Different...

The world seems like such a different place since last night...

since the "news"...

but then again,

is it?


I say this because things...

events...

have been in motion regardless of my knowledge or awareness.


It's time to stay focused.

I've got some projects in the works that will get a little help...I hope...from this blog.

One of these projects is the Backpack Impact program.

I also need to get back into a regular habit of posting to the blog...a routine.

This is my 1st foray back into the blog.


Tomorrow...time to elaborate on the mission and background of Backpack Impact.

Oh blog...how I've neglected thee...

In all seriousness...totally didn't mean to neglect you for....

What?!

It's been almost a year?!

And what is this...Goonies?!

Well...it's almost time for my return to the blog....

Updates of the journey thus far,

the happenings in the journey,

the past 10 months.

The journey continues to be amazing and beautiful.

A "re-boot" of sorts in the works,

so...

Stay tuned...!

"Look! He Walks Again...!"

Sarala says...

"Look! He walks again...!"

Now...I guess I should provide a little back-story.

We were in the parking lot of an Old Navy.

As it were...I was rockin' my standard flip-flips, which are always a necessity to those of you that know me.

I had just gotten Sarala out of the car...took one step...

and...

the stupid flip-flop broke...

and...

the total weight of me went into my big toe, which then went straight into the asphalt.

Now, I would've included a photo but the graphic content may be a little much.

As a result,

a layer of the front of my toe was essentially scraped back, or actually to the side...

and the impending weight resulted, in...I hope...a jammed toe.

It looks pretty rough though.


To come back to Sarala's comment...Crystal and Sarala went inside to purchase me some new flip-flops while I tended to my toe with the first-aid kit..

As I slip on the new flip-flops and take a step...

Sarala, dramatically says...

"Look! He walks again...!"

I love the intensity...the concern...but ultimately...

her outlook on things.

It helped return me to Earth...reality...

that my toe is just a toe...

and yes...

I can still walk.

So...

Alright.

It's time to get back to the blog.

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about the blog...

not wanting to check it because I know I've been neglecting it.

But...

it's time.


It has been a month since my last post.

Here's a quick look at what I was up to during my absence from the blog:

• The last month has seen the end of another school year.
• I spent 7 days teaching summer school.
• Held some open gym time for the b-ball time...in preparation for a shoot-out.
• Took the team to Potosi to play in a shoot-out, where we actually ended up winning all of our games.
  
• Spent a lot of time learning lyrics/songs for a benefit for a friend of ours
• The Hope Endeavor rocked it out at Bobby Powell's and, thanks be to God, raised some funds for our friend.

Fast-forward a couple days....

Now I'm sitting on the couch, watching Chopped as I type, and

respite.

So...as I continue to watch TV and relax...I leave you with some photos from the Night of Hope: Benefit for Ray Jones with musical guests The Hope Endeavor.

Here we are in the green room with Ray (standing to my left)

Something I found in the hallway...

Pilfer.

If you're ever worried about pilfering...

there's something for that.

What's Up With Ray?

So...there is this new blog I follow...

found at

What's Up With Ray?

Ray is a friend of mine who is facing some major health problems.



Here he is playing drums for me last Spring for an anniversary party we threw for my in-laws. We rocked it out playing some Beatles songs.

He was only able, physically, to play music with me one more time...about a month after this photo was taken.

His health problems include a bleeding disorder and liver disease.

As a result, he is in need of a liver transplant. Only this past Thursday was he officially put on the active list...which means it's close.

He's only 25 years old, with a family of his own.

His son is a little younger than Sarala at 2 and a 1/2.

I am blown away by how Ray has dealt with the circumstances surrounding the health challenges he faces each day.

I ask that you join me in praying for Ray...

for his family.

Again, you can follow along with Ray at the address above.

Some Things I Like...

TV Show
Community



Product
Pilfer-Proof Tape



Book
Pudd'nhead Wilson


Music
Andrew Osenga



Alright y'all...

summer is nigh.

Andy O House Show...

Well...the Buckman's are hosting an Evening of Stories and Songs with Andrew Osenga at 7pm on Tuesday, April 20th. This will be a house show in Arcadia, MO. We have reached our limit on seating, but if you are interested in being placed on a waiting list in case someone cancels, we ask that you comment, leave an e-mail address, and we will let you know if space opens up.

Where I've been...

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

This is where I've been lately.

I'll explain.

It has been awhile since my last blog post.


I have been unfocused...

wrestling with doubt...

anger...

apathy....


Things from my past...

letting myself get overwhelmed...

and letting the time I spent with God get replaced with other things...

convenience...

work...

even playing guitar....


