As I watched her wield the brush both for her own hair and that of her siblings, I knew that night that it would manage to disappear somehow… and I was right.

If you’ve seen VeggieTales, you know that Larry the Cucumber once had a similar problem. This time, however, I was fairly certain that my hairbrush had not been given to “The Peach” by Bob the Tomato …

I searched all the spots where it might have ended up: the girls’ room, the hallway outside their room, downstairs in a couple key locations, and everywhere in between. But in all of my searching, I did not find the brush!

Tonight in a moment of (mostly mock) frustration I complained to the girls at their bed time, “Wherrrrre is that brush?!? Why can I not FIND it?!”

Without much hesitation, and with an amazing matter-of-factness in her terse response, Emma said, “It’s in the van.”

The certainty in her voice made me question her for probably a total of 0.7 seconds.

(Which for an android, is an eternity…)

I smiled, and resolved to check the van later for the missing hair brush.

After the rest of the evening’s activities, only moments before writing these words, I decided to check up on Emma’s declaration. I opened the back door which had been locked for the night and ventured out in the rain to sift through the contents of the back of our van.

I filtered through the stuff immediately around Emma’s seat, and then, with a recommendation from Jen, I checked the third row seats … and there it was!

Just like Emma said it would be.

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Following some errands yesterday (which mostly didn’t go as planned, since, due to a much later start to our excursion, everything was closing on us!) on a lovely, nearly-summer’s night with a beautiful sunset, I decided that we should finish off the day with a visit to a local park.

It’s a small county park that features lots of grass, lots of picnic tables, and a few creeks running through and around it. There’s a baseball backstop which we have employed a time or two. And the train tracks which run through our town are just across the creek, so we’ve been known to spend an evening or two sitting on the bank of the creek watching for trains. (The kids—and Dad—love it!)

Last night, thanks to the recommendation of a friend who heads up this group, we headed to the other end of the park to see some “waterfalls”. Now, these are not regular, natural waterfalls, but spillover from the Erie Canal. However… there is water… falling… and so, we enjoyed seeing the waterfalls!

More than enjoyed, Alex was ecstatic! He was at the lead of our train of people, and when he caught the first glimpse of the rather long/wide “waterfalls” he squealed, “Whoa!! Come here!!! Look at these!!!!” I love seeing my kids excited. I think it’s one of my favorite things.

So we crossed a pretty cool-looking bridge to the other side where Alex was seeing these exciting waterfalls, and observed all that there was to observe for a while. After a few minutes, we observed a beaver! He swam out from one of the banks, heading up the creek where the path ahead of us went.

Always the explorers, the older three kids (followed by their younger sister, number four) ran up the path to see if they could see Mr. Beaver up there. Sure enough, there was another bridge where they could watch him swimming right to them! Mom & Dad and the babies finally caught up and watched as Mr. Beaver swam up as close as I’ve ever seen a beaver… just under the bridge there was a small “island” that he came up on for a moment… then he swam back where he came from! Funny!

So, if you’re in Wayne County, NY, and want to explore a new park … we recommend Swift’s Landing on the east side of Palmyra. Actually, it’s on the Canalway Trail which goes along the Erie Canal for… well, I have no idea how far. Perhaps this website will tell us? (Looks like it goes from Buffalo to Albany! Wow!)

As it has been in the past, and maybe even more now, the Canalway Trail and the parks it connects us to will be much frequented by the Campbells this summer!

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If you have been watching any of the World Cup so far this month (perhaps even if you haven’t) you know that the word of the tournament so far is: Vuvuzela.

Now, I am no fan of the constant, buzzing drone that provides the soundtrack to every minute of every match… nor am I so completely anti-Vuvuzela. (First of all, it’s a pretty fun word, and probably lexically reminds me of one of my previous homes.)

If you watch the video above, and read the linked page … well, you’ll see that even though it might be slightly annoying—enough to want to ban it—it’s not all bad. It has certainly given the entire world something to talk about!

There’s even an iPhone app!

So, if it really bothers you, just turn down your sound and root on your country in silence. Or… you could just buy your own?

