For most people, April 15th holds a huge significance. For me, it's October 15th-the real last day you can file your federal income tax return. Just call me the Queen of Income Tax Extensions.
I, your humble blogger, am solely responsible for getting together a year's worth of tax clutter and getting it safely (and accurately) in the hands of a capable accountant. And lucky me, my accountant is located on the other side of Atlanta.
Why the long drive, one might say? Why not go to H & R Block? Well, if you know anything about Minister's taxes, the question is a non sequitur. But if you are unfamiliar with how complex the tax codes are for clergy, let me give you an analogy I use for the difference between men and women: normal tax return=mouse; clergy taxes=keyboard. No offense to anyone that uses the services, but I don't trust my taxes to a "Block" head.
A typical appointment with my accountant last approximately 3 hours, excluding the drive there and back, which adds another 3 hours. An all day event, indeed! But the most dreadful part is the drive through what we local yokels call the "Concrete Jungle"-Atlanta to all others.
I was accompanied by my youngest son, Jordan. He was bored to death sitting at the accountant's office for almost 5 hours today, but his presence allowed me to zip through the HOV Diamond lane, restricted to 2+ passengers. (Thanks son!) He munched on salt and vinegar chips while I chain-chewed my Orbit gum. He constantly chided me for chewing 4 pieces of gum in one hour, but I can't stomach the stuff when it loses it's flavor.
So....it was me and the little guy, all the way there and all the way back. He kept calling out the names of cool cars that passed us. He would point to cars and say, "That's a......" "I want one of those!" He's a source of perpetual chatter. So much like his Mom, God love him!
We enjoyed over an hour of Rush Limbaugh. Even at the age of 13, Jordan has more political sense than many adults. He knows why Obama would be bad for us, and he knows why McCain isn't the best the Republican party had to offer. He asked why money was such a problem when we can print more. I had a hard time explaining that answer. Hearing all this gloom and doom about the stock market has this kid thinking!!
But he was also getting tired of riding. He kept asking, "How far is it to this place?!?!" And boy was he ever ready to get back in that car after sitting in the accountant's office all day. We thought we would surely hit alot of traffic, so we grabbed a bite to eat before we hit I-75. My little monkey loves Krystals. I opted for Chic-Fil-A. Once again, we listened to talk radio. Herman Cain....now there's a guy I would vote for! And Jordan loved hearing him.
So there we were, on our merry way, at 7:15 p.m., trekking back through the Concrete Jungle on the edge of darkness. Atlanta is a scary place in broad daylight, so night time makes me really nervous. Now I know that the 95 pound boy sitting next to me would have been no match for a mugger. He wouldn't have been able to assess any car problems had they arisen. But there was such a comfort in having him in the seat beside me. I felt protected even though logic would dictate that I was the protector.
Have any of you ever felt that way about your son or your child? Just their presence brings comfort and assurance. Just the everyday conversation, hearing them tell about the world as seen through their eyes, can produce an intellectual conversation that can't be parallelled by a member of Mensa.
There is something so profound about children. It's masked with simplicity, but make no mistake; connecting with your children is always deep. It's overwhelming when I think about this relationship that requires constant cultivation. God has given us only one opportunity to raise our children, yet I'm afraid that opportunity is squandered by looking for opportunities. I have found the most opportune times to cultivate are during the drives to the grocery store or while running errands.
It was just an ordinary day, but it became so much more. A drive I dreaded was enriched by the presence of my little monkey, Jordan. My curious Jordan. I'm so thankful to the Lord that my son can be my friend!
I, your humble blogger, am solely responsible for getting together a year's worth of tax clutter and getting it safely (and accurately) in the hands of a capable accountant. And lucky me, my accountant is located on the other side of Atlanta.
Why the long drive, one might say? Why not go to H & R Block? Well, if you know anything about Minister's taxes, the question is a non sequitur. But if you are unfamiliar with how complex the tax codes are for clergy, let me give you an analogy I use for the difference between men and women: normal tax return=mouse; clergy taxes=keyboard. No offense to anyone that uses the services, but I don't trust my taxes to a "Block" head.
A typical appointment with my accountant last approximately 3 hours, excluding the drive there and back, which adds another 3 hours. An all day event, indeed! But the most dreadful part is the drive through what we local yokels call the "Concrete Jungle"-Atlanta to all others.
I was accompanied by my youngest son, Jordan. He was bored to death sitting at the accountant's office for almost 5 hours today, but his presence allowed me to zip through the HOV Diamond lane, restricted to 2+ passengers. (Thanks son!) He munched on salt and vinegar chips while I chain-chewed my Orbit gum. He constantly chided me for chewing 4 pieces of gum in one hour, but I can't stomach the stuff when it loses it's flavor.
So....it was me and the little guy, all the way there and all the way back. He kept calling out the names of cool cars that passed us. He would point to cars and say, "That's a......" "I want one of those!" He's a source of perpetual chatter. So much like his Mom, God love him!
We enjoyed over an hour of Rush Limbaugh. Even at the age of 13, Jordan has more political sense than many adults. He knows why Obama would be bad for us, and he knows why McCain isn't the best the Republican party had to offer. He asked why money was such a problem when we can print more. I had a hard time explaining that answer. Hearing all this gloom and doom about the stock market has this kid thinking!!
But he was also getting tired of riding. He kept asking, "How far is it to this place?!?!" And boy was he ever ready to get back in that car after sitting in the accountant's office all day. We thought we would surely hit alot of traffic, so we grabbed a bite to eat before we hit I-75. My little monkey loves Krystals. I opted for Chic-Fil-A. Once again, we listened to talk radio. Herman Cain....now there's a guy I would vote for! And Jordan loved hearing him.
So there we were, on our merry way, at 7:15 p.m., trekking back through the Concrete Jungle on the edge of darkness. Atlanta is a scary place in broad daylight, so night time makes me really nervous. Now I know that the 95 pound boy sitting next to me would have been no match for a mugger. He wouldn't have been able to assess any car problems had they arisen. But there was such a comfort in having him in the seat beside me. I felt protected even though logic would dictate that I was the protector.
Have any of you ever felt that way about your son or your child? Just their presence brings comfort and assurance. Just the everyday conversation, hearing them tell about the world as seen through their eyes, can produce an intellectual conversation that can't be parallelled by a member of Mensa.
There is something so profound about children. It's masked with simplicity, but make no mistake; connecting with your children is always deep. It's overwhelming when I think about this relationship that requires constant cultivation. God has given us only one opportunity to raise our children, yet I'm afraid that opportunity is squandered by looking for opportunities. I have found the most opportune times to cultivate are during the drives to the grocery store or while running errands.
It was just an ordinary day, but it became so much more. A drive I dreaded was enriched by the presence of my little monkey, Jordan. My curious Jordan. I'm so thankful to the Lord that my son can be my friend!
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