Falling Up

Some of you may know Falling Up as the book of children’s poems by Shel Silverstein. Both of our kids have fallen in love with this book as well as his other book Where The Sidewalk Ends. When I read to them out of the partially illustrated book, I love the reactions on their faces and from their mouths of the tales of creatures living in their noses and pets made from snowballs. There are stories about woulda-coulda-shoulda’s, poison testers, eggs rated stories, hungry kid islands, and people zoos. I love reading these poems using different voices, inflections and noises, all accompanied by the fantastic illustrations. It has become somewhat of a nighttime routine at our house as our kids, especially Faith, eagerly anticipate the latest take on an old poem.

Thinking on the life-changing events throughout our marriage; weddings, deaths, elections, promotions, jobs, friendships, and so many others I can’t recall, I know these times in the evening with our kids will be the most memorable things we do. The silly time with Lammy...with Faith (I’ll explain in some future newsletter), the weekend gigs playing at different worship services with my son, the coffee time with Amy, are the exact points where the rubber meets the road. Those are the times I feel like I’m “Falling Up”. I know we have a presidential election coming soon, another end of the world prediction, a looming worldwide financial crisis (again), and countless other life changing, world altering, soul crushing events. But as for me and my house….we will serve the Lord. We will choose joy, happiness and some Shel Silverstein! I hope you do too.

—Michael