Before the Quarantine...

As I write this blog, we are currently nearing the end of week 4 of the 2020 Quarantine.  Gas is at an all time low.  The kids are about to play scrabble with me, their dad, and we are cooking at home alot because their are just not that many places open.  It is like a time warp to 1985.  I even saw kids on bicycles today...outside.  And they were talking about the demogorgon...

Well, the pictures below capture the moments before the quarantine...before the 6 feet isolation zones were instituted...when we saw other people and wore clothes different than our pajamas.  So what was happening in these moments before "social distancing" became a common phrase...well, Anabelle was beginning her first season of Volleyball, and she was having a "ball".  Sam and Brandon were leading the Scout Sunday service at the host church.  Ruby was very excited to show us a bracelet that got "UV light from da sun!"  And "guess" what happened?  IT CHANGED colors...and glowed in the dark.  The youth group at church had a picnic and work day at the building.  The AHG girls learned about cooking and sewing.  Davis went on a field trip with the band.  Sam went on an Engineering field trip to Auburn (2 hour wait for chickfila).  We went to a bluegrass concert "Big Canoe Creek" with our friends in the band, Mark Wylie and Joe Smith.  And the girls went to a tea party.  

Times are different now, but we can see the pictures of before and know that other people exist outside our homes...I caught a glimpse of one the other day out of my front window, but quickly shrank back when it looked up at me...one day we may once again enjoy the physical renderings of those 2 dimensional faces that we have grown accustomed to on zoom and skype and facetime...but not now...at least not within 6 feet.  

Reaching out...Holding Hands

The year was 1998.  The scene was Kmart in Cullman County Alabama.  There was a cashier there with the most beautiful brown eyes, with homecoming queen beauty.  There was a stockboy who was a captain of the Math Team.  That boy loved to hear Code 1 to the front, because that meant he got to go get buggies...but why was that so nice, because as he got the buggies, he got to walk by that cashier, and if he was lucky, she would glance over, and give him a smile that took his breath away.  And one day there was magic in the air, there was a blue light special on love, and that stockboy asked that cashier to go to Denny's with him.  And that night, they saw a friend that told them about a play the next day at the community college.  They both went, and he could not tell you to this day what that play was even about, he can say that he saw her hand, then his hand, then her hand, then his hand, then those hands were together. 

The year was just last Fall in 2019, and I was walking along the streets of Universal Studios.  It was a great trip, and I love taking the family to these places and watching their smiles.  I remember it was such a beautiful day and we had just walked away from Harry Potter world, and were walking along a section of the road where it was not very crowded, but I felt a little hand in mine.  I looked down to see Anabelle, and she was not looking up at me, but staring all around, and had just reached up to hold her dad's hand in comfort.  The same thing happened very similarly the next day, but this time with Ruby.  I know that this was probably started from an early age where those girls knew that when we got out of the car, they were to hold our hand, and it was expected of them to hold our hand for protection.  But on these days, we walked hand in hand, not for their protection, but their comfort, and I loved our hands together.

On the spiritual side, we are the bride of Christ, and I remember a similar story of holding the hand for the first time.  It was the year 2000, and I was fighting many things in my life, many decisions that should have been easy, but I continued to push them off.  But a man by the name of Bob Myhan kept studying with me and teaching me the gospel, and one night I was obedient and was baptized.  And I got to hold that hand of God for the first time.  I remember the initial days still had some tough times, and I was really just reaching out for God only for protection.  But over the years, with the encouragement of brothers and sisters in Christ, I learned to reach out in comfort, and to enjoy the walks with my heavenly father. 

But back to that week in Orlando Studios, I must say it was amazing for those girls to hold my hand, but not once in that whole week did Sam or Davis even attempt to hold my hand.  Why?   Why would they not want to walk with me...because it would have been awkward, and people would look at us as if we were weird.  And that is true...and similar to our spiritual journey, we have times at school, at work, in public when that walk may seem weird to others, that walk will be awkward, but the difference is that when you look up to the one you are holding hands with, and recognize that he is creator God.  He is the one that sent his son to die on that cross...on that cruel cross...just so you could hold his hand.  It won't matter any more what others might think or say...it only matters that you are reaching out to your one and only heavenly father. 

