Memorial Weekend Rambling

Happy Memorial Day Dad.  I am forever grateful for you willing sacrifice to do what you did, from 1966 through 1991.  Your service, in peace times and in times of war, and those who do the same, before and after you, is one of our countries greatest strengths and we should be aware of the sacrifices of the American Soldier, and their families.

This has been my best year in teaching World War 1 and World War 2.  I am not a great teacher, but this year I did my best in teaching these two amazing historical events.  The kids in my classes were impacted by the things we discussed in school, and that is something to note in public education these days.  

But at the same time I am still amazed at the overwhelming waste of life and resources that takes place in war.  I am not discussing or arguing the need for war, only the enormous cost of life and the amazing destruction of resources.  

It bothers me because there were great men and women from W.W, 1 and W.W. 2, Korea, Vietnam, Dessert Storm, and today in the Middle East, who did amazing things, and those things are already forgotten.  Just like there were amazing men and women at Thermopylae, Carthage, and Mesopotamia who did amazing things for their countries.  Nearly all are forgotten.  This is how life is.  We work and fight and bleed and die to protect and hold dear what we have now, and trust the future into the hands of the unborn, to carry on the same, or a greater legacy.  

If you have a chance to thank a American Veteran who served their country at some point in recent history, please do so.  The gratitude received now for heroic things that they did as young men is appreciated, and rightfully deserved.  

I stopped a Korean Veteran today and shook his hand, said thank you and told him I was glad he made it home.  He could not speak back to me.  Tears came to his eyes and he walked on.  

Do something this week to make some one's life a little better.

SEALS!!!

This is the most recent cool thing that the SEALS have done that we get to hear about.  I would have to say that this is the only positive press I have heard about the military in a long time.  You can read the story here if you are unaware of the events over the last few days.

My dad was in the Navy.  26 years active duty and my sister and I loved growing up military.  I was a special childhood, partially because of the Navy but mostly because of my dad in the Navy.  He had a great friend who was a Navy SEAL.  I vividly remember going to his graduation and being so amazed at the ritual and tradition that ruled these special soldiers.  The military itself always grabbed my attention but the SEALS were different and even at a young age I could tell.

This is one more opportunity for me to say thanks to my dad for serving, and surviving what he did.  This is one more chance for me to say thank you to the countless soldiers who serve daily without the gratitude that they deserve.  

Veterans Day

HMC Don R. Bundy, Dec. 1968, South East Asia

I always call my dad on Veterans Day and wish him a happy Veterans Day and I always tell him that I am glad he made it home from Vietnam.  He always says "Thanks son, I'm glad I made it home also."

Being a Veteran is a special thing in my opinion.  I have very few true regrets in my life but one of them is not serving in the Armed Forces for my country.  It was a symbol of pride that I was raised with as the child of a Military Man, and I always respected and appreciated the men and women who have served and who serve our country.  

The flip side is that I am not a big fan or war and that the causes of war are most often a result of the poor decisions of  a few powerful people.  Also, being a history teacher I have taken notice to the number of wars and conflicts that I teach and it is amazing how many wars have taken place in history and how many lives have been lost in the course of those wars.   When I think of that it shocks me, because for thousands of years wives and children have been saying goodbye to their husbands and dads and watched them leave for battle and many never returned.  It is a tragedy of war, but it is the sacrifice of those soldiers that allow the rest of us to live on and enjoy our lives.  Soldiers do things for their country that only they, those like them, understand and today I want to say thank you to my dad, and the soldiers that serve our country.  I am grateful for your sacrifice and I wish you God's speed and for those active duty today, a safe return to your families.  

July 29, 2007

Sunday, and church today. It is tough going from a smaller church home, where you know almost everyone and everyone knows you, and your kids and various details of your life, to a large new church were you are looking for any connection to anyone who might know you from years gone by.

We visited Richland Hills Church of Christ this morning. This is not the first time we have been there. In fact we have visited there several times but today was the first time we were looking at the church as a possible place to worship and raise our children. The welcome center was great and the children's ministry help desk was wonderful and when we were taking Blake to his class we happened across an old friend of Shar's from college who married a guy we both knew and he was in the class that we were headed toward, and she also helped get Anna Jo settled into her class and she was very friendly and helpful. But it was a real bummer being a visitor. I hated it. I hated not having people to talk to and not feeling comfortable with Blake taking off and running the isles looking for old people to give him hugs and candy. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Church was great, worship was strong, message was powerful, visiting was a bummer.

