Just for Hits and Grins...

Today, I'm finding myself in a bit of a weird mood. I dunno. Last night, the girls football team got smoked by West Michigan (Kalamazoo) to the tune of 41-0... There was no putting any lipstick on this one... it just flat out stunk. One of the WM players was put in the backfield to run the ball on purpose... she's not a running back by trade (hint: she's 6'2", 340lbs. and her jersey # is in the 70's) But our girls had a tough time bringing her down the 3 or 4 times she carried the ball. But the last time she carried the ball, she was hit hard and forced out of bounds by our smallest player on the team. JC is about 5'1 and all of 125lbs... she came running full force at the West MI player and threw her little body at the WM player with everything she had... The WM player ended up crashing out of bounds and our player who hit her, ricocheted off of her and did a 180 (airborne) landing in the opposite direction! Talk about taking one for the team!!! whoa baby!
Got home late from that fiasco and ended up oversleeping and was late in arriving for church Sunday morning. But I felt better after I got there. As always, it was a good message, gave me something to think about, and got me focused where I needed to be... After church I went to see my sister who is now out of the hospital and in an extended care facility to do physical rehab therapy and work towards getting back home... She seems to be a little dejected about having to be in what amounts to a nursing home. But as I told her: "your attitude is going to dictate how well you do and how fast you get out of here. You don't realize just how close you came to not making it..." Her attitude has much improved and while she doesn't like the idea of being in a rehab place, she knows that it is part of the process and that they will work her as hard or as soft as she wants to go... She went from walking and driving the day before she went in the hospital, to not being able to stand and bear weight. That is a pretty dramatic change. But if there's anyone that can conquer this, it's her. She's too mule-headed to do otherwise. Trust me, being mule-headed is a family trait... I inherited it and thrive upon it... :)

The World Still Turns...

Howdy,
Well, a beautiful sunrise greets me as I sit here on Wednesday morning. First off, I want to take a moment and offer my condolences to Jackson as her grandfather passed yesterday. It was expected, but that doesn't discount the fact that he lived a long, full, life. May his soul rest in peace. Jackson, I know that your family is doing okay but know that you and your family are still being prayed for.
A hospital representative stopped by yesterday to talk to my sister about what happened in the ER (the 67 vs 670 blood sugar) and what happened in ICU (the terrible job of taking care of her stump)... the rep was very cool and understanding and I came away feeling better than I thought I would. I was less hacked off than I was a couple of entries ago... by far... The unit where my sister was moved to is a good unit and she is getting great care and I am feeling proud to say that I am a member of that hospital again. My youngest sister and her husband and their boys stopped up to see her. Dyl was still sporting his mohawk and in a wacky Dyl moment was fresh from his guitar lessons, wearing a white tanktop better known as a 'wifebeater' shirt. His mullet loving brother Bren was happy to crack jokes on him... "all that's missing is a five day growth of beard, a can of Old Milwaukee, and a cigarette hanging from his lip"... Of course, all it took was reminding little brother of his desire to bring back 1981 on his head... who said you can't have fun in a hospital...

I don't like mondays... well, maybe I do...

It's monday... should I hide? I don't think so!
I haven't had a good monday in a few weeks. But I shall not be deterred. God is GOOD. I'm not going to cower... Good news for my sister. She was moved out of the ICU yesterday. Now the long road to going home begins. She's going to be rehabbing in the hospital for quite a long time. That part is lousy. But the fact that she is here to rehab in the first place, I'm grateful for...
The women's football team actually won their football game vs Milwaukee on Saturday. They actually almost go into a big fight near the end of the game. The big difference between the guys game and the girls version? Oh hey, that's easy... I wouldn't be caught dead between two fighting women... heh-heh... I'm not crazy... well, I guess that's up for debate perhaps... perhaps not... :)
I got to see my nephews at Church yesterday. Dyl got a mohawk and his brother wants... (holding my breath as I type this) a... a... mullet! ewwwww! I kept calling him Billy Ray & Joe Dirt and saying things like "the 1980's called, they want their hair style back." After a while, he finally decided that it wasn't worth it. I told him that he was very wise beyond his years. That there might be some hope for him yet. The funny part about him is that he (at the ripe old age of 8) looks like a high school principal, minus the pocket protector. All that's missing is the short-sleeve white shirt and tie... I love that kid cause he is very quick witted... Talking to those boys is like talking to two adults sometimes. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week and once again I thank you for your thoughts and prayers. They have helped more than you will ever know. I am one grateful person... I can be a snot sometimes but I know that God is there even when I'm ready to implode. He has kept me at peace and I'm glad that I've hung in there and more importantly, that He waited there patiently for me... Thanks God for understanding me...

