Our New Pet: Lucky the Lizard

This past Friday Jon found a little green anole who had a crushed back leg and missing tail. Naturally, we took him in as a rescue, fearing he would not be able to A) catch food and B) escape predators with only three legs. We improvised a round fish bowl for his new home, and named him Lucky. The kids were delighted!

Lucky didn't really look very comfortable in the fish bowl, though. It was far too curvy for him, even with the grass and sticks we put in there to make him feel at home. After a couple days, since he was still alive, we took the plunge and bought a real terrarium for him, complete with gravel and orchid bark (apparently anoles really like orchid bark, which, just so you know, is not the actual bark of orchids). We added a couple small potted plants and voila! Instant green anole happy habitat!

Only he didn't look so happy to me. Anna thought he looked like he was smiling. But to me, Lucky seemed to be a bit depressed... the way he gazed endlessly out the window, the way he looked at me with suspicion. He appeared to be longing for the world outside. For freedom.

Freedom. I began to feel conflicted about keeping our little friend. Is it better to live long in a new place in safety? Or to live free, risking a shorter life and even traumatic death? "Live free or die!" Right? But I don't know... he's an anole after all so maybe he doesn't really mind so much or think so deeply.

So for now, we take care of him, and I think he has perked up a bit. Maybe it's the crickets that have won him over...

With Open Arms

This morning at church, getting ready to go up for communion, I was thinking. Thinking about how - particularly when we come to church - God receives His children to Himself with open arms. He is our Refuge.

We come to Him humbly, laying our baggage at His feet. And He says, "Come to me, everyone who is weak and weary."

The world is a mess out there, and we've all done our part to make it worse. But His love is stronger than that... "unyielding as the grave." He receives His children with open arms of forgiveness. We give Him our failures, regrets, sins... And He gives us peace and rest and hope and life. It's not a fair exchange really.

Some, from the outside, may look at Christians and think that we think we are so good and self-righteous. But true Christians know first and foremost that they are totally unworthy of the amazing gift of God. We have forgiveness and life only by the grace of God, not based on any "good" thing we might try to do.

And the gift is all-inclusive... an open invitation to the masses to Come. Taste and See that God is good. But only those who Come receive the gift.

Reflections on the U2 concert

So Jon and I left the kids with trustworthy people, and hit the road for Nashville this past weekend to see U2 in concert. They're a band I've loved since high school, and have always wanted to see in concert. It's not just their music, but also Bono's Christian faith and his commitment to helping people around the world. He does the good that he can.

We drove 8 hours to Nashville on Saturday, stretched our legs, and got a bite to eat at Chipotle Mexican Grill before heading over to take our place in line. We had general admission tickets, and were hoping to get into the inner circle. But, even though we got in line an hour before the gates would open (so three hours before the opening act would start), we stood down the long street and around the corner. No inner circle, but we did get really close to the outer walkway, so that was good!

Everyone seemed really nice, and while we waited for the show to begin, we chatted with two friendly couples standing next to us - one from Mississippi and the other from Philadelphia. The crowd in the area around us was very well-behaved.

The opening act was Florence and the Machine. She has an great voice, and made me smile as she skipped around the stage in her long flowing outfit like a little girl. But she wasn't why we were there. (She was, however, why the two girls next to us were there... singing along every word and shrieking their excitement in my ear... eek! The girls disappeared after Florence left the stage. Are you kidding me??)

After what seemed like forever, U2 took the stage... how cool is that?!?! With lights and smoke and all the effects, the energy filled the stadium. In 90+ degrees, they gave it their all, and the passion and energy overflowed. It's amazing to be in the presence of someone pouring out their all and loving what they're doing and making a difference in the world in their own way. It's inspiring.

One highlight was that we got to sing part of Amazing Grace with Bono (and 40,000 other fans, of course). Then at the end of the concert, Bono has this guy from the audience come up... a blind guitar player as indicated on the sign he was holding. Bono lets "Dude" play "All I Want is You" - dedicated to Dude's wife Andrea - while he (Bono) sings it. What a wow moment! Then, when it's over, Bono gives Dude his guitar!! The crowd went wild.

It's funny how, in a crowd like that, a sort of camaraderie forms, so that a gesture to one member is somehow received by all members. I think we were all touched by the act of kindness. And it was a perfect example of being prepared and ready for opportunity when it may present itself. Obviously, Dude had learned and played U2 songs prior to this. Then he put himself in a position to be seen, held his little sign, and hoped for the opportunity. When it came, he was ready. I think I'll pull out my old guitar and start practicing...

