The Cedar Life
Living for the Long Run
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Misplaced Efforts The opening scene in the classic film Happy Gilmore finds the title character desperately trying to make an impression at hockey try-outs for some sort of men’s team. Happy has desire and aggression and is willing to do anything to impress the coaches. He only has one problem. Happy can’t skate. It is obvious to everyone except Happy that hockey is not his calling. He refuses to give up on… Read More
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Motorcycle Lessons In a recent episode of the And Sons Podcast, the hosts discuss taking adventure motorcycle lessons. I do not know much about any kind of motorcycling, adventure or otherwise, but they described a basic tenet explained by their course instructor. Speed covers a lack of skill. Going faster can hide deficiencies in handling a bike. Anyone who has ever been on a bicycle understands what happens when you slow down… Read More
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Bubble Boy Not long ago, I would have described my life as typical for a married man with kids. During the day, I worked hard, trying to advance my career. After work and on weekends, I would spend time with my family. Once or twice a year, we would go on a vacation. Throw in the odd night at the bar with some buddies watching hockey, and you have a pretty good… Read More
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I did not write last week’s post with the intention of writing a second part, but over the last few days I have found there are several thoughts connected to A Warrior’s Heart that I want to explore with more depth. Our Greatest Asset Having ‘the heart of a lion’ is a trait attributed to athletes who fight through adversity. They are successful because they refuse to give up. They do not… Read More
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Sweet Science ‘Going out on your shield’ is a term commonly used in boxing and other combat sports. I have heard it used when a fight is stopped either by the referee or by a fighter’s own corner when it appears the boxer is in danger and no longer able to protect himself. The losing fighter often laments, “I wish they would have let me go out on my shield.” The phrase… Read More
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Wrong Question Through my years as an accounting and finance professional, I have learned there is one question that I should resist the urge to ask before hearing the whole idea. That said, sometimes I cannot help myself: “How much is this going to cost?” Fortunately, I work with a good friend and colleague who is always waiting with a clever response: “How long is a string?” After I finish rolling my… Read More
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Give Away Have you ever been so hungry or thirsty that you cannot think straight? Or said something like, “What I wouldn’t give for a drink right now?” I certainly have. Over the last little while I have been listening to Fr. Mike Schmitz’s The Bible in a Year podcast. I am a little behind and last week I caught the episode from January 12th. In it, I heard a story from… Read More
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On Good Friday, I had the opportunity to share a part of my personal journey at my parish through the sharing of a reflection on the last words of Jesus from the cross. The topic of my reflection was surrender. The link to the video of the reflection is here (I am the seventh speaker). This post is builds on what I had written for the talk and looks forward from it…. Read More
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Entering the Scene Babies do not come into the world hoping for safety. They absolutely need it. Infants are helpless and completely dependent on others for basic care. As soon as they are born, babies form bonds with their parents, rooted in a deep love. Children are supposed to feel safe in the care of their parents. As babies grow into small children, this dynamic does not change. Toddlers start to explore… Read More
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Headlines Like many people, I find myself numbed to the news headlines. As I have discussed before, constant consumption of news has little positive impact on my life. When I reflect on the lack of impact, I am saddened. I am capable of hearing of a double homicide in my own city (as I did a few days ago) and not give it much more than a shrug before moving onto the… Read More
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