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We read the following paragraph last night, and it struck me as an interesting observation on how we perceive the world around us. It follows another traumatic period for Oliver, where he was sure he would lose to disease one of the only people who were ever kind to him, and she especially so. After she recovered, these were Oliver’s (and the author/narrator’s) thoughts:

Oliver rose next morning in better heart, and went about his usual early occupations with more hope and pleasure than he had known for many days. The birds were once more hung out, to sing, in their old places; and the sweetest wild flowers that could be found, were once more gathered to gladden Rose with their beauty. The melancholy which had seemed to the sad eyes of the anxious boy to hang, for days past, over every object, beautiful as all were, was dispelled by magic. The dew seemed to sparkle more brightly on the green leaves; the air to rustle among them with a sweeter music; and the sky itself to look more blue and bright. Such is the influence which the condition of our own thoughts, exercises, even over the appearance of external objects. Men who look on nature, and their fellow-men, and cry that all is dark and gloomy, are in the right; but the sombre colours are reflections from their own jaundiced eyes and hearts. The real hues are delicate, and need a clearer vision.

The lines I emphasized were the ones that we also highlighted last night after reading them. It’s interesting to think that the world we perceive around us is more a creation of our own heart and mind and eyes than it is “reality”. (Philosophically of course, it’s difficult to then distinguish what is “reality” and what is, in fact, our reality. Whether “real” or not, it is all that we can perceive, although it is possible to change based on our change of heart and mind, I suppose.)

It reminds me a bit of what Jesus said, as told by Luke:

“No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.”

Luke 11:33-36 MSG

You’ve heard of rose-colored glasses. Much the same idea. The world is as we see it, and we see it as our current condition allows us to see it. Fascinating to me that we are both affected by our surroundings and circumstances, and equally able to “affect” them, even if only in our own perception of them.

May you see the real, delicate hues of your world more clearly today.

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There were cars pulled off to either side of the road, and people out checking on the wellness of all parties involved. I rolled down our windows to assess the situation and see if assistance was required, and/or if we could actually be of any help (with our van full of groceries and very tired tiny people). As we passed one fairly smashed up vehicle, we could hear the driver crying: though not hysterically, she was definitely audibly shocked by the preceding events.

There were a half-dozen people around her, tending to her, with one man on a cell phone, so, being satisfied that she had enough aid, I continued forward. To our horror we saw on the opposite side of the road a fairly large fire coming from a vehicle that was completely engulfed in the flames. Those who were out next to the vehicle (whether they were the passengers or had arrived to the scene after the crash, we don’t know) all seemed fairly calm, despite the burning vehicle. We surmised—quickly at the scene, and then later down the road—that likely that meant the occupants of the burning vehicle were either safely removed, or it was much too late.

And this has me pensive tonight, as indeed I could see in the countenance of all our children. (Well, except the babies. They were just crying for want of sleep…) Life is so, so fleeting. Had we been to that very spot but a few minutes (at most) earlier, that may have been us in either of those two vehicles. We had been complaining (ok, again, perhaps I had been complaining) of many frivolous things leading up to our encounter with disaster: mostly tiredness, some incredulity at the rate with which money can leave our hands, and sundry other insignificant things.

But we may have been witness to the end of someone(s) lives tonight.

Again, upon further reflection, I said out loud to everyone in our vehicle, “Life is very different than they were expecting it to be tonight, the people in those cars.” All nodded. I commented to our oldest son as he was helping me unload, “That was pretty scary, wasn’t it.” He again, agreed with a hearty and thoughtful, “Yeah…”

One other thing observed tonight—in the positive—was how great we (people) are at responding to disaster and emergency. Complete and total strangers, whom I am certain had other things to get to (though, perhaps not) were stopped on the side of the road offering assistance, compassion, and just human comfort to people whom they may never see again: but treating them like family.

There is an amazing quality of our souls that shines brightest in disaster.

As I reflect on the scene once more tonight with you, I am simply struck by the fleeting nature of our days. Not just that we can die so suddenly, though that is certainly the main thought in my head. The title of this post is that word, “Fleeting,” because these moments that shape us come and go so quickly, and but for a slight change in time or place, our lives could be very different than they end up being. Whether it’s the hand of Providence or not (though I tend to believe it is, even in the allowance in this broken world for some great disasters, as somehow He is so great at bringing life and hope through and even from those) all I know is that it is so fleeting, so fragile.

So all we can do is live it: now, here, today. We never know what twists and turns we will face. We can’t know, and don’t need to. We know that God will go there with us (I will never leave you, nor forsake you). That in itself is quite truth enough. But we also have been placed in the lives of all those people we interact with every day (and, in reciprocity, they too have been placed in ours).

