Board Games

I don't think that I've ever been overly competitive when it comes to board games, but this past week has been a rather humbling experience. I've been soundly beaten by my 4 year old son in Dont Break the Ice, Hungry Hippos, and Let's Go Fishin'...and then to add insult to injury, I was pummeled in Monopoly by my daughter and my two nephews this evening. One has to wonder what the inventor of these games was thinking when they concocted these family pass-times.

If nothing else, it does bring a family together, away from their everyday schedules, and forces them to interact/ converse with each other for a good couple of hours. What else in life can we hold responsible for that? The inane "deals" and "strategies" ultimately lead to an evening of a lot of laughs and giggles...with those whom you love the most. Maybe Hasbro and Parker Brothers knew what they were thinking when they started marketing these games years and years ago. It would just be nice to win a couple of times!!!

Count Your Blessings!

Josh and I took a trip to Children's Hospital today to have some X-rays taken of his spine. (His doctor thinks he might have a mild case of scoliosis...which, at a worst case scenario, can be treated through therapy or a back brace) Anyway, sitting in the waiting room with Josh reminded me of a composition assignment that was given to me years ago when I was in high school. The teacher instructed us to go to a large public place, like an airport, library, hospital waiting room, etc...) and simply observe the people there for about an hour. Then, we were to write a narrative describing what we saw and speculating the "stories" of the various people whom we encountered.

The waiting room at Children's Hospital had about 1/2 a dozen sets of parents whom, I assumed, had various "stories" about their children. I can only imagine that some of them were contending with very serious illnesses and diseases with their kids...evidenced by the saddened expressions found on a few of them. I guess my point is...I'm so fortunate to have a family who has their health. Outside of the deaths of grandparents, I've never had to deal with any major calamities in life, and I have not been thankful enough for this. I need to count my blessings more often...

Christmas 2005

I think 4 year olds have it right when it comes to Christmas. This past holiday, I got more joy out of watching my son open up his presents. It didn't really matter what the contents of the package was...it was simply the fact that it was a "surprise"...and for a little guy, it doesn't get much better than that! I think an aweful lot of folks can learn a valuable lesson from small children at Christmas. I'm as guilty as everyone when it comes to trying to buy the perfect gift for folks and wondering if it will be good enough for that special person in your life. Four year olds, like my son Josh, could really care less...they just enjoy hanging out with their parents and spending the day with their Mom and Dad...and invariably playing a $5.00 board game where you simply watch a small token go round and round a board...all the while carrying on with a simple conversation or singing a tune...wouldn't life be so much easier if we all took this approach?

I really wasn't sure what to publish for my first blog post...but I figured why not talk about something that is near and dear to me...my kids. Josh and Marie bring more joy to my life than just about anything else that I can think of, and if I had to pick a New Year's Resolution...it would be that I'm going to try to appreciate the gifts that they give me each and every day.