Tyler with his sisters, Jordan and Ellie (Photo courtesy of Charles Bordner)

This weekend, my son Tyler leaves for college.  And, as I think about that, here’s what I’d like to know- how has this happened so quickly? 

Tammy and I were in our mid-twenties, excited about my first big job and enjoying our first (decent) apartment, when we found out that we were expecting a baby!  Since then, Tyler has become a young man and the center of the universe for our two younger daughters.  There’s just no way those eighteen years have passed so quickly..!

Some of you may have heard me on the show, fighting back tears as I described our first visit to Tyler’s college campus this Spring.  I’ve toughened up (a little!) since then.  Tyler and I spend a lot of time together and it was - and still is - hard to imagine him being gone most of the time.  Trying to come to grips with the idea that my relationship with my son will “turn a corner” and never be the same…  Well, it’s been difficult.

Now, I know some of you are going through this with me in the next couple of weeks and maybe you’re struggling also.  Well, I read something a couple of months ago that’s helped.  I read this, of all places, in a book called A Look at Life From a Deer Stand, by singer/songwriter Steve Chapman.  It’s a lyric that starts by telling parents that “the moment your child starts to walk, they start to walk away from you,” and then it concludes with this:

Can the sparrow ever learn to fly
If the nest is all it knows?
Can the arrow ever reach it’s mark
By remaining in the bow?
You have to let it go.

Sure, it’s a pretty simple lyric, but it illustrates what I think is a profound truth.  Every lesson and every struggle over the past eighteen years, from the gazillion skinned knees to that “why are girls so frustrating?” talk- all of it has been in preparation for this moment.  And, through God’s grace, I know Tyler is ready (even if his parents are not).

It’s time to let the arrow go. 

Monnie and Walt were talking about managing their mobile phone contacts list, so I decided that, since I hadn’t purged my phonebook since about 1995, I would delete my old contacts too.

Almost immediately I came across the name of my maternal grandmother, who we lost a few years ago at the age of 95.  I stared at the name for a while and thought how much I would love to just press “call” and talk with Grandma about Tammy, the kids, the price of gas…

Grandma Ethel, as we called her, was always smiling and she loved to laugh at my jokes.  One of my favorite things to do was to enjoy one of her home-cooked meals while talking and laughing with our family.  I remember once making her laugh after she took a sip of tea, and from then on, I would try to cause her to spit her tea out!

There were several other numbers in my phone for friends and family that were no longer around to talk to.  Tammy’s grandmother (she passed on in 2006), my favorite aunt (we miss you Aunt Alpha!), and a co-worker who died of cancer a couple of years back.

So, as I stared at Grandma’s name and number, I decided to try this some other time.  Deleting her number just seemed like saying that I didn’t want to talk to her any more.  I think I’ll leave some of these old numbers in my phone for just a while longer…

If you’ve listened to the show this week, you probably know that Walt, our producer, is taking some vacation time.  As a result, I’ve been doing my job AND HIS until he gets back on Thursday.  Here’s what I’ve learned:

I’m grateful for all the things that Walt does.

I think of myself as someone who is constantly grateful for the blessings in my life, and I hope that’s true.  I pray that it is.  But during Walt’s absence, I’ve noticed - more than ever - how much he does to make our show sound great!

Monnie took some vacation time a couple of weeks back, and while Stacie Bartro did a great job filling in and putting up with me, the show wasn’t the same without Monnie.  So I’m grateful for all the things Monnie does here.

So I’m really thankful, truly grateful, for the skills and personalities that my team brings to our show every morning.  And it’s probably been too long since I actually SAID SO…

Here’s the thing; I’m writing a quick note to both Monnie and Walt right now, to let them know how much I appreciate all that they do.  And maybe there’s a coworker, a friend, a family member in your life who makes your day easier or more productive? 

Maybe you should write them a quick note, too..?

Quick, but funny. 

Monnie and I were talking about the drought here in the south, and how some areas were having to import water to fill their reservoirs.  Monnie said, “Yeah, water’s the new oil!”

How true.  How sad… but true.

Pray for rain!

We spent an American evening last night. A Fourth of July with our family. We grilled in the back yard and then packed all thirteen of us, along with enough blankets and lawn chairs, to watch the city fireworks display. While we ooh’ed and aah’ed at “bombs bursting in air,” my mind was on the state of our nation.  Something that I had read earlier in the day stuck in my mind, and I hope you’ll allow me to share it with you. 

