Closer than You Think

After a decade in this house, I still ponder the intent of that half-circle pane at the apex of our bedroom window.  Structurally, it serves no purpose; it must have been created for purely aesthetic value.  These are the things I ruminate while attempting to fall asleep at night.

A Resolution for New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolution (nyoo  yirz  rez’e-loo’shen) noun – originally an early Babylonian practice developed over 4 millennia ago in which a person reflects on the past and ponders the future resulting in a commitment to a reformation, a restoration, a lifestyle change, or a new endeavor.

Most of you who are brave enough to pledge a New Year’s Resolution have probably done so by now.  What I want to know is how many of you have already broken your commitment, or maybe abandoned it all together, at this early date in the year? Have you ever wondered why New Year’s Resolutions are so hard to keep?

A Firm Foundation

I’m trying a new parenting tool, of my own making, on my guinea pigs . . . I mean, kids.

Actually, I have combined a few existing ideas to make something new.  Let me explain.  A friend of mine carries a list of godly character traits in her Bible.  She desires to see this traits manifested in her children, so she prays over the list on a regular basis.  Additionally, another friend of mine rewards her children’s positive efforts in a unique way.  She has a glass vase for each one and places a stone inside each time her children show remarkable growth or effort.  Once the vase is full, that child receives a special honor or privilege of some kind as a blessing.

I am taking both of these ideas, combining their purpose, and (hopefully) magnifying their impact. 

Against Unknown Odds

My 11 year old is a compulsive gambler.

Recently, my daughter AllyLu has been wanting to stretch her pre-teen wings.  She has decided, in all her wisdom, that she is mature enough to handle scary movies.  Up to this point, we have kept her fairly sheltered from viewing frightening images.  As you’ll see, we did so out of necessity.

Less than 2 years ago, she was watching the movie Beethoven (the one about the dog).  Harmless, right?  At one point in the movie, the dog steps on a remote control and turns on the TV.  An old black-and-white werewolf movie pops into view.  You know the kind, when the costuming and special-effects seems more comical than fearsome.  The whole scene lasts less than 30 seconds before the dog steps on the remote again and the TV blips off.

She had nightmares about werewolves for months.