Seems like every other day there is another news story about something happening to some kids. Yesterday there was a report of the police finding an SUV submerged in a lake and inside was an adult & three kids. They think it was a father and his three kids. The father had taken them during a divorce and disappeared. Man, hate these stories! After I read these things, or have to deal with families where there is issues with parents and kids, I just have to leave the office and go hug my kids. Sometimes I just want to sit and hold them, and they are at the age where much of the time they still are very happy to sit and be held. More so if I read to them. This gave me a couple of thoughts. First, the more I want to spend time with them, the more they experience me seeking them out and wanting their company, the more I imagine I will find them wanting my company and seeking me out as they get older. I can tell them I love them all I want, and that is important, but it doesn't communicate like time spent together, just cuddling. That leads me to my second thought. My heavenly Father likes to spend time with me. He wants to hold me and talk to me daily. Do I, like a child, relish the quiet exercise of just sitting in His lap? Psalm 46:10 "Cease striving and know that I am God." [video:youtube:un2EfjEJAOA&feature=related]

Like the link I posted the other day, today's link concerns fatherhood. This story today talks about how President Obama is going to spend part of Friday emphasizing the importance of dads and encourage men to take responsibility of dads. I think this is great and I am thankful that President Obama is seeking to do this. It does raise again an interesting paradox. The President is acknowledging and celebrating the importance of traditional families with an active and involved dad yet also is eager to reassign the meaning of family to include same-sex couples. So which is it? Interesting to notice.

So, talk about really loosing touch with a sense of reality, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), are unhappy with Obama for swatting a fly during an interview the other day. They are sending him what amounts to a "Have a Heart" trap so that you can capture flies and release them outside. Perhaps we should invite PETA to have their yearly picnic down in Turner near the Egg Farm. Just a thought. Here's the LINK.

So Gavin and I went to see UP yesterday after he got off school. We had a great afternoon together and really enjoyed the movie. I was a bit surprised by the movie UP in that I thought it would be more of a comedy like so many of Pixar's (and everybody's) animated movies. After watching it, I wouldn't call it a comedy, but rather a drama that had some light hearted and funny parts. Now understand that that is not a criticism, not by a long shot. I had expected that Pixar had again created a movie for kids that was fun for adults as well. Most all of Pixar's movies are aimed at kids or young teens, but are written very smartly to appeal to adults as well. I would say that UP is a movie for adults that has enough fun action that kids will enjoy it. It is very well written and "acted" with deep adult themes and characters. It was very moving and inspirational. I look forward to getting it when it comes out on DVD and I can't wait to watch it with Sarah.

A good day with the kids. Took them shopping today and had a good time with them. This evening Sarah and I had a quiet evening together that was a lot of fun and rejuvenating. As for a blog post, I found several intersting articles that might not be interesting to you but were interesting to me so I thought I would list them. The FIRST ONE talks about how kids can be physically hard on their parents. Sarah and I enjoyed this article as we could relate to it personally. The SECOND is about the sad trend of family time being replaced by time on the internet. An interesting commentary of our culture and I fear may be just as true of Christian homes. The THIRD is an interesting study about the relationship between breastfeeding and later academic achievement. The FOURTH is an interesting article about what our fingerprints might be for. It is an audio article from NPR. The FINAL is a fun article by Doc Jensen on theories of the last season of LOST. Enjoy the articles.