Ride for the Brand

     Hello all.  I want to apologize in the beginning because this is going to be a long post.  If you're up for it and actually get to the end, hopefully there's something in here to help you or someone you care about if they're having a hard time.      This time of year is kind of a difficult one at times.  It's also a very busy time for us.  Before I get to the reasons behind the challenges, let me give you some background:      So for the first 25 years of my life there was someone that I had the privilege of knowing.  Even though that might seem like a long time, I really was only close with this person for maybe the first 12 years of that 25.  We were best friends.  We would play in the sandbox together, with LEGOs, sports, and whatever other things were around.  Even if they weren't play things we'd play with them.      I remember playing outside and pretending to be this or tha...

     Well, here it is another week.  Liz is ready to be done with this pregnancy.  Brinley is loving school.  Wyatt is Wyatt and is always fun and curious.      This post is going to be a little more on the serious side again.  I've been doing a lot of thinking about life and the things that happen.  With so much going on in the world that seems horrible how can there be any hope?  How can we have anything to look forward to?  The answer that I've found that seems to fit the best and help the most is pretty simple on the face but extremely complex underneath.  There is one thing that encompasses all.  The cool thing about it is that it applies to everyone whether they want to accept it or not.  Whether they believe in it or not.  That's the cool thing.  The sad thing is that there are those that haven't ever had the chance to learn about it.  The most disappointing and frustrating thing is th...