Closing Ceremonies or Opening Ceremonies

The Olympics have been such a fun part of our lives the past couple weeks. We have all enjoyed watching it, and it's hard to believe that it's over. As if extinguishing the Olympic flame wasn't enough "ends" for one week, we've come to the last few days of summer- school starts for the girls on Tuesday. We packed a weekend full of activity in this weekend, and I'm thankful for that. We made so many wonderful memories going to the Magic House, Grant's Farm and swimming. The rest of the family is going to the zoo on Monday, and although I won't be able to make it - I know that it's a wonderful way to end the summer, and I know I'll get details of the zoo as if I had been there.



It's tough to take that breath and move back into the school year mode. This year will be different - Katherine will be at school all day and Elizabeth - two mornings a week. I know that this is just the beginning of moments of "growing up", and unfortunately, I'm finding these moments challenging to push through. I continue to be amazed at how the Lord has blessed me with the love that we all share at home. I am so thankful that I am 6 years into being a parent, and almost 8 years into being a husband and that I treasure these roles more than any other role.

In the same respect, I am somewhat excited as we continue to move into the chapter of our lives that involves kids that are growing. I've definitely felt that Julie and I have become more and more comfortable taking on different roles in our lives - taking on more responsibilities. Julie is going to be leading a group of the women's Bible study at church. I am excited for her as she takes on that job, and know that it's only because the kids are growing that she can manage it. The Lord is using our changing lives in wonderful ways.

Still, the misty sadness of watching kids grow is hard. I love the kids more every day, but know that each thing we are doing with them, and each day we are with them is pointing them towards growing up and growing more independent. Again, as I've said before, I know that's what I'm called to do, but it's hard to do and hard to let go.

Fall Breezes - Part 2

With the joy that I've experienced over the past few months comes apprehension of the future. I've been studying a great book this summer - "The Quest for More" by Paul Tripp. In the book, the author describes how our fears reveal the things that are important to us - how we should have a healthy and joyful fear for the Lord.

I have been convicted of that in my own life, as I have seen my "fear" of the future gaining strength. In two weeks, two of my kids will have started the new school year, and as much as I thought about the changes when Katherine went to school last fall, the new year holds more changes and some fear for me. Katherine will be heading to first grade and she'll be (as my wife points out) spending more time at school than she does at home. Elizabeth will be starting two mornings a week, and although I probably won't notice much difference, it will be strange knowing that they are both there two mornings a week.

Now don't misunderstand, my fears have no basis in where they will be. God has blessed us richly through their school. The fear that I have is that I am watching my children grow up, and although I often hear that the objective of parenting is to rear Godly children who can be independent, I am not ready to accept and/or stick with that goal. I have watched the love for my children grow in the past few months, and it is a sad proposition to know that their lives are taking a path that will lead them to more and more independence. I confess, the need for their dependence is an idol in my life - I'm not holding any punches, but all the same - it's hard to watch this unfold a little bit more every year.

I am thankful for the time that we have and I know that the fact that we will have less time together in the future will hopefully drive me to utilize our time together even better, but it's hard to let go. They are a blessing and I love them.

Fall Breezes - Part 1

The cool August temperatures have reminded me that summer is coming to a close. It has been a wonderful summer - God has truly blessed me with some fantastic family time. My work has been a source of a wide variety of emotions, and so the family time has been a great encouragement to me.

The pool was a big part of our summer. It was also a place where I saw my kids really grow and mature. Both Katherine and Elizabeth started the summer with a lot of "pool apprehension". Katherine was thrilled by the fact she could touch bottom, but didn't really like to put her head under water. Elizabeth was afraid of the water - no other way to put it. She would barely agree to allow her feet to be in the water, and would fuss when we picked her up and held on to her in the pool.

By the end of the "pool time" this summer, Elizabeth was jumping (with me catching her), swimming on her pool noodle (by herself, unbeknownst to her) and loving to be thrown up in the air. Katherine enjoyed a great swim lesson teacher and has really come of age in the pool. Although she cannot swim by herself, she is gaining some coordination and strength, and is excited to continue lessons this fall. She also (with a little encouragement) will repeatedly put her head under water and jump off the side without being caught.



Christopher has not met a body of water he doesn't love. He has enjoyed the big pool from Day 1! He loves to be pulled around in the water and when we sit him on the side, he loves to lean right over, totally trusting that we'll catch him!

It has truly been a wonderful summer, being blessed enough to experience my kids so much of the time. We've had a lot of fun, and I believe God has really given us the time together to grow in our love for each other, and in my case, my love and thankfulness for Him.

Letting Go

One of the most difficult things for me to do is to let go of control of many different aspects of my life. This is most clearly reflected in the work I do. I have (or some may say "had") a passion for many aspects of my work, but as I have stayed in my present job, I have become more and more frustrated with the fact that the control I have over various aspects of my job gets less and less. It's kind of twisted in that in conventional wisdom, it would seem that you gain more control over aspects of work the longer you work someplace. But, in my case, for some reason, it is the opposite. The longer I work here, the less control it appears I have over the parts of my job that I'm passionate about.
To resolve this conflict, I have two choices:
1. Try to fight for more control;
2. Let go.

It's the letting go that is honestly starting to win out. I have found that in more and more situations, I realize that my job is not the be all and the end all, and that I just need to let go. It's very hard for me to do that because I love and believe in what I do, and it is often the case that others around me don't. They deal with things in a haphazard and non-nonchalant manner, that often causes me to cringe and bite my tongue. It's so hard, and yet, I think it's what God is teaching me to do. I have come to see that there is so much more in my life that should mean so much more.

Then.... what happens when those other things that mean more begin to fall from my grasp... Uh Oh...