Day 193

Well, a cold front came through today.  It was pretty cool to watch as it came over the horizon, and then across the terrain.  It  lasted most of the day, dropped only enough snow to cover the grass, and then it was gone.  Just like so many things in life, it's here only a short time and then it's gone.  So, enjoy it while you can.  Opportunities come way to far apart to let them slip by.  What causes us to miss those opportunities?  You can make all the excuses you want, but it is mostly because of fear.  We simply don't know the outcome so we are not willing to risk our time or dignity.  Are you more afraid of failing or succeeding?  Think about it.

Day 188

Did you ever have one of those days that seem last forever.  I guess Scooter had one of those days.  He sure looked like it anyway.  He didn't even perk up when we fed him.  Some days are just like that.  But for Scooter everyday is a new day.  He wakes up and yesterday doesn't matter.  He doesn't remember today why I was upset with him yesterday.  Actually, neither do I.  If we treated our friends like we treat our dogs, how many more friends would you have?  And, how many would run away?  Scooter has no reason to run away, he has it good around here. 

Day 186

Day 186, a photo by dgakins2 on Flickr.

I am posting this picture directly from flickr just to see if I can. I took this picture some time ago, but I like it and wanted to show it here. I just thought that it deserved more attention than what it was getting. Every picture should have its fifteen minutes of fame. If only we could be satisfied with that, and quit wanting someone else's fifteen minutes too.

Day 182.  Poor Mr. Man.  In order to ensure that he stays out of trouble we had to place him in a Hannibal Lecter style face cage.  This will ensure that he won't be falsely accused of wrong doing.  Strangely enough, I think he likes it.  He is still smiling anyway.  Actually, Mr. Man was just playing around with Stacy's back scratcher.  He has such a strange sense of humor.  It is fascinating how appearances can make a wrong impression, though.  Just because someone has a tattoo doesn't mean that person is in a biker gang, and having a gun doesn't make you a murderer.  Appearances cause us to jump to conclusions, usually wrong ones.  Instead of looking at people though critical eyes, try to see them through compassion.

Day 181.  Even in death some things can be pretty.  I picked up one of my ministry books and these petals fell out.  I had picked them up and put them in the book some time ago, when they were fresh and still fragrant.  They reminded me of the rose sitting on a shelf behind me that is itself all dried out.  So, I put them together.  Here is the thing, the petals and the rose are from different funerals.  Somehow they ended up preserved and lying around my office.  This week in our area we have had three fatal accidents.  Every one a tragic loss.  Sometimes we think that we are indestructible and life will never end.  The truth is, every day is a gift.  Unwrap it with excitement and enthusiasm, but unwrap it carefully.

Day 180.  Mr. Man is taking a walk on the treadmill.  Maybe it's part of his New Year's resolution.  Actually, I think he was trying to run and hide but he got sidetracked on the treadmill and couldn't get off.  He gets blamed for a lot of things around our house.  "Mr. Man hid my home work, Mr. Man took my shoes", and so on.  It's like that comic strip where they have an extra kid named "Not Me" that no one ever sees.  But, when the parents ask who did it all the other kids say, "not me".  Around our house it's Mr. Man.  It's easy and no one gets into trouble for whatever he did.  Besides, isn't blaming some one else for my mistakes and problems normal?  It seems that taking responsibility for the bad as well as the good in our lives is a thing of the past.  It's always some one else's fault.  Ok, I'll get off that soap box.  Annie likes to blame Mr. Man when she cant find something, but she found out pretty quick that he won't help her find it. 

Day 178.  This picture is from Saturday.  We took the bible quiz teams to a meet.  It was a good day and the teams did an awesome job.  Maggie was so psyched because the team she is helping coach went undefeated.  Dugan and a friend spent their lunch time setting up the tables and chairs in all six rooms, so he was tired.  Then he had to turn around and keep score in one of the rooms.  He did such a great job.  These kids have memorized more scripture than most adults know.  It's not just the scripture but the references too.  They also have learned doctrines and truths that have helped them in other areas of their lives.  Dugan and Maggie are smart kids anyway, but I believe that all of the studying and memorizing that they done through JBQ has helped them in school as well.  Every time we get a report card their grades just blow us away.  When the meet was over Dugan went to work loading up the tables and chairs, and hauled them back to the storage room.  I love that I didn't have to beg the kids to work hard, they just did it.  Wouldn't it be great if more people would work hard and stop waiting for someone else to do it.  The bible does have a lot to say about being lazy and not working, and it's not good.  I like to eat so I will keep working, and teaching my kids to work also.

Day 174.  Here is Mr. Man getting caught eating Dugan's piece of banana nut bread.  He has a bad sweet tooth.  Not any more mischief than that today.  I went to a minister's meeting today (without Mr. Man) and listened to a  Christian lawyer.  It was very informative, and a little scary.  But, most of all it made me realize the importance of being proactive as a leader.  You just can't take chances these days by being negligent with volunteers and children's workers.  Playing with Mr. Man is all in fun, but playing with the lives of children is not.  After all, we are supposed to be their protectors.

