Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 41 - Call

I am not sure but I think I found what the call is for me in my life.

I think it is being involved in the lives of young people, primarily students.

I truly enjoy hanging out with people who are sometimes more than half of my age, in both a educational, instruction, or leadership capacity. I have been, or am a scout leader, a substitute teacher, youth group leader, instructor and tour guide.

But I also really enjoy just hanging out with them in a social way. Like the Sci-Fi Sunday nights we host, or game nights or simple evenings around a fire in the backyard.

I enjoy being able to be included as both instructor and friend.

Being employed at Parkland is perfect for me. I can be educator, instructor, leader and friend. Some might say that you should not become friends with students as it can cloud your dealings with them but sometimes that is hard to do. I meet an incredible group of students and young people through my job and my involvement with the local high school and church.

I was told at one time to remain somewhat aloof and separated from students to have their respect. But I disagree with that. I feel is my call to be in the dirt with them, in the books with them, and in-volved with them and earn their respect.

And with it maybe their friendship too.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 40 - Live

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

Have any four words ever said so much together? I don't think so. If there is a phrase that I would wish for everyone of my family and friends, it would be that phrase.

Just look at it.

LIVE - Go out and live! Don't just exist! Be part of life. Don't let life happen to you, make life happen for you!

LONG - In conjunction with "live" may your time on earth be long. May all of your experiences and relationships be long and memorable.

and PROSPER - Prosperity is not just about having wealth. but adding more stars to your flag... What I mean by that is having an increase of prosperity in friends, family, faith, health, comfort, safety, community and overall well being.

So my wish for all of my family and friends is that you "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day39- Celebrate Part 6

Today, the last of the photo challenge days of the word CELEBRATE I celebrate my family.

There are many things I can say about my family but these are some of the aspects I want to celebrate.

- We all get along. We really do. We enjoy each other and the time we spend together.
- We are all successful in our own way. Our parents gave us the opportunities to make something of ourselves we took advantage of it.
- We are ALWAYS the loudest at any gathering. If there is a group of people at a party, reception, or any sort of gathering and they are making a crap ton of noise with laughing and hollering, you can bet it is members of my family doing it. We are always having more fun than people should be allowed.
- A family get together usually revolves around food, guns, and more food. It would not be a family gathering if we did not have more food than we can eat and if we did not do at least a small amount of target shooting.
- When we have to, we can move mountains together.
- We hold traditions to be valuable. Just because you can change things doesn't mean you have to. Just one example - There is an on-going family Christmas party that has been going on for almost 60 years. How's that for a long standing tradition?
- Ice Cream is considered a major part of our diet. Especially homemade ice cream.

Like I said, there a ton of many more things I could add to this list but suffice it to say that I love my family and everyone in it. They are the best and I am glad to be a part of it.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 38 - See

Like many of you, I bet as a kid you wish you could see into the future and see what you life would be like, or what the world would look like 10, 20 or 30 years ahead.

But what fun would it be to know everything in advance? It would kind of be that same as sneaking a peek at Christmas or birthday gifts before they were given to you. Sure you are happy to receive them but the knowing that you already got it takes away that excitement.

But if I could look ahead into the future, it would not be to see what was in store for me. It would be to look ahead and see if my kids are safe, happy, comfortable and prospering. That way, if their future was not that way, I might be able to change the course of the future for them and ensure that their future is good.

But since that is not going to happen anytime soon, the best I can do is to make sure that they are set up for a good future here and now in the present. I can't control what course they will take into the future but I can make sure to be there to assist, advise, and yes, financially aid them in the present and what I have done for them in the past will see their way to a bright and happy future.

It's up to them to take advantage of it

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 37 - Meditate

They say the most successful people meditate in some sort of way. I don't know of many people in my circles that meditate but then again, I think meditation is probably a personal thing and is generally not talked about.

I would not say that I meditate but I do often take some quiet time at work before turning on the computer and answering emails and voice mails. I find it kind of gets me settled in for the work day.

But one of my favorite places to "meditate" or at least find some quiet time, is when I am in the car by myself. Sometimes I turn the radio off and sometimes I have it blaring but it still works out to be "quiet" meditation time for me. I can gather thoughts, make plans and designs, or simply forget stuff that is taking too much of my attention.

I guess most people would not consider what I do as meditation, but it work for me.

So if you see me on the road and I don't acknowledge you, my apologies. I am meditating.

Lenten Photo Challenge : DAY 36 - Seek

We are all seeking something. Some of us are seeking knowledge, riches, love, friendship, peace or maybe even justice.

Some of us are seeking something far less grand. Something more simple.

For me, I seek on a regular basis for that fun and companionship that comes with the gathering of family and friends around a board game. The simple act of challenging, competing, and congratulating each other over a board game (or role-playing game) creates a stronger bond of friendship between the players. (Unless it is the game of Diplomacy.)

So just like the saying of don't forget to stop and smell the roses, while you are on your journey seeking the bigger things in your life, take time out to seek and find the small things you need to keep you moving along.