Moments like the one we saw tonight—some great, most really hard, really bad—remind us just how much of a speck our lives are on the timeline of eternity. Our very existence, so replete with richness and complexity, is equally so miniscule, and fleeting.

Don’t put off today what you think you may be able to do tomorrow. (I know I’m not the first to say that, but at the moment, I can’t recall who was…) Live life well today.

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In his lifetime he not only took on and defeated the African slave trade, he also saw slavery abolished altogether, Africans were emancipated and the British citizenry was brought along to view them as fellow men and women (rather than some sub-human species), and he also just in general turned the entire culture of his nation (and likely others) toward a more thoughtful, and in reality, a more Christian people.

The affect of true, life-changing “Christianity” was an interesting thread to follow throughout the narrative. In a time when religion had sullied the name of Jesus and the Kingdom of which he spoke, to the point that anything bearing his name had become completely irrelevant, Wilberforce’s life righted the ship, so to speak, and set Britain’s course for the next century or more on improving (or at least being concerned with) the plight of the oppressed around the world. One of the things he tackled following the victory he’d won for abolition was the condition of life in the British colony of India. He endeavored to bring the truth of the Gospel to that nation, educating her people, and in so doing, hoped to set them free: both spiritually, and socially… and otherwise.

It is a misunderstanding (often brought on by those who would presume to promulgate it) that Christianity is in any way the cause of suffering in our world. There are certainly those (previously mentioned) who would distort the teachings of Jesus, usually to their own gain, but sometimes just out of a sheer ignorance of the grandness of God’s grace. When properly understood, however, there is no greater “force” for change than a true understanding of the Good News that Jesus taught and lived.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Sadly, we under the banner of his name, too often judge the world (though even God himself through Jesus did/does not) … and end up pushing our fellow creatures away, and/or elevating ourselves above others, where we should not. The truth is, we are all the same. And when we know that truth, when we see the world in that way, and when we live in the world in that way … the world is a much, much better place.

William Wilberforce did that. And, as much as one man with such a view of his world can change and affect it for the better, he most certainly did.

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Ahh, PopTarts… the great American breakfast treat!

Jen purchased a box of Apple Strudel PopTarts for me last night, and this morning when we looked at the box, we noticed a little promotion they have going currently called PopTarts Rewards. Apparently they are wanting (needing?) people to try all of their flavors. The incentive towards this end is a little code on each box. When you collect five codes, you get one prize. You can do that up to five times. (But you can only get one code per flavor…)

The prizes you can choose from include 5 music downloads, a free movie ticket… AND… 2 FREE BOXES of POPTARTS! Who doesn’t want free PopTarts!??

So head on over to their PopTarts Rewards site and check it out. Then head to your grocer and try out some new flavors.

(And no, I was not paid to write this… I’m just a fan.)

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But I could really be wrong.

What I mean is this: Many of us go about our daily lives, really just trying to get by. We go to our jobs to “pay the rent,” we probably have some TV shows we like to watch, maybe some music we like to listen to (though it seems I have fewer conversations about good music than I remember having in the past…), and there are all sorts of video games that keep us entertained (read: busy), but then that’s it. Several of us, if we’re not students or parents of students, belong to some sort of group (maybe Scouts, community sports, a church, even perhaps a political group). But, at the end of the day (literally) we are not very motivated to (1) know what is going on with our neighbors, and in our community, and (2) even less likely to know what’s going on in our country and in our world.

Is that true? Do you notice that, too? Am I just surrounded by incredibly unmotivated people???

Of course, that’s unfair to say. In fact, I know many people who are very motivated to first better themselves, then their kids, then to be actively involved in the lives of their neighbors and friends, and even on a wider scale as a citizen of their state and country. However, they sure seem like the exception.

Why is that? What has bred this sense of apathy into our nation? Apathy about the deterioration of our marriages and families. Apathy about us “settling for less” in so many arenas of life (in our jobs, in the marketplace in general, in politics, in our churches, even in our own life with God)… to me, it seems we just don’t care to fix it.

If you are, what is your motivation? What spurs you on to better yourself and to “love your neighbor as yourself?” I think that’s what we’re doing when we “get involved” in our neighborhoods and communities. It’s the “Golden Rule” in action. If you’re living that, why do you? Why are you not content to just play video games and watch TV and go to your job when you have to?

