My Mamaw's Move

Well, it's been forever (10 months or so) since I've written a blog post. Why? I don't really know to be honest.

Maybe because I like to have good well written thoughts to share. Maybe because I have struggled to know how I want to use this space with the meteoric rise of Facebook usage in my life and the availability of Twitter (but I haven't tweeted yet). Maybe because I've been crazy busy lately with many projects — our CRM implementation at work and our church Web site to name only the largest two projects.

But I'm back . . . not because I'm afraid Google will forget this blog ever existed (if you've read me at all, you know that's not my motivation) . . . not because it's just time after a long hiatus . . . not because I've figured out a strategy to use my blog, Facebook, and Twitter (I haven't yet) . . . but because today was a very emotional day and tomorrow will be even more so and I need to organize my thoughts and get something down for the record (my record and for my kids later use).

I will miss my Mamaw terribly!! No, she hasn't died or anything — she's just moving to Houston to be under my mother's love and care instead of under mine. This was a very mutual decision and we are all happy and pleased with it, including me. So, this is just to get my feelings out there on the table.

Until we started contemplating this move, I hadn't really realized just how close I was to my Mamaw and how she's literally always been close by. We haven't lived in a different city since I was in college and I came home all the time anyway. I lived with my Mamaw before I got married. She continues to be a key influence on my Christian walk and has been a wonderful model and discipler for me since I was a young boy. She modeled and was a visible reminder for me of Ephesians 3:18 " to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." She is a bastion of unconditional love, selfless service, and sweet encouragement.

I remember my other grandmother, Gran Gran, very fondly and she passed away when I was close to 11 (or somewhere around there). Gran Gran was another wonderful woman — what a blessing those women were and are to me, I truly would not be half the man I am today without their influence. One of my heart's desires is for my children to have fond memories of their Mamaw! I want them to remember
* that she was at all of their events,
* that she called them all the time,
* that she fawned over their creations at church or school like she was in the Louvre,
* that she always wanted to feed them and take care of their every need (whether real or perceived),
* that she loved them for who they were and not who everyone else wanted them to be,
* that she saw through all of their faults and focused her praise on their strengths,
* that she was a genuinely joyful and loving person, and
* that she was a reflection of the God that she loves so much.

Okay, okay, she's not dead . . . but I am grieving. Grief is an emotion felt when something is lost. I feel like I am losing the ability for my kids to continue to get to know her and build memories with her (they are ages 5-10). I feel like I am losing the opportunity to see my Mamaw whenever I want and whenever I need to see her. I feel like I am losing a very close friend who I can talk to about anything. I feel like I am losing a mentor and discipler — although I know that I'm not, she's just going to Houston.

I know that she is only going 5 hours to the South, but it feels like a great distance for me. I have had the privledge to serve and care for her for many years as her primary caregiver. It has been my honor to give back to her a small part of what she has so graciously given to me — time, transportation, energy, an extra brain, love, care, errands, food, and so much more.

She spent the day in our home as movers were packing up her apartment in the assisted living facility. My middle child wanted to sleep in the same room with Mamaw — he's the sensitive one and has a strong connection to her. He just couldn't fall asleep and he came in crying to me because he was afraid that he would miss her in the morning (we're flying out early). Very few people in the world love us like Mamaw does and she has made an impact on my kids lives. He held me for awhile and told me that he wrote her a note and would I make sure that she saw it in the morning.

"Dear Mamaw,

I hope your move goes well. I eventually had to go to sleep upstairs. I'm praying for you Mamaw and love you. XOXO OXOXO OXOXO OXOXO OXOXO OXOXO [exact number of Xs and Os in his note]

Love, Cooper"

Opening of the 2008 Olympics

I just can't wait! I love the Olympics! I love the competition, the nationalism, seeing all the different countries represented, and watching sports that I normally wouldn't care anything about.

Getting ready for the Olympic games, I wanted a good schedule of when the various sports would be on TV. I was very disappointed in NBC's online TV schedule, but I did find a great page of the sports and their schedules.

Speaking of sports that I don't care anything about, here is a list of the sports that I won't watch unless nothing else of interest is on -- Badminton, Equestrian, Handball, Field Hockey, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Sailing, Shooting, Synchronized Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Trampoline, and Weightlifting. Now, this is just my personal opinion in an Olympic setting!
* Badminton and Table Tennis should just be recreational sports and not played competitively ever.
* Admit it, in Equestrian the real athlete is the horse not the rider so why not have Horse Racing also?
* Rhythmic Gymnastics and Synchronized Swimming are done by very talented people and some of it is really cool, but they really seem more like art done by athletes.

The sports that I really like to watch in the Olympics are -- Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Gymnastics, Judo, Pentathlon, Soccer (which has already started), Swimming, Tae Kwon Do, Track & Field, Volleyball, and Wrestling.
* I don't know why I like Basketball since I don't like the NBA much. But, it is a very international sport and it's fun in the Olympics.
* Beach Volleyball and Soccer are sports that I just like to watch but don't feel very much like Olympic games. I like them anyway though.
* Gymnastics, Track & Field, and Wrestling just scream Olympics to me and I have many happy memories watching them in the past.

