Seeing an 'Old' Photo of Your Child...

I ran across this 'old' photo of my daughter Shayla hugging Lani, a friend of her's, when she was about 3. Shayla just turned 6 a couple of weeks ago. Three years may not seem like much to us, but when you're little, it's a lot. A lot of things happen in a short space of time when they're young. It stirs a daddy's heart to reflect on the changes that have taken place.

I Get It

> I get it now.
> I see my daughter and I see the person that she is becoming and I smile. I genuinely smile.
> Being her father is an opportunity. An opportunity to see myself as an outside agency, as a caretaker, as a person who is shepherding another.
> I see the person that I am and that is one side of it and I also see the person that she is--the part of her that is a person all on her own, a separate person from me.
> I see my 'good' effects on another and I see the 'shadow' that I make as well.
> It's like the line in that movie 'Parental Guidance' where Bette Midler is playing the Grandmother to the kids in the film and she says to her daughter ""You guys are trying to be the perfect parents and the thing is, there aren't any."" She says this because it seems that nothing that she and her husband, Billy Crystal, playing the 'Grandfather' in the film--does, falls into good favor by the parent's 'new age' ethos of parental etiquette in the 21st. Century. It's a great movie and an excellent barrel of laughs for parents and grandparents alike: everyone will relate.
>>> Parenting is good for the soul. Sure, it's hard and it's humbling, and so insanely beautiful. It will show you the truth and in the process of that divine intervention into your life, you will see a kind of beauty that is untold, except in those old diaries and journals of last decade's couch potatoes who are no longer chic or fashion-runway ready, but who possess a ruddy honesty and a deep love for all that is good and whole in life and mostly, they are happy in that. They have that kernel inside them "where rust doth not corrupt or where thieves break through and steal" and they are at peace in that. It is a gleaming diamond inside their chest and despite outward appearances, they are rich. This is a diamond forged under pressure just like those in nature...and pressure purifies. Do not be fooled by appearances. The things that are most precious in life cannot be bought or usually even seen.
>> This is Love.
>> This is Life.
>> This is what it means to be a Parent. The priceless things in life are the bonds that we have between each other, the love that we feel for those we love.
> These are the things that matter.
>> Love is what remains when everything else is gone. > Love is the Alpha and the Omega. Everything else is just a placeholder waiting for the day when we realize the true value of things.
> The Children Open Our Eyes to This Truth.
> Amen, Mitakuye Owasin, Namaste

I Get It

I get it now.
I see my daughter and I see the person that she is becoming and I smile. I genuinely smile.
Being her father is an opportunity. An opportunity to see myself as an outside agency, as a caretaker, as a person who is shepherding another.
I see the person that I am and that is one side of it and I also see the person that she is--the part of her that is a person all on her own, a separate person from me.
I see my 'good' effects on another and I see the 'shadow' that I make as well.
It's like the line in that movie 'Parental Guidance' where Bette Midler is playing the Grandmother to the kids in the film and she says to her daughter ""You guys are trying to be the perfect parents and the thing is, there aren't any."" She says this because it seems that nothing that she and her husband, Billy Crystal, playing the 'Grandfather' in the film--does, falls into good favor by the parent's 'new age' ethos of parental etiquette in the 21st. Century. It's a great movie and an excellent barrel of laughs for parents and grandparents alike: everyone will relate.

Parenting is good for the soul. Sure, it's hard and it's humbling, and so insanely beautiful. It will show you the truth and in the process of that divine intervention into your life, you will see a kind of beauty that is untold, except in those old diaries and journals of last decade's couch potatoes who are no longer chic or fashion-runway ready, but who possess a ruddy honesty and a deep love for all that is good and whole in life and mostly, they are happy in that. They have that kernel inside them "where rust doth not corrupt or where thieves break through and steal" and they are at peace in that. It is a gleaming diamond inside their chest and despite outward appearances, they are rich. This is a diamond forged under pressure just like those in nature...and pressure purifies. Do not be fooled by appearances. The things that are most precious in life cannot be bought or usually even seen.

This is Love.

This is Life.

This is what it means to be a Parent. The priceless things in life are the bonds that we have between each other, the love that we feel for those we love.
These are the things that matter.
Love is what remains when everything else is gone.Love is the Alpha and the Omega. Everything else is just a placeholder waiting for the day when we realize the true value of things.
The Children Open Our Eyes to This Truth.
Amen, Mitakuye Owasin, Namaste

Shayla Groovin' to Asylum Street Spankers at Maria's Tacos

We went to Maria's Tacos this last weekend for Brunch on the Sunday morning after her Birthday Party (6th) on Saturday night. Here she is going with the groove that she was feelin' listening to Austin's Asylum Street Spankers, being moved by the spirit of the groove. It was cute. I thought that I'd share the moment. The video is pretty short but she kept dancing long after we stopped taking it. It was fun. She's got some moves.

Bowling For Birthday #6

Well, we enjoyed having Shayla's 6th Birthday at a local youth enterrainment center that featured bowling amongst other sports. Perhaps it was a little forward thinking of us to assume that 5 and 6 year olds would really be able to concentrate and complete a game of bowling. We have to admit that it was fun trying though. I think everyone had a good time. We know that Shayla did. Here are a few photos from the event.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Keeping everyone together and contained, as it were, was a rather arduous affair. Thankfully we had the assistance of a few parents. The facility personnel did not actually 'host' the event, but simply served the food and refreshments. We did not know this going into it, but we made due. We slept well last night, to put it mildly.
Here are a few more photos from the bowling part of the event:

See the full gallery on Posterous

Thank you to all of Shayla's friends, family and classmates that came and celebrated her birthday with her. Thank you to all of the parents that stepped in and helped us manage during the 'bowling' phase of the party: slippery lanes, heavy balls, and 'free range' kids who thought the lanes were a kind of newfangled dry 'slip and slide'.
It was fun. Thanks for coming.

Garrett's 7th Birthday Party

Here are a few pictures from Shayla's cousin Garrett's 7th Birthday Party...

https://www.icloud.com/journal/#3;CAEQARoQ8fqxL0GZiHsKGerdyVV53A;8CD65B20-0F3B-4CB8-A181-992549DF28F4

Winter Program Pt. 2 (videos)

Sorry folks. I'll have to post these through YouTube, so stay tuned relatives. Something has happened to Posterous and they're no longer allowing larger video uploads from an actual computer. You should shortly see a link on Facebook pointing to the videos on YouTube. Keep an eye out.