Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Ping Pong Panic
If you're wondering why you haven't heard from us in awhile, it's because we're busy playing on our new Ping Pong table.
We've been wanting one for a very long time, and we got tired of waiting for Rob to build one out of plywood and two-by-fours. And they had one on sale at the sporting goods shop.
The only trouble we had was that it was too big to fit in the van, so we had to rent a truck to get it home!
But it was worth it. The kids are having a blast.
Now if we could only find all the balls that have gone missing...
We've been wanting one for a very long time, and we got tired of waiting for Rob to build one out of plywood and two-by-fours. And they had one on sale at the sporting goods shop.
The only trouble we had was that it was too big to fit in the van, so we had to rent a truck to get it home!
But it was worth it. The kids are having a blast.
Now if we could only find all the balls that have gone missing...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Forty-Niners
Can it really be forty-nine years already?
Seems like just yesterday it was twenty-five, and we were all gathering back in Virginia to surprise Mom and Dad with a little celebration. Ah, we were so young back then! How the time has flown.
One wonders, at times, what gems of wisdom we might have gathered in our early years from observing the relational dynamic between our parents. In comparison to the emotional ebbs and flows in other families, most noticeably those of my friends at school, our house was a haven of peace and calm; our parents were not confrontational or argumentative. It was the children who were combative (some of us more than others).
These are a few Lessons Learned from those days which I seek to retain in my adult life.
The family is a team. We work together. We do not argue over who is responsible for this task or that task; in the end, these tasks must be done, and we all must take the initiative when we are given an opportunity so as to benefit the group rather than the self.
And John Denver music goes great with a vacuum cleaner.
Dinner time is a Holy time, when we set apart our differences and our anger and our frustrations, and concentrate on just being together, enjoying the meal and the company, being thankful for all that we have been given, and focusing on our blessings.
Corollary: Do not force children to eat what they do not like. If you don't want to waste food, buy a dog.
Parents may have their differences, and should not be afraid to discuss their differences in front of their children; it is their common goals, however, that set the tone for the family, especially their spiritual goals. At the end of the day, the parents demonstrate that they are committed to one another in fellowship and mutual encouragement, spiritually uplifting one another regardless of trivial differences of opinion on wordly concerns.
If you argue in front of the children, always make up in front of the children.
Each one of us has special gifts, and these gifts should be recognized, encouraged and celebrated regardless of cultural or traditional expectations. Likewise, we all have our limitations, and these limitations should be recognized as well so as to provide opportunity for others to serve. It is no shame to be particularly good at something, nor is it shameful to allow others to help when our own abilities have reached their limit.
It is not a question of who has the gift, but rather how the gift will be used to benefit the whole.
Time is precious. Finding time to spend with one another is the most difficult task, and the most important. This is not only true for time sent with the children, but also for time spent with the spouse. It is better to lose out on a few extra dollars at work than to lose out on a few hours with the family, because money comes and goes, but time simply goes.
No job is so important that it takes precedence over family.
Stories define us but do not limit us. Family history tells us who we are, where we came from, where we have achieved greatness, and where we have fallen. We cannot change the past, but we also cannot hide it. It is important to tell these stories early so that the children understand these legacies and are not afraid of admitting the humanity of their ancestors. We all must learn to tell our own stories so that our collective knowledge can be passed down to future generations.
A story told is a memory shared.
* *
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
Seems like just yesterday it was twenty-five, and we were all gathering back in Virginia to surprise Mom and Dad with a little celebration. Ah, we were so young back then! How the time has flown.
One wonders, at times, what gems of wisdom we might have gathered in our early years from observing the relational dynamic between our parents. In comparison to the emotional ebbs and flows in other families, most noticeably those of my friends at school, our house was a haven of peace and calm; our parents were not confrontational or argumentative. It was the children who were combative (some of us more than others).
These are a few Lessons Learned from those days which I seek to retain in my adult life.
The family is a team. We work together. We do not argue over who is responsible for this task or that task; in the end, these tasks must be done, and we all must take the initiative when we are given an opportunity so as to benefit the group rather than the self.
And John Denver music goes great with a vacuum cleaner.
Dinner time is a Holy time, when we set apart our differences and our anger and our frustrations, and concentrate on just being together, enjoying the meal and the company, being thankful for all that we have been given, and focusing on our blessings.
Corollary: Do not force children to eat what they do not like. If you don't want to waste food, buy a dog.
Parents may have their differences, and should not be afraid to discuss their differences in front of their children; it is their common goals, however, that set the tone for the family, especially their spiritual goals. At the end of the day, the parents demonstrate that they are committed to one another in fellowship and mutual encouragement, spiritually uplifting one another regardless of trivial differences of opinion on wordly concerns.