Friday Night Lights (of Hope)

Hey all,
Today sees a much improved sister of mine (still in the ICU). The dialysis on Wednesday must have kick started her kidneys because her output since has improved greatly. She isn't throwing up blood or any bile anymore so she doesn't have an NG tube in her nose and they are letting her have ice chips to gently guide her back into having something to eventually eat. Her CT and MRI both came back negative. Thank our Lord. She's now concious and her stump is going to need to be elevated for quite some time. Plus it is going to need to be treated with anti-biotics. But the doctor that is taking care of this, really has his poop in a group. So believe me, I am grateful. Very grateful. The ER is a lost cause but the ICU girls are doing a much better job.
My sister was much more lucid today and recognized me without me having to tell her who I was. Always a bonus. Of course, in typical sister fashion, the next words out of her mouth were "can you get me a diet pepsi?" She's a diet pepsi-aholic. She can't have that yet. She was dejected and was getting a little cantankerous. So in typical little brother fashion, I told the ICU nurse (in front of my sister) "if my sister gives you nurses any crap, just get a diet pepsi and drink it in front of her... that'll quiet her down"... The look on both the nurse and my sister's face was priceless. Chaos, dismay, cruelty... my work there was done! LOL...
Well, I was fully expecting to get prepped for our radio golf show in the morning, but my radio partner calls me tonight and tells me that we quit. Oh joy... WE quit? Apparently there were some serious issues with the sales manager and our little pow-dunk show. The station was doing some things it wasn't supposed to do during our show and my partner called them on it and decided that we're walking. So there you go mik... He called me and we hashed everything out so being the friend that I am, I'm backing him up. We're going to do an online radio golf show starting in the next week or two. That should be interesting. I'll inform you here how this goes... or whatever may happen... who knows?
Finally, just wanted to again let you all know how much I appreciate the prayers and words of concern regarding me and my family and friends. We've turned a tough corner in a long road, and again, to our Father goes the glory! He is an awesome God...
"For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100: 5

(too)t sweet..

Well, the news on my sister is a little bit better. She ended up having to be on dialysis. She was dialyzed on Tuesday and her kidneys seemed to have responded and are starting to work again. So I'm very cautiously optimistic. The CT shows something is up in her abdomen but the docs haven't been too impressed with it. But if it's anything like the ER experience, than I might go nuts in the process... I guess if you read my last post, then you might understand my sarcasm. The shocking part of this whole fiasco: The ******* ER doc wanted to send my sister home. He walked into the room and said "so, you want to go home, yes?" My sister was barely concious. My other sister who was there said 'I don't think so' which hacked off the ER doc. He left the room and never did return. It might have had something to do with a ******* 670 blood sugar!!!! That and her kidneys were tanking and she ended up going from the ER to the ******* ICU... HELLO!!! Wednesday wasn't much of a banner day either when the vascular doc that saw her when she had half of her foot amputated, was finally notified and came in and saw how little the ICU folks took care of her stump and went balistic. He wasn't happy at all. But he did some work on my sister and it did some improvement to her stump. The blood sugars are better but that's because of the insulin drip. And even the sugars have been wacky for her... There's a long road ahead but I'm going to stand on my faith that she's going to get back to baseline and make it back home and with some therapy, can get back to doing some living. As for me, I'm strangely calm. I'm feeling very strong inside and my faith in God has been reinvigorated... He really is awesome and I know first hand how very real His blessings are and have been in my life. That and my family has rallied around my sister. They have been at the hospital every day. I've been there (I also work there... although after the experiences my sister has been through, I don't know if I want to admit that I work there)... so I go at every break to check on her and get updates. My other sisters though really deserve the praise and the credit for being there most of the time. I look forward to her getting out of ICU. I'll keep you posted as to how she's doing...

More Fun On A Monday...

Hope everyone had a good mother's day out there... My sister, fresh from sending my nephew back to the marines last monday, is now very sick and in the hospital. She's a diabetic and was very nauseous and in great pain. That's what sent her to the ER. What kept her in the hospital (and in the ICU) was when they checked her blood sugar, it read 67. So they tried to give her some sugars and sweets to bump it up a bit. Something didn't sound right about that and as sure as there are cheetos in Albany, they came back into her room and said the blood sugar machine had malfunctioned and they needed to retake it. Oh perfect... well, they retook it alright. The result: 670... that is not a typo... six hundred and seventy... Many thoughts going through my head at this point. I'm too tired to be mad. I'm glad that she didn't slip into a coma or worse. I'm going to be spending most of my time there at the hospital, which is also where I WORK... ugh! I'm hopeful though that she'll pull through just fine. Ahhhh life, never a dull moment...

