What is your child's signature?

Kids playing together.

We are all proud of our children.  It comes with the territory.  It's part of being a parent.  We are proud of our kid's first cry, first tooth, first step, and first day of school.  We celebrate everything they do, whether it's good like winning a science fair or bad like macaroni art.  We still make a big fuss over it because they are our kids and we need to build up their confidence.  The question is, what is your kid known for by people that are not his relatives?  What is your kid's calling card?  What is your kid's signature?


All to often a kid's signature is very negative.  You can test this out at your local Walmart, either in the checkout line or near the toy section.  Whining, crying, spoiled, (and a few other choice words I choose not to use on my blog) bunch of brats are the calling cards of far to many kids.  Or let's take a more realistic approach, let's ask the teachers at your kid's school what would be your kid's signature?  Would your kid be labeled as kind and generous by the teachers?  Or would he be labeled as a loner and introvert?  Or would reality hit home and truth be told that your kid's calling card is he is rude, disrespectful, and disruptive? Of course I'm being a tease, your child's signature is told to you more often than not.  Only those that choose to live in fantasy land don't hear what is said about their kid's character and behavior.

I take great pride and joy in my two Sons and all their many accomplishments.  But more important than all their trophies, awards, scores, and accolades is their character.  When someone tells me they are impressed my one of them being kind or courteous it means the world to me.  But on the other hand if word gets to me that one of them has done something disrespectful, then there is a beeline from me to him. You can ask either one of them on this. I don't wait a single minute to confront them on character issues. Then I hear someone speak of how my Son is friends with all his classmates, it tells me I've done something right.  Just last night, we left church and my oldest called me. He asked if I had taken River Road as the way home.  I said no and asked why?  He said there was a bad accident and someone was thrown from their vehicle and he had stopped to help them until the ambulance got there.  Most parents would have freaked out hearing their seventeen year old was at a bad accident scene.  I just turn to the wife and said, "Our Son is being himself, he'll be home shortly.".  His character had kicked in and someone's well being was more important than his fancy church clothes he was wearing.  His signature was showing loud and clear.

A kid's signature.

You see, I know what my kids' signatures are in this life.  It's to always do the best they can at the task they have set in front of them.  To be appreciative of the life they have and respectful of the life around them. And help other people every chance they get.  They may not get an A+ 100 every day, but they pass enough tests to get that reputation.  And as a Father, what more can I ask?  Have you figured out what your child's signature is yet?

There's always a bigger pond!

Big Fish in the Pond!

Recently the wife and I got to tag along with my oldest as he went to LSU to an early Orientation/Testing invitation for kids that have really high academic achievements.  We were there with about six hundred other sets of proud parents.  All of us grinning from ear to ear that our kid had been selected for this prestigious honor.  While the kids took their tests, we parents were sent into large theaters to listen to chancellors talk about everything from GPA's, to dorms, and even saying good byes on move in day.  After the second test, which was Calculus, my Son text me to meet him at the lunch line.  While waiting in the line he informed me that no less than fifteen of the three hundred taking the test stood up with in minutes of receiving the test and turned it in.  The proctor asked if there was a problem and the students replied they had never seen anything like this.  While standing in the line I could overhear several other students complain to their parents how badly they had bombed the Calculus test.

How could this be?  How could the best of the best on ACT scores and High School GPA's not know what was waiting for them at the next level?  The answer is very simple.  We as parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, and the like teach our kids to be the biggest fish in the pond they are in.  We rarely teach them or prepare them for the next pond they are going to advance to.  This is not just an academic thing.  This happens at the local ball field as well.  To often a coach will have Little Johnny be the best slugger at the local recreation field but when invited to go to try out for a minor league team, he can't hit the broad side of a barn.  Surely this is crazy talk on my part.  But it's just part of human nature.  We want to be the best in the environment we are in, even if that means ignoring long term needs.  And we all to often transfer this to our kids.  We want our kid to win the big trophy at the local event without any consideration of what benefits it is or is not giving him for the next level of life.

