Dad Moments

I was out mowing the yard this afternoon while Amy and the kids were at the pool. But on one pass I glanced to my right and saw my three year old son Cole, along with his little plastic push mower, mowing alongside me. They had returned but I hadn't seen them or heard them over the mower.

Cole was very proud to be helping me mow the yard. He smiled at me with a big grin.

I thought it was cool that he would want to be like his dad. And a little scary at the same time.

Kansas in the NY Times

I had something of a surreal experience while browsing the web today. I saw a photo of an old, weather-worn one-room schoolhouse here in Kansas that I used to drive by featured on the NY Times website. I always thought the schoolhouse was picturesque, and especially striking as it stands alone at the top of a small hill with nothing but tallgrass fields and a dirt road as its backdrop. This little schoolhouse is just about literally in the middle of nowhere, located about an hour outside of Wichita, 100 yards off of a two lane highway.

Needless to say, I was surprised to see "my" little landmark featured on the NY Times. If you are curious and registered to the NY Times website you can read the article, "A Sliver of Prairie Still Untamed."

The only reason I know where it's located is because it served as my landmark to turn at the next right off the highway which would take me to a retreat center I used to frequent monthly for some solitude, back in the days before I had kids. When I would see the schoolhouse on the left, I knew to take the next right off the highway, go down a winding dirt road, cross the bridge over the river, and head towards the woods (yes, Kansas does have SOME wooded areas). Next thing you know, you're there.

I imagine that when most people think of Kansas, they probably think of places like those featured in this article. and they would be right—much of Kansas consists of rural areas (Wichita, where I live, being a noteable exception). But as these travel writers discovered, "Kansas has a beauty all its own," as my wife is fond of saying. And I think that little old schoolhouse is a very good case in point.

Go Fly a Kite...

I had my first successful experience flying a kite this week. You would think living on the wind-swept plains of Kansas I would have tried my hand at this sooner, (I have lived here 15 years now), but I guess this is one of those "things you never really think about doing until you have kids" kind of things.

Anyway, on Tuesday, my kids and I stopped by Toys-R-Us and picked up two kites (the cheapo plastic ones). We went to a local park and tried them out, with SOME success (barely), but Ella's "Dora" kite lasted about 15 minutes before it broke.

The next day I decided to go to a REAL kite shop to replace it, and this place had just the coolest stuff. We took it to the next level: Ella opted for a colorful and large bird-shaped kite, Cole went with a Spiderman kite, and I claimed a black Stealth bomber kite for my own.

We met with much more success the second time around. So much so that Ella wanted to go again this morning, which we did. There seems to be no shortage of wind in Kansas, so I have a feeling we'll be making regular trips to the park more often this summer. I'm discovering more advantages to living in Kansas all the time...

My Journey to Holland

I recently returned form Holland—MICHIGAN that is. I was the guest of Christ Memorial Reformed Church for the end of their Sanctuary Choir's season. They offered a wonderful concert of choral music, including two new arrangements of mine, both commissions: "Jesus Is the Song" (recently published by Daybreak Music), and "How Great Thou Art," commissioned to honor their Minister of Music and Worship (John Bright) as he retires from pastoral ministry.

Christ Memorial has a large choir of 100 voices or so, and I was delighted to hear both of these new arrangements 'live' for the first time. And John Bright is one cool guy—lots of fun, but with a tender heart.

I always enjoy meeting people who are using my music, and the choir welcomed me warmly. I work from the home, more specifically, the basement office/studio—so I spend a fair amount of time alone staring at a computer screen. Sometimes I forget that my stuff reaches a little farther than these old walls of my home, and I'm always moved to hear how God has used my writing to encourage or comfort someone else. It's such an encouragement to ME to continue writing.

So if anyone from Christ Memorial happens to stop by this blog, thank you for your hospitality and for including me on such a special occasion in the life of your community!