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Merry Christmas…

by | Dec 25, 2017 | Attitude is Everything

Dear Family and Friends,

Christmas is here! On behalf of my family, I would like extend our Christmas greetings to you and yours.

From Our Family…

To begin, it has been an emotional and exhausting year for Lisa as she had to re-order her priorities so that she and her family, extended family and friends, could to tend to the needs of her ailing mother. The challenges to help care for her mom were compounded by distance and by the additional demands that accompanied her promotion to Director. Yet because of their collective efforts, they were able to do the nearly impossible; they were able to give her the gift of nearly full-time care for the better part of nine-months.

In our feeble attempt to alleviate Lisa’s stress, Ian and I had to step up to the plate. We tried our hand at laundry and grocery shopping, so that she could come home to a reasonably clean house, a few days clean clothes and enough food in the house to pack Ian’s lunch. Apparently, only his mom can get the lunch thing right. It was our gift to her as our way to make her feel like we had it all together.

Her absence was noticed by Ian the most but he handled it like a champion, growing up before our very eyes into fine young man. Now a freshman in high school, he is finding his niche. He is the social one; very active and out-going. He, too, added his needs to the mix by taking drivers training. Now, he is looking forward to the day when he can drive on his own. If the first snow of the season is any indication, he may need a little more time with an adult in the navigator’s seat.

Kelsey is still at home. She found a career path that shows promise as a recruiter for a staffing agency. It is her responsibility to encourage other adults to act like adults. Her job is stressful at times, still she seems to enjoy it and will begin the process of obtaining her certifications after the first of the year. As for the guy in her life, she has found companionship but has yet to announce that he’s a keeper; unfazed by his Buick.

Taylor moved away to Mississippi State University, an SEC school, taking a position in its Health Education Department. Now, she has to re-learn the English language in a foreign dialect. She has found the word “y’all” to be very useful and is trying to get us northerner’s to include it in our everyday vocabulary. After the first of the year, she will begin taking classes in pursuit of her Masters’ degree.

She too has a guy in her life. Although not officially engaged, he gave her a cowbell as a symbol of his devotion. I, for one, am unclear how to convert cowbells to karats, but have to believe one exists in this long-held tradition at Mississippi State.

As for me, I was the unstable one. My leap of faith more closely resembles a walk through a maze in the dark. I still do some writing, mostly in the wee morning hours well before daylight. Feel free to follow along at alvandyk.com. There is some stuff there you might find interesting.

If you were wondering, I still have Parkinson’s, but with the support of my family and friends, I am committed to living a life full of passion and purpose.

…Our Christmas Wish to Your’s

As the year comes to a close, I am drawn to the idea of gifts, particularly how we get spun up about what to give to whom. It was during one of those early mornings that I was reminded that we have a gift that awaits us. Maybe there is another way to think about gifts this season. Maybe Christmas is about being a gift to a hurting world that points others to the Greatest Gift. Lisa was a gift to her family. Ian and I made a feeble attempt to be a gift to Lisa. And our girls, by their very presence, brighten the lives of those whose lives they touch.

We all have been given a gift by the One who freely gives to all who ask. Some of us will treasure our gift, leaving it unopened, only to admire the beauty of the wrapping paper. Others of us will accept it, open it and experience Peace beyond what we ever thought possible. And there are those among us that feel that they are undeserving of the Gift. My prayer for you this season is to accept that gifts are just that, something freely given to those of us that are undeserving, and receive it with the enthusiasm of a child on Christmas morning.

Rejoice, your Gift awaits.

Merry Christmas from the Van Dyk’s

Al, Lisa, Kelsey, Taylor and Ian

The Trouble With Bubbles – Tis The Season

The Trouble With Bubbles – Tis The Season

by | Dec 22, 2017 | Attitude is Everything

Have they been good enough or are they still on the bubble? This is the time of year that our kids tell us what they want for making the good list. As their parents, we weigh their behavior over the last 30 days or so and we ask ourselves, have they been good enough to be recipients of the gifts we freely give them or are they still on the bubble? What about you? Did you check to see if you hit the minimum requirements?

