I was reminded of a very important lesson this Thanksgiving: be thankful every day for what you have, because nothing lasts forever…here on earth anyways. This was apparent to me as I soaked in the environment that surrounded me during our family Thanksgiving party. My conclusion is this: It’s a new era for our family. The cast has changed. It’s a new day. New hats to wear. Old shoes to fill. Wonderful new additions, coupled with still-painful subtractions. Strife, ever-looming in the background, most always the result of selfishness. No family is immune. We’re all fallen and in desperate need of a Savior. Which happens to be the single greatest thing that I am thankful for. I am blessed beyond words on the horizontal: a wonderful wife and family, fantastic friends, a well-paying job, a warm home, clothing, food, water, sight and hearing, health, the ability to walk, freedom, an amazing church with strong and humble leaders…I could go on and on. But it’s the vertical that ultimately satisfies. Deep…deep…deep…quiet strength and security during the storms, and a hope and peace that surpass all understanding, awaiting the day when I am with the Lord and my loved ones, forever. Not earned. Phree…every ounce of it.
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
Pics from a wonderful fall day at Didier Farms.
As wet is to water, as heat is to fire, as light is to sun…glory is to God. If you’re wrestling with the existence of a Creator, and considering it’s fall, pick up a leaf and hold it up to the sun. Look at the intricate array of veins, perfectly symmetrical, perfectly feeding every bend and curve in the leaf. What an awesome display of perfect design. So if the leaves proclaim the glory of God, how much more do we?
Deuteronomy 4:32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?
Oh…and those beautiful, intricately-designed leaves? They’re all phree. Take as many as you’d like and marvel at the One who made them.
The beaches of Lake Geneva and Fontana were the scene of many many many hot summer days in my youth…some of my greatest memories as a kid from the 70′s. I remember it like it was yesterday: reclining lawn chairs and towels strategically angled towards the blazing sun…the desert-hot sand, littered with plastic shovels and pails, water guns, frisbees and a nerf football. The radio rotated the same 10 songs, over and over and over again. Billy Joel told us “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me”…Paul McCartney and Wings played “It’s Coming Up”…Cheap Trick shouted “I Want You To Want Me”…just to name a few. Silly as it may sound, there’s one thing in particular that takes my mind back to those hot summer days on the beach, making it seem as if it happened just yesterday. That one thing is: the smell of sun tan lotion. I love it. I need it. I seek it when I’m walking through Walgreens in the middle of January. It warms my soul. It instantly takes me back to a time long ago that I loved so much.
Other than our honeymoon, it’s been a looong time since I’ve had a day at the beach. This last weekend, however, Heather and I spent 4 days with the Kim family in Union Pier, Michigan. Tucked away through an unsuspecting hidden parking lot and a huge yard was the Swanson house. Very warm and inviting…definitely the kind of place you go to get away from it all. And if the house wasn’t enough, a couple-block walk and down a wooden stairwell, you find yourself on the shores of Lake Michigan. Midwestern paradise. With a towing wagon full of towels, coolers and beach-going gear we all headed out into summer’s finest. Hot sun, hot sand, warm water, blue sky, and oh, that smell…that coconuty, sweet, wonderful smell (even though I didn’t wear any! Hello sunburn!).
I’m sure at times I could be accused of being a big kid (all grown men have the adventurous little boy in them somewhere), the childhood splendor of the beach is not as intense as it once was. But all is not lost. We get the opportunity to pay it forward to the little boys and girls that are now a part of our lives. Seeing Nathan and Lucas wade out into the water and bounce up and down with the motion of the “way” (nice work Lucas), playing make-believe and finding protection in a stick, learning the word ‘rock’, packing their feet and legs in sand, tasting the grit of the sand that made its way into the turkey sandwich, the taste of a freshly-picked organic blueberry. I love it. And most importanly…it’s all phree. Doesn’t cost a dime. You can have your big fancy cars and houses…your 80-hour work weeks…your 6-figure salaries…your fine jewelry. I’ll take our weekend any day over any of that stuff. Thank you Mom and Sue for providing that for me when I was a little boy. Thank you Lord for providing perspective on what matters most in this life.