My sense is that our culture is much more defined by the latter than the former. What I’m hoping to instill in our kids is a strong foundation of being loved by God (just as they are loved by Mom & Dad, but better), being people of character and integrity (knowing what is right, and doing it even at their own personal expense), and being actively involved in loving people as they have been loved (equally without favorites, unconditionally, and selflessly). That’s what we (Jen & I) are doing with every ounce of energy that we have on every day. At least, that’s what we’re trying to do.

But some continue to slovenly linger in apathy.

Is that you? Why? Is that someone you know? Ask them why they don’t care to better themselves, if you’re so bold. (If you do, please do so with a humble, non-judgmental attitude. None of us is inherently better than another, some are just perhaps more self-aware and aware of others, in a good way.)

I’m very intrigued by the character of the people who founded our country. Some may argue, “But they had slaves!” Well, if you read history, there were many who flat out wanted it ended, and others (including George Washington) who “owned” slaves, but never bought any slaves, nor treat them as property, and made sure they were freemen when he died. Slavery is certainly an ugly blemish on our nation’s history, but as with all things there are many “sides” to the story. (Of course I don’t ever condone anyone owning any other person. However, it is also true that there are always more “sides” to the story.)

The courage these guys showed in the face of insurmountable odds. The integrity they displayed in standing up for what they knew to be right, despite the fact that it likely meant losing everything they had, including their lives. And to do it, not just for themselves or their families, but for their fellow countrymen.

I don’t think we have people like that today. At least, I’m not sure I’ve met them.

(No offense to any of my friends who may be reading this.)

I’m not sure I’m them.

So, how do we get past the generations of ingrained apathy? Something like 9-11 perhaps? Maybe. That did seem to draw us all together, and perk up our ears to the current events of the day. We were all one people then, rather than a country divided by “left” and “right” leanings. I would hope that wouldn’t be necessary, but I’m not sure how we lift that (apparent) heavy blanket of apathy, and motivate and inspire each other to betterment of ourselves, our marriages, our families, and our communities. Do you?

More questions than answers here today, but it’s the stuff that is currently ruminating in Greg’s Head. Thanks for reading along, and do add your thoughts to the stew, if you’re so inclined.

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We in the Campbell home have really enjoyed watching them and been inspired to look deeper into the history of our country from the topics covered in these documentaries.

Usually, the “Insider” access is a paid service (roughly $75/year) but, as I said, this is a good chance to see what Glenn Beck is really saying, for free.

(Also included are access to his magazine, the video cast of his daily radio show, and/or audio podcast of the show, sans commercials, and I think some more stuff. Check out the link for more information.)

We recommend. I think lots of people have the wrong idea about Glenn Beck. He’s discovering for himself, and sharing what most people in our country want: the real values of character, integrity, honest, courage… and not any party affiliation. For too long, discussions of policy and politics for our nation have been politically driven, played according to party-line rules. Blah. There are so many problems with our country … it’s not just politics, and political solutions are not the answer. The only thing that will fix the brokenness of our people is to change who we are. To fix ourselves, to educate ourselves, and to live out those values.

Glenn Beck is not the answer, but he’s become a great resource and inspiration toward that end. Don’t just believe what you’ve “heard” about the man… check it out for yourself.

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One thing that I took issue with early on, however, was simply the word, “Education.”

From the beginning, DeMille says repeatedly that we need to make sure we have a great education. That we need to have better educations. That it is paramount to have an excellent education. For some reason, though, every time I read the word, I had a negative reaction to it.

Why would that be? Do I not think that there are problems with the education system that needs to be addressed? No, that’s not it. It’s the major reason we don’t send our kids there. That’s not the education they need. (Among many other things they don’t need.)

Am I just weary of hearing year after year, in every town I’ve ever been in, “We need to improve our education system! Our kids need a better education!” Could be that. Especially since the call for educational improvements seems to go almost completely unheeded. (Or, if heeded, the attempted fixes apparently don’t do the job, evidenced by the fact that we all continue to bemoan the current education system!)

Really what I think it was for me was that I was operating on a poor definition of the word education.

The author contends that an education is something you must earn yourself. It’s what you actually learn and take away from your study and from any teaching or instruction you have received. Also important to his definition is that, “You can not educate anyone, they must educate themselves.”

Schooling is the opposite idea in that the end goal is that the recipient is only intended to have the information that is being taught; not do the work to get there, thus earning the education. (Doing the work to educate yourself allows for knowing how to think, not just what to think.)

The further I read into the book, the more I understood this distinction he was putting forth.

And, the more I agreed.

