by Greg

Ten Rules To Live By – Thomas Jefferson

Saw this on a friend’s blog today and had to repost here. If ever there was an intelligent, wise man… well most of them seemed to live in the late 18th century! Thomas Jefferson being chief among them. You may remember I posted here awhile ago that I found a collection of Jefferson’s writings in one book (Thomas Jefferson: In his own words) … it really is fantastic.

So, here are your 10 rules to live by, from Thomas Jefferson:

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have earned it.
4. Never buy what you don’t want because it is cheap.
5. Pride costs more than hunger, thirst and cold.
6. We seldom repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How much pain the evils have cost us that never happened.
9. Take things always by the smooth handle.
10. When angry, count ten before you speak, if very angry, count a hundred.

by Greg

The Family That Reads Together…

Time Pirate by Ted BellI absolutely love reading with my kids. Love it. I think I especially love reading stories that stretch out over days and weeks (even months in the case of some longer books the boys and I have read together, like Oliver Twist, and Nick of Time). The pure joy of entering new worlds every time you crack open the book and smell the fantastic aroma of time worn pages, or brand new pages for that matter.

I love reading, period.

The boys and I are currently reading Time Pirate by Ted Bell. It’s an historical adventure (a fictional adventure story set in an historically accurate setting) so it brings up plenty of questions about true stories from the past. The two “Nick McIver adventures” books have been set near World War II, as well as some time in the 18th century (he’s a time traveler, so… that helps for exploring several historical eras). We’ve also touched on WWI since the people Nick looks up to (his Dad, and his older friend, Gunner) served in that war. Nick rebuilt and learned to fly a Sopwith Camel bi-plane from WWI, which means we also are learning about flying (and sailing in the previous book).

There’s so much to learn, and it’s fun doing it!

Here’s a list of books (not comprehensive) that are currently in progress in the Campbell home (Dad & kids reading … Mom has a whole list of her own to add – maybe she’ll comment?) 🙂

  • Time Pirate by Ted Bell
  • The Story of Winston Churchill by Alida Sims Maklus
  • Voyager: an adventure to the edge of the solar system by Sally Ride
  • The Sun and Other Stars (from World Book’s Solar System & Space Exploration Library)
  • Galaxies and the Universe (from World Book’s Solar System & Space Exploration Library)
  • The book of Acts (Today’s English Version) by Luke (and God…)
  • Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (I read this with only the girls)
  • Anything and everything by Mo Willems! (He’s great!)

As I said, that’s not comprehensive… perhaps it would be fun to share a more comprehensive list? If you’ve not noticed it yet, there is a list of books that I am currently reading (and sometimes I’ll share videos/movies/TV that I am watching there as well) linked at the very top of this site. (Or just click here.) You can also see (when I’m feeling ambitious and keep it up to date) a few of the current reads along the right sidebar. But those don’t always include books that I’m reading with the kids. Perhaps I’ll share some of our favorites as a new page there: Books I’m Reading With the Kids.

One thing is for certain: BOOKS are definitely part of the Campbell family identity!

by Greg

Grime’s Glen

Grime's Glen in Naples, NY

There’s a very neat little spot, hidden away in the town of Naples, NY, that we finally “discovered” last year, just before Cameron was born at the end of July. We had been told about it by a few people, but finally got to experience it for ourselves last mid-summer.

Yesterday, we “discovered” even more.

Last year, even though we knew there was a waterfall there, we were content to just splash around in the stream and explore a tiny bit from our point of entry. The stream flows over a rock bed with plenty of rocks of all sorts strewn throughout it. So there are tiny “waterfalls” everywhere for the kids to play in, even use as water slides. They love it!

So last year, we weren’t aware just how fun it was, and they had no change of clothes. They just got wet in what they were wearing. THIS year, we came prepared! The kids all had their bathing suits, ready to go. And, even though the water, flowing from the top of a mountain stream (well, OK, a … foot hill stream?) was much colder than they anticipated… they didn’t care! They were in there splashing around as soon as they could be!

This time we determined to find that waterfall! After splashing around a bit where we entered the stream, we began our trek. A trek that involved lots of stumbling on the smooth, wet rocks, as well as several fun discoveries along the way.

At one point, with so many tiny people struggling to continue, Mom was ready to give up, but we all encouraged her to press on. Finally, I (Dad) agreed and we left the youngest with Mom to play around in a big open spot of the stream while the oldest (um, and our two-year-old daughter) decided to push on to see how far that waterfall was.

It was very close!

Just around the bend, we saw it! Hooray!!! We called everyone else to push on and the scout party pushed ahead to confirm our discovery. Indeed we had finally found the big waterfall!