What do you think?

Yes, I like the Olympics so much that this is my first blog post in awhile even before writing about our trip to Hawaii!

June Scattershooting

Well, it's been too long since I made time to write here . . . sorry! I changed jobs and moved to a new house, so there has definitely been news just no time to write!!

* We love the new house -- more space for everyone and a great neighborhood!

* I love my new job -- great people to work with, fun challenges, something different every day, and lots to learn!

* The Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis was great. I met lots of neat people, heard some great sermons, and enjoyed the atmosphere.

* I don't really recommend changing jobs and moving in the span of two weeks, but I didn't plan it that way either!

* Is moving getting harder or am I getting older . . . wait, don't answer that!

* In his June 8, 2008 Monday Morning Quarterback column (in the section "Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me"), Peter King wrote about David Tyree's faith-based autobiography, More Than Just The Catch. It was a great section that gave God the glory!

While cleaning out my desk, I found where I had written down a few quotes. Unsure of the sources, but . . .
* "If you are being pulled on, picked on, or eaten up, you must be bearing fruit."
* "Let your burning desire blaze your trail."

Don't know what "scattershooting" is? Here's a formal definition but here's what I really mean by it.

Not "Success" but "Value"

I just read a great quote that got me to thinking. I read it in the Leadership Wired newsletter, a great newsletter from INJOY. Albert Einstein said:

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."

That really got me to thinking and evaluating myself and my career. I had never heard this quote before but it lines up well with my overall career philosophy. My intent is to add value each year, each project, each day, and with each task. I have never measured "success" with money, job title, office size, or material possessions. I'm a people person and an organization/team guy. As a supervisor, I'm overjoyed when my employees reach their goals -- their success is my success. As a leader, my focus should not be on what direction I want to go but what direction is best for the team and the organization in the long run. Those things (and much more) serve to make a man of value.

A job change is pretty likely for me right now and I have felt like a man of value. I have felt valuable with the offer extended to me and I have felt valuable discussing it with my current boss. There are successful people in every organization, but people that are valuable are almost irreplaceable.

My Honey's Birthday

Today is my girl's birthday -- happy birthday Heather!! You'll never really know just how awesome you are, but here's an attempt.

You hold our family together and keep us organized,
You show our children what it means every day to walk with God,
You make me feel loved and cherished and valued,
You are creative in everything that you do,
You make even half birthdays special for others,
You bring consistency to the kids lives that they miss terribly when you are gone,
You are a sounding board, a voice of wisdom and reason, and a source of strength and help for your friends,
You are an awesome prayer partner,
You take a house and craft it with loving care into a home,
You are a valuable resource and servant in the body of Christ,
You are absolutely my other half and something is definitely not right when you are away from our home,

and never forget that you are loved by your children and adored by your husband!

Jackie Robinson Day

Today was a special day. I led a meeting today and asked the group of about 12 people what made today special. Tax day was the most common response. When I mentioned the number 42 and baseball, one person in the room remembered Jackie Robinson.

What a great man -- a true competitor, patient, skilled, intelligent, persevering. As baseball honors the 61st anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, here's my small tribute with my favorite quotes by him.

"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... all I ask is that you respect me as a human being."

"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life."

"There's not an American in this country free until every one of us is free."

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

Reminded of Derek and Jim Redmond

I can't believe that it's time for the summer Olympics again. It's been crazy watching all of the controversy surrounding the torch relay. I would like to dwell on something more positive. I was recently reminded of one of the most personally inspiring moments in all of sports -- the story of Derek and Jim Redmond at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

I remember watching track and field on TV and getting ready to watch a typical runnng event, the 400-meters. However, the race was anything but typical! Derek Redmond from Great Britain seemed to be running well! However, coming around the turn, Redmond's hamstring suddenly pulled and he hit the track. I remember thinking how sad it was that a world-class athlete worked so hard to make it that far only to be injured during the race of his life. I saw him get back up and wave off the trainers coming to try to help him and it was obvious that he wanted to cross the finish line . . . to finish what he started. Then, his Dad came up to him (who had made his way onto the track from the stands) and put his arm around his struggling son and helped him hobble to the finish line. I've got tears in my eyes just typing this (once again proving beyond doubt what a softy I am).

It was an amazing show of determination by Derek Redmond and an outstanding show of love and support by his father, Jim. Lord, please let my kids know that their Dad loves and supports them! Hopefully, some day I'll get a chance to show them I support them even if it's not as dramatic and with the world watching.

Unhappy Opening Day 2008

What a wierd opening day of baseball for 2008 — the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's in Japan!