“You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Deuteronomy 11:19
Sometimes there are days in your life that are overwhelmingly flooded with emotion: sadness, happiness, relief, love, complete joy, fear and appreciation. Wednesday, July 6th, 2011 was one of those days.
We laid to rest my wonderful grandmother, Caroline DeCicco in the early afternoon. Definitely one of the toughest trials that this life has to offer, saturated with a complex array of emotions. Sadness that we will no longer see her on this earth…relief that she is out of her physical and mental pain…fear when reflecting on our own mortality and having to stand before the Lord one day…appreciation for having such a wonderful woman in our lives for so long…love for those family members that still surround us.
The circle of life is such a wonderful thing. As we mourned the loss of our grandmother there was also cause for celebration. It was a time to celebrate new things…a new day…a new era. We have new family members to help us carry the torch forward…my wonderful, loving, supportive wife, Heather…my beautiful nephews, Jude and Jonah, and my precious niece, Lena. On a day such as July 6, 2011 you do a lot of reflecting, and one thing was apparent…without Nan, none of these amazing blessings that we enjoy as a family would be here right now. When you let that soak in for a minute there develops an overwhelming appreciation for those who have gone before us…our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents…and ultimately our heavenly Father. It’s all about a legacy. It’s all about what we do with our time here and how we contribute to others. Our time here is not about ourselves. It’s about the people that you love and your relationship with them.
I hope I leave a legacy like my grandparents did. I hope that we all do you proud, Pop and Nan. Here are some pictures of what you have left behind. Thank you.
It was a beautiful summer night in the greatest city in the world. Seventy-five degrees out, not a cloud in the sky, slight warm breeze and a buzz in the air from 70,000 people, all eager with anticipation of the greatest concert any lover of music could ever, or will ever, see…U2 live. A massive crab-like structure hovered over the stage, set in the middle of the stadium…helicopters circling overhead, filming the spectacle below, flying in and out of swirling spotlights. Opening group, Interpol, gave it their best, however they were the kindergarten class compared to the PhD program to later take the stage. This is the fourth time I’ve seen this group live. And they were GOOD…and I mean GOOD. Unfortunately there were a few environmentals that took away from the allure of what the show could’ve been:
1. The Giant Aqua-Blue/Green Crab Legs. I didn’t see the drummer or bassist the entire concert, unless they individually walked the big loop around the stage. Cool concept, but poorly designed.
2. The drunk frat boys. Par for the course, the most obnoxious guy in the crowd was directly in front of me. When he wasn’t drunk-tackling his fellow FB’s he was holding up his beer cup as to salute the band the entire concert, subsequently blocking my view, and the guy next to me. He stood the entire show, even though the 5,000 fellow concert goers in his section were sitting down around him during the slow songs. I told Heather if this took place in my B.C. days (before Christ) I’m pretty sure I would’ve been arrested that night.
3. The 60-plus-year-old-stuck-in-the-70′s person behind us with horrible gas. This person even had the nerve to come down into our row, during the concert, and go under our chairs with her lit lighter, looking for the bag of “oregano” that she dropped. Nearly lit Heather’s purse and my camera bag on fire in the process, then accused me of stealing it! In my B.C. days I could see her point, but it’s been awhile lady!
4. Idol worship. Concert goers raising their hands, some even fainting, at the presence of these guys. I remember being at the Vertigo Tour in 2005 at the United Center and raising my arm during the song “Yahweh”. Those around me could’ve accused me of idol worship, however my hand was not raised to U2, rather raised to Yahweh…aka God. To me it was a worship song, to which I closed my eyes, sang to, and raised my hand to, God, to acknowledge Him as such. My discernment tells me that the majority of those with their arms raised, crying out with every ounce of their soul towards the musicians is definitely not directed at the Creator. Don’t want to judge people’s hearts by no means, but it is what it is. Reminds of a line from a Matt Redman song….”You will not…share your glory…with another”. Amen. Only One is worthy of praise and adoration, and it’s not Bono. It’s one of the 10 Commandments…look it up.
All that to say, out of the 4 times I’ve seen this group live, this one would have to be my least favorite. It had all the makings to be the best of the 4, but all of the above stole the allure. Maybe next year. Right Cubs fans?
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