I remember when “BA” first came to our Center from a large high school. The adjustment was not easy. He had developed his survival skills around loud & tough talking. Over time BA recognized that loud and tough was not part of our culture. Inside, BA had a sweet heart that wanted to be loved. …
Tag: love
“What’s Your Problem?” – Eyes of The Heart
It was early in my career of working with people, “who just happened to have a disability,’ that I learned this fundamental principle, “the heart has eyes.” What we think we see will shape what we think & usually do. Set the stage. Over my 30 years of being in and around people with developmental …
The Farm: The Essential Role of Water.
Plants are about 80-95% water and need water for multiple reasons.” Carleton College Water provides: “A common trigger for seed germination. Transport nutrients from the soil into and throughout the plant. Photosynthesis, how plants make their own food. Structure, plant cells expand, which contributes to the plant's form and function, including helping the plant stand …
Feeling Forgotten & Alone?
It can happen in a crowd, at work, at a party or sitting alone on your couch. Being forgotten hurts. Good news, God tells us He has not, nor will He ever forget us. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she …
What To Do With the Elephant in the Room?
After I retired, I provided leadership training & consulting to non-profits that serve people with developmental disabilities. Before I started with a small group, I always interviewed each participant to determine the needs of the organization. Each person’s response was recorded in a spreadsheet that functioned much like an MRI highlighting the points of need. …
Who Do You Imitate?
When I was a young boy, I wanted to be like Gene Autry. I had two of his 45 rpm records I played almost every day. When I went outside, I would ride my stick horse “Champion” everywhere, singing, “Back in the saddle again.” A cowboy with a great smile that took care of the …
The Rice Shovel
There is nothing more basic to a rice farmer than his shovel. It goes where he goes. If it’s not over his shoulder as he walks across the field, it’s in his pickup. He uses it to open the levies to flood the field, to repair broken levies, to drain the field, and to kill …
Do You See Value?
I believe we are in God School until we take our last breath. I remember this particular God Lab Lesson. I will call it, “Do You See Value?” It was a mid-morning Friday in 2000 at Civitan Services, where we provided habilitation & therapeutic service for men, women and children with developmental disabilities. I was …
The Board of Education, God School
I first met Danny while working for an organization that advocates for people with developmental disabilities. It was my first job out of college, and with a degree in business, I had no idea what I was doing. I recognize this as a “God School” turning point. It would begin a 30-year journey that would …
When My Chooser Was Not Calibrated Correctly
I was a young man in my late teens. I believed I knew it all. We called it “bullet proof”. My parents gave me a wide range of freedom to make decisions. They taught me right - wrong and they lived out those principles. My dad taught me so much. As a farmer, his ways …
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