Recollections - Savor Each Moment

It has occurred to me often in recent years that even a nondescript moment in my life may have been a lifetime memory for one of my children. How do I know this? Well, quite simply, the realization hits me whenever I am approached by one of the kids with, “Hey, dad – remember when I was 7 years old and I did such and so and you immediately said this and that? Wasn’t that hilarious?” In fact, I often do not have such a recollection, but it clearly made an impact on a child.

I guess what I am rambling about here is that children are a gift to us as parents and the more lifetime memories we can create with them, the better. Even better than that is sharing and reliving those moments together over their maturing years. My kids will likely replay many of those moments in the form of a eulogy for me someday as we did with my father last year, but I am speculating that it might be difficult to listen in on the conversation. As such, I savor each moment of recollection they want to share now with a smile in my heart. I am thankful for my gifts. My advice to any parent is to savor your moments, too.

I Didn't Know That

I occasionally jot down interesting facts when they get my attention. Here is one I learned today.

What is the NUMBER ONE beer-consuming country in the world?

Germany? Ireland? USA?

Nope -- it is now China, up from 33rd in 1980. That should make the world a smaller place during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. And you heard it here, folks. Stay tuned.

Turn, Turn, Turn

It was with profound sadness yesterday that I watched the details of the horrific events at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg unfold. This sadness grew from personal memories of my dorm room on the 6th floor of then brand new Ambler Johnston and my classes in Norris Hall some 38 years ago.

My personal emotions ran from outrage at the events themselves, to thoughts of the irreplaceable loss of young life, to wonder if there had been signs overlooked that could have prevented the events and, of course, how anyone could even conceive of committing such heinous acts.

Although depleted over my many years on this Earth, I offer the family and loved ones of the victims and to every resident of the Blacksburg community all of my courage, strength, and energy to help them heal in this time of great adversity. May God shed His grace on you all.

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

Take Gasoline Tax Away from the Highway Department?

Why is gasoline over $4 per gallon in California? Every time I visit there, I see oil wells pumping, refineries refining and storage tanks overflowing. So what's the deal? Is it as simple as high demand in spite of low production costs? If so, when will the lights come on and a change take place? Uh-oh - Bill is starting to lose it again. Radical political ideas.

How about if we take gasoline tax revenues and not use them to build and repair highways? Oops - that would ruffle some feathers. Instead of feeding the highway system to increase auto traffic and pollution, let's use gas tax revenues to build people movers like Disney has demonstrated for over 20 years.

This way, when roads are no longer being built and potholes slow down traffic, folks will make the switch to alternate modes of transportation and demand for "old fashioned" gasoline will decline Ta-da.

Revolution is a good thing - without it we would not have the USA. Sometimes you must force change in spite of the status quo . . . . "well, that's just the way we've always done it." If you think this is a good idea, then talk it up. If it catches on, guess who will take the lead in building people movers - yep, Exxon-Mobil. Just you watch, folks.

National Housing Disaster?

National statistics released last week regarding home sales, home prices, etc. were somewhat alarming. I received lots of calls. Please, please, please (enough emphasis?) do not be distracted from our local market by a national average. There are some pretty bad housing markets across the country that offset some really good markets - yes, overall the national average is down, but jumping out a window is not the best solution - try patience.

Make no mistake about it, homeowners selling today in the Twin Cities that have been in their homes less than 3 years may not have any appreciable gain on their sale, other than the considerable income tax benefit during their period of ownership. Like any investment, housing investments tend to payoff over the long haul - patient investors are rewarded.

Don's Early Retirement

Regarding the Don Imus incident . . . . okay, enough said . . . . on both sides of the issue.

Kentucky & Minnesota in Missouri

My long hiatus from blogging was due to a glorious spring break trip down to our 2nd home in Branson (see our story at www.Minnesota2Branson.com). While there, I was congratulated by a gentleman coming out of a stage show at Silver Dollar City for having snared such a great basketball coach at the U of M. Puzzled at the remark, he pointed out that I was wearing a U of M sweatshirt. We had a very pleasant exchange. This gentleman was from Kentucky, a huge college basketball fan, and obviously mourning the loss of Tubby Smith. He went on about how lucky we are to have Tubby, what a great person he is and how much he'll be missed at Kentucky.

Welcome to Minnesota, Mr. Smith! The folks in Kentucky think we should be glad to have you - I think they are right! NCAA Tourney here we come!