Beautiful Rain

It's a rainy day and people are happy. That isn't the typical response to a rainy day but under current conditions in Wise County, rain is a good reason to smile, cheer up, jump for joy and dance (Dennis, don't start dancing until you are in your house). It's a beautiful sight after the paper's front page showed dried and badly cracking ground where livestock used to drink. Let it pour!


I appreciate school administrators and teachers. They have jobs that I describe as tough (being that I couldn't be in a room with that many kids for 30 minutes, much less all day) and the majority that I have met do it because they love the kids. We dealt with one such administrator today who kindly listened to us, talked to us and helped us find the best solution to an issue we had. With all the problems that public schools get beat up for, there are a lot of good people and a lot of good things that happen through the school system. I am thankful for them.


Tonight is the fantasy football draft for some guys from our church who have played for a few years. It's always a fun time and makes for an interesting football season. I truly think I could care less about professional football if it wasn't for this goofy league we have. The players are spoiled and pampered far too much for my taste but the camaraderie and trash talking among my friends makes it a fun experience.

Working for the Weekend

If you are from my generation, the title might invoke the memory of a song that used to play on the radio. I don't know why it popped into my head this morning but it did and now it won't go away.

Tomorrow will be a fun day for my son and me. We're going to the Rangers picnic where he will be able to get autographs from some of the current and past Rangers, tour the dugout and pressbox and do some other cool stuff. I'm hoping it will be as fun as it sounds. Any chance of a cold front blowing through?

My daughter has been working to run a mile in a set amount of time for her athletics class at school. She tested earlier this week and while she didn't make the time mark she wanted, she did shave off nearly 4 minutes in a week's worth of practicing. How incredible is that? I'm so proud of her effort and hope it will remain a memory with her that if she sets her goals high, she can achieve some great things. You go girl!

Have a great day!

The (Longer Than Should Have Been) Journey Home

We left our meeting yesterday hurrying to reach the airport to try and catch the 4:45 flight out of LA instead of the 7:45 flight. The first flight would get us home around 9:30, the second around midnight. We get to the gate and are told we will be on standby but a good chance of making the flight AND whether we make that flight or the later one, our luggage will go out on the first flight.

Sure enough, we get on the first flight and are quite happy knowing we will get home at a semi-reasonable hour. As we taxi to the runway, we stop and see a couple of flight attendants talking to someone in the front our of section. We wait...and wait and then the pilot comes on to notify us that someone doesn't want to be on this plane and we have to turn around. You can imagine the conversations that started all around us. We get back to the gate, they get the guy off (he looked like he might have been a gangbanger at one time) and come on to tell us that everything's OK, that his luggage was screened and they are sure it's OK to fly with us. This raises the panic level for many people who now want to get off the plane also and about 10-12 do so. We sit and sit while the police are interviewing the guy and members of the airport staff are checking they guy's seating area and overhead area for who knows what. Finally they tell us they will remove his bag from the plane so half of the people who got off now get back on.

As the story goes, he was leaving his wife but had second thoughts (maybe it was the idea of coming to 100+ degree weather). I don't know why he couldn't have had that revelation an hour earlier before we were ready to take off but we were finally off.

Remember me saying the guy at the ticket desk said our luggage would make the first plane no matter what? HA! My luggage was leaving this morning while the luggage of the guy with me had already left and was coming this way. We had to fill out baggage claims which was an unduly slow process and then they told the other guy he would have to come back and pick his up since it was already in the air. That took another 20 minutes of calling supervisors and arguing. Finally they agreed to deliver his luggage to Decatur.

I hate stressful travel. I couldn't sleep when I got home and I feel like I've been run over by a truck this morning...but I'm home. I got to see my wife for a few minutes (she had an early day) and hug my children and that makes it all OK.

Living California Style

I walked over to Venice Beach last night. There were people enjoying the sun and sand, fishing from the pier and surfing. There were several tourist types also. I don't know if the non-tourists types were tourists/vacationers or if they lived there but they all seemed to have one thing in a common - a desire to slow the pace of life down, to soak up the sun and enjoy the moment. If I could bottle it and bring it back with me, I would. I saw the same thing while in Brazil. The desire to enjoy the moment and not worry about all the things I too often let pressure me.

We worry so much and create so much stress for ourselves, it's no wonder we find ourselves weary, beaten down and ill. We create a world where there is so much to be done, we never find the time to do it all. (I realize this is a generalization and doesn't apply to everyone.) I applaud those who find ways to minimize the clutter and maximize peace in their lives. I even envy them a bit because I think of myself as one to shun creating that cluttered, busy, stress-filled environment but then find myself with something to do or somewhere to be each night of the week.

I hope I can learn the lesson that life is too short to fill it with worry about tomorrow, about tasks, about things I cannot control and that I fill it with the joy and peace God wishes for me. I hope you find it too.

