Cat in the cradle and the silver spoon

Since it has been forever since I have posted anything, I just had an inspiration to share.

Our black cat has recently become accustomed to getting milk from a cereal bowl after one of us has finished eating breakfast. It has become a morning ritual that when someone has retrieved a bowl from the cabinet and places a spoon in the bowl our black cat, Sophie will come running into the kitchen and immediately takes her position at the kitchen table sitting in a vacant chair next to the person enjoying their morning meal. She patiently waits for morning treat and expects the bowl to be pushed in front of her so she can partake of the milk that is left over. Additionally, when we slide the bowl over to her, we must walk away and not look at her. She is a shy cat and will not partake if someone is watching.



We have found that she most prefers Fruit Loops leftover milk. The more healthy stuff she seems to turn her nose up at. She only takes a little drink, generally less than 30 seconds and then she is gone to sleep the day away.

So warning, if you ever at our house for breakfast, don't be afraid of a black cat staring at you. She is not looking at you for her next meal. She just wants your leftover cereal bowl.

Finally, Someone Else Gets a Turn

Since when does longevity at a job translate into doing a good job?

I just read that Senator Kennedy passed away. May God rest his soul. Whatever that means. I truly wish his family peace and comfort during this season and I feel grief for all those who were close to him.

But on the public and political level, I am not a big Kennedy fan. For whatever reason this family had way too much influence in a political system that is suppose to represent the people. The Kennedy Family represents, in my mind, everything that is wrong in our political system. I think most would agree that they were powerful, influential, and very difficult to do battle against. I am pretty sure our founding fathers, who wrote our constitution and Declaration of Independence, never envisioned elected officials would get into office and make a career out of holding an office.

I have a very difficult time imagining any political person who does not live in the "real" world being capable of representing their constituency in any sort of positive way. I am convinced that if elected officials had to live under the laws that they choose to create, live with the health insurance rules that they craft, and things of that sort, that they would do a much better job. Why is it so hard to implement term limits? It baffles me.

My opinion goes for all political parties and all positions. I think it is very dangerous when we get politicians that look like they are a "made man" like you see in the mafia movies like "Goodfellas". It is scary, but there are many similarities between what goes on in politics and what goes on in "The Family" business of crime families.

I make a prediction now. With all the tragedies of the Kennedy family and now that the reining patriarch has passed on, there is bound to be a movie or mini series made. I can really imagine an epic series done on HBO that is similar to the quality of "The Band of Brothers" series.

As T.O. would say, "Get your popcorn ready!"

Best things in life still are free!

Yesterday, was a very blessed day. First of all it was Mothers Day. Had a great time with my wife and spending time with her. Got to wish my mom a Happy Mothers Day. Enjoy a great dinner with my wife and mother inlaw. I am very thankful for all the moms in my life and the jobs they do. They make this world, truly, a better place.

The most fun thing was going fishing with Shelby last night. That was a real treat for me. Much of the time it is difficult finding things that we both enjoy and can share together. We have our challenges communicating mainly because we think totally different. I had so much fun going fishing with her and seeing her catch a nice size bass. We fished until it was too dark to see. These times happen so infrequently that it means a great deal when we get to do these things. I was impressed at how well she can cast. She even figured out how to cast using my open face reel. Funny, how the little things make me smile. I am truly blessed with great kids. That is what life is all about.

Gotta go now I think I hear "The Cats in the Cradle" playing now ....

A night I will never forget

Tonight I had the privilege of taking my youngest daughter, Alix, out on a date. We decided to check out a play being done by the Dallas Children's Theater, called "and Then They Came For Me"

It was great to get to spend time with Alix. I don't know why I don't do it more often. She is a great person. She is funny, thoughtful, and can carry on some very adult conversations. She really thinks things through. We had a great time. She also has some great music that we listened to on her iPod.

The play was very good and I would highly recommend taking older children through adults to see this wonderful play. It touches some on Anne Frank and some of her friends during WW II. There is video mixed in with the play of the real life people telling stories of what it was like living through those things. The play is a childrens play that deals with a horrific subject in a way that will not scare kids but gets the message across.

The real gem for the evening was getting to hear the stories of Eva Schoss who happened to be at the play. Her life was potrayed as one of the characters. She took questions from the audience at the end of the play for about 20 minutes.

This 80 year old woman impressed me in so many ways. I got to see a little of what her life was like as a teenager. I can never completely understand the terrible things she had to endure. The prejudice and disgrace that her family had to go through. Hitler's compaign against her kind would be enough for most people to start complaining and whining. I cannot imagine how her and her mother could be split apart from her father and brother and then live in hiding for 22 months. After 22 months then get betrayed and turned into the Nazis. Then they spend 9 months in Auschwitz. Her father and brother did not survive. Can you imagine the strength, the pain, the hopelessness, the fear, or the unbelievable conditions they had to live in?

The struggles in my life and any difficulties I might have are nothing but a hang nail in comparison. If I ever complain about anything ever again, just slap me! I have no right. One of the questions someone asked was "How did you get over the pain and hate she must of had for the people that did those things to her?" She admitted she had a lot of hate towards the Nazis. She also realized that many Germans were not that way but were just afraid to speak out. She said she eventially had to let that all go so she could move on. This lady had such a quiet strength it was amazing. I will never be the same again.

Cha Cha Changes

My wife has done it to me, my work place has done it to me, Life has done it to me, kids will do it to me all the time, and most recently Face Book has done it to me.

I am talking about changing what I am used to. Now I know change is good, change it healthy, change is "it just happens". Sometimes I don't like it, yet I am powerless to do anything about it. However I am empowered to respond to it.

