I never thought about being a father growing up. I guess I assumed I would, but it wasn’t something I thought about. I never dreamed of going fishing with my son or taking my daughter for ice cream.

And then it happened. I held a tiny person in my arms. Not someone else’s child, but mine. She was beautiful, amazing and delicate. And perfect. About a year later, I was back at the hospital, witnessing the birth of my second child. Also a girl. That experience was just as awesome as the first. And just as unique.

Just because they were both girls, were born so close together and raised essentially the same way you would think they would be a lot alike. And you would be mistaken. They are individuals who are turning into young ladies by the minute. And while I didn’t think it would be possible to say I love them more than I did that first day holding them in the hospital, I do. That’s the funny thing about a father’s love. It just keeps growing.

Father’s Day always seems to get short shrift in the pantheon of holidays. Mother’s Day gets a lot more attention. That is probably rightly so. Most dads I know shun the attention anyway. We don’t want presents or anyone to make a big deal out of things. But we do appreciate it all the same.

My older brother and I have talked about it many times over the years. We had a pretty good childhood. We would hear friends complain about this or that and think, hmmm, it wasn’t that way for us. Don’t get me wrong. We didn’t come from privilege or money. But what we did have was creative, encouraging environment that allowed us to explore and be the people we wanted to be. My brother is an engineer. My father an electrician and he probably would have been an engineer if circumstances were different when he was growing up. Needless to say, growing up as the “creative” one was a little strained at times. Still, I had the encouragement I needed to make my own way.

Ultimately, I think that is the key, to be understanding, accepting, patient and be there. Not that my dad didn’t tell me “no” from time to time. He did. I’m certain of it. The funny thing is, I really don’t remember those times. I remember a dad who showed me things, gave me chances to get my hands dirty and understand how things worked.

On this Father’s Day I want to say thanks dad. I really do appreciate you always being there and being behind me even if you didn’t always understand where I was headed. I pray every day that I will be able to do as good of a job with my girls as you did with me.

Happy Father’s Day!.

I was driving home with the windows down, enjoying the amazing weather, and started smiling. There was the smell of summer. Even going 70 miles an hour, I could still smell it.

I remember, as a kid, thinking that the nectar inside honeysuckle flowers should taste like honey. I would pull the stamen from the flower and there would be a drop of the nectar, sparkling in the sun. I would lick it off and pretend it tasted like something. I remember being disappointed. I’m sure it is significant for a hummingbird or a bee, but just didn’t amount to much for a growing boy.

.

There will be thousands of words written today celebrating mothers. I thought I would contribute 500 or so.

I’m extremely fortunate that my mom is still around. Now that I’ve moved back to West Virginia, she’s close by, too. I say this even though I know I don’t see her or talk to her as often as I should. I have several friends who are without their mothers today and I know that’s difficult.

Probably the best thing about having my mom close is having her around to pass along things to my daughters. It was fun watching them plant flowers in her yard yesterday. It only took a few minutes, but they all had fun and laughed. I’m sure it will be a memory they will all cherish. Maybe not actively, but somewhere in the back of their minds the girls will remember how to plant flowers from that brief lesson. I’m sure that’s how I learned to do a lot of things.

It’s also fun knowing that Mother’s Day came from West Virginia. Anna Jarvis from Grafton founded Mother’s Day as a memorial to her own mother. The first Mother’s Day was held at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton in 1908. Anna had moved to Philadelphia, but she planned the event in West Virginia and sent a telegram outlining the purpose of the day.

“This day is intended that we may make new resolutions for a more active thought to our dear mothers. By words, gifts, acts of affection, and in every way possible, give her pleasure, and make her heart glad every day, and constantly keep in memory Mothers Day; when you made this resolution, lest you forget and neglect your dear mother, if absent from home write her often, tell her of a few of her noble good qualities and how you love her.”

