Of Sound Mind and Spirit

I love the innocence of a child.  When you spend time with children, you are often hit with at least one question that knocks you for a loop.  Something that reveals their pure view of the world that makes you smile when it see it through their eyes. When I recognize those moments from my children I desperately try to hold on to them. Children grow so fast and at some point, they lose that innocence and hope and begin to see the world a little more clearly, with more experience. One of those moments that stands out was Martin Luther King Day in 2008.  My wonderful six-year old daughter loved school.  Everyday she couldn’t wait to go to class and learn something new.  January rolled around and MLK day.   My daughter’s kindergarten classroom was racially diverse.  Fewer than half the students looked like her.  With the pure beauty of children, if they noticed the difference in each other’s appearance, they didn’t seem to think much of it.  She had no labels for the kids wh

Last year I celebrated my 40th birthday with a big party. I remember stressing over the venue, the food, the guest list, how I looked, and all those things. I felt proud to be going into a milestone year in the best physical shape of my life, surrounded by good friends and colleagues. I felt empowered. I was excited and motivated, looking forward to many things coming with the new year. This year I celebrated my 41st birthday with a baptism. I didn’t worry about what to wear or what to eat or how much I weighed. Instead I savored every minute spent with family and friends surrounding my two month old son as we witnessed his first Sacrament in our church. This unexpected, unplanned, miracle has caused me to slow down, reassess my priorities, and appreciate life even more. Maybe I haven’t fulfilled all those resolutions from 2011. This certainly isn’t the same path I thought I’d be on last year and it’s changed me in ways I couldn’t have predicted. But I’m learning to surrender, lear

My daughters love the Disney television show Wizards of Waverly Place . The show follows three Russo siblings (Justin, Alex, and Max), children of a former wizard who gave up his magic to marry a mortal. All three learn magic in typical Disney comedic fashion; however, only one child from each family can keep their powers. Eventually they must compete between themselves to win the family powers. Knowing that two of his children will lose their magic forever, the dad tries to teach them not to rely on magic. Tonight’s series finale will answer the burning question, “Who will be the family wizard?” This “First Look” preview has been running all week on various Disney channel shows. What really caught my attention is father’s caution to them, where he says, “I need to tell you guys something before this starts. Winning the wizard competition is great, but it comes with a price… I’m talking about family. How often does Uncle Kelbo come around? A couple of times a year? And Aunt Megan