i normally try to keep my blogs in some kind of order just to make sense. there have been so many trips this year and i am trying to sort them out so i can blog about them. i felt the need to post this while the memories were still there.
at ballparks, they will flash your child's name on the media board during the game if it is their birthday. i noticed one name that stuck in my mind more than the others. it was solomon.
for those of you who read scripture, solomon was the son of david and bathsheba. solomon asked God for wisdom above all else-no riches, no vast populus to govern-just wisdom. and God gave him that wisdom and then he blessed him with great wealth. perhaps a lesson for all of us. anyway, i remembered his name for that reason-well, that and my son's name is isaac.
after the game, i noticed a young man walking with his mom to their car. actually i was blocking her in. we talked for a minute and she asked me if he could get some autographs. i said i would be happy to help if i could. when the first player came out to get on the bus, i noticed on the back of his hat was a name-solomon. i remembered the name flashing on the board and being the mensa member i am, it hit me that this was the birthday solomon. cute kid. as each player came out to get on the bus, he would look at me and i would nod a "yes" to let him know this was a player.
the reason i guess this affected me the way it did is because i was missing my own children and i have an unhealthy attachment to baseball. but that is not all.
it was sunday and this mom brought her son to a baseball game (she gets my vote) on a day most stay home and do family stuff, or church related things. to see thru his eyes for a few moments took me back to my childhood and all of my memories of the sight and smells of the parks i went to. the hot dogs, popcorn, hamburgers, cotton candy and sour apple and grape bubble gum. it was a time in my life where i could have taken a wrong turn and ended up choosing to do wrong and not do right. i chose to stay reasonably out of trouble and for the most part i have always landed on my feet despite falling far and often. and here is solomon-wide eyed wonder. not really aware of the fact that as these players develop, one day he will see some playing in the major leagues. and that is ok if he never sees it. for right now, it was mom, baseball, a birthday and some really tall guys who signed their names on a piece of paper. the innocence is something our children lose so quickly these days. i was privileged to be a small part of a day in the life of solomon. thanks for the memories. happy birthday.
until next time...
Monday, April 7, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
quantico x2
i love our country. i have a respect and admiration for the military that runs deep. transporting troops is a high honor for me.
recently i got to take a group of marines to quantico for training and i got to go back 2 weeks later to pick them up. this facility is eerie cool. the times i have been there, i have not seen anyone training. i heard them, never saw them. driving along these winding roads is quiet. then, you hear bursts of small arms fire. like i said, never saw them but they were there.
both trips were night drives. got to know the 2 leaders and these guys were always respectful. i would have expected no less from a marine. but these guys were also down to earth guys with families back home just like me. they were both married and had regular jobs. when we were coming home, i found out they were going back to their families for a while and then on to california before being deployed to iraq. for some this will be their second deployment. for some it is their third. they do what i don't have the guts to do. they are human just like me but that is about all. the work they do and the commitment with which they serve is nothing short of amazing. after dropping them off and the trip was over i prayed for them to return safely. the 2 leaders, Matt and Brandon are very capable leaders. they are the kind of guys a mother would trust their son or daughter to serve under knowing they will do all they can to bring them home safely. all this sounds good and patriotic and gives a feel good warmth. then, i remember my 10 year old wants to be a marine and serve his country. this now really hits home and it scares the hell out of me. sometimes i just sit and stare at my children. i want to soak it in as long as i can. there are times our children seem like the anti-christ and times you can see the halo and wings on their backs. to think of my son or any of my children serving our country, well, my chest swells real big. when i think of the reality that one day they may go to a war, i shrivel up with fear. and i put on the mask of denial. if my loved ones want to serve, i know i can't stop them. if they don't, i can't make them it is their decision. i hope they do. i hope they don't. if they do i can only hope the leadership is of the same caliber of Matt and Brandon. and if they read this blog, remember those you lead were kids at one time just like your own who wait for you back home. i also know that they and you will come home safely because of your leadership. as a parent, thanks. as an American, i am privileged to have met you. i pray for you and all those who serve. God Bless you.
until next time...
recently i got to take a group of marines to quantico for training and i got to go back 2 weeks later to pick them up. this facility is eerie cool. the times i have been there, i have not seen anyone training. i heard them, never saw them. driving along these winding roads is quiet. then, you hear bursts of small arms fire. like i said, never saw them but they were there.
