3,000 words
I think we’re back up & running on the worldwide web. If a picture is worth a thousand words, than this is my longest post ever.
a few flakes & a hack job
Well, it’s snowing blizzard style in Fayetteville, and the family is getting a serious case of cabin fever. Ok, Hazel & I are, and the others are content to sit at home all day, every day. The new look of the blog is not due to style preference, but rather the server that this blog sits on got hacked. Yes, I guess this means there are people out there smarter than me, and with too much time to boot. We’ll take some snow pics if it ever stops- supposed to be like 60 degrees tomorrow.
and now the women (sorry)….aka Blue Like Jazz
Apparently, John Ortberg has a book out entitled, “The Me I Want to Be”- the same title I used on my previous post. This is disheartening due to the fact that I like to fancy myself as original, endlessly creative, and handsome. Thus, my apology to John and all of you for unwittingly stealing his words. At best it should be flattering & at worst, I’ve reached the point in writing where other people’s stuff sounds better than anything I’ve got. In an attempt to continue my last post, in which I attempted to summarize the view from a thirty-ish…
the me I want to be
Anders is awesome. Hazel is fast & furious. Ginny is busy. I have been enjoying a stay-cation this week- beginning on Wednesday and ending today. For those not familiar- a stay-cation is just like a vacation, only it has no destination. Yes, this is a complex idea- reserved only for folks without the means to make it to the beach. I’ve been off work, and at home. I recommend it, and have used the time to catch up on bills, get the cars tagged, and other items that should have been done already. The fact that I am giving thumbs…
the gift of presence
MM: I’ve had the opportunity to speak a couple of times the last few weeks. This helps to explain the infrequency of blog posts; preparing to speak absorbs me a way that few other things do. Last night I was able to teach on something that has become quite near & dear to Ginny & I- the gift of presence. The willingness to enter into the pain of another. I come as a recipient on this topic, and not an expert. We are thankful for the folks that have taught us, along the way, what the gift of presence looks…
a month of mr.
In a lame attempt to revive an old pastime that I have let fall off the radar, I have a question. This is where you leave an answer in the reply box. It’s called feedback, and helps me pretend to curb the narcissism inherent in a blog. With no further ado….What music are you currently enjoying? It could be new, old or just new to you. As mentioned a few posts back, the Mooney home is currently shakin’ it to Ben Rector, as well as the new Corrine Bailey Rae cd. I picked this cd up for Gin in an…
a Top 10
Anders will be three weeks tomorrow. His arrival ushered in all kinds of lessons and reminders…big, flashing, neon signs pointing out things unnoticed or heretofore forgotten. I’m sure one day, we’ll have something of worth to type that doesn’t center on our children- but for now, in the haze of all that accompanies adding a person to your world- the focus is squarely on the ones that cry. The newborn phase is such a funny beast. What is about babies that the minute you do not have one- no matter how many you have spawned thus far- you instantly forget how…
ben rector
Our friend, Ben has a new cd coming out Feb. 16th. This means Ginny will be happy for at least a week. Hazel will have some new songs to shake it to. And Anders will be sleepy. It’s gonna be good…
99 balloons international?
…has a ring doesn’t it? The board of 99 balloons is looking at the possibility of expanding the vision of what we are currently doing. I gotta say, it is exciting to dream. We are examining various ways to make an impact locally, nationally, and internationally. I’ve got a meeting with some friends this Thursday who are doing great things in the Ukraine, take a look at the video for more. Also, we would love to hear of projects and organization currently engaged in helping special needs children and families as we look to expand, so let us know if…
surprises thus far
With help from these guys, we redid the blog in order to have a space that better connected folks with the different pieces of our story. The site remains www.theatypicallife.com, and we like it. Hope you do as well. We’ve been busy enjoying the adjustment that accompanies adding a person to the family. In the midst of the chaos, two items have been pleasant surprises. First of all- for eleven days at least- Anders has been a gentle, little man; quite happy with the baby work schedule of resting, eating, and creating diapers in need of change. He sleeps, he doesn’t cry…
Matt & Ginny start the second half of season 1 with a seemingly simply question: What is a good life? An entire episode focused on the life of a man known as Bulldog– told through the eyes of his brother, Chris Wheeler. It is a journey of Chris beginning to see a person who was…
In the age of television talent shows galore, our hosts attend one that manages to flip the narrative of what a talent show is & could be. Chelsea, Jordan & Claire want to sing at the bEfriend talent show hosted by 99 Balloons, but to do so they will have to overcome their fear of…
Matthew Lyle & Ginny Mooney continue the discussion of healing and the church by delving into the lives of their friends with disability who do not want to be healed, cured or fixed. When they stumble upon an article, written by Madeleine Ryan, entitled Dear Parents: Your Child with Autism is Perfect it is though…
When the loss of a child becomes a nationwide, prayer movement to #wakeupolive what does it say about the church and its relationship to healing? to suffering? In the first part of a two-part series discussing healing & the church, Matthew Lyle Mooney along with his wife, Ginny Mooney, set out to discuss the awkward…
Summer is here. At 5, 6 and 8 we got rascals riding bikes and swimming at a skill level whereby we are not in constant stress. I told Ginny sometime some summer not long ago that I was done going to pools. With 3 that cannot swim alone, I can only act like I’m listening…
I’ve worked hard to develop a new habit of carving out Monday mornings to sit and think and pray and grasp for some semblance of sanity before I cannonball into the week that will eat my lunch if I let it. It’s a rebellious act of counter-intuition as weekends are supposed to be the very…
We’ve reached that point in these beloved Ozarks where we’re just all waiting around for the good weather. We get all four seasons here; just enough of winter to know we don’t want to move north; which we needed no help knowin’. Being bone-tired of Ole Man Winter being a hanger-on is all you’re allowed…
I often look at my backside in the mirror. I move quickly past the place that you imagined I was seeking and find the splotchy spot just above the bend of my right leg. It’s my biggest scar- remnants of days I spent riding my Honda 80 dirt bike for hours on end along the…
Check it out, Ginny & Lena are in the current edition of National Geographic. A while back, a wonderful photographer followed our family around for a few days in order to capture photos illustrative of an article on brain development…fascinating article and wonderful pictures (we think). _____________________________________ If…
Against my better judgment, Ginny convinced me last Monday to sit beside her and watch the American Music Awards. I begrudgingly complied- mainly due to the fact that I love her and if she invites me to sit close to her, I do it- every time. I’m a sucker that way, but that doesn’t mean…