More Dabs of Color: Character

"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you."
 
"Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think."

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late."

"Make yourself necessary to somebody."

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Expressions of Color: Character

"The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be."

"Take your duty, and be strong in it, as God will make you strong. The harder it is, the stronger in fact you will be. Understand, also, that the great question here is, not what you will get, but what you will become. The greatest wealth you can ever get will be in yourself. Take your burdens and troubles and losses and wrongs, if come they must and will, as your opportunity, knowing that God has girded you for greater things than these."
 
"It is not necessary for all men to be great in action. The greatest and sublimest power is often simple patience."

"Habits are to the soul what the veins and arteries are to the blood, the courses in which it moves."
 
Horace Bushnell

The Character of a Saturday

In a few phrases or words: new softball glove...smoked ribs...a pink balloon to play with...breaking in a new glove...the smell of old & new leather...naps...Rocky Road with chocolate syrup & whipped cream...Dr. Pepper...spring-like weather...memories of youth...laughter...smiles...talking to a balloon...dance rehearsal...bare feet...looking through art show applications...acoustic guitar...soaking a sore elbow in hot water...mink oil...Fresca...camera...and great big hugs from two awesome kids!

Character Through Pain - Part 1

So far I'm failing miserably in attempting to post every day during the month of February, yet I am still determined to make 28 posts for NaBloPoMo before National Bird Feeding Month is over. It's not a matter of having anything to write about - in fact I have a list that could easily spill over into Spring - the issue of time has been the stumbling block so far...sort of. I knew the beginning of the month would be busy  - I just didn't prepare for the unexpected circumstance which should be an expectation as a parent of a child that routinely pulls something rather unexpected.

Long story short Ben has been having "mini" seizures for the past few weeks. We have seen this before and it genuinely typifies something positive - that Ben is very healthy. So healthy that he is growing beyond his current dose of anti-seizure medications hence the occasional tremor whenever he is startled or disturbed while he is asleep or fatigued. Given that our boy is now a pre-teen we knew it was time to visit the neurologist to match his dosage to his weight...preparation and expectation in harmony. What we didn't count on was my own personal clumsiness.

Sunday evening I trip over Ben's feeding tube yanking the entire device completely out of his stomach. What followed was a scene straight out of ER or House including lots of sweating, cursing, and a mad scramble for medical & cleaning supplies. I cannot describe the sound of Ben's voice nor have I have personally suffered the same injury but I can damn well guarantee that it it hurt like hell. The seizure that followed shortly thereafter was one of the worst our family (including Jessie) has ever witnessed. It finally ended when Joan had to administer Diastsat, something we really, really hated to do. Watching Ben "stoned" is almost as unpleasant as watching him in the throes of his convolsions.

Thankfully his neurology appointment was Monday and throughout the week the seizures reduced in frequency and intensity. But yours truly has been doing a terrific job of punishing myself for putting Ben through a difficult few days. I think you will forgive me for not being so timely with my NaBloPoMoing.

Walking With Character

I have so very much to offer in regards to this month's theme yet time has not been on my side so far! That concept seems rather ridiculous since I've had plenty of time to write this winter. In fact I have been encouraged to write as much as I can after I joined AA and began working the 12 steps. There is a really, really good excuse though that has kept me from writing a great deal this week which I haven't blogged about just yet, but over the next few days expect some pictures and a terrific story.

Jessie's "mentor," the daughter of some dear friends who embodies all of those wonderful qualities mentioned in yesterday's post, has planned a wonderful fundraiser for our family. All of the proceeds are being donated to Diligent Hands, Gracious Hearts - the non-profit which is putting together all of the volunteers, supplies, and planning for the renovations needed for our home. Early tomorrow morning we will head to Clemson University for a 5K walk/run called Walk for the Waddells. The star of the event? None other than our beautiful talented son!

Since it's already late and we have a long day tomorrow I need to retire for the day very soon. However we really want to thank before hand Kindal Wessel (and all the Wessel family), Beta Beta Beta of Clemson, Swenson & Associates (and the rest of the Swenson clan), the Pynne family, the students & faculty of Clemson University, all of the friends and family who will braving the cold wind tomorrow, Diligent Hands Gracious Hearts, Todd Wilklow, Ellis Beddingfield, G1.6 Architects, and many other folks that I know I am forgetting at the moment.

I can't wait to tell everyone about the great day ahead of us tomorrow!

Behind Blue Eyes

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built. "
Eleanor Roosevelt

I have stared intently into these pair of stunningly gorgeous eyes. Like perfect sapphires their radiance is like a magnet that draws attention to them - not selfishly just to gain audience but an attraction none the less that one cannot help acknowledging. Just like iridescent azure gemstones her orbs offer many facets to examine and consider.


Behind these blue eyes lies even more beauty. Not a vain quality even though her physical appearance is indeed quite alluring, but an attractiveness that embodies all that an artist, a poet, a composer, or writer would dearly love to explore. It is beauty not so easily defined since every creative individual has attempted to interpret such over the course of time. Only God has been able to most closely characterize this countenance through a sunrise over the ocean or the laughter of small children on a warm sunny day or the aromatic first blooms of gardenias in the summer.


Through those splendid windows to her soul the beholder will find within the heart purity, honesty, courage, intelligence, strength, joy, and the greatest of virtues: hopefulness, faithfulness, and enduring passionate love.  Perhaps some of these attributes were inherited but most likely most of them have been earned while those brilliant eyes kept diligent watch over a younger sibling different from most. They are a badge of honor for a young lady of only 14 years who is deeply involved in the creation of a work of art that is our exception son and brother.

28 Days to Explore "Character"

Most of my fellow bloggers are aware of a website dedicated to the most courageous and dedicated of all blog writers. NaBloPoMo originally came about as an encouragement for blogs participating in National Blog Posting Month which happens to be November (you can read about that here). These days bloggers can choose to participate any month of the year usually by writing about the suggested topic of of the folks at NaBloPoMo. I've actually participated before and found it quite difficult to expound on a specific topic much less make a blog entry for 30 or 31 straight days. However I do check there every now and then not only to find out the bravest of all fellow bloggers but to see if there might be a topic that would lend itself interesting enough for my exploration of it for four weeks or so.

The fact that the shortest month of the year has just begun was most definitely a factor in my decision to attempt one blog post (or more) per day over the next 28 Earth rotations. Of course the consideration that I am already adding daily entries to a 12-step journal also easily influenced my blogging conscience. But quite honestly the chosen topic for February 2011 was the determining element to make me actually want to write at length each day over the coming month.

The word "character" can mean so many things as the folks at NaBloPoMo point out. I could easily choose to either write about or write in the persona of a favorite television, cinema, or literary role. And I might do that at some point.

Another variation would allow me to tell you about some of the more "interesting" people I've known over the years. You can probably imagine some of the "characters" met along life's by-ways while I was a musician, traveling artist, painting contractor, alcoholic, fraternity brother, drama major - all terrific occupations for someone generally amused and entertained watching life pass by (and yes, I am most likely on the "character list" of the many friends I've made at those jobs). And indeed I sure would like to tell you about some of them.

But the definition that struck me was the use of the word character describing the integrity of an individual; specifically I was thinking of three people who happened to be sitting in the room with me at the time. In that sense I would also have to include several other people who have been a huge part of "raising our exceptional son." It is this particular facet of "character" that I am most interested in. If this is the perspective of character in which I am to explore I am certain that I can easily fill up 28 days of blog posts using Ben, Jessie, Joan, my mom, my brothers, my dad, my grandparents, and many very close friends as examples. All of them offer the kind of character of which I can only try to aspire to.