Archive for the ‘Life’ Category

It happened to me. Has it ever happened to you? You are going about your life, “living” day-by-day when suddenly something triggers your memories. Memories of the “good old days.” Memories of the person you used to be. Memories of the person you “thought” you would grow up to be. It happened to me. I was playing football in the front yard with my five year old son this weekend. Something I do far too little of these days. He wanted to play tackle, but I did not want to get dirty. I did not want to get tired. But watching him had a profound affect on me. You see, I saw myself in him. I saw that young boy who longed for nothing else than to be outside playing football. Running, jumping, playing. I could not help but wonder, where did that little boy go? You know the one. The kid who would rather be outside playing soldier than sitting in front of the television. The one that would rather be pretending to catch the game winning touchdown pass, or hit the half court shot at the buzzer to win the championship. What ever happened to that kid?

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Throughout the 2008 campaign North Americans heard over and over about the poor state of our economy. We heard about the housing market crash. We listened to stories of long tenured financial institutions going belly up. We heard about the climbing unemployment rate reaching a 14 year high. Until yesterday, they all seemed like stories to me. I was just a third-party observer. Yesterday, my family became part of the story.

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The youth pastor at my church, a good friend of mine, convinced me to run a relay. I thought, sure, I’m game. Then I found out it was a 24 hour, 196 mile, 12 person relay from San Antonio, Texas to Austin, Texas via the scenic hill country.

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The sun was just breaching the horizon, to begin its routine watch over the earth’s northern hemisphere. The early morning air was cold and a bit damp. Billowy white clouds of moisture spouted from my mouth as I opened the car door. Once securely buckled, I turned on the engine, adjusted the temperature, tuned the radio to my local NPR station and backed from my driveway out into traffic. As I approached the stop sign I could see the long procession of headlights inching their way past my position. Graciously, one kind commuter slowed to let me take my rightful place in the almost daily ritual.

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While mowing my lawn today, I came across a few artifacts that inspired the following poem.

Dear neigbors
You know who you are
The ones who walk your dogs
And hide by my car

To your miniture schnauzers and shitzus
And boxers with mits who
Like to leave their poo
On my front lawn

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