Life with David...

It's the day after Thanksgiving. Today, David has no school. For breakfast, we sit down to leftover turkey dinner. I finish and clean my place. Soon, I am in my office talking to a potential partner in software development. I use my loud speaker so the words echo around and out the room. David comes in with a hope-filled look on his face. He wants to talk too.

I point to the door and whisper, "Go!"

David's head goes down and shuffles to the door and goes out.

One minute later, David is sitting on the extra chair in my office. I am still on the phone.

I point to the door and with a stern face, whisper, "Go!"

David's head goes down and shuffles to the door and goes out.

Deep in conversation, I hear David giggling and Beau bark. I turn my attention to the office door. David goes running past with Beau on his heels. Five seconds later, there goes David again in the opposite direction, running past giggling with Beau taking chase. This goes on back and forth for a few minutes. I can't stand it anymore and burst into a deep belly laugh.

"Um, I am sorry!" I apologize to my colleague on the other end of the phone. "But, David is running back and forth in front of the office door with Beau chasing him. He really wanted to talk to you but I sent him out of the room. This is his way of dealing with the rejection."

"That's okay!" He smiles. "I've read about David in your blog. Great kid. We can learn a lot from him." We both laugh.

I hang up the phone and the first thing I do is give David a huge hug.

Gotta love that son of mine.

Life with David...

This morning, David walks into the bathroom. Boldly faces the mirror and rips open his fluffy white cotton bathrobe and exposes his royal blue Superman t-shirt hidden beneath.

"Yup! I Clark Kent! I Superman!"

Kindness...

'I expect to pass through this life but once.

If, therefore, there can be any kindness I can show,

or any good thing I can do to any fellow being,

let me do it now,

for I shall not return this way again.'

~ William Penn

Dirty Dishes

Thank God for dirty dishes;
They have a tale to tell.
While other folks go hungry,
We're eating pretty well.

With home, and health, and happiness,
We shouldn't want to fuss;
For by this stack of evidence,
God's very good to us.

~author unknown

Just a Thought...

Life is like going into a candy store with only a dollar. There is such much good stuff to choose from...but you can only choose a few pieces.

Choose wisely. :O)

Grand Rapids Give Camp 2009

Can you imagine.... 100 developers, designers, database administrators, marketers and non-technical volunteers coming together for 3 days to help 24 local non-profit organizations (http://GRGiveCamp.org/2009/non-profits/selected) revamp websites, create new ones or go from spreadsheets to a database management solutions.

Well rub your eyes, hold back that disbelief, that chuckle, that shaking of the head, it's not a fairytale... it's true. It happened at the downtown YMCA here in Grand Rapids, Michigan from Friday, November 13, starting with registration beginning at 4pm to Sunday, November 15, ending with demonstrations of the finished projects starting at 3pm. How do I know.... I was there.

I was a project manager, content editor, gofer, and taxi driver and "You want what? Sure thing!" person. I got to hover between all the projects but I helped out most with the Living Water Prison Ministries Network and Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore projects. It was wonderful to spend time with both projects and watch them develop. Both teams were absolutely amazing.

The Girl Scouts wanted an online volunteer form instead of just the hard copy version. The goal was to have a new potential volunteer be able to fill out an online form, ensure that all the required fields were filled in, then press the submit button. An Access database then needed to be updated.

The Living Water Prison Ministries Network wanted a new website. That's right. There wasn't one before the GRGiveCamp started. (http://livingwaterpmn.org/)

It was amazing to watch a desired need become real. Strangers become friends. Tired minds and bodies rejuvenate as each task was accomplished. Some of the team members slept right there at the YMCA.

Chris Woodruff and the GRGiveCamp team did an spectacular job of organizing this massive event. Can you imagine trying to feed all these people? Where were they going to stay if they needed sleep or get cleaned up? How about making sure that the nonprofits had everything they needed to spec out the project and have the technologies in place to start the software development side of the equation. How about matching talents with needs? Can you imagine? All I can say is WOW! and Woo Hoo! and Job Well Done. Thank you! You made it an awesome experience.

Despite the YMCA getting a little cold. Despite sleeping under the tables, in the corners and on the floor. Despite cold food and running out of Red Bull shots. Despite missing out on billable hours. Despite missing out on family time... it was time well spent. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Maybe next year ... you can experience the power of the human spirit too ... coming together for a short, brief time called GRGiveCamp. All you have to do... is sign up. (http://GrGiveCamp.Org/About/Other)

With You

Dancing with you is a pleasure in time
The music that plays in an unheard melody and wordless rhyme

An unspoken word that hushed by our ears

A touch and a glance of sweet blissfulness that mirrors

All that our hearts so wants to say

But dull articulation cannot convey