Posts Tagged ‘memories’

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 Choose…

Posted: May 11, 2010 in Leadership, Life
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I was thinking about yesterday.  Actually, I was thinking about many yesterdays. I have lived long enough to have built up quite a collection. 

There are many things stored in my yesterdays: Good memories; Bad memories; Painful memories; Joyful memories.  And within each memory, there are multiple emotions waiting to be relived: joy, sadness, anger, hope, anxiety, love, remorse, happiness.

Then I thought about tomorrow.  Tomorrow is powerful. Tomorrow simultaneously brings the hope of new beginnings and the dread of problems or the pain of bad situations that never seem to change.  Sometimes tomorrow looks promising; sometimes it worries me and fills my heart with dread.

When I look at yesterday, I often want to go back in time and fix things I messed up.  Or, go back and relive joyful moments I never want to forget. When I look at tomorrow, I want to leap ahead and see what is about to happen.  I want to see the future so I can prepare for the worst or make sure I don’t miss something good that is about to take place.

And when I am done reminiscing about yesterday and dreaming about tomorrow, I realize where I am. I am here. Not in yesterday. Not in tomorrow. But I am here…in the moment of today.  And it is then I begin to live. 

For while yesterday holds the power of memories gone by and tomorrow possesses the attraction of the unknown moments ahead, it is today which wins the contest for my attention. 

Yesterday you are powerful; you can hold me back or propel me forward. Tomorrow, you are strong with your ability to infuse me with hope or weigh me down with worry. But today, only in you can I actually live. 

So thank you yesterday for the memories. Thank you tomorrow for the promise of new beginnings.  But, I choose today, because only you are the gift from God that gives me the opportunity to live.

I have instructed you TODAY…so that your confidence may be in the Lord. Proverbs 22:19