"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky

30,000 Feet This is where my faith in God Is more than words. This is where I trust Him with my #life, my family, My reason for existing. Why don't I trust Him like this On the ground?

Leaving A kiss on my wife's tired lips seems so inept for this moment but I do it anyway, hoping to give her the message that I will need to work hard to get by without her. It's only for a short time but tell that to the fish, writhing on the floor below the tank or the toddler who must eat her dinner before the ice cream. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder and I agree with them reluctantly as you wave at me from the window, trying your best to tell me it will be hard for you too.

Teach Me Enjoy this moment because I’ll be gone soon. This is the seventh grade, I’m here because they tell me to be here, don’t take it personally. I will listen to your words and copy what you write in my notes, I might even study on occasion if there’s nothing else to do. I will also watch you live and witness how you treat the worst of us and please don’t be surprised if I tune you out or discount your words of wisdom if I see discrepancy or hypocrisy. I know I look like someone who needs to learn so much, but hey, twelve years is twelve years and I know some things already. So let’s do this. Teach me.

Today Before you dismiss it with its failed starts, confrontation, carpet stains, and delays, consider the moment in the kitchen when she picked up her toy off the floor without being told, or when she caught your eye in the rearview mirror and made you smile. Easy to forget after her fit at the store or her pronounced “NO!” after lunch but they did happen and that makes today more than a throwaway. And when you recall it was she who remembered to brush her teeth before bed you’d be forgiven for dusting it off and adding it to the box where her medals and drawings and handmade cards will also go, the things that are worth much more than they look.