Grandma

“Grandma!” I hollered as I ran into the room
“I am going to jump over the house thanks to your new trampoline!”

She replied, “I believe that you will.”
“Just be sure I am there when you land on the other side.”

Summer moved on and winter came through

“Grandma!” I shouted into the phone
“I am going to win every race with the skateboard you gave me!”

She replied, “I believe that you will.”
“Just be sure to get a picture of you at the finish line.”

The calendar turned, the weeks hurried by

“Grandma!” I boasted
“I am going to grow as tall as my Uncle Bud!”

She replied, “I believe that you will.”
“Would you like some cereal to fill that appetite?”

Seasons turned and months were spent

“Grandma!” I exclaimed
“I am going to be a successful businessman someday!”

She replied, “I believe that you will.”
“Just let me know if you ever need a partner on the side.”

Years passed on and people grew older

“Grandma!” I said
“I am going to travel abroad to help other people.”

She replied, “I believe that you will.”
“Remember that I will be back here thinking of you.”

Time was spent, the end was near

“Grandson!” She whispered
“I just want to make a difference.”

I replied, “I believe you already did.”

-ZDL

I pray that each of you may have a grandparent as wonderful as my Grandma Striegel. A woman who believed in me no matter what.

Life

Einstein was onto something with his whole Theory of Relativity. Despite the many times I have actually sat down and stared at a clock, or a watch, or some other time-keeping device, the seconds always remain the same length of time. The minutes tick by with every 60 seconds, and each hour, (no matter how much urging or persistent nagging occurs), still lasts exactly 60 minutes.
Even though all this is true, Einstein unlocked what some have deemed his greatest discovery, which is that time is relative.
My cousin Craig, the wise sage that he is, once told me, "How long a minute is depends upon which side of the bathroom door you stand."
He is a wise fellow that one.
Life happens fast. Many of you might remember that fantastic family reunion up in Montana where we got those cool t-shirts with a picture of the cabin on the front. That was 23 years ago.
Do you remember where you were when the Berlin Wall came down? 19 years ago.
Did you know the Simpsons have been on the air for 19 years?
Where were you when Kurt Cobain died? That was 14 years ago.
How many of you were at the airport when I got home from my mission in Russia? That was 11 years ago.
Do you remember Y2K? Over 8 years ago.
9/11 was almost 7 years ago.
It's been 3 years since Lance Armstrong raced (and won) the Tour de France.
Life happens fast. In the past week, I had one cousin celebrate the first anniversary of her 29th birthday, a dear friend of mine, who has been with our company for over 10 years, was let go, my Grandma passed away (which is going to get its own blog entry), and last night, I found out that a close friend of mine has leukemia. She is only 22 years old.

St. John 10:7-11 reads:
7 - Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 - All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 - I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 - The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 - I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

DZK

Yes, that is Danny Glover, me, and our buddy Ken. I have a great job.
This is me trying to cram 2 SnoBalls into my mouth at the same time.
I failed. But it tasted good!

Reality...You Are Ugly

So, along with most Americans with some nuance of literacy, I have been reading up on the two contenders for the Presidential Vacancy that will be arriving shortly. Wanting to gain as much information about these two men that I can, I have diligently been waxing up my understanding of these individuals by thoroughly consuming any and all information that I come across.

Lately, there have been quite few commentaries on the ages of these two candidates. Sen. McCain is of course noted for the many years he has accumulated under his belt. Sen. Obama on the other hand, has been vilified as not having enough rotations around the sun to adequately stand up to the pressures that could be placed upon his shoulders.

Well, I decided to check the facts and find out exactly how old Sen. Obama is. Thanks to the folks at Wikipedia, I learned that he is 46 years old.

He is 14 years older than me. That means he was in Jr. High when I was born.



*knock knock*

"Zach could you check the door and see who is out there?"

Sure thing.

"Who is it?"

Reality.

Crap.

Employee Reviews

Words that were used to describe me in a recent Annual Employee Review that lead me to wonder exactly how well does my boss actually know me:

Shy