So reach out tonight and be a part of the family.  Reach up and hold your heavenly fathers hand in times of comfort AND protection.  I shared this with the Chelsea church of Christ on March 11, 2020, and Magan asked me to capture it in this blog.  As I write this, the Corona Virus is causing havoc across the globe.  There are crazy people every day planning ways to hurt other people.  The world is a dark place sometimes.  But I have hugged each one of my children today, and hugged my wife.  My hand is with my God, and I hope to end every day as happy as I am when I write these blogs.  Because these stories help me see how much I have been blessed. 

Sam's E-Day...He spend it with Me...

So when I first heard about Eday, I thought it was Engineering Day, so I told Sam he should come hang out with me for the day.  Ha, then I found out it was actually an "E-Learning" day, and he just got the whole day off to hang out at home with online assignments.  But when I asked, he still wanted to come hang out with me.  Which was pretty cool, as his mom had a field trip with Davis, and he actually had the whole house to himself if he stayed home. 

So there are no pictures of this day, but it was one I wanted to capture, because it really meant a lot that he still wanted to come hang out with his dad.  We both really had busy days, but it was cool getting to work with him.  Kinda like working with my kid brother for a semester when he was cooping in Birmingham. 

Our day began at ChickFilA, as all great days do begin.  At work, I immediately got him hooked up on the guest wireless so he could start on his work and I could start on mine.  He got the great middle breakroom office with a view of I459 and the Summit...actually probably would of the best views of all the buildings.  So he hung out there till lunch, where we went to MooYah for a burger...He said it didn't quite meet the 5 guys top standard of his.  I put it slightly below Freddy's.  But he got to hang out with me, Stacy, Robert, and Andrew...and the crazy talk of middle aged men. 

That afternoon, we went to see Cezary Zieba who gave Sam an overview of Electrical Engineering, then before leaving we met with Robert to see the IT networking backbone of the two buildings at the colonnade.  Robert was impressed that Sam just jumped right in with questions on the firewalls and switches we use for border protection. 

After work, we stopped by the FedEx place for what took way longer than it should to make one copy of a document I wanted for Honduras...then they said they could make additional copies for $22/each.  Wow, it is at times like these, that I really have a feeling that the office depot and fedex store workers are really just a front for some other business, as they don't seem to really know about making copies.  Perhaps they are all Russians.

And finally, probably the main reason Sam came with me, but something I thought would not happen because of rain early in the day...we made it to the Inverness Frisbee Golf course.  Neither Sam or I had ever done this, but luckily ran into a guy who had...so after some brief instructions, and realizing we needed to start from the beginner tee boxes...we started off.  It was not pretty, but it was very fun. Hole 18 was definitely the signature hole, with a required layup and then toss over the creek into the hole.  But mine went into the creek...and my good son went in after it.  No lost Frisbees, and not too bad of scores for a first time (Dad at 81, Sam at 91). 

And that was the end of E-day...And this was just slightly before the COVID-19 pandemic...as I still remember being proud of Sam going in making eye contact and reaching out to shake hands...but everyone hesitantly instead giving fist bumps.  It was neat to have him there as my son, but a day together also as just a good friend.  

Floundering thru February



February was a short month this year, but longer than most Februaries tend to be.  What was going on?  Let me look at the pictures below...Ok, we had a Super Bowl party at the Bailey's house, which was great for everyone, we got to watch the game on the HUGE wall screen, not the halftime show, for that we watched TOP GUN instead of the booty show...there are some pictures of kids eating in bed as this month was full of sickness for us, Davis was out for a full week again, Belle was out for a few days, Sam and Ruby and mom were all sick, and as for me, well, there was one bad afternoon, anyway, it was a very sick month...Robotics tournament in cullman...broom standing up by itself on the amazing one day of the year...basketball games...band concerts...Ivey Raine shower...wonderful Valentines date at Outback (shortest wait time ever, and apparently Magan and I both love talking with older couples)...Davis is now a first class scout...