Owner: Ramblings of a Single Dad URL:http://donva.blogspot.com Join Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:56:26 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Rambling on Faith, Fatherhood, Family, and Friends, I'm a single dad with an adopted teenage son and a rickety old dog named Barney. As an Orthodox Christian, I'm doing my best to stand firm in my faith, make some sense of this life. Site statistics:Click here
Thou Shalt Not Kill God! 2007-11-18 20:31:00 Father Stephen has written an exceptional post on his blog regarding the upcoming release of "The Golden Compass" that every parent should read, whether you're an Orthodox Christian or not. I know that many of you are already familiar with this movie, but the primary objection I've been hearing about up until I read this blog is the fact that the film is based in atheism. According to Father
Turkey and Blessings 2007-11-17 12:22:00 My family lives a few hours away, so for nearly a decade I've spent Thanksgiving with nearby friends, and spend Christmastime with relatives. I have made some amazing friends here, some of whom are more like family to both me and my son. I look forward to spending Thanksgiving Day getting caught up, enjoying the coffee and conversation, and basically just being in their company.
But I am no Read more:Turkey
, Blessings
I Googled Myself 2007-11-13 23:09:00 Well, I Googled my former self, when I was "Banana Don Edwards" doing a morning radio show ("The Breakfast Flakes Show") at what was an oldies station (WTKT-FM) in Lexington, KY and found this article from the MIT News Office dated March 2, 1994.
When Banana Don Edwards, a disk jockey for a Lexington, KY, radio station ran a celebrity contest (whoever could get the biggest celebrity to call him
My Boy is a "Burning Bush" 2007-11-13 20:59:00 Several years ago, in 1999, shortly after I had moved back to Virginia and secured employment in a new line of work, I was feeling pretty good about myself, so headed to the boardwalk at the beach with nothing other than the intention to take a nice walk along the oceanfront, and maybe get an ice cream.
About mid-way into my walk, I saw a woman with a small boy seated on the ground next to a Read more:Burning
Write On, Brother Blake! 2007-11-13 16:49:00 I am an only son, but that has not stopped me from having a brother. With Thanksgiving this week, I thought I'd post a little about someone who has truly impacted my life in a way that I never would have imagined.
Blake, who is not only the administrator at Orthopraxis (a forum for Orthodox Christians, inquirers and catechumens) but is also blogging again, has been an enormous blessing to know Read more:Write
, Brother
The Deaf Dog & Mr. Mom 2007-11-11 20:52:00 I'm beginning to think my son enjoys being grounded. I'm also beginning to think I enjoy it too, but not for the reasons you might think. Obviously, with no TV or video games, we interact a lot more. Conversations run from the mundane to political, and sometimes include a story or two from our pasts. It's always been a good time for us to reconnect as father and son, casually discuss why I'm
"We think he may have a knife..." 2007-11-09 16:08:00 My son has ADHD, and he has issues, but what child who's basically been abandoned by his family wouldn't? We have made great strides over the past four years with regard to what is and isn't appropriate behavior, the definition of "disrespectful" behavior, and in setting limits and boundaries. Even still, when left to his own devices, he will choose to do the wrong thing. Lately, he's been Read more:think
Carrie Wins, No Faith in Sight 2007-11-07 21:13:00 So I'm watching the Country Music Association Awards and am quite happy that for the second year in a row, former American Idol Carrie
Underwood captured the "Best Female Vocalist" Award. She's worked hard, done well, and is being rewarded for her efforts. I also can't help but flash back to when she won last year, when Faith
Hill "jokingly" lost it. In case you've forgotten, here's a clip Read more:Sight
The R.I.P. Stick? 2007-11-05 21:23:00 This is the number one item on my 15 year-old son's Christmas list. It's a propeller on wheels. Oh sure, it looks like a skateboard, but what you can't see in this picture is that there are only two wheels underneath that board.
I'm not the overprotective type, but I honestly need to know if Razor is out to kill our children.
I used to think unicycles were insane.
