“U follows Q because they are best friends.”

This sounds like a quote from the Lego Movie, but it is actually a quote from Meg helping me spell the word quote. I always get confused if it is O or U first. Megan couldn’t image how my elementary training lacked this knowledge. “It is just like I before E except after C“… you know, unless the word is weird.

My spelling catchphrases deficiency is one of the reasons I love spell check. I am not sure where I would be without it… certainly not a college grad. But more importantly I wonder where I would be without Meg.

“tickle, tickle, tickle” — Ezekiel

Our neighbors left for a vacation and we are watching their dog and bearded dragon. Thankfully I don’t have to touch the dragon. But we toss the ball with their dog, Blossom. Ezekiel chases after the ball too and cries when Blossom won’t share. I told Meg they are on the same level, but Meg responded, “Blossom is potty trained!”

With the heat Blossom soon parks by us to have her head scratched. I have tried to teach Ezekiel how to pat or scratch, but every time he starts laughing and says, “tickle, tickle, tickle…”

“Dad can we play catch?”

Ivy got an invitation to try out for a Fall Softball team and we also bought her a new glove. So we are breaking in the glove. And with pending tryouts and potential cuts Ivy is hungry for my advice.

Lets be honest this doesn’t happen very often. She is a great kid (all four of our kids are great). But Ivy is becoming a teenager. And frankly her dad preaches (or, as Ivy told my Aunts, “long lectures”) a bit too often. So it is nice to just play catch, practice swings, and hope for the best.

These thing are happening right now and I could share multiple more… but do you know what I am thinking about? Drama at work.

Too often I am blind to the wonder and splendor all around. I am reminded of Frank Baums original Wonderful World of Oz and the Emerald City that isn’t green:

“He opened the big box, and Dorothy saw that it was filled with spectacles of every size and shape. All of them had green glasses in them. The Guardian of the Gates found a pair that would just fit Dorothy and put them over her eyes. There were two golden bands fastened to them that passed around the back of her head, where they were locked together by a little key that was at the end of a chain the Guardian of the Gates wore around his neck. When they were on, Dorothy could not take them off had she wished…”

Unlock the spectacles. Pull away the tainted lens. Let me see past the brokenness and into the joyous celebration all around me. Let me embrace family and friends with the love of Jesus.