Chatting With Lexi: On Fears

we-all-fear-the-unknownFor a child who is remarkably self-assured it’s curious that Lexi also has a plethora of fears, ranging far and wide (and even into some territory where I just scratch my head and wonder “Huh?”) for better or for worse. Of course, though, she has no fear of strangers, and will indeed tell them her life story if given a chance in the line at Wal-Mart. She also isn’t afraid of failure, even though in many ways she’s a perfectionist. But the things she fears she REALLY fears. It’s like she freezes solid when the subjects even come up.

And it’s at those moments that she reminds me of… me.

Me: Lexi, I need you to go upstairs to put away the toys you got out.

Lexi: But Dad, I CAN’T GO UP THERE.

Me: Why not? It’s just for a minute to put those toys away.

Lexi: But I’m SCARED.

Me: There’s nothing to be scared of. Your mother and I are right down here.

Lexi: But I’m still SCARED. I don’t want to go up there.

Me: Well, you got out the toys, so you need to put them away. You’re going to have to go up there anyway.

Lexi: I can’t do it. I JUST CAN’T.

Me: What are you afraid of, though? Why are you so scared to go up there by yourself?

Lexi: Because she’s up there.

Me: Who?

Lexi: The gh-gh-ghost.

Me: Oh my. Lexi, ghosts aren’t real.

Lexi: You don’t know that!

Me: Uh, yeah, I know that. Ghosts aren’t real. And even if they were they can’t hurt you.

Lexi: That’s not what they say on Teen Titans. Continue reading “Chatting With Lexi: On Fears”

Complicated, Part 3

“Every battle worth remembering isn’t one where victory was assured before the combatants even fought. It is instead the one where every small advantage was of the utmost importance, and where heart won out over sheer force.” ~Theodicus Fragmented. I guess that’s how I feel most of the time, like I’m being dragged one way … Continue reading Complicated, Part 3

The Immaculate Conversation

52f29d839786d977bccd12da8064f857Sometimes I imagine what it would have been like to be a fly on the wall in some nondescript building in Nazareth shortly after the conception of Jesus Christ. Think about it. She was already engaged to a working man, a carpenter named Joseph, who already knew she was a virgin when they were courting, and she had to find a time and place to explain to him that she was pregnant. It was obviously not his kid, and she had to know how ludicrous it would all sound, but there were no options for her. It was like a Band-Aid. She had to rip it off quickly and hope he wasn’t grossed out by the wound.

Mary {walking in the door}: Joe, we need to talk.

Joseph: Let me guess. You want to call off the wedding? I already called the dove guy. He’s got 100 birds ready and waiting.

Mary {shaking her head}: No, no. But you might want to call it off yourself after you hear what I have to tell you.

Joseph: The last time you said something like that it was because you sold your prize goat that was supposed to part of your dowry. But that was cool with me, and I’m sure this will be too.

Mary: Joe, this isn’t even remotely like selling a goat. I wish it was, honestly.

Joseph: Okay, Mare, now you’ve got me worried. Just spit it out and we’ll deal with it. Together.

Mary: Just remember that I’ve never lied to you before. Please keep that in mind because this may be a bit fantastic to hear. Heck, I would think I was crazy if I wasn’t there myself to see what happened.

Joseph: Mare, have you been drinking the mead from behind the temple again? Continue reading “The Immaculate Conversation”

My Facebook Wall

My Facebook wall is filled with friends, and acquaintances, and people I used to know eons ago who somehow found me again and decided to reconnect without reconnecting. And they say the wildest things sometimes, some kind of over-sharing that’s become popular these days. They post photographs of themselves in various stages of undress, in … Continue reading My Facebook Wall

Friendversations

“True friends know your deepest, darkest secrets, but they never hold them against you. They listen while you breathe, and they breathe with you.” ~Theodicus I think listening has become a lost art form along the lines of hieroglyphics and cubism, as neglected in the 21st century as html language and refrigerator school. And I … Continue reading Friendversations