Written by I can remember moments in my childhood when I was doing some bizarre thing or another and I would happen to catch my parents watching me. They wouldn’t say anything; maybe chuckle or smile. I’d ask “what?” but they’d never reply. They would just have that look. I now understand that thoughtful gaze. I look at my boys the same way sometimes and I just think, “Wow… What lies ahead?” I wonder what paths they will choose…who they will become… what kind of lives they will lead… but most often, I wonder what fire will burn deep inside of them. What will be the thing that drives them? What will be their great passions in life?… Will they pursue them?
Posts tagged Courage
a path for 2010
I love new years…not so much because they bring an opportunity to start over, but because they add new layers of life and mystery and chance over the trials, lessons, and accomplishments of previous years. There is a certain optimism associated with opening your eyes for the first time on the morning of a new year. Even though I awoke in much the same way the 364 times prior, I had an old feeling of wonder and calm this morning that reminded me it was the dawn (or, more accurately mid morning) of a new year… a new decade. My mind started to churn through the possibilities of what this new era might hold, and Jaden ambled in. READ MORE »
They can conquer…
The garage door opened. “Guess who’s starting and stopping on his bike without training wheels!” I had to smile. Dillon had made the full transition. We had taken off his training wheels a few weeks ago and he did a pretty good job of maintaining balance during his few trips back and forth across the basketball court that day. Jaden even went down to one training wheel, but neither of them spent any time on their bikes since that day, opting instead to race up and down the neighborhood on their scooters. They had just returned from a quick trip down the greenbelt on their scooters when Dillon asked to ride his bike. I had come inside for a few minutes and had no idea they were switching vehicles. It was a little bittersweet to hear that Dillon had once again gone beyond another milestone without his brother. “Where are the tools? Jaden wants his training wheel off!” Perfect.
Out of the night that covers me
I don’t remember any of the sounds from that day…no particular words or conversations…the memories just begin in silence as my mind plays the repeating images of smoke and buildings and planes and ash. Not the peaceful silence associated with contemplation or reflection, but the sudden silence that follows the loud noise that wakes you in the middle of the night. It is thick and ominous. It represents the removal of sound rather than the mere absence of it. It is colored with hate, confusion, sorrow, and uncertainty. Ultimately, the images of destruction from early in the day yield to recollections of acts of selflessness and heroics demonstrated by individuals from all walks of life who responded to a call to help and to fight. In the end, I remember courage. READ MORE »
Into the deep end
Jaden sped off in a rhythmic walk…trot…walk…gallop…across the scorching “cool deck” around the pool toward the base of the high dive. He stared up the 10ft ladder briefly, then steadily made his way upward. Rung after rung. He pulled himself up onto the long blue board and walked cautiously out beyond the handrail. He was not unfamiliar with diving boards. He and Dillon had been jumping off of them since last summer… just never at this height. I stood and watched as he smiled nervously and then shook his head. He returned quickly to the ladder. A lifeguard came over and helped him back down the ladder. I didn’t say anything to him about it. I just smiled at him and waved from across the pool. He was processing it all, and I needed to let him do that. Jaden took a few turns off of the lower board, and as he was swimming out, I noticed Dillon at the top of the high dive. Dillon looked around… he waved to me… and jumped off the edge; smiling the whole way down. Jaden watched and went back to the line at the low dive. READ MORE »
