No Off Season...for dads

Y ou remember that song by Rockwell?  "I always feel like somebody's watching me. And I have no privacy.",  as Michael Jackson adds his infamous, "Hee hee" in the background.  I know we have all had moments when you felt that eyes were on you.  You weren't sure who was looking at you or why, but they were.  No, this doesn't have to spook you out.  In fact, sometimes it good. I was recently at a party celebrating a milestone birthday.  The lounge scene was live and people were really excited.  The live reggae music, dancing, West Indian food, and people everywhere had set the stage for a very festive evening.  It was so much fun.  A relative of ours (we'll call him Joe for this purpose) was getting ready to leave.  He and his wife had a long journey back and had to get to work the next day.  I saw him and gave him proper respects as he was preparing to leave.  He later turns around in the midst of the loud band and sin...

As I write this we are experiencing Blizzard Jonas, the blizzard of 2016, in which we are expecting anywhere between 12-30 inches with wind gusts up to 65 mph.  Well, we found out that different agencies needed clothing and canned foods.  We had some in the house, so we traveled into DC before the road restrictions took place and receive a $972,463 fine to donate.  My youngest and I walked into Central Union Mission to donate.  As I filled out the donation receipt, an African American man walked in and asked for a free sandwich.  The attendant gave him one without any reservation.  When I really took notice of this man, he looked like all was stable.  He had on a long, black trench coat, was decently shaven, slacks, decent shoes, and a black bag with him.  He left out and I was struck with a 'wow' moment.  Here's why. The day before, I had on a very similar outfit.  I wore a long black trench coat with a black derby, khakis and carr...

I missed my flight.  I MISSED MY FLIGHT!😡 With unsuccessful standbies and an overnight airport stay, it turned out to be a major headache, but also a wonderful time of reflection. I was reminded that I can't do what I do as a man (father, leader, deacon, teacher, and whatever other 'titles' I have) without help and direction. I re-realized this watching airplanes. I sat in a terminal window with the morning sun beaming through (so I could warm up) watching planes prep for takeoff.  There was a lot happening for it to be a successful flight. There were trucks moving back and forth on the ground giving planes whatever they give them. I saw food trucks distributing food. There were trucks hauling luggage to and from the plane. What really got me thinking were the trucks that push the planes from the terminal to the strip. There was a long metal guiding pole that didn't bend or flex extending from the truck to the plane. And it guided the plane out. There were also grounds...

My wife & I had the h😳n😫r of taking my oldest and two friends to a week long summer camp in Pennsylvania. We were driving the Turnpike from the Boogie Down, New York after dropping my youngest to his grandmother's for a week. It felt like I had been driving all day; we drove from Maryland to Pennsylvania to pick up our youngest from camp. From there we drove  The Turnpike to New York to drop him off, saw family, got a pie (pizza) and then headed back on the Turnpike with its escalating tolls to Pennsylvania. I was pathetically busted after all the driving. The sun has gone down and we had to head back to PA. Did I say I was busted? Well, these three energetic boys ensured that I wouldn't go to sleep.  I'm flipping through stations trying to find some decent music that all of us could listen to. A song here and a song there popped up, but nothing consistent. Then my oldest says, "Dad, can I put on my music?" WARNING! DANGER! DANGER! WARNING ! Loud, blaring mu...

So he finally turned 16. A monumental age no doubt. There are so many lessons to be learned during this pivotal year, especially as we prep him for college. One of the first lessons that we need to teach is how to handle money. If you're reading this and you were in college, you can remember the hundreds of Visa & American Express offers you received before you made it to your dorm room. And don't forget the many banks luring you in trying to give you free checking.  So here's a sure fire way I believe you can prepare your child on how to handle money: by you handling it well yourself. This is also known as modeling. There was a PSA commercial in the late 80's or early 90's where a boy was smoking. The dad walks in and asks the boy where he learned to do that. The boy responded, "From you dad. I learned it by watching you."  I'm amazed at how much our children mimic the things we do.  So give them something positive to mimic.  I could write so much...

Have you ever been driving and you went into a daze?  Ever started to daydream as you see familiar sights?  This happened to me some days ago.   As usual, we had a fantastic time in New York visiting family and friends.  We were on our way back to Bowie, MD and just crossed over the George Washington Bridge heading south into New Jersey.  If you're familiar with that area, you know the Jersey Turnpike begins soon afterwards.  But there are a whole bunch of signs leading in a number of different directions.  I was in a fog after a long, but exciting day.  My wife was sitting in the front seat looking gorgeous and my two boys were in the back seat doing...who knows what they were doing.  Then out of the blue, my youngest said with conviction, "Daddy, you're on your way to Patterson."  Patterson was to the left and the Turnpike was to the right.  If we were to reach our destination in Bowie, MD, I would have needed to vear to...

I feel like I need to boast on my boys. It's nothing that I have done: it is all to the glory of God. But man, I'm extremely proud of them. My oldest son recently took his faith to another level and was baptized.  Again, I know it's nothing I've done, but it's to the glory of God.  And then I watched my youngest son serve  at his school function. He found joy in helping others. He has always had a very compassionate heart.  Again, I don't think there's anything that I haven't done, but to the glory of God.  They are maturing. They are growing up and growing up fast. They're starting to show that they have their own mind and conscience. I'm proud of them. What I need to make sure that I do is tell them how proud I am of them. And not just one time, but many times. Just some thoughts. I am N0S.