Forgetting to look up

Sometimes I get so caught up in looking where I'm stepping I forget to look up to where I'm actually going. I get caught up in the minor details, such as watching out for cracks, holes or puddles of mud, that I forget the whole purpose of my walk or trip.

The same applies to the holidays, or more specifically, to Christmas. I get so caught up in gift buying, the lights and music, the goodies, etc. that I forget to look up and focus on the big picture - the actual meaning behind the season.

Luckily I was reminded of this today and I have two weeks to stop and look ahead toward the special day and all its glory. To be reminded of just exactly what it means. It's not about Santa Claus or reindeer but about Jesus coming down to earth to be closer to the children he loves and adores. He chose the human form so we, as human beings, could relate to Him on a more personal level and that He could show us how to truly be self-giving rather than self-serving.

Merry Christmas!

Give me what I want...

"Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt," as sung by Bono from the rock group U2, is such a true statement that reflects the attitudes of today's culture. Everyone wants, wants, wants and they will do just about anything to get it, being a possession, their own way or a special privilege or power, and they won't stop until they have it.  And only then, after their wants are met completely, are they willing to share the leftovers, or charity, as we call it today.

Some people steal or kill to obtain their wants. Some people lie or cheat.  Others do it more indirectly such as hoarding or over consuming. By hoarding I mean hoarding their wealth or resources such as time and skills. People hoard money is multiple ways, including their financial portfolios, 401ks, 529s, savings accounts, etc. I'm not saying these are not good things to have but these items can become the perfect excuses for not giving to others.  Like I stated, we give to ourselves first and only when we are satisfied do we give to others.

The Walton family, heirs to the Wal-mart fortune, only gave one percent of their income to charity, reported by BusinessWeek magazine back in December 2003. The same for Warren Buffet. In contract, Bill Gates gave 54 percent. How about the Obamas? They also gave less than 1 percent from 2000 to 2004.  These figures say a lot about our culture; especially when it's reported America's poor are it's more generous givers.

Not only do we hoard, we also over consume. We buy electronics with more options than we'll actually use, more food than we'll actually eat, and in general, more stuff than we actually need. We contribute more to landfills than we contribute to recycling centers. We've nearly completely stopped contributing to society and instead have focused solely on our self interests.  And we want more.

We want more money.  We want more stuff.  We want more sex, more dirty sex. We want more power. We want more government handouts. We want more rights and not general rights but specialized rights. And we want less shame for our indiscretions and more acceptance of our lifestyles.

And we get mad when we don't get our way. We sue, we picket, we chant, and we whine to Congress to enforce our wants. If everything goes our way we typically are delightful people but when things don't go our way we become bitter, angry people. Like the phrase goes...

Give me what I want and no one gets hurt.

Hollywood reality

Okay, so I'm back on Hollywood, or more specifically, Hollywood's failed attempt to capture reality. Whether it's in the movies with their latest indie film or with their latest reality television show (e.g. I'm a Celebrity...Get Me the Hell Out of Here), it's evident that Hollywood and it's NY writers have lost touch with the real reality.

Not only are they producing total crap these days, they have also forgotten the real reason why people buy movie tickets, which is so the viewer can get lost in the story; namely, a fictional, non-reality story. Movie goers want to get lost in a fantasy like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, which is their short-term escape from reality.  Why would they want to pay to spend and hour or two in someone else's sense of reality.

I will say it again, movies should be more about quality than quantity.

Childhood development

It's interesting how differently children develop, especially boys. Physically and mentally. Cooper, for example, was born below average in weight and continues to remain below the average; however, he is above average in height, which means he is going to be tall and lean like his daddy. At first the weight issue was concerning but I have since come to realize the national average in America is extremely skewed, as we're the most obese nation in the world.

Due to Cooper's small frame, I believe he has mentally matured more rapidly than boys larger in size. His verbal and social skills are more adapt and he is one of the few children his age who is potty trained, something he accomplished when he turned two.  However, on the flip side, his physical activity is below that of those larger boys; but this has its rewards, as he has never run off unsupervised and he asks to hold hands before crossing a street.

We can take Cooper to restaurants and enjoy an evening of dining without fear of a breakdown, which is a rare event while eating out.  All in all, I'm content with Cooper developing more mentally than physically.  It fits his personality.  And it doesn't hurt that he'll be more like his daddy.

Busy as a bee

Life's been busy lately. It's also been hard. Tiffany and I experienced a miscarriage a few months ago, which was an emotional bullet, and then if that wasn't enough, we had to put our best friend down this past weekend - our 12-year-dog, Baby.

Then there's work. I've never been more busy at work than I am now. I'm pushing out a new Web design that's been in the making for over the past 12 months, all while adding new content that is being re-written and delivered moments before I get my hands on it. It's an exciting time but also a stressful one full of deadlines and delays.

At home Tiffany and I are wanting to give our kitchen a makeover but as of right now we only have an idea in the mind and the new counter top selected. We also want to take a vacation before the weather turns cold but the time frame keeps getting pushed back. These are on top of an already full list of To Do's.

But I know we're not alone. We've been trying to schedule a meeting with our church small group for the past several weeks but it too keeps getting pushed back as most of the members are either out of town or previously engaged.

