You Becoming You - Three ways to Re-charge.

How do you re-charge? When we experience the times of our lives in which our wheels are spinning and standing still, what do we do to start moving again?
Here are three ways I have found to help me to stop, re-think, and re-charge my current state and move forward.

1. Communicate your vision and be willing to change. What is your passion? Pursue it. If you experience rejection, use it as re-direction.  What you're doing matters.

2.  Learn by listening. Become active, not re-active. This will help you to shape your mindset.  Active  listening will improve your critical thinking skill-set.

3. Be Grateful. 

We can do this, together.

Until next time.

-Luke

A Legacy.

Today I heard that a man who had mentored me as I grew up had passed away. Jerry Albeck inspired me to be respectful and grateful, to serve others consistently, and to always seek to grow and be more than what I believed my potential to be. I am thankful for the legacy he created.

You may or may have not known Jerry Albeck, but I do know that you have the ability to make a difference in someone's life today by the life you lead.

We can do this, together. 

Until next time.

-Luke 

An Open Letter To My Community

This past week I observed two separate events that had a profound impact on me.  I have been recently experiencing a rather cynical attitude towards society, and these events forced me to re-examine my attitude and current state of mind.
The first event I am speaking of involved the tragic loss of a young local businessman.  The outpouring of love and support for this family from our community and his peers was beyond measure.  What a dynamic statement of remembrance was on display as a reflection of the positive impact he had on his community.
The second event involved a woman of whom I went to high school with, and a social media post in which she shared an experience she had, which compelled her to action.  She stated that she had observed a man in a wheelchair struggling to get up a hill (in 95 degree humid weather).  She happened to see numerous cars just drive past him, so she stopped and helped him up the hill.  As I read her post I was thankful to know that there are still people in our world who care to give of themselves to help others when they are in need.
I would like to sincerely thank all of you who live your lives just a little differently.
Thank you for being kind and compassionate, and caring for others to make our communities better.
We can do this, together.
Until next time.
-Luke

Follow the Leader

I'm the youngest of five siblings, two big brothers, two big sisters. When I was growing up, I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be smart and studious like my sister Ruth. I wanted to be an amazing musician like my sister Sara. I wanted to be adventurous and super-creative like my brother Joel. I wanted to be an excellent athlete like my brother Sam. 

One hot summer day when I was around twelve years of age,  my brothers and I were outside riding our bikes. My oldest brother found an eight foot two-by-four and positioned it carefully over a nice deep ditch between two driveway areas where we were riding. One of the driveways was a bit higher than the other, so the two-by-four made a nice connecting ramp.  My brothers began to ride down the ramp quickly and easily. It looked fun, I needed to do it too! Needless to say, I was not as coordinated, and as I reached the midway point of the ramp, my wheel slipped off, and into the ditch I went, face-first over the handle bars.  My face made contact with the ground first. As I jumped up, scrambled to look for my broken glasses, and check to see if I had all of my teeth, I never thought once about not getting back on that bike. I followed, I failed, but I didn't give up. I learned that I couldn't do what they were doing, yet. I was still inspired to try.  

Are you inspired by someone to do great things and come into your own today? Are you willing to keep on trying, even when you fall on your face? Who will you inspire today? 

We can do this, together.

Until next time.

-Luke

"Ode To Bridget"

The toothiest grin I ever did display,

was when you walked down to me on our wedding day.

My heart pounded, my knees grew weak,

my mouth so dry, didn't know how I'd speak.

The most beautiful bride I ever did see, 

was walking down the aisle to me.

We made our vows, each to the other, 

we'd be best friends and lovers.

Fifteen years later, and I smile just as wide, 

because my Bridget is still by my side.

We can do this, together.

Until next time,

-Luke

Three reasons I'm lowering my marital expectations.

Have you ever reflected back on your life and compared your expectations with your reality?  As I wrote my blog last week regarding complacency in marriage (find it here: http://lukeandlife.blogspot.com/2016/07/why-i-occasionally-rub-my-wife-feet.html ), I considered what my expectations of my marital relationship fifteen years ago were versus what they are right now, and I realized that much conflict and frustration could be avoided, and how I can be a better Husband and Father by lowering my expectations. Here are three reasons I'm taking this action:

1.  I am lowering my expectations in order to serve my family better. I want to be a consistent example of what love is.  What better way to demonstrate that than to serve them consistently, with nothing expected in return.  It's not easy, but it's worth it.

2. I am lowering my expectations in order to communicate more effectively.  Many times when I verbalize the expectations I am placing on my wife and kids, I realize just how selfish I am being, and how unrealistic what I expect to be, actually is. I want to communicate better in every way, consistently. 

3. I am lowering my expectations in order to live urgently in the moment. The older I get, the faster time goes by. I want to enjoy every single moment I am granted in this life.  I want to live with a heart filled with gratitude, not with resentment. 

We can do this, together.

Until next time,

Luke

Why I (occasionally) rub my wife's feet.

August 4th, 2001, my wedding day. A lot has changed in the past fifteen years, but one thing has not, the vow we took that day. If you're reading this blog with eager anticipation as to the "why" the title proposed, it's simple, and complex. I (occasionally) rub my wife's feet because she loves it when I do so, and (occasionally), I remember that! If you've been married for a while like us, it's easy to get adapted to the mundane routine of life. I've found it's easy to get complacent in marriage.  I don't want my wife to have a complacent marriage. I want her to never lose the joy we shared  the day she walked down aisle and we committed our lives to each other.  I'm realistic, I know that I've changed, and so has she, that does not leave me with an excuse, it leaves me with a great responsibility, to show her I love her through everything we are blessed to experience together.  I need to rub her feet more than just occasionally because it tells her how much I love her, without saying a word.  

What is one way you battle complacency in your marriage? I'd love to hear! 

We can do this, together. 

Until next time,

-Luke