Game on!

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 35 - Truth

What is the truth anymore? Is there any truth anymore? Can we trust anyone? So many have their own truths but those truths are set for their own agenda and any other truth that goes against that agenda is not the truth.

We as a society seem to have become divided over what we believe to be the truth. We say, they say and no middle ground. Too many people, and I will state that I am guilty of this at times, do not want to hear a truth that differs from the truth that they believe. Which truth is more true? How do we decide on what we hold to be true in our lives?

We can only investigate, research, learn and understand about issues and such and then decide what we believe to be true. But you must have conviction to believe a truth and do not let anyone belittle you for what you hold to be true. Their truths can be held up to same scrutiny and criticism and could be found to be lacking. Just because they believe something to be true does not mean you are wrong. Or that they are right.



I believe in these truths.

God exists. Prove to me he does not.

People are good and truly do want to make the world a better place. Prove to me they are not.

The internet (and especially Facebook and social media) is not always right. Prove to me that it is.

The United States is the best country in the world. Prove to me it is not.

War is sometimes necessary. Prove to me it is not.

Republicans are not evil people. Prove to me that they are.

Democrats do not always have the best ideas. Prove to me that they do.

Dogs are better than cats. Prove to me they are not.

Lenten Photo Challenge - Day 34 - Mercy

mer·cy

noun
1.
compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.



I can't say that I have ever been in a position to offer mercy to anyone. At least I don't think so. And I should ever find myself in a position to offer mercy, I hope I can find that compassion to give it.

<<< I actually had to think about this for a bit.... and then....>>>


...Actually I can think of one time where I was the one directly capable of giving mercy to someone who I could easily allowed to be punished by the rule of the law.

I will not go into any details about it, but harm and damage was done by a person to another (or group of others) and the offending person was allowed to try to make amends as a punishment. However, if these amends were not followed through on, far worse punishment was likely to come to this person. Time was given and efforts made to help the offender to make right. It did not happen.

Time had ran out and a very strict punishment was going to be meted out on this person and it was the opinion that it should be allowed to happen. I was also of this opinion. I wanted the punishment to happen.

But sitting in the room when the punishment would be read, one last chance was made to all involved to determine if another chance could be given. It was not likely to fall on receptive ears. Especially when the request for "mercy" was given. The offender did not even make the request. It was simply a determination that if agreed upon, the new and harsher punishment would be given and the consequences would follow.

I could not stand the fact that the offender would not ask. There was seemingly no concern for what would happen when this new punishment came down. What it would do to the offending person's own self and members of their family. Nothing. Simply sitting back and allowing it to happen.

I could not. I could not let it happen. Despite what I wanted to happen, (and believe me, I wanted punishment) I spoke up and told this offender exactly what was going to happen and what they were going to do to make it right and asked everyone else involved that one more chance be given.

And one more chance was given.

And I know that in the end, it was the right thing to do. It did not feel like the right thing to do at the time, but now, with years to look back on it, it was definitely the right thing to do.

I suppose that I would still be able to live with myself had mercy not been given. I am sure of it. But I like that mercy, on the part of everyone involved, was given. It worked out for the better.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 33 - Forgive

To FORGIVE someone is actually easier than people think it is.

And I think (or at least I hope)that I forgive wrongs easier than most.

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However, I do not FORGET.

That part is not easy.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 32 - Celebrate part 5

I missed posting this yesterday, so I apologize for that but here it is!

Today (and actually I should every day) I celebrate the number one girl in my life, Cordelia.

I have a ton of fun with this girl. Life has pretty much been a party since I met her.

When we met (Ask her how we met... she seems to get a kick out of it and tells it better (or embellishes) than I do) we probably could not have been more different.

"City" girl meets small town boy.

"World traveller" meets summer vacationer.

Child of professors meets child of grade school and high school graduates.

Agnostic, religious "wonderer" meets German Lutheran.

"Liberal" thinker meets conservative.

"Wild" girl meets arrow straight boy.

Child of divorce meets kid who lived in one house his entire life.

Those things in quotes means that to me at the time when we met and dated, that is what I thought she was like and all of those things that you might go along with that kind of "description".

But as we dated, and I don't really think we "dated' for that long, we got to know each other pretty well and I found out that she was not what I thought she was. Even after we got married, started our lives together and even had kids, I still learned more and more about her.

She really was not a city girl. I think all the time she wanted to be from someplace small. Maybe not Claytonville IL small, but certainly someplace like Paxton IL small.

Yeah, she lived in France and travelled Europe a bit, but her travels were more from necessity than pleasure or vacation. I think that maybe I actually traveled more than her in my youth but, still it made her seem very worldly to me!

I was intimidated by her parents but she did and will still say that my parents are just as smart as anyone that has a degree. Even smarter in other ways a degree will never make you.

For a very long time, religion, faith and belief were kind of a mystery to her. For most of her younger years, she was given the impression that organized religion, and maybe even faith, was something to be laughed at. Not that she did however. She is too kind and considerate to think that, because I think she was searching for her own belief and faith, and as it turns out, it was there, she just needed the confidence to accept it. And believe in it.