As for downtime, when I do find the time to relax, my mind is either already brain dead for the day or filled with worry over the current administration in the White House. If there was ever a time of civil unrest the time is now. I'm so glad my faith is not in our political system.

At least with that thought I can sleep at night.

Where did all the good movies go?

Tiffany and I took a trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart last night looking for a new love seat and chair. After coming up empty we ventured over to electronics where Tiffany found herself engrossed in camera lenses. I quickly realized I needed to entertain myself for a bit and so I decided to test out a Mac Book and pull up movie trailers.

Depressing, to say the least. Where did all the good movies go? There are no Lethal Weapons, or Die Hards, or Independence Days; nor are there any Bravehearts, The Patriots or Gladiators. It seems Hollywood has run out of good story lines and are resorting to remaking older movies or television shows, or showing their true colors with Dare, a bisexual love twist with Emmy Rossum.

Where is quality over quantity? There are so many movies being made these days and all too many are duds. I don't want to be forced fed Hollywood's liberal agenda; I want to get lost in a story where the hero saves the day, or a long, lost love is found.

Bad movies are getting out of hand. Hollywood, please stop making crap movies...

Quote for the day

"The greatest spiritual crisis comes when a person has to move a little farther on in his faith than the beliefs he has already accepted." Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest, Sept. 15.

Let the past be the past

The best thing I love about the social network site Facebook is the ability to rekindle past friendships, or at least reconnect with lost friends.  I may or not "befriend" them on Facebook but I can at least find them and send an email.  It's almost invigorating to locate a long, lost friend and send them a note to see how they're doing.

Just last night the mother of one of my friends from my teenage years contacted me via FB.  We exchanged a few emails and left it at that.  A simple exchange but what a great way to reconnect—old friend to old friend.

But then there are the old friends who prefer to leave the past in the past.  No response. Period. This sort of behavior puzzles me because I am the complete opposite.  If someone from my past were to contact me I would consider it a pleasure to send a response.  My wife, however, is the opposite.  In her mind she's moved on and therefore ignores most requests for reconciliation; something which surprises me as she's a scrapbooker, or memory collector.

One of my favorite long, lost friends whom I reconnected with is my 4-H pal, Sara.  Even though communication is mainly through social networking, I feel as though we live next door and I love reading about her and her family.  With number five on the way, and a blackberry wine vineyard in the making, reading her blog is becoming like a good book you just can't put down (shout out to Sara!).

I think a small part of heaven will be like this experience of reconnecting.  One will enter through the pearly gates and there will be Bill, one's old college buddy, and to the left will be Susan, and up the way will be great aunt Birdie, et al.  What a grand reunion!

They mean too much

Rearing children is hard at times.  Okay, it's hard most of the time but why do we persevere?  Why do even go for two or three, or perhaps even more children?  Because they are so worth it.  They mean too much.

In a way, I like to think that this is the same for our heavenly Father.  Why did He spare Adam and Eve's lives after they ate from the tree of good and evil?  Why did he save mankind, along with the animals, when He flooded the earth after evil dominated the earth?  Why did He send his son, Jesus, to die for us so that we might be saved?  I like to think its because we're worth it.  He loves us too much.

Cooper is loads of fun and brings us so much joy, but he is also loads of work and can be a handful at times.  I know it will even be harder when we have a second child and yet I'm looking forward to it all.  They add so much.  Every smile erases an hour of screaming and they smile a lot.

It's all worth it.  They are so worth it.

Like father like son

As most of you know I am a father to a two-year-old boy, Cooper.  In one way he's becoming his own.  He's slowly gaining independence (it's a struggle at times to get him to hold your hand while walking across the street); he's becoming a young man (he wants to pee standing up); and he's learning more and more each day (he told grandma the other day he was having an adventure).  In another way he's becoming his father, as well as his mother; both of which are a complete shock to me. 

I knew there was a great possibility he would come out looking like his parents but I never knew the real extent of how much of our physical and, more especially, our personality traits he would take on.  The good and the bad.  As they say, like father like son; I just didn't think they meant it literally.

From the moment Cooper was born he's proven this point.  He picked up our physical traits like his mommy's turned foot, his daddy's weird pinky toes, his mommy's "Brunk" forehead, and his father's skinny frame.  Then as time progressed he began to show our personality traits, such as his daddy's sleep schedule (a night owl with grumpy mornings), his mommy's stubbornness, his daddy's particulars over clean hands, and his mommy's picky-ness regarding food.

But it didn't stop there.  It's as though not only our physical and personality traits were embedded into his genetic makeup, but also all the weird and unusual ticks that make up his parents.  He desires to love and be loved like his mother; he yearns to be strong and show his strength like his father; and so much more that it would take a whole book to pen all the particulars. 

And yet he is his own.  He's a man's man and has found delight in his grandfathers and uncles.  He's also soft-hearted and doesn't mind giving affection or hiding the fact he likes pink as much as he likes blue.  He not only loves spending time with his parents and his young friends but he also enjoys the company of his neighbors and his friends' parents.  He also likes to mind his manners but has a grand ole' time when he breaks them and belches or farts.

He's my pride and joy and I'm looking forward to what's around the bend, be it Cooper's traits or a little brother's or sister's.