the sleepy bear

It has been way too long since my fingers have raced across the keys to punch out some seemingly thought that to no one else makes sense but me.  While I steal a minute away from my life I wanted to see if I could unearth some thought in me that has been hidden in the recesses of my heart and mind just dying to be exposed to the light of the blogosphere.

While I am really starting with no ending place in my (dangerous, I know), I at least have this thought bouncing of neurons in my brain: it is funny how passions can be de-passionated by our lack of use or involvement in them.  If you look back it has been nearly "forever" since I last posted to my blog.  Here is the question: did my passion for writing go away or did I just fail to fuel the passion?

Let me give a life example.  I grew up playing baseball.  That may be understated, I played baseball all the time. I played summer league, I played in the neighborhood, I played with tennis balls and tennis racquets, we played wiffle ball, I played imaginary games where the Cubs seemingly won the World Series every year and I either hit the walk-off home run or was the shut down closer.  Baseball was my passion.  Somewhere around 17 that stopped or at least faded away.  Sure I followed the Cubs on Sportscenter, I even attended a few games, but that passion for the grand ole game was not the same...until I had boys.

Two summers in to my sons' little league experience and I find myself not only oiling their mitts, but my own.  I not only am teaching them the fine art of hitting, running and fielding, but am finding my desire to sharpen the skill set (just in case this is the year I get drafted, in terms of baseball).  What lied dormant has been breathed new life on.  It is like the hibernating bear - sure the bear is asleep, but it is still a bear with all the power and fierceness of a bear.  And if you awaken that sleepy grizzly you will see all the power and fierceness come to life.

So the question then becomes: what are the hibernating bears in our life?  I realized I will never play professional baseball and for the most part understand it is a long shot for my boys.  But I have enjoyed awakening the bear.  But there are other bears in our lives that have gone to sleep...the bear of our marriages, the bear of our spiritual lives, the bear of a friendship or relationship with a family member, the bear of gift or talent that we use to give back to others.  In all of our lives there is something that has fallen asleep that when awake has a great passion to inspire us and move us.

The challenge is to awaken the bear...this post is me poking a stick at the writing grizzly asleep in the cave.

Spring Break at 35

University students have just finished their week of rest, relaxation and unruly behavior.  My kids are a week away from a week's vacation to nana's house.  Which leads to the absurd, but brilliant question of my four year-old daughter.  "Daddy, when do you get spring break?"  My initial reaction to her questioning was adults don't have spring breaks or summer breaks or winter breaks.  And the more I thought about it, we don't often get breaks at all.

At the ripe age of 35 (or nearly that) my spring breaks are not Panama City Beach parties, nor are they the week long high school baseball trips, nor are they even 7 days of riding bikes and sleeping late. Okay sure we have weekends.  Which are usually filled with work of another sort -- working in the yard, working with our kids, working at the church, working at whatever else fills our schedules that are already full.  Maybe a spring break is not such a bad plan after all.  Now must of us cannot afford to take a week off of work and spend it on the beach or even at nana's house, but maybe we need to be more aware of our need for breaks.

God took six days to create the earth and everything in it and then he rested.  A better expression is he stopped or paused.  For most of us the day to day grind multiplied with the weekend of non-stop on the run scheduling keeps us from the one thing we may just need the most, a Sabbath, a rest, a stop, a spring break of sorts.  This spring here is the challenge take a day or a weekend and stop everything or at least as much as you can.  Find time to be refreshed, to be renewed, to recharge because if you do everything else will benefit from it.  You will become a better spouse, parent, employee, boss.  Take a spring break!

Time for Tebow

While everyone else in the world is putting out their two cents on the Miracle Man Tim Tebow, I thought I would join the party.  I am really not sure where this blog about the QB leading Denver is going to go, but this much I am sure of, there is a 10 year old boy in my house who has found a hero. Now Drew just sees the tough runs, come from behind victories and the overtime 80 yard bomb that sunk the Steelers.

As a parent I see the post-game news conference where Tim comes off awkwardly charming and sincerely genuine, incredibly out spoken about his faith and love for Jesus.  While the half world is taking shots at his arm angle, orthodox throwing style and his lack for being a true QB and the other half argues if there is a place for faith in football and sports in general, I see someone that for my boys is worth watching.  And not just between the lines.

I grew up emulating Ryne Sandberg.  I knew nothing about his character or him as a person.  I just knew he played second base for the Cubs and that is what I wanted to do when I grew up. #23 was the number on my jersey and number in my heart.  I defended him as nearly perfect, the best second basemen the game ever had.  I love that my boys love a winner on the field.  I love more that my boys love a person who is a winner off the field and in life.

Tim Tebow may, but possibly won't win a Super Bowl or an MVP, but he has won over my kids and as a parent that is just fine by me.  Sometimes we need to measure a winner by not only the wins and losses on the field but the man he is off.

So Go Broncos, at least Go Tim.  (Still and always will be a Bears Fan)

Life, the Teacher

The greatest and maybe my least favorite teacher showed up tonight, my kids.  I have found it funny how life allows us moments to teach our children lessons we need to re-learn ourselves. Our spring has been given to the great American Pastime, while neither of the boys are All-Stars yet they are having fun playing.  I guess that in of itself is a win.

Andrew my oldest is a little more determined to become better.  If he could he might live at the batting cages taking swing after swing.  On the other hand we have Isaac.  Isaac loves playing, but playing is all he loves.  Tonight while trying to coach'em up and get that swing fined tune, Ike, as we call him, sort of just quit on me, went through the motions, checked out.  While the "coach" in me wanted to "light a fire under him" and "push'em to the limit" and every other classy coaching cliche I could come up with.  The man in me reflected on me.  I embarrassingly admit there have been days in life that I have just "showed up" or "phoned it in" or "went through the motions" with some responsibility.

While Isaac's swing is not life or death, my responsibilities at least are life. They are my life. Much like Isaac's cuts in the cage, on some days I have lacked effort, lacked energy and drive. I have given less than my best to responsibility I had.

And what would a life lessons be without God smacking you right between the eyes?  As I reflected, the verse (and probably not by coincidence) came to mind that reads "do everything as unto the Lord."  Oftentimes without even realizing it, we just show up in life.  God's expectations is that we would put forth a God-sized effort into everything we do.  Whether that things is a game of baseball or a job, schoolwork or "kingdom work", God asked for our best efforts. God asks us to treat every responsibility as we are doing it for him.  Lesson re-learned!