Archives For life

Broad brush strokes…

 —  February 5, 2011 — 2 Comments

The inherent danger in offering an opinion about something is that, if not careful, we can suggest things that aren’t always true. Try this on… A guy with his ear pierced is….

Insert your opinion. You are entitled to it. But beware of how you frame your answer. You might say, “A guy with his ear pierced is gay.” That may be the case, but not necessarily. Just because something may be the case doesn’t mean it always is the case. We call this painting with too broad a brush, and it’s dangerous. There are simply too many exceptions to the rule.

I could go on and on. The stereotypes are many. Too many, I say.

But are we the kind of people who uphold them? I don’t think they are worth it. I’ve been wrong too many times. God help us to not fall into the trap of painting with broad brush strokes. We will more than likely end up with paint all over ourselves. Maybe this is why Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1)?

In life
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You make due…

 —  February 4, 2011 — Leave a comment

Sometimes you just have to make due. There’s no other way. Inconveniences occur and we must deal with them. Avoiding isn’t an option.

I was working on a water line issue at our gym yesterday when Tisha came rushing in, “Get to the cottage. Quick. Water is all over the place!” That was an understatement.

A frozen water pipe in the wall between our closet and our bathroom had busted. For at least an hour, hundreds of gallons of water maneuvered through the quarters of our cottage. It’s not everyday you see standing water on top of carpet, but I did.

Clean up was, and still is, a massive undertaking. Even after we’ve sucked up all the water possible, and placed blowers beneath the carpet to dry it out from underneath, single digit temperatures don’t allow for much drying at all. Oh well. You make due…

Things like this happen not just to my family but to all of us. Things throw us off our games but we adjust. We make due. We have to. Survival and the preservation of our sanity, in a natural order that really doesn’t care about our comforts, demand it. We live in the midst of inconvenience because we trust that maybe, just maybe, God is teaching us something. And he is.

So we make due.

In life ,
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Turn on a Dime

 —  November 1, 2010 — Leave a comment

It doesn’t take much for something to change course, does it? Just ask the Texas Rangers. A near sweep of the Yankees in the ALCS propelled them into their first World Series. Before the Series started, many were picking them to win it. But like the honored idiom suggests…things can quickly turn on a dime. What seemed inevitable can escape us in an instant. What was a foregone conclusion can not come to pass, after all. What we think is going to happen just might not.

I’m not giving up on the Texas Rangers, though. I refuse to, for the same reason they are in the predicament they’re currently in. Things can turn on a dime.

The beauty of hindsight is that it affords us with the opportunity to look backwards. Often, when putting forth enough effort, we are able to look back and find pivotal moments- turning points if you will- where everything changed. In many instances, small things generated significant results. Remember… A spark can start a fire.

Every day, God places before us turning points. Every decision and every move matters. Keep that in mind, no matter where your life is currently headed. If its going in the wrong direction, the good thing is it can turn on a dime. If everything is well and good, don’t become complacent; it can turn on a dime.

In life ,
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A Fair Life…

 —  August 26, 2010 — 3 Comments
Haylee and her rabbit project

Haylee and her rabbit project...

When I was younger, my intention was to teach Agriculture. I got an AgEd degree to prove it. A semester of student teaching at a prominent South Texas high school, though, broke me of that. Fortunately, I was a part of TAMUK‘s livestock judging team and my coach got me an interview with IBP Inc.  I took a job as a buyer for them in Central Iowa, but I worked with them for only a year. The opportunities for advancement were limited, and that year Iowa was the coldest place on the planet, so we moved back to Texas and I changed courses, completely.

I never thought I would experience the life of my original Agriculture track again, but coming to the NMCCH has changed that. Here we have our own working farm and farm manager, Rick Daniell. We also have our own 4-H chapter, Shooting Stars 4-H, and many of the kids here have opportunities to work their own 4-H projects. It is a wonderful chance for them to learn, grow and show.

This week is fair week in Roosevelt County, NM. I’ve been blessed with occasions, over the last couple of weeks, to help Rick and the kids get their projects ready for show. I’ve also been able to watch my own kids show their rabbits. I would have never thought, given the last 13 years of my life, that I would again be living a fair life. Washing pigs. Clipping sheep. Coaching kids to show pigs. I’m living a fair life.

The fair life is tiring. It means you might be up at 4 am, at the fairgrounds all day, and not home till 11 pm. But it’s rewarding. The smiles on a face when the judge pens a child’s pig. Even consoling a child who’s devastated about not placing has its benefits. Those are real teachable moments, and possibly, some of the best teachable moments given the circumstances. Hard realities of life are learned when you live a fair life. You feel robbed, at times. Other times, you are elated. Still other times you feel defeated. These are all real and raw experiences.

Cory Long sheers sheep...

I am proud of our kids, both my own kids and the home kids. They’ve done well and that’s what matters the most. I suppose its right to say that I owe a “Thank You” to the NMCCH because coming here has allowed me the opportunity to put a BS degree to good use, putting me back in touch with what it means to live a fair life.

In life ,
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