Casey

My son and I were behind a car today that had two yellow lab puppies in the back. They watched us curiously at the stop light, then played and wrestled together as we made our way on our journey. It reminded us both of when our own 4 year old yellow lab, Casey, was just a puppy. The adventures he had as a puppy and still has have made for some memorable tales. I could fill the pages of a small book with those adventures. My wife had quite the persuasive argument for why we needed a dog, and not just any dog, but a yellow lab specifically. She told me, “Families with dogs are happier families.” I wanted us to be a happy family, and being a happier family sounded even better. At the time I needed all the happiness we could muster.

Casey is not our first dog. My wife and I grew up with dogs in our homes. A few months into our marriage, we bought a cocker spaniel, Buttons, who was with us for fifteen years. So being a family without a dog was a new experience. We needed a dog. We wanted a dog. We are dog people. I wish the book "Marley and Me" had come out before we got our yellow lab to prepare me for the adventures of owning a lab. But alas . . .

Tonight, our yellow lab, as he often does, wandered into our closet and brought me one of my shoes, a sure sign that someone left the bedroom door open. I scolded Casey gently and he gave me the shoe. A few minutes passed and he came with the other matching shoe which he dropped at my chair. Dogs may be colorblind but Casey is quite capable of matching shoes. If you come to our home you may wonder why all the doors to all the rooms in our home are closed. Our children are so accustomed to closing the doors to keep Casey out of their things that even when they are at someone else’s home they close the doors on the rooms as they leave them. If only I could teach them to pick up after themselves as easily!!

My wife is right of course, we are a happier family. It’s hard to imagine life without our 113 pound yellow lab who insists on walking right beside you, even when you have your Sunday dress clothes on, and whose tail wags indiscriminately throughout a room reminding my wife and me that though are children are older, we still have to keep fragile items up on a higher shelf. I have thought that perhaps we misnamed our yellow lab. "Moose" seems a more fitting name at times.

Casey has added, as have all our dogs, companionship, loyalty, and unconditional and unmerited love for all four of us. God has given us a gift and for that gift we call Casey, I am thankful.

Tommy

Summer Joy

Summer is filled with joys beyond number. No matter who you are there seems to be something that fits the niche for everyone. Unless of course your niche involves snow and ice. With that said, summer really does possess a certain seasoning that enhances the routine of life.

Though I am not much for the pool scene, there is something to be said for spending a day at the pool with friends and basking in the sun and the water. I do enjoy spending time working in my yard though right now it seems that means I am picking up more rocks and weeds than anything else. I enjoy spending the hour on my riding mower giving my yard a nicely manicured look, though the dust and the pollen does seem to awaken my allergies.

Washing the car is always a great summer time activity. Though it seems cleaning my car was an activity I enjoyed more when I was a teenager. Well, there are always summer vacations to our favorite destinations. But this year, our vacation will happen not in the summer but during fall break.

It does appear my summer joy has experienced a bit of a slump. But not to give up, there are two activities that have revived my summer joy. The first was buying a homemade ice cream maker, getting out the old family recipe and whipping together a batch of homemade ice cream. There's nothing like it in the world!! The rich cream, the vanilla, the cold as it rushes down my throat! I'm ready to get another batch going right now.

The other activity was picking blackberries. I have labored and loved this tiny patch in my backyard for a few years now and this spring the rain was just right and the berries came on in great fashion. I relished walking down to the patch each evening to pick a small bucket of berries which my wife will use to make the best blackberry pie in the world! Top it all off with some homemade ice cream and I doubt that the summer could get any better.

Both those activities flood my mind with days past of helping my parents make ice cream and picking blackberries at my grandparents. Those memories are a gift from God for which I am very grateful. Those memories have indeed enriched my summer joy!

Blessings,
Tommy

Getting Away

Jennifer and I took a much needed break. We traveled to Virginia to tour some historic sites. We celebrated her birthday and our 20th Anniversary, though our anniversary isn’t until June. But mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed the time away.

