Tag Archives: wisdom

A Little Word That Makes A Big Difference

New Beginning

My friend Chris is a superstar waiting to happen. His voice is hypnotic. His style is unique. He writes undeniable melodies and words you wish you’d written yourself. Someday, his music will make him a household name – but today, in the meantime, Chris is roofing houses. Yep – you read that right. Roofing. Houses.

 

Not that there’s anything wrong with being a roofer. It so happens there’s a roof on my house – I love it! And I remember writing the check for that roof, so I know better than to pity anyone in the roofing community. But imagine, for a moment, Bono or Sting up on your roof and you might better understand my point.

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The Rock In Your Shoe

Last week, Jen and I took our girls down to the beach. It was too cold to get in the water, but that didn’t stop them. I’ve never seen them run faster than when they’re headed for the water’s edge. They promise us they won’t get too wet, but you know how that works out. Without fail and despite my threats to not rescue them if they get in too deep, I inevitably end up completely soaked from the waist down.

 

She’s four now, but Jalen has always loved to chase the birds on the beach. If I’m quiet and still, I can picture her in a soggy diaper, barely able to walk, but somehow able to run after them. She’d chase them – they’d fly away – she’d crack up and try again. She’d have done this for miles in the freezing cold if we would have let her.

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You’re Awesome, Admit It Already!

I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day. He’s an uncommonly gifted singer. Even among great singers, he stands out. He can’t help it. He’s just awesome.

 

Not wanting to be perceived as having a big ego or trying to outshine anyone, he said he sometimes dumbs himself down in order to fit in with the average ability in the room. And when you give him a compliment, he likely won’t receive your words. They’ll come back to you like a boomerang, as if he’s ordinary, and somehow YOU are the amazing one.

 

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Waiting To Be Claimed

 

Last week, we flew to California to spend some time with our family. Jalen and Emmy were super excited to see their Grammy and Papa, but not as excited as Jennifer and me. Where there are grandparents, there are date nights and naps! Smiles all around! Unfortunately, we got caught up in the moment wrangling two kids and all our stuff. We were all the way home before Jennifer noticed a bag was missing. She called the airline and sure enough, we’d left it at the airport. So the next morning, I drove back to get it.

 

I got much more than I was expecting.

 

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