this is what I have been up to. its amazing.
my baby.
my girls.
my family.
You are currently browsing articles tagged family.
Tags: family
My Mom is incredible. She has a series of articles being published in the Toledo Free Press on behalf of 5/3 Bank. They will run over the next 6 weeks and are really good. The common thread in all of them will be the idea of living charitably and I think she really captures this well.
Also, I was very impressed with the way she was able to cut right to the chase in a few different ways throughout the series. I think she is able to communicate very important truth about money in a very clear way. What can I say, I’m proud of her.
With that, here is week 1…
Significance
When Mr. Richard Anderson accepted his award as the 2009 Outstanding Philanthropist, he commented that “Givers are the happiest people I know.” You might argue that givers are happy because they have more then enough for themselves. That may be the case, but how much is enough? That is the question we must find the courage to answer.
The media is full of warm and fuzzy programs telling tales of great heroism and self sacrifice that leave us feeling quite optimistic that people are truly generous and everything will be ok. These are stories of changed lives and passions ignited. Generosity is a universal value, born within us all. But, our lives are complicated and challenged on all fronts with immediate pressures. Two-thirds of all people who intend to begin a charitable program do not accomplish it.
Even in today’s tough economic times, the majority of us go to bed with full stomachs and clean sheets. We have worked hard to be independent, to provide shelter for our families, educate our children and retire without relying on others. Is this success? As elusive as it sometimes seems, success should include a feeling of significance.
You feel a sense of accomplishment, after years of studying or working long hours, when you hold the diploma or the keys to your first home in your hand. And then, there is the promotion and the bigger home. A realistic definition of “need” is a critical first step in achieving financial well being. Structuring your lifestyle and budget as a reflection of your true values will allow you to experience greater levels of joy, fulfillment and contentment. The connection between success and significance happens when the seed of generosity is allowed to grow and thrive.
Givers are the happiest people. They recognize the abundance of resources in their lives. A desire to see a new world, to give hope, to find a cure or alter a situation is the heart of philanthropy. This is accomplished one individual, one action, and one step at a time.
My wife and I took a trip to the Toledo Botanical Gardens today. It was wonderful and here are a few pictures. The rest can be found on facebook.
i really loved these blue ones. not sure of the name though.
a close up of a brilliant tulip.
the most beautiful of them all.
and -
my life is changing.
Tags: family
there was quite a bit of activity over on my facebook about the last post on father’s day. while i was being rather reflective on my experience with father’s in my life… there is something else i probably need to talk about when it comes to this.
it’s simple, ‘father’ is a metaphor. at many points in our life we encounter a man that becomes a father figure in our lives. they are responsible, compassionate, truth carrying, strong men. they love their wives, father and pastor their children, work a job to provide for their family, protect those around them, serve those around them… they act like a man and not like a boy. but no matter how great our biological fathers, stepfathers, fathers in law, or even father figures are… they are not perfect.
all fathers blow it sometimes. they may look out only for themselves. they may neglect their family. they may abdicate their responsibility at different times in their life. they may get caught up in vain pursuits. because they are not perfect. its all a metaphor… a picture of something we all want and need that points us somewhere else.
the reason i love the metaphor of the father is that it points to our heavenly father who is perfect and good. he is our source and our protector. he loves his wife, the church, and even laid down his life for her. he loves his children through discipline so that they may become something.
so, although i will not be a perfect father i am so pumped to look at the children my heavenly father has given me and point them back to him. in some way, however i can… i want them to meet their true and better father who will never fail them, and always be faithful… even when i am not. when i blow it i can’t wait to walk in their room and apologize and pray with them. because after all… its not my battle to win. i am just a picture designed to point to someone so much greater. and only through the gospel is this possible… the story of this perfect father giving up his perfect son for us, the imperfect.
so on father’s day i am thankful for the men in my life that have helped me so greatly. but i am so much more thankful for my perfect heavenly father.
last night lindsey and i were driving home when she asked if i ever think about my father around this time of the year. i told her i don’t really think about it any more or less than usual, which isn’t a lot. and, i told her, i have more “father” now than i have had in a long time. i have a wonderful stepdad and father in law in my life… which makes up a pretty good combination.
today i am headed out golfing with my brother and stepdad. and while i don’t see Stacey, my stepdad, as often as i should… the fact that we can just get on the phone and go golfing together is a pretty great picture of what my brother and i needed over the past ten years or more. a man to actually be there, to love and cherish our mother. he does that incredibly well and i am very thankful for it.
then after that lindsey and i will head out to her parent’s house to spend time with her dad. we will have a cookout or fire of some kind and just hang out together… and i will watch. for 2 years now i have been doing this and its really fun. its fun to watch lindsey with her father… and more importantly to watch her father with her. i have learned so much from him and am thankful as i feel myself moving from spectator to participant.
at 25 i am really looking forward to being a father someday… and in addition to these two father’s in my life i have countless other men that i have looked up to over the years to thank for that. i am so blessed.
Tags: family