Life Is Not Fair!

Normally I would talk about the Broncos game tomorrow and how they were due for a win against their rival the Chiefs, but after the crazy events of today I am not in a sports talk mood.

Today my father was taking part in the Veterans Day parade in Orlando and was injured in somewhat of a freak accident. He fell out of the back of the truck he was in and landed on his head. Anyone who knows my dad knows that he is not in the best shape anyway with the damage to his back, his bad heart, and the many other ailments the doctors cannot seem to diagnose. I sometimes feel that if is wasn’t for bad luck, he would have no luck at all. From what we know now, he broke his neck, right knee, and some bones in his face. He can still move all of his extremities which is great, so things could have been worse. However, he definitely needs the prayers of as many people as possible. Because of his heart condition, he is not able to undergo any major surgery that would require him to be put under anesthesia. So we are praying for a quick recovery that requires no surgery.

My dad’s first injury to his back was in 1977, and he has suffered with that and his many other issues for the last thirty years. My dad is a great man and loving father who brought us up to love God and love others. I have more than once in my life wondered why he has had to continually suffer while so many people live happy and healthy lives. Even financially, my parents have always struggled to get by. Sure, it taught me to appreciate what I have, but more importantly, it taught me that life is not always fair. Of course, it is always about perspective and I know there are many people in the world in worse shape and with exceedingly worse circumstances. I have never blamed God, although I have asked many times for a miracle. I know his ways are perfect and he has a plan in all of our circumstances and trials. It may not seem fair from our perspective, but it was not fair that Jesus had to die for the sins of the world, even though he never committed even one of them. I still feel bad for my dad and I am sure I always will. Nevertheless, I know he will be rewarded one day for his perseverance and faith, as well as his positive attitude throughout his many difficulties.

I sit here writing this blog to solicit prayers for my dad’s well being. However, I also write it to honor him and let everyone know how much I truly love and respect my dad. There is much to write on those two things, but that is another issue for another blog that hopefully I will write soon.

I thank you in advance for your prayers,

Blaine

Another Disappointment

So the buffalo wings were good on Monday night, but unfortunately the Broncos team effort was not. Just when I think they are on the brink of turning things around, they go out and play the way they did Monday night. They really beat themselves in a game they could have, and should have, won. The Rockies were another huge disappointment for the Mile High city. They brought back memories of the 1995 Orlando Magic. And what can we say about the Gators? I guess there is always next week. A true fan never gives up on his team.

Have a great week.

Never Enough Time

School has been kicking my butt so I have not had much free time to blog these days. Who wants to hear about linear regression and exponential smoothing anyway? I know I sure don’t, but I have no choice. The goal of my blog is to be upbeat and share what is going on in Blaine’s world. So while some may get sick of hearing about my beautiful daughter Bryleigh or the Denver Broncos, I am still going to consistently make that a theme of my blog because that is who I am. My goal is to never let my blog be a forum to promote or advance bickering and gossip. There is nothing wrong with the free exchange of ideas and opinions or even venting a little sometimes. However, it is sometimes better to let things go and move on with life because time is fleeting. We often forget that we have all been called to a higher purpose than just what we see in front of us. When we focus our energy on fulfilling that purpose, we start to understand what the abundant life really is.

On a lighter note, the Broncos and the Gators won last weekend. With the bye week, that makes two in a row! I hope the Rockies get it together and give Colorado something to be proud of. This Monday night is the first Monday night game for the Broncos as they face the Packers. I really hope they win, but I will enjoy hanging out with friends and eating wings either way.

So until next time, which hopefully is not too long, just remember that wherever you go, there you are.

Have a great weekend

The Weekend Of Our Discontent

Well I am at a loss for words so this will probably be short. The Gators fell to LSU Saturday night in a good game that came down to who made the fewest mistakes. The Broncos on the other hand were crushed by San Diego, not because Chargers are such a great team, but because the Broncos made mistake after mistake. Turnovers, bad tackling, and their inability to stop the run made the Broncos look pathetic. It is not too late to turn things around, and I think Denver has the personnel to do it, but they need to focus on the fundamentals and finishing off their drives by putting points on the board. Maybe this defeat will motivate the Broncos to come back after their by-week next week and be the team I know they can be. So next week I will have to cheer for another team, which I believe will be the Cowboys as they try to humble the Patriots. Did I just say the Cowboys? I must really be distraught.

For all my fellow Broncos fans out there, keep your chins up and your sunglasses on.

Have a great week.

First Night Out

So my wife and I were able to go out for dinner and a movie last night. This was our first official date night since early June before Bryleigh was born. Definitely no regrets over the last four months, but it was nice to get out with just the two of us for a few hours. Of course, we found ourselves talking about Bryleigh most of the time and how weird it is to think of ourselves as parents now. It can be a struggle and our lives have definitely changed, but I would not change having Bryleigh in my life for anything in the world. Having a child really helps you put things in perspective and helps you see what is truly important in life.

