A Father is a Gift

A Father is a gift, come down from heaven above.

A Father is a gift, to remind us of His love.

A Father is a gift, that helps to make us strong.

A Father is a gift, which tries to right all wrongs.

A Father is a gift, one can never really replace.

A Father is a gift, a heart, a memory, a face.

A Father is a gift, I hope you have one too.

The Heavenly and the Earthly, they are both precious to you.

Always There

Always there, if only I remember.

Always there, if only I see.

Always there, if only I surrender.

Always there, waiting for me.

Always there, willing to help me.

Always there, wanting to smooth the way.

Always there, if only I'd remember.

Always there, be it night or day.

Always there, waiting to comfort.

Always there, waiting to smile.

Always there, waiting to share with me.

Each little step, every mile.

Loving me best. Loving me most. Loving me always. 

Yes, my Jesus, you are,

Always there for me.

'

Life Lessons from "Finding Nemo"

Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.

Just relax, dude. Enjoy the ride.

Do you have your Exit Buddy?

 Sometimes filth has a higher purpose.

It's not nice to make someone ink.

Your kids can do more than you think. But then, so can your dad. 

Some people know only one word, "Mine! Mine! Mine!" (Avoid)

Sometimes you just have to trust someone. Even when you think you probably shouldn't.

Be afraid of the dark. Be very afraid.

The food chain was designed for a reason. Don't fight it. 

Be nice. Help out the new guy.

When in the belly of a whale, don't despair. It might turn out better than you think.

Just Believe

Oh, the day when I would first gaze at you -- oh, how you'd turn my head.

The first I laid my eyes on you, my heart was filled with dread.

I knew it was the best day of my life and yet the very worst.

Someday my hellos would be goodbyes, only sorrow, never mirth.

I'd blink and you would turn to go. It's just as it should be.

But, you would feel like it was time. For me, eternity.

Time is cruel. It passes slow, just when you most need haste.

And when you wish it would crawl and dawdle, it quickens up the pace.

I knew all of this that very first day. I knew someday you'd be eighteen.

I knew that day would come too fast. And, I'd be left to grieve. 

The tears fell softly, even then, as I vowed to treasure the minutes.

I could not know then, you would never leave. My heart and soul: you're in it. 

I did not know that was the plan - to save me from my grief.

There is no end to love, my dear. No end. 

Just believe.

'

A Babe Still Rests There...

She climbs into my chair; all legs and arms, all grown. 

She doesn't really fit there. Yet, she seems at home. 

Something inside that body, defying me, growing up in haste.

A babe still rests there; in her heart, if not her face. 

She still seems to want the warmth of the one who held her first.

And, for this, I will always be grateful.

This life, once mine, given birth.

'

Committed.... But, To What?

Seems today, Newt Gingrich's entire senior leadership left the "campaign."  The explanation is couched in code words like, "different vision" and "question of commitment." Could it be that the staff realized this guy was not playing to win, just playing to see WHAT he could win along the way?


Gingrich's commitment level can be measured by one thing and one thing only: "Is it good for Newt Gingrich?" Then, he's committed. 


BEING President of the United States is not good for Newt Gingrich. Making money while PRETENDING to RUN  for President. (Ahem...Fundraising.) Now, THAT's good for Newt Gingrich. 


Full story here.


'

The Gaffe Heard 'Round The World

First, let me be fair. There seems to be some truth to this folksy, quaint retelling of the "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere."  (No matter how "odd" it might seem to point out these more subtle points in favor of the more salient, which most of us all hold dear about the story.) So, let's leave Sarah alone now, shall we?


On the other hand, let's not. She seems to want to influence the national political scene and perhaps even run for the top spot in the land. That requires some hard thinkin', folks.


What bothers me most, personally, about this video, is how Ms. Palin appears lost. She appears to be stumbling. It reminds me of embarrassing moments in high school when the teacher calls on you and you haven't read the material. And, it's really painful to see a potential leader doing this. And, on this topic. 


There is no "gotcha" question here (as Ms. Palin later claims).  It was a pretty innocent question: "How are you enjoying your tour and what did you learn?" Sort of  akin to the "What did you do on your summer vacation?" essay we were often assigned in the fall of the year at school. This is elementary stuff. And, yet, Sarah looks lost. She doesn't seem to be able to think on her feet. This is frightening.....to me.


(She could have avoided facts, even, and spoken about her impressions and feelings about the trip. That would have been safe territory, right?) 


This is certainly not a difficult diplomatic moment. What would happen when it was a really serious matter with nuance that needs to be handled delicately? Could Ms. Palin pull it off? This is something we need to know about our leaders. It's why we put them on the national stage and evaluate them. It's why we make them debate.


Look, this isn't Rocket Science, no matter how you spin it. It's Paul Revere. Basic American History. Something we all hold in common and can talk about. 


In our hearts, we all want leaders because they represent someone you can look up to. Someone you can trust to take you where you want to go. Someone, who is, in a word, smarter and wiser than you, than most average citizens. It takes something extraordinary to be a leader. That's at the heart of it, what we believe.


But, here we are in modern-day America, where apparently, knowledge, wisdom and leadership values don't matter much. At least to a certain portion of America. They feel instead, threatened by it. They want someone on their own level. Someone they can trust.  Trust to do what? Lead the country in no better fashion than yourself? 