A Grateful Heart, A Thankful Heart...

I sit here a very humbled man...
I've been sitting here over the last couple of days, trying to process what life has dealt and what I've done to make life better or worse (depending on your point of view)... I didn't like how much I was feeling so negative. I understand feeling genuine sadness, that's normal. With everything that's happened this week already, I allowed myself a little time for feeling sad. But I began to notice I was just plain negative about everything. I wasn't nasty to anyone (at least not intentionally) but I could feel the cynical streak inside of me coming to the front of the class, standing at the chalkboard, ready write lots of chapters. Nope. Not this time. I couldn't let that happen again. Of course the big question in my heart was 'How?'... How could I keep my melancholy in check? Oh, I know that God is good... I believe that. It's a part of me. But as a weak mortal, I didn't think about other avenues the Lord can use. And boy, did He... I received a such a caring response here and via e-mail that I can't put into words the gratitude... the sheer thankfulness that I am experiencing for the time that people took to offer to pray for me. To pray for my friend Sonja and her family. For things that I didn't even mention here. And all of this was from people, some of whom didn't (don't) even know me. I can't find the words to express the deep, deep appreciation I have for all of you that took the time to lift me up in prayer. To reach outside of yourselves, outside of your comfort zone, and to think about me and those that I care about. 'Thank You' seems so inadequate for what you've done for me. But I very humbly say thank you for prayers... Prayers that did wonders...
Today started out on a tough note as I went to see Sonja for the last time. Her family seemed to be doing okay for the most part. I walked in there not in the best of moods because I got lost and went to the wrong funeral home first... A story in itself. I figured that Sonja would be laughing at me if she was here. So my frustration was short-lived. I walked in and as I approached her casket, I was stunned. I knew her vehicle had flipped several times and she was killed instantly. But she had to have some serious cosmetic work done to be presented in an open casket. I can't even imagine how frightening it must've been. I didn't spend too much time up there. I said some prayers and headed over to the pictures display. I preferred to remember her in those pictures because that was the Sonja I knew... Her husband was standing there not really saying much. Who could blame him? I left and went home, just feeling really small and sad.
But as God closes one door, He opens another. One of the things I was really struggling with was the discovery that a friend of mine, someone I really look up to, someone I respect and have grown to be very fond of, was seen by his doctor and there was a serious probability of my friend having tongue cancer. Oh, I forgot to mention, he sings in his church's choir, and sings in a music group (bluegrass gospel) and has a ministry of his own. The thought of him losing his tongue and not being able to verbalize and sing for Jesus was so very disheartening. I was fully expecting for the tests to come back positive. I mentally prepared for the worst. When you work in a hospital as long as I have, you don't allow yourself to get too hopeful. I was praying for the miracle but readied myself for what might come. This afternoon I got the most wonderful of news... the results were NEGATIVE! NO cancer baby!!! To His Name be the Glory!!! I threw my arms up in praise and thanksgiving. I couldn't hold back! I was overwhelmed. I couldn't stop smiling. I wanted to cry but the tearducts were bone dry. So I just laughed... I laughed and had such a feeling of joy come over me... I must be getting old or something. I went and celebrated by going through the drive thru at Taco Hell... er, Bell... :) I am so grateful to God for His goodness and mercy. I don't deserve it, but I am so blessed because He gave me the strength to not only say goodbye to a friend, but say hello to a second chance at life with another friend. He is an awesome God...

"give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus..." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

From Happy to Crappy in One Afternoon...

Well, so much for the optimism and promise from Monday. Life has a funny way of pissing on a parade. Forgive my french, but I'm not in a stellar mood right now. I'm putting up a nice facade to people around me, but I'm bumming big time right now. After getting my nephew to the airport and sending him on his way, I was feeling pretty good. I wrote my last entry and posted it here and I had a good attitude as I headed into work at the hospital when I got a phone call from a lady up in one of the units. She told me that a very dear friend of ours was killed in a car wreck. I sat in total shock. I went completely numb. Sonja was a wonderful friend whom I knew for a number of years. She worked in a dept. where I used to go on the Saturday mornings that I worked to visit other friends that worked in her dept. and just shoot the breeze. Eventually, Sonja and I became friends as well. We had common interests and when the other friends had left the dept., I would go just to say hello and talk to Sonja about anything. We would talk politics, sports, life, (usually her kids and husband). I sat across from her a couple of weeks ago at a going away party for a mutual friend. We joked around a little bit before she left to go to another party somewhere near home. The last time I talked to her was last week when she called me for something work related and also asked how I was doing. She was busy, I could tell, but she also sounded happy. I'm supposed to work this Saturday morning. I don't know if I can go to her dept. without losing it. Right now I am not feeling anything. I've got other issues I'm thinking about right now too that are just as meaningful to me and I don't know... I don't know what to think or to feel or to say... God, I know you have your reasons for everything you do... but this hurts. It really does. Not just losing Sonja, but everything else going on... I'm beginning to really understand the quote from Job 1:21 in the Bible "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord"...

