Back to School... Ritual or Routine?

Think about it, rituals are far more fun than routines. Rituals have gravitas, they are solemn, often religious usually performed with dignity in a church or university. Routines not so much. Routines are just, well regular. Routines don't serve a special purpose, we just settle into them. Typically, they are like driving your car to the gas station and filling up.

Back to school season for my family is a ritual. We perform our ritual every year, it's like Black Friday. The grown ups are faithful and the kids are, let's just say, dutiful. We all get up early, eat breakfast together, then Mom takes pictures of the kids in all their back to school glory. New shoes, clothes, backpacks, lunch boxes, hairdos, the works.

Every year this day is the culmination of all our optimism for our kids' prospects. This new year my kid will... then you fill on the blank. And every year past kindergarten the kids blanch at the idea of posing under their school signs in front of their peers. Many of whom are waiting their turn for their mom's photo shoot.

Routine sets in the very next day. We fudge our wake up time and grab breakfast as we fly out the door. Or maybe it takes a couple of days to find a routine. After Mom takes those pictures school becomes  regular. Like waiting for the red light to turn green so we can all drive to McDonald's and order the usual.

What's the take away? Maybe, I should just try to embrace the wonder of the ritual of the hope of a daily blessing, and make sure Mom gets a picture so we remember how far we have come together.

Amazing! Incredible! Unbelievable! $18,000 for one goat!!!

I took my daughter to our first FFA goat auction. I was prepared to spend upwards of $500 for our goat. We looked over all the animals. There were sixty. We made notes on several. We registered for our bidding number. Wow, we are really going home with one of these critters.  It was fun.

A good friend with 17 years of FFA animal husbandry experience went with us to help us along. He warned us that competitive goats could go for as high as $4500. My eyes popped wide. Who pays that kind of money in a recession for a goat? Not many he assured me.

However, we were confident we could take home a good quality goat at a reasonable price and, yes, $500 was reasonable to us. If we didn't win tonight there were many more opportunities to come.

There were sixty goats to sell. I realized we could be here for a long time. We weren't.

The auction started. The pace was lightning fast. All the animals were sold in forty-five minutes. It went so fast that by the time our chosen goats were up they were way passed our bid before the auctioneer finished his first sentence of auction-ese. The last of the sixty baby goats was auctioned for $18,000.

Amazing! You say. Who would pay that much money for one goat? You could buy a new Harley for that! We learned, someone who really, really wants to win the state goat showing competition. It's like a beauty pageant for goats. Never mind top prize is only $12,000. Just let that news rattle around in your head for a moment.

Incredible! Experts say. The goat was what they called a wether goat. Which means he will not be a daddy goat. Umm, ever. He will be strictly for show.

Unbelievable! I say.

Depression and Redemption

This morning I heard about a gospel singer-song writer, John Waller, who said God redeemed him from his longtime battle with depression. His album, "As for Me and My House," is a celebration of God's redeeming power and blessing for family. What a testimony!

Sometimes I wonder about those who suffer with depression today. How many are there? Millions. About 9% of the U.S population are diagnosed with clinical depression each year. Are those millions suffering alone? To me depression is a disease of isolation. God does not want us to live isolated lives. Look up. Find hope. Take the first step toward that pin prick of light. That tiny light shining into the well you find yourself in is hope for our heavenly father's love.

A few short years ago I too wrestled with clinical depression. It was the most difficult fight I have faced to date. Depression effected every corner of my life and any cracks quickly ruptured into emotional devastation. I wore my ragged happy mask in public, but at home that mask was tossed away.

My wife bore the brunt of my storming rages. She had no one to talk to and my depression became hers. It nearly tore us apart because she loved me but hated what I was going through and most of all the toll my crumbling emotions were taking on her and our children.

I didn't realize just how terrible things had gotten for my family. Everyone I loved most feared me. It was a dark, lonely time. I was like a wounded bear. I could explode over the smallest incident and they would suffer a severe emotional mauling. Looking back I see how painful I made their lives.

Today, I'm free from the chains of depression. Like, Waller, I believe God redeemed me too. Yes it was a difficult process to come through. No, I did not exert some act of iron will. I was powerless and God just did it all.

God saved me from that debilitating disease. For a while I was afraid my depressive tendencies would return. I sought assurances I was getting better from my wife, family and trusted friends. My strongest desire was to overcome depression's tyranny and be the best husband and father I could be.

But, all of this transformation was not my own doing; yes I took baby steps toward the light, but, God constantly planted the garden of a happy, healthy family, blessed by Him, inside my heart and when I couldn't water it He did.

"Have no fear the battle's won."-John Waller- Our God Reigns Here.

Does Something Bad Happen When You Listen to Christmas Songs in July?

It's July, and yes it was over a hundred degrees outside today! Christmas songs lilted through my headphones as I melted in the heat. The music kinda took some of the edge off the misery. The weird juxtaposition of the holidays got me thinking.

When my kids were little they insisted we listen to Christmas songs all year long. They were oblivious to the "rules". They didn't know they were breaking anything they just liked the songs. I remember thinking, why not? Besides, it's kinda fun to break conventional mores every once in a while. I'm always up for that!

I guess my point is it's easy to find a comfortable conventional spot and build a nest. I for one have a long and wide irreverent  streak and anytime that round peg butts up against a square hole I want to play too! I'd like my kids to understand customs are good, even important but that's precisely why, on occasion, it's good to enjoy a little Christmas cheer in July. They learn to keep things in perspective.

Well, the answer to the question is obvious, I hope. Plus, there is no hassle buying everyone presents.