I am none of the following:
– an isolationist,
– anti-Japanese,
– against global marketing,
– anti-expansion, or
– a stiff traditionalist who can't accept change (well, maybe I am to some degree)!

It's just IMHO (in my humble opinion) — it's just plain wrong to to open the baseball season in any country other than the U.S. or Canada. Opening Day should be the official inaugeration of Spring and should make you yearn for the smell of freshly mown grass, the sound of the crack of a bat, the warmth of the sun on your face, the sight of the teams running onto the field for a "real" game, and the taste of roasted peanuts followed by a hot dog and later snacking on sunflower seeds with a large Dr. Pepper . . . wait, where was I . . . .

To have Opening Day start at 5:00 in the morning, played by teams on the other side of a very large ocean, no broadcast available on radio, etc. is just frustrating. To make it even more strange, after this initial series, both teams will come back to the states and have additional Spring Training games before the season resumes. This year, I will consider Opening Day to be March 31st when most major league teams take the field for traditional day games to start their season.

Commissioner Selig is now talking about opening future seasons in Europe and other countries. Please, can we all just take a breath and learn from this first and listen to the response from fans like myself. We can all win. Here's a proposal — send two teams to another location like England or Germany but have them play their series after the official Opening Day of most other teams, then give them a break to fly back, rest, and then continue with their season once their series is over. No wierd opening day of the season, but with every other advantage of having teams play meaningful games abroad.

My personality profile

I took a DiSC personality profile recently and scored highest on "Steady" no surprise to me! My patterns are Agent and Specialist. Here's the description of a Steady: "Steadiness (Submission in Marston's time): People with High S styles scores want a steady pace, security, and don't like sudden change. High S persons are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, deliberate, stable, consistent, and tend to be unemotional and poker faced. Stable, Cooperative, Predictable, Deliberate, Work in background, Diplomatic, Consistent, Good listener, Sympathetic."

My personality profile on Gary Smalley and John Trent's scale is "Golden Retriever."

Strengths	Strengths Pushed Out of Balance
Sensitive feelings	Easily hurt
Loyal	Missed opportunities
Calm, even-keel	Lacking enthusiasm
Non-demanding, patient	Push-over, taken advantage of
Peace maker, hates confrontation	Misses honest intimacy
Enjoys routine, dislikes change	Stays in rut, not spontaneous
Warm & relational	Fewer deep friends
Accomodating	Too indecisive
Sympathetic, good listener	Holds on to other's hurt or pain

What does a balanced Golden Retriever look like? Since Golden Retrievers have an eagerness to please others, they have a hard time saying "No." Therefore, their greatest relational need is to set limits and boundaries essential for their own well-being. Further, Retrievers need to practice confronting others. Turn your ability to feel deeply about negative things into a positive step, one where you think and act decisively.

On the SOCIAL STYLE Model™, my primary style is "Amiable" with high Versatility (I play well with others). My back-up or subquadrant is the "Driver" which means that I take charge when needed. Here's the description for an Amiable:
"Amiables are people-oriented, and care more about close relationships than results or influence. They usually appear warm, friendly and cooperative. Amiables tend to move slowly with a low time discipline, minimizing risk and often using personal opinions to arrive at decisions. Belonging to a group is a primary need, and Amiables may make every effort to gain acceptance. They typically seek to uncover common ground, preferring to achieve objectives through understanding and mutual respect rather than force and authority. When managed by force without relationship, Amiables appear to cooperate initially but will likely lack commitment to the objectives and may later resist implementation."

So, what's your style?

March 2008 Scattershooting

I've wanted to write for awhile now, but I'm so busy! I decided that I would write here until I got a certain amount of things accomplished. Tonight, goal completed! Various things to write about, so here's some scattershooting . . .

The main thing keeping me busy at the moment is getting our house to sell! Lots of minor repairs, some yard work, painting, etc. Boy, I'm ready for this to be over. We're hoping to stay within our school district with a little more room for the kids to roam.

Gearing up for March Madness? This Oregon Urology clinic has a genius idea that some guys should gear down. They're pitching that guys need to get a vasectomy before the tourney starts so that you have 4 days of non-stop NCAA basketball watching without hassle! Genius! Here's the news article, here's the link to the actual clinic's news item. I was hoping to get the audio of the commercial that ran on the Eugene, Oregon sports station but I can't find it anywhere.

Collin got promoted to the rank of Bear in Cub Scouts -- way to go Collin!

Also, getting ready for fantasy baseball season with my buds in the northeast. I love reviewing the teams and players. I also like ranking the players in their positions. However, I sure miss live drafts! Everything in online now which makes the season so easy, but the automatic drafts where you have to rank every player in one big list is a whippin'! I don't want to decide now between Jake Peavy and Carlos Beltran -- I'd rather wait and see which top players are available at all of the positions and then pick the one I like best. After the automatic draft last year, I was left scratching my head over some of the picks wondering why it drafted the way it did. Oh well, it's still a lot of fun.