The part about playing the guitar has been especially tough to acknowledge...

especially since a lot of my guitar playing has happened in response to God through worship.

What happened?


Slowly...

subtly...

the joy...

hope...

dreams...

and relationship I had with God were ebbing away.


I found myself letting my everyday become mundane...

letting the amazing things that God has done through Sarala become distant memories...

and I didn't talk to God anymore.


Which brings me to the second part of John 10:10.

I was reminded lately that God is a God of restoration...

hope...

peace...

and grace.


I had to remember to just be.

I was too busy doing.

The things I was doing were good things...

but even good things can get in the way of seeking God.


I had to remember the things I once knew:

to be a child of the Father...

to be a husband to Crystal...

to be a father to Sarala...

and...

to just be.


So...

this is where I've been.

It seems like I had to refocus...

and as a result...

everything else has begun to fall back into place.


Trust in the truth of the passage above....

The words of Jesus....

Circles...!

Sarala is finally drawing circles!

This last week or so has been killing me.

Cerebral Palsy.

It's something that I haven't really thought about in awhile.

Two things have really forced it back into the forefront of my mind...one of those things being...

Circles.


Sarala is finally able to draw circles.

This is a major celebration in the Buckman family.

She's had a delay in her fine motor...which has resulted in her not doing things like drawing...coloring...age-appropriately.

You don't see it until there's something to reference it to...

like other children.


It's not something I consciously do...

but it's something that I don't want Sarala to have to deal with later on...

once she enters school...

which will be real tough on me since she'll be in my building.


Okay...back to the present.

The amazing thing about this picture...

it was delivered by Sarala's occupational therapist while I was in my classroom...

lost in my thoughts.


I say lost because it seems that I've been struggling with letting discouraging words gain ground...the tendency to overwhelm myself grows...

and then...

I hear a "Mr. Buckman?"


I look up...

see the picture...

and see something amazing...

beauty.


It's a picture of me...

Sarala's daddy.


I find beauty...peace in this picture.

God has done some amazing things in and through Sarala...

He's not finished yet.

He's got her handled.

Why am I letting myself bear the burden of worry...

when He's already done so much....

And I know He's not finished.


I noticed that I even have the spiky hair...

or as Sarala calls it...

tall hair.


I love it...

just another amazing reminder of God's grace...

mercy...

love....



And yes...the poster below hangs just inside the entryway at her preschool.



Every time she sees it, she says

"Look...Sarala and Daddy!"

Again...it must be the tall hair.


Look for what God's doing all around you...

you'll find glimpses in places where you least expect it.

A Challenge...to myself

...we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. 2 Corinthians 6:1

If someone were to read a chapter from a book about your life...

would it be worth reading?

Would it be enough to keep them reading?

To see what happens next?


I've been thinking about my own life in terms of this question.

Thanks to Donald Miller's A Million Miles In A Thousand Years (pick it up if you're looking for a great read) and the word's of Paul...

I've been looking at my life through a different lens.

Some words of Paul:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Romans 12:1-2

Am I doing everything that I need to be doing?

Now...

notice how I didn't ask "Am I doing everything I could be doing?"

because...

I think we've really got to be careful about that one.


We can't do everything.

We shouldn't do everything.

A lot of people get sucked into doing a ton of good things...

but...

that's it...

there's no time to do anything great.


Right now...as I type...I'm wrestling with some things that I feel I need to do.

I've got some things going...

in early stages...

that could be amazing for the community in which I live.

The scary thing is...

they're BIG things.

Great things.

And this is where I'm struggling.

Fighting off discouragement...

the tendency to overwhelm myself....


So...I leave you...and myself with this:

It is time....

Go for it.

Trust.

Risk.

Don't squander this amazing life you've been given.

Use your everyday life...and place it before God as an offering.

Man...look at all those verbs! ;)

Now...to get some rest.

Stop thinking about it...

Do you ever dream about doing something amazing...?

It's one thing to dream...

but another to act upon that dream.


I think about how often I get fired up about something...

and then...

nothing.

Why?

Fear?

Apathy?

Logic?


It could be one or a combination of all three...plus a whole lot more.


I overthink things.

I then let the what-ifs and unknowns in.

Then...the dream is extinguished.


This is where I currently find myself.

Ready to move from the dream to action.

Action...

doing...

going for it.


It's scary.

The unknowns.

The what-ifs.


So...

The plan is to NOT overthink things.

The plan is to NOT let the what-ifs and unknowns gain any ground.


I've been thinking about this a lot lately...

as I prepare to embark upon a journey that is a result of turning a dream into action.


