Boxing Day

Boxing Day is December 26, the day after Christmas, and is celebrated in Great Britain and in most areas settled by the English (the U.S. is the major exception), including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The Feast of St. Stephen also takes place on December 26. St. Stephen was one of the seven original deacons of the Christian Church who were ordained by the Apostles to care for widows and the poor. For the success of his preaching and his devotion to Christ, St. Stephen was stoned to death by a mob. As he died, he begged God not to punish his killers. Can we not all just love each other, celebrating our individualism, and giving back to those in need. We need a voluntary re-distribution of wealth much like the communal potlatch. Pay it forward. Tip your waiter and waitress. Smile at your neighbors. Hold the door for strangers. You will get yours when you least expect it. Boxing Day is not a sport but a celebration of giving back. Thanking those who have helped you succeed.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

WE ALL BEGIN OUR LIVES AS NEWBORNS WITH A CRY AND A SCREAM AND PLENTY OF TEARS. SINCE THEN, MY LIFE HAS BEEN A SERIES OF TEARS. TEARS OF JOY AND TEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT. YOU HAVE BROUGHT ME TREMENDOUS JOY AND MELTED AWAY MY DISAPPOINTMENTS. YOU HAVE BEEN A WONDERFUL MOTHER AND ADULT FOR BILLY & MATT. YOU ARE A LOVING WIFE AND LIFE PARTNER. YOU A VERY PATIENT AND KIND TO ME EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS DIFFICULT. YOU HAVE GIVEN ME HOPE, PEACE AND TEARS OF JOY. SOON WE WILL CELEBRATE, WITH TEARS OF JOY, THE GRADUATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL OF BILLY & MATT . NEXT YEAR, BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND NOVEMBER, WE WILL EMBARK UPON A JOURNEY TOGETHER THAT WILL DRAMATICALLY CHANGE OUR LIVES WHILE BRINGING US TEARS OF JOY AS WE CREATE A NEW LIFE. THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH, THE EMBODIMENT OF OUR LOVE. WE WILL BRING INTO OUR WORLD A CHILD THAT WILL BEGIN LIFE AS A NEWBORN WITH A CRY AND A SCREAM AND PLENTY OF TEARS. OUR TEARS WILL FOREVER BE CONNECTED. YOU NOW WEAR OUR COLLECTIVE TEARS OF JOY AROUND YOUR NECK. A SIGN OF OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER. HOLDING US ALL CLOSE TO YOUR HEART.

Christmas Wishes

This Christmas is very special for us as we shepherd Billy and Matt from high school to college. Emancipation from their mother and liberation towards adulthood. Technically, we are now "empty nesters" however Billy and Matt only "nested" with us a few days a month. A very sad fourteen years of isolation for the boys at the hands of their mother. Darci and I will miss out two babies and we welcome our new baby to our family with the assistance of an egg donor and a surrogate. The egg donor and I have created eight embryos (one girl and seven boys). We are poised for the surrogate to be carrying our baby girl in late February 2013. With God's help, we will be parents to a healthy baby girl no later than November 2013. Happy Thanksgiving. We are truly blessed and the transition for the boys to men and the creation of a baby girl completes the cycle and enriches all of our lives. Merry Christmas !!

Seeing the light

The journey has been long, painful at times, and full of self doubt. Did I make the right choice. Did I truly save myself and save my children by leaving an abusive marriage ? It has now been 14 years since I left and the boys are now 18 years old. The lies that they have been told of me, by their mother, are unforgivable and manipulative. I love Billy and Matt with my entire being. I know that they know the truth and the truth will always prevail. I pray everyday for their safety and good health. I never left their hearts. God bless us all. Maybe there’s a God above But all I’ve ever learned from love Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you It’s not a cry you can hear at night It’s not somebody who has seen the light It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen

DAY ONE

DAY ONE - SATURDAY 22 DECEMBER 2012 (NEW MAYAN CALENDAR) Ceremonial fires burned and conches sounded off as dawn broke over the steps of the main pyramid at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza Friday, making what many believe is the conclusion of a vast, 5,125-year cycle in the Mayan calendar. Some have interpreted the prophetic moment as the end of the world. I awoke this morning to the beautiful sunrise over the frigid Chicago skyline. We are alive !!!! We have survived another predicted "end of the world". Now we are facing another end of the year. New Year's Resolutions for us to promise ourselves and our loved ones only to struggle with keeping our lofty promises. This year, I am simply going to promise to love myself and to love my family.