Monday Musings...

More of what I do best... random thoughts...
Spent an eternity in Milwaukee this past weekend. The women's football team got beat by a Milwaukee team that up to this point, hadn't even scored a single point, let alone win a game... Oh this is going to be another long season... zzzzz... after the game, the Milwaukee team was very gracious and invited our team out to some pub for a late night dinner. Very (as in ice) cold pizza... it still has my stomach upset two days later... ahhhhh life!
Anyway, my nephew the marine left today for more training down in the Carolinas. My sister is a bit of a wreck but that's normal. He had a good time here and spending most of it with both his girlfriend and my family did him a world of good. He is such a good young man. I'm very very proud of him. God works in mysterious ways. I'm living proof of that. But I'm happiest that I got to see the change in him first hand. It really warms this old dog's heart.
Oh, lest I forget, baby Tristan had a successful open-heart surgery this past week. He's recovering and doing well. It's going to be the first of several operations he'll need to repair the damage to his heart but right now, so far, so good... Thank You Lord... Carolyn is doing better. Her sister was taken off of the vent and is being moved out of ICU and we're prayerfully hopeful. I'm feeling not so cynical as I was last thursday. I was a bit cranky with that last entry but I guess that's just me being me. I'm glad God has a sense of humor (a willingness to understand and forgive)...
Okay a little more sports... Roger Clemens just came to terms on a one year deal with the Yankees that will be worth more than the gross national product of most 3rd world nations. When you break it down, it comes to about 200 thousand dollars per inning pitched by him! I guess that's why a hot dog costs 5 dollars and 8oz of beer is 7 bucks... He's going to start in the minors first by going to play with his son's team in Lexington. I wouldn't be surprised if they start charging like the major leagues down there... lol...
Hope your week starts out and goes well. I'm hopeful for mine too... Peace...

Pickin' and Grinnin' (my apologies to Buck Owens and Roy Clark)

Random thoughts for a Thursday...
Today I went to work by day (hospital) and by night (a lacrosse match for TV). In the game between one of the best high school teams in the area and the worst, well... it was absolutely brutal. Final score: St Francis-15 Bedford-0 A real nail biter... It bit alright.
Anyway, I'm really praying for my friend and co-worker Carolyn. Those of you who follow my writings here, know that she recently lost her husband Doug. She is also the aunt of Haley (and now Tristan) whom I've also written about here as well. She has been a worry wart about those two and on top of that, her sister, who is being treated for cancer, was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday and place on a vent. They found a blood clot in her lungs. Carolyn broke down at work, when told that her sister was put on a breathing machine. All those memories of Doug on life support came flooding back and she just lost it. "I can't go through this again" I didn't know what to do so I just held her in my arms while she sobbed. Times like this are when I want to tug on God's ear and say "hey there, could you please take it easy on this family?" I know in my heart that He has a plan and a reason for everything He does. I have to go on my faith in Him that there is a purpose to all of this. In my smallness and humanity, I just hate seeing people agonize like this. It just whizzes sometimes...
Okay, strange things I've noticed about my family... my nephew (the marine) who leaves on monday has an aversion to bugs. If I take a dead bug and toss it at him, he'll freak. I hope no terrorist reads this info because if my Marine ever gets into combat, he'll be trained to kill others, but could be disarmed and brought to his knees by the appearance of a dead mosquito.
Dyl, the 10 year-old rock star wanna be, with the deadly right hand, has developed a strong taste in music. I was expecting some hip-hop or stuff he learns in school... nope, not our Dyl... His preferred music of choice: classic rock-n-roll. I saw him the other day and he was messin' around on his guitar and when he saw me, he said "hey, check this out" and proceeded to play the all too familiar opening riff of 'Smoke on the Water' from Deep Purple. He also learned '25 or 6 to 4' from Chicago... I sat there in utter amazement.
And finally, one of the former hockey players from the Cherokee, well actually his dad, called me and asked me to go up to his house and set up his brand new computer system. Hey, why not, I thought. Went up there (near Detroit) and we had a great time. I wouldn't take payment but since he was going to throw away the 'old' computer, I told him I would take that instead. When I got the computer home, I cleared all of the old stuff he had on there off of the system, and put some other software in it, and it works just fine. It was too 'slow' for him. It wouldn't load up some stuff he wanted so he said the heck with it and bought a new rig. I discovered that the reason it didn't load up quickly was because the system only had 256 of memory loaded in. So I am blessed because I got a nice Dell home system out of the deal. Very nice... Hope you all are doing okay. Actually, better than okay. I really do appreaciate the notes and emails of concern and of encouragement... you guys (and gals) are the greatest...