Seriously, with the proper Read more:Stick
I'm still waiting! 2007-11-03 14:56:00 I did what you told me to do. I sent your last e-mail to ten people within thirty seconds, and I'm still waiting for that miracle to happen.
I can't wait to change my clocks tonight so I can get one of those hours back! (Gotta thank my old high school friend Loretta, whose last "forward" to me inspired this one!)
National Adoption Month 2007-11-03 13:22:00 November is NationalAdoptionMonth
. If you've ever thought about adoption, here's a great link to begin finding answers to your questions: National Child Welfare Gateway
As aggravated as I would get during the process which took nearly three years to complete (the judge did tell me that my case was an exception, as personnel changes within the agency appeared to have created more speed bumps
I'll Show YOU a Thing or Two! 2007-11-03 10:15:00 Here's a shot from Orlando in 2005, when my son was 12 and we were celebrating our first year as father and son during his Spring Break:
Here's this year's Halloween costume:
Yes, he spoke some garbled language and made references to "Chocolate Thunder" while insisting that I call him "Ben." Maybe the screenplay for that "Martian Child" movie really was lifted from the pages of my life. Read more:Thing
Plumb & Plumber 2007-11-03 09:42:00 I had a "situation" occur the other night while my son was doing his laundry. When the washer, which is in the garage, would drain, the water would back up into the downstairs bathtub, and into the toilet, causing the toilet to leak from the base while it nearly overflowed. Granted, this is a relatively "clean" problem when you consider the alternatives, but a problem nonetheless. I had dumped
Illumined on June 23, 2006 2007-11-03 08:45:00 (Originally posted on ChristiansForums.com in June 2006)
I am so grateful that God chose me to be this boy's father. It was a beautiful service, and a very special day for everyone who was present. Father led him through an adult baptism, so my son spoke for himself instead of having his godparents speak for him. His godfather stood beside him and assisted when Father requested him to, but for
On the Road to Baptism 2007-11-03 08:37:00 Here's the account leading up to my son's baptism, as posted on the former ChristianForums.com on June 20, 2006.
In the three years leading up to this Saturday's baptism, David had confessed to me that he wasn't sure he even believed in God because he liked "science", didn't understand who the Lord was ("is God the Lord, or is Jesus the Lord?"), didn't believe in miracles, and if he did go to Read more:Baptism
Orthodox Adoption Service 2007-11-03 08:17:00 It was late December 2006 when I wrote this (has it really been over a year since final adoption?). In the Orthodox
Church, newborns are presented at the altar during a "40 day" service. It was at about 40 days that my priest guided me in presenting my new child to the church. Below is the account of that day as I recalled it on what was ChristianForums.com (it has since changed). The post is Read more:Adoption
, Service
Take it to church! 2007-10-29 13:39:00 I originally wrote this on an Orthodox Christian online forum nearly two years ago, but thought I'd store it here as well.
As a young boy, I went to church fairly regularly with my family and extended family. In fact, my grandmother's home was right across the street from the church in DC, so family gatherings usually revolved around church and always included an invitation for Father Louis to
Remembering Radio 2007-10-10 22:29:00 I worked with one of the finest broadcasters I've ever known back in the early 90s. I was doing a morning radio show in Lexington, KY, when things had fallen apart between me and the management. I chose to leave the station. The next day, the ownership chose to change managers. Chuck Dunaway was brought in to rebuild what was left of that station, and recalls that time in his book, The Way I Read more:Remembering
, Radio
Delivery @ 41 2007-10-03 09:55:00 The social worker began working on placing David with me as a full-time foster child in early February 2004. It wasn't until March 12, 2004, that she arrived in my driveway after work with my new foster child, and all his stuff.
His things were packed in large Hefty garbage bags. As we began unloading the social worker's SUV, it looked as though there would never been an end to the bags. Read more:Delivery
Virginia Beach Weather 2007-10-02 15:52:00 Virginia Beach
Weather Forecast, VA (23452)
Feel free to check this before visiting us at Candlewood Suites Virginia Beach, Crowne Plaza Virginia Beach, or Howard Johnson Oceanfront Virginia Beach
About 90 minutes away, there are two fine hotels in the Outer Banks of North Carolina: The Clarion Oceanfront Hotel in Kill Devil Hills, and the Comfort Inn South Nags Head Beach.
/* Locations Read more:Virginia
Expecting at 40 2007-09-29 21:54:00 I'm a former broadcaster who spent the better part of my first forty years trying to succeed in the broadcast industry. I guess to some level, I was successful. I purchased my first two homes while in broadcasting, and was even finally able to walk away from it debt-free in 1998, when I chose to move to Virginia Beach. What I was unsuccessful at, I think, was carving out a "normal" personal Read more:Expecting
Which Way to the Village? 2007-11-23 16:10:00 Today is my aunt Marian's birthday. She's my mother's oldest sister , and has survived the death of two adult children, the murder of her grandson, and has outlived two of her four younger sisters. She's an amazing woman whose faith (as far as I could tell) never faltered during the losses she's suffered, and is a true inspiration not only to me, but to my whole family.
It was she, along with Read more:Village
On Good Friends, Shania, and God 2007-11-22 22:36:00 I think pretty much everyone has been forwarded a heartfelt, animated, and well-intentioned e-mail from a friend or relative that ends with something about people coming into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I wish I had a dime for each one I've received, but when I dismantle that final little statement, I find myself thinking of exactly which people were reasons, which came for Read more:Friends
, Shania
A Thanksgiving Chuckle 2007-11-22 19:56:00 This brought back memories. Follow the link below:
The Bachelor's Guide to Preparing Thanksgiving
Dinner.
It's probably even funnier if you're not a bachelor
Redemption 2007-11-21 21:56:00 Remember my story about the turkey I should never have been allowed to cook? Well, the friend of mine who has since permitted me to donate the bird to her family dinner called me this morning to inform me that she had just received the voice mail I left her on Saturday, which was to inform her of the fact that I did have a nice big turkey thawing in the refrigerator.
When she thought I hadn't
URGENT: Ukranian Baby Seeks Orthodox Parents 2007-11-20 21:26:00 Orthodox missionary John Hogg has recently returned from a trip to the Ukraine where he became acquainted with a 15-month old little boy named Vladik, who lives in an orphanage for children under the age of four. He does have some special medical needs that an adoptive family in the U.S. could easily provide (it's way too costly to afford medication for hemophilia on Ukranian wages). I mean, Read more:Orthodox
, Parents
My Life and the D-List. 2007-11-20 17:55:00 I have never been good with remembering to make lists. In my mind, I have a list of places I'd like to visit, or things I'd like to do, but I have never really written any of that stuff down. Even when it comes to grocery shopping or purchasing Christmas gifts, I'm the guy who's flying by the seat of his pants trying to keep it all together inside his head, which probably explains my tendency
His Criminal Christmas List 2007-11-29 21:47:00 My son, the Boy Scout, has gotten in trouble recently for stealing (again) and lying (again), and wielding a nail file at school (a classmate thought he had a knife and turned him in), and disobeying the rules of the house. In fact, because he abused his computer privileges, all he's been allowed to do for the past four years is use the computer and the internet for "school work only." Yes, I Read more:Criminal
, Christmas
Walk A Little Straighter, Daddy 2007-11-26 19:56:00 I have made reference to my father's alcohol abuse in a previous post, which was actually an account of the day I returned to the Orthodox Church. Imagine that you can hear my heavy sigh as I let go of another of my "So that was God's plan for me" stories.
If you're not familiar with Billy Currington's "Walk A Little Straighter, Daddy
," here are the lyrics:
I remember looking up
To look up
"Blessings Seen and Unseen" 2007-11-25 21:08:00 Take a look at this post on This Is Life!
Benedict Seraphim has me thinking about all the "coincidences" that have occurred in my life that at one point or another I might have explained away as "luck."
They are blessings, and proof--in my opinion--that God is everywhere. His Hand truly does guide us, and if we'd keep our eyes open we could see His miraculous work in our everyday lives. Read more:Blessings
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