The Path of Art

What are we looking at and why are we looking ? Is it Art or is it not Art ? The more we look at art, experience art, ask questions of the art, we will emerge from the process less hostile towards art. Not all "art" is worthy of reflection but rather a passing glance or nod. We will all learn to be our best art critic and connoisseur. As life is a journey so too is the path of Art. I love to collect art. I love to lecture about Art. I love to surround myself with Art and the creative process. A life without Art (and music and the finer things in life) is a life not worth living.

Mads Men

You are my Mads' Men. You are beautiful young men with angelic voices and the penache to combine your love for music, singing, performing and sports. You had me at the piano. I cannot talk about you two without getting choked up with pride and a father's joy explaining your immense talents. You amaze me every day beginning with the day you two were boy. Identical yet always unique. Ying and Yang. Best friends and better competitors. You have given me a window into my own life. I have been re-born and blessed countless times by you two being in my life. You make me appreciate life. You have made me a better man, a better father and a better husband. Life is a journey, filled with detours and defeats, but never lose sight of the paths you were meant to blaze for yourselves. Follow your hearts, trust your gut and embrace the wisdom of your father. I love you with my entire being.

The Cy Twombly Floor

The Cy Twombly Floor, with Maori or Oceanic accents, that you created is magnificent. The application was so whimsical and your creative joy comes through in the final results. Stunning and original. Daring yet confident. Freehand yet exacting. I love the art, in our private collection, that hangs in our home. I love the artistic remodeling of our house, from room to room, including your keen eyes for design and originality that is apparent to me and all of our visitors. You create and I admire. Daily.

I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus

I think she looks beautiful in a white beard and a Santa hat standing next to her new bathroom and fabulous custom doors for the kitchen. Merry Christmas to both of us for the additions and improvements. She has a wonderful sense of design and we collaborate so well together that our home continues to improve and become "our" home year by year. We have been mostly "nice" and maybe a little "naughty" but hey, between lovers who is not a little naughty especially when she dresses up as that guy from the North Pole. Merry Christmas.

Twas the Fortnight Before Christmas

Twas the fortnight before Christmas, when all through the Architrouve Not a creature was stirring, not even the twins were here. It has been fourteen years, and counting, since Billy and Matt Have slept at our home on Christmas Eve and awoken with us on Christmas Morning. We continue to hope and pray that one year, soon, they will be with us. I have always loved Christmas and the joys that surround this family holiday. We have been extremely blessed as a family. We have a good family business. We have a healthy family with healthy friends. Darci has recovered from her two surgeries related to BCRA and her courage Inspires all of us. She is my partner, wife, best friend and gift from God. Even though we four will not physically be together this Christmas. We will be with each other in spirit and thought. God bless you, Darci, Billy and Matt.

Cherish the Obvious

I have watched with fear and joy the development of my boys and their relationship with my wife, Darci. Darci has been a solid stepmother (a term I hate)for more than three quarters of their lives. She has accepted her role (term) with love and compassion for these two young men. She has endured their aloofness, shyness and quietness. We have together built, for the boys, a safe and loving home, a family for the four of us. Billy and Matt have spent less than ten (10%) percent of their lives involved in our lives but we treasure every morsel of their involvement. We wring out every last moment to cherish forever. We know we are having a wonderful impact on them but at times we often wonder if we are getting through to them. "The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible." - Oscar Wilde