Celebrating the Journey

Graduations are emotional experiences.  They are particularly moving when it is your youngest child….Last week I watched my third son receive his high school diploma. Both the valedictorian and salutatorian are friends of his, so I listened intently.  He has been friends with one of them since third grade.   As I listened to their well-prepared speeches that reflected on aspirations for the future, I thought about another event I would attend the next day. The day after graduation I was…

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My mother was always on the teacher’s side. What is wrong with that picture?  I felt the compelling need to be innocent until proven guilty.  But the problem is…she knew me all too well.  The guilty look on my face seldom vanished.  There was no need for due process of the law in our house.  My mother was relieved that I actually graduated from high school. And I went on to pursue undergraduate studies at Texas Tech. But I liked girls…

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The reality of the upcoming empty nest became a reality this afternoon.  This is the last time I will cook for a Super Bowl party while one of my boys is in high school.  I suppose there will be several more “lasts” before the graduation ceremony on May of this year.   As I reflect on the onset of the empty nest, several thoughts come to mind.  But there is one that is recurring.  Which son will be entrusted with choosing…

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I have officially jumped off the deep end. My close friends would be of a mind that I did that a long time ago. For the past several years I have wanted to enhance my pastoral care skills. I have had an interest in crisis ministry and related disciplines for over 20 years now. But I am seeing more everyday that my skill set needs to be expanded in that area.  How would I go about securing  in depth training?…

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Almost exactly 22 years ago we moved into a new rental house that would give us the opportunity to buy our very own refrigerator.  At the time, we had an active 2-year-old running around who needed a place to keep the milk in his sippy cup cold.  But, of course, we were living on a shoestring budget.  My little conniving mind formulated a plan in short order. I called my mother and said, “Can we have the 1970s gold refrigerator…

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My youngest son informed his brother recently that he was: “becoming dad.”  Mitchell had taken note of the fact that Daniel was consuming his coffee black. In fact, I think he was drinking Folgers Classic. Mitchell was appalled that his brother was “becoming dad.”  The truth is: Daniel’s accuser and younger brother is also “becoming dad” more than he wants to admit. We moved to Granbury just before Mitchell started his third grade year. Monday he will begin his senior…

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