Smile!

Today was a momentous one for my sweet little Sveta. As is the case for any 5 year old, losing your first tooth is a BIG deal. I haven't heard the story behind this event yet, but I am looking forward to it.

It's a little tough to see, but the hole in her smile is on the lower left (her right). She's holding the prized tooth in her hand. Awwwwwww!

Rocky Mountain High

I'm guessing this is not what John Denver had in mind when he wrote the song, "Rocky Mountain High". The law in Colorado legalizing the sale and use of marijuana went into effect last week. This is just another instance of the world going to "you know where" in a hand basket. I shouldn't be, but I am flabbergasted that a recreational drug like this is now legal. Those who think this drug is harmless and will not cause any problems are fooling themselves. It may take a good number of years, but there WILL be consequences to legalizing marijuana. These consequences will be both short term AND long term. In order to keep from boring you, I will spare the sermon about the effects of drugs on people and society. You know as well as I do what they are. Legalizing marijuana will not eliminate those consequences, but will only serve to make it easier to suffer them. Meanwhile, "Pot Heads" nationwide will flock to Colorado to get Rocky Mountain High. What is this world coming to? This once great nation is not the nation of my father or grandfather. This is only another symptom of a nation in rapid decline. Sad.

I leave you with this humorous depiction of the very first legal purchase of marijuana in Colorado:

Hanging on

It looks like my hands haven't slipped off that cliff yet. I just got the call informing me that school is closed tomorrow. I have mixed feelings I guess. On one hand I'm happy to get the extra day. On the other hand, I don't like using yet another snow day.

Lowest temperatures in two decades will be swooping in from the north tonight and tomorrow. Brrrr!!!!

All good things...

It's said all good things must come to an end. So it is with my God sent, very enjoyable Christmas vacation. As I type this it is Sunday evening and I am staring a return to the grind right in the face. I'd be lying if I said I was okay with going back to work. I'm not. It's so difficult to go back to reality when I've been off for so long. As the evening wears on, I feel like I'm hanging off a steep cliff by my fingertips. With each passing hour it feels like another finger loses its grip. Tomorrow morning when the alarm sounds, I will feel like I've fallen off the cliff completely.

It's not that I mind working. I really don't. It's just that the job is so stressful, it's tough to get myself motivated. Teachers have become society's whipping boys and that's not a pleasant place to be. The American family is disintegrating before our very eyes. Many students and parents refuse to take personal responsibility for their actions and want to blame the schools. More specifically they want to pin the responsibility on the administrators and teachers. It really is sad. If more people would just step up and seize the opportunity for a free, quality education, the world would be a better place.

Along with record setting low temperatures in the forecast, there is also a good chance of snow overnight. The possibility of a snow day crept into my mind, but rationale prevailed when I decided it would only delay the inevitable. I would much rather get a snow day in February than extend Christmas vacation by a day. I'm just going to bite the bullet and go into my classroom tomorrow and be the best teacher I can be. As always, prayers are appreciated.

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Lottery

I will never win the lottery. Why? Because I don't play. That's okay though. I am completely satisfied with my life and with what I have. I only mention the lottery because I read with interest the news story about the guy in California that split one of the biggest jackpots in history. It was newsworthy because the guy went two weeks without even knowing he had won. Can you imagine being a multi-millionaire and not knowing for several weeks? Wow!

The story reminds me of one of my favorite jokes---

A guy calls his wife on the phone. "Honey, pack your bags! I just won the lottery!"

Wife says "That's wonderful! How should I pack? Hot weather? Cold weather?"

The guy says, "I don't care, as long as you're gone by the time I get home."

Teehee! Obviously if I won the lottery I would never throw Tami out like that. Geez! What kind of guy do you think I am? I'd give her at least two weeks notice! :-)

My son-in-law

As a parent there are certain things you want for your children. Most important is teaching them to be strong in their faith. There is nothing more important than equipping them to deal with the persecution they will face for being followers of Christ. You also want your children to be responsible, successful, productive members of society. Notice I didn't say I want my children to be happy. It's not the parents' job to make their children happy. If my children are strong in their faith and grow up to be responsible, successful and productive members of society, they'll be happy... and that makes me happy. Don't get me wrong. I WANT my children to be happy in their lives, it's just not my job to make them that way by being "the cool dad" or giving them everything they want. It's important to instill in children a strong work ethic and to show them anything worth having is worth working for. If I hand everything to my children and they did nothing to earn it, I have done them a tremendous disservice.

This brings me to the reason for this post. Another thing you want for your children is for them to find a Godly spouse and to have a wonderful, lifelong marriage. My first child, Jessi has accomplished this. Her husband, Barry Morton, is a Godly man. They have a good marriage and in turn are raising Godly children of their own. How can a parent want anything more for their child? As a parent, seeing your child in a strong, healthy marriage and seeing the fruits of their efforts (wonderful Grandchildren) is all you can really ask for.

Barry is a super guy. He's a great husband and father. He provides for his family and I never have to worry about my daughter or grandchildren in his care. Barry is responsible, caring, generous, kind and a heck of a lot of fun to be around. Honestly, the guy is hilarious! My only regret is not getting to spend enough time with him. And it's for this reason I am posting the joke below. Barry told me this joke a long time ago and I have always liked it. His version involved a cat, but you get the idea.

Here's to you, Barry! Thanks for being a terrific son-in-law!    

Thursdays with Edra

You may not be familiar with a book called Tuesdays with Morrie, but it’s fairly well known to sports fans (although this book is not a sports book). The book’s author is Mitch Albom. Mitch is a sports writer who found out his favorite college professor, Morrie Schwartz, was suffering from ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mitch decided to pay Morrie a visit one Tuesday and after a rekindled friendship, visited him every Tuesday for the next 14 weeks until his death (hence the name, Tuesdays with Morrie). To be honest I never read the book. You may be wondering if I never read the book why I might be mentioning it here. Well, I’m glad you asked…

My mom and Cliff are leaving for Florida today and will not return until April. Their flight from winter always brings a mixed bag of feelings for me. Obviously I’m thrilled my mom and Cliff get to enjoy warm weather while I freeze my sweet bippy off here in Greater Cincinnati, but I’m also sad that I won’t get to see my mom for nearly four months.

In preparation for their inevitable trek south, I have been visiting my mom almost every Thursday for the last few months. I wanted to see her as much as possible knowing it would be a long while before I would be seeing her again. Spending Thursdays with my mom just reminded me of Tuesdays with Morrie. Thursdays with Edra has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I will miss my mom and Cliff while they are gone, but I will look forward to my Thursday visits with mom when she returns.

Enjoy the warm sunshine, Mom. I’m really going to miss you and I can’t wait until April (especially Thursdays in April).    

       

Happy Snow Year

It's January 2nd and the year is not off to a good start. 5+ inches of snow today with about the same forecast for Sunday. Temperatures next Monday and Tuesday will have lows of -5 to -10. Lots of snow and bone chilling temperatures... not the way I wanted to start 2014. As I was shoveling my driveway for the second time today, the only thought going through my mind was, "I hate this! I hate winter!". My plans of moving to warmer climates when I retire are only further reinforced when it's cold and snowy. My mom and Cliff leave for Florida tomorrow. I wish I was going with them in the WORST way. What? A guy can dream, can't he? ***Sigh***

It's Time!

It's time for my annual resolution to lose weight. As I say every year, I am SERIOUS this time. Tami and I are going to start eating right and getting some exercise. Maybe this year I won't be embarrassed to take off my shirt at the pool.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my friends and family. May God bless you in 2014.

Soli Deo Gloria!