Celebrate your kids real accomplishments!

What good is it to have the best GPA or ACT in your High School if your not ready for college?  Bragging rights and a job at the oil change shop?  What good is it to be the most decorated ball player in your district if you aren't able to make it to the next level?  A case full of trophies to collect dust in your subsidized house? Achievements at any level are a good thing and worthy of praise, but they must be seen as building blocks. If you are not prepping for the next level up, or excuse the expression a bigger pond, then you are just wasting your talent.  By all means celebrate your child's good grades, ACT scores, home runs, swim meet medals, and every other accomplishment, but make sure it's all part of a bigger plan to prepare him for a bigger pond in the long run.  No one ever remembers who was the Valedictorian of the Eighth grade but everyone knows who the name of Microsoft's CEO!  Make sure you are aiming for that next and bigger pond in everything you and your kid does and things in life will be a lot smoother for everyone.

Sometimes teaching kids skills is more important than the luxuries of life!

Flag folding.

We just finished another successful camp out with the Boy Scout Troop.  Many skills were taught and learned.  Everything from compass skills, to lashings, to cooking, and even flag etiquette was accomplished. I'm very proud of my Troop and all the things they got done.  Their mastery of skills for their respective ages was very pleasing.  It's the reason we do the things we do.  To prepare these boys for life as a man.  To give them useful skills and more importantly, give them hands on training that will give them self confidence in other areas of life.  But it got me to thinking.  What do the rest of the kids in America do with their weekends?  What are we teaching them is important with their down time?  What skills are they learning?


Unfortunately, the answer is scary!  We are raising a generation of kids to only value the luxuries of life.  The weekends and the weeks off from school are for self serving purposes only.  Kids these days only use these holidays for movies, video games, and trips to theme parks.  Gone are the days of community service and duty to one's country.  This is not Monaco or Dubai for crying out loud.  This is America!  We were founded on hard work and extra effort. But that message falls on deaf ears.  Today all extra work is for the government to do.  And parents reinforce these horrible messages.  They tell their little ones that they don't need to do any thing extra.  Don't worry, mommy and daddy will make it all better and take you for ice cream later.  So much for equipping your child for his future.  If a kid can't use a day off from school to improve himself then there is no hope of him ever taking any control of his own life and making the most of it.


We as parents all have a desire to pamper our kids.  But we must be adult enough to see the bigger picture. We must take into account how this weekend's activities will affect Little Johnny in the long term of his life. How will this Easter Holiday off of school and the plans for it will make Little Johnny a better adult?  If you answer honestly, there will be fewer trips to the movie theater and more trips to the community center.  If you know what's best for your child there will be fewer video games and a few more trips to Uncle Tommy's mechanic shop to learn about hard work.  And if you really want to teach him the value of life, instead of that theme park you will send him to see his grandparent in that nursing home.  There's nothing wrong with a little luxury here and there, but if that's all your kid knows then he will be lost and confused when he hits the real world.  The time to start teaching your kids real world skills is now, not at 18, NOW!  The quicker your kid adjusts to the real world the easier time he will have once he gets there.  Those kids that are only shown the luxuries of life will be the ones that have the most trouble in adulthood.  They will either end up on you couch or on the public assistance dollar.  Either way, teaching kids skills is the key to a better America!

Have a great and productive day!

The wussifying of America! AKA You don't have to try!

American Flags

I'm about fed up with the whole "everything has to be fair" fairy-tale we have weaved here in America.  It seems to have permeated every facet of our lives.  Oh, little Johnny has a lisp so we have to grade his test easier than the others.  Or little Susie has a hang nail so she shouldn't have to dress out for PE class today. Meanwhile, at your job your coworker has a belly ache from the bad take-out last night so he is a no-show today and that means twice the load for you.  Heaven forbid anyone do their job with a sour stomach.  After all, our Founding Fathers crossed the Ocean and fought the British for the right to use any excuse in the book to get out of anything and everything possible.  In two hundred short years we've managed to turn the land of fair opportunity into the land of whiny, excuse laden, slackers.


