around the edges

One of the greatest things about being dad is... I'm learning to be a more well-rounded man.

Thank You Audrey Stella.

history channel

You should really get to know your parents.

I mean get to know them know them. You'd be surprised about the things that have shaped them to be the persons they are today. And the more you learn about them, the more you yourself figure out who you are.

I forget sometimes that my parents were my age. I forget they faced the same challenges, dilemmas and questions as I did (and probably a lot more). I forget sometimes that they're human, just like me. The times are different, culture is different but human experiences have never really changed for the most part.

The life journey of your parents, is really your journey as well. They cleared a path for you to follow, and in time you'll do the same for your kids (and/or people you serve).

Discovering the experiences of your parents is like finding hidden treasure maps. Riches are abound, we just need a little bit of direction.

And for the record... my dad was/is a badass. Let me tell you about it sometime.

gumption

Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

2 Corinthians 9:6

I heard this reading at mass the other day, and it got me thinking about the immediate future. I've been more than seriously considering pushing through with a vision that has been in my mind for the past 2 years. A lot of circumstances have changed since then (as in... I'm now a husband and a father), but still this vision has been even clearer and even more specific since it was conceived.

The vision is bascially a small business. I don't want to give away too many details, but let me tell you... it has the potential to be more than a business, but a community that empowers, connects and engages people. Because in the end, a true vision completely involves people as opposed to a business which is really just concerned about the bottom line.

Now that I'm a family man, and a hopeful entrepeneur, it makes a lot of things uncertain. As a true man who wants to provide for a family, a new business venture can be unstable financially. But if I don't follow this vision, I might be living the in-between job longer than intended...and never showing my kids that dad had enough gumption to believe and achieve.

Basically, if I never take the chance, I'll never reap the blessings. If I never take the risk, I could never fully tell my children "To follow their passion, and their hearts" simply because I never lived those words.

So please say a quick prayer for me, that in the end, I'll make the right decision at the right time. In fact say a prayer for anyone seriously and sincerely on the quest for living an abundant and passionate life.

Life isn't always cut and dry, but our actions should be.

man vs. nature

cloth diapers are so much better for the environment. not so much better when you don't have any left, and you had to wash them late at night and you're really tired. You win this time environment! *shaking fist

honest speak

i miss my wife. i miss my daughter. terribly. that is all.