The barbecues are probably hot and the meat is probably marinading as the day pushes forward into the afternoon and evening. The celebration and revelry will be abundant today for sure. But as we fellowship around the fire, sipping wine and scarfing down the grilled meat, it might be a good idea to reflect on why we have today off of work and why we are enjoying this time with our friends and family.
To all families and people who have lost loved ones on the battlefield, today my thoughts and prayers go out to you. But even though today is a day set aside to remember those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice in war it is my belief that we should not wait an entire year to remember our heroes.
For families who have lost loved ones there isn't a day that goes by in which they don't think about that person. And while the pain of loss, and the memory of loved ones lost, does diminish over time remembering our loved ones is important. So today think about those who have laid down their lives in the service of their countries and remember those they have left behind. And throughout the year try to keep in mind that for some families memorial day is every day.
Every day men and women around the world offer their lives in service to the United States and her allies. Every day they should be remembered.
Man I wanted to barbecue today. I have been waiting all week to get my grill on and when the morning came I got all kinds of excited at the prospect of eating seared and seasoned beef cooked over an open fire. Apparently the weather had different plans.
The day started out gloomy and cold, but I have seen that before and was holding out hope that I could actually end up BBQing later in the day. But the stupid fog bank never lifted and I ended up spending the entire day wanting grilled meat and getting nothing at all resembling grilled meat. Crap.
And no, I can't grill tomorrow because I will be at a party all day for my nephew. So Monday better be my day for grilling because Memorial Day weekend just isn't the same without some fired up meat.
On the first day He was betrayed, brought before the religious leaders of the day and stood before those that hated him, accused of committing crimes that He did not commit. He did not defend himself against His accusers and did not hold them in contempt. He knew what He had to do and what He had to endure to bring to completion His mission. For His resolve He was forsaken, lied about, teased, mocked, beaten, humiliated, spat on, cursed, laughed and murdered. On the first day He died.
On the second day, while in the tomb prepared for Him, He battled against the enemies of God, taking back those that had gone before He had come. On a mission, He didn't waver and kept the commandment given Him by His father. On the second day He battled.
On the third He did something He promised He would do yet none gave Him the slightest chance of accomplishing - He conquered death, rose from the grave and took back the dominion man had given Satan over us. He took His place as the resurrected son of the most high God and began the last events in His ministry that would ever see Him in person. On the third day, He rose again, conquered death and brought victory to all those that would call Him savior.
As we enjoy the festivities on this day - the candy, the bunnies, the eggs, the color, the food, the family, the friendship and the fellowship - I pray that we remember that today is a celebration of life, rebirth, grace and victory. Christ died for all.
Yes, all, the whole of humanity. Saint and sinner alike. Actually, mostly for the sinner since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He died for the murderer, the cheater, the adulterer, the fornicator, the liar, the thief, the blasphemer, the rapist. He died for the man that cannot control his eye or his mouth. He died for the woman that has sexual inclination for another woman. He died for the disobedient child and the rebellious parent. He died for mankind, so that through His shed blood we could be cleansed of our sin and once again be able to fellowship directly with God the father.
Through grace we have been saved by faith. Faith that Christ was born of a virgin as the only begotten son of the living God. Faith that He walked the Earth as a man. Faith that He was betrayed and crucified. And faith that He ultimately rose again on the third day.
There is no earning salvation. There are no prerequisites to it either. The person that you are right now, the success or the failure, the dirty or the clean, the broken or the complete... you are exactly who Christ died for. Because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.
Even if you are not a Christian or are resistant to the message of love that embodies who Christ is, my prayer today is that you remember why we celebrate the day we celebrate today. May God bless you, whoever and wherever you are.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
I am not much for celebrating holidays with the word "saint" in the name of it, but since today really revolves around beer, green cookies and more beer, I thought I would participate.
Not to mention the fact that today is one of my cousins' birthday (happy birthday Rachel *waves*). So that, plus the fact that I get to break out the green font, means that today is a day to celebrate.
Go have a beer, preferably a Guinness (because it sounds Irish) or a Heineken (because the bottle is green) and celebrate the day with a shamrock, some corned beef & cabbage or just plain old St. Patty's day tomfoolery. It only comes around once a year. Enjoy it.
Today is President's Day in the United States, a day in which we bloody Americans celebrate the king pin of democracy in our land, the President of the United States. The reality of this day, however, is that it is really a celebration of George Washington's birthday.
I really haven't studied President Washington as much as I should have but there are a few things about the man that I find fascinating and totally worthy of having a day all to himself for. He was the typical American trying to live the typical American dream and he painted an example of how all men should live when it comes to defending your place, taking care of business and being selfless. I will say that I am not fond of everything about him, but for the most part, if I had to go to war, I would love to server under his leadership.
Much of what I based my opinion is taken from the stories about him as a young man, a soldier, a warrior, a politician, a businessman and a land owner. He was involved in all of these things from a very young age and stayed that way until he died after living a very long and rewarding life.
One look at the life of George Washington, though brief, outlines some of the more significant characteristics and experiences he had. He was homeschooled, he took up surveying at an early age (which ultimately led to him knowing the terrain upon which he fought way better than his adversaries), he took an interest in politics and the happenings of the day and he became involved in military service of a very young United States (actually, the US hadn't really become the US when Washington was at his younger age).
