The Art of Parenting

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Coach Muller

nathan-anderson-FHiJWoBodrs-unsplash A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the family car.

His father said that he would make a deal with his son, “You bring your grades up from a “C” to a “B” average, study your Bible a little, and get your haircut…then we will talk about the car.”

the boy thought about that for a moment, decided that he would settle for the offer, and they agreed on it. After about six months his father said, “Son, you have brought your grades up and I have observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I am disappointed that you haven’t had your hair cut.”

The boy sais, “You know, Dad, I have been thinking about that, and I have noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there is even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.”

(You’re going to love the dad’s reply!)

“Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?”

Ahhh…..the art of parenting!!

Be Careful What You Wish For!

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Coach Muller

Photo Credit: Jeassicahtam via CC Flickr

A little while ago, I read the following story that made me sit back and think about the incredible power of love and the importance of making it our goal to make a beautiful thing, last for a lifetime. We have to change our mindsets to a more positive focus…we need to WANT to achieve a goal instead of HOPING that it might happen.

I hope you enjoy this story…

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life-changing experiences that you hear other people talk about -the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly. This one occurred a mere two feet away from me. Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jetway, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags.

He stopped right next to me to greet his family. First he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other’s face, I heard the father say, “It’s so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!” His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes and replied softly, “Me, too, Dad!”

Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe nine or ten) and while cupping his son’s face in his hands said, “You’re already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach!” They too hugged a most loving, tender hug.

While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one-and-a-half) was squirming excitedly in her mother’s arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father.

The man said, “Hi, baby girl!” as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.

After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, “I’ve saved the best for last!” and proceeded to give his wife the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing.

He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed. “I love you so much!” They stared at each other’s eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be.

I puzzled about it for a moment then realized how totally engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm’s length away from me.

I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I was invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, “Wow! How long have you two been married?” “Been together fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” he replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife’s face. “Well then, how long have you been away?” I asked the man finally turned and looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile.”Two whole days!”

Two days? I was stunned. By the intensity of the greeting, I had assumed he’d been gone for at least several weeks – if not months. I know my expression betrayed me, I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend), “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years!”

The man suddenly stopped smiling. He looked me straight in the eye, and with forcefulness that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different person. He told me, “Don’t hope, friend… decide!” Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!” With that, he and his family turned and strode away together.

I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, “What’cha looking at?” Without hesitating, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, “My future!”

There’s A Mouse in the House!!

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Coach Muller

Photo Credit: Micolo-j via CC Flickr

This is a re-post of an article that I posted way back when I first began my “Good Time Stories” page. It is one of my favorite little stories. I hope you like it as much as I do!!

There are many people in today’s world that want nothing to do with helping other people. Their thought is, “why should I go out of my way to help them with the problem that they are facing? It has nothing to do with me.” Well, sometimes this decision can come back to affect them. The story today clearly illustrates why, sometimes, we should go out of our way to help others.

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain? The mouse wondered – he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me.”” I cannot be bothered by it.”

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. “Be assured you are in my prayers.”

The mouse turned to the cow and said “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house — like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember…..the mouse in the house.

A Passion of A Coach

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Coach Muller

A Picture of Me!!

Today, I have decided to share a little bit of myself with you.

I have been a Physical Education teacher and a coach for 30 years…and I love taking pictures (and my my blog :). It is funny how many people are tell me how surprised they are when they find out that I enjoy photography and writing as much as I do. They seem to think that someone who is an athlete (or least used to be) and is as big as I am (6’3″, 275 lbs) can’t possibly be someone who likes to do these things.

That’s OK. Because everyone is different and and have different passions for various things. I found my interest in photography by the one man who had the most influence and biggest impact in my life…my dad.

My father was a photographer for over 45 years. He had his own studio, took pictures for a local paper, snapped pictures at an untold number of weddings and took pet, individual and family portraits. He closed his shop for the final time just as the digital camera was becoming popular.

When my father passed away a few years ago, I decided to use some of the money that he left me to purchase a really nice camera. The following pictures are of some flowers that I took in Philadelphia last summer while my family was visiting some of my in-laws and nephews and nieces.

I hope you like them. I am planning on beginning to post more pictures that I have taken and edited in future blogs.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them!

A True Friend Loves No Matter What (Pictures That Speak Volumes #68)

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Coach Muller

Photo Credit: Unknown (if known, please let me know)

Everyone knows how loyal and loving dogs (and other pets) can be. Today’s picture is a tremendous illustration of this king of unconditional love.

It has been said that the relationship between some people and their pets are special and can sometimes touch and help heal the soul. Looking at the face of the child in this photo (and even the dog), is a testament to this fact.

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than it loves itself”.

Time for Tissues!! A Time for Family

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Coach Muller

Photo Credit: Hans via Pixabay

I always find it sort of strange how fast or slow time can actually go. Sometimes, it can go agonizingly slow, like waiting for a bus or a train at a terminal. There are also some instances when time can speed by us at an incredible rate of speed. My grandma used to always say, “the older you get, the days get longer and the years get shorter”…how true it is!!

Have you ever noticed, as a parent, how fast has gone (or is going)? Sometimes we are so busy with our daily schedules that we can easily get distracted and lose focus on our most important things in our lives…our kids.

