Dan Senf

Jul 22

“When I was about 10, a stray dog came to live with us. We named her Barnacle because she attached herself to us. We called her Barney for short.
Barney was as gentle as a dog could be. We could do anything to her and she would take it patiently and come back for more. We dressed her up, including tying a scarf around her head. Though she had a forlorn look as if she had been tied up or was being punished, she cooperated fully.
One day she was run over by a truck. Her back legs were crushed and she died the next day. While she was yelping and pulling herself toward our house with her front paws, I ran out with a pillow. I wanted to put her on it so I could carry her gently to the vet. When I reached down to help her, she bit me! Why did she bite? Because she was a mean, vicious dog? No! She bit me because she was hurting so much.
I have often thought of Barney as I work with people. I have learned that when people hurt, they tend to bite. That has given me a different perspective when people bite. My natural inclination now is to ask myself, “How are they hurting?” We are generally too quick to judge biting and take it as a personal affront. “Who do they think they are?” we ask. Our immediate reaction tends to be self-centered rather than compassionate. We focus on how others inconvenience or hurt us rather than how they may hurt.
Somehow, in working with people, we must learn to look beyond their bite. Some who had a hard an abusive childhood bite more. Adults in an abusive situation bite more. Employees in a stressful work situation bite more. Parents whose children have caused them great pain bite their children. The children see the bite, not the pain.
A bite is like the steam from a tea kettle. We can’t stop the steam by plugging the outlet. That will cause it to blow up. We stop the steam by turning off the heat.” Dr. David R Osborn

Apr 17

“Life is hard; it’s harder if you’re stupid.” John Wayne

Apr 3

at last someone is doing something about cow flatulence - http://tinyurl.com/ca833q The earth will be saved.

Mar 1

“To Steal: To seek ones advantage instead of a fair exchange.” Dr. Mark Harris

Feb 22

http://iamsecond.com/

Feb 20

http://tinyurl.com/c4kwy7 expresses my thoughts.

Feb 15

“Love is the covenant commitment demonstrated in action in the interest of the other person.” Dr Daniel Block

Feb 7

“There is no future in any job. The future lies in the person who holds the job.” Dr George W. Crane

Jan 24

“Many people succeed when others do not believe in them. But rarely does a person succeed when he does not believe in himself.” Herb True

A Dad’s Desires - Oaklan R Senf (1919 - 2009)

Being a father is a tough and challenging job. As an adult, I more fully appreciate my father’s crusade for my life when I was an all-knowing child and convinced my way was best. Now, being a father and grandfather, I understand and realize the competition for my kids lives from both peers and the world. The seductiveness of peer pressure and the world’s glitz endeavor to lure us away from the life that our fathers desire us to embrace. Reflecting back on how my father related to my brothers, sister and me, I realize two important aspects of his loving care.

First, my father wanted his children to be successful and provided us with experiences that would develop our character, common sense, skills, knowledge and understanding of the world in which we lived.

From my youth, I remember the numerous typical household chores, making our beds, doing the dishes, planting and weeding the garden, shoveling the show - and we had a long driveway, mowing the grass, painting inside and out, making electrical and plumbing repairs, feeding the dog, chickens, rabbits and the other animals we caught and collected. I remember building a camping trailer before they were commonplace and rebuilding an old Allis Chalmers tractor engine and transmission. I remember the yearly camping trips, fishing in lakes and rivers, catching frogs, snakes and turtles, food over an open fire, climbing trees to the top, swimming in many lakes, and exploring the forested acres surrounding our home.

These activities and experiences are valuable to our individual success journeys. My dad wanted us to:

dream about where we wanted to go and how we would get there,
grow to our full potential - which is a continuos process,
be content in all our circumstances,
be humble yet proud of our accomplishments, and
be loved and respected by our family and friends.

Second, my father wanted his children to have a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. He learned later in life that one could not know how to love until they experienced God’s love through Jesus. I know that the success journey is less of a struggle with this relationship. I love and respect my dad and now he is where he longed to be.