The mayonnaise jar

This is really cool e-mail I recieved from the girls' teacher the other day. It speaks volumes about how to approach life and what is MOST important.


When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 Hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full..

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and Favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So... Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play With your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 'Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that Really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Keeping focus with the kids

As I have stated before I am an avid outdoors man, and enjoy all the blessings God has given us in the outdoors. I am passionate about sharing it with the kids and enjoying the outdoor lifestyle with them.
So far in my other posts I have explained how our lives have changed since we lost Jamie, and how much different our lives are now with the Becca and Kayla. Another major focus of ours is on our two other kids , Luke and Maddie. We try the best we can to spread ourselves out evenly to all the kids. Sometimes that is a lot harder than it sounds. Luke and Maddie are very unselfish when it comes to Becca and Kayla's "extra needs" and the time it takes away from plans that we might have had.

The one thing that Luke ,Maddie , and myself enjoy doing together is shooting our bows. It something anyone can do, you don't have to be 6'2" and 185lbs. to excel at it. It takes practice don't get me wrong , but we manage to do as much of that as possible. It also requires focus, you have to know your distance from the target, if there is any wind to compensate for , your personal limits,you have to remember good form, and be aware of your surroundings and any other archers.

Both of the kids are very good shots with there bows. I take all the credit for that..........RIGHT :)
Although I have helped them to set up there bows and have "coached " them on the basics of shooting, they have practiced and practiced and practiced to become better shooters. There have been numerous times that we have shot at 3-d competitions , and well.........lets just say I finished 3rd out of the three of us. They seem to really enjoy beating there old man, especially Luke . His chest pumps out a little bit , and he likes to rub it in a little. Don't get me wrong I think it is great, but I don't like losing either. So when I get a chance to rub it in on him I take it. I cherish that time we have together, because I know someday in the not so distant future that they will be all grown up and leave the nest. "Our time" gives me a great opportunity to talk to them about life and explain to them the important things they need to strive for. Don't worry I am not going to try to explain how life is like shooting a bow or anything, but as a parent it is very important to me to keep my focus on the kids. With so many things out there these days do distract and tempt them it is my responsibility to make sure they know the direction they want their life to take.

The above pictures are of us shooting in the back yard, the last is of the target we were shooting. I hope they will always remember the hours we spent "flinging " arrows in the back yard. I also pray that as they grow up they also remember some of the talks we had , and some of the "life lessons" we talked about. I know as a dad I will be giving them money for school, money for cars, money for weddings, etc., but the talks and times Luke, Maddie , and I share are the most valuable things I will ever be able to give them.