"Who Moved My Cheese" is a great book everyone should read. It a book that addresses this topic in a very creative and effective way. Why is it so easy to observe someone else going through a change and immediately see what should be the best way to respond, yet when it comes to me, it requires much more thought and effort.

Take my lovely wife for instance, she loves to re-arrange the house or move the contents of drawers and cabinets. It usually takes me a year to quit going to old location when I am looking for something.

I know I am not the only one.

How can a terminal illness change your life?

Ever thought a terminal illness could save your life? No, sorry I am not talking about me. I am very healthy right now and very thankful for that.

I was reading my wife's April issue of Good Housekeeping. Not something I usually do for obvious reasons. Michael J. Fox was on the cover so it caught my eye. I read his first book and was impressed with his outlook on life after being diagnosed with the terrible disease, Parkinson's. He has written another book called "Always Looking Up". In his interview he had some amazing things to say that I wanted to share.

He really looks at his initial diagnosis as a turning point in his life. While most people would think that it was a bad turning point, he looks at is as a point where he really began to live. He says his wife and him laugh at people that come up to them with very somber faces and offer their condolenses. He claims they are having more fun now than ever in their marriage and family.

His thoughts on marriage: "Keep the fights clean and the sex dirty" - I could not have said it better, myself

His thoughts on what life throws at you: "... look at the choices you have as apposed to the choices that have been taken away from you. Because in those choices , there are whole worlds of strength and new ways to look at things." later he says "... we are all dying from the moment we are born. This is not just rehearsal" . Sound like some good wisdom.

His thoughts on his situation: based on a birthday card he saw that said, if you did not know how old you are, how old do you think you are?" Michael changed the thought to "If you didn't know how sick you were, how sick would you think were?" - hmmmm some very good insight on how to live.

The absolute best thing he says: "For everything this disease has taken , something with greater value has been given" - now that is the way to think!

I am reminded again about how this thing called life works. Much of what happens to us and around us, we have no control over. However we can control how we respond. In our response, there lies the outcome. When bad things come I can choose to be bitter or I can choose to look for the good that will come out of the situation.

To read the article go to Good House Keeping Magazine

Jeremiah 29:11

Faith Renewed

No this is not some super spiritual encounter, but in a way it is.

Last week I had the privilege to serve on a jury. The case was a criminal case involving 38 year old man who has been in trouble with the law for most of his adult life. He was accused of possession of a controlled substance.

Like most I was not thrilled when I received the notice for jury duty in the mail. I am busy like everyone else. The county court house is about 35 minutes drive from home, and there seems to always be more important things than jury duty.

Day 1, I show up just to find out I get to come back in the morning for jury selection.

Day 2, things get interesting. I am potential jury #25. The prosecution gets to strike 10 and the defense gets to strike 10. Then the next 12 potential jurors will be the seated jurors. The attorneys asked question of most everyone in front of me, but only asked me 1 direct question and it was simply tell me something about myself. I answered very generic and that was it. After a break for lunch, we come back and I find out I am on the jury. Yippee!

The rest of Day 2, we got to hear the trial which lasted all of 2 hours. We then deliberated to come up with a verdict. Up until deliberation, we were not able to discuss the trial with anyone including other jurors. The prosecution was the only side that brought in witnesses and submitted evidence. The defendant, never took the stand. The prosecution's case was pretty much a slam dunk. The defendant was caught on video and the evidence was pretty cut and dry.

The funny thing was, as a jury, we knew nothing else about the defendant. At this point we did not know this guy had a record. We knew nothing of his past. For 10 of us, the guy was guilty. The 2 hold outs were struggling with sending someone to prison. They kept going on about the reasons why this guy did what he did, but it was all on speculation. The 10 of use found this very frustrating because our decision was to be based solely on the evidence presented and then it was to be only beyond a reasonable doubt. After about a 20 minute discussion we all agreed, guilty.

Day 3. In this trial, the jury was to hand out the sentence. The sentence guidelines were 2 - 10 years and $0 - $10,000 fine. Before the sentencing phase of the trial the 2 hold out jurors were still struggling somewhat that they found this guy guilty. During this day of the trial, we got to hear much more of the story about this guy. He had several chances to do the right thing. He had over 10+ other convictions and each time had got the minimum sentences. To cut a long story short, the defendant took the stand and gave a sob story, but the prosecutor ripped it to shreds. We the jury felt the defendant really was trying to manipulate us and the system so we came back and gave him the maximum time and fine.

I say all this, not because I am proud of sending a man away for a minimum of 2.5 years (eligible for parole when 1/4 of sentence is served). That part is very sobering and is heavy to weigh on my conscience. I am proud of our justice system and that I got to play a small part in it. The judge was very fair in his instructions, the attorneys were very respectful while doing their jobs, the discussions in the jury room were very civil and thought provoking. All parties took there jobs, seriously. I am impressed how fair the system was towards this guy who really has spent the majority of his life trying to cheat and steal from society.

This entire process restored my faith in our judicial system. It is an honor to be apart of this system. It has convinced me that this system with all its flaws, with all the bad press and media, is still the greatest system in the world. A jury of peers gets to decide someones fate, not some beaurocrat, not some government official, not some bully, or some corrupt force. A common person, my neighbor, someone who is only concerned with doing something fair and just. That is what I am most proud of.

The next time you receive your jury summons, remember, if it was you on trial, would you want someone like you on the jury or someone else. It is a great experience.

Kudos to Judge Lee Shipman of the 211th District Court of Denton County, Texas. He is an impressive example of a judge. God Bless him and God Bless America. God HAS Blessed America!