Borrowed Beauty
Later this year, I will hit a milestone birthday – the big 4-0! Honestly, I don’t think I’ve thought about it too much. Although maybe I’m giving myself too much credit. After all, my blog post today is starting with this thought.
At any rate, something happened last night that made me feel old. Many of you know my daughter, Hannah, or have an idea of who she is thanks to my blog. Next month, she will turn 14. This is part of my aging process. It seems like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital in her car seat and sweater outfit that Grammy made for her. Well, she’s not a baby any more. My Sweetie is turning into quite a beautiful and caring young lady.
Yesterday as part of her Columbus Day holiday, she went Halloween costume shopping with Leanne at our local Goodwill store. She came home with this beautiful red evening gown that she purchased for $20 with her own money. After dinner last night, she tried in on for me. Wow! How did we go from a baby sweater to a flowing red gown so fast? As I hugged Hannah and commented on her beauty, I asked her not to grow up so fast. She smiled as if to say, “I can’t help it, and I’m proud of who I’m becoming.”
I’m proud of her as well. As Leanne and I were talking about Hannah later last night, Leanne reminded me that Hannah is really on loan from God. God gave us Hannah and Isaac to nurture and support for a little while, but they were never fully ours from the beginning. They belong to God. I’m so thankful for the chance to borrow these two amazing kids. And yes, I will cherish each moment and day I get to spend with them.
How do you look at your kids?
What’s something you are borrowing that will one day need to be returned?
Crossing Lines Across The Blog World
I have gotten away from posting on the weekend. I’ve learned to cherish this time as a time to spend with my family and a time to take a break. I thought I’d interrupt that break – just briefly – to give a quick shout out to a blogging friend of mine, Pastor Matt. Today, Matt featured my blog in his weekend highlights post. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me. Shout outs like this give our blogging communities a chance to expand and to grow not just in numbers but in depth as new readers begin to contribute to the conversations that go on daily thanks to so many great bloggers. So as I say thank you to Pastor Matt, go check out his blog. He has some great stuff to share.
Thanks, Matt!
What blogs to you regularly read that deserve a shout out?
September 2011 Top Posts
It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the end of another month. September was the best month by far at Jon Stolpe Stretched. Traffic on the blog increased 28%! Comments continued to roll-in. And new people joined in the conversation and community. The blog added a couple of new subscribers and the new Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Page attracted several new followers in its first month. Here are the top 10 posts and top 3 commentors for the month:
Top 10 Posts
1. Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College
2. The Birds and The Bees – Talking to Your Kids About Sex
3. It’s The People – Back From Grove City College Homecoming
4. Book Review: Hell Is Real (But I Hate To Admit It) by Brian Jones
5. Jon Stolpe Stretched Gets A Piece Of Toast Thanks To TentBlogger
7. Date Night
8. “Have You Ever Thought About Writing A Book?”
9. New Ways to Connect to the Jon Stolpe Stretched Community
Top 3 Commentors
1. Arny Sanchez
2. Ryan Knight
3. Brandon
I now have 18 regular subscribers. If you’d like to become a subscriber, see the “Follow Blog” window on your right. It’s great to see this starting to take off.
Thank you to all of you for reading and contributing to the blog and to the reader community. I’ve continue to grow a lot through this experience.
As always, I love to share other’s “stretching” stories on my blog, so leave me a comment if you’re interested in being a guest blogger on Jon Stolpe Stretched.
Finally, if you’re a blogger, how did your blog to this month? What was your top post? What was your favorite post?
My Dad
Today is my dad’s birthday. If you happen to be friends with him on Facebook, hop on over and wish him a happy birthday. Or leave him a comment on his blog. I introduced him here on my blog this summer, when he shared a guest post about God In The Spaces. As I stated in the introduction to his post, I owe so much of who I am including my writing to him. He’s been writing for as long as I know, and I suspect he was probably writing as soon as he could hold a pen or a pencil – I’ll have to ask my grandma.
