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Modern-Day School Day
It is a lunch break, so I have time to throw some thoughts together as I sit with my 4th grader. So here it goes. To the children who hold back tears throughout the day when they feel completely overwhelmed with virtual school, you are not alone. To the parents who balance so much at the moment, while watching the frustration build in our children only to be the ones to catch the brunt of that frustration, you are not alone. To the excellent teachers who are doing fantastic with what you are being asked to do given the circumstances, you are not alone. With all of this tension and…
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Now More Than Ever, We Need the Wisdom of Sports
Sports have returned for the most part after being shut down due to Covid-19. From International and National Football (soccer) to MLB, NBA, and Golf, games have at least returned for our viewing pleasure on TV. Although there is much that is different due to all of the necessary health protocols, the essence of sports, competition, and what it means to be a part of a team, a fan is back. It might be helpful to revisit some of those truths for a moment in light of our current culture. Detachment I love sports, from competing to watching them as a fan to now being a father of children who…
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Gift of Silence
Due to Covid-19, the world community has paused. Humanity has been forced to stop, allowing for a type of collective vulnerability that rarely, if not ever, has happened before. Through this joined experience, we have been forced to look at ourselves both individually and culturally in ways we might never have been able to do so during our times of “normalcy”. The first observation is one of sadness. Sadness for those who have died, usually alone, and for the families who have had to watch a loved one die from afar. Sadness for the millions who have lost their jobs and with that, their dignity, and now struggle to find…
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Cold as Stone (3 Years Later)
Three years ago, our lives changed. We blindly boarded a plane with a few suitcases and a one-way ticket to live on the other side of the world. It’s hard to fathom that we have now called Switzerland our home for this long. There are days when it seems surreal, and there are days when it is very real. There are days when we feel grateful, and there are days when we feel the grind, and we complain (A lot). This past Sunday, the exact date we left 3 years prior, I sat and tried to come up with something to think about, write about, or at the very least…
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High School Sports Hall of Fame
There is an underlying reality to our lives that is always present but can only be seen clearly through the eyes of time. It is a reality in which no one else can claim because it is our own to grasp. It is the individual story of our lives. For no one has breathed the air meant for us. No one has walked our footsteps. Although there will always be similarities to the experiences of our lives, there will never be complete symmetry. Our lives are exclusively ours. They are ours to learn from. To own. To live. I recently went home for a short but humble visit back to…
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Not Just Another Day
It was the fourth Thursday in November, and a chill was in the air. The leaves had changed, and the trees were already bare in some cases, awaiting the cold winter months ahead. It was a school day. It was a work day. It was just another day in Switzerland. But it wasn’t just another day for us Americans…it was Thanksgiving. Last year was the first year that we spent Thanksgiving in Switzerland. It was a surreal day because instead of attending the local high school football game in the morning, I dropped the kids off at school. Instead of spending the day with family, I ran errands and cleaned. …
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Love Is
We use love in many of our sayings. We attach love to all kinds of emotions and feelings. We believe we love others when we are satisfied with how we order them into our world. We do these things believing we know what love is. We do these things believing we are in control. It is natural to try to control the very thing we desire most because, in some ways, we want to believe that having control will make us safe and secure. Safe from pain and free from feeling empty. But somehow, we know better. Deep down, we know that love can’t be caught and controlled. Instead, it…
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To Change or Not To Change
There was a moment when it hit me. Deep down, I knew it would never be the same again. Although things looked identical, my relationship with them had somehow changed. My friends were still there, yet my connection to them differed in ways I could not explain. I was an 18-year-old young man and home for the first time after leaving high school, and I was confronted with the reality that I had changed. And this scared me. On the one hand, this community has brought me comfort and security; now, it no longer gives me the same feelings. On the other hand, the thought of me changing made me…
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One Year Later
One year ago, we moved across the globe to Switzerland and began a new chapter in our lives. It feels like just yesterday that we put our belongings on a boat, said our goodbyes, and boarded a plane to a new country with a one-way ticket. It certainly has been a great adventure thus far. Here are ten quick observations and thoughts on our first year in Switzerland: Amy and I are amazed at the overwhelming beauty that this country has to offer. It seems that no matter where we go, either into the mountains or walking the streets of a new city or village, the scenic landscapes captivate us…
