Freeze Frame

Several months ago Danielle and I were talking with a friend of ours from Lima (Ohio, not Peru). He made an interesting statement to us as the three of us were talking about Eldan. He said, "You know, I've always thought that if it were somehow possible to freeze my kids at a certain age so that they wouldn't grow anymore, I would freeze them right at the age Eldan is now--12 to 18 months." At the time I nodded in agreement, but in recent weeks I have come to understand his meaning more and more. I've noticed certain things that Eldan does or things that we do together that I wish I could freeze and capture for all time. What everyone has been telling me since April 12, 2006 (and even before) is true. Time does go by way too fast. I feel saddened to think that some of those "precious moments" are slipping away so rapidly. Now you all know that I am the camcorder guy and that I put even the most mundane moments of our little lives on tape (and on this blog), but even I can't capture everything. Furthermore, there are certain things that no camera lens can ever capture. Those are the moments to which I am referring. And so, I offer this brief list in hopes that I can come back one day, read this post, and be reminded of some of those everyday moments in our lives as a young family looking forward...

1. The feeling of Eldan's cheek against mine when I sit him on my lap to put on his shoes.
2. The sight of various letters of the alphabet flying across the kitchen floor as Eldan takes them off the magnetic door and throws them.
3. The sight of Eldan running across the room to give Danielle or me a hug for the first time.
4. The feeling of Eldan resting his head on my chest.
5. The way all three of us touch our heads together when we sing before bedtime.
6. The daily ritual Eldan and I share of going to get the mail.
7. Running through the list of every person in our family and hearing Eldan repeat the name after us.
8. The way Eldan folds his hands together when we thank God for our food.
9. Two words--Eldan's laugh.

I will stop there for now. I may come back one day, add a few more to the list, and re-publish this post. In the meantime, I will have to rely on the ol' noggin to capture and cherish those moments as much as possible.

As I type this, I am sitting in South Bend, Indiana. I am here for an educator's conference until tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait to get home, give Danielle a hug and kiss, and check the mail with my son.

Murphy's Law Incarnate

I have decided something recently. I am the living embodiment of Murphy's Law. You know, "If anything can go wrong, it will." It's true. If I am carrying something in one of my hands, and I need my keys--they will no doubt be in the pocket that is opposite my free hand. If our neighborhood is going to receive a torrential downpour in the wee morning hours, I will no doubt have left my car windows WIDE open! If it is 12:30 on a Sunday morning and I am trying to finish a DVD to be played at church the next day, my computer will no doubt begin working so slow that it takes several minutes just to minimize a window. Yup, that's me--Mr. Murphy! Mr. Always Gets in the Line that Moves the Slowest at Wal-Mart. I have realized over the course of the last few months, however, what I believe to be an important lesson. One that I will share with you now. It's easy to pray and ask God to get you out of the frustrating, difficult, or just down-right irritating situation. ("God, please help my sink to start draining again!") I wonder, however, if maybe God is more interested in how we react to the situation than He is in getting us out of it. In other words, maybe Murphy's Law is God's way of teaching me patience, self-control, and perseverance. We might as well, accept it--things are going to go wrong. The extension cord is going to get in a tangled mess while you try to wrap it up in a neat coil. So rather than get all tangled up myself, maybe I should concentrate on submitting to the Spirit and learn to laugh at myself.

Remember...
Emmanuel,
"God is with Us,"
All is Well!

Vacation 2007, Concluded

It is Labor Day 2007. As I look at the words that I myself wrote in the previous post about vacationing and lazy days and such, I wonder, "Where did those lazy days get to, anyway?" It is a bit surreal to think that tomorrow marks the beginning of another school year. It is even more surreal to think that this is the beginning of my 5th year as a teacher. That's not too bad a record for a guy who hated teaching for the first two months! Anyway, as the door closes on another summer, let me offer some concluding comments about our dog days.

Obviously, this past summer was a bit unusual for us in several ways. Nonetheless, it was a great three months. Our time in Colorado was well-spent, and we were sorry to leave. I have occupied myself for the last few weeks with making preparations for the new school year. I like to evaluate how I operate and make any changes that will improve my teaching. (Whether or not these changes actually do that is another matter entirely.) Last week I loaded onto a Laidlaw bus with my students for another week of spiritual focus and offbeat zaniness at School Retreat. While I was away, Danielle and Eldan flew to NH to be with her fam for a few days. I was shocked at how much Eldan changed over the course of even just 8 days! I welcomed both of my loved ones back with open arms and we are all glad to be together again.

As of today...
I am looking forward to another year of teaching...
Danielle is looking forward to a tutoring opportunity...
And Eldan is looking forward to spending some quality time with his toys. (He's been away from them for most of the summer!)

I have included in this post the latest installment in the Doan Family Videos Series. I apologize that the quality is quite grainy at times. If you really want crystal-clear quality, you'll need to order the complete Season 2 DVD when it is available next spring. You can enjoy the video on the player below. As always, please allow enough time for the video to download before you lose your temper.

That is all for now. I hope to be more consistent in updating this site, but...I hoped to be more consistent in updating this site last year too, and my lack of success at this is painfully apparent. In the meantime, the days are gradually growing shorter, the temperature should begin to cool, and a new school year awaits...