Intelligence, education, experience, knowledge, wisdom, and how you pull all of it together to make tough decisions. That's what we want in a leader. 


No matter how you spin the Revere gaffe, when it comes to what we not only want, but need in a leader, Palin just ain't got it. 


Let's hope she realizes that, too.




'

Why we LOVE dogs (update)

World's Most Famous (Talking) German Shepherd

Well, the internet, she is a tricky thing!  I went to view that HILARIOUS dog video of the owner talking to his German Shepherd, teasing him about some treats (bad owner!) and it was GONE! 




AWWWWWWWWWW! I need my "hilarious dog video" fix!


So, you know what I did?


I did some searching. (On the internet.) Maybe you've lost your link, too. Right?


So, I did some searching....


(Well, unlike the teasing dog owner, I will tell you!)


I FOUND it! 


And, it's right here


Nope. I'm NOT kiddin' ya.


'

Affairs of the Heart

It never ceases to amaze me what people can justify. And, that somehow, in today's world, for some people, technology sanitizes actions. For example, if there is no touching, somehow extra-marital affairs are harmless. (What?) "Honey, we just had phone sex. It was no big deal..." Pleeeeassseee! 

So, in this world of new rules, if you have an emotional affair, but not a sexual one, that's ok. If you take yourself from your spouse and give those emotions to another, particularly someone of the opposite sex, but there is no sex involved - no "touching" so to speak - that's not wrong. You're just...what?... "good friends"? Never mind those emotions  - with or without sex attached - are meant for your spouse! Or, at least I'm pretty sure your spouse thinks so!

Or, if you move one step forward and start having sexual conversations with each other, over the phone, over the internet, texting, via chat, or whatever...or sending lewd photos, that's not wrong, not an affair. Anthony Weiner could have 6 of those and say he never had sex with any of them and somehow that "technicality" makes it ok. 

So, how does that sense of "right and wrong" play in your affairs (no pun intended) as a politician, Mr. Weiner? One thing we do not need more of in DC is parsing politicians. 

But, I'll play the game. So, ok. This is all just fine & dandy for American couples. (Especially those "uninformed" spouses out there. Wanna guess what their vote would be?) Meanwhile, what next? How far can you go with that line of logic before you wake up and say, "This is nonsense! I am cheating!" 

Or, are you just helping yourself to a little harmless fun that you somehow believe you DESERVE? I mean, you work so hard and everything. Even your spouse would agree on that point! (Heavy sigh.)

How can we be this oblivious? 

It's one thing to cheat and know you're cheating. But, there are a whole lot of confused individuals in today's world, who clearly do not KNOW what cheating is. (And, with our culture and its role models, who can fault them?) Sure, there are a lot of politicians, celebraties who make the headlines. Wanna fathom a guess at how many ordinary people they represent? I shudder. 

Let me break it down for you. 

You do something with someone about which you cannot tell your spouse. (And, it does not involve planning her surprise birthday party.) 

That is cheating. 

You THINK about doing something with someone about which you cannot tell your spouse. (And, it wasn't just a weird dream. You created and entertained these thoughts.) 

THAT is cheating! 

You do something that if your spouse did the same thing, you'd be LIVID. (And, it does not involve bouncing the checkbook.) 

THAT IS CHEATING!

In case, the point is not made clear yet, a refresher course on ethics: CHEATING IS WRONG!  (Is this where "relative ethics" has us now?)

Matthew 5:28 New International Version (NIV)

28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:28 The Message (MSG)

 27-28"You know the next commandment pretty well, too: 'Don't go to bed with another's spouse.' But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt.

Notice that last bit. Not, "they ARE also corrupt" but  a more active, "they also CORRUPT." It is what is in your HEART that corrupts! It is what is in your HEART that is wrong! And, it acts on you. Those thoughts act like an acid and burn away the integrity you thought you had and corrupt your mind, heart & soul. And, relationships. You either recognize it and turn from it, or invite it in for tea. And, if you do the latter, pretty soon you have justified your way around the corruption, fooling yourself into believing that "relatively speaking" you're not doing anything wrong. Right? And, GOTCHA! You've been had. 

Then, when you go and ACT on that heart, you are way past the point of no return! But, it doesn't matter. Even before you ACTED, you crossed the line. You have COMMITTED the corruption. You ARE the corruption. So, just don't go there in the first place. Then, there will be nothing to explain later. 

What will Anthony Weiner's yet unborn child have to say someday about this. "Well, I'd like to have known my father, but apparently, he had a problem with sending lewd photos to women besides my mom and mom just had a problem with that. Might have been nice if I'd been out of the womb by that time so I could have told him what I learned before I got here on Planet Earth, that where I come from that sort of thing is a HUGE no-no. Especially with people like my mom. But, unfortunately, I got here too late. I get to see dad every other week on Tuesdays, meanwhile." 

Sad. Just pitiously sad. And, it goes on all across America as fast as you can say, "Tweet."

Maybe spouses like Mr. Weiner, confused as to the interpretation of their wedding vows, will find themselves married to people who read and took to heart the love chapter, I Corinthians 13. And, there will be forgiveness, repentance, healing....and love. We can only hope.

More on this topic here.