Friday, April 23, 2004

This morning I was listening to one of my daughter's CD's. It was kind of loud but I just kept the volume high enough for me to listen to the words. She is listening to some good stuff. It touched me and made me really think. The song said something to the effect of Dad, I am sorry that I am not perfect. It is a song about wanting your parents', approval, acceptance and blessing. I cried out to the Lord, I don't want my children to not know how I feel and think about them.
My children Grace, Katie and Michael are each so precious to me. I want them to feel like they are our treasures, only lent to us for a short season. Yes, I know they will always be my children because I gave them birth but it is God who gave them life. I also am very aware that they will not always be children. We are seeing the signs as both of our girls have become young women and Michael is not far behind. Right now they still need and want our guidance; (the wanting is there in most children, ours are just not afraid to admit it) our provisions, our care and most of all our love which is continually growing....painful at times but it is growing.
Back to the CD, it is by Switchfoot......a modern/alternative rock revival band (christians cloaked).....the music is a little hard for me to take (I say I am young at heart but my tolerance for loudness has waned in the last couple of years. Anyhow, I will listen a little more so that I can find out more about my girl Grace and let her know that she has pretty good taste. More than she knows.

Monday, April 19, 2004

We have been off line for almost a week. Grace has been in withdrawal. It has been more of an inconvenience for me. I do enjoy using our computer but I actually needed the break from it. So many things scream for our attention. We spent a couple of days over on the eastcoast of Florida to relax. We started at Boca Raton and made our way a little bit north to Palm Beach Gardens. We took the scenic route (that is pronounced root) on 1A through Palm Beach and West Palm. Majestic!!

In Boca we met Dan's recruiter, Michele Kluger, a wonderful person also from the North but living here full time. She treated us to "StirFry" a chic Chinese restaurant. RN Network has been good to us and Michele is the front runner for finding Dan his assignments. The rest of that afternoon we browsed the mall and then drove up north. After settling in to a place, Dan and I went to a BBSS meeting when we ran into 3 friends from MA. It was great to be with them.

Today is Patriots Day!! April 19th 1775 shot heard round the world!! Paul Revere's Ride! It is only a state holiday in Massachusetts. Shouldn't it be a federal holiday? I said Happy Patriots Day to people around here who were from NewEngland and they didn't know what I was talking about in the least. America has been dumbed down. Most of us no longer value our history never mind the freedom that we enjoy that was bought with the blood of not only the patriots of the Revolutionary War but also the patriots of each of our wars. Let us remember!!

Monday, April 12, 2004

"When you want to teach children to think, you begin by treating them seriously when they are little, giving them responsibilities, talking to them candidly, providing privacy and solitude for them, and making them readers and thinkers of significant thoughts from the beginning. That's if you want to teach them to think."
--Bertrand Russell

Each person whether they realize it or not has a philosopy of education. It dictates how you decide to educate your children. Some people don't take the time to ponder what they believe and why they believe what they do about education. I have run into people who when asked "why do you send your children to this or that school?" their answer is something like, "that is what you are suppose to do." If that is true then you believe in the public school's system and not only their philosophy of education but also their philosophy about life, who children are, the importance (or lack thereof) of the family. An unthinking generation of parents produced some rebels who did not want to go along with the status quo. Perhaps that rebellion started out on a destructive path but when our own children came on the scene it took us to a new place. A place of questioning the methods, philosophy and control the state attempts to have over our children and ultimately our family life.

My children are thinkers. They question things, they want to understand things, not just accept them because I say so or you say so or as I heard one of their cousins say yesterday, "that's what they taught us in school." I am so grateful that my philosophy of education has been revised and continues to be revised through various means in my experience. I do see my children are miles ahead of where I was at their age, that is in the way they think. As a family we are learning and living differently.

Thursday, April 08, 2004

Making Connection via Virginia
This past week Grace and I attended a speech and debate tournament in Naples, Florida. Grace's friend Anne Corda from Louisiana was competing in some individual events and debate with her brother Ben. Grace did not participate :-( but I did get to judge. It was great to be there and for Grace to get inspired and desire to pursue this area of rhetoric. Monday and Tuesday I judged Lincoln/Douglas Debates. Wednesday, Grace and I got to hear some Original Oratory speeches and we heard one Team Policy debate. It was great time.

Today we met Anne, Ben and their mum, Shirley at The Bean on Sanibel Island. We had a great time visiting over coffee and ice cream getting to know one another a little more. Katie and Ben who both had been seated at either end of the table got to skateboard in the Parking Lot. Initially, Grace met Anne at TeenPact Judicial in Virginia Beach and Anne told us she was coming to the tournament in Naples.

Monday, April 05, 2004

Blessed Passover to one and all!
Last night we celebrated The Passover. It was a Seder Meal with all the fixing and all the fathers present leading us through the questions and the combined stories of the Israelites and Moses in Eygpt and Jesus willing to die for the sins of the world. It was most likely Jesus' last meal. Jesus was raised a true Hebrew and I am quite sure that he celebrated the Passover Feast every year. Wouldn't it be interesting to know how many years before that fateful day that he broke bread with his disciples that it went through his mind, "some day I will be the Passover Lamb that takes away the sins of the world."

It is important for me to recgonize that my Savior is Jewish, a Hebrew. My spiritual heritage is jewish. I do not label myself, evangelical, catholic or an manmade definition of a religious person. I do not consider myself religious. A person of faith and doing my best to live in a trusting relationship with the God of the Universe, I identify myself as a everyday follower of Jesus Christ.

Behou

Sunday, April 04, 2004

Ft. Myers Florida will only be our home for another 6 weeks. The winter has flown by and we can hardly believe that it is coming to a close. We don't know where we will be living come the middle of May but there again is where the "rugged faith" comes in. God is preparing a place for us. We are believing that God will provide a place in the greater New York City area. It is exciting to be living on the edge and to see where the Lord will take us next.

This afternoon Michael had baseball practice. We are so pleased to have Rich King as his coach. This is a guy who knows and loves the game of baseball and he wants to pass it on not just to his own son but also to all the boys on his team. Dan and I are enjoying being of assistance to Rich. Dan has done quite a bit of umpiring and I keep score for our team. Michael is learning and growing by being a part of the team. He really enjoys playing 2nd and 3rd base as well as pitching. He is starting to relax a little bit and developing as a player.

Dan and I would love to comeback to Ft. Myers next winter. The potential for becoming snowbirds is very great. Cape Coral Hospital would love to have Dan back and it would be great to have a second place to call home. We would love to spend time with a number of people that we have connected with in this area.