The source of my rant is this.  My 13 year old plays on his 8th grade football team.  The team plays in a small independent league.  There usually aren't organized football leagues on the state level below high school.  My Son's team has done exceptionally well this year.  So on this Saturday his team will host the first round of the league's playoffs.  Well the opponent contacted my Son's coach and said under no circumstances will they show up.  They know they can not win, so there's no point in coming.  Are you kidding me?  What lesson are we teaching the kids of the other team?  Oh good job boys, you made the playoffs but you can't win so we just aren't even going to try!  Really?  If you can't promise my kid a trophy then I won't let him go.  My older friends refer to this as, "the wussification of America".  The philosophy that says, "you probably aren't good enough so don't even try".  Just sit back and let someone else do it for you.  What if my Grandfather and his friends in the South Pacific had that attitude in 1941?  "Oh, those Japanese have really big battleships and they already beat us up at Pearl Harbor, so let's not even try".  Really?  What would this country look like it my Grandfather's generation had this wussified look on things?  How far has this country fallen in two short generations?


This whole notion of there are can't be any winners because it makes the other people (the losers) feel bad, is just some mamby pamby garbage.  If you have nothing to strive toward (winning) then we will all sit on the couch and become fat, lazy, apathetic, leaches of society.  In order to succeed you must take the risk of failing.  In order to win you must face losing head on.  In order to do anything in this life you must try, and if you don't succeed you must try again, and if you don't succeed you must try again.  The key is to try! Success does not come to those that wait or make excuses.  Good things do not happen to those that have the easy outs in life.  A strong America comes from hard work.  A strong country comes from strong competition.  It's time to stop giving out trophies to every kid just for showing up and start rewarding excellence again.  Then, just maybe, we will have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and be called the greatest nation on earth again.

Rant over!  For now!

Do your kids a favor and teach them the "hard" way.

Drive Through Automated Teller.

We live a life of many conveniences.  So many things are done for us, or automated.  Between drive-throughs and one stop shopping, we no longer understand how things are made or done.  If the expression, "knowledge is power" is true, then we no longer value power or knowledge.  We don't want to know how things are made.  As long as our gadgets work we are happy to be ignorant on how they work.  We don't care what continent the shelf item came from, as long as it's cheap and readily available.  We are creating a society that is totally dependent on someone else for food, transportation, household appliances, and life in general.


The question is, does leaning on all these conveniences the best way to prepare you child for life?  Why wouldn't you teach your children how to cook their own food?  Believe it or not, I've had parents tell me that teaching cooking to their children was not important, because food is readily available.  So I guess since there are dry cleaners, you don't have to teach kids how to wash clothes.  Since there are mechanic shops, you don't need to check the fluids in your car?  Without teaching kids the way things work all you are doing is creating users.  You are not enabling your kid to be self sufficient.  We all want to protect our kids but sometimes you have to push them into the fire so they can get some real world experience.  There are so many opportunities passed up it really scary.  Simply open the hood of your car and teach your kid a few basics.  Or teach them to make a cake at home instead of buying one at the store.  Something as simple as cutting grass will teach them that things don't just get done without work and effort.

Nothing wrong with cleaning your own meal.

If children are our future why not teach them how things work from the ground up.  We all want the best life for our kids, but making their life easy in the short run will lead to a harder life in the long run.  Being totally dependent on others for the simplest things in life should not be the goal of parenting.  Teaching kids the "hard" way may not make you the most popular parent but it will make you the most successful.

DISCIPLINE! If parents don't have it kids never will.

Children by flickr

It goes without saying that it's a different world today.  There are no more consequences for incorrect behavior anymore.  Today's kids seem to have no discipline, respect, or manners.  But the question is why? What is different?  Are teachers teaching differently?  Are coaches, mentors, and leaders of kid's clubs no longer trying to hold kids accountable?  The short answer is no, but somehow the proven techniques of the past are falling short.  We have entered the era of feel good parenting.  And it's coming with the staggering price of kids and adults not having respect for anything or anyone in this world.

