At The End Of The Day - Emily and Danny Are One

The Big Day has come. My little girl is getting married. All the preparations, all the money, and all the excitement has come to this day. Family and friends from all over have come to witness this day, when two will become one. It is a wonderful feeling to see all the people that are special in Emily’s and Danny’s life, come to share this with them. They are special to us as well. In a sense this is like a family reunion, my family having to travel to be here, and Lisa’s family who lives near, and Danny’s family having traveled so far. My only stress has been, and being highlighted today, has been that we cannot all be together. Some in our home, some in motels, some leaving to drive that long way back home tonight. Even trying to get just my family together for a meal is chaos. There really is no way for all of us to enjoy each other’s company, to spend time with some exclude others. Then, there is the parting, saying goodbye to some we will not see for a very long time. This will always be like this until our Lord returns for us, calling us home, to a place where we will never part from each other. When we are truly home, we will be able to enjoy the love, comfort, and fellowship of each one all the time.

I have always taken the responsibility to love, to protect, to be a friend, and even be my little girl’s Valentine. But at the end of the day, “This Day”, she will have committed these things to someone else. Danny will now love her, protect her, be her best friend, and always be her Valentine forever. It’s kind of sad in a way, but exciting in another, because in this life, we will always have the hindrances to fellowship with friends and family, whether it be the distance, or the crowd being too large to be with everyone, she will always have her best friend at the end of the day. Every night when I go to bed, my best friend in this whole world is right there beside me, to love me no matter how dumb I have acted that day, to remind me that I am the greatest thing in her life, and the give me the assurance that I need for the next day. I am thankful for my wife. Now I know that Emily too will have that assurance, comfort, and love that has sustained me for so long. I am thankful for Danny, not for taking my job away, but for being these things for my little girl.

Congratulations My Little Sunbeam!

Bell Road and Blue Lights

I know we all have that one road where we always warn our friends, that “they always have speed traps on this road” And when we stop and think about what we just said, we realize that we really can’t remember the last time we saw a “speed Trap” on this road. The thing is, one day we are driving merrily on our way, to a happy place, when all of a sudden, from a side road, a police car pulls out behind us, with Bright Blue Lights flashing like aliens from another world, Then the siren blaring, as if announcing to the whole world what a horrible person I must be. Isn’t it embarrassing sitting there, police car, triumphant in his kill, lights still flashing, it’s a wonder they don’t leave the siren on as well. You just know, somebody is going to drive by that knows you, so you duck down real low as the officer writes that little piece of paper that will ruin the rest of your life… Happy Place, you can forget about any happy place today, you have been pulled over and are getting a ticket.

So there you are doing the “Gonna Get A Ticket” prep talk to yourself. Rehearsing your defense, and response to the officer when he finally walks to your window. I know your thoughts during this time, first it’s the innocent act practiced: “Good Morning Officer, Was I doing something wrong?” Then the Tough Guy act: “With all the criminals in this town, robbing banks and killing people, why are you wasting your time on a simple traffic stop like me?” And then finally, the Oh dear me act: “ If I get a ticket, I will lose my job, my home, my wife and the dog” Then he approaches, and with a firm voice, says, “License and registration, and keep your hands on the wheel”. And for some unknown reason, we all become babbling idiots.

Now back to my point, the whole experience is so traumatic that we will always remember that place in the highway kingdom, as the one place the police are always there. But I have found a place in the “Highway Kingdom” where they really are there all the time. And no, I have never got a ticket there. I remember and warn, because it is true. That place is Bell Road. I know, even when I say the name, Nashvillians all over the globe trembles a little. Yes it is true, they are there all the time, I have even come to recognize the officers that are there all the time, and where they set up shop. So, I had to think on this a bit, and came to two conclusions that the police would make one spot a regular place, when all over this great country, in the Highway Kingdom it is not normal to have one specific place or road that is consistently patrolled. The first of these conclusions is, that Bell Road must have a large amount of accidents, fatalities, and/or people endangered by speeding motorist. But I am confident that none of these things are true, leaving the only consistent thing being the speed trap. So my second theory is the “Fish are biting” theory. What I mean is, the speed limit is way too slow for this stretch of highway, that is the only connector between two places, and used by almost everybody in the world. So I figure, if the speed limit is way too slow, that even the best of us drivers that want to obey the law will speed when trying to drive at a speed that feels right for the road. So, the mentality is, if I am already speeding a little, I might as well go all the way, making just about everybody in the world speed on this street. I know, you can attest that it is not everybody, because of the one hundred cars in front of you, there is always that one car driving five miles under the speed limit. I do have an answer, and this is serious, so if you are someone who knows that mysterious person or department that cares about these things, and has the ability to make change, please share this little bit of wisdom with them. Raise the speed limit fime miles an hour faster, that’s all, I am confident that all the normal people that are only speeding because they are already adding the five mph will be satisfied with the change, and no longer speed. Now, I am not talking about Mr Tailgater, or Mr hand out the window exhibiting his longest finger to the world in front of him, they will always speed, and will always be mad, but for the rest of us, we will no longer be the fish in the Police Departments recreation of giving tickets, and bell road will once again, be a normal place, a safe place, a road to that Happy Place we all long for!

Christmas in December!

I remember when I was a kid, it seemed like Christmas would never come. It seemed like an eternity from the very first sign of Christmas decorations seen in department stores after Thanksgiving’s day to that magical moment Christmas morning, when all these wonderful presents appeared under our Christmas tree. It always was such an exciting time of year for me. I was the saver in my family of six siblings, and when my Dad would finally take me Christmas shopping, I had already made a Christmas list, and had formed my ideas of what I wanted to get for each sister, Brother, and my Mom and Dad. I enjoyed so very much selecting each gift from the wide variety of things at our local Pic-N-Save. Then on Christmas Eve, when all our Families got together to eat, eat, and eat some more, then open presents from aunts and uncles, I watched proudly as each sibling and Mom and Dad opened their gifts from me, I would go to each one after I saw their expression of what I knew was sheer delight, and explain why I thought that was the perfect gift for them. We also were allow to pick and open one gift from our parents on Christmas eve, after everyone else had left, and we had begged until we broke our Mom’s heart. I always had such bad luck choosing too, it was always some sort of clothes in the gift I chose, but I wasn’t allowed to choose again.

As I have grown up, it seems that Christmas seems to come much more quickly than when I was a child. I haven’t actually interview any kids lately about this, but I would think that it must be coming more quickly for them as well. The good news is that the department store owners have realized this as well, and I have seen a trend over the years to start the holiday season a little earlier each year. It started with seeing Christmas decorations out in stores just before Thanksgiving’s day. I can almost hear some of the older folks saying, “it sure seems like they are putting the decorations out extremely early this year”. And so it was, year after year as Christmas seemed to come quicker and quicker, the decorations were displayed earlier and earlier. Then it hit me this year when in the middle of September, walking through a store, I saw Christmas trees and decorations, and I heard myself say ““it sure seems like they are putting the decorations out extremely early this year”. Oh no, I am getting older. But anyway, I started thinking, if the retail world keeps up this pace, it will not be long until we actually have “Christmas in December” I mean really, it makes sense. I think that would be so cool, maybe the kids will get to experience the wonder and joy I did as a child, with a short time between the appearance of the season, and the day Christmas morning finally comes, it will seem like forever again, and the moment will be as magical for them as it was once for me.

Merry Christmas!

MFL