I also just watched the movie UP again with the small child...

and figure...

if Carl Fredrickson can live an amazingly full life (all portrayed within the few opening minutes, without dialogue)...

and then take it to the next level by flying his house to Paradise Falls...

why can't I?

So...

I'm going to leave myself with this:

Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!
Ephesians 3:19-20

That Colbert....

Glenn Beck Attacks Social Justice - James Martin

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care reform

One of "those" books...

What was the last book you read?

Thinking back to the last couple books you've read...

are there any that have rocked your world...

changed your perspective?


Every now and then I have a book do that...

a term I hear people use to describe such an experience is

wreck.

"Man...that book really wrecked me."

Wrecked...a good thing.


I think back to the last book that wrecked my perspective...

and then to the things that have happened as a result...

and I'm glad that I encountered those words...

pages...

stories...

the stuff that inspires us to do some of those things...

do...

be...

live.


The book I'm referring to is

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

by Donald Miller.

If you're looking for a great read...I highly recommend it.


Anyway...the book is about Don.

He is approached by two movie producers that want to make a movie out of his memoir, Blue Like Jazz.

The process of editing his memoir-life into something that would make for an engaging narrative for screen causes him to apply the same edits to his real-life.

Thus...an amazing story...

an example that a life can be rescued from the everyday...

mundane...

and can be directed towards a journey wrought with amazing.


So...how did this affect me?

The book came out in the fall of 2009.

I remember ordering it from a local bookstore in Farmington...

and being really annoyed when it didn't come in on time.

We were in STL a few days after the release and I found it at a Borders.


It was a read that happened in four days. It could've happened quicker, but it was also a busy time with school...basketball...life.

Immediately after I read the thing, I wanted to make some changes.

To make a better story for the life of Wade Buckman.


So...here are some things that actually changed:

1) Started a band...played a benefit for a student with leukemia =

amazing experience, blessed to have been able to help...

looking to do some more with The Hope Endeavor...

Above photo is an awesome reminder of people coming together to help out a family in need.

2) Launching a project to help meet a need in my local community =

a project that I'm the final stages of launching, will make all you of privy to here in the next couple of weeks, since I plan to use the blog and twitter to spread the word

3) Hosting a singer/songwriter houseshow =

also something that I will make privy to those that it applies to in the near future...looks to be awesome

4) Enjoying the everyday experiences of life =

being a husband and father...nothing like it

5) Looking ahead =

starting to dream big about some things...looking into getting some things rolling

6) Losing weight/eating better =

get healthy


I plan to get into these a little more in future posts...

so...

here's to living a better story....

Do you have any examples of positives that have come as a result of your reading of a book?

If so...please share (book/what happened, is happening)....

As an added bonus...Don embarked on a book tour and I got to hear him speak...which has further encouraged me to write a better story for Wade....

"Someday...when my life has passed me by..."

We were driving home last night from the Lou and it seemed like my iPod had time-traveled back to the late 90's...early 00's.

I say this because the shuffle feature took us back in time, which in turn caused me to deliberately seek some stuff out that I hadn't heard in awhile.

Such a spread...Beastie Boys, Blink 182, Vertical Horizon (remember them?), Our Lady Peace, Jimmy Eat World, Nine Days ("This is the story of a girl..."), Less Than Jake, Creed, Pete Yorn, Semisonic, Sugar Ray (seriously? Yes...seriously), The Wallflowers, Third Eye Blind, 311, Temple of the Dog (I'm goin' Hungryyyy......!), Pearl Jam (who were just on SNL by the way), Toad the Wet Sprocket...etc.

I understand that my iPod contains a veritable time-capsule of popular stuff from the late 90's to early 00's (the college years)...even some pop stuff that evokes the senses and feelings of that amazing era of life.

And for those Montanan's out there...the Clinton's!

So...Sugar Ray's Someday comes on and I'm immediately whisked away to the California Coast...the summer of 99'.

Some friends and I had an amazing road trip that took us out to CA...which was an amazing experience considering we were all from MT.

We were driving along Highway 1, heading to the next beach...the windows down...the breeze off of the Pacific...sun...amazing.

So...here's the challenge:

Name a song that, when heard, triggers your brain to feel/see/sense a specific time/place.

Enjoying a "Smooth"

My days since the last post to the blog have been filled with this sort of stuff. Hanging out with my girls...enjoying the time together.

Here...Sarala and I are enjoying a strawberry + banana smooth.

Yes...

Sarala refers to smoothies as smooths.

She loves smooths.

I love smooths.

Together...we love us some smooths.


This is pretty much how life in the Buckman house goes...hanging out....

I was able to experience my first full weekend home these past two days...

without any guitar...

without any basketball....


