Family

As our extended family gathers together today for a Christmas holiday reunion, I will be taking a brief break from blogging to devote my time to precious fellowship with those who are most dear to me. The time we get to share together has diminished over the years as we’ve gotten older and our lives more hectic, so every moment that we do get to spend together is a treasured moment.

The blog won’t be entirely dormant. I’ve pre-scheduled my specially selected Christmas songs for each morning from now through Christmas Day.

I will be back after Christmas. Until then, to all my friends and to all my “foes,” I wish you a very merry Christmas, filled with abundant blessings, treasured moments,peace, joy and love.

Happy birthday, dear Jesus!

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

My oldest daughter attends one of Edmond’s three high schools. In general, we like her school, most of her teachers and her academic success there. Yet, there are some things that don’t always set well with me (as would be the case in just about any circumstance, I suppose).

Over the weekend, she was telling us about a substitute teacher she had in a couple of her classes on Friday. The curriculum for the day was apparently Mauri Povich during one class period and Divorce Court in another class period. For the students, this was entertaining, especially when the substitute talked back to the TV during Divorce Court. But, as you might imagine, to parents like us, such information raised eyebrows — or in my case, an exclamation of “WHAT?!?”

I’m glad that my daughter wasn’t in that substitute’s class during the Jerry Springer Show! While I will admit that these trash TV shows can be entertaining and that I’ve indulged in viewing a few times, they certainly don’t seem like the type of educational programming one would expect from a higher-caliber high school. It begs the question, is this a common practice? Are the substitute teachers not given guidance and/or plans for the classes their substituting for?

At one time or another, my father, my mother and my brother have all substituted in the middle and high school levels. I know the challenges that they face and I know that I wouldn’t want to do it. But that doesn’t excuse the schools’ responsibility to know what’s going on in their classrooms.

Don’t the schools owe the students a better education than Mauri Povich, Divorce Court or Jerry Springer — even if it is a substitute teacher? As a parent and as a taxpayer, I would most certainly expect more.

With the bad economy, banks aren’t the only ones downsizing!

Back from Enid, we’re now enjoying the remainder of this holiday weekend to relax, do some holiday decorating and catch up on a few chores. Reflecting on the Thanksgiving celebration that was, it was as good as we could have hoped it would be. The only thing that would have made it perfect was if my brother and his family could have joined us, but it didn’t work out this time. Fortunately, barring any unforeseen intervening circumstance, we’ll get to see them during Christmas week when the whole family will be able to gather together.

By all accounts, the Thanksgiving feast was a success. It was a lot of work, and that’s even with a couple of the items prepared in advance. Karla and I arrived in Enid a little after 8am Thursday morning and successfully met our self-imposed deadline for the main feast scheduled for 2pm. Now I know that Karla, my mom and others have done it many times, but that’s the first time I was in a kitchen, working non-stop for six hours. I just don’t think I’m cut out for “woman’s work,” as my mom calls it. Seriously, I certainly have a greater appreciation for the work of putting together such a grand meal and for those who’ve done it faithfully year-after-year.

Based on the comments made after the feast, the work was well worth it. There wasn’t a single complaint — other than my own self-criticism. (Frankly, I didn’t enjoy it as much as everyone else because my tastebuds were numb from all the taste-testing throughout the cooking process.) Being the perfectionist and worrywart than I am, I was fretting about how everything would turn out. According to the experts — my mother and Karla who’ve done this many more times than I have — the meal was a resounding success Continued

An unexpected side effect of the ailing economy…

The economic crisis may be doing what pastors, family therapists and matrimonial counselors have long struggled to accomplish: keeping troubled marriages together.

Marriage counselors and divorce lawyers nationwide say more distressed couples are putting off divorce because the cost of splitting up is prohibitive in a time of stagnant salaries, plummeting home values and rising unemployment.

While the stress of economic uncertainty often worsens already shaky unions, it also can make couples more financially dependent on each other, said Pamela Smock, a researcher at the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Well, the GOP has achieved two of its goals: lowering the divorce rate and bankrupting the federal government.

On this day, at this moment, 39 years ago, a child was born in Pensacola, Florida to a young military family — a U.S. Navy pilot and his bride. They dragged led him around this great country throughout his childhood years, affording him the opportunity to experience the rich culture and traditions of its many states, from Florida to Texas to Florida to Virginia to South Carolina to Kansas to the middle of nowhere in western Kansas to Illinois to Indiana to Oklahoma. From living the nomadic life of a military brat to the nomadic life of a rural-church pastor to the nomadic life of a military brat (again), from the times of plenty to the times of famine, it was an adventure never to be forgotten (and hopefully never repeated).

It was the humble beginning for a man who would leave an indelible mark on those who came to know him, admire him and love him dearly. A man who is larger than life (and larger than most). A man who is wise and aged beyond his years, yet maintains a child-like (or childish) quality. A man whose humility would prevent him from telling you just how exceptional, unequaled and legendary he truly is. A man who has been called (even if only by himself) “God’s gift to mankind.” That man is yours truly, your most humble scribe.

Happy birthday to me!

In all seriousness, I want to sincerely thank my wonderful parents for bringing me into this world and for raising me to be a positively contributing member of our society, reared on “Real America” values, through some really good times and some very challenging times. I wouldn’t trade any of my life experiences for the world.

And thanks to my wonderful wife, my two beautiful girls, my three canine kids, my brother and sister, and my cherished friends for making this a very special day.

And thanks to my Creator, my God and my Savior for this life and for granting me another year of life and bountiful blessings.

Karla was inspired this morning to write a poem about her — our — favorite season…

I am Autumn.

I am brisk, cool mornings, pleasant days and chilly nights.

I am scented with the smells of wood and leaves, pumpkins and spice, soup and cornbread.

I am clothed in warm colors and the mist of early morning fog is my veil.

I am a beacon, a symbol, a sign that nature’s winter respite is near.

I am calm; telling everyone to slow down, huddle in close together, and enjoy the beauty of nature.

I am football and turkey and families gathering to give thanks.

I am awe-inspiring and beautiful.

I am but one sign of God’s handiwork.

I am Autumn.

6:50pm, Edmond Santa Fe High School auditorium
Karla and Ashley wait for the start of Sarah’s induction ceremony for DECA.

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7:15pm, Edmond Santa Fe High School auditorium
Sarah (fourth from the right) takes the officer’s oath during the induction ceremony for DECA. In her first year in DECA, the membership voted her to be Reporter for the club. The club’s adviser speaks very highly of Sarah and believes she has a promising future in the organization.

(Yes, yes, I know… the photo is horrible. Someone… cough, cough… was too lazy to bring his real camera to the event and take decent photos. What kind of a father would do that?)

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* Taken with my iPhone

11:59am, Richey’s Grill in the Oklahoma Tower, Downtown Oklahoma City
Karla joins me for an impromptu lunch date, an instant cure to the Monday malaise. (The gorgeous mid-day weather certainly helped act as an antidote to the Monday-induced mental dreariness.)

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* Taken with my iPhone. Standard disclaimer about the photography quality applies.

3:21pm, Eye Doctor’s Office in Edmond
Ashley reads the eye chart during her eye exam. I’m not an eye doctor… and today’s exam left no doubt. I thought she was going to need glasses. The eye doctor said her eyes were great and very healthy. Ashley was very relieved.