If you want to read the whole story…

The first Mother’s Day proclamation on a state level was from the Governor of West Virginia in 1910. It was proclaimed a national holiday in 1914. Anna pushed and prodded and worked to create a day for her own mother. Ironically, she wasn’t a mother herself, but her mother planted the seed in her mind that mothers everywhere should have a memorial. And she also planted the seed in Anna that helped Anna believe she could make it happen. Remember, this was before women could vote, but Anna believed in herself enough, and in her cause enough, that she kept working and pushing.

In my mind, that’s what mothers do best. They plant seeds in their children’s minds that they can do whatever they set their mind toward accomplishing…after they have passed along the tools and skills they will need to make it happen, of course.

I’m not finished on my journey, or even remotely content, but I do know that I wouldn’t be where I am today, nor would I have accomplished one-tenth of what I have so far, if it weren’t for the love, support and encouragement of my mom.

So, I’ll take this moment to say thanks. Thank you mom for always being behind me, even if you weren’t always sure where I was headed. (Honestly, I didn’t know half the time either…) You planted the seeds in me that made me who I am today. And that made all the difference..

Earth Day means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I won’t even get into the political ramifications of it. Frankly, I’ve never understood how politics even comes into play when it comes to taking care of our natural resources and the world around us.  I understand how people can disagree on the method, but appreciating the world around us isn’t that hard.

About 20 years ago, I was working as a reporter on the Metro Staff at Charleston Newspapers. It was an election year and Earth Day (then as now) was a few weeks before the Primary Election. A politician organized an Earth Day event where he was giving away tree seedlings. I ended up taking one and planting it. Today, it stands tall in my mom’s backyard. (It’s probably cynical to observe that the politician didn’t organize another event the next year when he was safely elected to office.) A couple weeks ago, my daughters were given two tree seedlings at the Easter Carnival at the WV State Capitol. There are plenty of trees in West Virginia, but it can’t hurt to plant a couple more.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not holding myself up as a paragon of Earth Day virtue. I’d just like to see things clean and clear for my daughters. As a diver, I’ve had the good fortune of traveling to different locations around the world to dive. It makes me sad to see trash underwater and it seems to show up everywhere. Even in Summersville Lake, where I learned to dive, people throw trash overboard from their boats. “Out of sight, out of mind” I guess.

You don’t have to be a “tree-hugger” or even (gasp) an “environmentalist” to want to protect the planet we live on. Hunters are some of the best naturalists and conservationists. They want to keep areas natural and clean so they can continue to hunt. It’s also something they do to share their love of nature with their families. It’s a huge generalization, I know, but very few avid hunters would describe themselves as “environmentalists” as if that word were distasteful. Many of the hunters I know would describe themselves as “conservative”.

Ultimately, if we want the earth to be in good shape for our children and their children, we have to take steps to care for it today. It isn’t a matter of “Left” or “Right” or Conservative or Liberal. We all share this planet and have to find ways to work together to protect it. Earth Day is a simple reminder to do that. But it shouldn’t be limited to one day a year. It takes changing a mind-set that littering is acceptable or that “some” chemicals in our water supply is OK.

In the old testament, Psalms, it says:
“You [God] made humans ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under our feet: All flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas,” Ps 8:6-8.

That doesn’t mean because it’s ours, we can simply tear it up and use it however we want. We have an obligation to care for it and protect it. It’s fitting that Earth Day this year falls on Sunday. No doubt there will be many sermons offered tomorrow on Good Stewardship of the earth. It can be as simple as picking up trash you see on the street. Or recycling. Or planting a tree. Every little bit helps, and better yet every positive effort isn’t a negative one. By changing the way we act and think, we can improve our lives and the lives of the people who inherit this world from us.

Happy Earth Day.

I’ve been thinking a lot about “Peace” recently since some people I know jeered and laughed at the idea of “World Peace”. A couple days ago, I was driving and heard a song by one of my favorite bands (that most people have never heard of) The Subdudes. It was the song, One Word (Peace). And from that, this blog began to form in my mind.

Jesus: Love and forgive all of your neighbors

People: But what about the people who don’t agree with us?

Jesus: Did I stutter?

.