family Archives - Page 2 of 2

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Brian Tucker — 2 Comments

Credit Where Credit Is Due.

There’s a 90s country song by the band Sawyer Brown that sums up my goal today. The lyrics go like this: “I thank the bank for the money. And, thank God for you.”

If you’ve ever appreciated someone for something they’ve done for you in this life, now is as good of a time as any to let them know.

So, here goes my list (and there will be omissions, my apologies up front):

For my entire life, soul, purpose: God

For being a true light in a dark world to me and to countless others: Leah

For showing godly love each and every day she breathes: Fay

For my humor: Johnnie

For a strong spirit: Brandie

For teaching me to laugh, no matter what: Sherry

For teaching me to be strong and presentable: David

For showing me determination: Jamie

For teaching me to endure (often whilst mowing the yard): Jared

For being an artist in so many ways, levels: Leah D.

For showing a strong will, kind heart: Brittany Sexton

For teaching me that not all Clevelanders are rude: Al

For opening her home to guests, amazing cooking and board- game skills: Linda

For showing great teacher-to-be skills and being a great witness: Lydia

For commitment to any task, being a best friend: Hopper

For whimsy, being unpredictable, and accident-prone (you made me laugh more than you knew at home): JT

For zany, slap-stick humor, and being the female portion of our best friends quintet: Dani

For tact, example, and leadership, and appreciation for 80s hair metal: Patrick

For being great friends and wives/husband to my best friends: Dana Silvers, Sarah Hopper, and Vince Frantz

For kindness shown to total strangers who become additional family members: Jo Carol, Joey, Tim, Jane, Diana, Dennis

For riding roller coasters even after back surgery, taking me to the skating rink, and sharing oldies music at the pool each summer: Kay

For love of language, life, creativity, travels, and annoying high schoolers as unpredictable as the Little Debbie snacks served at MHS each morning: Paul

For showing HEART, baring soul, and teaching the heck out of a history lesson each day: Jimmy

For devotion to science, and to people, and a cause: Chaplin

For showing family connectedness: DeeDee, Darci, Jane, Ludelle

For writer inspiration, appreciating the lesser seen beauty in things: Lindsey Frantz, Rebecca DeSensi Sivori

For passion in literature (in and outside the classroom): Eliot, Young, Bob, Derek, Nancy, Julie, Amanda, and MFA peeps

For boldness to step out on faith and be yourself (different is okay and non-traditional): Mark Love, Scott Pollard

For studiousness (and mentoring 3 high school dudes when the Bible was often the furthest thing from our minds each morning at the greasy spoon): Jeremiah Goley

For mission-mindedness, going to Russia when God asks, and serving, serving, serving: Coy Webb

For community love, accepting 2 strangers into his community church in E. NC in 2013, and scholarship, and writing a book I want to read someday when it’s published: David Schmaltz

For healing people, and being a counselor, and college roommate unlike any other: Thomas Carter

For inclusion at a new place and making me a part of the team: UT-Chattanooga- Stacie, Laura, Elizabeth, Kayla, Deardra, Lisa-Michelle, Sevan, Michelle, Angela

For acceptance into a new community of faith, in a new town: Journey Church

For my spiritual growth and development and paying my way to serve in Brazil in 2003: First Baptist Church (and the anonymous friends and their support)

For teaching me about subject matter on the past and present and life, in general: MHS teachers, staff, UK faculty, EKU

For consistency and always being there (and being the same): my grandparents, relatives, and old, dear friends in Monticello, Lexington, KY, NC, TN, and across the world

For those I haven’t met: May our paths cross soon.

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Brian Tucker — 1 Comment

The word riot (noun) is – a wild disturbance from a large crowd. But did you also know it can be a noun used to reference ‘unrestrained laughter’? To say someone is a riot is to reference their hilarity, their good qualities.

Riot – originating from Medieval Latin riota which means “quarrel, dispute, uproar” was first seen in 13th century times. But, of course, these actions were seen way before the 1200s. Because, we as people, have been messing up long before the USA even existed.

Another example of riot sometimes implies people creating havoc for ‘a common purpose‘ together. Think, Boston Tea Party – 12/16/1773. (2.5 years before Independence Day.)

Today, my thoughts are with the Baltimoreans.

Just because a word (or, phrase) is coined from a previous language and integrated into our current system of speak, doesn’t mean the actions weren’t present well before words were on-hand.

I know we have a range of readers, and I appreciate all of you each week. Today, I just wanted to discuss the inevitability of imperfections running rampant on our streets.

Whether they be U.S. streets or a small, dirt-packed trail worn by foot traffic in Zimbabwe, we all have an affinity for messing up. Again, I couldn’t help but admire the courage of those trying to regain order in the news footage.

The mom who literally whipped her kid in public did what a great mom should: love. Maybe a little bit late? Maybe in a less than ideal environment? But, hey, it’s there. It’s present in her eyes. She’s not letting him get away. Sure, he (and others) might go unnoticed by law enforcement and the public’s eye, but she’s a reminder that he knows what actions…what riots can do when loved ones are hurt.

For some of us, watching a riot video “from home” might be as close as we ever come to this action. For others, just yesterday, you were on the front lines maybe tempted to pick up a rock and hurl it at someone. Loot CVS.

