http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF9jLHbOpMY&feature=related
Heaven.
I dreamt I went to heaven.
Saw people embracing each other with wide saucer eyes and tears of joy flowing. It was a sea of people from every nation.
People from the middle east, asia, south america...and I understood every word. It was a party of the ages. In the midst, I knew whatever man does, God does better - even throwing parties and reunions.
I blinked away the tears.
Then someone grabbed me from behind.
Instantly I knew her - it was my daughter. I picked her up - and she said, "Daddy, daddy...I love you."
Giants tears streamed down my face, and my nostrils flared. It was my little girl I lost - Abigail. I hugged her till she gasped with a laugh, "...you're squeezing the breath out of me." I held her stroking her hair, as my tears soaked her white robe. I looked into her eyes and I saw myself. She was beautiful.
Then...Michele comes walking in the distance with our son, Asher.
I looked at Michele smiling and looked back at Abigail, "Well, look who's coming."
Abigail smiled and pecked a kiss on my cheek, "That's my brother."
I smiled back, "I know."
May 27, 2010
May 12, 2010
A father's gift
a gift
I remembered when I was young my dad would do small things that seem so insignificant at the time, but they were pebbles thrown into the lake that rippled through my entire life. To this day my dad's action still 'ripple' into my life.
One gift he gave was the gift of reading: my dad didn't have a budget to buy anything we wanted as children, but whatever resources he saw he would avail himself to it. One such thing was books. At the school where he was custodial manager he would collect books that the school would throw away and he would bring them back to the house.
Bring them back he would: boxes of them!
As a child there was no greater experience then perusing the books with different pictures and stories. It was a world at our feet for my sisters and I. I read about Abraham Lincoln to George Washington Carver to Curious George. This path and my dad's example of always reading his newspaper and a cup of coffee set me on a foundation of reading. My sister is an English teacher with an M.A. all in literary and education. I am now in communications existing in a world where I must read all the time.
Reading kept me out of trouble, expanded my mind and made me a life-long reader.
My dad didn't think much of it: there were free books and he scooped it up for his children. In turn he gave a priceless gift of life-long learning and the love of reading.
I doubt if my dad would ever consider how this simple act would have resulted in the ramifications it did.
Thanks dad.
I remembered when I was young my dad would do small things that seem so insignificant at the time, but they were pebbles thrown into the lake that rippled through my entire life. To this day my dad's action still 'ripple' into my life.
One gift he gave was the gift of reading: my dad didn't have a budget to buy anything we wanted as children, but whatever resources he saw he would avail himself to it. One such thing was books. At the school where he was custodial manager he would collect books that the school would throw away and he would bring them back to the house.
Bring them back he would: boxes of them!
As a child there was no greater experience then perusing the books with different pictures and stories. It was a world at our feet for my sisters and I. I read about Abraham Lincoln to George Washington Carver to Curious George. This path and my dad's example of always reading his newspaper and a cup of coffee set me on a foundation of reading. My sister is an English teacher with an M.A. all in literary and education. I am now in communications existing in a world where I must read all the time.
Reading kept me out of trouble, expanded my mind and made me a life-long reader.
My dad didn't think much of it: there were free books and he scooped it up for his children. In turn he gave a priceless gift of life-long learning and the love of reading.
I doubt if my dad would ever consider how this simple act would have resulted in the ramifications it did.
Thanks dad.
May 4, 2010
Snippy
Once in a while you'll take a shower and then it just hits you.
That thought of 'duh!'.
For me it was about my comments about my wife:
• careful on the hair, you're burning it...
• use proactiv instead of rubbing alcohol for pimples..(valid)
• do this...
• don't do that..
Started nagging her like a old woman with nothing to do.
Then I realized that I was more critical lately than uplifting. I had to have a change of mind.
• I called to ask Michele's forgiveness
• I said I loved her and admitted my critical spirit lately
• I had to humble myself
Such a course of action was needed and dramatically too, things like this can be the 'driving wedge' between a relationship or more importantly a marriage. If you get use to your 'correctness' and there were some points I was correct, but the spirit of my admonishments were wrong.
Admittingly, I could excuse the recent comments as part of stress or whatever, but it doesn't matter: God is against the proud, but gives Grace to the humble. Pretty easy choice. I don't like being against God in any situation.
The other thing is this: I aim to safeguard and protect our marriage. A woman is only what she can be as the result of the 'feeding and nurturing of her husband'. If I keep being critical it'll eat away at Michele and that's simply wrong.
I was wrong in my words, and I've learned.
James said words are more powerful than we can imagine: hurtful words are described as 'as if set by hell fire itself' - it's simple interpretation: it's a blazing-white hot fire with destruction in it's path. Seen a forest fire? It's devastating. The power and speed of it is simply awesome.
That thought of 'duh!'.
For me it was about my comments about my wife:
• careful on the hair, you're burning it...
• use proactiv instead of rubbing alcohol for pimples..(valid)
• do this...
• don't do that..
Started nagging her like a old woman with nothing to do.
Then I realized that I was more critical lately than uplifting. I had to have a change of mind.
• I called to ask Michele's forgiveness
• I said I loved her and admitted my critical spirit lately
• I had to humble myself
Such a course of action was needed and dramatically too, things like this can be the 'driving wedge' between a relationship or more importantly a marriage. If you get use to your 'correctness' and there were some points I was correct, but the spirit of my admonishments were wrong.
Admittingly, I could excuse the recent comments as part of stress or whatever, but it doesn't matter: God is against the proud, but gives Grace to the humble. Pretty easy choice. I don't like being against God in any situation.
The other thing is this: I aim to safeguard and protect our marriage. A woman is only what she can be as the result of the 'feeding and nurturing of her husband'. If I keep being critical it'll eat away at Michele and that's simply wrong.
I was wrong in my words, and I've learned.
James said words are more powerful than we can imagine: hurtful words are described as 'as if set by hell fire itself' - it's simple interpretation: it's a blazing-white hot fire with destruction in it's path. Seen a forest fire? It's devastating. The power and speed of it is simply awesome.