This comes from an essay by historian Victor David Hanson:

“On this Fourth of July of our discontent — with spiraling fuel prices, a sluggish economy, a weak dollar, mounting foreign and domestic debt, continuing costs in Iraq, a falling stock market, and a mortgage crisis — we should remember two truths about America. First, the United States remains the most free and affluent country in the history of civilization. Second, almost all our problems are lapses of complacency, remain relatively easily correctable, and pale in comparison to past crises.

By almost any barometer, the United States remains the most fortunate country in the world. We continue to be the primary destination of immigrants, who risk their lives to have a chance at what we take for granted. Few in contrast are flocking to China, Russia, or India. The catalyst for immigration is primarily a phenomenon of word of mouth…”

Amen! And, thank God for the blessings I take for granted, that are so obvious to millions who risk so much to come here.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

A quickie.

Since most of us have a 3-day weekend coming up, odds are many of us will be spending time around the pool or the backyard BBQ. If you do, be sure and wear a sunscreen that works. I read in a local paper out here that most sunscreens we buy DON’T WORK!

Here’s a link to the article. Another link (here) compares some of the best sunscreens.

And so you know, if you’re going to be out in the sun, it’s recommended you apply a sunscreen that’s SPF 30, or higher, a full 30 minutes before you go out in the sun, and you should reapply every two hours . . . or after you go swimming or sweat.

I’ll leave you with that gentle nagging. And this - a random guy we saw riding his bike down the street, smoking a cigarette and carrying a giant boot. I had to stop and ask him for a picture:

Tuesday was “Beach Day”.  Six adults, seven kids, a kayak, surfboard, 3 boogie boards and enough sandwiches, snacks and drinks for the whole day.  We (the adults) were worn out before we got there!

What a great day…

Tyler, Jordan and a cousin hit the surf in a kayak.

Little Mia making starfish sand “pies”

Of course, not everything at Rincon Point was picturesque…

I can’t think of any words for this.  Feel free to write your own caption in the comments below…

Wow.

Well, Cali really is the home to the stars! But who would’ve thought we’d see a couple of eighties icons, all before lunchtime on a Sunday morning?

Weird Al

We saw Weird Al window shopping on Main Street in Ventura. I’ll tell you about the embarrassing thing I said, but I’ll wait ’til I’m back on air next week. It’s that bad!

Kathy Ireland

Also, earlier in the morning, we attended my brother’s church, and walked out with 80’s supermodel, Kathy Ireland! The former SI cover model is now a supermom and online entrepreneur.

It’s funny to see how cool people here are when it comes to seeing stars out in public. Kathy Ireland, Weird Al, and some radio guy from Upstate South Carolina and nobody was snapping pictures or asking for autographs. Amazing.

Not a lot of time, but, really, the pictures will say more than I could anyway.

Four of us went back-country camping for a couple of days. It was my son (Tyler), my brother (Keith) and a friend of his (Randy) and me in a rugged canyon in the hills of southern California. It was beautiful. We scrambled up rock faces and over boulders for almost five miles, and then, among the desert sage and cactus (cacti?), we found this oasis of countless waterfalls and deep green pools. It was completely unexpected, and one of the most refreshing and incredible sights I’ve ever seen.

We made it! Tammy, me, three kids (or Tyler and two kids, as he would prefer) traveling for 13 hours. We’re exhausted, but I promised Monnie I would try and update this daily, so a couple of quick things:

Thank God for Continental’s new video-on-demand system! Each seat has a small LCD display mounted on the back of the headrest of the seat in front of you. A passenger is able to choose from about 15 different current and classic movies, TV shows or games. I don’t know how families ever made 6-hour flights without it!

It’s been all over the news how airlines are “being forced” to charge extra for luggage, charge for the in-flight snack, etc. to make up for increases in fuel costs. Here’s an idea- and airlines are free to use this without any consultation fee- stop flying passengers to New York if their ultimate destination is Los Angeles! We flew 2 hours to New York from Charlotte and then flew right over Charlotte again on our way to the west coast. That’s almost 4 hours of fuel to get us right back where we started from. How many $5 in-flight “snacks” do they have to sell to pay for that, I wonder…?

Finally, Tammy and I were a little annoyed by a passenger while waiting to board the plane in New York. She was talking loudly (do New Yorkers ever talk softly?) on her phone, using profanity in every breath. We noticed her a few rows in front of us later, reading a book. The name of the book; “30 Days to Taming Your Tongue“.

I wouldn’t tell you if it weren’t true…