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All My Heroes

Maybe it’s just me but for most of my life I never really stopped to think about heroes. I mean I had all kinds of sports heroes I guess, but I certainly didn’t think of these people, athletes, or whomever as heroes. When I was young I enjoyed Saturday morning cartoons and the Super Friends, but that wasn’t realistic to me. There were cowboys from TV shows and black and white movies that I wished I could be. And there were my favorites, the Indians, the Native Americans, the people that were already on this continent that I really wanted to be. I fell in love with the images and stories of these people.

Separate Ways

Last night I awoke from a deep sleep with words spilling from what’s left of the corners of my mind. I laid awake in bed for an hour or two and recited words to myself as I formulated thoughts. This morning I knew I would have some time to sit and put something together. And this, from the perspective of a young boy, with some twenty plus years of adult insight, is what I came up with.

Farm League Fun

I began coaching youth baseball back in the mid-1990’s. Over the years I have had more fun being a part of teams and interacting with parents, coaches, players, and opponents than I could ever recount.

First I Was A Son

Two years ago this morning, my Dad passed away. To me, the date April 14th has now been redefined forever. As this date neared, and ultimately arrived, I have had many folks share their warm… 

Last Trip to Canada

In recent weeks, Dad had talked with my Mom about how he could not wait to take (I would drive them) Mom back to Canada again this year. Then, on April 14, 2016, God intervened, and took Dad to his eternal home.

Morning at Home

School vacation week is done. Now, it’s back to our mornings together at home. Today we thought of Grampy and shared a hug so we could lift each other up. I love these two, and… 

Dad

See, me, and my generation, we hope to be measured one day in the same breath as the great people of the generation before us. In that generation the simplicity of life lived was the stunning portrayal choreographed by the depth found in the intricacies of magnificent minds with the perceived time to approach extraordinary. I am just a man, my Dad was a great man, a great man of God. His new place in heaven ensures what should always be, that I’ll look up to him. I do, and I will.

Someday, From This Debt, I Hope I’m Never Free

What was once just down the hall, now requires a plan, accounting for all. The sweet, trusted security only separated by a flight of stairs, is somewhere in the past, or at least not so easily found, or fast. The supported now strain to support, and one longs for it all, again to be the other way around.

Honoring her December birthday

This morning though, I remember my Aunt Janette. Below, I have shared a poem that I wrote in honor of my aunt. She was a beautiful person, inside and out. I was fortunate enough to have a relationship with her right from the time I was born. Last night when I looked at my calendar, and I let the date register with me, I stopped and I thought about my wonderful aunt. She is still very much missed and I cannot wait to see her again, one day, in heaven. This morning, I remember her, and I share this poem I wrote a few years ago.

Sweet Reunion

NB Sky
Looking North and West from Judy Hill in New Brunswick. Charleston Road.

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes when I least expect it a moment is pulled from the normal and sets itself apart. That happened to me last Thursday when I ran into some old friends. It was an impromptu meeting that left me overjoyed to have a few minutes of interaction with them again after many years of being caught up in our own lives and the places our lives take us. I am thankful for those minutes, for those people, and for the mutual feelings we have for one another that were quite apparent last Thursday. It was a sweet reunion of sorts for certain.

NB Sky 2
Lots of sky looking from the St. Thomas Road in New Brunswick.

 

 

 

Then there are my trips to Canada, to New Brunswick. Those trips always include sweet reunions, usually several. This trip certainly didn’t disappoint.

My Aunt Janette Remembered

I find myself staring into the beautiful spaces that God created and letting my mind wander over the hills, through the valleys, and along the streams. In my mind all of it is wild, all of it is untouched, and all of it is revered by mankind. From the path my mind wanders along, I see the people who now walk the streets of gold, the ones we loved here on earth. I long to sit and visit with them again. I long to hear the familiar laughter that each of them often contributed to our family gatherings. I ache to look into the eyes of those heroes who have gone before me. In those eyes, there are windows to all-time, the windows dressed in love are unmistakable. The eyes invite you in to sit and stay for awhile, they exude love, and portray a confidence that all will be just fine, for where we are gathered, He is there also. Try looking into the eyes of a loved one, maybe an older one, but one who has assured their eternal salvation by giving their life to Christ, and tell me you don’t see all I have described here, and more.

I wrote this piece two years ago, and this morning, I honor my aunt’s life by posting the original words I wrote.

Family Parade

The sun dropped beneath the peaks while we were inside. The meal was good, we laughed til we nearly cried. Upon our return to the lit street aglow this night. I took in the scent… 

God’s Plan – A Tribute to Marjorie Leech (Peterson)

God’s Plan – A Tribute to Marjorie Leech (Peterson)

Somewhere around the world today there was another selfless soul born, of that I am pretty sure. And even with all the newborns today, there’ll never another Marjorie be.

I ended the phone call with …”my thoughts and prayers are with all of you.” As I promised I would, I dialed the number to my parents house and waited for Mom to answer. Usually, it’s been her making those dreaded calls to me, but tonight I had a message to pass on and an inkling that she already knew what I had just confirmed. She answered the phone and both of us seemed a bit scared to say the first words, knowing why each of us was on the line. I passed on the message I had promised to share and we talked about what we feared to be the case. Our dear, sweet Marjorie had passed, no more than an hour before.

God's Plan – A Tribute to Marjorie Leech (Peterson)

Somewhere around the world today there was another selfless soul born, of that I am pretty sure. And even with all the newborns today, there’ll never another Marjorie be.

I ended the phone call with …”my thoughts and prayers are with all of you.” As I promised I would, I dialed the number to my parents house and waited for Mom to answer. Usually, it’s been her making those dreaded calls to me, but tonight I had a message to pass on and an inkling that she already knew what I had just confirmed. She answered the phone and both of us seemed a bit scared to say the first words, knowing why each of us was on the line. I passed on the message I had promised to share and we talked about what we feared to be the case. Our dear, sweet Marjorie had passed, no more than an hour before.

OBX The Trip

The week was a whirlwind of travel, adapting we all deploy Mostly a magical Holiday feeling, for all ages, girl or boy Thank you my brother for your abundance of generosity Here I look deeper… 

These words were shared

I don’t know exactly what you are going through today, but I am praying. In the chaos, frustration, and inconvenience of difficult minutes, hours, and days, look within the seconds and identify that which you…