Parents today no longer want to be seen as the disciplinarian in their child's eyes.  I'm guessing that these parents have some need to be accepted by their children.  So being the enforcer of rules runs contrary to this need to have your child approving of you and thus making you feel like someone loves you.  Some would quickly blame divorced households for the competing factors of parents seeking their kid's approval.  But it is no longer just for kids of divorced parents.  There are parents that live in the same home competing against one another.  These parents will say that they want their child to have discipline.  After all that's why they send them to school, or play sports.  The problems come when the teacher, coach, or mentor makes a rule and the parent doesn't back it up.  If your child is failing a class and you accept his excuses then you undermine all the discipline that a teacher is trying to instill in your child.  If you tell a coach that your child is special and shouldn't have to run laps after practice, then you have destroyed his tried and true method of making a child live up to their potential.  Letting a coach, teacher, or mentor push your kid is not going to harm them.  Kids thrive under the right amount of pressure.  Your child can excel at anything in this life if he is pushed out of the nest.  The lessons of discipline are so crucial in raising a child to be a productive member of society.  Why do parents think that their baby can bypass this important step?

A little discipline never hurt.

A child first sees discipline at work in his home.  Your child takes note on whether or not you have the discipline to stick to your words.  A child will push and prod to see if you will stay disciplined in things such as bedtimes, eating correct foods, saying things like thank you and yes sir, and all the other little things that should take place in the home.  If your five year old doesn't have a bedtime, you are setting yourself up for a child that doesn't respect your rules or the rules of society.  Being a parent is hard.  Your commitment to bringing a child in this world requires you to have discipline in your on life.  Being the popular parent when your child is young will lead to a willful young adult that insults you every time you don't intervene and tell his boss that he is special.  If you don't hold yourself to a standard, your child will never hold himself to a standard.  Discipline must start at home.

I pray my rant is overstated.  I fear a world where discipline, respect, and manners are not only no longer taught but forgotten all together.

Want to have a kid? Get your track shoes ready!

Ready, set, go!

So you and the wife have decided to have a kid or two.  How's your health?  Have you taken a stress test lately?  Do any cardio exercises?   Maybe you should.  From the moment your child is born the clock is ticking.  Want to reminisce the moment of your child's birth?  Forget that, the baby has a feeding due in twenty minutes.  Want to enjoy his first steps?  Nope, it's time to rush to the store to get the right shoes.  Looking forward to your toddler's experiences in learning?  Oh well, time to get Junior to the Pre-K.  Having a kid is hard work.  These silly commercials showing moms and dads sitting around and watching their kid grow up is pure fantasy.  If you are not planning ahead then you are holding Junior back.  So get in high gear!

The fact of the matter is most parents don't foresee or plan for their child's development.  And even before Junior comes out of the womb, he is developing.  So you are already behind the curve.  One of the worst catch phrases out their is, "I think it's time to settle down and have kids".  It should be, "I need to clear my schedule to have some kids".  Unlike you, everyday your kid is growing, learning and developing new skills. If you are not providing an environment for these things to take place, then you are preventing Junior from becoming all he can.  In America, we have the "Great Babysitter" also known as the television.  Yes, Junior's mind is being engaged by the TV but his body is sitting idle.  But mom and dad need some down time, right? Well that may be true, but Junior's body has one gear.  Junior's body needs to go full throttle every day until his body says, "nap time".  Don't let your kid's first experience with the great outdoors come at school. Want to prevent allergies?  Expose Junior to the outdoor air and all it's pollen little by little. His mind is expanding at a rate that is hard to comprehend.  If the only new information he is exposed to is something that Patrick tells Sponge-Bob, you are wasting a precious mind.  If he can read on a 1st grade level, then you need to get off your butt and find him some 2nd grade books.  Want Junior to interact well with the other kids and teacher?  Then have him interact with other kids and adults on a regular basis.  Success is never an accident. It takes planning and vision to make a successful kid.

