Fruitful Life

Fruitful Work

Welcome to the Blaising View blog, where I share treasures I find to enrich your life now.

How a 9-Year-Old Foster Boy Finds Peace to Overcome Chaos

Posted by Steve Blaising2 Comments

A 9-year-old foster boy, Marcus, finds peace despite his horrific beginning.

His foster mom, Shirley, told me they found him and his sister, Ava, when they were babies, crying in a closet full of human waste.

But today is different. It is June 11, 2024, and Marcus, his foster mom, and four foster siblings are experiencing heaven on earth at a Christian water sports camp, Skiin’ With The Galilean (SWTG). Twenty-five years ago, United Airlines captain Todd Garrett created SWTG to help foster and special-needs children.

Foster boy finds peace
Foster and special-needs kids find peace and joy at SWTG/Steve Blaising/Lake Athens, TX

After taking the kids and caretakers out on a beautiful lake in beautiful boats, SWTG volunteers bring everyone in for lunch.

As the camp pastor, I invite anyone to talk and pray about troubles privately after a brief devotional.

Shirley, Marcus and Ava’s foster mom, approaches me in tears.

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How a 9-Year-Old Foster Boy Finds Peace to Overcome Chaos

3 Secrets from Beavers to Stay Cool and Happy All Summer Long

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Beavers use cool summer math games for a happier life.

The math is all about building the perfect beaver lodge. You know, the ideal dream house.

Designed on the water with trees and a garden, a beaver mansion teems with three secrets for all.

Cool summer math games
Beaver lodge at Lake Athens/photo by Steve Blaising
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3 Secrets from Beavers to Stay Cool and Happy All Summer Long

Hope: 3 Powerful Strategies to Conquer Life’s Toughest Obstacles

Posted by Steve Blaising4 Comments

Would you still have hope if the greatest of all tragedies struck you down?

Katherine Wolf does even though, at age 26 to date (now 42), she has survived . . .

  • a catastrophic brain-stem stroke
  • paralysis throughout her body
  • numerous falls with broken bones
  • aneurysm surgery unrelated to her stroke
  • multiple vertebral artery dissections
  • ongoing neurological issues
  • hearing loss
  • blind in the left eye and double vision in the right eye
Hope by Katherine Wolf

In spite of all this, she proclaims hope as she . . .

  • just published her third book, Treasures In The Dark
  • travels nationwide, speaking to thousands
  • sponsors a special-needs summer camp
  • opened a coffee shop staffed by special-needs folks

I heard her speak at a jam-packed Highland Park Presbyterian church service months ago. Her testimony has changed my life.

After reading her books and reflecting on what she says about hope, I see three proven relievers for overcoming despair.

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Hope: 3 Powerful Strategies to Conquer Life’s Toughest Obstacles

A good father reveals three secrets for surviving disasters

Posted by Steve BlaisingLeave a comment

Nothing like being a father.

I always knew Father’s Day was coming when Jack was little, because he would ask me what size cologne I wear.

Father and son
Steve and Jack Blaising at the Blaising farm December 2017/Kate Blaising

When I was raising teenagers, I had a satellite TV, a smartphone and a laptop and my kids told me I was out of touch.

Somebody said a father is a man with pictures in his wallet, where his money used to be.

Jokes aside, fathers are the ones we consult when unnatural disasters like war or mass shootings shake the world.

Since the Ukraine and Gaza wars are rattling our souls, I thought it appropriate to share my dad’s old school advice for surviving chaos.

My father at 93
Dad at his farm in Riesel, TX 2017/Kate Blaising

All his tips came on a filming trip to San Antonio by dad’s childhood landmarks.

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A good father reveals three secrets for surviving disasters