Blessed to have the Lord with me in June.
Surely the Lord is in this Place
What is Conservatism?
“Conservativism” ranges from wanting to preserve a nostalgic fantasy of a far flung past to wanting to preserve a nostalgic fantasy of four (adjusted for inflation) minutes ago.
Covid Debate Time!
I’m not a big fan of Patrick Bet-David, but this debate between Dave Smith and Chris Cuomo is going to be a show!
Check it out here, live today at 6:00 EST:
Lego Unschool Meet
Our monthly Lego group had parents and children building like crazy!
Some worked with instructions and others free built.
What Would Mary Think?
I sure don’t know.
The enormous magnolia in our front yard is a constant reminder that Mary is watching over us.
She always loved to bring the big blooms inside. I love going out each morning in May and June to look for ones within reach.
This one came with us to By Her Hand Tattoos. That’s where things get weird. Mary wouldn’t be surprised that I met a wonderful woman and started a business with her. Mary and I had similar dreams of working together to open a bookstore or cafe.
She would be surprised that I chose to open a tattoo studio. Neither of us had tattoos and I held them in disdain for my entire adulthood.
Losing Mary shattered many of the assumptions I had about myself. These six years have been the most uncomfortable. I’ve had to wrestle growth and change from a past Self that lived my wife-kids-home dream.
There’s a small part of me that still tugs toward the impossible nostalgia of that life.
Inflation for Dummies
Going Analog
As we reduce the electronics around us, we’ve been on the lookout for analog solutions. Today we scoured the Pennsbury Chadds Ford Antique Mall for a particular device.
None of these clocks use batteries, and almost none of them were in working order.
Below is one of two little clocks we found today.
And these were a couple more fun finds.
A Fancy Date
We’re kid-free this weekend and decided to enjoy the Brandywine Museum of Art.
Toxic Relationship Advice
“No matter how dysfunctional things become, they would never let it take away the value of your relationship with them,” Cody Bret
This is a dangerous message. This is the kind of thinking that keeps people in abusive relationships.
I want a woman who will walk away if I fail to honor her, act in accordance with my words, and strive to be a better partner.
A beautiful relationship allows each partner the freedom to walk away. To wake up each day and know that the person next to you is choosing to be there is the best feeling.
Music Sucks
Widowhood is fighting hard to ruin music for me. It seems like there are more songs that inspire sadness than happiness. Even the happy feelings are often intruded upon by, “Mary would have loved this song.”
After six years, a ton of widowed friends, dozens (hundreds?) of group meetings and therapy sessions, a billion words spilled here, and countless efforts to engage with my healing, this is the most persistent manifestation of my grief.
On this coming weekend, six years ago, I took my sons to our first music festival as a family of three.
We danced our asses off to Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Isaac was on my shoulders for most of the set and I don’t know how I didn’t slip and fall in the mud.
Their cover of “Lay Your Burden Down” broke me. I was drenched in sweat, puddle water, and tears, “Mary would have loved this moment.”
That musical weekend kicked off a roadtrip full of emotional release and exploration, maybe a lifetime.
Of course, I wouldn’t trade one moment of music sadness. Each one is a reminder of how rich our lives were together.