No Off Season...for dads

No Off Season...for dads: Get Money

Last year in March I wrote a post about the Pinewood Derby. It was a time of lessons, dejection, and tears. It was a life lesson, one to be remembered. But now it's 2014, and times, cars, and mind sets have changed. And for the better. The Pinewood Derby teaches perseverance. It teaches you how to make changes from your mistakes. It also teaches you that you must get up when you fall down. My son took a car, revised it, changed up a little bit of the shape and weights, added a fresh coat of paint and entered into the 2014 Pinewood Derby contest. As you can see, there was a lot more success.  Here's my reoccurring lesson: a loss is   SOOOO much different from a defeat. And it's soooo overrated! I can get up from a loss. The Miami Heat can bounce back from a loss. The Soviet hockey team can regroup from their loss to the Americans (they lost at the Sochi Olympics-- Go USA!). A defeat is a mindset. And my son was not defeated. I'm very proud of them. As well as that ...

Today was another proud moment for me.  I watched my boys (from the warmth of my house) get out in the cold and snow and ask neighbors to shovel their walkways for a little profit.  It was fantastic.  They looked so cold. They didn't get as much as they were hoping for, but they got something.  I was so happy for them.The Bible does say that all hard work brings a profit. It made me think back of when my dad would make me get up early on Saturday mornings and cut our grass.  There was one morning when the dread of cutting pollen-filled grass, which activated my allergies and never ending sneezing, changed.  He took me to my neighbor's house and told me to knock on the door.  The neighbor (let's call him Mr. Brown) answered the door, dressed in some argyle socks, a t-shirt, brown slippers, and shorts smoking on a pipe.  I asked if I could cut his grass in which he said yes.  My dad coached me to knock on his door once I finished.  Mr....

I was at a wonderful & intimate holiday office party at a local restaurant in DC. The atmosphere was lively and festive.  Our table was full of great people and great conversation. One of them is an author of a new book which inspires others to take time to self reflect and rest.  I became increasingly intrigued into the concept of her book called 'Sabbath Season' by Nichola Brown. For what I understand the essence is to take a 'sabbath' in order to reflect, think, and break from the normal activity to find yourself; yourself with who you are, and even in your relationship with God. I began to carefully listen to the wisdom flowing from this sister's mouth.  Take a sabbath?!? I don't ever think I have thought of taking my family away for  a sabbath.  A sabbath could mean a weekend away. It could mean a week away or it simply at home on a particular night and we simply focus on 'us'. I really need to do this.  But there was another lesson in all this....

Christmas time in New York is always a fun time.  The animated Christmas windows, decorations, and the smell of roasted peanuts on the streets is always a treat. Macy's after the Thanksgiving Day Parade becomes a human sea of eager shoppers looking for the quick sales.  Another Macy's tradition is on the top floor called Santa Land . If you've never been, its a treat.  You meander through a constructed area with Christmas trees, trains, and elves. At the end of the path you can take a picture with Santa Claus. My wife used to do this when she was younger.  This time the excursion to Santa Land turned out to be a lot different. We received word as we were in line that there was a African American Santa or for our reading, a Black Santa.  There was a secret code that all the elves knew to get a picture with him. We had to ask for 'the special'. We had to wait a little longer for 'our' Santa to prepare.  We're not sure why, but have assumptions....

It was the Thanksgiving holidays. As a family tradition, we would eat  at the formal dinner table.   But, we could not come to the dinner table looking shabby.  We had to look sharp.  Well, it was time for my boys to get a haircut. We did not have the opportunity to get it done in DC, but we had more time in New York.  I took them to a local barbershop down the street from their grandmother's house.  It was a small barbershop; it only had three chairs. The barbers sat the boys down in two different chairs and went to work.   Jasira Monique's son getting a haircut. They edged them perfectly, took off a layer of hair, put some 'smell good' spray to finish it off and brushed off the neck.  OMG, my boys looked good!  I recently polled parents on Facebook asking if they took their children to the barber or if they cut hair themselves.  It was interesting to see that almost half took them to the barber. ...

My son's social life just might drive me crazy. Not only am I looking at a son who's in high school, but I'm looking at a son who's in high school going to his homecoming dance. I'm really not sure if I'm ready for this, but he seems like he is. It's taking me back to when I went to my proms and homecoming dance(s). They were always a lot of fun...and always a lot of pressure. Who do I ask? Will we have fun? Did I get the corsage right? What about how we're getting there? Do my parents have to chaperone? What if she says no? Questions. Questions. Questions. For right now, he's on a high.  I have to coach him on how to be. On how to have a great time. And on how to show respect for himself, his 'date', his God, & our name. This is all a process. Thoughts. I'm still in training during my season.