It’s 7:15 AM as I write this and I am full of anticipation. The first thing I checked this morning was Continental Airlines‘ flight status page. It showed me exactly where Flight 51 (and, by extension, my child) is at. If you’re wondering, it’s at 33,000 feet with a groundspeed of 563 MPH and there is an hour and six minutes left until it land in Buenos Aires. I hit refresh about every five minutes (okay, about every two minutes) to see what’s happening. Why? Because I know that the first think Becky is to do after she clears customs is to call me. I am anticipating her call. So much in fact that I’m not getting much done this morning. And I don’t even care.
What are you anticipating today? Shouldn’t we live with a great sense of anticipation as well? What if everyday was filled with an air of expectancy that I feel waiting for my daughter to call? Think about it.
This is perhaps the most real picture I have ever taken (and with a Blackberry no less). This is Becky leaving us for six months. I didn’t realize how scared she looks until I saw a large version of it. I felt (and to some extent still feel) this way. As I type this, she’s in Houston waiting for her flight to Argentina. I am praying for her that God will not only keep her safe in her travels but use her in a big way once she gets to her destination.
If you’re a regular here, you will note a preciptious decline in the number of posts I’m putting out. This is not because I don’t have anything to say (no comments please) but they are being expressed in different streams. This morning, I re-started my Tumblr page. I hadn’t visited the sight in some time and there have been significant improvements in function and form. This is where I will link photos, videos, and other not so involved stuff. I’ll save this space for more involved writing. I’m also posting a dozen or more times to Twitter a day. These are just random, sub 140 character thoughts and/or updates I’m shooting out. This are also fed to my Tumblr page.
The most thoughtful writing I’m doing is in a black, leather bound notebook on my desk. This is perhaps the best way for me to sort out thoughts that I don’t want public or don’t want public comment on. I have really come to appreciate the therapeutic value of journaling and highly recommend it.
So that’s where I’m at (plus I’m uber busy with work. In fact, I’ve interrupted this post to answer emails). I don’t expect there to be a massive upswing in posts here; maybe a couple per week unless I become truly inspired. But I am certainly still hanging around the interwebs.
This is from me, not my dad. He has no idea that I’m posting this, because he’s in the next room, blissfully unaware that his blog has been hijacked and waiting for food off of the grill.
Mmmmm….grill….
So, although it seems like I’m incredibly cheap in the video, my dad will appreciate it. Because otherwise, it would have been charged to him, and he would have been paying for his own card. And nobody wants that.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad. You have flippin’ sweet skills.
I’ve seen this clip from 1994 posted a couple of times in the last few days. It’s from the NBC Nightly News broadcasting from the Consumer Electronics Show. The commentary of Bill Gates is spot on (everyone using the internet by 2000) and I also enjoyed his opinion that it would be a while before there was a flat screen computer that was the weight of a book. I have an HP Mini which has a flat screen and is the weight (and size) of a book. What’s also interesting to me is the technology that was considered cutting edge in 1994. It’s amazing how quickly we have progressed in technology arena.
It is said that successful parents work themselves out of a job. I think that is the case. Last week, Becky graduated from high school. While I got a little choked up during the ceremony, I really enjoyed the ceremony and following epic party. As of right now, her budget for her AIM trip is about met. Two weeks from tonight, she will be on a plane to Paraguay. I am not cool with this (I challenge any dad to be cool with his kid going 6000 miles away) but I do have peace about it. I spent some time this evening looking at videos from the missionaries she will be working with, specifically the school she’ll be teaching in, and I completely understand her need to go. And I’m very proud of her.
I had an interesting chat with my pastor last night. As you may know, I finished up my term with Sunday School last month. After eight years, it was time. Now I need a new adventure. We’re discussing a few things and I am excited about the doors that may be opening.
I am taking my certification test in life care planning this week as well. It is the culmination of nearly a year of classes and projects. I feel pretty good about the test but I just want it to be over. I have a number of new cases I’m working on which involve very cool people and the opportunity to make some serious lemonade. As the firm continues to evolve, I’m very happy about the direction we’re headed.
In summary, there are a ton of transitions going on right now. I suppose that’s a good thing. As you know, the journey is what makes life fun.
Yesterday was a big day for us as Becky graduated from high school. There are a ton of pictures from the ceremony and party in my Flickr stream. I ran the full gamut of emotions yesterday- pride, angst, sadness, elation- it was a roller coaster ride. We (Charity and I) are extrememly proud of Becky and what she has accomplished. She is heading to Paraguay in three weeks for a six month missions trip (the source of my angst) but I’m certain she’ll have a great time and learn a lot.
Thanks to everyone who came to the ceremony and the party. It was a blast.
My dad, like any dad, is excessive proud of his kids. He loves to tell folks about them and what they do. For instance, Mike is an air traffic controller. Julie and Ken are evangelists. And then there’s me. Donnie is a nurse but he doesn’t work in a hospital- he works with insurance and stuff. I’m not really sure what he does. Well Dad, I’m going to help you out here. I am indeed a nurse and I make lemonade.
I was thinking about this as I was driving across the Southern Tier of New York yesterday on the way to visit a new client. What we do is make lemonade. I am a nurse and a case manager and a life care planner but that really doesn’t describe what I do. Here’s my motto:
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
It’s that simple. My clients have been injured usually through no fault of their own. Either a birth injury or a brain injury or a spinal cord injury. Life has handed them a lousy situation. As I explained to my client yesterday, I cannot fix this problem. What we can do is make the best of a bad situation. What care do you need? Can we fix the home or buy a new one? Is there an appropriate vehicle? Do you have vocational goals we can help with? We’re making lemonade.
One of my referral sources noted that a new case I’m working on was going to be a great story. I agree. We’re going to re-write the ending of what was certain to be a tragedy into something much less tragic. We’ll do this by improving the function and quality of life. We’ll make lemonade.
I will again poach from my blogroll for today’s post. This one is from Seth Godin:
If you’ve built your life around service to others, how much more could you accomplish if you were a little greedier? If you’ve built an expensive lifestyle around a well-paying job, what would happen to your life if you downsized and sought out more joy or generosity?
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