I hope not.

Either way, the choice remains yours at the end of each day.

To make your world, family, and loved ones better by being “the riot of the party” and uniting others in a greater purpose, the greatest cause–love,

or,

to threaten others with quarrels, disputes, and violence for violence’s sake.

Baltimore is just our current, 4/27/2015 example of hate winning out. Let’s turn the other cheek from here all the way to Zimbabwe today, 4/28/2015, and show others (no matter the cost of appearing weak) that love trumps evil every time.

Even if it doesn’t look that way from the television screen.

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Brian Tucker — 2 Comments

Battling Back.

A good portion of our lifetime is spent in a season of battling back.

Whether it’s from injury

from a relationship

a career

or, maybe all of the above and then some…

We wrestle with the fatigue of “breaking even” during the course of our lives.

Case-in-point, for me:

I spend a good chunk of each calendar year trying to stave off the viciousness that is diabetes (Cue up Wilfred Brimley commercials about Liberty Medical and their testing supplies, you know the ones.).

But seriously, it consumes a large part of my life. I picked it up at age 20, and so, this summer will be 10 years with Type 1, or, what is commonly known as juvenile onset diabetes.

I say consumes, because it requires a ton of working out and meal balancing. The pancreas doesn’t function as it should (or, in Type 1’s case, at all). So, to compensate for this lack of digestion, I try to eat less of those evil carbohydrates. (Hopefully this didn’t put an image from Austin Powers in your head. But, what if I said, “Carbs are the enemy” with a Scottish accent, I’m sure the image is there now. You’re welcome!)

…Tons of workouts, a reduction of carbos, and we’re only getting started. Items such as fatigue, stress, and etc., all work in clever ways to reduce an already weakened immune system. So, it results in what feels like battling up an already steep hill (in life, work, play). I liken diabetes to now battling up that same steep hill, except there’s a steel wagon wheel attached to my back and the hill has Tremors below the surface. (Yes, just like the ones that came after our friends Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, and Reba McEntire in the 80s classic.)

Therefore, I wanted to share this very real life struggle with you, and say it, say all of this, to say: You aren’t alone.

Life throws curve balls, sliders, change-ups, knuckle balls, and splitters at all of us.

But sometimes…not all the time…and on good days there’s the occasional fastball. It comes right down the middle of the plate at a cool 92 mph, and you are able to connect and knock the laces off.

That’s what I want you to read (and hear) today. Take that truth with you wherever you go.

Sure, there are a slew of other analogies I could give that might connect with you more deeply than Wilford Brimley, Reba, and baseball, but it’s a start!

God can handle the awkward pitches and uncomfortable moments. Really. Truthfully.

But, just know that straight pitches are ahead as well. There are good days, and I say relish in those and enjoy them.

They (these moments of joy) make the darkness all the more bearable. When there’s a strong light that you can focus on, it’ll help you get through the caverns of life. So, whether you have to buy medical supplies today for a sick family member, or, you yourself are battling back from a tough start this year, just know that good times are coming.

Additionally, on a perfect health day, I relish:

Oldies music (60s motown) and good coffee (Rwandan, if you have it).

What about you? What brings up your spirits and makes a day the best it can be? Is it music, or, a great book? A hug from a dear friend?

Here’s to your health and discovering God’s love, as you battle back into the count. I pray you have a perfect pitch somewhere along today. And when you do, swing with all your might.

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Brian Tucker — 2 Comments

Hat Fetish.

I have an obsession with hats.

See Figure 1 below for proper em-phasis (on the right syl-lable).

Call it temporary, and I’ll show you a progression. This is compliments of Facebook and its record-keeping self. (Scary, I know.)

2004: (80s party)

2005: (Halloween shindig with JT and Adam at Campbellsville University)

2006: (Residence life at UK and Burger King at 2, 3, or 4 am)

and

2007: (Pool table at Casa de Silvers)

2008: (Honeymoon on the open seas and dry land and Illinois with the Mrs.)

and and

2009: (Halloween in Monticello at the Pyles’ residence)

2010: (Mexico and Ohio)

and

2011: (Mexico again)

2012: (Gun range with sister-in-law and Florida and Kentucky)

and and

2013 – Present:

Is, of course, still being written. The lesson learned from the above images?

I have entirely too many hats and…have worn them all to the best of my ability.

I’d like to thank Facebook for this field study in accessorizing. (Maybe the first one ever completed via social media.)

It has helped me learn 2 very important lessons:

1.) All hats are not created equal

2.) There’s a right time and a wrong time to wear a straw hat. There’s NEVER a wrong time to break out the Viking helmet. EVER.

*The Viking helmet shown above was worn during the Writer’s Residency in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. However, it was also a helmet worn during the cruise of January 2009 and was a great conversation starter.

**The golfer hat above was worn during New Year’s celebrations with friends in Lexington, KY.

Do you have a hat that you wear almost every day of the week? What makes this the “go-to” hat?

I know I write this with light-heartedness and humor, but I really do look back fondly on all of these silly excursions and appreciate the times shared with good friends.

May you find any (and all) opportunities possible in 2015 to be yourself and celebrate the “less formal” arenas of your life.

God bless!

Tag: family

Credit Where Credit Is Due.

Acting Out.

Battling Back.

Hat Fetish.