I have been reading a new book about creativity. It is a called Creative Calling. It is a book about establishing a creative practice in life. So far it has been an amazing book and there have been several things that have stood out to me. I’d like to share one of those with you now.

In the fifth chapter of the book the author, Chase Jarvis, is outlining why you need to make a space to do creative work in. Whether it is writing at a Starbucks, or having a dedicated place for a musical instrument so it is always out and ready…if you don’t have space for creative work, it is hard to produce. That is not what stood out though.

In this chapter he asks the question, what are your dreams worth? I have to admit, this question caught me off guard. Most of the time I have a hard time defining exactly what my dreams are… So how would I know what they are worth? I am 41 years old. I think it is time to get crystal clear on my dreams.

More than that though, Chase was making a point to say your dreams are valuable and you need to make time and effort to pursue them. If I don’t think what I’m doing is valuable, who else will? In truth, nobody. I have to believe that what I dream is important and work to pursue it.

I am wrestling with these questions. What are my dreams? What are my dreams worth? I do know this, they are worth defining. They are worth pursuing. They are worth fighting for.

If the last few years has taught me anything, I have learned that life is fragile. We on have one life. We need to be brave and bold and choose to live and love on purpose.

I know I am not offering much more than a question in this post, but it is a question worth asking. What are your dreams worth?

It is the small things that I remember the most sometimes. Things that we take for granted in the day to day did not start that way. It is only over time that we become so used to awesome that we think it is commonplace. An example? Holding Marixa’s hand.

It all started one fateful April Fools day back in 1998. Is that when she held my hand for the first time? No. It is the day we met. I remember it clearly. I was at church volunteering with our college ministry. The college minister and I walked into the building and there she was.

He said, “Hey David, I’d like you to meet Marixa.” I was pleased to do so. She was very pretty and…very not interested in me apparently. She gave me a courtesy hello and proceeded to talk with the minister. Over the next couple of months she warmed up though.

In June of that year our college group took a trip to the Royal Gorge. It is just like it sounds. A whole bunch of folks under 25 took off for Colorado from Oklahoma. It just so happened that Marixa sat next to me in the church van. Me being an extrovert, I did what can natural…I started asking questions. We talked the entire way up there.

I didn’t realize at the time that I was getting to know the person who would be the best friend I have ever had in this life. I just knew she was really cool, really pretty, and seemed to like spending time with me.

Well, after staying at Jellystone National Park (an awesome campground full of Yogi Bear likenesses…the minister thought it was Yellowstone…), getting talked into going down level 4 and 5 rapids (we were only supposed to do the 2s and 3s…I fell out of the raft in a 5), and getting sick coming down the side of Pikes Peake (you mean the driver is not supposed to ride the breaks all the way down the mountainside?!)…we made it through and headed home. She sat next to me again.

Amazingly, the conversation continued on the way back. It was becoming very apparent that there was something cool happening between us. Even as we got tired we sat there and enjoyed each other’s company. That is when it happened…the van hit a bump and her hand landed on top of mine. Was it an accident? What was she going to do? This beautiful awesome woman was holding my hand!!

Yes, I really was that excited. And for good reason. My insides knew what my brain hadn’t figured out yet. I’d found my somebody. She was right there holding my hand. The world felt very right.

To this day, the world still feels right when she slips her hand in mine. It still thrills me. I didn’t realize it all those years ago, but holding her hand is what home feels like. It feels so good.

Like I said, it is the small things I am thankful for.

It happens every year. It’s one of our favorite things to do. It just so happens it occurred a whole lot earlier this year than usual…we have already decorated for Christmas.

For some folks this isn’t a big deal, but I used to be fairly rigid that all decorating for Christmas had to be after Thanksgiving. Then we had the realization that you can still be as thankful with a tree is as without, so why wait?

Regardless of when we decorate though, there is one tradition that I look forward to every year while we decorate…watching White Christmas.

I remember watching White Christmas as a kid. My mom and I enjoyed all of the songs and sang along every time. I am pretty certain I had a crush on Vera Ellen at one point too. It is safe to say I have loved that movie for over 30 years.

When my beautiful bride and I got married we had a lot of fun creating our own traditions. There are many that have carried forward to this day. Whether it is seeing a movie on Christmas, or listening to our favorite Christmas songs, or decorating…we love Christmas.

So, why do we do what do we do? Years ago we were given a couple of Christmas trees by my wife’s grandparents. We were excited to decorate, but putting the trees together seemed like a drawn out task. We had a VHS player (it may have been a DVD…it’s been 19 years and my brain is fuzzy) and a copy of the movie, so I put it on. I sang along with the whole movie and we decorated away. It stuck and now we do it every year. (When my boy came along he added watching Polar Express right after. So good.)