Not saying anything about guitar and basketball being bad...it's pretty much all I do outside of school....

It was quite awesome to hang at home for a weekend.

It is amazing to watch your daughter play with a toy dollhouse and giggle...

talk...

sing....

The simplicity of joy.

She was immersed in the moment.


We can all learn so much from this small child.

Enjoying every bit of the moment.

Each of us have moments all throughout our days.

Why can't we get lost in moments?


So...this is the plan...the challenge:

To acknowledge and enjoy at least one moment during my day.

It can be at work, home...wherever.

The goal is to acknowledge and just enjoy the joy from those moments.

For example...

enjoying a nice warm sandwich for dinner and enjoying the moment eating some awesomeness (St. Louis Bread Co) with my significant other (Something I experienced this evening)

watching some AFV with the small child and belly-laughing because of the awesomeness displayed (some of that stuff is just universally funny)

listening to some fantastic singer/songwriter tunes (Andrew Osenga has been in heavy rotation lately)

sitting around with some friends...dreaming big things

playing Settlers of Cataan, which, by the way, is an addicting board game

and...of course

enjoying a smooth.

Try it...

see what happens!

If nothing else...blend up a smooth.

"How About Whole Foods?" I Asked....

We were in Chicago two summers ago when Sarala was almost 2.

Sarala slept in the far backseat of the vehicle as we drove around...trying to figure out where we would eat.

The question, as a joke...as we drove past a Whole Foods was:

"What about Whole Foods?"

Sarala was sleeping in the very backseat of the vehicle at the time.

Hadn't made a sound.

At the sound of me saying Whole Foods...she says

"Booooooo!"

Hilarious...

and then I made the comment that we're definitely not hitting up Whole Foods with Sarala.


Fast-forward to this past weekend....

We find ourselves at Whole Foods with Sarala.


As we were inside Sarala proceeds to say

"I don't like this place."

Sarala...apparently has this inherent dislike of Whole Foods.


Her partiality may lie with Trader Joe's...as does mine.

Who doesn't love a place with small-child carts...like TJ's?

"I Have To...!"

This was Sarala's first experience with Spumoni.

If you're not familiar with Spumoni...

think of it as a really fancy, Italian ice cream.

It has the neopolitan look but has layers.

Awesomeness is what I say.


Anyway...Sarala was bringing herself to the brink of a brainfreeze while eating Spumoni this past weekend.

I told her that she didn't have to finish and her reply was...

"I HAVE TO...!"

She was all about it.


Is there anything you attack with the voraciousness of Sarala eating Spumoni?

Um yeah...me either.... ;)

Lost weight...now let's eat!

I have to share some awesomeness with you.

Due to the abundance of quality food in our household...

all due to Crystal...

I am 14 lbs lighter than I was when February started!

That's right...

14 lbs.


That's the equivalent of a small baby child...

3 chihuahua's...

or a very large...Garfield-like...cat.


Then...what does one do to celebrate such a feat!?

Go to The Cheesecake Factory...of course!


Seriously...

it was the first meal we had eaten out in a long time...and I actually got something fairly decent...

nothing fried.


Regardless...the food was amazing.

Then...we had to share a slice of Oreo Cheesecake...a splurge/reward for the discipline maintained over the past couple weeks.

I'm good now...it was amazing...but I thought I may not make it later that night.


Sarala is much better at naturally eating well.

It's like she's got this inherent knowledge of what's good for her...

and that's what she usually eats.


Take this plate for example.

She ordered some chicken strips...

took the dipping sauces off the plate because they're "Ewww!"

and then proceeded to strip the strips of their breading.


Also...she's not much of a fry-eater so...we made a face using the discarded sauces and a fry.

Here's to eating better...

on into March...and beyond!

Things I'm Likin' Right Now...

1) Dierbergs
One of the things I miss about living in the city. I know we're not far away...but there's something about having the selection that a place like Dierbergs provides within minutes.

The variety...

the quality...

the awesome.

And...if you don't know what I'm talking about...Dierbergs is an awesome grocery store.

2) Half-Pipe Snowboarding

What is more exciting than seeing massive air, big tricks, passion...with commentators saying things like McTwist, Sketchy, the eye of the tiger, Finnish Mafia, Double Cork....

3) The tv show Chopped on food network

How intense is this show? The smack talk...the ability to come up with something when you're given a fish, chocolate, endive, and graham crackers...seriously?

4) 30 Rock

I love that Al Gore has a sense of humor...and...this show is hilarious if you haven't seen it.



5) A favorite SNL Skit - Blizzard Man

"Replace me? T-Pain?"



What are some of your current favorites? Music...places...food...shows...whatever.