothes and prepare to return to the regularly scheduled programming of my busy life. As I went to leave, I realized I had misplaced my phone.  I began the frantic search to find it.  I looked everywhere. Under the couch. In the bedroom.  In the bathroom. On the stairs.  On the kitchen table.  I even looked in the refrigerator.  Hey…you never know!

At the heat of the search, my five year old son kept trying to talk to me.  “Daddy, I want to tell you something.”

He interrupted me numerous times.  He was following me from room to room.  Trying to talk to me, trying to get my attention.

However, his dad had more important things to do, had places to be, had people to see…his dad did not have time to talk.  Couldn’t he understand?

Then, after searching for my phone for almost thirty minutes, I gave up because I had to leave.

As I left, my son met me at the door and looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said, “Dad, I just wanted to tell you something… I found your phone…here.”

Wow…

There are so many things I could say right here.  But I will just say this.  Do not let the busyness of life rob you of the importance of life.  Because, in our busyness it is possible to miss the fact that what we are searching for may be right in front of our face.

Little Teachers

Posted: April 14, 2010 in Family, Life
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Have you ever experienced this?  You are in the middle of a conversation.  And honestly, you are not really listening.  Then, something is said that pulls you back into the moment, grabs your attention, and impacts your life.

I’ve had those conversations.  In fact, I had one just the other day.  I was talking to two people about their schooling.  They were sharing the good and bad of their educational experiences.  One of them shared about a day that was particularly memorable. The other person listened intently, and then she said something that took me from being a casual listener to being fully engaged in the conversation.  She said, “Aww…Kindergarten, that was the best year of my life.”

I laughed as I looked at my sincere little second grade daughter talking to her little brother about the “good old days”.

Admittedly, I learn a lot from listening to my children.  My seven year old daughter looking at kindergarten as the good old days spoke to me…after I quit laughing.  She made me think about what really matters.  She caused me to take personal inventory of my priorities.  And she made me want to be a kid again.

Sometimes, we as adults can take ourselves too seriously. 

Jesus said,

Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in. Mark 10:15

God help us to look at life as little children lest we miss the best He has for us.