At any rate, I wanted to post today to reflect on some memories I have of my dad. I think it’s important to reflect on these things from time to time. So here are my thoughts:
1. My dad is one of the smartest people I know. Seriously, he has read so much, and he retains what he reads. My friends at our church growing up used to refer to him as Cliff Claven (from Cheers), because dad was always sharing some little known fact about something. I know my family (especially my brothers) joke around about this, but I think it’s more out of envy and appreciation than anything else.
2. My dad is a lot stronger than most people realize. He used to workout bench pressing more than 300 pounds. His hobby in college was cliff climbing. I smile as I remember the time that he lifted one of our youth group teenagers off the ground when this teen tried to sneak up on my dad from behind. That kid never messed with my dad again. And the rest of the youth group talked about “Norm’s strength” for years.
3. My dad isn’t perfect. Despite being a pastor and very close to God (that’s another thing I’ll share in a few seconds), my dad is human. I chuckle as I think about the holes in doors and walls that he created himself as he chased one of my brothers down the hall or banged his head in frustration. I also think about the game of National Geographic Global Pursuit that ended when my brother, my grandpa, and my dad show-off the family stubbornness in questioning a move. I’m not sure we ever played that game afterwards.
4. My dad is intentional. I especially think of all the times when dad stops us in our tracks to make sure we understand what’s going on in a particular moment or situation. He says, “I want to stop and remember this moment, this milestone. This is important.” He does this whenever we are together. When my brother, Erik, graduated from college, I can remember him stopping to celebrate and to thank God for this milestone. When my family got together to celebrate my grandparents anniversary, I remember him stopping to make sure we captured the moment that we were all together for one last time. On mission trips and youth retreats as a teenager, I remember dad gathering us together at the end of the week or weekend to reflect on what God just did through the trip or retreat. In some ways, this is one of the main reasons I blog. I want to create a record of the things in my life; I don’t want to forget how God has worked through the ups and downs of my daily life.
5. My dad is very close to God. As I mentioned earlier, my dad takes his relationship with God very seriously. I admire my dad’s dedication, commitment, and example. He spends time regularly praying, meditating, memorizing, and thinking about God. I’m convinced that his number one passion is to follow Jesus and to be close to Him. This pours from everything my dad does and says.
I’m sure I could go on, but I’ll stop for now. I just wanted to reflect and share about my dad today as he celebrates his birthday.
Dad, thanks for being such a great example to me and others. Thanks for being you! Happy Birthday! I love you!
How do you remember your parents? For those of you who know my dad, feel free to comment with your own thought or memory of him.
It’s The People – Back From Grove City College Homecoming
We just returned from a spectacular weekend at Grove City College. The weather was uncharacteristically perfect – sunny with few clouds. The campus was beautiful. We continue to be blown away by all the enhancements and new buildings that keep popping up each time we visit. The campus just keeps improving. The homecoming festivities were traditionally fun. We marched in the parade through campus and downtown Grove City with Leanne’s classmates. We enjoyed a reunion luncheon. And listened to the marching band march towards the football field during their pre-game ritual. It was fun to give our kids a tour of all the places on campus that we remembered and that were new. (Honestly, there was a bit more of a sales pitch going on this year than in other years.) It’s hard to believe that our oldest is five years away from college. (Did I just type that?!?)
All these things were great about our visit to Grove City College. But the best thing by far was visiting with friends. I got to visit with my friend, “Hack”, who roomed with me for two years and was the best man in our wedding. Our time was short, but it was like old times as we shared some of our college days memories and caught up on some of the recent happenings of our families. We also spent a lot of time with Leanne’s friends and their families. In the 15 years since they graduated, Leanne’s friends have been keeping in touch through a monthly newsletter and through a once or twice a year get together. The husbands of these ladies have become friends as well. I absolutely enjoyed catching up these men. And our kids had a blast hanging out together.