If you argue in front of the children, always make up in front of the children.
Each one of us has special gifts, and these gifts should be recognized, encouraged and celebrated regardless of cultural or traditional expectations. Likewise, we all have our limitations, and these limitations should be recognized as well so as to provide opportunity for others to serve. It is no shame to be particularly good at something, nor is it shameful to allow others to help when our own abilities have reached their limit.
It is not a question of who has the gift, but rather how the gift will be used to benefit the whole.
Time is precious. Finding time to spend with one another is the most difficult task, and the most important. This is not only true for time sent with the children, but also for time spent with the spouse. It is better to lose out on a few extra dollars at work than to lose out on a few hours with the family, because money comes and goes, but time simply goes.
No job is so important that it takes precedence over family.
Stories define us but do not limit us. Family history tells us who we are, where we came from, where we have achieved greatness, and where we have fallen. We cannot change the past, but we also cannot hide it. It is important to tell these stories early so that the children understand these legacies and are not afraid of admitting the humanity of their ancestors. We all must learn to tell our own stories so that our collective knowledge can be passed down to future generations.
A story told is a memory shared.
* *
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
Friday, October 03, 2008
Fall, as in First Day Of
It is the first day of Fall.
Not officially, of course. That's past. But October 1st was the first day that the temperature reflected the season. It was cool, the kind of weather which prompts one to pull out the sweaters from the storage box and have a nice, hot cup of cocoa and look out the window at the turning leaves.
Adam looks out the window at the thermometer every morning now as he is going out the door to school, checking to see if he is wearing the appropriate layers. {The needle range has dropped somewhat, idling between forty and fifty, prompting the use of heavier jackets.} Oddly enough, on that first cold day, he still wore his shorts -- with the jacket.
The rains will be coming soon. Not terribly cold - yet - but signaling that our long dry spell is coming to an end, and the storms of Autumn will be rolling in.
The bicycles may still be useful for getting to school for a while, probably until the end of November; but then the wind and the temperature and the precipitation will conspire to reduce their usefulness, and they'll be put away in the loft of the garage where we won't trip over them, and true Winter will begin.
Meanwhile, we're hoping that the road crews will finish their work so we might be able to take advantage of the new bike paths before the snow comes along and freezes the world into immobility.
Not officially, of course. That's past. But October 1st was the first day that the temperature reflected the season. It was cool, the kind of weather which prompts one to pull out the sweaters from the storage box and have a nice, hot cup of cocoa and look out the window at the turning leaves.
Adam looks out the window at the thermometer every morning now as he is going out the door to school, checking to see if he is wearing the appropriate layers. {The needle range has dropped somewhat, idling between forty and fifty, prompting the use of heavier jackets.} Oddly enough, on that first cold day, he still wore his shorts -- with the jacket.
The rains will be coming soon. Not terribly cold - yet - but signaling that our long dry spell is coming to an end, and the storms of Autumn will be rolling in.
The bicycles may still be useful for getting to school for a while, probably until the end of November; but then the wind and the temperature and the precipitation will conspire to reduce their usefulness, and they'll be put away in the loft of the garage where we won't trip over them, and true Winter will begin.
Meanwhile, we're hoping that the road crews will finish their work so we might be able to take advantage of the new bike paths before the snow comes along and freezes the world into immobility.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Chocolate Bread
It wasn't Cheryl's famous chocolate chocolate-chip banana bread, but it was still a welcome break at work. One of the nice people at the office brought in a loaf of chocolate bread (Amish friendship bread with cocoa and chocolate chips), which sweetened a few meetings - and there were quite a few meetings today.
Funny how the day zips by so quickly when so many hours are spent in meetings. Today it was
* meeting at 9
* meeting at 10
* meeting at 11
* meeting at 1
* meeting at 2
* picking up Adam from Chess Club at 3:30 -- or was it 4?
Most of the day is spent juggling other people's work, actually; talking to them or sending emails, trying to make sure they are properly tasked with work and not running into roadblocks. Trying to keep them from having to attend all the pointless meetings on my schedule. Let them do the real work.
Tomorrow I get to give a group of college students a tour of the factory. That's going to be the highlight of my work-week.
Funny how the day zips by so quickly when so many hours are spent in meetings. Today it was
* meeting at 9
* meeting at 10
* meeting at 11
* meeting at 1
* meeting at 2
* picking up Adam from Chess Club at 3:30 -- or was it 4?
Most of the day is spent juggling other people's work, actually; talking to them or sending emails, trying to make sure they are properly tasked with work and not running into roadblocks. Trying to keep them from having to attend all the pointless meetings on my schedule. Let them do the real work.
Tomorrow I get to give a group of college students a tour of the factory. That's going to be the highlight of my work-week.
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