When you let your kids decide on a day’s activities, sometimes you end up with some odd combinations. Recently, my son and daughter wanted to do two things: feed some ducks and play kick ball. Ok, not the two most common activities to do during one trip, but we piled into the car and headed…
Month: January 2014
Why my son is Santa’s least favorite customer
In the world, someone is always the smartest. Someone is the fastest. Someone is even the best at playing the game Operation, or working a jigsaw puzzle. In fact. there’s someone in the world who is the Best Organizer of Food in the Refrigerator. (But that’s not me. I do have a system. Well, sort…
What my wife knew, but I refused to believe
“I’ve had a good life,” said my wife with a bittersweet tone to her voice. I was driving us back from Houston, and I couldn’t believe what she was telling me. NO! That’s NOT how it was going to be. “You’re going to be fine,” I said, not knowing that my wife had less than…
On being a dad – the value of consistency
If you’re a regular reader, you know that sometimes I write about some of the characteristics I think are important to being a father. And there are so many important traits to being a dad. Too many to cover in one blog post. Heck, there’s whole books on the subject. But one characteristic that I…
My son sets terms for saving my life
My son and I were watching “Hey Arnold,” the other day. It’s a cartoon from the 90s that he likes. I usually like it, too, but I’ve grown a little tired of it. The other day an episode came on in which Arnold saved the life of one of his friends. As you might imagine,…
Where was God?
It’s been a little over nine years now since my wife died of cancer. I can’t remember the exact date she was diagnosed, but I can remember the day I realized God would be with us throughout our ordeal. We had been waiting several weeks to hear word that M.D. Anderson in Houston would accept us.…
The hardest thing I ever had to tell my daughter
I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful, sunny October day. It was one of those rare days in Arkansas where you can actually be comfortable outside. But it wasn’t comfortable at my house. My wife had returned from the hospital only a few days before, and we now had the…
Friday night = pizza and a movie
Friday night at our house usually means one thing – pizza and a movie. Or is that two things? (I feel like I’m in the middle Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition skit.) The pizza can come in several forms. Sometimes we order one. Other times we go with the frozen pizza, sometimes even adding our own…
Be thankful for small favors – there was never a TENTH plan
One of the best things about being a fan of bad movies is that you’re never short of something good (or bad, depending on how you look at it. Or maybe the right word is you’re never short of something entertaining to watch). Oh sure, you can save yourself for that really great (and usually…
Spell N_E_R_V_O_U_S
This morning my son was about to compete in the school-wide spelling bee, and let me tell you, the nerves were in the air. There was shaky hands, sweaty palms, and it was hard to eat. And that was just me. My son, on the other hand, seemed immune to the tension in the air. He…
Holding together the jello 