Things to give thanks for....

1. That God would love me.
2. That I have a family to love.
3. That my wife still thinks that "yes" was the right answer.
4. That kids are the ulimate lesson in forgiving and being forgiven.
5. That my car doesn't have to be in perfect condition to get me around.
6. That money isn't everything.
7. That being late isn't always the end - sometimes showing up is a victory in itself.
8. That no one has ever died from a dirty house.
9. That some people actually think my silly jokes are funny.
10. That my real friends are real friends.
11. That in my lowest point, I am still better off than 99% of the people in the world who are hungry, homeless, or hopeless.
12. That I am in a position to help the hungry, homeless, and hopeless.
13. That because music is part of heaven, I will never be unemployed.
14. That sometimes a clean t-shirt and jeans is a blessing from above.
15. That family is family - no matter what.
16. That it does all work out for my good.
17. That I know who to thank on thanksgiving.
18. That He loves me.
19. That I know I can't complete this list.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and remember from whence cometh your help.

AP

Keeping Promises

Tonight is a night that I really don't want to remember what I promised to myself and others. One of those promises involves my writing at this very moment. As part of my weekly planning, I decided to be more consistent with my blogging by writing two times a week. Of course, this turned into a long, busy week where I was tempted to put that off. But it's important to me that I begin to act on my personal committments. Keeping a promise to myself helps remind me that without internal integrity, I can't practice external integrity with others.

I also have to keep my promise to my kids. As things become more hectic, it becomes really hard to remember to plan, to keep active and ahead of the kids' learning curve. But my promise to them is to provide the best education possible, even when it's inconvenient for me to do so. I understand that many of the teachable moments of a day are outside of a particular plan or lesson, but it's also important to maintain a steady program of planning and study, even for a outschooler like me. (My own made up term - not quite unschooling, but certainly not "in" school or totally structured lessons either). In the long run, it's probably more pressure on myself, but I feel my kids will only pick up the concept of discipline if I exhibit it myself, even in the educational choices I make (or maybe more, because of those choices.)

I've tried the website a couple more times using a shorter address - if you're looking for my pictures or updates. They can be found at www.web.mac.com/allenpaul/iweb/site.

Now it's time to get some sleep - something else I have to be disciplined in....
Look unto the hills,

AP

Stranger than Fiction...you heard it here first!

Hello everyone...just when I thought I was the only one with a voice in my head...

that's right, I wrote a post about the 'internal narrator' a few weeks ago. Now, a movie comes out with almost the exact premise that I described. Maybe I should be writing for Hollywood instead. (Naw...)

The movie stars Will Ferrell, who hears a female voice overdubbed over his everyday life. I suppose the movie "Click" hinted at the same idea when Adam Sandler hears James Earl Jones on his "commentary" track. What I think is so ironic is that these movies seem to play on our own desire to have significance through the impressions or the view of others. It's almost as if the television "commentary" has become institutionalized in our culture. Every action, every opinion is run through the filter of mass media,
cultural sensitivity, and populariy considerations. I wonder (or maybe I should ask) if the older generations find this kind of constant rehashing and reworking of everyday
issues a little silly. After all, how did we view everyday life before TV, before radio, before the "voices" of others became real voices and not simply imagination or literary devices? Most importantly, when did the "still small voice" of the Spirit start having to compete with the loud voices of our TV commentaries? I feel all of us have to differentiate between that voice of the commentator and listen to the quieter voice that speaks like, as Lincoln states, "the better angels of our nature."

Look unto the hills,

AP