Speedy Dad provided by flickr.

So parents, get your track shoes on and get in high gear.  Yes, take a minute every once and a while and savor the moment.  Then get back to the race.  Eighteen years will fly by.  Will you just sit back and watch it pass by or will do everything you can to make the most of it?  Junior is watching and he is taking notes. He will definitely remember if his mom and dad did all they could to keep up with him.  And you will have the satisfaction of knowing you put forth every effort to make him all he can be.  

Two teenage boys plus football season equals no rest for the parents! Please pass the No Doze?

Friday Night by wikimedia.

It's that time of year again.  Football season is in the air.  Although I wish the air would cool a bit.  When you have two teenage boys it means a non-stop life for the next four months.  But really, it started months ago. My younger son is the football player.  He spent everyday of his summer at school with training and conditioning.  My older son is in the marching band.  This year he is band captain so that means his season started the second week of July.  We haven't played a single game yet, but there already has been training camp, band camp, leaders week, picture days, and more practices than I can count.  And don't get me started on the dirty clothes!


I am a huge baseball fan, but I do agree with Howie Long's Hall of Fame speech when he said, "Baseball may be America's past time but Football is its passion".  Nothing else engages the entire American family life like football. Friday night's in America represent a culmination of the entire community and school system. Obviously, the players themselves have worked, practiced and trained for months leading up to the game. The cheerleaders have been to camps, trained newbies and learned to toss little girls high in the air.  Unfortunately, there are no cheerleaders at baseball games.  The marching band has work for months learning their school's fight song, how to march, and a halftime show.  The little kids will play their own football games behind the stands, and the parents will buy raffle tickets and noise makers to support their local high school.  Savvy politicians will attend and shake as many hands as possible, and police officers will gladly sign up for crowd detail just to get a chance to watch some football.  The local newspaper reporter and photographer will surely be there to give their subscribers content that they definitely want.  You can't name any other American event that brings together the entire community.  No political rally, town forum, or fireworks display can bring out as many people at a Friday Night High School football game.


For parent's it a labor of love.  Work all day, then come stand at the gate to sell raffle tickets, then cheer own the team, then go home and wash dirty uniforms.  It's sounds horrible I know, but the total community experience for our kids is an education in itself.  Yes, by mid September I'll be headed to the local pharmacy for some form of No Doze, and start drinking those horrible tasting energy drinks but it's all worth it.  The lessons of competition, the lessons of music, and the lessons of community are all worth the effort.  With all the negatives in our country today, Friday Night Football stands out as one of the best attributes of today's Americana!  So, Geaux Rebels, and I hope you enjoy this wonderful football season!

My Friday Night Boys!

Hold on to Sixteen as long as you can!

My wife in the hospital with our second son.

Today is my older Son's last day as a sixteen year old.  Tomorrow will make his seventeenth birthday and he will officially be an adult according to the state of Louisiana.  Needless to say, I'm a little sentimental because it feels more like a bullet train ride than an entire childhood that has passed. I still remember the night he was born.  My wife was in labor for more than twenty hours.  The doctors finally decided to cut him out at about quarter past midnight.  Because of the medicine and the long labor they gave the wife some more medicine to sleep and at three o'clock in the morning handed me my Son for the first time and left the room.  I was all alone with this strange little baby that I knew nothing about.  I had no connection with him at that point.  After all, it was not me who carried him for nine months.  Three days later I was shaking like a leaf when I drove him home for the first time.  Seems like a few weeks ago.


