I thought I had done such a good job. "Children, you want to grab every opportunity that comes your way. Expand your horizons. Learn new things. Eat a balanced diet."
Children got older. They went to school and learned. Finally they walked away with degrees and degrees. And it all started going south. Literally.
Number One son took his computer programing and software design seriously and after a few years in Hawaii and California, took his family and was recruited to Australia. Number one daughter ran off with husband to California and now has her family and a hectic life in San Antonio. Ummm, maybe I didn't mean expand horizons quite that far away.
Now, tonight, we will watch our other Number One daughter get on a plane and be off to Peru to seek her dream. She has her first job out of college (other than the year of volunteer work in Brazil) many miles away. At a university in Lima.
A sad father reflects: why did they have to take me so seriously? why did they pick up on THIS so well? But what would I say if I could start over?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Persistence - A Dog's Tail
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” --Calvin Coolidge
Our shelty of 8 years died. We were dogless. Lois started not liking being dogless. Enter Craigslist.
We drove home Sunday with the friendliest, lovingest dog. An English Springer Spaniel - a champion purebreed. (But we will be raising her as a commoner - no papers.) We were told she likes to fetch a ball.
So for 2 hours we threw a ball and she fetched. When we came in the house she followed us around with the ball in her mouth. For several hours. She kept dropping it at our feet. When we didn't catch on, she picked it up and dropped it again. And again. You get the idea.
She slept on our bed the first night. By the second night we had a bed for her over in the corner. We had settled down "for a long summer's nap" when I felt something poking me in the back. I reached under me and pulled out -- a ball. I looked to the side and over the edge of the bed were two pleading eyes looking at me. At 11 o'clock at night. Lois was washing dishes and Darcy got up on her hind legs and gently balance the ball on the lip of the sink. I'm picking beans in the garden and suddenly see a green tennis ball rolling under the leaves toward me. Cut to the brown eyes at the end of the row.
.
It gets better. This morning as Lois finished her shower she noticed Darcy right outside the door. As soon as she slid it open Darcy placed the ball on the sliding door track and looked up :) Later as Lois was unloading the dishwasher she turned back from putting some glasses away and there was a ball resting innocently on the open dishwasher door.
I have a feeling I could bore for a few years to come. But the persistence of this canine sort of reminded of the parable of the pleading woman and the unrighteous judge. The value of persistence. Nothing worthwhile has ever accomplished by "almost" sticking with it long enough. Maybe the best example is the gambler who sticks with the game until his luck changes. OK, maybe not something to emulate, but hopefully you see what I think I mean.
God grant me the patience/persistence/perseverance/focus/single-mindedness to stick with/learn/do/stop doing, whatever it is that needs doing/holds me back/tears me or someone else down/builds up/prevents good.
Our shelty of 8 years died. We were dogless. Lois started not liking being dogless. Enter Craigslist.
We drove home Sunday with the friendliest, lovingest dog. An English Springer Spaniel - a champion purebreed. (But we will be raising her as a commoner - no papers.) We were told she likes to fetch a ball.
So for 2 hours we threw a ball and she fetched. When we came in the house she followed us around with the ball in her mouth. For several hours. She kept dropping it at our feet. When we didn't catch on, she picked it up and dropped it again. And again. You get the idea.
She slept on our bed the first night. By the second night we had a bed for her over in the corner. We had settled down "for a long summer's nap" when I felt something poking me in the back. I reached under me and pulled out -- a ball. I looked to the side and over the edge of the bed were two pleading eyes looking at me. At 11 o'clock at night. Lois was washing dishes and Darcy got up on her hind legs and gently balance the ball on the lip of the sink. I'm picking beans in the garden and suddenly see a green tennis ball rolling under the leaves toward me. Cut to the brown eyes at the end of the row.
.
It gets better. This morning as Lois finished her shower she noticed Darcy right outside the door. As soon as she slid it open Darcy placed the ball on the sliding door track and looked up :) Later as Lois was unloading the dishwasher she turned back from putting some glasses away and there was a ball resting innocently on the open dishwasher door.
I have a feeling I could bore for a few years to come. But the persistence of this canine sort of reminded of the parable of the pleading woman and the unrighteous judge. The value of persistence. Nothing worthwhile has ever accomplished by "almost" sticking with it long enough. Maybe the best example is the gambler who sticks with the game until his luck changes. OK, maybe not something to emulate, but hopefully you see what I think I mean.
God grant me the patience/persistence/perseverance/focus/single-mindedness to stick with/learn/do/stop doing, whatever it is that needs doing/holds me back/tears me or someone else down/builds up/prevents good.
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