When Change Is Good

Oh my,
Got to spend time with my nephew this weekend. He's home from graduating boot camp and my goodness, what a change! He's been spending time with the family which is something that he didn't ever want to do before. When he went down there, he was a big football playing offensive lineman with a terrible attitude. Well, as he says himself "they broke me". He literally and figuratively , got his butt kicked. He mentioned some of the horror stories that went on, during his time there. Very sobering. But when he came home, he was 45 pounds lighter and just a completely different person. He stopped going to church and believing in God before he went in. After enduring some of the stuff that he did, he went to church this weekend for the first time since my dad passed away back in '05... I couldn't believe this kid. He was talking very self assuredly and with a confidence I had not seen in years. He talked about his future with optimism and a strong conviction. I was beaming with pride that I had my 'real' nephew back. My other nephews (his cousins) were going crazy just hugging him and being so proud of him. I'll put a pic or two up when I get them from my sister. But that was my weekend. I hope my week is a good one. Yours too...

Feeling a Little Grateful...

S'up people, (my best 'hood lingo) Ha!
I am getting excited because my nephew is coming home for ten days... he's a Marine and I am soooo proud of him. He has really grown up. I knew he would, but it's still something to see the difference. I hope to spend some time with him while he's here. He is a good kid. Well, I guess I should say a good young man now.
Anyway, I got the word on little Haley's new baby brother Tristan. He's going to have open heart surgery this coming week. It'll be the first of several to correct a lot of problems with his heart. The great news is that the doctors think that once they complete the surgeries, Tristan should be able to develop as a normal healthy little boy. And Haley's numbers have been very good. They wait a little while before they start throwing out the term 'cancer free' but hey, hope rules the day. Their parents deserve a break. Two kids and they both have had to deal with serious life-threatening issues. Enough already.
Right now I'm house and dog sitting till Saturday. The dog is keeping me awake because she keeps wanting to go do her 'business' during the night. It doesn't mix well with working a dayshift and remaining focused... zzzzzz My eyes are struggling to stay open...

Back Where It Used To Hurt...

Editors Note: Anyone who has read this site for any length of time knows that I like to write my own songs/poems/weird crappola... and will post the lyrics up here from time to time. That's just me. That's why I call this 'Diary of Rock-n-Roll Men'... Sometimes when I have the urge to write, I will come up with useless drivel... such is life. And sometimes I have to go back and revisit where I came from in order to remind myself how far I've come and realize how blessed I truly am. This is one of those times. Didn't have the best of days (no one else's fault, just a rough day...) so instead of forcing myself to write something positive, I decided to go back to that place and re-examine where I was... well, as you will read here, instead of it being completely hopeless and empty, there's hope at the end because where I start out and where I end up... well, it's a true story. From where I once was, to where I am today. Two very different places...


Dark Stars

Alone in the dark… my head is full of questions that won’t see the light
I stare at the stars… I look and wonder how long I can keep up the fight

I should know better because I’m still standing here
But my mind’s playing games and it’s full of fear
Has anyone else felt like their life’s set on fire to burn?
I didn’t know which way my life should turn

Looking to the sky… Why won’t you speak when I need to hear your voice?
I tried to say goodbye… but somehow I felt that it wasn’t the right choice

Something inside is eating away at my soul
It’s tearing me up more than anyone knows
It’s good versus evil it’s right versus wrong
And my mind’s not sure if it can hold out for long

Sometimes it’s so hard. I want to listen to what else is going on in my mind
They say I’ve gone too far, that I’ll never reach that peace that I want to find

Then it clicked in my head that You let me see
My desire to live was the gift You gave to me
Of all the strange voices that I hear in my head
Yours is the only one that’s risen from the dead

I have nothing to hope for when it’s just my belief
But when You are there then it’s to my relief
That no matter how many times I go outside the lines
It’s because of Your Love that I know I will survive

So I give You my heart and I give You my soul
Your Glory and Grace, two things I will always know
The joy in my heart, takes the place of all of the pain
You put it there and I know I will live once again

Again, I'm not deep in depression or anything right now. But some times I need to remember how miserable I used to be so that I can appreciate where I'm at now which is a very happy person... I used to be the exact opposite. Very dark, very empty... I used to take comfort in being unhappy. No surprises, I knew I could count on it... like an old friend. Well, nowadays, I have NO time for friends like that! I want to live! and by the Grace of God... I WILL!!!