I don't know if she truly ever was a "liberal" but maybe just socialized was in circles of liberal thinkers and so went the way of the crowd. (Even though she has never really been a follower.) In reality, she is a conservative. (on the moderate side) And the kind of conservative that scares liberals... a conservative that thinks.

She was probably a wild child compared to me... Hell, a koala bear could be considered a wild child compared to me in my youth.... not really but you get what I mean. I probably would not have hung out with her in high school if I knew her then, but in the end, her "mis-spent youth" has served her well as a parent. She makes a hell of a great mom to my kids and to a whole bunch more young kids in our town.

Yes, her parents divorced when she was about 9 or 10 years old and she was, as most kids are, at the mercy of two sets of parents that, while concerned about her well being, maybe were more concerned about how conveniently she fit into their lives instead of the other way round. Having experienced this, I think it set her up to be a mother that is aggressively passionate about making sure that her kids are not inconvenienced by any issues or faults that she might have, which I am here to tell you, are few and far between. And I am pretty sure that I will never have to worry about ever packing out house up and moving anywhere.... ever.

So there you have it... just a few reasons I celebrate my wife during this Lenten Photo Challenge.

She deserves from me than just one day. But I celebrate her now with this blog post.

Here's to her! I am glad she is mine!

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 31 - Still

Right now I am sitting I a car that is very still. Very quiet.

I just spent 14 hours with Jr and Sr. High school students at a show choir competition where the whole day was filled with singing, music and dancing and a whole bunch of the noise of life.

It was amazing to see all of that talent. All of the life.

Life is not about being still.

It is about being loud. About dancing, singing, playing music, being with friends. Life is meant to be spent, not saved.

But as for right now, I am going to enjoy a still night of sleep in my cozy bed to be ready for tomorrow... not being still.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 30 - Place

Have you found your place in the world?
I hope that you have.

I am not sure if I have found my place but I think I am close. But I am not sure that if finding that "place" is really what everyone talks about. Of course you need to find your "raison d'etre". I think that is what everyone is looking for. Their reason for existing. The meaning behind their life. The answer to "why" they are here.

I am not sure if I have found my place, but I am sure of something about it.

I am happy in the place I find myself.

Maybe that is the key to finding your place. Being happy in the place you find yourself.

I hope you are happy in your place.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 29 Light

I have a pretty bright life. There are a lot of lights in my life who have helped guide me, helped me and stand by me and make me into the person I am today.

Obviously, my parents and my wife are the brightest lights in my life. They are the people who have and had the most influence on me and they truly are my guiding lights.

But I want to shine a light on some of the other people that need recognition for being a bright shining light in my life.

First there is the school librarian that worked at my grade school and high school. His name is Rick Dulaney and I have to say he was a very bright light for me. He was like a gatekeeper to a myriad of stories, subjects, information and entertainment that I might not have discovered if not for him. He is probably responsible for turning me onto new genres of Sci Fi and Fantasy and for piquing my interest in reading the Lord of the Rings in grade school. Once I read that, there was no going back. My path down the road to geekiness was set. Thank you Rick!

Another light was a history teacher I had in High School. Steve Selle was the teacher I had for a number of classes and he showed me the history was not just reading about books and dates and names. He encouraged me to think about history instead of read about it and from there the rest is history... no pun intended! Thank you Steve!

Another very bright light in my life is my buddy Rick Feller. What can I say about him. He and I are very similar in so many ways that often I think we share the same brain... I got the smarter half though. I cannot ever say that I have ever had a bad time spent with Rick. We can talk for hours about all kinds of things. We may not know all of the answers in life but we can sure talk about them and try to make reasonable answers for those questions that need answers. Rick is one of the best. Thank you Rick!

Right along there with Rick is my friend Dave Buhr. Simply said, there is nothing that Dave and I can't do if we put our minds to it. Dave is a solid rock friend. Absolutely loyal to the end and someone that I can always depend to have my back. He has proven it time and time again. Everyone needs a friend like him and I am fortunate to have one. Thank you Dave!

And finally, but certainly not the least light, is my sister Donna Kopmann. I am close with all of my siblings and thing the world of them, but it is Donna that thinks the most like me and someone that I really look up to. She is someone that I can turn to for anything. She is always full of energy, always in a good mood and ready for fun. In bad, crazy situations, she is the calm. When a plan is needed, she is the one heading it up. Things happen when she is involved and I am glad to have her as my sister. Thank you Donna!

I am fortunate to have so many lights in my life. I can only hope that I can be a light to others as these people have been a light to me.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 28 - Believe

Today I am not writing anything... or not much at least. Only that I believe that there is amazing goodness in this world and sometimes it is a very small thing or small action that can lift your spirits so high as to make you believe that everything will be ok.

I am a gamer geek and I believe that other gamer geeks are some of the best people in the world. Here is one of those stories that make me believe that way. Give it a read.

