tales of joy and frustration
I never said that I was going to sugar-coat anything on this blog. In fact, I try my best to be as real and as frank as I possibly can. Sometimes my honesty might be a downer, so I really try to blend that with a little humor. That’s not just when I write either. [...]
When I was six, I wrote a letter to the “Police Chef” to complain about having to pay taxes. I then wrote to the mayor and eventually the president. Each time, I used the same argument about why I shouldn’t have to pay taxes—I needed to keep my money so I could buy things—like a [...]
Sometimes Samuel just makes me laugh. For example, tonight, after I sent him off to get ready for bed. I thought he was taking a little longer than usual and was just about to go check on him when his remote control car came speeding into the living room. Just as I was about to [...]
I’ve written before about God answering prayers, but what I find even more amazing is the way He sets things in motion to answer prayers and provide for us long before we know what to ask for. When things fell apart with Samuel’s after school program, I knew that something would work out, and God [...]
About a month ago, I received a call from the nurse at Samuel’s school. Samuel wasn’t ill, but he had failed his hearing screening. I instantly felt guilty for all the times I made him turn down the TV, radio, computer, etc. His second screening yielded similar results, as did the hearing test administered by [...]
Today was one of those special and rare days when it snowed in Austin, Texas! Given my most recent experience with snow, I wasn’t quite as excited as everyone else at work when the flakes started to fall. I had already done my happy snow day dance when this evening’s meeting was canceled due to [...]
Hope, Faith, and their mother invited Samuel and I to join them for the local high school’s production of Beauty and Beast. I was very excited to go because many members of the cast were the same students I have worked with through Bible studies and various ministries at church. I knew it would be [...]
Remember the game Oregon Trail? It is an educational computer game, from which I have many fond memories from my childhood. When I taught 5th grade, I had a lot of fun using it as a teaching tool when my students studied pioneer life and the westward expansion. The concept of the game is that [...]
…must come to an end. And things were going so well that I knew it couldn’t last forever. How quickly things can change. That’s what happened tonight. In a rather public setting at my work, Samuel lost control of his temper. The thing that is the hardest part for me is my inability to understand [...]
For the past week, the game “Bop It” has been sitting on top of the entertainment center in our living room with the note attached that read “one whole week with no blow ups and get this!” Samuel was successful for one whole week, so now he is the proud owner of a very annoying [...]