For those of you who do not work at a university and, therefore, do not have access to the dining hall for meals, you are missing out; especially if you have children who only eat pizza or chicken nuggets.  It is so great to meet my family for lunch or dinner and have my children run around in their giant dining room.  Where else can you eat with 150 people and it feels like home?

Now if I can just figure out a way to get the dining hall smell off of my clothes.

I’m in ink:

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/living/16315884.htm

I just added over 8 hours of worship music to my iTunes.

A few thoughts about our recent trip home to Ohio and return to Indiana:

• We have a strange definition of “home”.  Is Akron, Ohio or Huntington, Indiana home?  I guess, yes.  Huntington has become home for us but there is also a comfort of being in Akron with family.  Our children do not know Ohio as home.  We don’t have a home church in Akron any longer because we feel out of place where we used to attend.
• It is good to connect with old friends.  I was able to eat breakfast and spend some time with Pastor Ford, Josh & Kim.  It’s nice to be able to pick up where you left off.  I have always appreciated their friendship and wish that we were geographically closer together.
• I purchased a CD from the coffeeshop that I visit when we go to Akron.  It is a Putumayo American Folk CD that has become sort of a soundtrack.  Like here in Huntington, I need to visit a coffeeshop to unwind often when we return home to Akron.  There is a Rico Latte off of Route 8 that seems to be a comfortable spot and they are constantly playing the CD that I purchased.  Some of the artists on it are Peter Mulvey, Eric Bibb and Shannon McNally.  In the liner notes,many of the artists refer to Gillian Welch as inspiration.
• Our house is a mess.  We left to go home to Akron before we were able to recover from an early Christmas morning.
• The weather has been warm enough to continue planting bulbs that will grow when spring comes.  The other night, Isaac and I were outside in the dark.  He was holding the flashlight while I dug to plant some tulip bulbs.
• It is great to hear about the success that Valley Forge is having.  Their enrollment is upwards of 975.  When I attended, it was around 550.  The theatre was recently remodelled.  I remember seeing my first JC Powerhouse in the theatre.  I also remember watching “The Three Musketeers” and “Arsenic and Old Lace” in there.
• Since we are past December 21, each day will be longer than the one before.  This business of the sun getting up at 8:15 am and going down at 5:00 pm is not for me.

This short piece was found in the December 11, 2006 Newsweek.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15994155/site/newsweek/

A month ago, 8-year-old Connor Schultz could read 45 words a minute. Today he’s up to 93. The reason? A 4-year-old longhaired dachshund named Ruby who, once a week, visits Connor’s school in Schenectady, N.Y., and sits with him while he reads aloud. She doesn’t judge or correct him, and Connor has an audience he feels comfortable reading to.

 

Ruby is one of 16,000 certified therapy dogs participating in reading-assistance programs at schools and libraries across the country, as educators have begun tapping into the calming effect dogs have on us. “He curls up with [the kids] and they read him a story,” says Louisville, Ky., instructor Mary Roberts of a Welsh corgi named Zoom, who is calming worried readers at New Castle Elementary. “You can just see their anxiety disappear.”

A few thoughts:

• When I shared this with Grace, her eyes absolutely lit up.  Grace has begun reading short words and is quite nervous when she reads aloud.  What better way to become more comfortable reading that to a dog?  She suggested we use our neighbor’s dog, Molly.  The problem is that Molly probably won’t sit still long enough to be read to so it may have a negative affect.
• Does this remind you of the importance of just listening to people without correcting them, asking too many questions or just waiting until they are finished so that you can share your personal story?  It reminds me of how desperate we all are for someone to listen to us.  Why else would I write this down on a blog so that people can read it? 

Guess who is the newest board member of the Ft. Wayne NAACP?  Me.  How about that?

One of my favorite songs for my friends out East and appropriate for today’s weather.

The circus is falling down on it’s knees.  The big-top is crumbling down.  It’s raining in Baltimore, 50 miles east.  Where there should be, there’s no one around.  I need a phone call.  I need a raincoat.  I need a big love.  I need a phone call.

I would add: I need a hotdog.

Eden turns two on Wednesday.  Hope turns twenty-eight on Friday.

Thanks to all of the students that continually hang out with my children; especially Amanda who will have at least one of our children for the third straight night tonight.  Even today at their Christmas program, several students came to see about 10 minutes of pre-schoolers and toddlers play bells and sing.  Hope and I genuinely appreciate the affection that students have for our children.  We are very blessed to have such a wonderful environment to raise our children in.

We watched The Nativity on Friday night.  It was a very touching movie.  The movie paints a clear picture of the social stigma that Mary and Joseph could have experienced through an unwanted pregnancy.  Their trip to Bethlehem is also painted well as a dangerous and uncomfortable trip for any traveller; especially one that was pregnant.

The shepherds were especially moving.  They seemed quite hesitant to touch the baby for fear of their own earthiness.  Only when Mary tells them that the baby is for all mankind, did the oldest shepherd touch the baby’s face.