Correction...

Make that 10-1-2 and our best start EVER!!!

Leaving and Returning Home...

Crazy couple of days. Maybe I should say crazy week.

Highlights...

FRIDAY NIGHT! A return to the Pepsi Center! Ryan and I went with a couple of friends to see our team play the Hurricanes. We won 5-4 and are off to our best start since 2000-2001.

Amazing.

SATURDAY MORNING! MY MOM IS ALIVE! Yes, after several weeks, my mom finally decided to give me a call to let me know she's alive.

SATURDAY! Aiden! The little guy celebrated another year. To commemorate the day, I share with you one of my favorite pictures of him.

Update on my previous post...

Still no word. If you should happen to see or hear from my mom, please tell her to write or call.

A formal request...

Dear Mom,

Greetings from the High Plains of Wyoming! I hope this note finds you well wherever you may be.

Yesterday I called as usual to discuss the past week's news on the home front as well as from the High Country (i.e. Laramie). However, when I called I was greeted with the following message:

"We're sorry, you have reached a number that is disconnected or is no longer in service.

If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again."

I seem to remember that when I was in high school one of the ground rules for staying out late was to notify you or Dad of my whereabouts. It seems only fair that I ask the same of you. Where are you? Will you ever be in touch again?

Much love, your son,

The Bearded

Daydreaming...

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning. Nothing big, just an annual check-up done in hopes of saving a little money with my insurance (I get a discount for having an annual physical).

I like my doctor. He goes by "Jim" and is about as laid-back as anyone I've ever visited with in such a capacity. I'm in good health, I realize, and this might play into it. Last year, I went to another doctor in Laramie who was very concerned about my well-being to the point that he was stressing me out during my visit (he wanted me to schedule a number of sessions with him over the next several months!). I ignored him and began looking for a new doctor to consult. I eventually stumbled across Jim.

Jim's assessment yesterday? "You're in good health; I really don't think I need to see you again anytime soon unless something comes up."

Much better.

So my day began with this doctor's appointment. Afterwards, I journeyed over to a local coffeehouse to begin grading... and began to drift off.

Ever have those days where your body takes over and tells you "You need a nap!"? Yesterday was one of those days for me. Rather than sprawl out on the floor and close my eyes for a bit, I returned home and crashed. There's a feeling of peace that comes about after such a nap. Almost like you're more aware of your surroundings. Weird, I know.

The reason I bring this up is I was beginning to daydream after the nap. In many cultures around the world, dreams are held in a very different light than what they are in our own. I find myself envying this sometimes. The Bible has a number of stories where ordinary people are visited in their dreams or God revels something to them during their sleep. I think these people, the ones that come from cultures that value dreams differently, have an added insight that we are blind to. I'm not sure where this is going, but I do enjoy the 'thoughts' even if I don't understand them in the present.

On waiting...

Waiting is not fun. Supposedly it builds character. I have my doubts. Think about it...did Joe Montana wait for the Cincinnati's secondary in Super Bowl XXIII? Or how about John Elway with the Cleveland Browns? Or more recently, in 2006, did Montana State wait for CU to show up? I think not. In all of these cases, and many more like them, we celebrate the victor (or victors, as the case may be) because they acted in the present. They seized the day! Had they waited, would we hold these events up as examples of when men built character? Probably not.

Last week I went to see Donald Miller speak in Denver. Don's one of my favorite authors and he's touring the country promoting his new book: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. The book is about living a great life or, to put it another way, writing a great story for your life. Matt Duschene is doing it currently with the Avs (as is Craig Anderson for that matter!). This inspires me. Don himself is currently doing this with The Mentoring Project. This has me...dreaming.

The Mentoring Project is an organization that targets boys who grow up in homes without fathers. Thus far, the project has spread from its origins in Portland, Oregon to become a nationwide initiative. My thoughts? Why keep it to ourselves? Why not take it international?

I'll keep you posted.