8:46 AM 9/11/02

Three thousand voices cry out in shock and awe at the mournful moment
A crisp, clear morning is shattered by fire and fury.
Frantic chatter from little wireless boxes fills the air,
And only the essentials matter now:
“I don’t want to die.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Take care of the kids.”
“I’ll be with you always.”
“I just want you to know I love you.”

I hear them even now, phantoms flitting about my head as the daily grind Halts on yet another Black Tuesday.
Each gently asks, “Remember me?”
They gather round and tell their stories of life and love:
John, who loved soccer and coached his kids,
Suzanne, who loved her little sister with Downs,
Mario, who considered fine wine with a good meal and the company of Friends a sacrament,
Max*, who loved tinkering with old Mustangs and playing the trombone.… Read the rest

A Music Manifesto

apple_ipod-v30g_0.jpgI wish I had thought of this. But I’m glad that my friend Mike the PharmD (that stands for “Pharmacy Dude”) did.

The ubiquitous iPod is a necessary accessory for today’s tech-savvy, music-loving teenagers. Our boys each have one. In all three cases they worked and saved and payed for part of theirs with a little help from Eyegal and me. They have enjoyed them greatly, but there have been a few “issues” which have needed to be addressed from time to time.

Mike the PharmD, possessing a more sound and sober mind than I, anticipated many of these “issues” prior to purchase.… Read the rest

Red and Below-the-Knee, Thank Goodness

img_0102.JPGSo what kind of cast is this fall’s best-dressed 13-year-old young man wearing?

Red and below-the-knee, thank goodness.

Number Three paid a visit to the orthopedist yesterday to have his newly-aquired tibial fracture checked out. The bad news is that he’s out of soccer for three months. We had figured something like that, but it was still hard hearing it firsthand. The good news is that he received a below-the-knee cast which allows for greater mobility and less discomfort than his previous above-the-knee temporary splint. Even better, if healing is sufficient at his 2-week visit, he may be able to ditch the cast for a removable fracture boot which would make showering and other tasks considerably easier.… Read the rest

The Anatomy of a Broken Bone

lgg3.jpgSince 1993, our three sons have played in just over a thousand soccer matches. Throughout that time, we’ve suffered our share of bruises, abrasions, sprains and pains, but never a broken bone. But unfortunately, that streak has come to an end.

This past Saturday, Number Three’s U14 team was nursing a 1-0 lead in the closing moments of their first round match in the Atlanta Cup, one of the most competitive (and roughest) soccer tournaments in the Southeast. The ball was rolling loose about 25 yards from our goal and their center midfielder, a rugged and skilled Hispanic youth weighing about 150 lbs, began to run onto the ball to take a shot that would have undoubtedly tested our keeper in the extreme.… Read the rest

Sometimes Other Teams Are Good Too

060901_sn_worldbasketballtn.jpgAs disappointing as Team USA’s loss to Greece was in the semifinals of the World Basketball Championships, it should be noted that in the bronze medal game, the Red, White and Blue thrashed pre-tournament favorite Argentina 96-81.

Slate‘s Robert Weintraub offers up this and other perspective-lending points in his article “How Soccer Explains the World Basketball Championships.” His views are a breath of fresh air amid all the recriminations resulting from this most recent international sports loss and the USA’s subpar performance in the most recent soccer World Cup.

Having been an athlete, coach and spectator, I concur with his sentiments.… Read the rest

Beyond the Bling

p1_wadehinrich.jpgIn one of the quieter sports stories of the summer, the U.S. Mens basketball team has been marching steadily forward in the FIBA World Championships in Sapporo, Japan. There was a time when U.S. teams took World Championship and Olympic gold medals for granted. But in recent years, a new generation of international basketball players has humbled American hoopsters, resulting in an embarrassing 6th place finish in the last World Championships and a disappointing bronze in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

So what’s different this time around? Two words: Coach K. Duke Head Coach and master motivator Mike Krzyzewski took over the reigns of the National Team last year and immediately went to what USA Today appropriately called Plan B–a true team.… Read the rest

I’ve Been Booked

(Sigh) As if I didn’t have enough to write about already…

Just like 7th grade, I’ve been tagged by Jason the Youth Minister, this time for my take on the following book categories:

1. One book that changed your life: C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity–nothing else comes close. It’s the main reason that I remained a Christian through a period of very intense doubt. Kudos to the Harding University Bookstore for daring to carry the work of a pipe smoking, ale-quaffing Anglican literature professor who wouldn’t have been welcome as a student or professor at that fine, teetotalling institution of higher learning.… Read the rest

The Death of “Good Mornin'”

It’s a given that if you’re taking a walk or a run on a Saturday morning in Alabama (or just about anyday anywhere in the South for that matter) and you meet up with one of your neighbors, that you’ll exchange a greeting of some sort. A head nod, a lift of the hand, a “hey,” or the classic “good mornin'” are all socially acceptable salutations. To acknowledge and greet a fellow passerby is as much a Southern staple as barbeque, sweet tea, high school football and Wednesday night church.

Or so I thought.

This past Saturday I was nearing the half way mark of my morning run when I spotted a speed-walking, fifty-something woman clad in colorful, cheerful spandex coming around a corner directly into my path.… Read the rest

Getting the Speck Out

cornealforeignbody.jpgIt’s always a good day at work when you can get one of these bad boys out of someone’s eye.

When I run, I feel His wrath. But when I remove a metallic corneal foreign body (rust ring and all) with one swipe of a 25G needle and leave only a 1mm epithelial divot, I feel His pleasure.

Androcles has nothing on me.

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

… Read the rest