Settlers of Catan Tournament surprise.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 27 -Endure

I have recently been listening to an awesome podcast on the history of WWI. It is called Blueprint to Armageddon by Dan Carlin and is part of the Hardcore History series. I can't tell you how awesome this series is. Carlin goes to great depths to detail the deep intricacies of the Great War and its underlying causes, what the effects were and how in four years it killed off the old world society and dragged the modern world into the spotlight.

But one of the things that Carlin talks about the most is the absolute devastation that the fighting nations, or more accurately, the soldiers of those nation suffered in those four long, arduous, bloody years.

Millions of lives were lost during the Great War. Millions again were mangled, disfigured both on the outside and inside. Countries and empires were destroyed. Regimes were laid low. Ways of life, traditional societies and mankind's way of thinking about each other and their world was turned upside down.

More pointedly, Carlin goes into long explanations about what it was like for the common soldier during WWI.
These brave men, British, French, German, Italian, Australian, Russian and dozens of other nationalities saw warfare that manifested itself in way it had never been seen before.

Warfare had escalated to levels that bordered on attempting to totally annihilate the enemy and the territory they held. The familiar landscape turned into an alien one. One that can only be described as hell on earth. Something akin to the landscape of Mordor from The Lord of the Rings. (It is believed that Tolkien took many cues to describe Mordor from his experiences of what he saw on the Western Front in WWI)

Soldiers lived mud holes. They lived among corpses. They killed each other with weapons that had never been used before on human bodies. They created clouds of gas that killed friend and enemy at the same time. They stood in a line and walked forward into a hail of lead. They cowered in cesspools of feces, blood, rotting flesh, and mud for weeks on end. Powerful shells rained death down upon them for days at a time and when the artillery stopped, the enemy would rush toward them to shoot at them. And this went on for four years.

And they endured it. They remained in their positions. They followed orders. They stood up to attack when ordered and offered their lives at the sound of a whistle. And they endured. And they did it again. And they endured. When their numbers became low, more soldiers took their place and relived the same hell. They endured.

Why? Why in the world would people continue to endure this living hell for so long The WWI has always fascinated me but also confused me. I can't wrap my head around it. The leaders of those armies seemed to have lost all sense to end the war. If something did not work as planned they would throw more lives at it until it did work, or there were no more lives to throw at it. And the soldiers did the bidding as instructed. Why?

Carlin surmises that these men, on all sides, were part of a generation that... did. They did what needed to be done. Duty was something that was not taken lightly. Even if it meant giving up life and limb. He asks the question... would modern (and I mean this generation or the last one) be able to endure these same depredations for weeks, months, and years on end? Could you endure as these men did?

I am in awe of the soldiers of WWI. It was something that the world has never seen since on this scale. The only thing that comes close are those prisoners that endured and survived the Nazi concentration camps, but they were not willing "victims" of the hell they would have to live through.

Could you endure such an experience? I am pretty sure I could not. I don't think those kind of people, those kind of societal expectations exist anymore. I believe they passed with the last of the WWI survivors.

Hopefully, human will never have to willing endure this sort of hell again.

If you are interested in hearing more about this subject I highly encourage you to listen to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History. You will not be disappointed.

Lenten Photo Challenge; Day 26 - Wilderness

I wish there were more wilderness near where I live. I would visit it more often. Unfortunately there are fewer and fewer areas of wilderness in our country and in our world.

Population and urban growth are creeping into the wilderness. And then there are those people, who like me, would like to have a home and live in the wilderness, but unlike me, they actually have the money and freedom to actually move into it and make it less wild.

I think that is the nature of people to time the wild. Make the wilderness more domesticated. We did it with wolves. Why stop there? I don't think that is a bad thing but we should know where and when to stop. Not every wild area has to have a mulched trail and port-a-potty for our convenience. Some people are just not made to be in the wilderness.

But we keep bringing civilization to the wilderness. There is a whole political discussion that could be done on this topic but I don't have the brains or time to do that here. I just would like there to be more wilderness and limits to our incursions into it.

I want my kids and their kids to know what a wilderness is.... and not by having to travel to the city.


The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders.
Edward Abbey

Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling.
Henry David Thoreau

In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.
Charles Lindbergh

The continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is important to the quality of life of humans.
Jim Fowler

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 25 - Celebrate

Today, the fourth in the Celebrate days in this Lenten Photo Challenge, I will celebrate a thing and the people that enjoy that thing. It is not really a thing, it is a tool. The humble gun.

Left alone to itself, the gun is a harmless piece of metal that is in no way harmful or evil or dangerous. That only happens when people who have poor handling or training in the operation of a gun, or they have evil in their hearts. Guns, by themselves are not dangerous. Only people are dangerous. And people who are unsettled, evil, untrained, and yes, overly confident are more dangerous with guns. They are simply tools, just like a shovel, a hammer, a car.

I have a fair number of guns... more than I need, but fewer than I want. Guns are a real investment. Rarely do they decrease in value so when you buy them, you can make your money back or more. But that is not what I want to talk about.