We've moved, and that is a fact. We love our new house and the neighborhood and the community pool, and I am really excited about my job and the upcoming season, and all the extras that come from living in the Ft. Worth area, but being new and uninvolved and unconnected at church is an awful feeling.

Shar cried in June of 2000 when we accepted the job at Belton and made plans to move to Temple. She never thought she would live there again and she did not know what she was going to do. She cried today after talking to her mom, not because we left Temple or her parents, but because we are in a new place and it is tough. Now don't worry or get sad for us. This is such a little thing in the grand scheme and Shar is tough and strong and she can handle far more that I can and after a month or six all will be fine, but for now, today, we miss being in a comfortable place.

Blake's prayers have been very interesting these days. He is praying for things he remembers from Temple life, and even though his time table is off, his thoughts are pure and genuine. Today at lunch he prayed for the regulars (mimi, paw, nana, grandon,......) but then added Shar's remaining living grandparents pawpaw, memaw, Aunt Pauli, and granny. This is the first time he has prayed for them. At dinner tonight he got really creative and prayed for "Ms. Waltina and Mr. Allen who lives up in heaven, Mrs. Jo (McKinney), Big John (Bowen) and thank you for Mr Rex's party that we got to go to" (the party for Rex Senior that was over a year ago?). Don't feel left out if Blake didn't mention you in this prayer. He talks about his friends, young and old very often. In fact, that is another major concern of Shar's and why this move is so emotional. Shar is constantly thinking about how this is impacting the kids. She wants to make sure that they can benefit from church and friendships in a similar manner to what they were receiving in Temple. We can't replace it but it is important to make sure they are compatible with the decision we make in regards to church.

Anyway, this is more than most of you will read. I start work tomorrow, officially and will be busy from now until November (playoffs!!). God bless you all and we willingly accept your prayers on our new lives here in Keller.

Finally, today is my dad's birthday. He is older than he wants to be, but still in great health. I miss him and my mom very much, and I cherish the time we have together. Happy Birthday Dad. We love you and look forward to seeing you soon. Have fun getting old, you only do it once. Byron.

Dads

This is still one of my all time favorite pics of my dad. I do not have the time to explain what this picture means to me in so many different ways.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there and happy fathers day to you dad. It is a special day and I hope you are enjoying the moment. Being a dad is nothing like I expected it to be. It is so much fun and at the same time it is a never ending job of teaching and helping and playing and guiding and learning. I love being a dad. I love being Blake and Anna's dad and I would not trade this time with them for anything.

As I watch myself be a dad I try to pay attention to others as they are dads to their kids, and I do my very best to borrow and steal the good ideas and quickly try to forget the other stuff.

And as I look at my kids I try to think about what God is thinking when he looks at me. What is God thinking? Do you ever wonder what God is thinking of while he watches us grow and change and mess up and recover and learn?

I hope God is not thinking the same thing that I am thinking. I want to think more like God does.

I have started reading a book. This is big for me, since I really don't like to read. I'll let you know how it is going. I just wrestled through my first 35 pages.

Tradition

One of my earliest memories of music and singing is with my dad. He had an old guitar, and the story he told was that he gave a pint of blood while in college to buy it. Anyway, he would play some simple songs on this old guitar for me as a boy; Peter, Paul and Mary stuff or some childrens songs; nothing too fancy.

Blake brought a guitar home from church last week. It was a childs size guitar that was in the donation pile and he wanted it so we brought it home. I tuned it best I could and began playing on it. I know 4 or 5 cords and maybe 4 songs and I play them very poorly but I try.

Blake asked me to play him a song tonight and it was like I was looking right at myself from my dad's own eyes 25 years ago, and so I began to play my first childhood song Old Stewball was a Racehorse. Click on the link and then the left symbol by song #7 to hear a clip.

It is just wild how much I am like my dad, and how much Blake is like me.