People Are....

I recently heard a saying that "People are what they do". I think throughout my life I have denied this statement adamantly until now. In the past I gave the benefit of the doubt (not all the time) to people that hurt me. What I know now is if someone is doing you wrong or not treating you in the way you deserve to be treated then they never will. If people cannot compromise, cannot forgive and forget, always have to get the last word; then they always will be that way. I must admit that is a hard pill to swallow because I have always considered myself a fair person; for the most part. Not perfect but I know this...."People are what they do". If you don't do anything about it then you accept that treatment. I know now....

Made it through...

So I made it through this past week with the divas. I must admit that every night was an interesting challenge. I swear my girls have my heart in their hands! Took them to the Farmer's Market on Saturday and learned that Zoe LOVES pears. It was soo funny. I had a slice of a pear in my hand and she snatched it right out!!! Amaya loves tangerines, bananas, and oranges. Thank you to everyone who called to check on me and send encouraging words or wisdom. I am truly blessed to have these 2 little girls in my life...

That Homeless man is me...

For the past 10 years I've had this recurring dream that always leaves me feeling empty when I awake. It even scares me just a little. The setting is always the same; sometime in the near future, a fall month, brisk air, and the city is of all cities Los Angeles. There is only 1 clear character in the dream; me. Everyone else is merely a shadow in the dream but I can definitely feel their emotional intention. The dream unfolds that I am a homeless man begging on a street during nightfall. People pass me but look down on me with disgust and pity. The dream painfully repeats itself until I wake. Before the recent situations that arose in my life I passed the dream off as a warning to stay on top of your career and to stay marketable. I must admit that I have been dead wrong for many many years. The dream, I believe is a reality warning of what I am currently facing now. The homelessness is isolation. The fall represents the dying feeling of depression. Los Angeles represents angels. Nightfall represents the fact that seeing will be difficult. Me asking people for money represents the help that I have asked for. And most of all the people looking down on me with pity represents one person.
I am the homeless man asking for money on the cold dark street of Los Angeles.
In reality I have never hesitated to give a homeless person money. I think sometimes what homeless people are asking for is emotional assistance. Sometimes an encouraging word is more than enough. Sometimes a simple smile will do just fine.
There is a reason why God created this solar system. There is a reason that a season dying represents a season's birth. Karma is not a vice used for revenge. It's God's way of enacting justice. I have paid my dues....

Find the small pieces in life....

Sometimes it's hard to stay positive in a world filled with so much resentment and hatred. Everyone demands forgiveness and yet no one gives it. The old saying "I will forgive but I wont forget", is the most overly used oxy-moronic statement known to man. I have seen valleys and mountain tops and I know this; I must continue to find the small pieces in my life that keep it alive. I must surround myself with people that love me unconditionally, I must forgive and forget, I must love and let love. Defining what a man is has been challenging for me at times in my life. I didnt have a stellar example of what a man is in mine. Although I didnt I feel that I am a good example of a man that has made mistakes, a man that does love beyond boundaries, a man that is human. I have never claimed to be perfect and if I am close to it then I will run from it. All this said I must continue to find the small pieces in my life that keep me alive.....

Breathe Shawn....exhale

Lessons of Love

I think the most misinterpreted question that has plagued us as a people is "What is Love?". Many people use love as a vice or as a barometer to depict how much another person cares for them. Some are consumed with it and allow it to control their lives. Others just plain dont believe in it. Yesterday the name of the sermon was "Lessons in Love". So it got me to thinking what role does love play in my heart and my actions with people around me. Ironically on our way to church Amaya started acting up so I popped her leg. She cried for about a minute and I eventually turned around and told her that I loved her. Without a hick up she gave the sign for love. It actually made my heart melt.... Here it is I just disciplined her and without hesitation she shows me love; literally.
Why are children so smart but adults are so dumb? Are children closer to God than we are? Do we grow up and loose the amazement of the "7 wonders of the world", the "mystery in magic", or the "God-like love"? God teaches us the love is action not a word. God so loved the world that he gave (action) us his only son. Even Janet said "what have you done for me lately?"...haha. All jokes aside do us as adults loose the highlights of our spirit to only become these programmed individuals that spend so much time guarding ourselves from true love?
To find true love is not an act of receiving it. Its an act of giving it; boundlessly. Look at the way we love our children (well some of us). We love them unconditionally. So why do we place conditions on the people that helped us to make those little ones that remind us of love everyday? Why does love get lost in the shuffle of life? Why does love just become a cool song or a sensual fling in a summer night? Why does love get boxed in between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter? Why dont we love all the time? Why do we gamble with love? Why is it that when the loss of love is finally upon us we finally "straighten" up and want love to comfort us? We all do it, we all will continue to do it. My question is why.
The pastor had a great analogy of the love for God. See we walk around with our love for God as if it were a ticket. Yes our ticket into glory but we just treat it like an old ticket in our pocket. Why dont we covet that ticket? Why dont we look at the ticket everyday?
So here are the 4 points that the pastor discussed as the "Lessons of Love":

• Love reconciles (1 Corinthians 13:5)
• Love connects (loves moves us towards one another)
• Love serves (love is measured by the way we serve others and God)
• Love sacrifices (the greatness of love is determined by how much you are willing to sacrifice)

"Loose to become a blessing"...

All in all love is a constant in the world. It's like the air we breathe, its 2nd nature. But why isnt it 1st nature? Looking at my life I am tired of people telling me they love me and not showing me. Last night I watched the 1927 rendition of the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin". If you havent seen it I would urge you to find it and watch it. It shows you the misperceptions of love and more so how "we" were viewed then and even sometimes now. But overall the movie was a silent movie. Think if we have to go 1 day with silence. Could some of us even know how to show love? Or are we so use to saying it and not doing it. I will leave you with a short video of Amaya showing her mom that she loves her....PRICELESS

Daddy Daycare: Canadian Edition 3

Once again it rained all day yesterday so the threat of cabin fever loomed over the Stephens household. Luckily for me it was Sunday so off to church we canoed...or drove..haha. We finally got there about 20 minutes late but as my mom use to say back in the day 1 minute in church is worth more than 1 minute in the world. After church we got home and I had plans of doing something else with the girls but mother nature had other plans in mind (constant rain) so we just stayed inside and: wrestled, colored, watched Dora, and ate. It was a nice ending to an otherwise hectic weekend.

Amaya dancing to MJ. His music is timeless!!

Daddy Daycare: Canadian Edition 2

Well as the weather experts promised it rained ALL DAY today. And anyone who has children knows that a child with cabin fever is a parent pulling their hair out. A great remedy for a rainy Saturday was the Dallas Museum of Arts and Sciences. Your next question might be "Shawn that is for older kids" but my immediate response would be "do your homework". This museum has a children's museum (ages 0-7) that has a ton of things for the little ones to get into (a water room, a fake farm, imax, and a fake tunnel to simulate being a prairie dog). Amaya had the time of her life. There was one point when we were in the farm section and the key was to grab a sack and collect veggies; similar to what farmers do. Well Cheeky decides that the fake fruit would be much better used as a dodgeball and commences to throwing the veggies at other kids. Needless to say this started an uprising and before I knew it all of the kids were throwing fake veggies EVERYWHERE...haha. In the water room Amaya almost jumped all the way in the water! in the IMAX room Amaya decided that she wanted to get up and leave the theatre. And throughout all of this Zoe was as content as could be. In the end Amaya had a great time doing what she loves to do: yell, run, and just be a fun-loving little girl.
Overall today was a very long day. But no matter how difficult at times it was I enjoyed every minute of it. My advice is never let the rain wash your fun away....