Grace's Art Work

When I first moved into my Homewood office (about a year and a half ago), Grace gave me some artwork of her own. I proudly hung it next to my law school diploma and my bar license. When she was in my office the other day, she said, "Daddy, I can't believe you have those pictures. I just scribbled them." At the ripe old age of five, she was not impressed with her earlier work.

Lunch Meeting

Today Grace and Kate were having a great time playing outside. After a few minutes I realized they were playing "lunch meeting." Grace would tell Kate that she had to run to a lunch meeting and then she would hold the meeting, then run back to Kate and play with her. This happened again and again. I blame Grace's Mommy and Daddy.

Parents Night Out

Every month our church holds a "Parish Night Out," which is a great opportunity for church members to meet and mingle. The best part of the night is that we offer free child care, which is such an incredible ministry as it gives parents a gift of freedom to meet other like-minded people. I had the opportunity to serve as a nursery worker today and had a great time. My daughter really enjoyed craft time, as you can see below. By the way, all faiths are welcome, so please consider joining us in January 2011.

Christmas Comes Early

As I do not have a traditional 9-5 office job, I have the opportunity to have some unique experiences with my girls. My wife had a client meeting on Veteran's Day and I had the opportunity to spend the time with the little ladies. Fortunately, the Blue Willow, which is a local gift shop, had a Christmas event we could attend. I must commend the Blue Willow on an incredible event. The highlight of the morning was Grace's first opportunity to talk to Santa.

The children also had an opportunity to write a letter to Santa. Grace was really concerned that Santa would not be able to understand her younger sister's scribbling. Fortunately, Santa was most pleased with Kate's letter and said that he understood every word!

The Event was a party to honor the "Magic Elves." I was really proud of the girls as they were not afraid of the elves at all. I actually had to remove Kate so as to give other children a chance to meet the elves.

Lessons from a Four Year Old

Grace gave me another good lesson today. Out of the blue she said "Daddy, I like being a girl. I really like myself." I am in awe of her natural self-confidence and it is something I need to strive for myself.

St. Thomas More

I attended a meeting today of the St. Thomas More Society, which is a group of Catholic lawyers that meets monthly to discuss faith and the law. It may surprise many people that some lawyers are actually concerned about the morality of their daily actions. I really enjoy the dynamics of the group and discussing the struggle of living our faith in the "real world." We also recite a great prayer, which is as follows:

St. Thomas More Prayer

Lord, grant that I may be able in argument,

Accurate in analysis,

Strict in Study,

Candid with clients,

And honest with adversaries.

Sit with me at my desk,

And listen with me to my client's plaints,

Read with my in my library,

And stand beside me in court,

So that today I shall not,

In order to win a point,

Lose my soul.

My Little Assistant

I recently sent a mailing to make some great announcements about my firm. Some of you may notice that the stamp on your letter was quite crooked. I apologize for the unprofessional appearance, but my assistant (who insisted on helping me) is 4 years old.