Merry Christmas!!!

From the Hershner family!!!

Jump!

So last night Holly, the boys and I went to the mall and did a little Chic-Fil-A together and then dropped Holly off to get her hair done. Yeah let me just say, I think EVERYONE in Cincinnati was there! There should have been traffic lights in the mall just to move people along. Gotta love that last minute Christmas shopping!

Anyway while Holly was getting her hair done, the boys and I headed to the play area in the middle of the mall. And just like most boys do, (or at least like MINE do) they played until playing just wasn’t enough anymore. Apparently if danger isn’t involved, it’s just not as fun! So Owen (2 ½) saw Cole (4 ½) jumping off of the bridge and thought…that looks like fun and thought he’d try that. (You know that whole thing, “If your brother jumped off of a bridge, would you do it too? Well I’m pretty sure Owen’s answer is, “Yep!”) Well after Owen would jump, he would hit so hard that he bounced! So as I’m taking his picture, the woman beside me says, “He’s hitting the ground pretty hard” (hint, hint). And as I’m holding my phone to take his picture, I say, “Uh huh.” (Check out the guy in the orange shirt in the background. It caught his attention too!)

Why is that? Why do little boys like danger? One explanation that I’ve read about in the book “Wild at Heart,” goes back to the very beginning of man when God created Adam. John Eldredge shares that in Genesis 2:7, God creates Adam. Then in verse 8 God places him in the Garden of Eden. Therefore although Eve was created in the Garden, Adam was not. Eldredge uses this to indicate that this might be why men and little boys desire adventure and the wild, because that’s where it all began.

Regardless of the reason, unlike the woman beside me,
I was pretty proud of my little guy’s jump!

Reality of Christmas!

This video basically says it all, so I'm going to let it!

"The Shack"...I mean..."The Cabin"

I'm headed to where my heart longs to be most every day...the woods!!! Let me introduce you to "The Cabin!" This is kind of like my home away from home! If you are a friend of Trevor or myself then there's a pretty good chance you've visited the cabin! It's kind of like it's not official until you've met the cabin...well sort of.

I know it may not look like much, but this picture stirs up many good memories for me and the many friends that have visited! And...if you look closely you may see the next generation of stories that are soon to come!

What place stirs up good memories for you?

Santa Clause Is Coming to Town

I know there is a lot of debate out there as to whether Santa Clause really exists or not. Now granted I don’t know exactly where you stand on this or what your experience is with this, but I felt that there was a definite need to post this. So for those of you who struggle with the idea of the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny or Santa Clause being real…I am posting this proof that Santa does exist!

Now I know exactly what you’re thinking and no…there are NO altercations to this photo! I just happened to get lucky and get this 1 in a million shot of the big man himself!

I am so setting cookies out this year!

Proud Daddy

Have you ever spoke or sang in front of people before? For some folks it is a scary thing to get in front of people to speak or sing. (My wife being one of these folks!) For me it all began when I was just a little guy. I can remember days and nights where dad would have all of his buddies over to play music and they would jam in our living room. Multiple guitars, both acoustic and electric would fill the house with sounds of vocals, violins and harmonicas. It basically depended on the night and the buddies that showed up. Although I didn’t play music at that time, me and Trevor (my brother) would run around in our underwear and dance to the music. Not the audience they were looking for…but it was fun for us!

Now that I’ve grown up some I don’t run around in my underwear “much” anymore. But one thing that I still enjoy is music! Well today I got the chance to appreciate some Christmas music sang by a bunch of pre-schoolers. My oldest son Cole sang at his Christmas concert / pageant and got to be on the “big stage!” Although he didn’t have a solo or special part, it was pretty special for “daddy” who got to watch and wave from a distance. While I was sitting there feeling proud of my little guy, it reminded me of how my dad said he felt when I was on stage. Neat how things come full circle sometimes! Here is a picture during the concert and one after.

Who are you proud of?

Have you let them know today?

The Only Thing

Several of you might have wondered, “I wonder why he has never mentioned God in any of his blogs…then again maybe you haven’t. But if you have, it’s because I have intentionally done this. However please don’t be mistaken. Because as the books “Esther” and “Song of Solomon” have never mentioned “God,” it in no way defines a lack of God’s presence! As good as my relationship is with the Author of life, I certainly have a LONG way to go! And if I can be transparent with you right now, I’d like to share a song with you that really identifies the heart of the one who authors this blog! (Listen)

Ronnie Freeman “The Only Thing”
http://www.myspace.com/ronniefreemanmusic

What song do you identify with?