I have been shooting since my father taught me when I was about 7 or 8 years old. It was with a bb gun. He made sure I knew what was the right way and wrong way to use and operate it. How to take care of it. He let me care and clean his few guns that he had and when I was 10, maybe 11, he let me buy my first .22 caliber Marlin bolt action rifle. I still have that gun. It is my favorite gun of all time. I can shoot the nuts off of a gnat with that little rifle.

Since then I have purchased many more guns and I have brought my children up to be respectful, careful, and confident around them. My son shot his first gun when he was 6. He has not stopped shooting since. He has surpassed me in knowledge, training and skill with guns. He is working at a shooting range and is a range safety monitor and will most likely make a career with something revolving around guns.

My daughter is also a shooter. I bought her a .22 caliber revolver for her 14th birthday and for her 16th birthday she received a 12 gauge shotgun. She is a member of the high school trap shooting team and her time shooting guns has given her a confidence that some young girls cannot get.

My wife, who shot a little bit when she was a young girl, was not brought up in a family or culture of guns. However, being married to me, she was eventually going to be exposed to them. Not afraid them, she was not confident around them and maybe just a little bit scared around them. I set out to change that and now my wife has four guns of her own. Her skills improve all of the time and she is definitely confident and safe shooter and quite a good shot, especially with a shotgun.

Not all of my friends shoot guns. But the majority of them do and more and more of them are becoming shooters. The time we spend together shooting guns has created wonderful memories, because it is not the shooting that is the memory, it is the time we spend together at the range, talking, sharing our knowledge and generally becoming closer to one another through the hobby of target shooting. They are people I feel I can depend on.

Today I spent time with my my wife, my son and his girlfriend, and three other lady shooters and while we only spent an hour shooting, it was a really great time. I really love to celebrate the gun culture and those responsible people who are part of it, and they are the ones I "celebrate" today!

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 24- Search

This is the fifth time I tried to write something meaningful about the word "search".

I could not really come up with anything. What was I searching for? What do people search for? What are you searching for? I cannot really answer those last two question, but I can answer the first.

I don't think I search for anything.

A happy marriage - found it.

A happy, healthy family - found it.

And great relationship with my family, both immediate and extended. - found it.

A wonderful group of friends - found them.

A nice home, a good job, and a great community to live in. - found it, found it and found it.

Comfort knowing who I am and being comfortable, actually reveling, in who I am. - found it.

So, yeah. Not really sure if I am actively searching for anything.

Sure, I am always searching for new things to try that grab my attention. Searching for more information or knowledge on things that are a passion of mine. Searching for ways to share good times with good people. Searching for ways to be a better person.

But those big things in life that everyone seems to be searching for... I think I found them.

But did I find all of these wonderful things through active searching or did I just get incredibly lucky? Or were they a gift?

Regardless, I am not going to take any of these for granted.

I hope that if you are searching, you find what you are looking for.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 23 - Practice

This is my passion in life right now.

Practicing and studying the German Language.

But as they say, practice makes perfect. But I am far from perfect so I have to keep practicing...

Just like I keep practicing to be the perfect husband, father, friend, pet owner, instructor, employee and so forth and so on.

I am not perfect but I try.

I hope I get it all perfect before it is too late.

Lenten Photo Challenge: - Day 23 - Stop

Stop. People really need to stop.


They need to stop and think before they speak.

They need to stop thinking that there is only a right and left.

They need to stop and think before they pull the race card.

They need to stop before taking knee-jerk reactions.

They need to stop thinking that they are always right.

They need to stop blaming others for their own mistakes.

They need to stop thinking only of themselves.

They need to stop talking about people behind their backs.

They need to stop complaining about every God-damned thing that happens that maybe doesn't go right.

They need to stop thinking they can handle everything by themselves.

They need to stop letting everyone do everything for and give everything to them.

They need to stop being lazy.

They need to stop. Access themselves. Look into themselves and see what they need to stop doing.

** I had some input on these. Not all of them are my original thoughts. I could go on. I am sure you could too, but let's stop here. **

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 22 - Wise

Wise. Why does that word always make me think of older people. Older people are wiser seems to be common way of thinking.

I don't know. I know a lot of older people and I would not be taking any of their wise advise. Being older does not necessarily level you up to "Wise Old Geezer" as soon as you hit a certain age. I know people far younger who seem wise beyond their years. But there again, we seem to be talking about age or years lived as a way to become wise.

I think that being wise comes from experiencing life. Sure.. you experience life simply by living it, but are you learning from it?

Many people go through life and never seem to learn from their mistakes. They never seem to wise up, no matter how old they get.

But then there are those people that you meet that just seem to have it all together and no how to deal with life because they seem to have lived it all before. They seem to have an answer for everything and know what to do in every situation. They seem to have all of their knowledge and experience wrapped up together and working well for them. But I think there is something else.

