2009 in Review

How do I review a year in which I got married, got a dog, got reassigned to a different school and the Lakers won the NBA Championship? Where do I even begin? For years as a single Christian man trying to honor women in a way pleasing to the Lord, I often found myself scratching my head wondering why women never appreciated that from me. I was discarded like trash often times (even by my wife although she was not my wife at the time – more on this in a later blog). But in one week’s time, I will have my first anniversary with my wife. Amazing.

I never had a real pet in my entire life. I don’t consider goldfish as “real” pets. Once, while I was in high school, my mom had some exotic birds from Thailand she kept in the front yard. She took a trip to Thailand for about a month and told me to take care of them. I said, “Sure mom, whatever.” A month passed by and I saw my mom driving up on her return home, I felt like I was forgetting something. I think you know where this is headed. Yes, I forgot about taking care of the birds, namely by feeding them. I went to check out the cages and sure enough they were dead. Don’t worry I got rid of their carcasses and told my mom they died of natural causes. So when my wife wanted a dog I thought it was a bad idea considering that I didn’t like added work and having a dog just felt like a lot of work.

It’s been almost six months since we have had Buddy and an interesting thing has happened. Even though there have been plenty of times that I wanted to kill the dog, he’s been growing on me. I can say that I actually like him. Of course the dog has taught me a lot of patience. That doesn’t come as a big surprise. What is a surprise, however, is how taking care of a dog is similar (at a much smaller scale) to raising a child. You have to constantly affirm it and give it affection. There are times when I’m on the computer doing important things like checking the NBA standings when the dog comes in and wants more affection. Initially, I would tell him to go away, but I realized I wouldn’t be able do that to my future child. So the dog is actually helping me become a better parent before I become a parent. I’m sure Junior Jr. will appreciate that.

It’s been seven long years since the Lakers won a Championship (I’ve been a season ticket holder for four years). I wrote a blog after they lost to Boston in the Finals in 2008 that it had a 1984-1985 feel to it. What I mean is when the Lakers lost to Boston in 1984 (a series they should have won) they came back the following year and destroyed the rest of the league and won the 1985 Championship against . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . Boston! Although the 2009 Lakers, in my opinion, weren’t quite as good as the 1985 team, I’m not going to complain when we win Championships. When the Lakers are Champs all just feels right in the world.

What do I expect in 2010? I’m not much of a New Years Resolution type of guy. It never made any sense to me why if a person needed to “start a healthy diet” or “workout consistently” they would wait until the beginning of the year? Just start now. In short, 2009 ended two terrible droughts for me, namely, singleness and Laker Championships. Yes, the Lord is good and He does provide everything that we need and all in His proper time. Whether it is a spouse or Laker Championships, the Lord knows exactly what we need and when we need it. So what do I expect from 2010? The Lord's continued faithfulness. How is that going to look? You're guess is as good as mine.