Grime's Glen - Naples, NY

Much fun ensued as the oldest began climbing as high and as much as they could! Everyone had fun getting wet in the falling water. Even Cameron! I brought him up to it and found a spot where there was a “tiny waterfall” he could play with. He got down on this knees and just started playing! Loved it!

We stayed there for a while, enjoying, and then headed back downstream to our van to head home. But no fun family celebration day is complete without ice cream! So, on our way home (well, about 10 miles out of the way… “on the way”) we stopped by an ice cream place we know of there and enjoyed lots of great homemade ice cream!

It was a super fun way to celebrate Cameron’s birthday, and the best part is, he thought so too! A one-year-old, loving treking through a mile or so of a stream up to a fairly large waterfall?! What a fun kid he is!

So, at Cam’s recommendation, you may want to check out Grime’s Glen on your next birthday, too!

by Greg

A Positive Look at the 2010 Buffalo Bills

Today is the day that the Buffalo Bills begin assembling at St. John Fisher. They have all been preparing in their own ways, separately and together as a team for the upcoming season. Pretty much since the last season ended. But tomorrow, when they take to the practice field, in front of a couple thousand fans eager to see their “weekend warriors” back in action, the 2010 season begins in earnest.

The expectations for this year’s version of the Buffalo Bills are expectedly low. Ten straight years of non-playoff, mediocre (or worse) football will earn you that. But, just like the organization did four years ago, they come to camp with a completely new face.

And I do mean completely.

Let’s Start From The Top

From the top down, the organization has changed. Gone are Dick Jauron and essentially all of his staff. Even Russ Brandon, who has been called the Bills’ General Manager for the past few seasons (though that was never officially his title, to my knowledge) has been “promoted” to Chief Executive Officer. That’s a really good move, actually, as Brandon has done a great job of marketing and growing and sustaining the organization as long as he’s been here. He should do a great job as the Bills’ CEO.

But a “football guy” he is not.

Enter Buddy Nix. Nix was working for the Bills last year as a head scout I believe (I forget exactly what his duties were) but this off-season, in the first move to remake the Buffalo Bills, he was hired as the team’s new General Manager. A “football guy” who has been around players and made player decisions for decades, and who knows that you need “football guys” to win football games.

Indeed.

Enter Chan Gailey. The very not highly-acclaimed Chan Gailey. Although names like Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Shanahan, Brian Billick, and Jon Gruden were not only “thrown around”, I believe most of those well-known coaches were interviewed by the Bills (or were themselves trying to get an interview with the team). In the end, the Bills eventually landed on Chan Gailey.

New Coach, New Hope

So, why Chan Gailey? The Bills are hoping that Gailey can have the success he’s had in the past, but… it’s becoming the distant past, in the world of sports. Gailey was last a head coach in Dallas in the late 1990s. And although he took the team to the playoffs two straight years, with 10-6 and 8-8 records, he was fired after just two seasons.

In contrast to his Bills predecessor, Dick Jauron, Gailey has always been a winner. In reviewing his (albeit quite small) record as a head coach at both the professional and collegiate levels, he has only had one losing season ever: 5-6 with Division 1-AA Samford Bulldogs. (Compared to Dick Jauron, who has more head coaching experience and has only ever had one winning season. Ouch.)

Gailey has a history of joining struggling teams and quickly “righting the ship”. That’s clearly one thing the Bills are banking on. Also, Gailey is an offensive-minded coach. For longer than I care to think about now, the Bills have been just ridiculously bad offensively. Offensively offensive, to be sure. So his being a successful offensive coach was definitely another reason that Gailey was chosen.

The question will be, does he have enough to work with?

The New Faces Under The Helmets

The Bills did not make the so-called “big splash” in free agency or the draft (many were hoping for more trades to happen in the draft) but they are certainly not the same team that we saw last year.

Of the 82 players the Bills had on their roster at the start of training camp last year (4 unsigned rookies and 78 signed players) only 47 are returning this year. That’s 35 new players. (The Bills currently have only 2 unsigned draft picks, and 80 players under contract.)

“But, who cares about training camp rosters,” you say? “The regular season roster is 53 players. That’s only 6 new players?!” A valid point, until you look at the roster for the opening game last season. Then you’ll notice that there are 23 players who began 2009 that are no longer on this team. (To be fair, that number does include eight practice squad and eight other reserve players.)

However you look at it though, the Bills definitely added to their team. If nothing else, simply by subtraction. When the new coaching staff came in, the first thing that happened was a massive cut of what were predominantly special teams players. I found that interesting in that those were the players who seemed to excel on our less-than-stellar roster. However, Bruce DeHaven (making his second appearance as Bills Special Teams Coordinator) must have disagreed.

