i looked around and saw you . . . maybe for the first time

his eyes are more blue than i thought
she has developed a quick wit that made me proud
her cooking is as much or more an offering of love as her rare affection
his knees are worse than i remember
he is quiet but always there
she was so happy we came over
he is his father's son - to a t
you were not there and i really missed you
he always leads with his pride for his kids
her soul is as beautiful as her lovely physical features
she still giggles even at her age
he may be older soon but he is still a kid at heart
i noticed all of these things today . . .  and i am thankful

missed meanings

the subtle nuances of life are unintentionally missed
we are just living too fast
we pause to post on all that we have and all that we are thankful for
then we return to the race
what would happen if we actually took the time to fully appreciate what we are experiencing
i mean really immerse ourselves in what the day holds
love profoundly
forgive deeper
laugh richer
listen harder
learn more thoroughly
watch intently
speak with conviction
let's all prove our thankfulness by applying our energy to what we profess as our treasures

senior day

isn't it amazing what we learn from our children?  many of you might remember me telling of the saga of my youngest son's football career ending acl/meniscus injury . . . well, today was his senior day at school.  the day set aside to honor the graduating seniors.   a really fun and exciting day.  a celebration of four years of collegiate athletics. 

the drum line played as the freshman, sophomore and juniors took the field.  the seniors hung back to make their entrance on to the field where their families waited to escort them to center field.  i know a lot of them - - - q, frank, josh, snooks . . . and then cole. 

he walked on to the field with his teammates.  in his jeans.  and his university t-shirt.  and his jacket.  no uniform.  no helmet.  no game to be played.  that is not what i envisioned for him.  and i know it was not the dream he was hoping for either.  but sometimes life throws a curve in our plans.  something goes awry.  a job is lost.  a conversation was had.  an injury was inflicted.  the scenarios are endless.  how we deal with the scenarios is where the true worth of a person is revealed.


cole did his very best today.  he stood proud, his head up.  he shook hands with the head coach and graciously accepted a hug and a heartfelt comment that this is not the way his year was supposed to play out.  he shook hands with the university president and said thank you sir.


i am immensely proud of the man he has become.  even when things go to hell in a hand basket he persevered through.  a good lesson for this very early morning . . .

it appears someone else is driving

over the past 24 hours (or less) i have experienced firsthand three different and unrelated scenarios that have had a profound impact on me and my ability to perform at the level of personal and professional standards i have grown accustomed. 

thus my quandary:

• how much of life is chance
• how much of life is completely and utterly out of your own control
• how much of life should you just let roll as circumstances dictate
• how much of life is yours to try and manipulate and control
• where is the line between apathy and acceptance

for now - i surrender . . . i am just not sure to whom or what i have surrendered - and was it really ever mine to surrender?

it occurred to me

i went on a walk this morning.  my intent was to walk to the veteran's day parade (thank you veterans!).  as i walked i thought my thoughts.  here are a few of them.  

• litter - i don't get it . . . put it in a trash can . . . if for no other reason than emptying trash cans creates jobs 
• cigarettes - this will always be a mystery to me . . . but if you feel you must smoke please refer to bullet point above
• courtesy - in big cities where traffic is plentiful if a pedestrian steps into the crosswalk cars stop . . . it took me 5 minutes to cross my neighborhood corner . . . no one would wait for me to cross . . .then when i did they were fussy . . . what happened to common courtesy?  at this point i would settle for uncommon courtesy
• parades - i arrived at the starting point of the parade 20 minutes after it started . . . and it was over . . . i think the veteran's day parade should be the longest parade in the history of parades and hordes of people should attend
• degrading or off-color comments - maybe you think they are funny . . . i do not . . . in fact, i defriended a couple of you last week because of comments you put on my wall . . . nice thing about my wall . . . i get to choose and i do not choose you
• relaxing - for some reason society has bought into the notion that relaxing is either lazy or only a reward granted after a certain amount of labor is completed . . . i do not agree . . . i like to sit and think . . . quietly . . . with no music or television . . . it brings clarity
• sweet notions - confetti bath sprinkles look pretty when they hit the water . . . but they turn the water brown (lol)
• it is a good day when - your kids say i love you before they hang up the phone with you
• acceptance - my body doesn't look like it used to . . . but my mind and heart are in much better shape