A Stone's Throw...

So... My lone, dark shadow at the bottom of the picture. I've been a whirlwind of emotions over the last week. I've been happy, disappointed, mad at myself, anxious, nervous, nauseous... hey, maybe I'm pregnant? I am not sure what to think about some things right now... My boss at work called me into her office on the first day that I come back from a few days off and I'm thinking to myself 'okay, did I do something I shouldn't have before I left? Noooo...' So I wasn't too sure what she might want when I walked in. I was surprised when she said she wanted my advice on a couple of issues going on at work. Thank goodness, I kept my poker-face intact. I smiled, hid my surprise (relief) and pretended to be interested in what she had to say. She never called me into her office before to ask advice. It was a little weird.
Went to church this morning (and Jackson, if you read this, I was representin' JV style... sportin' the shirt! yeah, that's right!) I hadn't been to the Creek in a couple of weeks so it was good to be back home... I really enjoyed JXN's church though. It really had a 'home' feel to it. They really made me feel welcomed. It was very cool...
Had today off from everything. Last night, after starting the season with an OT win, my girls the Spitfire, went to Kalamazoo and took it on the chin by a 50-0 score. Today was better and after I came home from church, I cruised in to town, only to see that lots of people converged on my town and went to the beach and walked along the pier... at the end of the pier, there were people fishing. Later in the afternoon, I went for a walk along the pier, and climbed down onto the rocks. I sat down and looked over across the beach and watched the little kids swim. It was a very warm breezy day here on the lake and lots of people came out to relax. The waves crashed against the rocks, causing the water to mist and spray across the rocks, the pier... ME... ;) anyway, I did alot of thinking (probably too much thinking) about everything and nothing... the usual questions:
Will I ever be a success? Will I ever be happy? Who invented plaid pants? With a nod to Steve Martin: Is it okay to yell 'movie' in a crowded firehouse? y'know, deep, probing questions... lol... another week of work begins...zzzzz....

Logistics, Language, and Lingo...

Alright kids, I swiped these pics from Jackson... She is amazing...
I'm trying to figure out some stuff here and I am trying to have a sense of humor about it... First, some logistics:
Temperature when I left Kentucky: 72 degrees. The temp when I got home to Toledo: 40 with rain and wind. Since then, the weather has improved dramatically here. How much southern lingo did I pick up whilst I was there? Not a lot. I have noticed an increase in my use of the term 'y'all' but not much else. I still have a smile on my face thinking about the trip. I can't help it. Jackson is such a hoot. And I hope to go back there and see her and her family again...
Okay a funny moment... sort of: My sister calls me at work as she is a bit riled up. Apparently some kid at school has had it in for my little nephew Dyl. Last year, this kid called Dyl a 'spic' and a 'dirty little mexican'... (my thought: the kid is too young to have those thoughts on his own) ... well, a teacher heard it and made the kid and Dyl go to a meeting and 'resolve' the issue by saying how wrong it was to say that and not to do it again. A valid point to a minor degree. Well, apparently the kid didn't seem to get the message that he wasn't supposed to talk like that in school anymore. He saw Dyl at recess and came up to him and called him those names again. This time around, Dyl opted for a ten year old's alternative to rationalizing things out. He dropped the kid flat out with one punch. Another teacher witnessed the whole thing. She made Dyl follow her and took him to his regular teacher. When asked about it, Dyl just shrugged his shoulders and said "I wasn't doing anything. But I bet he doesn't call me that again." Oh, to be ten again... After hearing what happened, Dyl's teacher told him to go out and play. Apparently the other kid is in a bit of trouble. Hmm... go figure. I can only imagine what the his parents are saying... Or maybe the kid actually was saying what his parents say... who knows? I just know that I'm proud of my nephew. Not that I condone violence. But sometimes you just gotta stand up for yourself and settle things before they get worse. Dyl wants to be a rock musician. Not a boxer. But he knows how to protect himself and his little brother too... Apparently now so do the other kids on the playground...
Last random thought before I go get some shuteye: Haley's new baby brother, Tristan has some big time complications with his heart (holes and the wiring is a mess) and he'll require multiple operations to have a shot at living. Sorry to end on such a down note. But that just flat out whizzes... But Haley is doing better and I'm grateful to God for that. Keep fighting Tristan. I hope you have some of Dyl's spunk. Lord, he's in your hands...

