It All Looked So Promising At The Start...

There we were at the start of the race. Full of hope and dreams of victory! We were confident
in our team. Confident in our individual abilities. Confident in our game plan: crush the opposition!!!

Then someone hollered GO!

We were a solid one step out of first place at the turn and suddenly it all went south.

We made the turn and inexplicably our hopes went from fame fortune and riches, to horror, agony, and disbelief. Our strap of cloth that tied our dreams and legs together broke in one single stride and there we were disqualified from the race!

The sad part of this story is that even with four legs untethered, we still ended up in last place!!!!

The moral of the story: none!!! We wanted to win!!!!!

IT'S ON!!!

I really look forward to this time of year. It's not that could care less about all the other times of the year, but I just really love now!

Do you have certain times of the year that you like a tad bit more than others?

For me I love that it's football season. The Seahawks play tonight! Oregon and Boise St. are going to mix it up on the blue turf! Tahoma High School has their first game this Friday night (and my awesome daughter will be in the front row of the cheer squad!). The other huge one for me is that the hunting season gets going during this time of year.

Just as the earth has it's seasons, we have our seasons. I am working more diligently at 'soaking up the seasons of life.' Drinking them in. Enjoying them. Less frenetic and more observatory. Because when IT'S ON, I fully understand that like any other season, it will end. So I'm just wanting to drink it all to the full while IT'S ON!!!!

ONEAONE

When Shelby was a toddler, we had a game we called 'higher like a flyer'. I would lay on my back and bounce her up and down in the air with her lying on my legs. She would laugh and giggle and when I would get tired and stop, she would scream 'One a one! One a one!!'



Each September our kids get to go back to school...one a one! They get to do it again...one a one!



I can't believe my baby is a Senior this year. Makes me wish just a bit that the 'one a one' days were still here!

Oh, that's right! I almost forgot!

A funny thing happened to me today!

We don't have A/C in our house and the A/C in my car is busted. I really haven't been anywhere like the mall or a movie since this really warm weather has hit. The school we
have our Sunday services in is just old enough to not have A/C either.

After my run this morning I popped into the Post Office. As I opened the door and stepped in I was greeted by a friendly blast of icy cold air!! I laughed out loud!!!

Oh, that's right! I almost forgot how good A/C feels!!!!

I'm not complaining about the heat at all! I love it!!

This AWESOME SUMMER WEATHER is making me think I really like A/C!

Stingy or Generous

I was struck today with the thought of how, during the course of any day, we can either be a generous person or a stingy person.

This does not always deal with money. Could be time, abilities, attitude, care, etc.

I believe that it all starts with a person's heart. If they are stingy at their core, they will be stingy with everything.

If they are generous at their core, they will be as generous as they can be.

What do you think?

MAKE TODAY COUNT!

Mark

SMARTS

I get a 'question of the day' from THE COLLEG BOARD...an SAT help for students and parents of students gettin gready to graduate from high school and enter the wide world of college.

Just let me say this, based upon the questions I receive each day and my inability to even understand the math question, my chances of passing the SAT are slimmer than a Kryspy Creme donut surviving a two hour weight watchers seminar!

Being smart doesn't make you smart.

Think about the people in your life that you once thought were 'too bright', but years later, you look back and see the resume of their life and you notice, what they lacked in book knowledge they made up for in smarts!

WHAT A GIFT!

Ever think about the weather as a gift? I am!

No air conditioning in the house, 90 degrees...I'm lovin' it!!

MTC

Mark