They seem to understand why people do the things they do. Call it empathy or intuition, but they seem to have put some real thought in to what they do, what other have done, and the resulting consequences of their actions or the actions of others. And they seem to have seen the world on a bigger scale. They seem to know more about the world, the people in it and how it all relates together. (.... interesting. Maybe being wise, or having "wisdom" has something to do with knowledge... the word of the day from yesterday....)

But then again, some of the smartest people I know have little to no wisdom and could not "wise" their way out of a paper bag.

I don't think I am very wise. But I know a few wise people and I will learn from them. In the meantime I will experience life, see as big a part of it and its people as I can, and never give up on the quest for more knowledge. Unfortunately that all takes a lot of time.

No wonder older people are considered to wise.

I don't want to wait that long... but a wise person would enjoy the journey to having wisdom.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 20 - Knowledge

I have more books than I need but not as many as I want. I love books. I love the feel, the look and the smell of them. They are, like the internet, a repository of knowledge, easily accessible and from them people can gain knowledge about things, places and people. The same with the internet. If you can trust it!

I love being a font of useless trivia and knowledge. I am continually reading about stuff. If something piques my interest, I go in search for knowledge and devour it until I am satisfied.

I could be a professional student, but it does not pay well. So instead I read, I watch, I listen to things that interest me and will gain me knowledge in those subjects.

Maybe that is why I decided to pick a foreign language so late in the game but it makes my brain feel like it is working again!

Never be satisfied with what you think you know. Always be striving to gain new knowledge.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 19- Sabbath

Sabbath. A day to keep holy. A day to worship. For many Christians it is the day to go to church, hear the word of God, to worship and praise him. And a place to feel close to him and keep the Sabbath

My problem is that I have really never felt close to God in a church. Yes. He is there. He is worshiped there. He is praised there and I am right along with the rest of the congregation in doing so, but I have rarely ever felt His presence in the church. The times I have strongly felt him in a church worship service are few and far between. The strongest of those times was when I was with the Lutheran Youth in New Orleans at the Lutheran Youth Gathering.

Instead, I have strongly felt the presence of God when I am in nature. Quietly sitting in a deer stand. Walking the fertile ground while pheasant hunting. Walking under beautiful trees and along beautiful landscapes. In the mountains, at the beach and around a campfire. At night, laying on the ground, looking at the stars.

My Sabbath is not in a house of God that man built.

My Sabbath in the house that God built. The house of Nature. The house built by his hands that was given to us to live in.

No matter how breathtaking and beautiful a chapel or temple is that the Sabbath is kept in, for me it pales in comparison to the house that God built, be it a rugged mountain, a verdant wooded area, or simply the turned earth of farm ground or a wide open Illinois grassland with only the stars above it.

When I can be outside in His House enjoying his creation, that is were I keep my Sabbath.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 18 - Celebrate - Part 3

Today is another day to celebrate special people with the Lenten Photo Challenge and this time I celebrate my Sunday Night Sci-Fi kids!

About two years ago, a number of the kids in this group did not have access to watch The Walking Dead. We on the other hand, had our TiVo DVR and had recorded most of the season they were unable to watch. So we invited them over to watch the series with us. It has continued to this day with us still watching The Walking Dead when the new season comes out. We also watch other Sci-Fi shows to fill the in between times and my wife and I have introduced them to such fantastic shows like "Firefly", Battlestar Galactica" and others that they have not seen. (...or really need to see!)

But it has become more than just a night to get together to watch Sci-Fi. It has become, at least for me, and I hope for them, a good way to cap off the weekend with friends, food, conversation, and fellowship. We have shared opinions, stories, a few secrets, and fairly large amount of laughs.

I really enjoy connecting with them in this comfortable setting where they can hang out, say what they want to say without being judged, (geeks should not judge one another..) and talk about their feelings and issues with the understanding that my wife and I will hold what they say in confidence. What happens at Sunday Night Sci-Fi (and is watched) stays at Sunday Night Sci-Fi.

These kids... and I really should not call them that... but for lack of a better term, I will, are my friends. Sure they were my daughters friends first but now they are mine too and I feel as strongly about keeping and cultivating their friendship as much as I do any adult friendship I have.

I have really come to look forward to our Sunday nights together and am just a bit disappointed when we have to cancel or postpone.

For me it is a celebration of many things. A celebration of geekiness, a celebration of friendship and celebrating the simple experience of hanging out together and sharing each others company.

(Note on the photo: Not everyone is present in this photo. Some of the group come and go depending on homework, work and other commitments. But no matter who is able to come over, it is a great time!)

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 17 - Speak

What languages can you speak? I am so envious of people who have a very good grasp of another language other than their native tongue. My wife speaks French and even though she had not been around speakers of it very much, she is still able to understand it and speak it well enough to carry on a conversation.

I myself have always wanted to know another language. German and Spanish was offered in high school. I had no interest in speaking Spanish (and still don't) but had a great desire to learn German, but I was barely able to handle the English classes I was taking, so I could not see how in the world I could have even have succeeded in taking a German language class. I wish I had.

