The Cedar Life
Living for the Long Run
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Some Trips are Colder than Others This past Christmas, Santa gifted me a copy of Colin O’Brady’s The Impossible First. The book documents the author’s quest to become the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unsupported. Woven into the story is the journey it took to get there and the challenges he faced that fed his drive to do something that no human had ever done. The book is a compelling… Read More
1. Painting with a New Palette – In August, someone sent me a YouTube video in which Bishop Robert Barron is interviewing actor Shia Labeouf regarding his conversion to Catholicism. This followed his preparation for playing St Padre Pio in a film on the great saint’s life. Admittedly, I hadn’t really been tracking with Shia’s life developments in recent years, but after learning a little bit, it’s safe to say he’s not… Read More
Last week I wrote about my experience attending a retreat in 2018 and how that weekend has impacted my life since. When I had the opportunity to attend the same retreat in 2019, I did not hesitate to sign up again. On my journey of faith and personal growth, one important lesson I have learned is that the path is not a straight line. We do not evolve and grow as people… Read More
Salty Snacks Imagine a man sitting on a couch, alone on a Saturday afternoon. He is watching a football game with a bowl of salty chips and a beer within arm’s reach. With this limited information, how would you describe the scene and the man within it? It was in a recent interview with podcaster Matt Fradd that Christopher West painted this picture and asked the same question of the listeners. Reflecting… Read More
Sandwich Talks I recently had lunch with a friend who has a parent going through some serious health issues. My friend’s father is in his eighties and while some of the issues are acute, there is also a realization that he is likely to need increasing care over the coming months and years. Throughout the conversation, what became clear was that this friend was trying to navigate the ‘normal’ waters of life… Read More
Lessons in Dentistry Following a recent visit to the dentist, we instituted a rule in our home that all the kids must floss every night before brushing their teeth. Keep in mind that we have four kids 8 and under, and it is dad’s job to make sure it gets done, which often means I am the one doing the flossing. Trying to get little people to stay still with their mouths… Read More
You Still Hold the Pen In a recent interview, author and business coach Bedros Keuilian was asked what the biggest factor is in preventing people from reaching their full potential. Bedros’ answer was simple: the story. Everyone has a story, he said, hardwired into them about why things are the way they are. Why they don’t have the life they desire or good health, or whatever it is that is missing. But… Read More
Toy Ninjas As the father of young children, I often endure the shows they like to watch on Saturday mornings. I like to be present and pay attention to what they are watching, but the watching is not always entertaining. Recently, however, this changed. My older two kids (7 & 8) discovered Ninjago. The show caught my attention to the extent that if I have to leave the room momentarily, I will… Read More
Ending the Day on Fumes A few weeks ago, my soccer team played our final game of the season. It was on a Sunday afternoon, and there was a trophy at stake. Even though my league is for ‘older’ players, most of us still have a bit of competitive drive and we wanted to win the game. For what it was, the game was hard-fought, and the good guys won. At this… Read More
Monsters Inc. It is a confusing time to be a man. The definition of masculinity and what is expected of men seems to be a moving target. Further, Toxic masculinity, is a term we hear everywhere. It implies that there are masculine traits that are inherently bad. This is likely because of terrible actions carried out by men, but for many of us, it is hard to reconcile with who we are… Read More
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