Reflections of a Freaking Genius

  "What holds the sky up?" "Why do you have wrinkles?" "Where does the sun go at night?" "Why do I have two eyes but I can only see one thing?" Questions from kids can be both funny and challenging.  These are the questions that can stump even the best of the 'Dad joke masters' who can come up with a dorky quip at the drop of a hat.  I can handle those kinds of questions. Helping aging parents can be both funny and challenging as well.  I've had some of the best laughs of my life with my 91 year old Mom as we've been blessed to be three blocks away from her for the last 3 years.  This has made it possible for her fiercely independent self to remain in her own home relatively unassisted.  We make sure she takes her meds daily, and her bills get paid. My wife has been amazing in making sure groceries and other necessities are purchased and personally delivered.  She's done some very necessary deep cleaning in the house from time

 As I've been reflecting week on last weeks post,  I really should have mentioned something and thoughtlessly overlooked it.  Maybe it's due to the subject matter being so intensely personal for me, or maybe I'm really that heartless.  I'm hoping not the latter...yikes! I omitted addressing the fact that there are many difference circumstances surrounding people being put up for adoption.  Some kids find themselves in that situation at a very young age, and some in their teens.  Some are blessed enough to be adopted at birth and some are never.  The latter frequently wind up in foster care with both positive and negative experiences being possible. Even adoptees can find themselves in abusive homes, regardless of the vetting, training, and preparation for the joining of a child to a prospective family.  Many potential adoptive parents want the experience of a newborn or toddler while older children are left to foster care.  There's certainly no judgement on my part

  Last week I talked about the book I'm working on.  In case you missed it (ICYMI for ths of u txting ppl who dnt like using all of the ltrs), it's mostly for adoptees like myself who have really screwed up their lives and aren't sure why, but also for anyone who has ever struggled with rejection.  There are lots of the adoptees out there and probably many more of the latter than I ever imagined. The fact that anyone has been adopted implies there was at the same time a rejection.  Many of us who were adopted have heard the well meaning comments like, "At least you were chosen!".  While a nice sentiment and by no means a maliciously intentioned statement and at least partly true, it doesn't take away the plain and simple fact that there was also a rejection I've always said in absolute sincerity that I could not have hand picked two better parents and probably couldn't have personally planned a better childhood.  There was never a time that I can recal

 I got a mild walloping while at Life.Church this morning.  Most of you who have known me very long probably think I should be used to that by now.  The annual 'At the Movies' series is always a very good one.  Using clips and/or the story line from movies, the pastor knits together a very biblical sermon which is both moving and challenging.  The first of the series was no different.  Here I'll just give you the point of it, but encourage you to go to Life.Church online to view message 1. The framework of the sermon was, "The Four Things You Need to Do What God Calls You to Do".  The four points (FOUR, not three points and not alliterated, obviously not a Baptist for all my believing friends) were these: 1. A passion that sustains you 2. A loved one to assure you 3. A friend to encourage you 4. A family to cheer you on The smack in the face was when the pastor was talking about not letting anything (the enemy) keep you from doing what God calls you to do, and one

  It's that time of year again.  The dogs get a little antsy, the sky lights up, friends gather, businesses shut down, smokers and grills fire up, and flags fly.  I prefer the name "Independence Day" to "4th of July", not because it was the name of a pretty cool movie, but because of where it places my focus.  Beer, BBQ, bros, and blowing things up in the sky and mostly blowing up things everywhere else makes for some fun and lasting memories, but doesn't take my reminiscences quite far enough back.  All of that isn't the purpose of the day in my mind, it's all a means of celebration things much more grand. I want to do the best I can annually to go back in my mind 246 years ago to Independence Hall trying to put myself in the place of one of those men who sat, stood, paced the floor as they haggled, debated, pondered, argued, agreed, disagreed, and envisioned something new for people who had sailed to this distant continent.  I've been in that b

The senate unanimously agreeing on ANYTHING in the year 2022?  Incomprehensible.  After a few years some of the most blatant attempts to drive a massive wedge in the middle of this nation and divide it in two using any means - and crisis - necessary, it's difficult to conceive that unanimity of any sort would be remotely possible.  Not since the battle between the north and the south have we seen such rancor, meanness, hostility, incivility, hatred, and enmity from a republic which those on the outside will end run every legal avenue to become a part of while the blindfolded guardians swing the floodgates open wide.  Sometimes I sit back, scratch my head, and ask myself "Why here?".  But I digress.  Finally our beloved elected officials have actually united to face an issue which began as a joke but eventually became a sinister and evil reality hatched from the very depths of the abyss: daylight savings time .  Benjamin Franklin proposed the idea in a satirical letter to