Repost: The Face of Terror

Every other week my blog will feature a reposted work. I had been a contributor on two different sites that have since closed or changed to no longer include blogs. I will be reposting pieces that had originally been featured on one of these two sites.  

This was originally posted April 19, 2011

Last night I saw something that I hope to never see again.  Part of me wants to cling to the memory for prayerful contemplation, but part of me doesn’t want to bring the picture up to consciousness because of the emotions associated with it.  Last night I saw a look of terror on my son’s face. 

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You, Pretend

Sometimes I sing to my sons when we put them to sleep. If they are upset or restless I’ll try to soothe them with a children's church song. Over the years, Isaiah has picked up “Jesus Loves Me” and a few other songs and sometimes asks for me to sing them. I think it’s good for his developing theology to know of these types of arguably trite, but true lyrics.

The Story

A few months ago, we were still in the Midwest and my office was still connected with our kitchen. Having one’s office in the same space as one’s home was a blessing and a curse. As any Student Affairs professional will attest, the layout makes boundaries difficult. On this particular day, I had stepped into my office to accomplish minor task. I don’t remember what it was and it may not have even been directly work-related. More than likely I was responding to a short email or checking Facebook. Maybe I had remembered an interesting or clever observation I’d made earlier that day and I was taking a moment to post it on Facebook so all my friends could tell me I was funny. To set the stage here, the bottom line is:

I was busy, but I wasn’t doing anything important.

…In walks Isaiah.

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Repost: Little

I am attempting to post a weekly. Every other week these posts will be reposts. I had been a contributor on two different sites that have since closed or changed to no longer include blogs. I will be reposting pieces that had originally been featured on one of these two sites.  

This was originally posted April 14, 2011

I like Wes Anderson movies.  I like how he uses quirky, extreme characters to get at the psychological issues in all of us.  I like the outlandish stories and interesting sets; I like how a line of dialogue will take me unawares in the midst of a seemingly chaotic story and I’ll be staggered by its depth and layers of meaning. 

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What Does the Fox Soothe?

Enoch

Recently I put up a Facebook status about my youngest son’s coping mechanism for when he misses his mama. When my wife leaves to run an errand or exercise, or just have some quiet time, our son can’t handle it. He loves his Papa, but he needs his Mama. The wailing and the waterworks start as soon as he realizes she’s about to leave. Then it’s nonstop until he tires himself out and settles for whimpering and whining until he falls asleep or she returns. However, I’ve figured out one thing that will help him to deal with his sense of loss.

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