Earning Our Gifts

Did you look in the mirror and ask yourself if you were good enough for a new dress shirt and a pair of sox? It’s okay; be honest. Unless your name is Matt or Harvey and have been in the headlines these past few months, and earned a reputation as a naughty boy, you should be safe. They set the bar pretty low.

As for me, I’m confident that I cleared the hurdle for the right to ask for the shirt and sox bundle but fear I fell well short of the mark to be in the running for one of those few premium luxury automobiles; you know the one with a red bow on top. How do you view your year, by your perception of goodness and what you were able to accomplish, or where you fell short?

I’m a Santa denier; there I said it. There is something wrong with this whole picture. First, we need to prove that we were good, then we need to ask for a free gift. Finally, we are supposed to behave with grace and dignity if we receive a lump of coal. If there is some list of things that we must do to be eligible, are the gifts still free or did they cross the line over to earnings? Since when do gifts have strings?

Coal is a Choice

I don’t think that I’m going out on a limb when I say that it has been a challenging year for many of us and we may notfeel like pasting on a fake smile and celebrating with, much less shopping for, those who didn’t experience our same level of hurt or disappointment. In some small way we feel we need time to reflect on our discouragement and wallow in our self-pity. After all, isn’t it our prerogative to only consider our bounty and measure our goodness against others that we select. Isn’t it my choice to say, “I choose coal.”

What happened to the notion that gifts are freely given to those undeserving? Don’t we give of ourselves to those we care about out of something inside of us, not because of something others did for us? Santa has this whole thing wrong. It’s no wonder that the malls are full and wallets are empty.

I don’t think Christmas is intended to be about how we feel; blessed or burdened, flush or faltering. It’s supposed to be about receiving a gift, especially if it’s out of our pain and sorrow, that was freely given to we who are undeserving and indifferent to those in our sphere of influence to usher us into a place of peace and hope. The gifts we give are meant to be a representation, albeit a feeble reflection, of the gift or gifts that we have received but have neither earned nor deserved.

Ebenezer’s Beware

Are you a Scrooge? Did you race to the store and buy a bag of Kingsford to give as gifts to your family, co-workers and friends as your perception of their goodness? Do we risk crushing their Christmas spirit because we haven’t fully embraced what it means to be the vessel through which blessings and gifts flow?

Tis the season to give and to receive. Maybe this is the year that we focus on receiving the Gift that is waiting for us rather than being consumed with our idea of how much others deserve the gifts that we decided to freely give.

Rejoice, your Gift is waiting.

Ivy is still confused by the tree in the living room. She thinks we brought it inside to give her a place to bury her chew toys.

Merry Christmas to you and yours,

Al and his faithful, but overly possessive sidekick, Ivy the wonder pup.

P.S. Just to give you a quick update on my condition; I still have Parkinson’s and yes, Parkinson’s Still Sucks. That’s all I am going to say about that.

Chaos and Order ~ Can We Have One Without the Other

by | Dec 11, 2017 | Pivot Points

Chaos, if someone would ask me to come up with a single word that could summarize our entire year, that word would be chaos. For a lot of reasons, I don’t think that we are alone. Were you consumed by events that made you feel like you are not in control of your life? Did you have to navigate through extended periods of confusion and conflicting messages with no clear right or wrong answers? Congratulations, you are now a member of a non-exclusive club. So now what?

Chaos and Order

These are two commonly used words that are known to create an excessive amount of anxiety. For some, even a short period experiencing chaos is unspeakable, unthinkable and unsurvivable and we are to avoid it at all costs. For others, order is too stifling and restrictive for your tastes as you prefer to run loose and free. Even though chaos and order are at opposite ends of the spectrum, both have the same outcome, a life filled with tension and anxiety. If free from stress is your idea of utopia, neither a life consumed with the need for order nor one in a constant state of chaos is for you.

Harmony

Back in September, as a birthday gift from my family, I was given two tickets to attend a concert by Trans Siberian Orchestra. This week, I was able to enjoy that gift. For the past several years, my Christmas season starts when I feel the need to listen to traditional Christmas carols loudly. Imagine for a moment, colored lights flashing and hundreds of lasers flickering numerous times every second across a sold-out arena. While the lighting effects engulf your visual senses, an orchestra tee’s up Hark the Herald Angels Sing and vocalists are delivering the message of Christmas with the intensity of a passionate college football fan during the closing minutes of a close game.

