There is such a thing as paternal instinct. And it is very different from its maternal counterpart. Dads are just tuned into a different frequency than moms. When I was at camp last month, being a dorm dad was part of my duties as the Head Men’s Counselor. The director strategically places me in a dorm room at the corner of the building on the first floor. At night I had a bird’s eye view of three boys’ dorms. I…
Today is my youngest son’s birthday. Mitchell turns 14 on this 8th day of July. I remember the story of his birth very clearly. The birth of each of our children represents something significant. In Mitchell’s case, he is the miracle child. Jan experienced a miscarriage in January of 1995. After all of these years, the pain of that loss is still real. Naturally we were cautiously optimistic when we found out she was expecting again later that same year….
Does anyone care? Everyday individuals in people helping professions of all kinds are going the extra mile to make a difference. Teachers put in all kinds of extra hours to help one struggling student. Nurses take the time to listen to a patient, who is lonely and scared. Firefighters and paramedics keep their skills sharp, so they can be prepared to take care of a person’s immediate medical concerns in the field. And then there are police officers. No one…
I must confess. I am careless. I leave my keys in a variety of nooks and crannies in our home previously unknown to mankind, so when it comes time to leave the house I am in deep trouble. Where did I put those keys? I leave things at the office that should go home. And I leave things at home that should be at the office. I lose grocery lists before arriving at Walmart. Our church treasurer tracks me down…
I have been hearing voices…again. Now that can be the sign of serious psychological problems, but in my case is it not. And reality really is my friend…I suppose I should tell the whole story. It all started one Monday morning at Academy Sports over on Bryant Irvin in Ft. Worth. (Monday is my day off.) I was over there “browsing” in the golf section when I heard Jan’s voice calling me sweetly and tenderly. I immediately thought it was…
The book The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates tells the story of two men with the same name. Both were born in Maryland. Both grew up with single mothers. Both had run-ins with the police by the time they were 11-years-old. But at this point their stories part. One Wes Moore graduated from of John Hopkins. He eventually became a Rhodes Scholar. He went on to serve as a White House Fellow under former Secretary of State Condoleeza…
I know they have it before, but I am going to say it again tomorrow morning. Young parents hear all of the time: Enjoy your children now, because they are going to grow up so fast! After you have heard it a few hundred times, you just don’t give it much thought. But it is true. Daniel was born very early in the morning on May 22nd, 1992. In fact he was born at shift change for the nursing staff….
Jordan Spieth is my hero of the week. The 16 year old Dallas high school student made professional golf headlines this week when he made the cut at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Only last week he was playing in the state high school golf championship. Spieth came within a few strokes of the lead Sunday afternoon before finishing his final round at two over par for a #16 spot. He charmed the galleries and seasoned pro golfers alike over…
Ready or not life moves on. Last night we went to the choir concert at Acton Middle School. Our youngest son sang a solo of the Beatle’s classic, “Let it Be.” I marveled at his obvious musical ability. He and his brothers are no doubt thankful that they inherited their mother’s musical abilities. Sometime during that concert it hit me. That event was the last middle school activity that I will attend. Mitchell moves on to high school status next…
My sweet bride of almost 26 years has displayed unimaginable patience with the four men she has lived with for a good portion of our married life. One husband and three boys… I have asked for years now what she did as a child that was so awful to deserve us. Her response is always the same: The Lord knew that we could not possibly function without her. She could be onto something there… Today I will tape a video…