I took a beginning German class in college but it did not stick very well. I dabbled in some online/computer based courses but even those have limitations that can make commitment difficult.

Fast forward to when we became friends with some German exchange students and then our own time of hosting an exchange student from Germany. These kids (especially Wolf Burkhardt) became family to us and I cannot wait to see them again in their own country and speak to them in their own language.

To my advantage I found out that I am able to take one class a semester for free at Parkland College (Thank you Parkland!!) and I did not hesitate to sign up for the German language class. And the timing was good too. The class is being taught by a new instructor that is absolutely fantastic! I am actually learning the language!
My brain feels like it is being exercised like going to the gym! I love it.

I don't know why we Americans don't teach our kids to speak another language at young ages in school. I think it makes them a better person and I think it helps make them more of a member of the world.

It is not easy learning a new language, but I encourage you to do it. Lernen Sie eine neue Sprache! Sie werden es nicht bereuen.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 16 - Beloved

Today the word is beloved. It can mean many things. I have many beloved things in my life. But today the word beloved belongs to these furry children of mine. Gunnar and Astrid. These guys give me so much joy. They can also be a pain in my side but more often than not, they are my beloved "woofer pup" and "spazzy-pants".

My house would not be a home without them.

"The most striking feature of the correctly bred German Shepherd are firmness of nerves, attentiveness, unshockability, tractability, watchfulness, reliability and incorruptibility together with courage, fighting tenacity, and hardness."

-Captain Max von Stephanitz

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person."
—Andy Rooney (contributor, 60 Minutes)

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us."
—Robert Louis Stevenson (author, Treasure Island)

“Dogs don't rationalize. They don't hold anything against a person. They don't see the outside of a human but the inside of a human.”
—Cesar Millan (dog trainer)

"When the Man waked up he said, 'What is Wild Dog doing here?' And the Woman said, 'His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always.'"
—Rudyard Kipling (author, The Jungle Book)

"Man is a dog's ideal of what God should be."
-Holbrook Jackson

Photo Lenten Challenge: Day 15 - Follow

Today I was inspired by "Throwback Thursday" to make this my photo for the Lenten Photo Challenge.

It was a photo I took when I did a quick turn around to see if the kids I was responsible for were following me down the streets of New Orleans.

This was the last day of our Lutheran Youth Gathering trip when my wife and I and three other adults took a bunch of the kids from our church there for the National Lutheran Youth Gathering. We had just attended the Sunday services at the St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square and were heading back to the hotel.

It was an amazing time and I have some of my best memories from that trip. It was the second time I was there with high school aged kids following me around the streets of New Orleans.

And I get to do it again! In April I will be chaperoning over 80 marching band students from our local school as they visit New Orleans to perform in various places (one being the National WWII Museum) around New Orleans and getting some direction from some excellent conductors and instructors located there. It will be another amazing time!

But that is besides the point. These students were looking for someone to follow. Someone to plan, organize and direct these trips. Someone they could depend on to make it memorable and worthwhile.

I was happy to be that person. (with the help of others too, of course...)

I loved being their leader. The person they followed. And I am glad they had a great time and made great memories on that trip.

But I don't want them to follow. I don't want them to be followers but to be leaders. I wanted (and want) to lead by example so that they and others can become leaders in their own right with their own followers who will look to them for the right path, the right direction.

I don't like to follow. Sometimes I have to, but I would rather lead. And I want all of the young people I involve myself with to be leaders. Not followers.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 14 - Poor

I used to be poor. Or at least I thought I was.

I used to think that when I was a kid that my family was poor. I don't think my father ever made more than $25,000 a year.

I knew a lot of people that had more than we did in terms of nicer, newer homes. Nicer, newer cars, and nicer or newer clothing, furniture, TVs, you name it.

But in reality, my parents were children of the Great Depression and were just frugal and we made do with what we had and when the time and money were available, we bought new things. We really never needed for anything. We were far from poor.

I realized that when I went to college.

I was poor in college.

The photo you see is what used to be the Hardee's at Parkland College. And it was my source of food for a good year. When going to school at college, I had a part time job and worked maybe 15-20 hours a week and got the minimum wage just like everyone else. I did not have much money, and had to get a helping hand from my parents every once in a while. But I still did not have much money. I was so poor that the way I fed myself was to take enough money to buy myself three single hamburgers from the Parkland Hardee's each morning at around 930 or 10am. I would promptly eat one, and stuff the other two in my back pack. At around noon or 1pm I would eat another one, or if I was going to work that evening at the place I worked, I would eat both, as I could get food where I worked. Otherwise that third one was my supper. That was pretty much it. I would have a few groceries at my apartment, but those were slim pickings at best. That was pretty much how I fed myself for the better part of a year or more. There are other instances of how poor I was but this one sticks in my mind the most.

I was poor. Or so I thought.

My dad knew better. I can remember his words when I complained about not having enough money or having a car that was less than reliable. "Quit being so damned lazy and get out and find a better job, or work some more damned hours."

