church

Leave a comment Posted on April 16, 2015 Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Your New Cross Necklace, Mustache, And 2nd Soccer Game

4 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

Last Sunday in your Sunday School class, your teacher gave you and all the other kids a cross necklace. Needless to say, you were very serious about wearing it to preschool each day this week; nearly treating it with as much humanity as you do your stuffed animals.

Each day during your nap at school, I learned that you carefully placed your necklace in your cubby to keep it safe while you slept. You also explained to me how “the babies” in the younger class tried to take the necklace from you when they saw it.

You are seriously proud of that necklace!

Apparently there was some kind of “Mustache Day” at school yesterday, because you came home with a big decorative one. Mommy insisted you try it on for a picture. You easily agreed. It fit you very well.

This morning as I was getting you dressed for school, you showed me how you stuck the mustache on the closet door so the door could have a mustache.

You have now had your 2^nd soccer game. You didn’t try even once to walk off the field early before the game ended.

The main goal at this point is still to get you to at least following the ball around with the rest of the kids.

This coming weekend will be a lot of fun for you as Nonna and Papa are driving up to see our new house for the first time since early February when they helped us move in.

Mommy and I are going out Saturday afternoon and night for my 34^th birthday; which is actually next Monday.

So you’ll get to just hang out with them while Mommy and I go to the symphony, movies, and dinner in downtown Nashville.

I won’t be surprised if you wear both your cross necklace and mustache for them!

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on March 26, 2015 funny, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Snakey Goes To Church/Proposal To Get A Pet Vulture

4 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

I would like to believe that at our church, everyone is welcome. That definitely was the case last Sunday when you brought Snakey to church.

You kept him in a blue bag you had received from having your 4^th birthday party at Bricks 4 Kidz. Mommy carried you… and you carried Snakey.

I caught several people cracking smiles as they saw you in the hall with Snakey. It’s just not what most people were expecting at 8:00 AM on Sunday morning.

Everyone was pleasantly surprised to see your new reptile friend, as snakes typically don’t make an appearance at our church.

What made it great was how proud you were to introduce Snakey to everyone as we made our way through our shopping mall-sized church.

Of course, Snakey had to stay up on the shelf during the School School lesson, during which you made a craft about a camel passing through the eye of a needle.

As much as you love Snakey, you told Mommy in the car ride home from church that you wouldn’t want a real snake for a pet.

However, you offered up a reasonable alternative…

“Mommy, I could get a pet vulture. But we would have to let him out of the house during the day so he could fly around to find his own food.”

Ultimately, the only concern with keeping a vulture for a pet is apparently feeding it. But you also stated you wouldn’t want to keep your pet vulture in your room.

This might be a bit problematic if we are to consider getting you a pet vulture.

I think Snakey is a better pet though. You already explained to us that Snakey is a vegetarian snake. That makes him a lot easier to feed and a lot less trouble than a vulture you have to let out every day.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on December 31, 2014 car reviews, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Little River Falls/Abandoned Church Christmas Trip

4 years, 1 month.

Dear Jack,

The way I’m wired, I just can’t stay indoors all day relaxing. I have to get out and feel the sun on my skin and breathe in the fresh, brisk air.

So while I definitely appreciated all the fun we had Christmas morning, I headed up a trip to Little River Falls, which is just about 5 miles from Nonna and Papa’s house, in Fort Payne, Alabama.

Papa had a sinus infection, so he had to stay at home. However, had he went, all 8 of us could have fit in the 2014 Lexus LX we were driving that week.

As we made our way down the walkway bridge to the waterfall, I realized something:

Your Uncle Andrew was the one taking care of you, while Mommy was taking care of your cousin Calla.

In essence, it was like Mommy and Uncle Andrew swapped kids for a little while. Like most little boys, you idolize the men in your life.

So while you and I do have a close relationship, I appreciate how much you look up to your Uncle Andrew, who has the mechanical skills I don’t.

We had a fun race back to the car. Of course, Uncle Andrew had a slight disadvantage since he was carrying you!

From there, we visited the old abandoned church we discovered last year while I was reviewing the Lexus LS. Last year, you and Calla were asleep so you didn’t get to check it out.

As we unloaded from the Lexus LX, Nana was concerned you’d fall out on the ground once I opened the door.

However, she saw that because there is an extra step before the running board, so combined with your climbing skills, you managed just fine.

So we did indeed attend church on Christmas day; we were just the only ones there.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on July 20, 2014 car reviews, parenting, Spirituality, Storytelling

Journey To Howard’s Chapel (The Church Built Into A Rock)

January 1, 2014 at 6:49 pm , by Nick Shell

3 years, 1 month.

Dear Jack,

As I just got finished explaining in my last letter to you, we took the Lexus LS 460 on a “guys only” mini-road trip early Christmas morning.

Our destinaton was Sallie Howard Memorial Chapel (A.K.A. “Howard’s Chapel”) in Mentone, AL; just a few miles from the house I grew up.

I specifically planned this trip because I felt at age 3, you are officially old enough to at least half-way remember going to such a cool and quirky place.

Finished in 1937, the chapel was built into a huge rock.

As if that weren’t interesting enough, the creative man responsible for having the church built, Milford Howard, had a last wish of having his ashes “buried” into the rock of the church.

My entire life, anytime I have wanted to, I have been able to visit the chapel; the doors are always open.

It’s really fascinating!

We got to explore the small church, seeing up close how the building was built into the rock and where Milford Howard’s ashes are buried.

I have a passion for (and a hobby of) finding obscure little treasures that seem like they should be part of a weird dream that you sort of almost remember from your childhood.

Except this is obviously real. So I took plenty of pictures of your first visit there to prove to you that it wasn’t just a dream.

As we were leaving, I asked you if you liked visiting the chapel. Your response:

“No, I don’t like it. There’s no people here.”

That makes sense. You’re used to seeing friends and playing with toys at our shopping mall-sized church we go to.

So to drop into a church where there are no people, because they weren’t currently having a service while we were there, I’m sure it didn’t actually seem to you like being at church.