Years ago I had the privilege of enjoying an 8-day Caribbean cruise to Martinique, Barbados, St. John’s, Antigua, St. Martin and St. Maarten, San Juan and the Virgin Islands. God’s creation is on display in each of these beautiful places. It’s a trip I’ll always remember. If you’ve ever wondered whether cruises are as much […]

My twin daughters Annie and Emma are 10 years old. You can’t tell by looking at them now, but they were preemies. Born seven and a half weeks early they weighed 3 pounds 9 ounces and 3 pounds 14 ounces. I’d never held babies so tiny. Head to toe, they were exactly as long as […]

Our parents said it to us at some point after we learned to talk. We say it to our kids at some point after they learn to talk. We hear it (or say it) when attitude takes on, well…an attitude. “Remember who you’re talking to.” I reminded my daughters of this the other day. All […]

What are you signing your name to? Some years ago my friend Duane Cross and I were in the Chicago area attending a preaching/speaking conference at Willow Creek Church. Before going to O’Hare to catch our plane, we spent several hours at the Chicago Art Institute. If someone gave me a ticket to anywhere in […]

It began as a desperate act of self-preservation. In December of 2007 I’d been living in Lubbock for several months after 14 years in the Phoenix valley. I was a not by choice divorced single Dad living in a place I never wanted to live. Somewhere in the middle of the month I realized that […]

My friend Heather posted this status on her Facebook page: “This morning the little kids came upstairs (very early) with cake and frosting on their faces. They said, “God told us we could have cake for breakfast.” It’s a delightful image, is it not? Little cheeks covered with cake? It reminds us of a simpler […]

My great uncle, L.D. Thompson, farmed with my Dad and my Grandfather in Iowa. L.D. was a kind and generous man, always helping his friends and neighbors. He also enjoyed playing a good practical joke, most often on those same friends and neighbors. It was sometime around 1951. L.D.’s cousin Burdette Carlson came out for […]

We notice him as we walk into Whataburger. A frail, slightly stooped elderly man helping his equally frail wife get out of a big white Mercury Marquis. While she balances precariously on a four-footed cane, he tries to pull the sleeve of her red sweater up over her shoulder. Inside we are second in line. […]

Do you ever wonder if your kids are listening? Do you ever wonder if they take to heart anything that you tell them? Do they ever connect the dots in ways that surprise you? It’s bedtime. Past bedtime, actually. Being a bad Dad or good Dad, depending on your perspective, I had allowed Annie and […]

I can’t remember what it was about. I can’t remember who was in it. All I remember is that it was a happy place. Relaxing. Peaceful. Serene. Everything good dreams are made of. TapTapTapTapTap. Each poke of her little index finger on my shoulder hit the elevator button on my slumber, bringing me up from […]

Last Saturday I took Annie and Emma to their school’s Fall Festival. A fund raising event by the local PTA, it was a fun four hours of games, candy, hot dogs and Sno Cones. The students’ favorite booth was, “Pie In The Eye”. For just a few tickets they could throw a whipped cream pie in their […]

“Daddy, I have a question.” I hear this often from my daughters. 2nd grader’s this year, they love learning. I wonder what her question is this time? What’s 16 + 16? How to spell “clock”? Or maybe something regarding a favorite place, like “When are we going to Krispy Kreme again?” “Sure, Emma, what’s your question?” […]

It was a hard morning for Emma. Purposely provoking her sister Annie to frustration. Lots of button pushing in her communication with me. A good measure of “I hear what Daddy is saying but I’ll do it when I feel like it.” Then, when called to accountability, blaming her sister or feigning poor hearing as excuses for her […]

Out of the elevator and rounding the corner on the 2nd floor of Carillon House, Emma spots her first. “Daddy, look! There’s Hazel!” Annie and Emma take off running to give her a hi and a hug. At the other end of the long hall, sitting in her wheelchair, is Hazel. She came here a […]

For Annie and Emma and me, one of our favorite places to eat is Rudy’s BBQ. My first experience with Rudy’s was in Austin, Texas while visiting with our friends Andy and Lynn Neillie and Ron Sciarro. At Rudy’s, your plate is a sheet of waxed paper spread out on a picnic table. Brisket, ribs, […]

Under a pile of blankets, Annie and Emma, dressed in their soft flannel pink and green polka dot pajamas, were snug in their bed. All I could see were their smiling faces. On the other side of the bedroom window, a nippy 29 degree night. “Tell us a story, Daddy! Tell us a real one about you when you […]

Last Tuesday I spent the day in Annie and Emma’s classroom. It had been a long time since I’d done any cutting, gluing or coloring. Emma said I did pretty good at coloring. But my gluing needs work.  And what I wouldn’t give to have a mandatory nap time again. How great would it be to stretch out […]

Over the holidays some dear friends gave me a great Christmas present. Tickets to Santa’s Village, a Christmas theme amusement park that sets up each year at Firebird Raceway here in Phoenix. We had a blast on the rides, eating kettle corn and cotton candy. It was a delightful afternoon spent making memories with my twin 6-year […]

Years ago in the church I attended back in Iowa I had my first experience with nursery duty. While I am now a pro and can handle anything and everything related to kids, back then I was only comfortable as long as they were happy. It was that crying thing that I was afraid of. After raising […]

What’s on your refrigerator doors? Ours is covered with photographs and the obligatory magnets to hold them all in place. It’s a hodgepodge of themes. An Andy Griffith Show magnet holding a photo of Allison, Shelby and Shaun; our nieces and nephew. A Chicago skyline magnet securing a winter photo of my Uncle Ev’s farm […]

When I was in high school my sister Joleen had a horse. I’d ridden him at a gallop many times and thought I’d gone as fast as that horse could go. Until one day my cousin Becky came over on her horse. Then her horse and my sister’s horse decided between themselves they’d show each […]

Last Wednesday evening I took the girls to Golfland to play mini-golf. When you play putt-putt with twin 6-year olds, you don’t bother playing yourself. You just help them try to stay focused on the hole in front of them and keep them from trying to climb the Windmill or wade in the water hazard. […]

She’s a beautiful 8 year-old girl with spark and energy. Look at her face and into her bright eyes for only a second and you can feel her keen sense of awareness. Megan is very smart, very strong and, like all kids her age, can be very stubborn. Of all the delightful kids who come […]

Got an email the other day with the subject line “Interesting Trivia”. It said that at two minutes and three seconds after 1 PM today the date will be: 01:02:03; 04/05/06 It won’t happen again for a hundred years. We tend to take note of events that don’t come around often. Halley’s Comet makes an […]

“Daddy, can we make a pile of leaves and jump in them?” Annie and Emma are helping me clean up the backyard. After a week of low overnight temperatures my fig tree had dropped it’s leaves and I was raking them up to throw in the dumpster. Growing up in Iowa, fall was my favorite […]