David Leventhal » David Leventhal

Precious Cargo

David Leventhal — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:38:08 +0000

I believe deep within my heart that birth mothers who choose adoption over abortion are stronger than most of us can comprehend.

Check out one such mom:

Being A Super Hero is Exhausting

David Leventhal — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:02:31 +0000

Sweet Lilly left it all out on the field today! She loves fighting crime…and she LOVES her dog!

Lights, camera, action!

David Leventhal — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:45:18 +0000

Daniel’s directorial debut!

CREDITS
Director: Daniel

Writer: Daniel

Producer: Daniel

Hiker: Caroline

Rock Operator: Daniel

Sound Effects: Daniel

Video Guy: Dad

Lead Morale Support: Abigail

Assistant to Daniel: Josh

Mama is gettin’ er done!

David Leventhal — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:00:33 +0000

Love this dinner Missy’s got going in the kitchen – The Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Pot Roast! So good!

Itty bitty glimpse into Missy’s world of homeschooling…

David Leventhal — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:00:24 +0000

I saw that my lovely wife posted something on Facebook today in response to a friend’s comment about how we home school our five kids. The timing was interesting because I’d just read a blog post today that I felt resonated with our life.

The blog post was from a site called The Better Mom & no, they are clearly not marketing to me. However, a friend recommended the post so I took two minutes to read it and was really encouraged by the post. The gal writing the post is a stay at home mom who home schools their six kids (crazy, huh?). The one comment that stands out from her post is:

“Many people assume I am super patient and highly organized and that’s the only reason I can do this, but I’m not any more patient than anyone else. I do this by God’s grace. I couldn’t do it any other way.”

Now…let me be the first to admit that I really think my wife is a rock star. I think she is amazingly creative & fun. I love that she’s got the opportunity to home school our kids. I love that she’s the primary voice in their ears during the day. I believe she is doing a wonderful job home teaching the kids – a really, really awesome job. And to be honest – most of what gets reported on Facebook are the cool things she’s doing….the fun things…the good days.

And if I could just jump off on a rabbit trail for a moment, I believe this is one of the great downfalls of Facebook/Twitter – we get such a small sliver into people’s lives…and most of the time it’s the best of a person’s day or week – their vacations in Colorado or California, their date nights at fancy restaurants, their kids being sweet to each other, their new car, their happy spouse, etc… And from these tiny tidbits of information we construct a story of how amazing such and such a person’s life is and gosh, my life isn’t that much fun. And it’s just not reality – it’s not their reality and it’s not my reality.

Okay – off the rabbit trail & back to my wife. Yes…I really do believe she’s doing a fantastic job at home schooling, but I also have exposure to the bad days. The days when she’s frustrated with the kids. The days when she’s frustrated with herself. The days she’s tired – really, really tired from the late night lesson planning. The days when the kids are at each other’s throats and acting more like ravenous wolves than loving siblings. The days when the house is a wreck – papers all over the place, glitter everywhere, dried glue on the table, eraser bits strewn about the desk.

And so with that backdrop I was encouraged by the words on her Facebook page:

If you were a fly on the wall you’d discover the truth! It is definitely a FULL TIME JOB…plus overtime! I feel like my “philosophy” of what’s really important is constantly changing, but so are the moods of my children, so I am having to adjust constantly. I raise my voice more often than I should. I miss teachable moments just so we can move on. I often skip the fun so I can feel like we’re accomplishing something of value. Some days I feel it’s a perfect fit. Other days I just wish I had a break from them all…for a week…month…semester! But really I do love it. We’re learning along the way…some days a little…some days a lot. But that’s life.

Happy birthday to my uh-mazing wife!

David Leventhal — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:56:17 +0000

Thirty something years ago a little baby girl was born…induced a couple days early so as not to interrupt the Super Bowl which was to be played on January 9th (in case you’re wondering the Raiders defeated the Vikings to earn their first Super Bowl Championship). That little girl would grow up to be one unbelievable woman who became my wife a while back!

Happy birthday Missy! You are such a treasure to me, to our munchkins and to all those who know you. I am so very glad you were born!!

And….for those in Raider nation – here’s to your 1st Super Bowl victory!

High Life

David Leventhal — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:59:52 +0000

Life has been good to this dog.

Nine years ago today…

David Leventhal — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:01:46 +0000

…our first born son was born – Daniel Ryan Leventhal . It doesn’t seem possible that it’s already been nine years.

Daniel – you are such an indescribable joy to me.

I love your compassion and your passion
I love your competitive spirit and I love the way you comfort the broken-hearted
I love that you cheer for the Cowboys with me
I love that you savor the ribs I cook
I love seeing your creative energy in the hundreds of intricate and incredible Lego designs you come up with
I love your generosity
I love that you throw the football with me

I have LOVED watching you grow from a baby…to a toddler…to a boy…and now starting the process of becoming a young man.

Happy birthday son!

T4: Our crazy dog

David Leventhal — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:10:42 +0000

Love our little Naiah dog! So thankful for the simple joy she adds to our family!

Great opportunity to make an impact in Ethiopia

David Leventhal — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:09:13 +0000

Check out this great opportunity to make an impact in the lives of children in Ethiopia! This is a great organization, run by solid leaders making a significant difference in the lives of women & children around the world. Don’t miss this chance to double your gift giving!

Hope Ethiopia from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

Children at the Lifesong Ethiopia school are fed 2 nutritious meals per day, provided with a quality education, and taught the message of Jesus Christ. This gives kids like Beza the hope they need in order to break free from gripping poverty.

We currently have a need to build a 12-room expansion to our existing school, in order to reach more children like Beza. We have been blessed, by the generosity of a donor, to be able to MATCH all donations to the Ziway and Adami Tulu Schools between now and December 31st… up to $130,000!!!

This week, the 5^th through the 9^th, we invite you to join Hope Ethiopia:100. We are looking for 100 people to give a one-time $100 donation!

Joining this team will not only give hope to kids like Beza, but your dollars will be matched AND you’ll be entered into a drawing for a FABULOUS gift basket (details below).

Help us achieve the next $10,000 by being a part of our Hope Ethiopia: 100 Team!

Together we can make a difference in the lives of these kids! Together we can do more to bring joy and purpose to orphans!

And don’t forget to keep checking the Lifesong blog for updates all week!

*Gift basket includes: $100 itunes or amazon gift card, Lifesong t-shirt, Lifesong cookbook,Journey On CD, handmade necklaces & note cards by orphans in Zambia, handmade ornament from a child in Ukraine, 5 bags of Gobena coffee, Gobena coffee mug, Gobena t-shirt, andGobena tote bag. This basket is worth over $250!

*To commit via check, please send an email to info@lifesongfororphans.org. Make check payable to Lifesong for Orphans, indicate ‘preference Hope Ethiopia: 100′ in the memo.