Newspaper

You can imagine my surprise when the phone rang at work last week and I heard "Paul, this is Pamela Yip with the Dallas Morning News - do you have a few minutes to talk?"

For those that know me well, then you know that I don't MOVE in the morning until I have had my cup of coffee and read the Dallas Morning News. There was a time I didn't move until I had read the Dallas Morning News and completed both crossword puzzles (but once we had kids - that luxury went out the window.)

Maybe it's a family tradition, but ever since I can remember, mornings were meant for reading the newspaper. My dad did it, my mom did it, and since I was in 5th grade, I have done it. I cut my teeth reading the Corpus-Christi Caller Times, but when I moved to Dallas, I had to try both dailies - the Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Times Herald, but settled on the Dallas Morning News. I read it from cover to cover, in order (Front Page, Metro, Sports, Business, & Entertainment - and no, I am not obsessive-compulsive, I just believe in routine.) In high school, I editor of the yearbook, and in college, I wrote for the school newspaper, so I love the power of print media. For me, it can't be duplicated by the internet, so I guess that makes me old-school. (And to my precious #3 son who continues to ask and repeat my age everywhere I go, I said old-school, not OLD!)

So my response to Ms Yip was "Of course I have time - and I read your articles in the Business section all the time." Ok, you are probably thinking, Paul - you are a major geek to get so excited to be called by a business news reporter, but take it from me, this was a MAJOR highlight of my week.

Somehow my recent blog posts on kids with special needs and how to treat their families has been emailed/forwarded all over and somehow it landed at the Dallas Morning News. And Ms. Yip was calling to ask me a few questions about financial plans for Titus and how we learned about that and what advice would we give other families.

I think I talked without taking a breath for about 15 minutes - I've never been good at talking in sound bites. But the opportunity to share with other families in a forum as big as the newspaper is incredible. Even if we are only quoted in one line, the opportunity to encourage a family is priceless.

Tonight, they are sending out a photographer to take pictures of the family. And I can hear them now telling us to "act normal" while they snap pictures. I'm not sure we even know what "normal" is with 5 boys and 2 dogs. I do know it won't be quiet, I'm sure someone will break out in silly song (Cade or Aidan), I'm sure someone may be shot with a bow and arrow (that would be Tucker), I'm positive Jude will bark, and I'm paranoid that the house won't be clean, but in the end, I know Titus will charm them with his sweet personality.

I do not know when the article will run or if it will even appear, but my prayer is that families with special needs will find some encouragement and help from the article. And, if through the article, people find this blog, then my prayer is that they will learn about a God who loves and cares for them deeply.