01-Jun-2010
Posted by : James Woosley
Things have been quiet here on the old blog. Peaceful? Not on the internet! Rather pretty stagnant. There are lots of reasons, but one is above them all.
For about the past month my daughter Anna has been ill. She’s spent about eight nights in the hospital on three different occasions. The doctors have been practicing on her. I guess that’s what they call it when they don’t know what’s wrong and just run test after test. Some have been good and some…well…I’ll just be nice and stop there.
I won’t go into the specifics of her ailments or treatments for her sake. But she’s still sick, and we’re tired of it.
On Friday she had her tonsils out, and now she’s going through Popsicle therapy. We’re hoping and praying that everything is somehow connected to her bad tonsils and this is about to be over. So far, she’s not complained about anything much other than her throat hurting.
So what’s the business or life lesson in all of this? Quite simple: sick kids trump blogging.
Business has continued in the background. I can’t afford to pay the medical bills otherwise. But it’s been tough compartmentalizing between worry and work.
That’s what it takes sometimes to be a good dad. I’m thankful for a good wife and mother who doesn’t have to shift her focus. Anna will be better sooner because of it.
Regular blogs resuming soon…
27-Apr-2010
Posted by : James Woosley
Nothing in the world is worse than being ill, except when it’s not you but someone you love. Throw in the internet at my home being down and it just about makes having a website meaningless.
I’ll get back to posting again soon, but figured a quick note might keep the heartbeat of the site going.
13-Apr-2010
Posted by : James Woosley
Category : Family
Tags: choices, faith
It was a mixture of nervousness and excitement, anticipation and relief. I had no vision of children, a career or a business at that time. Somehow I was solely focused on one beautiful redheaded 16 year old girl. Nothing else in the world mattered as a 16 year old boy.
That night was awkward. We talked some, but I think we mostly watched TV. A VHS copy of Disney’s A Little Mermaid.
Another redhead seeking her prince.
I can’t remember a lot more about that night. It started when she picked me up in her ~1980 tan/beige Toyota Celica (I didn’t have my license yet). It ended with a ride home. No kiss…it was the first date. She was a good girl, and I was a gentleman.
Somehow I did well enough to warrant another date a week later (and a first kiss), then a trip to the Junior-Senior prom a few weeks later.
Nearly two years passed before I lost her. Nearly four passed before I found her again. That’s another story for another day.
Something started twenty years ago today…my first date.
My first kiss.
My first love.
My first (and only) wife.
Two wonderful children, countless pets and almost 14 years of marriage.
It all can trace back to an April night 20 years ago. I wish I could remember it better. But it doesn’t matter. I have the last 20 years worth of memories to know that something special happened that night.
And I’ve never worried about a broken mirror, walking under a ladder or a Friday the 13th since.
Thank you Heather for being a part of my life for more than half my life!
I thank God that before I found Him, He put us together!
I love you! — James
03-Nov-2009
Posted by : James Woosley
My kids are great at teaching me lessons that they don’t even know yet. For example, my son Ian is on a superhero kick. Everything is about good guys and bad guys. He takes off his shirt to show off his muscles and “flys” around the house saying he’s going to save the world.
Ian cheesing the camera in his Halloween costume (as a racecar driver instead of super hero this time!).
I pat him on the head and being pragmatic, tell him he needs to start one person at a time and see how it goes from there. He doesn’t hear me anyway, and I’m honestly happy that he doesn’t in this case. Who am I to stunt the growth of his ambition?
But there is a serious lesson there for us grown ups. We can have the biggest dreams and ambitions, but if we spend all of our time thinking of how to “do it all” or “do it right”, we rarely get started in the first place.
I do the same thing all the time. I want to be one of the most successful coaches in the country, with books and radio/tv shows and people lining up for an hour of my time. But I can’t start there. I can’t save the world until I’ve helped one person, then two, then three and so on. Eventually, maybe I can impact the whole world. It’s good to dream! But a dream without action is never going to come true.
In order to help myself help others, I’m declaring November as Jobs and Careers month on my blog. I’ll be posting articles related to job searches, resources, self-employment and other topics within the theme all month long. I may even have a special announcement somewhere in there. Plans for December are all I’m going to say today.
So what are you going to do today to impact someone’s life? Be that kind of hero!
01-Sep-2009
Posted by : James Woosley
Category : Family, Finances, Goals
Tags: budget, change, choices, college savings, discipline, Finances, Goals, money, sahm, top secret
Well, the secret is out. Head over to A Pair of Bartletts to read my article on helping those with a call on their hearts to be a SAHM. What’s a SAHM? Read the story!
It was a lot of fun being a guest writer for Jennifer’s blog and I hope the article is an encouragement to many. Be sure to comment or ask a question on her blog in order to win a prize! Of course, I’ll take your comments and questions here as well…
