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Monday, March 7, 2011

Under Construction

Hey readers, my blog just got hacked.

So in the meantime, I have a simple layout. I will have an all new layout shortly.

Thanx for your patience, and keep reading!

Grace & Peace

Al

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Moment


When you hear people talk about their kids and how it changes them, they are right. Whatever they said they are right.

I have become a more forgiving and understanding person since I have had my son Keane. I do not say that to say, I am this awesome person, if that is what makes a person awesome.

When I look at him (stare really) there is this picture of how I want people to treat him, how I want to be towards him all the time. One word comes to mind.

Love.

I want people to treat him with compassion, to always give him a second chance, to see his potential and not his flaws (which at this time seems to be his adverse response to the word NO).

I want people to see the best in him, because I will always see the best in him.

In the midst of that, I am learning to see the best in others.

Even the people that have really screwed me over in the past, which seemed to be alot in the past year or so.

Thats ok, in the words of Tupac, "I ain't mad at ya."

We had "a moment" yesterday, well, to be honest I had the moment, he was just happy to be playing with his favorite thing...THE BALL (any ball really).

This ball happened to be a soccer ball, (he's Italian, soccer is in his blood, GOALLLLLL!)

I digress, back to "THE MOMENT."

In the midst of washing dishes, I had Pandora playing in the background (because no one really enjoys doing dishes), and my wife was playing with Keane and the Soccer ball. I was trying to get a few kicks in between the dishes.

The song "How He Loves" came on, it was as if time slowed down, and all I could see was my son's smiling face...

Boom.

Moment.

What happened next I will try my best not to sound super-spiritual or cliche, but I will say it and you can decide.

I felt God say to me, "As much as you love your son, you have no idea how much I love you."

Maybe I got carried away with "the moment."

Maybe I got to much Dawn soap in the bloodstream.

Maybe I am just a guy who is starting to learn about love.

I want to love the way God loves me.

There have been so many times I have blown it.

It's really amazing how much patience my parents, my college (VFCC woot!), and my wife have had with me thru the years, (put up with me really).

Speaking of my college years, I was just sharing a story with my wife, about something I never knew until recently.

I had lunch with the president of VFCC Dr. Meyer, and he shared how proud he was of me and we talked about my college years. Definitely some highs and lows.

He shared with me something I never knew, in the midst of my dismissal for a semester, (see the full story here), I almost did not make it back into VFCC.

It was one teacher, one teacher who I did not get along with, Daniel McNaughten, that gave me a second chance and spoke up in my defense.

He never told me, he just believed in me.

Love that I never knew, but Love that made an impact.

It's a love that steps into the Sandals that John was not worthy to carry.

Love that covers.

Love that forgets.

Love that believes.

That is the type of Love I want to have for others,
the type of Love I want my son to know I have for him.

Always.