Friends of the South...

Wow,
that's about all of the energy I have left to say is... wow. Took some time off for the first time in over seven years and did something for me. Not time off for something work/broadcasting related. Not for the Cherokee. No family work related stuff. Just for me. I took some time off and went and headed down south of home to meet a couple of friends. One for the first time, and one for the second. Both are, um, southerners (editor's note: if you have a Texas backround as do I, it only serves as a minor help in interpreting cajun and blue grass...) Only kidding... I stopped in Dayton and had an iced tea with my favorite cajun, Riccie. Riccie was great to talk to (and she only has a hint of an accent) as she and I sat inside of Applebees and watched the rain come pouring down with the cold wind and it reminded me why Toledoans have such a low regard for Dayton. Even their weather is awful... :) Actually, Riccie and I had a great time in spite of the dreary conditions outside.
I left Dayton and headed down into Kentucky because I needed to go see Jackson. I promised her that I would come down and see what she and her family does for ministry at two churches. I headed down from Dayton and spent the night at a motel somewhere near them as I didn't get near their town till about midnight. And then the adventure started. There were no rooms available at most places and the one place that I did find a room, well, the room had no heat and all they had was a faulty space heater. Perfect. Someone cue ‘Dueling Banjos’ from the movie ‘Deliverance’… Took a walk outside and looked at the locals and it occurred to me that the mullet still rules in these parts. I smiled and no one was the wiser…
On Sunday, I woke up and went into town to the Church where Jackson and her folks were. The first person I see when I go in is the pastor who didn’t recognize me so immediately introduces him self. I thought “okay, nice enough man”… and didn’t think anything of it. Not until about six other people came up and introduced themselves to me and asked if I was Jackson’s friend because she mentioned that I’d be coming in for a visit. I laughed to myself because it almost turned into a mini-press conference. I LOVED it… I walked over and saw Jackson and her eyes lit up. I couldn’t suppress my smile. She is amazing. I sit right by her at the service and several selections were played and they were requested by Jackson herself. I couldn’t help but feel so proud of her. Because I might be late in coming into getting to know Jackson, but based on what others told me away from her, its obvious this lady is someone special to behold. She does not let her physical setbacks keep her from living life.
I spent a couple of days there and went to the other Church to see what Jackson and her family do for outreach in the poorer section of the community. I was stunned at the daunting task that they face week in and week out. But they do it with a smile. Always. The volunteers there are nothing short of incredible. It was humbling to watch them do what they did… Jackson’s dad (JD) and Jackson’s mom (JM) are something else. JD is a very smart man who works tirelessly between his day job and this labor of love. JM is the ultimate in great ladies. I watched in awe as she would do everything to help Jackson with her physical needs and never bat an eye. Then she’d whip up some amazing grub to eat and go and do 12 different things at once over at the Church and make time to talk to people who wanted some of her busy time and never lost an iota of energy. I got tired watching her go. When I headed back home, she packed me a 5-star meal. I’m not kidding. I love small, out of the way places with local little hole in the wall restaurants. But NONE held a candle to JM’s cooking. She is AWESOME. It was better than any restaurant food and I’m talking gourmet restaurants. Just an amazing lady… I couldn’t say enough. By the way, I also got meet Jackson’s aunt Sundae. She is sooo cool. I really enjoyed talking with her and Jackson. They both were making me laugh after Church on Sunday. I really had a great time there.
Well, now I’m home and while the six hour drive was uneventful, I have to get ready for the daily grind in a matter of a few hours… Hope you all are doing well, I haven’t heard from work about Haley or her new little brother who is literally battling for his life as a newborn. I’ll let y’all know what is going on tomorrow…

Senior Commandos...

Y'know... sometimes I don't mind mixing it up with the female contingent when the situation is appropriate. But this was not one of those times. For those that don't know, in my office, I'm the youngest person in there. Now mind you, I'm going to chalk up my 43rd b-day in the summer. So I'm no real spring chicken to begin with... the ladies in the office are more than a few years older than me. Only one person is a couple of years older than me. I think. And then the rest are all grandmothers. I used to be a mean sort back in the day and call the department "the wrinkle ranch"... I know, I know... I wasn't very nice back then. But now that I'm older, wiser, and have a wrinkle or two m'self, I simply refer to the ladies as "my girls"... they like that. They treat me like I'm their baby boy... Now the reason for this set up is because I had a situation arise where I had to explain the NON-military definition of the word "commando". It was awkward to say the least. None of 'my girls' were aware of what 'going commando' meant. Of course anytime there is an issue of language or 'what the kids say these days' every one of them look at me, like I know every thing there is to know about 18 year-olds and the way they communicate. Granted, I work with them in terms of the sportsworld. But those kids also spice up their lingo with plenty of four-letter words and I don't need to translate that! :) But I will say that once I defined the 'other' version of the word 'commando', I was met with some high-brow looks of shock, surprise, and then some giggles and a couple of the ladies asking more questions about 'what it's like to go out like that?' and 'maybe that would be interesting to try'. After that, I immediately cringed and told them "okay, that's three minutes of my life that I will NEVER get back, now stop it!" I don't blush easily or often, but the ladies in my department were giving me grief about how red I was turning. Under NO circumstances would I allow myself to picture them going out all dressed up, with no underpants on... ewwwwww!!!! I told them to never ever ask me questions like that again which made them laugh at me even more. I told them I would be scarred for life because of this... they were happy about that! Ugh... I give up... :)

