JUGHEADS
Youth Juggling Company, LLC
5905 Concord Avenue
Edina, MN 55424
jugheads@comcast.net
612.229.3348

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January 2006

"Ownership vs. Stewardship"

Owning (stewarding) a business and coming from a large family each have their own sets of adventures, yet for me, these personal traits are inextricably linked. The fact that I am the youngest of a large family (7-12 years younger than each of my four siblings) directly led to my calling to work with kids and to found JUGHEADS. Growing up, I was either amidst a crowd or alone, so I thrive on the challenges and rewards of "all or nothing" (e.g., amidst 20+ kids or alone). At the heart of my career is a desire to "steward" the gift of my life circumstance: passing on the love, virtues, and hope instilled in me by my biological family. Late last fall, another stewardship example took tangible form for me like never before. The gift of the Larreas' van allowed Wendy & me to pass on the gift of the Watsons' van, specifically to Ron Eicher, the music minister in our church who does not draw a salary for his work. This revealed to me a profound truth that I knew intellectually and spiritually but one that I was slow to realize experientially: Wendy and I never really owned the first van. We received, used and cared for it for five years, then passed it on. Inasmuch as "You Can't Take it With You," we can take nothing of this world with us when we die. Even the children entrusted to us by birth, adoption or activity (like juggling) are not really ours--we are stewarding their lives for a time. A lesson from two vans has eternal implications for how we live our lives: steward our time, money, possessions and talents for the benefit of others, for the increase of our joy, and for the glory of God.