Memorial Day Memories

A cool drink given on a hot Memorial Day

Memorial day, when we gather together to remember and honor those who have served our country. It's amazing that so many memories can be made today while celebrating those of yesterday. Memorial Day is a perfect time to create those moments you will always remember with your family.

This photo will be a time I will always remember. George actually sharing something with his little sister! On this hot day, a cool drink is given from brother to sister. With all of the swatting, snatching, and screaming that goes on between these two, it's adorable interactions such as this one that make parenting worth it all.

Dreams and Promises

Daddy's Dream Car

I still remember the day I first laid eyes on it. My father owned a towing service & junk yard in New Jersey. Way in the back, with weeds and tall grass up to the windows, sat what would become my first big hope of connection with my dad. A 1980 Monte Carlo SS!

Like many hopes I had of getting to know and learn from my father, this one would only sit among the tall grass of my heart. Before we get there, let me share the abbreviated story of how this hope became just another weight in the already sinking ship of hopes.

The Beginning of Wisdom?

It's Starting!

Driving down the road, I looked in the rear view mirror and there it was. So noticeably nestled among the fertile flowing hair of my youth. White! One long flowing strand in a forest of healthy brown hair.

I'm thirty-one! Isn't that too young? Shouldn't I have another five years or so before this starts to happen? I know we are all headed in the same direction when it comes to age, but I'm not sure if I am ready for salt & pepper hair ( well, there is always the Clooney look!) or white hair (is that the Moses look?). Life has got it's stresses with family, work, ministry, and everything else, so what is gained?

Learning to Listen

Our son George in "time-out". Not to happy either!

"Are you going to listen to Daddy?" I ask my son. His reply? A rather distinguished "NOPE". Two years old and already trying to be boss. It is hard to get across to a two year old that you want them to listen because you love them and want what is best for them. You want them to listen to keep them safe and out of harms way.

Learning to listen for a two year old is a daunting task I am finding out. Not being sure if he understands when I tell him to listen to me can be difficult. Yet, with answers like "Nope!" sure makes me think he knows fine and well what daddy is saying!

Knowing and Being a Father

George, Stephanie, Robert

By all appearances, three children sit on their couch with the whole world ahead of them. Without a care in the world they smile at the camera knowing that life is good because mommy and daddy have everything in control . That is until the "D" word strikes this home with a vengeance. Disaster... maybe, Destruction... could be, Divorce.... it is.

This is a photo of me, my sister Stephanie, and my brother Robert. We were normal kids growing up in what should have been the normal American home in the 1980s. Yet, things are not always picture perfect. It was not long after this photo was taken that our lives were radically changed  forever.

SuperDad

Who...

Is quicker than a speeding tricycle,
Jumps cars (matchbox) in a single leap,

Can withstand toxic aromas of "#2s",

Endures long hours of Yo Gabba Gabba,
Hears sirens of toy cars from 100 ft,

Transforms into a human jungle gym,

 and only has one weakness

absentmomonite...

SUPERDAD 

O.K, true test of wits and power here! We are going to be without mommy for a whole week! That's right, Daddy, our two year old son, and one year old daughter. This is going to be interesting. Here I stand at the gates of uncharted territories with only three weapons of choice... food, toys, and diapers (which reminds me that I have to get some diapers before I find myself in a stinky situation!). I am really going to get a good taste of what Lisa does on a daily basis 24/7/365. 

Learning To Walk With Daddy

There comes a time when our children have to go from crawling to walking. These are exciting times as a parent. What a classic picture that most parents have the chance to snap! This is our daughter Lilly. Daddy is teaching her how to use her new mode of transportation. We see her clinging to daddy's fingers for balance as she navigates her terrain in a new way.
 
This process starts by the child learning how to crawl. Lilly started by rolling all over the place. She slowly  learned to crawl, but once she figured it out she was on the move! Next, we taught her to stand and balance herself. I remember getting excited at  just a couple of seconds of balance. Then, she started scaling the couch and other furniture with an adventuresome look in her eye to do what her older brother was so good at... walking! So daddy and mommy started the process in the picture and Lilly began learning to walk while holding tightly to daddy's fingers.

What Steers the Home

Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it 

will eat its fruit.

A teacher of mine shared a story about a boy named Stu. Stu's dad would yell and scream at him all the time. "Stu, you can't do anything right!", "Stu, you are an idiot!" "Stu, you are worthless!". When this story was being told I always cringed at the last statement Stu's dad would say; "I don't call you Stu because your name is Stuart... I call you Stu because you're STUPID!"
If my memory serves me correctly, this was a true story. Either way, the point really gets your attention... WORDS HURT! My teacher would always end this story with "What do you think Stu believed about himself as an adult?"