Jan 05
I haven’t yet seen the latest Star Wars movie. The debut of “The Force Awakens” occurred exactly one year after the wake of our nineteen year-old son, Elijah. Ironically, I was nineteen when the first Star Wars movie debuted. More ironic, I suppose, is the movie’s name. Ever wonder why we hold a …
Nov 30
Thanksgiving Day is when most Americans give thanks for their abundant blessings. The day after is called ‘Black Friday’, when ironically most Americans add to their abundance during the busiest shopping day of the year. For our family, Black Friday took on a new, horrible meaning last year. Around 10:30pm, our son Elijah fled barefoot into …
Oct 29
It’s the end of October, and the baseball season has reached its climax. The World Series for Major League Baseball is one of the more significant events in sports. Well, at least in North America. Which makes me wonder why they named it the WORLD series. Seems a bit overstated, since only two countries …
Oct 21
“What goes around, comes around.” I’ve repeated that phrase countless times. Maybe you have, too. I understand the basic meaning, but there’s something more significant to it. It reminds me of a boomerang. And it reminds me of the recurring seasons of life. I am going to call it the Law of Cycles. Think about your day …
Sep 12
“Happy birthday, Elijah.” Nineteen times we celebrated those words. Today would have been the twentieth. For nineteen years we laughed and joked, opening gifts and blowing out candles. Today we choke back tears and reflect on the impact Elijah had on our lives. Birthdays are usually pretty exciting events, especially for children. As parents, we love to …
Jun 28
Enough. It’s such a simple word. We use the word all the time and hardly think about it’s significance. For the most part, we use the word ‘enough’ to describe some sort of target or limit. When compared to the limit we have in mind, we say that we have more than enough, or perhaps not …
Jun 21
I’m writing this on Father’s Day. Anyone who has lost a child will know how difficult are holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The focus on being a father is obviously a focus on the blessing of children. Those of us fortunate enough to become fathers understand the privilege of delighting in our kids. …
Jun 17
An old song by Peter, Paul and Mary asks the question, “Where have all the flowers gone?” All the flowers are picked by young girls, who in turn are picked by young men, who ultimately end up in their graves. The graves all give themselves over to flowers, and the cycle begins anew. While we can’t …
May 23
Finish lines are fascinating. They exist in so many areas of our lives. But if you think about it, they don’t actually exist in the natural order of things. We create them and impose them on ourselves. They are uniquely human, and we are the only living creatures that use them. Humans not only have the …
May 16
I’ve spent a lot of time dwelling on family memories these past months. It’s amazing how much more valuable memories become when we lose someone we love. All of this has made me appreciate memories in a whole new light. I had never really thought about memories as having value. And I suppose it’s true that some …
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