Faith
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Yesterday was a beautiful, warm and windy day in the fields of Madison County. My 5 year old came to me, eager to unfold his latest superhero’s kite. Spiderman had been a huge winner, but used his spidey-sense to detect an opportunity to exploit my son’s weakness and took flight, starting his unmanned voyage across the vastness of America’s heartland, riding on the westward wind.
It was a difficult lesson for Tig. I think he believed that Spidey was the only kite he’d ever have to hold, and love, and cherish. They’d formed a quick bond, over the period of their two flights together. So when the spindle tore loose of his bike’s handlebars, he was thrown into a grievous fit of despair. And when I pulled a second kite out of the closet several days later, a smaller, green crocodile kite, he was overjoyed at the opportunity for a second chance. But it was short lived, as the small crocodile kite had a spinning tail. Unbeknownst to me, spinning tails are a sure sign that the kite will S U C K.


June is a month of great excitement. Summer. School’s out. Weddings. Holidays. In my home growing up, June was full. On June 10th we celebrated my parents wedding anniversary. On June 17th we celebrated my Dad’s birthday. A couple of times Father’s Day coincided with his birthday. That was always special. Sometimes my siblings, or a small contingent of them would surprise us with a visit (I have 5 brothers and sisters). And 5 years ago we were all together for a different kind of celebration. On June 7th, 10 days before his birthday, and three shy of a wedding anniversary, I sat with 2 of my brothers, and watched my dad struggle to breathe, and finally after a seemingly eternal vigil, his body died.
A Word of Preface: My wife and I had an interesting discussion this morning. I've been thinking about it since she left for work. I haven't come to a conclusion yet, and I'd be interested in hearing thoughts from this community (as it is frequently from an altogether different perspective than mine, and an excellent foil!). Please bear with me as it's gonna probably take awhile to get all the way around to my main point... :)