We all need to take the time to REALLY spend with our children each and every day. The opportunity we have to strengthen their lives and encourage them is an awesome and beautiful responsibility.

This video is a tremendous example of the wonderful and loving relationship between a dad and his daughter…and yes, you will need a box of tissues!!

There is nothing more beautiful than the love that a child and their parents share with each other. The following video is a great testament to this fact.

The Love and Sacrifice of Mothers!!

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Coach Muller

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck”. ~ Proverbs 1:8-9

Mothers are awesome. They teach our children how to work hard, study in school, behave themselves, persevere in times of trial, how to deal with other, and on and on and on. There simply isn’t enough time and space to share with you all of the wonderful things that mothers do and how much impact they can have in their family. There is also no way that we can ever thank out mothers enough for the time and effort that they sacrificed for us on a daily basis so that we could become the people that we are today.

Most importantly, a good, caring Christian mother will bring up their children in the ways of the Lord. They will teach them the fundamentals and foundations of God’s love, promises and truths. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Happy (late) Mother’s Day Everyone!

The Great Debate: Complete or Finished?

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Coach Muller

Photo Credit: Tim Regan via CC Flickr

No dictionary has ever been able to define the difference between “complete” and “finished.” However, during a recent linguistic conference, held in London, England, Samsundar Balgobin, a Guyanese linguist, was asked to make that very distinction.

The question by a colleague in the erudite audience was this: “Some say there is no difference between ‘complete’ and ‘finished.’ Please explain the difference in a way that is easy to understand.”

Mr. Balgobin’s response: “When you marry the right woman, you are ‘complete.” If you marry the wrong woman, you are ‘finished.’ And, if the right one catches you with the wrong one, you are ‘completely finished.'”

His answer received a five minute standing ovation…

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Hope this little story brought a smile to your face. We all need a little joy in our lives to brighten our days! 🙂

One More Time Daddy?

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Coach Muller

Photo Credit: Tammy McGary via CC Flickr

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. “That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide. “He’s a fine-looking boy” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.”

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. “What do you say we go, Melissa?” Melissa pleaded, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes.” The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart’s content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. “Time to go now?”

Again Melissa pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.” The man smiled and said, “OK.” “My, you certainly are a patient father,” the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, “Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa. She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get Five more minutes to watch her play.”

Life is all about making priorities, and family should be the one and only priority on top of all other, so spend all the time you can with loved ones.

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Source: My buddy Karina @ http://karinasussanto.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/five-more-minutes/

Eating Lunch With God

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Coach Muller

Photo Credit: Wonderlane via CC Flickr

Millions of people search and look for God every day. Sometimes, a person can find God in a most unexpected way…

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face.

She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?”

He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home.

Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?”

She replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” But before her son responded, she added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”

———————

By Julie A. Manhan
from A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

What IT Means To Be A Dad (To Me)

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Coach Muller

My Boys, Grandpa and I Fishing at the Beach

Twenty three years ago, the Lord decided to bless me with the first of my two sons. Needless to say, I have enjoyed every second of my life being a father and, most importantly, a dad to my boys. To be able to be a good example of the Lord, give Godly advice, and love them unconditionally is the best gift that I could ever be to them.

In my opinion, being a REAL dad is so much more than just saying that I am one…it is showing my children how much I love them by the things that I do with them and way that I show them my love. It’s sacrificing the time I have and things that I want to do…for them. Being a good dad is not about “what am I receiving from my kids” but what can I do for them?”

There are so many things that I have done with my boys which have given me an incredible sense of fulfillment and satisfaction…things like…

Fishing at the beach

Camping in the Adirondacks

Swimming in grandma’s pool

Hiking many trails and National Parks

Praying together and teaching them how to pray

Reading Bible Stories to them

Talking with them about life’s lessons

Going on vacations together

Getting them ready for college

Canoeing down the Colorado River and sleeping under the starts for 3 days

Coaching them in recreation soccer, basketball and baseball

Cheering and encouraging them at their football and soccer games

Smiling and laughing at each other’s jokes, humor and foolishness

Going to the zoo

Making homemade pizzas

Enjoying outdoor BBQ’s

Going to the beach, body surfing and fishing

Kayaking

…and the list goes on and on.

I think a REAL man loves his family and children and places them as the most important thing in life. There is NOTHING that has brought me more contentment and peace in my life as my family. Simply being a loving dad and husband is the most rewarding feeling I can ever have.

You see and you have to understand…Any guy can be a father but not every guy can be a dad!!

The Day Mother Did Nothing

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Coach Muller

Photo Credit: Lisa Omarali via CC Flickr

A man came home from work and found his 3 children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn around garden, The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and no sign of the dog, walking in the door, he found …an even bigger mess.

A lamp had been knocked over, the throw rug was against one wall, In the front room, the TV was playing loudly with the cartoon channel, the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, ‘What happened here today?’ She again smiled and answered, ‘you know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world do I do all day?

”Yes,” was his incredulous reply.

She answered, ‘Well, today I didn’t do it.’

What a novel approach!

Husbands and Father’s…love your wife and your kids mom!

Enjoy the Day!!

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Source: The Goodwill Librarian