But why is this one of my favorite traditions? The small reason is we love the movie. The bigger, more important reason is because decorating our home sets the tone for the Christmas season. We are firm believers that atmosphere has a great affect on response. By setting up the atmosphere to be festive and joyful, we prepare ourselves for the very same.

We have so much to celebrate and to be thankful for. Each of the traditions that we enjoy reinforces this in some way. From decorating to looking at lights, giving gifts to attending church services…all of it highlights the blessings we have been given and the gratitude in our hearts.

For me, Christmas is just a little bit brighter and a little bit better when Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye help is kick it off. Getting to share it with my two favorite people every year makes it even better still.

When I was a kid we didn’t take many vacations. My dad was a police officer and he worked a lot, so we didn’t have a chance to take too many extended trips. We had fun as a family, it was usually just close to home.

I remember one time though that I thought was absolutely amazing. It was the summer of 1989. I was just about to turn 11 and we took a trip to one of the coolest places I had ever been: Six Flags Over Texas.

Now, I had been there with my dad before when he was the chaperone of our church youth group. I was much younger and didn’t really get to ride anything those first times. It was cool then, but it was so much cooler at the age of 10 knowing I could ride a whole bunch of rides.

There are a couple of rides that I remember very clearly…the cliffhanger and the bobsled. Do you know these rides? The cliffhanger is just like it sounds. You ride up the face of a wall…it felt like several hundred feet back then…and then when you least expect it, the drop you straight down. I remember riding it and enjoying it. The bobsled is also like it sounds, only not as fast. I remember being scared of it at first. Dad had to remind me that it was all going to be ok. I tried it and had a blast.

Another ride that I absolutely loved was Splash Water Falls. Now, you have to understand something if you have never been to Texas in the summer…it’s hot! We had been around the park for several hours, so when we got on this awesome ride we were ready for a cool down. The best part about it though was standing on the bridge over the water when you got off the ride. When the next boat came down it would absolutely drench anyone standing there. It was so much fun.

I remember that I had a brand new pair of British Knights sneakers on. It was the coolest pair of shoes I had ever owned up to that point. I remember at school that BKs were very cool. Yeah, they got drenched and I was having so much fun I didn’t even care.

That trip to Six Flags has to be one of my favorite memories as a kid. I got to spend awesome time with my mom and dad. We enjoyed each other as a family. It was so good.

I also think it is cool that I got to take my boy there for his 9th birthday. I walked him around that same park where I had all the fun 28 years earlier. I took him on some of the same rides. I soaked ever minute of it up with him. I loved reliving the memories with him and can’t wait to make even more.

With every year that passes, I know less and less what to expect. The magic is still here, but it feels very different than it used to. The day used to fill me with excitement…now that has given way to a quiet gratitude. I turn 41 today and I feel extremely thankful.

For my birthday today, I would like to share with you three things that I am thankful for:

1. My bride. I proposed to my best friend 21 years and one day ago. I was 19 and I knew that I had found the one person in the world that I wanted to spend the rest of my life getting into mischief with. I would like to say that I was extremely suave and well planned out, but I wasn’t. I was young and extremely excited and I proposed in my crappy college apartment rather suddenly. It could have been more romantic, but it couldn’t have been any more genuine. I was in love with my best friend. I am 21 years more so now. She is my partner in life (and maybe mischief from time to time…). 

2. My son. We always knew we wanted kids. Believe it or not, I knew at 15 that I wanted to be a dad. I even told my mom back then that was something that I wanted. I think she misheard me. She seemed concerned. No. I wasn’t trying to tell her something that I had done…I was just conveying the fact that one day I wanted a little one of my own. I didn’t know it would take another 15 years to realize it…we had T two months before I turned 30. It is safe to say, I had no idea of how amazing it would be. Yes, I saw glimpses, but he has been so amazing. He makes me laugh every day. He is so smart. He is so brave. He is so sweet. I can not type enough words to describe how much I love this boy…and his mama too. 

3. My family. My dad and mom are my heroes. It is only on this side of life and with the perspective I now have that I can see how awesome they are. They have loved me and taken care of me in so ways. Last year when I found out I had cancer again, they dropped everything and were by my side in no time flat.  Dad made a point to come down (200 miles) to take me to my chemo appointments. Mom spent countless hours praying for me and encouraging me. This is just the stuff they have done recently. I could write an entire book on the ways they have loved me and given their time and love over the years. Words cannot express how much I love them. They are amazing. 

There are so many other things I am thankful for: Chris, Linda, Colt, Mariah, Rileigh, Lillie, Bob, Bunny, Amber, Hali, Michael, Caity….the list really does go on and on. 

I am aware as I type these words that every where I look and everything that I see, there is something to be thankful for. After the past few years, I am not going to miss a moment doing just that. 

One last word of gratitude: to the God who loves me and watches over me and His son who I love…thank you for the life you have given me.