After the concert, Jon and I drove a bit and then stopped for the night. A few hours later we got up and got back on the road home. It was fun having an adventure for just the two of us... haven't done that since the kids came along. We should do it again some time. The only bad thing was that I missed him terribly when he went back to work on Tuesday.

Summer Good-byes

So summer is coming in waves at our house. Will graduated from pre-K last week, Evan finishes his morning out program tomorrow, and Anna has 2.5 weeks left (which she insists is not fair).

I hate the end of things - routines, good times, the familiar.

I feel the worst for Will. He is moving on from the school he has attended for three years, although he is looking forward to going to Anna's school. He is saying good-bye to beloved teachers, three best friends who will be moving away, and dear cousins who will be moving sometime.

Will dislikes change more than I. So far, he has only cried about missing his teachers. But we could hardly get him to go to sleep the night he graduated - he was so upset. I had to promise visits and keeping in touch and all.

It's a crazy, mobile world we have today, and I wish somehow I could insulate my kids from all the change that lurks about.

When I was in 6th grade, my family moved away from our neighborhood, relatives, and state - where I had always lived... Home. (It seemed strange to me to move away from home.) Prior to that, I can only recall maybe two other kids who had moved away from my school. People didn't move. There was a sense of continuity, community, history, roots. Sure, you can still find that in some small towns these days, but not so much in the population at large.

My kids already don't even have that nostalgia about our house. They see other pretty houses and ask if we can move there, or when we are going to move again (we moved across town three years ago).

So whatever. Things are different now, and it's both good and bad. "It is what it is," as Jon likes to say.

But it kinda gives me that homesick feeling that I had at the end of my college years, faced with the prospect of all my dearest friends scattering in different directions. Wouldn't it be great if we could all just move to the same place and always be together?

But we all follow our dreams or desires or plans. We go our separate ways. We move. We keep in touch. Things change. Life goes on. We fill our lives with Good-byes and Hellos.

The Family Brand

Lately I've been thinking about the concept of branding. Typically applied to the marketing of products and businesses, branding can really be applied to almost anything, including yourself and your family.

Family branding is related to the idea of leaving a legacy. What do you want to be known for? What is your theme, your vibe, your reputation? I've met some families known for their thriftiness, or their indulgence of their kids, or their generous and helpful spirit.

To a certain extent, your family character develops on its own, an extension of members' personalities and opportunities. But I think it's good to at least be conscious of the brand idea... to think about it, maybe determine where you want to be heading and how to steer in that direction.

If we want our kids to be passionate and compassionate, to care about the bigger world, and so on, what steps do we need to take now in order to head that way? What activities, attitudes, priorities do we engage in, and do they support or undermine our ultimate goals?

In our family, we try to emphasize the biblical ideas of "love one another" and "do to others as you would have them do to you." It may sound rather generic, but these values, when emphasized consistently, can build the foundation of the strong, godly character that we desire. I think at this stage, with little kids, those two ideas will lead us in the right direction, and hopefully develop a family brand worth having.

Let Me Eat Cake - But Make it Yummy, Please!

Is it just me or do cakes not taste as good as they used to? I used to love birthday cakes - sweet and simple - with a side of ice cream! More recently, though, I have been disappointed over and over.

Perhaps I've become too finicky, prefering the finer cakes. Or perhaps the bakeries are cutting corners and offering lower quality fare.

A couple weeks ago we had a cake from Kroger that had practically no taste whatsoever. It was pretty, and looked like it would taste good. But really, it was just a waste of calories. Upon careful inspection of the lid, Jon noticed the expiration date was for July! There is nothing natural about an April cake being good until July. It was surely made of plastic or something. I threw it away, less than half-eaten. How sad.

I guess I will have to resort to either ordering from higher quality bakeries or just making cakes myself.

The Whisper of God

Have you ever thought about why God so frequently speaks to us in a still small voice? He often is the whisper even in the midst of our storms and chaos. I've always thought it was kind of neat that One with limitless power would approach us so gently.

Today it occurred to me that God's whisper provides another beautiful illustration of how He relates to us as His children. Sometimes we might think that God is far off above us, so He might need to shout or cause a ruckus to get our attention, especially when life gets crazy. And sometimes He might choose to do so.

But He is not a distant God at all. He is up close. Like a mother comforting her child who's gotten hurt. Like a father snuggling his tired little one. In these moments, parents are not yelling down the hall, but rather whispering shhh's and gently comforting their loved ones, up close, cheek to cheek even.

And so is God toward us, His children by faith. He is near. Sadly, we may overlook Him at times, as we are not naturally inclined to see beyond the visible. But He is there with His still small voice, beckoning. Always loving.