Several WRs are among the more notable names who are gone: WRs Terrell Owens, Josh Reed, Justin Jenkins (one of those Special Teams guys). And yet, though clearly lacking experience, there is an abundance of talent at the WR position. Actually, there are several positions where the talent exceeds the number of roster spots. Besides receiver, the coaches will have a tough decision or two at LB, DB, RB, and even QB. (We’ll get to that in a bit…)

The Main Questions

Aside from the question of whether their head man was the right man for the job, the Bills clearly have many other questions. You probably know them all, so I’ll list them only briefly here:

  1. Offensive line. This unit was so badly injured last year that it’s hard to really assess the talent level. Returning are last year’s rookies Andy Levitre and Eric Wood, along with 2008 7th-round pick, Demetrius Bell. Add rookies Ed Wang (5th round) and Kyle Calloway (7th round) to an already vastly inexperienced line, and you’ve got a recipe for potential disaster! Geoff Hangartner, Kirk Chambers, and free agent Cornell Green are the only three players with more than two years of NFL experience among the Bills offensive linemen. Yikes.

  2. Quarterback. Clearly this is a big question for the team as well. For years now the Bills have never found “the guy” to lead their team under center. Just a season ago it was Trent Edwards for sure. But, with that broken offensive line, and poor play calling (as well as apparently, differing opinions amongst the coaching staff regarding that play calling) and likely other factors, Edwards was benched for a very mediocre Ryan Fitzpatrick, and later Brian Brohm was given a shot against the Falcons late in the season. Sadly, nothing has really changed, except reports are that Edwards seems to be “a different person.” More engaged, more leadership, and still has great physical ability. All three QBs will be given a shot to win the starting job… we’ll see what comes of that…

  3. Running Back. This offseason the rumors were flying regarding RB Marshawn Lynch’s future with the Buffalo Bills. Would they trade him? Were his days numbered? All of that followed the Bills using the 8th pick overall in the 2010 draft to get RB C.J. Spiller from Clemson. Spiller is a dynamic, exciting player, who has endurance and power also. He’s much like the Saint’s Reggie Bush, and the Bills are hoping to get that sort of production from him. Big plays. Last season Fred Jackson set records for the team with 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards in kick returns. He literally was the offense for this team. And if Marshawn Lynch returns to the form of his rookie season … the Bills don’t have question marks in their backfield, they have definitive exclamation marks. (Assuming their offensive line can hold together!)

  4. Linebacker. As I’ll discuss below, another big piece of the face lift for the Bills this season is their shift to a 3-4 defense. What that means is position shifts for many players. Several defensive ends moving to linebacker, and some of the LBs moving to other positions (outside linebacker to inside linebacker, or vice versa.) This not only means learning new positions, but it might mean some players don’t make the cut. Another one of the more deep positions for the Bills is LB with 14 players vying for a spot including: Paul Posluszny, Kawika Mitchell, Aaron Maybin, Andra Davis, Reggie Torbor, Keith Ellison, Chris Kelsay, Aaron Schobel, and more. Definitely a position to watch.

  5. Defensive Back. This is actually the most solid position on the team (besides maybe kickers and kick returners). Last year the Bills’ only Pro Bowler was S Jairus Byrd, a rookie with 9 INTs on the season! He was fairly amazing at being in the right place at the right time. (And he put up those numbers in only 11 starts!) Aside from Byrd, the unit returns all but one of their players from last season, adding a few free agents for training camp competition. The Bills also get CB Leodis McKelvin back who had a fairly promising rookie season in 2008, but was injured early in 2009 and missed most of that year. Good talent, and good depth, and—rare for this team—unit cohesiveness over a few seasons should lead to this being the most reliable, and perhaps most productive unit on the team.

  6. Special Teams. It deserves to be mentioned, althought usually these guys are (somewhat justifiably) overlooked. Even though the Bills have been mediocre or worse over the past decade, they have consistently led the league in many special teams categories. That will likely continue, or even improve in 2010. Thanks mostly to the return of their primary guys: K Rian Lindell, P Brian Moorman, PR Roscoe Parrish or CJ Spiller, KRs Spiller, Leodis McKelvin, and last year’s main guy, Fred Jackson. Bruce DeHaven (ST Coordinator for the Bills during their Super Bowl years in the 1990s) returns to head up this talented group and figures to maintain a high level of performance in this arena. The thing to watch will be just who actually gets picked to return the kicks. There is a really amazing level of talent and depth at that position for the Bills.