both trips were night drives. got to know the 2 leaders and these guys were always respectful. i would have expected no less from a marine. but these guys were also down to earth guys with families back home just like me. they were both married and had regular jobs. when we were coming home, i found out they were going back to their families for a while and then on to california before being deployed to iraq. for some this will be their second deployment. for some it is their third. they do what i don't have the guts to do. they are human just like me but that is about all. the work they do and the commitment with which they serve is nothing short of amazing. after dropping them off and the trip was over i prayed for them to return safely. the 2 leaders, Matt and Brandon are very capable leaders. they are the kind of guys a mother would trust their son or daughter to serve under knowing they will do all they can to bring them home safely. all this sounds good and patriotic and gives a feel good warmth. then, i remember my 10 year old wants to be a marine and serve his country. this now really hits home and it scares the hell out of me. sometimes i just sit and stare at my children. i want to soak it in as long as i can. there are times our children seem like the anti-christ and times you can see the halo and wings on their backs. to think of my son or any of my children serving our country, well, my chest swells real big. when i think of the reality that one day they may go to a war, i shrivel up with fear. and i put on the mask of denial. if my loved ones want to serve, i know i can't stop them. if they don't, i can't make them it is their decision. i hope they do. i hope they don't. if they do i can only hope the leadership is of the same caliber of Matt and Brandon. and if they read this blog, remember those you lead were kids at one time just like your own who wait for you back home. i also know that they and you will come home safely because of your leadership. as a parent, thanks. as an American, i am privileged to have met you. i pray for you and all those who serve. God Bless you.
until next time...
transportation day
today i had the pleasure of participating in transportation day at what i thought was "just another elementary" school. i knew little about this school. to be honest, i never knew it existed until i went there.
when i got there, i was told where to park and the students would be coming out in small groups. so, i sat and after a while they started coming out. for those of you who know me, i love children no matter the age, race, or whatever. grown-ups shed their innocence and kids (most) still have that wide eyed wonder about everything. these kids were no different. or so i thought. here is something i copied/pasted from the school website (name deleted):
" (deleted) School is unique in that it serves children throughout Knox County. The majority of students attending (deleted) School are eligible to receive special education services. Most of the students attending (deleted) School are preschool age (three through five years old) and participate in a partial day program. Additionally, there is one Comprehensive Development Classroom-Activities Based (CDC-A) serving school aged students (six through twenty-two years old). This CDC-A class serves multi-handicapped, medically fragile children whose needs are best met in a specialized setting.
as they came out, there were smiles and they look in their eyes i can't describe. when they got on the coach, they were all eyes and they sat at appeared to soak it all in. there are times when i spend time around special needs children, i usually end up sad and sometimes i weep when i think of all they will miss in life. i know that is the narrow mindedness in which i sometimes look thru. at times i weep tears of sadness. this was different. as i said, the look in their eyes was different. they took it all in. they were not sad. they were happy and i was too. what started out as a p.r. day turned into a day i will never forget. i went to show them one of our new coaches. they ended up teaching me to never stop looking at life with wonder and excitement. sometimes the teacher gets taught. sometimes the leader needs leading. today, i was changed thru the eyes of these little angels. ashley, thanks.
until next time...
when i got there, i was told where to park and the students would be coming out in small groups. so, i sat and after a while they started coming out. for those of you who know me, i love children no matter the age, race, or whatever. grown-ups shed their innocence and kids (most) still have that wide eyed wonder about everything. these kids were no different. or so i thought. here is something i copied/pasted from the school website (name deleted):
" (deleted) School is unique in that it serves children throughout Knox County. The majority of students attending (deleted) School are eligible to receive special education services. Most of the students attending (deleted) School are preschool age (three through five years old) and participate in a partial day program. Additionally, there is one Comprehensive Development Classroom-Activities Based (CDC-A) serving school aged students (six through twenty-two years old). This CDC-A class serves multi-handicapped, medically fragile children whose needs are best met in a specialized setting.
as they came out, there were smiles and they look in their eyes i can't describe. when they got on the coach, they were all eyes and they sat at appeared to soak it all in. there are times when i spend time around special needs children, i usually end up sad and sometimes i weep when i think of all they will miss in life. i know that is the narrow mindedness in which i sometimes look thru. at times i weep tears of sadness. this was different. as i said, the look in their eyes was different. they took it all in. they were not sad. they were happy and i was too. what started out as a p.r. day turned into a day i will never forget. i went to show them one of our new coaches. they ended up teaching me to never stop looking at life with wonder and excitement. sometimes the teacher gets taught. sometimes the leader needs leading. today, i was changed thru the eyes of these little angels. ashley, thanks.
until next time...
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