At this very moment as I am writing this blog, I am also changing my fantasy football lineup for tomorrow’s games. I am going head to head with my good friend Barry Leathers, and unfortunately for him, he will be going down hard tomorrow. Today is also the big game between Florida and LSU. Losing last week really hurt, but I am sure Florida will come back today and show the nation who should be ranked number 1. Then tomorrow the Broncos can show the nation who the best team in the West is as they mangle the Chargers, which by the way is the team everyone said would win the West and be a lock to make it to the playoffs. Don’t you just love football season?

How can I be so confident in my teams? Well I saw an Orange sunset last night!

The Week In Review

I thought I might start a weekly post during football season to share my thoughts on the week’s highlights and of course the Broncos journey back to the playoffs. This is probably not the best week to start since the Broncos just lost to the Colts today and the Gators got a wake up call from Auburn last night, but you have to start somewhere.

So I will start tonight with a short post to lament the Broncos loss to the Colts today. It was not totally unexpected since the Colts have had the Broncos number the last few years, and the Broncos have not been playing up to their potential so far this season. The Broncos were in the game the first half, but limiting the Colts offense for all four quarters is almost an impossible task for any team. The best any team can do is to outscore them offensively, which the Broncos did not do in the second half. Of course, the Broncos turnover on their own 20-yard line and allowing the Colts to run on them for 229 yards on the ground did not help.

I still see the Broncos winning the West and hopefully improving enough to beat the Colts and Patriots in the playoffs. Am I dreaming a little, well maybe, but it is a long season and as any NFL fan knows, on any given Sunday any team can win. So watch out Patriots, Colts, and anyone else who gets in the way, because this January there just might be a re-match in the big game between the Broncos and the over-rated Cowboys!

Just a few kudos for today’s standouts:

Brett Favre for breaking Dan Marino’s record. It may not always be pretty but he gets it done and he is one tough redneck.

Daunte Culpepper for showing the Dolphins they might have let go of the wrong QB.

Arizona Cardinals for humbling the Steelers. Maybe the Steelers should have picked up Kurt Warner.

Peyton Manning for playing well against two of the best corners in the league. He is a force to be reckoned with.

And finally our own Brandon Marshall from UCF who has been a stud all season and the highlight of the Broncos offense. Can anyone take this guy down after the catch? He has already earned the nickname little T.O. around the league. However, at 6’4” and 230 pounds, I would not call him little. Hopefully he does not inherit the same bad attitude and chip on the shoulder that Terrell Owens has. Check out last week's performance: http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d802a62b9

I'm sure that there will be better news next week for the Gators and Broncos as they take down LSU and the Chargers.

For anyone reading this that is new to football or just does not have a favorite team, my advice is to always view the world through Orange and Blue sunglasses. I am pretty sure God is a Broncos fan. Why else would he make sunrises Orange and the oceans Blue?

Have a great week!

Blessed

I know it has been a while since my last post, and that is mainly for two reasons. The first is that I have been very busy with work, beginning another semester of college, and spending time with my wife and baby Bryleigh. The second is that outside of those tasks, not much has been going on, nothing that would interest the readers of this blog anyway. However, there is an advantage to not having a lot going on in your life. It helps you to stop and appreciate all that you have. It is so much easier to focus on what you do not have or what you really want and think you need. Yet we rarely consider how blessed we are each moment of our lives. Just living in the United States is a blessing that most of the world never gets to experience. Not just the higher socio economic status that we have, but also the many freedoms that we so often take for granted. Sure, it is easy to find someone who seems to be blessed more than you are, but how often do we focus on the much higher percentage of those who have so much less than we have and would love to be in our shoes?

Last night as I sat in the recliner feeding Bryleigh, I was moved to consider all of the blessings in my life. I first thought of Bryleigh and what a blessing she has been to me, as well as the rest of my family. Not just because she is such a great baby, but also because she helps me to focus on someone other than myself. She reminds me of the joy of serving others and of how God loves us unconditionally even though we do nothing to earn or deserve his amazing love. I also noticed my dog Shylah lying by my feet and thought of how blessed I was to have such a great dog. Who else other than God could look past all of our weaknesses and failures and love us unconditionally without holding any record of wrongs? On the other hand, it would be great if we could show God the same kind of unconditional love that we get from our dogs. Just a thought.

I still have many goals in life and many things I would like to do. I do not always want to have to live paycheck to paycheck and wonder how we will meet each month’s bills. However, if I let that be my focus then I know I will miss so much along the way and may miss what God is trying to teach me. I just hope that in my daily life, I can live out Philippians 4:12 (I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation). The blessings I have in my life are far superior to anything money can buy and have a far greater return.
I hope that when you think about your life, the word that comes to your mind, as it does mine, is blessed.