If this is your first experience with a TSO concert, you might mistake all of the commotions for chaos, but that is not the case. In fact, is quite the opposite. The performers draw the audience into a story that we can all relate to; the story of a girl that is away from her family because of her personal choices who wants something we all want, order and structure that makes us feel safe to replace the chaos that makes us feel lost and alone.

Tension Anyone

The absence of chaos does not equate to a life that will be free from tension and uncertainty. It could be the calm before the storm; a precursor to a transformation more incredible than you could imagine. The unexpected and unwanted arrival of chaos may just be the beginning of something much more significant that will challenge your world and mess with everything you hold to be true. Chances are, when you emerge on the other side, what you value has changed, how you decide you will invest time and talents will change; you will change.

Of these two statements, select which one is more likely to happen:

[ ] A twister will pass through a bone-yard and out of the wreckage, a shining new fully functioning Boeing 757 will magically appear.

 – or –

[ ] Something that educates, empowers and embodies beauty and worth will come out of the chaos I am presently experiencing in my life.

Consider this; the chaos that we are about to experience, or are experiencing, is the beginning a beautiful story of redemption and healing. Maybe we are too invested in, or holding on too tightly to, a past that needs to be put behind us once and for all so that we can experience a future that is worthy of our time and talents. We admit to ourselves that something has to change; but when left to our devices, we opt for a life of order, structure, and security. The only way we will step up to the plate and leave our comfort zone is if it is violently ripped away and taken away by the winds of change. Now there is a Christmas message that you didn’t expect.

Living in the Moment

Recently I have come to accept that our lives need both chaos and order. The periods of chaos force us to put our phones away, turn off Facebook or Medium,  to test everything that we believe and validate that it is still true. The periods of times characterized by order are necessary for us to catch our breath and enjoy the company of those that matter the most. It is during these times of calm that we can bask in the knowledge that we are stronger than we think we are. It’s also our time to give thanks for the family and friends that stand beside us when we are in the eye of the vortex, and we are doing all we can to hang on for dear life. Deep down, we know that time will come once again.

There are some that would argue that I have a way of looking for chaos and that I enjoy it, and when it’s absent, I do my part creating it. There may be some truth to that, but for now, I am sticking with my what I have said all along; I’m just an average Joe who likes an occasional beer that thrives in an ambiguous environment. Everything else is merely a coincidence and a figment of your wild imagination.

Thank for reading, liking, and sharing,

Yes, Ivy, mustard and pickle relish are condiments, why do you ask?

Al and his faithful, but slightly embarrassed sidekick, Ivy the wonder pup.

It’s great to be back. Thanks for keeping the light on and your front door unlocked.

 

Why its Important to Live a Life of Gratitude

by | Nov 22, 2017 | Attitude is Everything

“What are you thankful for?” Do you remember when you were in grade school and the teacher would put you on the spot with this question? Were you that kid who would raise his hand sheepishly and say, “I am thankful for turkeys.” Was that your answer? Maybe you were one of the very few who could articulate what you were thankful with complete sentences while you were still in your single-digit years but you were too timid to raise your hand. If that was you. feel free to chime in anytime. Comments are always welcome.

Gratitude is an Attitude

I’m not sure it matters what you are thankful for; I am starting to think that if we’re thankful we are off to a good start. My opinion was validated today by PragerU. If you are unfamiliar with PragerU’s work, I would encourage you to watch this weeks’ video The Key to Unhappiness. For those of you who lean left politically, it will probably give you hives, but it’s a chance that I’m willing to take. Prager sums it up very nicely, if we have a spirit of gratitude, we will be happier; if our disposition is one of ingratitude, we will be unhappy. So my question to you this Thanksgiving, “Are you living a life of gratitude or ingratitude?” If you are unsure, here are a few things that I am thankful for, just to get your juices flowing:

  • I am thankful that I survived my run-in with the Dirty Blonde in the desert. There I was, minding my own business…you will have to read that one for your self. I was the victim!
  • I am thankful that my son has passed drivers training this year. Even though he will be driving with his learners permit for the next 8-months, I am one step closer to having someone run my errands.
  • In a very strange way, I am thankful that I had a little time off work this fall so that I could help my lovely wife with some household chores. She had a difficult year and she was grateful that I could step up to the plate.
  • I am thankful that I had a chance to travel and see some amazing sights; the red rocks of Sedona, The Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Forest and, my favorite, the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I thought it would be fun to chronicle my travels and share the pictures. I went so far as naming my travels the “Parkinson’s Sucks Tour” thankfully, that project never got off the ground. Sometimes sarcasm just doesn’t work and that was one of them.
  • I am thankful that a friend of mine trained me to shoot at targets that were set up almost a mile away. I have my doubts that any of my shots even landed in the right zip-code, but I am thankful that I had the opportunity to try something very few people get a chance to do. Best of all, I was offered a chance for redemption. He must need a good laugh as well.
  • I am thankful for the wonder pup. She never gets mad at me even though she has been the subject of many backhanded comments that she doesn’t fully understand because, well, she’s a dog.

As you can see, my family and I have been blessed. We have experienced God’s provision in ways that words cannot express. He has blessed us with friends and family that are committed to traveling our journey with us. If we didn’t experience our time in the desert, we could never comprehend the bounty that we find in our oasis.

Happy Thanksgiving. See you at Best Buy?

Family time

Some of you may have noticed that I have not been posting quite as often as I have in the past. Please be patient while we get back on track. When life comes at you from all sides, something has to take a back seat.

To repeat a line from Charles Krauthammer who borrowed it from the Terminator who probably stole it from some fraternity brat who ran out to buy a condom, “I’ll be back.”

Thanks for reading, liking and not sharing the last line with your grandmother.

I don’t understand it either Ivy; I don’t know why older people get squeamish when you talk things like pickle relish and mustard. Good point, maybe it does give them gas.

Al and his faithful, and dietetically astute sidekick, Ivy the #wonder-pup.

Hashtag, Ivy?

My Top 10 Reasons Why My Life Should Make You Jealous

by | Oct 30, 2017 | Attitude is Everything

Once again, I deviated from the “All things Light and Fluffy” theme that I had going for a week and a half. My reason to do so was valid, but today I need to stay on point. I have a mandate; I get no more than 500-words and to keep it “light and fluffy.”

So here goes:

#10. I can mix my own martini’s, shaken not stirred.

#9.  Because I have something in common with Michael J. Fox and Kirk Gibson, people think I have them on speed-dial.

#8.  Many people think Parkinson’s disease is a precursor to dementia. If I forget someone’s name or to take out the trash, I can attribute it to the next phase of the disease without actually experiencing it.

#7.  I have a socially acceptable reason at my fingertips if I spill ice cream on my shirt. This applies to any food that contains tomato sauce as well.

#6. It gave me a reason to start a blog and write using long words and complex sentences about subjects I know very little about.

#5. Ivy is famous. When she goes to the dog park, the Pomeranians and the Shitzu’s treat her like a rock star.

#4. The rigidity in my legs that accompanies off episodes will come in handy if want to audition for the role of Frankenstein or some other such mutation.

#3. I have found a way to be productive during those early morning hours when most people are asleep. I have called State Farm so many times, my phone number is blocked and Jake requested a restraining order.

#2. Writing this post reminded me how important it is to be able to count backwards from 10. It may come in handy if I ever get pulled over by the police under suspicion that I am driving under the influence.

#1. Parkinson’s taught me this one important lesson; that my friends and family are more important to me than the stuff I have amassed; that fear in nothing more than a four-letter word that I can either live through or in it’s grips; that I have a story to tell that is worth sharing that others may want to hear; that an extraordinary life is attainable even though I may shuffle my feet at times; that goals are still lofty even though I can no longer climb ladders; that my friends and family are more important to me than the stuff I have amassed.

Are you jealous? I thought you would be.

Thanks for reading and liking; sharing is nice too.

Ivy couldn’t join us; she took a knee. She asked to be “emancipated” to take the night off to work on her counting skills.

Al without his faithful, now emancipated sidekick, Ivy the wonder pup.

I need to look that one up.

emancipate ~ transitive verb

to free from restraint, control, or the power of another; especially: to free from bondage.

It’s just a collar, Ivy. You’re a dog.

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