Day 173.  This is what we call Mr. Man.  It is actually a toy from a fast food chain kids meal.  He is a character called Mr. Happy from the Mr. Men Show.  But, we named him Mr. Man. We took Mr. Man  with us to Florida back in June of 2012.  He kept showing up in the funniest places.  Honestly we didn't even think about some elf that seems to do the same kind of stuff.  We just had a lot of fun.  He showed up in a box of donuts one morning, and had lunch with us one day.  Stacy buried him up to his neck in the sand at Daytona Beach.  I took several pictures of him with my phone.  My intention was to have a whole set dedicated to the adventures of Mr. Man.  But, I left my phone in Florida and though I was promised, I never got it back.  So, I lost all the pictures that I took, but we still have the ones that Stacy took.  Now Mr. Man has started showing up again so I will be featuring some random shots of him.  

Day 172.  Well, there wasn't a lot of color in the sunrise this morning, but it was still nice.  Last night I made this banana nut bread.  Actually it is pineapple banana nut bread, and it is wonderful.  The crust has a light crunch to it and the inside is moist.  I always buy bananas to put in the kids lunches, but they don't always eat them all.  So, I make bread.  We love the bread and the pineapple adds to the flavor.  Sometimes an added ingredient makes things better, and sometimes it will ruin it completely.  Life with Jesus is great, add the Holy Spirit and it is even better.  But, if you add things like bitterness and anger, or jealousy, life gets real burdensome.  It all depends on what you add to your life.  Who knew that banana bread could hold the secret to an awesome life?  And, like this bread, life will be gone before you know it.  So, be careful what you mix in.

Day 171.  For some reason Blogger isn't letting me upload pictures from my computer right now.  I have to upload to Picasa web first then bring it over.  It's just an extra step I guess.  I've been having a tough time finding new things to photograph.  I always have my family, but they get tired of me following them around with my camera.  Actually, I try to catch them off guard, they don't fall for it anymore.  There is only so much to photograph around here, and I have run out of inspiration.  I started praying for inspiration and this morning there was the most amazing color in the sky.  I immediately grabbed my camera, grabbed a few shots, and thanked God for answering my prayer.  There still isn't much to photograph around here, but as long as He gives me sunrises and sunsets with such awesome color, I will stay inspired.  Sunrises like this inspire me for the day and not just for pictures, it inspires my spirit to draw close to the painter of the sky.

Day 170.  Well I did it again.  I just couldn't get motivated.  It is so easy to skip a day, and before I know what has happened several days have gone by.  So I have missed some days, but I won't quit.  I have pictures for most of the days and maybe one day I will go back and post them.  It seems that there aren't as many hours in a day as there used to be.  Stacy went to Dallas last week and left me at home with the kids.  We missed her, but managed ok.  Thursday night the original Karate Kid movie was on so we watched it.  I had never seen it before.    I know, I'm 49 years old, I should have seen it before now, but, I haven't seen all of the Wizard of Oz either.  We enjoyed the show very much.  I had fun watching it with them. Then part 2 was showing on Friday so we watched it also.  Stacy came home on Saturday and we were happy to see her.  Maybe I'll find those extra hours this week.  

Day 165.  The full moon was actually on Dec. 30, but I thought it was really cool to be so big and full on New Years.  Maybe it's nothing, but maybe it is a sign of things to come.  I guess we will just have to wait and see.  I think I will prepare for an awesome year either way.  I want to be ready for whatever God has in store for us.  It has been a good day.  We watched a lot of football and stayed close to the house.  No rushing around, just taking it easy, because later this week there will be enough rushing.  The holidays are over and life kicks into high gear once again.  

Day 164.  New years eve moon.  It was huge as it came up over the horizon, but there were too many clouds to get a shot then.  The twins are out with the youth having a progressive supper, Matthew is back in Lubbock, and Annie is hanging out with Stacy and me.  The progressive supper started out at our house with the appetizers.  We had a good time with them.  Of course they were busy eating so I didn't have to do much.  We've never made a really big deal out of New Years so I'm glad the twins got to go with the youth and have fun.  Happy New Year.

Day 163.  Crosses come in so many forms.  This one is in leather.  My nephew made it a long time ago.  It was in my office for a while, but now it hangs in our house again.  Thanks Keith.  As the year comes to a close it is only natural to think back to the past.  To remember everything that has happened this last year and even further back.  I choose to remember the good things and not make a big deal out of the bad things.  That way I tend to remember the past fondly.  But, the past is already done and the future is still waiting to be.  So, close another year and get ready for the best year yet.  It's your choice.