He had a severe case of colic.  For six months no one slept for more than twenty minutes at a time.  I thought that six months was a sentence to an eternity in hell.  Looking back now, it was just a blip on the timeline.  The other seasons came and went with increasing speed.  The cost of diapers and formula is very high but before you know it that season was over.  Then came walking, running, talking, toys, video games, and something new for Dad to learn everyday when I got home from work.  How many nights I laid in his bed and played Mario for him because he couldn't get to the next level?  He sure doesn't need much help from me these days. Then came a little brother that changed his whole world in one day.  Then came school, learning, PTOs, Tee Ball, music, and Scouts.  When he made eight my life changed and instead of working I was the one staying home with him.  How many firsts did I get to experience with him?  I'm not sure, but it was a privilege to be on every single one.  Lately, there has been many crowning moments for him.  He is now an Eagle Scout, Captain of his High School Band, and employee at the local grocery store.  And the future is very bright, with his outstanding academic scores he is sure to get into the college of his choosing.


So basically that's it, an entire childhood in one paragraph and it seems that it went by as fast has reading that paragraph.  No matter what season you and you child are in, I suggest you cherish it.  Crying babies may not see like a good time but it will pass soon and very soon.  Trying to keep up with a toddler that climbs and touches everything may seem never ending but it will be memories you miss.  Doing homework for four hours every night may seem like a prison sentence but it will be time very well served. You can't stop time, nor should you try, but take a few moments to cherish all the things that happen in your brief time to raise a child. Don't wait till the seasons are over to pour your life into your kids, start now.  If you put forth your best effort in all these season then the sadness of your child entering into adulthood will be replaced with the joy of a fine young man or woman that you are proud to call yours. I think my boy is off to a great start, even if it was at mach two.  He's a fine young adult man.

1996

2013

Happy Birthday my Boy!

You are a walking lesson plan!

Most couples have big plans for their bouncing bundle full of joy when they bring a child into this world.  Everyone wants a better life for their kid than the one they had as a child.  Then you take home your baby boy and reality hits you square in the head.  It's a job just to keep up with the feeding schedule, the diaper changes, the constant crying, and the dirty laundry full of puke. Parenting is hard work and I haven't even mentioned the job you have to have to pay for little Johnny's things.  Then after a four or five years you get to send your precious toddler off to school. So you're thinking that school will make life a little easier.  After all, having someone else chase after little Johnny is a well deserved rest for you.  Then reality hits again.  You have to help with homework, buy school supplies, keep the correct uniform, clean the uniform every night, and my personal hell on Earth, sit in the carpool line.  I can handle road rage but those moms in the car pool line are the most rude creatures I've ever had the misfortune to meet.  Then Johnny is ready for sports.  Time consuming is an under statement when it comes to your kid playing sports, or any non school activity.  The point is, from the time you bring him home from the hospital till they leave your house kids are a nonstop job.

So when do you have time to sit little Johnny down and explain to him all your hopes and dreams for his life? Truthfully, you are so busy with your kid's life, once you get a spare minute you just want to relax.  You start telling yourself that you deserve time off.  And that's where parents get off track in achieving their goals for their kids.  We work so hard at the things we must do, therefore any spare time is for rest and relaxation.  So what is little Johnny learning?  Truth is he is learning to live life the same way you do.  Just do the bare minimum to survive and the rest of the time is for idleness.  I've heard it all in the circles I deal with such as scouting, band, sports, and schooling. Lines like, "I work hard to earn my money so I deserve a vacation" or this one, "my Son is a good kid, he deserves to go to theme parks every chance he can".  Your kid is learning from that attitude.  That attitude is "just get by in life".  Kids are taking notes from everything you say, do, act, or believe in.   Don't ever think that you can tell your kid, "well Son, I might go out drinking every weekend but I don't want you to do that".  Little Johnny will be sitting on a bar stool near you very soon.  Your life is their lesson plan for their life. 

This may seem like bragging but to me it just drives the point home that you are your child's lesson plan.  My older Son is sixteen and this is a post he put on his Facebook page the other day.