He was a cunning warrior on the battlefield but he lost a significant number of battles in which he fought. Yet he fought still and won the most meaningful battles when it counted. He was selfless in politics and service. He was against partisanship. He was for his country and its people.
Looking on the President that was George Washington I can't help but want for all presidents to find their similarities to President Washington and tap into that when serving.
Regardless, today celebrates the birth of our country's first president and, in some way, all presidents since then. To all of our surviving presidents I say thank you for your service and patriotism. Though was may disagree with much of your service or many of you decisions, you still have had a job that few really want to take on. You deserve this day. Enjoy it.
Happy Valentine's Day to all you love birds out there. From me to you, may you day be filled with fun, love, excitement and everything else that you want out of your relationship.
As I sit here and write this out I am thinking back on today and how wildly different today turned for me from last night. Last night the kids, all five of them, spent the night with my sister so that Sandi and I could have a nice night alone. And it was an awesome night.
We started out by hitting up BJ's Brewhouse to pick up a pizza before heading home from dropping the kids off at my sister's house. We snagged a medium Mediterranean and before long we were home grubbing on awesome pizza and watching "Nights in Rodanthe" starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Now I love to spend time with my wife. And I love to watch movies with her that she likes watching. But this movie... well, even Sandi said it sucked pretty bad. That was a waste of about two hours of my life. Seriously, if you are planning on watching this movie, spare yourself the trouble and anguish of enduring that task and watch something else.
After that hellish experience ended we put in "Tropic Thunder" starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise and Nick Nolte. This movie was freaking awesome. Yes, there were some language and subject matter issues, but I couldn't stop laughing during this movie. The entire cast did a magnificent job. I am glad I saved this movie for the second one because watching the first one last would have for certain put me to sleep before I was ready for sleep.
After watching the movies and finishing up the food we hit the sack ready for this morning.
This morning I started the day off by making coffee and going out to get breakfast for Sandi and I. I surprised her with a card, a balloon and breakfast and coffee in bed. After that we headed out to pick up some gifts for the kids and, during this little outing all hell broke loose on the day.
I am not sure where things went wrong. I was told it was when I sat down on the couch after getting out of the shower this morning. Whatever the case may be, today went significantly different than last night and, while I still had a great day, it was not nearly as warm and fuzzy as last night was.
Still, I had a great Valentine's Day. And I hope you all did, too. More importantly, I hope that everyday is a little like Valentine's Day for you and that you have the desire to serve and please your spouse every day as opposed to February 14th of every year. Good night. And sleep tight.
Yesterday was one of the best fourth of July celebrations I have ever experienced. That is a bold statement since I have experienced a good many Independence Day celebrations. But few have come close the massive family gathering we had yesterday.
I was invited early in the day to my brother's house for festivities for the evening. There was to be a barbecue, fireworks, children... all sorts of stuff that makes a fourth of July party really cool for everyone involved. There were kids, food, drinks, family, fireworks, laughter... I mean, it has been a while since I have experienced that.
The best part of all of it was that I got to hang with my family for a good while. My kids did, too. Plus we were all able to eat good, drink a little (I stress a little - half a Heineken and a small glass of wine) and play with fireworks. And while I cannot legally say that there were fireworks generally prohibited by the city of Newark, I can say that those fireworks that we did have were freaking exceptional.
The coup de gras came at the end of the night when the old younger boys lit off three magnificent fireworks that gave the entire block a show they would not forget. It was so cool that the Newark Police stopped by the neighborhood to get a peak. Unfortunately for them the show had just ended. Maybe next year guys.
All in all it was a wonderful night. A few hours out of the house spent with family and having fun... I couldn't ask for anything else.
Except my wife to be with me. But maybe she will be healthy enough to come next year.
Short and sweet, so as to keep my time with my family at a maximum...
Happy 4th of July America!
Celebrate the holiday safely, enjoy any time off you have and cherish the freedoms we, as Americans, are entitled to everyday.
This one is going to be short and sweet. Seeing as I want to enjoy as much time as I can with my children today, I just wanted to say...
Happy Father's Day!
Now go and enjoy your day today. Lord knows you deserve it. And eats lots of grilled meat. It is what us fathers do on days made just for us.
Happy Mother's Day to all moms all over the world. If anyone deserves a day it is you.
I can speak that from personal experience, having played mom AND dad more in the past year than ever before in my life.
A lot can be said for the job you all do. In fact, your tangible, cash value of services rendered has been calculated and WOW, are you all worth something or what!
People all over know the value of their mothers. No, we may not always express our knowledge to you. No, we may not even show appreciation for you. But, we always know what you mean to us.
Being a mother is thankless (in much the same way that being a husband and father is) and in that thanklessness lies a serious weight of despair under which many a mother spends her life. I can only offer assurance that though you are not thanked a million times a day as you deserve to be (and often want to be) you are the most invaluable person in anyone's life.
I applaud you. And I appreciate you. And Sandi, if you are reading this, please do not take this to mean that I am saying this to every mother in the world but you. To the contrary, I am directing this at you first.
Happy mothers day.
