My Precious

I am not sure how well you can see the drawing on the whiteboard, but it is my daughter's depiction of her and her dad, (me). She happened to have come to my office this day while her mom went to the doctor. In very little letters by the girl's head the following is written: "I love (heart) dad...

As one who has been working with teens for quite a while, I realize how fleeting moments like these can be.

As children become teenagers and stretch their own wings for the first time, they tend to want to shirk all that might represent their previous dependency to their progenitors. Among other things, at that age it is "no longer cool" to tell a dad or a mom that they are loved... Thus my wish to immortalize the statement on the board. It is mine, and it is precious.

She is now five. It is my hope and prayer that when she is sixteen she will feel the same way. I will try to do my best to give her, and her brothers, excuses to do so.

The value of independence...

From political scientists to family therapists, many are those who seek to analyze the value of independence.

From a geopolitical standpoint, it means that a specific nation has found a voice and sovereignty in the international community as it breaks its ties to a former colonist, regime, ruler, etc. From a childhood development perspective, it means that one was given the power to act independently from parental overview. As well documented in this picture, or as obvious in the rising of new nations, either process is messy and can cause great chaos.

In this example, our son, of only 2 years of age at the time, is experimenting with eating without adult supervision. To us, his parents, it became painfully obvious that there was a price to pay for the great blessing of free agency. Here, a bath-full of water and a batch of laundry were sufficient to minimize the effects of this experiment- In the case of newly emerging democracies, the blood of warring factions engaged in human kind's most primeval form of conflict resolution is not so easily washed. Tears of longing and a debt of gratitude by those whose freedoms were assured is often all that is left behind.

The question becomes: "When does freedom ever become too expensive?"

Camp Maple Dell

A Little bit about the surrounding areas where we live. This is a picture I took at the montains roughly behind our home. (about 25 miles). It is a Scout Camp called Maple Dell where I served as a Wood Badge course director for the Boy Scouts of America earlier this year, (April 2005). It is located at Payson Canyon, at the scenic Mount Nebo Loop. Inspiring and breath-taking vistas!

Herculea Quondam Ducta Fuere Manu

"Herculea Quondam Ducta Fuere Manu"

In Latin this will mean something like:
-herculean
-Having been formerly; That once was
-lead
-Was
-Hand

"Now strong, once was led by the hand"

I believe, at one time or another, we have all been able to say it.

Perhaps those who have taken latin in High-School can provide a better translation of my family's motto as found in an old coat of arms... This is my rought attempt at decyphering it.

Genealogy

Having been told by my father of the existence of a family coat of arms, since I was young I've been working on trying to identify it. I have finally, after years of online research and after consulting some Portuguese publications on hieraldy, been able to identify what this coat of arms would look like.
The included image represents the Camara Manoel family as my research seems to indicate.
The Camara Coat of Arms seems to be very well known in all genealogy sites. The Manoel part, (on the right of the shield), has seen some variations. Finally, and fortunately, I was able to find an old painting that showed exactly what it would look like. So, here it is, for posterity to behold, the Camara-Manoel coat of arms....

And here is another variation of it... (A bit more elaborate).
It was somewhat customary to include all sorts of decorative elements to one's coat of arms. The helmet generally symbolized nobility. Its feathers were representative of the family's colors. Other elements could include, ribbons, (as an extension of the feathers), Paquifes, (decorative pillow supports and ribbons), Virols, (small cloth like rings to place over the helmets representing the family colors), Motto ribbons, Timbres, (above the crowns), Crowns, (to denote, royalty, and other degrees of nobility such as duke, count, etc.)

There is a pretty good online publication that explains how these work for Portuguese Heiraldy, (please note that each country has adopted different sets of rules ).

http://www.armorial.net/