This is probably random but I guess getting a job and going into my senior year has made me think about how much I love my parents and how they taught me to love among countless other things. They taught me that love is a selfless sacrifice. To love someone you have to give them your time, your effort, your everything no matter how difficult it is. My mom gives up most of her time working to support our family. My dad suffers everyday in pain but that never stops him from giving his time and knowledge to prepare my brother and I for the future. They really taught me that if I wanted to succeed at something I had to give it my everything. And we all make mistakes but they also taught me to not just quit when things are hard or I mess up. I really have no clue how I'll turn out but I'm sure it'll be great in some way because my parents succeeded in giving their everything to be the great parents they are. I couldn't have asked for better.

He gets it.  He has taken notes of everything my wife and I have done over the years.  Our life is clearly the lesson plan for his life.  And the way he turns out will be great in some way because he paid attention.  I assure you, your child is paying attention to your life.  Make sure it's a life worth learning from.

It's about Time!

Everyone is busy, busy, busy these days. We are all pressed for time.  Life is full of schedules, dates, appointments, and clocks to punch.  We use phrases like, "time is money", or "my time is valuable".  Ever stop to wonder what is time? Time is not something you can touch or grab. Who came up with this idea?  What is the purpose of time?

Archaeologists point to artifacts found about 6,000 years ago when man first started making lunar calendars to try to predict the planting seasons.  This would be roughly the time man converted from hunter-gathers to farmers.  Knowing the seasons is a big deal to farmers but we now know that the moon is on a 28 day cycle and after a few years changes would have to be made to the calendar.  The next advancement was the "sundial".  Most believe it showed up in Egypt in 1500 BC, but that is debatable.  While the sundial helped in dividing the day it to had to be constantly adjusted for the different lengths of the day over the course of the year.  Obviously Summer days are longer than Winter days.  Then came those thoughtful Romans.  The Julian Calendar (Julius Caesar) was created in roughly 45 BC.  This calendar was much more accurate.  It did loose 11 minutes a year.  While some would jump on that 11 minute issue, remember this is 1500 years before Columbus sailed to disprove a "flat world".  I'm thinking the Romans and Egyptians knew the world was round, but that's just my opinion.  After Columbus came the modern calendar called the Gregorian Calendar.  Then shortly after that the world was divided into the 24 zones and modern time keeping began.

So the concept of time was born out of need to keep up with the growing seasons, but it has now spiraled into an all consuming thing.  Time not only measures the seasons, it measures the speed at which we get to work, the speed we work at, the amount we work, the amount of sleep we get, the amount of time spent with children, the speed we enter into responsibilities, and on and on.  The biggest thing it measures is the amount of time we have here on this Earth. "Life is but a vapor" is one of my favorite bible quotes.  It shows how quickly our time here on Earth can pass and how little impact can be left if we don't make the most of it.  One of my pet peeves is when a parent says that some extracurricular activity for their child isn't worth the time.  When I know they spend entire weekends in front of the squawk box while their kid is in the other room wearing out their thumbs on some video game.  Don't get me wrong, I know some people work multiple jobs.  Paying the bills does take precedent in this modern world.  If you think your time here on Earth is short, think how short 18 years is when you bring a kid into the world.  I assure you it will pass more quickly than you can imagine.  The time to start spending time with your kids is today.  Don't wait until they are out of diapers, or old enough to play T-ball, or entering teenage land.  Start now, if not sooner.  We all have to juggle time in our lives.  The question is, when your time has run out who will remember you?  Who will carry on your hopes, dreams, and experiences?


Take the time to impart all those things in to your loved ones.  And not just your kids.  Take the time to catch up with old friends.  Write a note to someone whom you appreciate.  Call an old classmate.  Yes, all these things take time, but when your time is up what are you leaving behind? Do you think a 401k or a home is what you will be remembered for?  You will only be remembered for the precious commodity of time that you spent on others.  Your sons and daughters will value the times spent with you more than your Earthly possessions.  So take some time to invest some time into the people in your life.  Who knows, you just might cheat time and live on in other's memories.


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http://harvestbaptistbath.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/time.jpg