Ode to my Dad...

Where Men Win Glory
I have written before of my admiration for Pat Tillman. Most people remember him as the guy who walked away from a multi-million dollar NFL contract to join the Army after 9/11. Pat Tillman was a unique person to say the least.Where Men Win Glory is a recently released book about his life and my copy should be delivered today. To say I'm excited would be a colossal understatement.I can't recommend this book because I haven't read it yet. But I do recommend taking a look at Pat Tillman's life. I think you'll find a fascinating story about an individual who wasn't scared to follow his convictions and that's something we all can learn from.

Dueling Banjos
Startled awake. Sweat pouring down my face. It's the dead of night and no one is stirring. With my heart racing and the tune of dueling banjos playing in my mind, I can faintly hear a pig squealing in the night. Try as I may, I can't force the sounds from my head.What could have aroused me thusly?As I lie awake, slowly the sounds of the banjos and the squealing pig subsides and my mind turns to preparations.Where in the world can I borrow a canoe for my overnight trip down the Sipsey through the Bankhead National Forest?Finally, as I drift back to sleep a fleeting thought passes my barely conscious mind... What a strange dream. I wonder what i

Going through the motions
I do it. You do it. We all do it at some point. We get caught up in routine. We follow instructions without thinking. We dispassionately live out our lives. We go through the motions.What got me to thinking about this universal phenomenon was.... you guessed it.... 5-6 year old soccer.In an attempt to squelch unbridled competitiveness that has the possibility of squeezing the joy out of a children's game, the league we play in has declared that no score will be kept in the 5-6 year old division. Score doesn't matter. It's fun we are after.The problem is we are all dispassionately living out this mantra. Everyone is keeping score and everyone kno

Writing again
I got a double dose of homecoming this weekend. Both my high school and college had their homecomings and I was able to catch up with some old friends. Believe it or not, several read this blog and encouraged me to get back to semi-regular posting.So, with renewed vigor I will be attempting to do just that.It won't be today because the schedule is hectic. But do check back regularly and let me know if you like what you find.All the best,Clayton

Soccer Dad
I did everything I could:Traded the minivan - checkAvoid registration like the plague - checkIgnore calls from the Recreation Center - checkClaim total ignorance of the communist sport - checkAll my precautions were for naught. I'm offically a Soccer Dad. Or worse, a soccer coach! GASP!!!!Head coach and general manager of the Kicks 5-6 year old soccer team. It's gonna be fun and funny. If you've never seen kids this age play soccer you need to check it out. Here's a little primer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtAwOpQBYPI