What does it mean to be a father? How do I “be” a father? What does a father “do?” What does being a dad mean to you? Like my Scandinavian ancestors and relatives, I like to tease and joke with my children. I get the better part of the relationship, though. They have a funnier sense of humor than I do. But they know their father cares and interacts with them, and sometimes they even laugh at my jokes and teasing. Of course being a father is more than just horsing around. We go to work daily, if we can, … Continue reading →

When I tried to go to sleep last night, my hungriest child requested food. Because I grew up being hungry all the time, even though my parents weren’t direly poverty-stricken, I let him. An interesting dialogue resulted: “Dad, there’s nothing to eat!” “You’ve got chicken in one crockpot and beef in the other. Just put some lemon pepper on it. That makes everything taste good…” Suddenly, I sense someone standing over me. I roll over and find myself looking up, eyeball to bag of lemon pepper. Small bits of lemon flavoring and pepper fall off the bag, going into my … Continue reading →

Most of us have some memories of our mothers making and serving delicious foods, some every day, some just on the holidays. I grew up a very hungry person, well able to consume large pizzas in a single sitting. So I have compassion for hungry children. My wife was in an exciting, entertaining, and not a fun car accident, and while she recovers, I get to cook most of the household foods. There are some downsides to that. While I like quality, tasty foods, I get so hungry that don’t care, as long as it is healthy enough, rather than … Continue reading →

We’ve spent a lot of time in doctors’ offices lately. A chiropractor who does many things other than spine adjustments to treat his patients has discovered and helped many of our family health problems. My wife Tristi was in a wreck that totaled both the semi truck and the Hyundai her friend drove. So we’re experienced with both getting well, and getting vehicles off crowded, icy roads. Visits to doctors’ offices are usually done by the children’s mother. As our family roles change, or as semis are taken out by Hyundais, fathers also get to bring their children to visit … Continue reading →

A single man becoming a married man requires some adjustments. And then when his wife becomes pregnant … he learns to adjust even more. I was a cook in the Air Force and experimented in the kitchen a lot. I also tinkered with chemical formulas in high school and college. I liked inventing original recipes with whatever ingredients were on hand. A small note: very few food dishes prepared by yours truly in my family of origin were popular ones, and I have fond, funny memories of an LDS missionary companion with a rather long nose (only one-eighth of an … Continue reading →

My birth father was sickly and depressed. He had many health problems that his family of origin did not resolve, and the traditional medical community was no help. Because he was not given the chance to improve himself and his life within boundaries he could work with, he was never able to contribute materially to his families, and to society generally. Consequently, he was not able to treat his family members well, although he intended to, and often made efforts in behalf of his children, six of them in two marriages. He could not hold down a job, and eventually … Continue reading →

We all have a father of some sort. We could not exist if we didn’t. How fathers relate to us affects us for the rest of our lives. This can be very positive—think of the effects of fathers such as the biblical Abraham on his son Isaac, who also was an outstanding personality. Albert Einstein’s father gave his son a magnetic compass when he was ill and changed the course of history by engrossing Albert in physics. The stories A.A. Milne and J.R.R. Tolkien wrote for their children and grandchildren, such as Winnie the Pooh and The Hobbit, are considered … Continue reading →

Becoming a father was not foremost on my mind when I was growing up. Even the thought of beginning a relationship with a member of the opposite sex gave me so much stress, I avoided it. And yet I knew I probably would marry and have children, and I wanted certain things for them. I wasn’t much of a Scout, either, for a whole host of reasons, and so didn’t practice the Scout motto “Be Prepared.” This has had some negative effects on my life, as I now see the value of being prepared and the benefits the Boy Scouts … Continue reading →

I’ve written a lot about scarecrows recently. My son has been infatuated with them ever since we visited an organic apple orchard a few months back. I didn’t think much of it at the time. This was around the time when our son started telling stories. He was remembering things and retelling the tales. He fell down one day and proceeded to tell us the story of how “I fell down!” over and over and over again. After we visited the apple orchard our son began to tell us all about how he “saw scarecrows” at the orchard. It entered … Continue reading →

So… it’s Autumn. We moved to a less desert-like climate and, as a direct consequence of that action, we’re experiencing the glory of Autumn instead of just a colder “brownness.” As I type this our front door is open to allow the sound of leaves blowing in the wind, falling on the grass, and blowing down the street into our home (along with the cooler air). The sunlight flickers against the doorway as the leaves move in and out of its rays due to the wind. The whole effect is like that of a candle, but with daylight. It’s a … Continue reading →