The “3-4 Defense”

If you know what that means, then you are a true football fan. The subject has been much discussed this offseason, after the Bills announced that that was the defensive scheme they would primarily employ in 2010. The “3-4” defense is a defense that features three defensive linemen (the guys right on the line of scrimmage) and four line backers (as it sounds, they are “back” off the ball, away from the line of scrimmage).

Previously (and like most teams have been in the NFL for a while now) the Bills ran a 4-3 defense, with four linemen and three linebackers. The main difference is that a 3-4 uses smaller, faster, lighter players. This actually will work to the Bills advantage in some ways as several of their defensive linemen will fit perfectly as outside linebackers in the 3-4 defense. (Aaron Maybin, Chris Kelsay, Chris Ellis, and—if he does not retire—Aaron Schobel are all former DEs moving to OLB this year.)

Adjusting to a new defensive scheme is always hard, but the Bills do seem suited to a 3-4. (And if you Bills fans will recall, the 3-4 is the defense that has given our team FITS over the past couple season, and is used by all of our division opponents.)

Another advantage will be the more frequent use of man coverage. The previous defensive scheme (a version of the “Tampa 2”) employed many zone coverages, which did not necessarily take advantage of the talent the Bills have in the defensive backfield. The cornerbacks and safeties are licking their chops for the added responsibility in 2010. The DBs will play tighter, one-on-one, and look to be up to the challenge. (Also this frees up players like ball-hawk Jairus Byrd to roam the backfield even more … adding to his already impressive INT totals!)

So, while it will be an adjustment, to be sure, the move to the 3-4 defense should also provide a marked improvement to a beleaguered, downtrodden Buffalo Bills organization.

There’s Hope, But…

So with many promising changes, and the hope of returning players gone for most of 2009 … the Bills really do have much reason for optimism in 2010. However, even if everything falls into place for them … check out this schedule:

Sept. 12 – vs. Miami
Sept. 19 – at Green Bay
Step. 26 – at New England
Oct. 3 – vs. New York Jets
Oct. 10 – vs. Jacksonville
Oct. 17 – BYE
Oct. 24 – at Baltimore
Oct. 31 – Kansas City
Nov. 7 – vs. Chicago (in Toronto)
Nov. 14 – vs. Detroit
Nov. 21 – at Cincinnati
Nov. 28 – vs. Pittsburgh
Dec. 5 – at Minnesota
Dec. 12 – vs. Cleveland
Dec. 19 – at Miami
Dec. 26 – vs. New England
Jan. 2 – at New York Jets

The AFC East has improved (most notably the NY Jets, but the Dolphins added WR Brandon Marshall, and the Patriots still have Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker. Oh, and that guy… Bill Belichick…) and the Bills face the AFC and NFC North. All (but Detroit and Cleveland, perhaps) quite formidable foes. That’s quite a tough schedule for a team who finished last in their division last season!

In the end, there are WAY too many questions about this year’s Buffalo Bills to have any idea about how they may fare. However, there are certainly enough bright spots to keep their biggest fans (and perhaps their smaller fans) hopeful that THIS will finally be the season the Bills are at least relevant… if not actually in the playoffs in 2011.

Sadly, though, the reality is that all indications point to this major “face lift” begun by the Bills in 2010 signifying that they are thinking long term. That means that likely 2010 will be setting the ground work for future seasons. That means… another season without playoffs.

That may be the reality, but for now… it will be fun to start with the blank slate of training camp and preseason and a fresh, new, NFL football season in September!

Bring it on! Go Bills!

by Greg

Oh Where Is My Hairbrush?

Emma CarolineI’ve been without a hair brush for a few days now. It first disappeared following a bath night for the kids when it was being passed around freely amongst the various heads in our household: predominantly the female heads, led by our two-year-old, Emma.

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.

by Greg

Unexpected Fun at Swift’s Landing Park

Swift's Landing Park

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!

by Greg

FIFA World Cup 2010: Vuvuzelas!

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?

by Greg

The Real Hues Are Delicate

Oliver Twist - Charles DickensNot sure if you have read the Charles Dickens work Oliver Twist, or, if you have that it has been recent enough that you would recall the plot in any detail. The boys and I are almost three quarters of the way through it, and rapt by the story of this gentle young boy’s circumstantially unfortunate life. (Though at this point of the novel, things have “picked up a bit”) It’s been a very interesting look into the specific time in history, the people of England, and on a larger scale, human nature in general, all levels of good and bad.

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.

by Greg

Fleeting

On our way home from a night of re-stocking our cupboards, we came upon a line of stopped cars. It was very odd, and, from where we were we couldn’t quite see what was happening (or had happened), but it soon became apparent that an accident had just very recently occurred.

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.