So while we enjoyed see Grove City College and its beautiful campus, the best part was the people. Friendships of this quality and type are worth remembering and are worth celebrating. I think the memories and the common Grove City ground help to bond these friendships, but I think it’s faith and the common bond of Christ that really has cemented many of these friendships that were formed more than 15 years ago.
As we finished up our time with Leanne’s friends at the hotel. We cleaned up after breakfast, and we joined together in a small worship service. We sang a few songs to the accompaniment of two guitars and a cello. The kids participated in an activity designed to keep them preoccupied but also to help them think about how God is growing and shaping them. And we finished with prayer together. It was during this service that I realized how important our Grove City College friendships really were. It was these friends who last year prayed every day at 1PM for Leanne and our family as we journeyed through some very difficult waters. It was these friends who prayed yesterday and thanked God for healing. It’s a wonderful thing to know that people have your back. This is why I love Grove City College and why it was such a blessing to go back this weekend!
Do you go to your college homecoming? How do you keep in touch with your friends from back in the day?
Date Night
I’m fairly certain that I’ve blogged about this before, but I think it’s been a while. I just wanted to celebrate the weekly date night that my wife and I try hard to preserve. Last night, we enjoyed some time together and some delicious dessert at a local treasure, Little Ortino’s, in “downtown” Schwenksville. We enjoyed unbelievable coconut creme pie and peanut butter fudge pie, the great music of Jim Brickman, and wonderful company and conversation – with each other!
Monday night is sacred in our house. Our kids know that this is the night that Mom and Dad get away together for an hour or so. We all know not to schedule anything for this night. Sometimes, we go for a walk. Sometimes, we play tennis. And sometimes, we grab dessert somewhere. Whatever it is, we get to spend time together. We get to connect – just the two of us.
If you’re married, I strongly encourage you to set aside a regular time to get away with your spouse. Lock it in and make it sacred.
What is the best date you’ve experienced?
Hitting My Stride
As a runner, there are times when I am running where everything flows. My breathing becomes controlled. My pace feels good. My legs and the rest of my body feel good as they move in concert. These are the times when I know I’ve hit my stride. It just feels right. This feeling doesn’t always last for the rest of the run, and sometimes it comes and goes as I run against strong head winds or I turn the corner and face a long hill. But it’s nice while it lasts.
As things have been developing at work, at home, at our kids’ school, and even here on the blog, I have recently had a feeling of peace – a feeling that I may finally be hitting my stride. I’m a little afraid to say that for fear that I have somehow jinxed myself. And I do realize that there will be things that come along that throw me off my stride – that throw me out of rhythm – and that’s okay. I just wanted to celebrate this moment.
What can you celebrate today?
A New Beginning
This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
Today is a day of new beginnings for our family. Hannah starts her last year of middle school. She is smart and confident and ready to go. As I mentioned a few days ago, Isaac starts his first year of middle school. I’m still blown away by how quickly this came up. And today, Leanne starts a new job! She will be helping preschool age children with special needs as she works as a behavioral therapist for Potential Discoveries. (She’ll be great!)
God’s timing in each of these new beginnings has been amazing. These opportunities have come at just the right time. I rejoice today as I recognize God’s faithfulness to us despite our impatience and anxiety.
I’m excited about a couple of new beginnings for me as well. I’ll keep you in suspense as I’m looking forward to sharing in future blog posts about what is new with me.
What’s new with you?
Be Generous
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
Psalm 112:5
When Leanne and I were celebrating our 15th anniversary in Cape Cod, we met Bob (above). Bob met us one morning as we were getting off the boat on Nantucket. This meeting had been arranged by Bob’s son who goes to our church, and I want to make sure I never forget what we experienced. I don’t want to forget this day, because it was truly a great reminder of generosity. Here’s what happened.