Yep. I wasn't poor. My dad was right.

I was frakking lazy. I was self-imposed poor. I had every opportunity to work more hours or find another job, but I was just too lazy.

I just did not want to work more or take the time to find another job, but I was willing to accept that I was poor and it wasn't my fault. I listened to him. I changed my ways and thanks to meeting a young lady, I made sure I would never be self-imposed poor again.

And here I am going to piss some people off, but this is my blog and my thoughts so, please allow me to continue.

I firmly believe that there are truly poor people in the world and they deserve our help when or where we can help them. But I feel that most of those people that claim poverty and being poor, are just like I was. Lazy, self-imposed poor.

They have the same amount of time that we all have, but chose to use it to wallow in being "poor".

I don't believe in welfare in perpetuity. It was never designed to be a lifestyle. I believe in loans, scholarships, and pay raises or/and extra hours and second or side jobs.

I hate to be so brutally honest but that is just the way I believe.

I believe there are truly poor people in our world. But I think they are being hidden and drowned out by the lazy, self-imposed poor.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 13 - Near

I love that most of my family is near by. Some are no more than 15 miles away from me, but excluding those that live in another state, I can travel little more than an hour in any direction and be at the homes of most of my family. But this is not about how near my family is to me.

It is about how near I am to the little town I grew up in. How near and dear it is to me.

I grew up in a little town called "Claytonville". And when I say small, I mean it.

small.

Like if you blink driving through it, you will miss it. Like total population of 50 small. When I was a kid living there, the population was maybe 70 at the most, and a good portion of those inhabitants were dogs.

What is in a town of 50-70 people? You would think not much but to me and my friends, it had everything. Sure it did not have a grocery store... although it did at one time. It did not have a gas station, unless you called the hand pumped tank that the grain elevator used a gas station. It had a garage, a post office, a church and a grain elevator when I was a kid. In it's past, it had a bank, a furniture store, apparently a train depot, grocery store, and a restaurant of sorts.

But then a fire burned a big portion of it to the ground and the little town of Claytonville never recovered. Who knows what it would be like if it has not burned. Maybe it and the neighboring town of Cissna Park would have grown together to make a sort of twin sisters town. But that never happened. As it is, the town has deteriorated quite a bit since I lived there. I suppose that happens to small towns where there is not much to offer. But there are good people there and it is a good little town.

What it did have was all kinds of opportunities for a bunch of imaginative and wild boys to run free and crazy and be boys and generally have a great childhood. If you look back into this blog I have written some entries about some of those adventures so I won't go into them in this posting.
Here's one
And another
or even this one

But that town gave me the best childhood I could hope for. And it still gives me memories and experiences. With family gatherings, visits with my mom, and I still have a couple of friends who live there, I am still connected to this little town. It is near and dear to my heart.

At some point in the future, I will not really have much connection with the little town of Claytonville. And this bothers me. I have deep affection for the town that gave me such a great childhood. Somehow I want to keep it near to me.

But until I figure that out, I will have to just go visit it.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 12 - Bless

I am blessed in many ways.

I have a lot to be thankful for, but if there is one thing I am most blessed it is my wife.

If it were not for her, I think I might not be where I am today.

She has blessed me by being my constant companion, my partner in crime and my guiding hand.

Together with her, I have a happy home and family, live in a wonderful town and have fantastic friends and enjoy some of the best things that life has to offer.

She has encouraged me in all that I do and helped me avoid those things that I should not.

Together there is nothing that we can't do.

I am blessed to have her.

(oh... and she is short.... and I appreciate her. A lot!)

Lenten Photo Challenge : Day 11 - Celebrate (#2)

Today is another day to Celebrate special people in my life.

Today I celebrate my kids, Julian and Cora.

They are pretty great kids. I know that most parents say this about their kids, and they should. Parents should be proud of their kids, but not just because they are their kids but because those kids have given them reason to be proud of them.

My kids have made me proud of them many times over.

They are smart, responsible, kind people that are fun to have around and do things with.

I like that they have found their passions and have a good idea of what they want to do in the future.

They have interests that are out of the ordinary and they are okay with that. They are okay having hobbies that most people don't. Historical Re-enacting, gaming, etc... (Cora flies her geek flag almost as high as I do!)

Each is talented in their own way. I wish I could sing half as well as Cora and Julian has surpassed me in shooting ability and knowledge.

I also really like that they still enjoy doing things with Cordelia and I. While it happens less and less often that we are able to do things as a family, we have a great time when we do!

I like that they have conviction in their beliefs and stance on issues. Cora has come to understand that you cannot be someone that people want you to be and that life is too short for drama and Julian grabs on to his interests with a passion that consumes him and has led him to face down those that would try change his belief and found them lacking.

I like that despite me being a goofy, geeky dad, they are not overly embarrassed by me. For that alone, they deserve a prize!

This is one of the hardest things to write about. There is almost too many things I can say about them that I can't actually put it all into words.

Suffice it to say that I am a proud dad and I celebrate that they are such cool kids.