As often happens when we get away, we talked a lot about our kids, David and Kate who were staying with their grandparents. We called them each day, or they called us. Sometimes they called several times. They wanted to know what we were doing and especially wanted to know when we were coming home. Though we enjoy our time away together, we miss our kids just as they miss us. Being away from work and the demands of home, and at the same time being renewed in our relationship are all things we have tried to do throughout our years of marriage.

I’ve discovered in our times away that I come home refreshed and renewed. I also come home with a new understanding or perspective about myself. We all need to get away. Jesus got away. The gospels tell us that on a few occasions he went away by himself—to pray, to reflect, to gain perspective. If Jesus took the time to get away, and Jesus is our model for living well, then it stands to reason we should learn from him and take the time to get away as well.

I hope you take the time to get away to be renewed in your life, your relationships and your walk with God.

Blessings,
Tommy

Holy Week

Holy Week begins tomorrow. Every year it seems to creep up on us and we seem to face it a little unprepared. The least we could say is we long to experience it fully but aren’t quite sure how to approach it. That’s the case for me this year. Since Easter Sunday is earlier than usual, my spiritual clock doesn’t quite seem to be on cue. So what will we, what will I do with Holy Week?

I’ll begin by being more decidedly a participant in worship on Sunday rather than a worship leader as is usually the case. As a participant in worship I plan to be more in touch and in tune with what God is doing in my life during that hour. Being out of my usual spot on Sunday always awakens my senses to the presence and the voice of God in my life. I hope that the senses of worship will ignite a flame that continues to burn through this very special week. I am reminded of the words of John who spoke of Jesus as “ the light of the world.”

Perhaps my senses will also be more acutely aware of the new life bursting forth in creation. I want to notice the buds on the trees, the lilies bursting forth from the ground. I saw a bright red cardinal on our deck this afternoon. Yes, I’m excited about the prospects of spring—not only in creation but in my spiritual life as well.

It will be my hope as well through this Holy Week that I will take in all that Jesus experienced that last week. To reflect upon the triumphal entry, the meal with his disciples in the upper room, the prayer in the garden, the betrayal by a friend, the trial before Pilate, the walk to Golgotha, the crucifixion, and the silence of Saturday all serve to enhance the experience of Easter. It’s easy to give in to the temptation to get to the joy of Easter and certainly we want to be there. But there is a deeper experience God has for us if we take the time to journey through all that happens in the life of Christ that week.

All in all, I look forward to this week and the hope, peace, and renewal it brings to my life. And, having taken the journey through Holy Week, Easter will dawn with new hope and new life.

That’s the reflection from my corner.
Tommy

Happy Birthday!!

Our son, David, turns 12 today. Twelve. It doesn’t matter how I spell it, it seems hardly possible. He’s nearly as tall as me and almost wears the same size shoe. I believe he may just turn out to be taller than his mother and I.

Twelve. I remember being twelve. I remember the friends I had and the things we did at school. I remember dreaming about what my life would be like and adding bits and pieces to that dream over time. I remember not worrying about things. I don’t remember Playstations, Nintendos, Ipods, flat screen TVs, satellite TV or cable. I do remember a big snow and sunny days.

Twelve! It’s only one year from being a teenager, four years until a driver’s license, six years until graduation. Twelve! It sounds different than one or five or even ten.

I wander what my father thought when I turned twelve. If he were still living, I would ask him what advice he could give to the father of a twelve year old. And maybe one day my son will seek me out for the same advice.

Maybe twelve is about dreams—my dreams for my son, his dreams for himself, and God’s dream for both of us. In that perspective, twelve sounds pretty good!

So, on this special day in my son’s life, and his parents life as well, I’ll remember that day twelve years ago when I got to see him and hold him for the first time. I’ll recall the many special memories we have made together as a family and the joy he has added to my life. I’ll give thanks to God for the gift he is and I’ll say a prayer that he will become the person God created him to be.

One thing is for sure. I never grow tired of being his Dad, and I never grow tired of hearing him call me Dad!

Happy 12th Birthday, David!

Love,
Dad