Seventeen - wow

Well, the kids are officially on ‘Spring Break’. Both Hope and Vinny had great conferences and their teachers say they’re doing well. Trevor had his first baseball practice yesterday afternoon (the kids were off from school) and he said it went well. Today, Trevor’s in a 3 on 3 basketball tournament and later Brittany has a ‘Lady’s Tea’ to attend at our church.

17 years ago today, after 17 hours of labor, Amy gave birth to our first child. I remember going to the hospital sometime around 3 or 4 in the morning and just waiting and waiting. All of this was SO new to both Amy and I and we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Sometime during the day, she started have labor pains in her back and they decided to give her demural. She had never had this drug before and it wasn’t too long after that we discovered it isn’t one she’d ever take again. About two minutes after having the drug administered, her head started rolling around on her shoulders and she started moaning and her eyes were rolling as well. I called the nurse in and it was obvious that Amy was having an adverse reaction to the drug. They got her calmed down and she slept for about two hours after that. When the time came, it was amazing! The miracle of birth…the first breaths of life…a sudden shaky cry and there she was! She was exquisite! Perfect little toes and fingers! Her little nose and quivering chin…God had truly blessed us! If you’ve never experienced birth first hand, especially witnessing it the first time, it can be overwhelming! We named her Brittany Suzette and she was beautiful!
Now, it’s 17 years later and she’s hardly a baby, although she’ll ALWAYS be my baby-girl! She is quite the young woman. I am continually impressed by her mature spirituality, her love of God and His word. This will serve her well in the years to come as she pursues her dreams and desires. She has been good source of help, by stepping up and being willing to help. This has been for a tough year for all of us, but there seems to be a lot of firsts for Brittany that I know she wishes could have been observed with Amy present.
Dearest Britt, I need you to know how very proud I am of you and to thank you for making your mothers and mine job easy in raising you. I love your sense of humor (even though you say I’m not funny, I know deep down you laugh at my stupid jokes!). Thank you for being supportive of me and being the best daughter a father could ask for. I pray for you daily and ask that God keep you close, guide your thoughts and protect your walk. I know that I’ve told you this before, but the ONLY person who can keep you from accomplishing your goals is yourself! Don’t EVER give up on yourself…and know that I NEVER will either. I love you and couldn’t have asked for a better first born!

- Dad

A party...The Truth Revisited

Brittany's 17th birthday is a week from today. Most of her friends will be gone on spring break then, so she had her party last night. She had about 16 of her friends over and I made tacos for everyone. I cooked up about 3 lbs of hamburger and it wasn't long before they snarfed that down, so I have to cook up some more! They watched a couple of movies and then the boys went home and the girls spent the night. Today, they plan on a 'Spa' morning where they will pamper themselves with facials, cremes and other things. It's very hard for me to think that our first born is 17...where DOES the time fly!

Protagoras: Truth is relative. It is only a matter of opinion.
Socrates: You mean that truth is mere subjective opinion?
Protagoras: Exactly. What is true for you is true for you, and what is true for me, is true for me. Truth is subjective.
Socrates: Do you really mean that? That my opinion is true simply by virtue of it being my opinion?
Protagoras: Indeed I do.
Scorates: Then my opinion is that truth is absolute, not opinion, and that you, Mr. Protagoras, are absolutely in error. Since this is my opinion, then you must grant that it is true according to your philosophy.
Protagoras: Uhh…Yes, you are quite correct.

A few days ago I asked a question about our moral compass, if you thought there was such a thing as a ‘Universal’ moral compass, if you thought that basic tenets of right and wrong are imprinted on our souls. It is very difficult to argue that each of us don’t have people or circumstances that influence the way we think about things. A set of parents, being brought up to think that smoking is wrong, will have an impact upon their children on the subject. But how do we explain the guilt a child experiences if they accidentally kill a bird with a thrown rock? And so, where does that imprint of right and wrong come from? Does ‘The Survival of The Fittest’ teach us to feel regret? No, actually it teaches us quite the opposite…only the strong survive. It can’t come naturally either, as our nature is one of selfishness. If you doubt that statement, just watch a baby…why do they cry? They either need: To be changed, to eat, to sleep or to be held. It may seem a bit harsh, but true and of course they can’t take care of themselves, but their actions are all self serving. Their basic thought process is ‘I NEED’. So that leaves us with the only other possibility, that of our creator…GOD’s imprint, His basic plan for right and wrong is written on our souls and as we grow and mature, our up bringing, our surroundings and circumstances CAN influence our ‘sensitivity’ to these basic tenets…BUT, it still lies within each of us to make those choices. WE choose to either accept or deny that which God has written on our hearts and souls.

Where does your arrow point?

The little imagined discussion above between Protagoras and Socrates leads into the next step in the moral compass debate…In this world gone ‘acceptance’ crazy, IS there an absolute truth? What do you think?

Vince

The call

Good news! Trevor made the baseball team! He was SO excited and I am very proud of him! and I know Amy was looking down, beaming with pride...Amy SO loved her sports and even in the midst of bad seasons, she would never miss a game if it could be helped!

Vince

The Truth of the Matter

Just a quick posting before I go to work. Last night I went to Trevor's band concert. They played three selections (The Theme from Indiana Jones, A medley of songs from Les Mis and a patriotic number that was performed with the 8th grade choir. You could tell that the kids liked the Indiana Jones one the best because they performed that one the best. It brought back lots of memories of when I was in band and especially because this group will be in High School next year (who said they could grow up??). Trevor should find out today if he made the Babe Ruth Baseball team. It's going to be hard because there were 16 trying out and they only take 12 or 13.

I would like pose a question for you today: What is the basis for morality? Is there such a thing as a universal moral compass, and, if so, who or what makes the arrow of truth point this way or that way?

These are my thoughts, and I'm sticking to them - V

You are -----> Here

Well, this is it...my new journal. Not really sure where this will lead, what it will entail or even what to expect, but isn't that part of the fun of a new journey? The excitement of going somewhere you've never been; seeing new and wonderful things...experiencing new and different cultures.

I'm not 100% happy with the new blog design, so don't be surprised if you see periodic changes. Items added or removed as well as enhancements.

Vince