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I try to be Christ-like. I try to do the right things. I try to say the right words. I try to think the right thoughts.
I try to smile at people as they pass. I try to support the appropriate causes. I try to love my neighbors even when they don’t love me back. I try to be kind and supportive to those in need.
Every day, I try to be like Christ.
Every day, I fail. I laugh at the wrong joke. I pass judgment on someone else’s life. I turn a blind eye to life’s injustice.
“What if every tow truck ran out of gas?”
“How do bodies get to heaven after they’ve been buried?”
“‘Si usted está contento y usted sabe que aplaudas! That means, ‘If you’re happy and you know it clap you hands!”
It’s not unusual for a period of 15 minutes with Squirts to follow this or some similar line of conversation. Sometimes, it’s like trying to chase popcorn. Just when you think you know where a topic is headed…pop, we’re off in another direction.
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Recently, we celebrated Squirts’ fifth birthday. Could that be right? His fifth birthday? There are many days I don’t feel old enough to have a five-year-old son. Of course, most days I’m reminded (by either my body or my wife) that I’m easily old enough to have a 20-year-old son, to say nothing of a five-year-old. But that’s another story.
We kicked off what has become an annual weeklong celebration by telling Squirts he could choose to eat anywhere he’d like on his actual birthday. The week then followed with cupcakes at school, a bowling party with friends, and a family party with his Aunt K who shares a birthday the same month. By the time it’s all over, it feels like we should start prepping for his sixth!
I’m a wannabe environmentalist. Humanity has put a huge strain on the earth and it’s up to us to revise our way of life to repair and prevent future damage. But if I’m completely honest, I don’t really do my fair share. Yes, we recycle more than we throw away. We adjust our thermostats so we’re cold in the winter and hot in the summer. And I don’t run the water while I brush my teeth.
But, I don’t always remember to take my reusable mug to Starbucks. I commute in my car, by myself more than 30 minutes to work every day. I love the personal-sized package of Oreo cookies. And as a parent, there are some moments I believe even the most ardent, earth-loving, card-carrying environmentalist would buckle to ozone burning temptation. Here are a few temptations to which I’ve fallen prey:
