Friday, June 22, 2012
15 Years of Bliss(ish)
Nine months later, "far too young and far too soon" again, a beautiful baby girl joined their family....and they were off.
Since then Seth and Crystal have worked hard to create a household filled with love, noise, joy, noise, and acceptance.....and a few rambunctious (and amazing) kids.
A household where they open up a room, and their lives, at a moment's notice to someone in need of a place to live and heal.
A household where all are welcomed and encouraged, nay, forced to be themselves.
A household that shows its love for Jesus in the way it loves people. Church people, family, friends, neighborhood people, that scary homeless guy, freaks and geeks, it doesn't matter, they might try to hide it under scary demeanors (not really), but they love them all.
A household that strives to be a safe place for hurting people in need of shelter from the storms of this world.
A household that has learned my mother's lesson that "more parties" is always better than "less parties".
I know it hasn't always (ever?) been easy, but I have been impressed with the insane determination to love each other that they have both brought to the marriage.
So please join me in wishing Seth and Crystal a happy fifteen years of marriage and our hope that they will get to experience fifteen more.....and then a bunch after that since, heck, they got married far too young, they have an outside shot at a Double Diamond Anniversary.
Love you guys!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Submarines! from TMQ
Sunday, September 05, 2010
the furious longing of God
Friday, March 19, 2010
Myers-Briggs Report
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Crazy Christian and the Left-Wing Looney - A Story of Friendship
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
Lewis and Clark
Ben and Jerry
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Earnest Hemingway
Brutus and Sparrow
Jonathan and Jeff.
Friendship is weird.
Way back in 1993 when some pimply faced new kid in school with slicked back hair and a chubby, shy kid with a terrible hair cut first met, no one had any idea that they would still be friends over seventeen years later.
In fact, no one had any thought that they would be such good, close friends that people would think of them like a married couple.
We lived at each other’s houses and knew each other’s parents so well that we got the birds and bees talk from two sources.
People would come up to me and say, “Hey man, Sparrow owes me five bucks. We both know he is never going to pay me back, but he will pay YOU back, so why don’t you give me the money and you can get it from him.”
For a friendship to last this long you have to be willing to talk about issues, since when you are as close as we were and spent as much time together as we did, you are bound to get into arguments. Dumb ones mostly. Like how it was impossible that I couldn’t like a song that Jeff loved so much. We argued about that for almost two hours I think. Worst part was that it was a Goo Goo Dolls song.
There was one time we got in a fight about something moronic and didn’t see each other for two weeks. Kevin had to drive out to North East to pick Jeff up so we could “hug it out”. By the time the two weeks had passed we had no recollection about what the argument was anyway. Might have been Matchbox 20.
We are on such opposite sides of so many issues, religion, politics, alcohol (he doesn’t like beer), and other vital issues. However we manage to put that all aside, even the fact that he know that I really want him to think like I do on religion. I am amazed by how many friendships are destroyed by politics or religion….or alcohol. In regards to politics, we are all being screwed by our politicians so why fight about it? And religion? What good does it do me or him if I chase away a friend by harping on it? He knows my thoughts and feelings on the matter, one day he will realize I’m right. :)
So in closing, Jeff, I love you, although not in a move to Massachusetts kind of way, I can’t think of anyone else I would rather be practically strip-searched and kicked out of Canada with.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Just so I can keep track of it.
Artist: C-Lite
Name: No Tombstone
Just posted it here so I remember it.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
A Note From My Mom
My 24th birthday would be the last birthday I would celebrate with my Mom as she would leave us six months later.
I found the book recently, sitting on a bookshelf of course, and thought that I would share the note my Mom wrote to me.
To My Dear Son, Jonathan,
As I look back over the years, the one gift you have given me, which stands out, is laughter. From your baby smile, which you did with your whole body, to your obsession with the Dukes of Hazzard (“I’ll be Luke and you be Daisy.”) you’ve given me smiles and laughter. Remember at the dinner table when you practiced being windshield wipers? And Mr. Spoon? And the stories you would act out with whatever was handy?
Even ushering me down the aisle at Elizabeth’s wedding, you got your emotional Mom to smile and laugh.
And so in this coming year I would wish for you many smiles and much laughter.
Love,
Mom