Tag: Resiliency

  • Do What’s Needed

    Do What’s Needed

    One evening in 1970 something, my family sat down to dinner–all but my oldest brother, who’d just gotten his driver’s license. The phone rang and my mom answered, but something was off. She hardly said anything. After listening for several seconds, she spoke, “Where is he?” My sixteen year old brother had been in a…

  • Up the Hill: A Matter of Perspective

    Up the Hill: A Matter of Perspective

    Here’s a picture of a hill, behind the elementary school where I work. Two weeks ago, our fourth and fifth grade run club ran up this little rise three times. All in the course of a 1.5 mile route. Before we started, I showed the group the side view above. Looks doable.😀 Here’s a look…

  • Weariness

    Weariness

    Have you ever said to yourself, “There’s more here than I can possibly do?” Things came to that point last week when I realized I’d exhausted my ability to help and encourage others. It felt like everyone wanted a piece of me, but I had nothing left to give. Jesus and his disciples experienced this.…

  • Is Hope a Sustainable Strategy?

    Is Hope a Sustainable Strategy?

    The pint-sized kindergartener kept heaving the full-size basketball upward towards the goal. The rim was set to seven feet high, but the little girl is only half that tall. Yet there she was, trying over and over to reach the basket. My wife walked by at some point, unaware just how long the tenacious child…

  • Anxiety + Resiliency = “Anxiliency”

    Anxiety + Resiliency = “Anxiliency”

    “You help someone by telling them your story,” says my blogger friend Mitch Teemley. Okay, that’s not a direct quote, but it sums up his purpose in story telling–I think. Since I linked back to his site, maybe he’ll chime in.🤞 My story goes like this: at times I’ve been like a leafless tree, watching…

  • Kazoo Snafu

    Kazoo Snafu

    Yesterday was the day: I finally felt brave enough to pass out kazoos to my kindergarten music students. “We’ve been in school for almost six months,” I reassured myself. “Surely, they’re ready.” First, a thorough demonstration was in order. I took out a kazoo and showed the children what happens when you simply blow into…