Where’s the Real Jesus?

Posted by on January 6, 2013 No comments

In our daily hubbub we forgot to add Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to our stable scene on Christmas Eve. Today is the feast of the Epiphany, so I decided to rectify that oversight and also add the three magi. I had Alex help with the Holy Family and Joel help with the magi. Alex asked an interesting question when his task was done.

As he surveyed the scene he asked, “Where’s Jesus?” I thought it an odd question since he had placed the baby Jesus in the stable himself. I reminded him of that, to which he responded, “Where’s the real Jesus? Where’s the Jesus of God?”

That kid has a knack for asking penetrating questions. A month or so back we were watching daily mass when he abruptly asked, “What is God?” After a nervous explanation, he followed up with, “Is God a person?” Nothing like jumping right into the deep end of the theological pool!

Whew. I sure hope the Holy Spirit guides me to give him and his siblings the kinds of answers they need.

Fat Dad, Fit Dad

Posted by on January 5, 2013 2 comments

My weight loss journey has been a bit of a roller coaster. 2012 was a pretty good year, though. I started at 190 lbs and finished at 165 lbs; I lost 48 lbs, gained 23 lbs, and had a net loss of 25 lbs. I now weigh as much as I did at the start of my sophomore year of college. :)

Christmas break has been bad for me, though. I’m not surprised, but that doesn’t make me any less disappointed. I got as high as 168.8, but thankfully I’m down to 165.4 today.

My goal for 2013 is to get down to 150 lbs. What are your goals for this year?

Her Protector

Posted by on January 3, 2013 No comments

“Daddy!”, Lily screamed, like she has for the past few nights.

Maybe it was a nightmare. Maybe she was cold. It’s impossible to know, really. Her mommy had tried to comfort her, but nothing she said or did helped. The screaming just got louder and more insistent, until she finally screamed a single word in repetition.

“Daddy!”

I calmly walked up the stairs, confident that I could soothe her. As I opened the door to her room, I saw her standing in her crib. She was distraught, but her screaming had subsided to steady sob at the sight of me. I stepped in and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around me and immediately calmed down.

And that’s when it hit me. He’d better be a hell of a guy.

What guy? That guy. The one she marries. The one who takes over my job.

You see, for the next couple decades, it’s my job to protect her. It’s my job to keep her safe, both in her perception and in reality.

I didn’t set out to make her “daddy’s little girl”. It just happened. I don’t know if she was programmed to wrap me around her little fingers, or if it’s her will. I just know she is, and that she’s special to me.

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t love my boys less. The feeling is just…different. We both know it.

And so, as I gently laid her back down in her crib and covered her with her blanket, it occurred to me that this fellow damn well better be special. He who wants the job of protecting my precious little girl better be a hell of a guy.

He has to be the best. Nothing less will do.

 

It’s Like He Was Born Reading

Posted by on January 2, 2013 No comments
This entry is part 16 of 16 in the series Wordless Wednesday

Alex Reading Shel Silverstein at Age 4 from Eric Williams on Vimeo.

Family Resemblance

Posted by on January 1, 2013 No comments

Not a perfect likeness, but…

smirk-002

Daddy in 1979 or 1980, at age 2 or 3

Alex in 2012, age 4

Alex in 2012, age 4

I just hope puberty is kinder to him than it was to me. ;)

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