Leanne and I decided that we should go to Nantucket on the actual day of our 15th anniversary. We arranged the visit boat ride over to the island from Cape Cod through Mary, our bed and breakfast hostess. We decided to take our bikes on the boat, so we could enjoy some biking and sight-seeing during our once in a lifetime day trip. As we unloaded our bikes from the boat, we met Bob. He was standing there patiently waiting for us in anticipation of starting the tour. Bob took us over to his yacht club where we dropped off his bike and proceeded to walk a few blocks up a hill to The First Congregational Church where our friend from church had been married. We walked up to the bell tower to enjoy spectacular views of Nantucket.
After walking back down to the yacht club, we jumped in Bob’s Suzuki Sidekick. From here, Bob took us all over the town where we saw The Oldest House on the island, the old windmill, and some homes of well-known business people and celebrities. The town is beautiful with its cobblestone streets and its blooming hydrangea bushes. As we traveled around the town, it was obvious that Bob knew many facts about this town and he was so happy to be able to share the place he loves with us.
When we got back to the yacht club, Bob offered to take us for a ride in his boat. At this point, I was beginning to wonder if I was dreaming – was I going to wake up back at home in Pennsylvania? Bob drove us around the harbor area of Nantucket and pointed out various homes and sites. He also shared stories about his family and about his business. You could tell he was particularly proud of his kids. The boat ride was so refreshing, and I felt like I was flying along the water as we motored across the harbor. It was a boat ride to remember. (Leanne even had an opportunity to drive the boat.)
Our time with Bob wasn’t over when we arrived back at the yacht club. Bob invited us to lunch at the club. It was an offer we couldn’t refuse – and I’m not sure he would have taken no for an answer. We enjoyed sandwiches and lemonades on the patio overlooking the tennis courts and harbor. Bob continued with stories of the yacht club. He told us about the boat races that he and his brother had won. He shared about how his kids had grown up at the yacht club every summer. He wasn’t bragging. He was celebrating. He was expressing thanksgiving for what he had experienced.
Following lunch, we said our good-byes. As Leanne and I walked to our bikes, we looked at each other and agreed that we would never forget our 15th anniversary, and we would never forget the generosity of Bob – a man we had never met before this day, a man who expressed generosity to complete strangers. I don’t anticipate the business success that Bob has had in his life (although I suppose that’s possible), but I want to be like Bob when it comes to being generous. Thanks, Bob for a great day and an important reminder to be generous.
Have you ever experienced generosity that blew you away?
Less Like Scars
“It’s been a hard year, but I’m climbing out of the rubble.
These lessons are hard, healing changes are subtle.”
– Sara Groves
Recently, I’ve had several people ask how things are going…how’s Leanne? Almost a year ago, Leanne was hospitalized. We’ve spent the past year recovering and rediscovering new normals, new priorities, and renewed appreciation and passion for each other, for friends and family, and for life. God is good!
As I look back on my journal and my blog from the past year I see pain, loneliness, and despair, but I also see healing, connection, and hope. Sara Groves song, Less Like Scars, speaks so clearly to my thoughts as I look back on this past year.
It’s been a hard year
But I’m climbing out of the rubble
These lessons are hard
Healing changes are subtle
But every day it’s
Less like tearing, more like building
Less like captive, more like willing
Less like breakdown, more like surrender
Less like haunting, more like remember
And I feel you here
And you’re picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like
Character
Less like a prison, more like my room
It’s less like a casket, more like a womb
Less like dying, more like transcending
Less like fear, less like an ending
And I feel you here
And you’re picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars
Just a little while ago
I couldn’t feel the power or the hope
I couldn’t cope, I couldn’t feel a thing
Just a little while back
I was desperate, broken, laid out, hoping
You would come
And I need you
And I want you here
And I feel you
And I know you’re here
And you’re picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad, bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars
And more like
Character
Today, I rejoice. I praise God for significant milestones achieved in the healing process. I’m thankful for a new compassion for families faced with the challenges of mental illness and other health problems. And I smile as I realize the promise of a bright future with hope for tomorrow. God is good!
(And by the way, Leanne is doing well – and so am I. Thanks for asking.)
How are you? How have you seen your scars transformed?