Fly Away

A wild week is upon us. Tomorrow, I fly off to Los Angeles (Marina del Rey) for a 3 day work project. The highs are supposed to be in the low-80's. I haven't been looking forward to the trip but the weather will make it more bearable.

Tuesday is the start of school. It's going to be a wild week. My baby girl starts junior high athletics and has to be ready to be running at 7a.m. Things will be a bit hectic. We might have to start our own prayer walk!

My son and I are caught up in the Rangers pennant chase. They've been playing good ball but Oakland doesn't seem to be falling apart but there is always hope. We're going to the Ranger picnic Saturday and get to meet some players and tour the ballpark facility. It will be fun...and hot.

I hope you all do well while I'm soaking up the California coast. Be good!

Brighter Days

The rain over the weekend was nice. I'm really wishing we could get more of it and soon. I'm looking forward to fall and, hopefully, cooler weather and football.

School is just around the corner. I'll have to get started a little earlier and adhere to a better schedule than I have this summer. I better sleep in a few days this week.

I leave for LA next Monday and can't decide how many bottles of liquids to take on board with me just to see if they are paying attention.

The Rangers need pitching help. The fans need to quit booing the opposing players so much, especially a guy like Vladamir Guerrero. He appears to be a good guy but knocks the ball all over and out of the park when playing the Rangers. I hope the Rangers resign Carlos Lee.

One of my Store Managers is home today with an upset stomach. I recommened the Sonic coney but think he ran to the bathroom after I mentioned it.

Powerful Prayer

Last weekend, I participated in one of the best things I've ever done. Our Youth Minister set up a 24 hour Prayer Walk to pray for children going back to school. We signed up for 30 minute sessions and went to a room in our church building where 10 stations were set up. Each station had a specific thought to pray for, a scripture or piece of information to consider and a list of names of our youth to pray for specifically. When I got there, I didn't know if I could pray for 30 minutes, not knowing how it would work at the time. Once I got there and started, it was hard to finish in 30 minutes. I went once with my wife and enjoyed it so much that I signed up for the midnight shift. I took my son with me and he thought it was great. We took turns reading scriptures and praying at each station. What a blessing to share that time with him. He liked it so well that we ended up signing up again for the 7:30am shift to close out the 24 hours. Each time, I ran over a little and found myself tearing up thinking about the love being shown for these kids. So many of our church participated, both young and old, because of love.

I was blessed to spend the time in prayer and I trust our kids will be blessed because so many joined in to pray for them.

Twelve Years

Time rushes by. Twelve years ago and held a small baby in my hands and was amazed at what God creates. Twelve years ago I had a baby curl her small fingers around mine and she's had me in her grip ever since. Twelve years have gone by and that baby who could almost fit in one hand is nearly as tall as her mother, has braces with school colors and brings sunshine into my life each day. Twelve years has taught me a lot about life but a great deal about God. Through the blessing of my children, I feel I have come to know God better and how he feels towards me.

My daughter is a blessing in so many ways. She brings joy in how she handles herself with smaller children and she brings humor with her ways on the telephone. She is in the stage of going from child to young adult with all the humor and pain that comes with it. She is still a child and yet she is quickly becoming a mature, beautiful young lady.

Today, I thank God for sending me an angel. She is a gift, a blessing and a joy.

The Mental Shut Down

I've tried to write today but the mind is imploding at the end of the week. Between a TWC hearing, a workers comp audit, a response to an IRS notice and the normal day-to-day beatings, my brain is mush.

I was by the square today where a bunch of people are filming scenes for a TV show called Prison Break. I'm not familiar with it but couldn't help but wonder if the person who chose the location realized it would be 100+ degrees in Decatur today.

I'm at a bit of a loss for words today. The mind is slowing rapidly. All I need is for someone to stand in front of me repeating "you're getting very sleepy, very sleepy" and I'll be out in a second.

Have a great weekend.

Update

My little girl came through her surgery great. It was her first experience with this type of thing so the IV needle caused some big eyes but she made it through great.

Thank you for your prayers and concern for her and our family. We are all truly blessed.

Prayer Request

I ask for your prayers for my daughter this morning. She's having oral surgery and is a bit nervous. Please pray that she remains calm and that she will endure whatever pain there might be and that all goes well and as expected. Next week, she gets braces on the day before her birthday. After that, she might not open her mouth for a month.

Tonight, two children of a missionary family from Brazil are going to meet with us before church. It will be fun to see them and hear more about their future plans. I can't imagine uprooting during my final high school years and moving to a foreign country which is what they did. Now, they have graduated and are back to begin plans for some mission work of their own before entering college. I thank God for hearts that desire to take His message around the globe and in our own backyards.

I keep trying to think of something funny to put on here but it's elusive. Maybe writing in the morning is detrimental to humor of any kind for me. While I struggle to make you laugh, I hope you find something today that brings a smile, if not a loud laugh, to your face.