Public school is not by default an incompetent educational system, nor a bad choice. (The author of A Thomas Jefferson Education is not suggesting that, either.) But public schools operate on the “conveyor belt” idea, where the object is to get everyone to a certain standard set of “knowledge” in a set amount of time (at the preset times). Thus, the system is set up to teach students what to think, rather than how to think.

There are exceptions to the rule in any given school, or classroom, but that principle is generally true, just by the nature of the system or structure we have created.

And I believe that is what made me cringe every time he said that we need to help our kids (and ourselves) get a better “education.”

What he helped me understand is that, first of all, I did somehow get a good education. I have always loved to learn. I love documentaries, including what my Dad and I called, “nature shows.” We have watched many of those together over the years. Definitely have always loved to read. And from that reading and learning to think more on it, and then to discuss with others or write about it. (Like I am often found doing on these pages.)

(Note: I mainly say “somehow” in regards to my education because I was not a great student. I generally received good grades, but I did so without much effort at all. And I frequently did not complete—or even start—homework assignments, much to the chagrin of my parents. Thus, that statement is not intended as any sort of condemnation of my own various schools or teachers.)

I also have always really enjoyed listening to classical music, which they say stimulates the brain… perhaps that’s it?

Whatever the reason, I do have a love for learning that seems unquenchable, and that, too me, is a sign of a good education. That’s what we want to instill in our children as well. A good, strong sense of right and wrong, of character and how to treat others, and a full and rich love for learning—especially in the subjects that matter most to them.

So how does that happen? How do we first, give our kids (and ourselves?) a good education, and second, how do we spark that love for learning in them?

DeMille and friends would suggest using a system of “mentors and the classics.” I don’t want to get into a full review of the book here (it’s a pretty short book, actually, perhaps you can get a copy for yourself, and we can discuss more fully at a later juncture?) but I do really like—and feel that we have implemented—the teaching model they suggest.

I’ve always said that we learn from life. It’s not a separate thing. It’s not a separate time. All of life—from the moment you are conscious in the morning, to the moment you go to sleep at night… well, and sometimes during sleep!—we are learning. There is something to be learned, or, as a parent/mentor, to teach. A parenting course we have loved over the years says to train in “moments of non-conflict,” and we regularly look for opportunities to do so.

The idea of learning from mentors and from the classics is similar to that. Rather than picking up a text book and plowing through what someone has written about a subject, often you can learn directly from an important thinker or doer on the subject in a classic piece of literature, or art, or even a person or a movie or play. Really, it can be anything that makes us think on a deeper level, and ultimately challenges us to think about who we are and who we want to be.

It was fascinating to see how he suggested that all disciplines can be studied and mastered through this method, simply by reading what the greatest minds have said on any particular subject. Want to learn science? Read Newton. Want to learn math? Read Copernicus. And so on.

It has definitely inspired Jen, not only as a teacher, but likely even more so as a learner. That’s pretty amazing. I’m loving learning along with my wife as she keeps discovering things about herself and the world around her. (How sad is it that, for her, this hasn’t really been happening until her 36th year of life?!)

Oh, one more important thing from the book, and the reason for the title. When DeMille was studying methods of education, he found repeatedly that the model of great teachers (mentors) inspiring students to get great educations was the model by which nearly every great leader—ever—was educated. Every one. Interestingly, including all of the men we call the Founding Fathers. The ones who helped create this country, whose freedom for the individual has never before nor since been equalled.

Chief among those learned men was Thomas Jefferson. His education was astounding. He spoke multiple languages, was a master of several different trades/fields, and as we all know, he was also the writer of the Declaration of Independence, one of the greatest proclamations ever penned of man’s inherent right to live free.

Where are those people today? Some are in research fields, making great discoveries. Some are teaching in institutions of higher education. (But, showing my personal bias, I’d say those folks are different, as, though they are also quite learned, they tend to get a bit stuffy and irrelevant in their positions in academia.) But the combination of a great education, great wisdom, along with great character and courage don’t seem to exist currently. Especially as selflessly as can be seen in those men who were willing to sacrifice literally everything (and some did!) to preserve freedom for their families and fellow countrymen.

Is that what a good education can produce? Not just smart people who know lots of things… but honorable people? Men and women of courage, and character, and integrity? We think so. And, that’s why we are giving our kids the best opportunities, to the best of our abilities, to get an excellent education. Not just to know what to think, but how to think.

Moreover, how to really live life. And live to the full.

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