Defrosting the Easter Ham... ME!

And on the third day, He rose...

Now, I must say that I am just starting to warm up after spending yesterday in an igloo in Ann Arbor. I had to do the Spitfire women's football game and it was insane. It was 35 mph winds in 20 degree weather to make the wind chill about the same as in Antartica. My job was made worse because there was no PA announcer. SO ... in addition to doing the play by play on the internet, I also had to do the PA announcing. Oh joy. Could it get any better? I was eating pizza after the game because I wanted to warm up and not because I was hungry. There were no hot drinks there, only gatorade. HELLLLLLP!
Easter Sunday, I went to church and it was kind of sobering. I kinda was expecting a real upbeat service because HE rose. Well, it was more about what He went through to give Himself up for us and our sins. I sat there kind of stunned. But at the last song of the service, it was much more upbeat. It's not always supposed to be pretty. I understand that. I'm just grateful that He forgave me instead of giving me what I truly deserve. Hopeful that l can do a better job of being a good person. Yeah I'll probably still screw up. But it's comforting to know that He's there to steer me in the right direction and to put it in my heart continuing to try and do the right thing. Especially when no one is watching... Hey God, thanks for dying for my sins... forgiving me when I screw up, and for the knowledge to know that I can do better. I can never make it up to you, but I will try to keep doing things that You approve of... thanks...
HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!

A good Good Friday to you...

This is a excerpt from the book 'Six Hours One Friday' by Max Lucado. It is a great story about the ultimate in forgiveness and redemption. It means a lot to me because it's a reminder that no matter how bad things are, it's never too late...

Good Friday
Skull's hill-windswept and stony. The thief-gaunt and pale. Hinges squeak as the door of death closes on his life. His situation is pitiful. He's taking the last step down the spiral staircase of failure. One crime after another. One rejection after another. Lower and lower he descended until he reached the bottom---a crossbeam and three spikes. He can't hide who he is. His only clothing is the cloak of his disgrace. No fancy jargon. No impressive resume. No Sunday school afterwards. Just a naked history of failure. He sees Jesus. Earlier he had mocked the man. When the crowd first chorused its criticism, he'd sung his part. But now he doesn't mock Jesus. He studies him. He begins to wonder who this man might be. How strange. He doesn't resist the nails; he almost invites them.He hears the jests and the insults and sees the man remain quiet. He sees the fresh blood on Jesus' cheeks, the crown of thorns scraping Jesus' scalp, and he hears the hoarse whisper, "Father, forgive them." Why do they want him dead? Slowly the thief's curiosity offsets the pain in his body. He momentarily forgets the nails rubbing against the raw bones of his wrists and the cramps in his calves. He begins to feel a peculiar warmth in his heart: he begins to care; he begins to care about this peaceful martyr. There's no anger in his eyes, only tears. He looks at the huddle of soldiers throwing dice in the dirt, gambling for a ragged robe. He sees the sign above Jesus' head. It's painted with sarcasm: King of the Jews. They mock him as a king. If he were crazy, they would ignore him. If he had no followers, they'd turn him away. If he were nothing to fear, they wouldn't kill him. You only kill a king if he has a kingdom. Could it be.... His cracked lips open to speak. Then, all of a sudden, his thoughts are exploded by the accusations of the criminal on the other cross. He, too, has been studying Jesus, but studying through the blurred lens of cynicism. "So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself--and us, too, while you're at it!" It's an inexplicable dilemma--how two people can hear the same words and see the same Savior, and one see hope and the other see nothing but himself. It was all the first criminal could take. Perhaps the crook who hurled the barb expected the other crook to take the cue and hurl a few of his own. But he didn't. No second verse was sung. What the bitter-tongued criminal did hear were words of defense. "Don't you fear God?" Only minutes before these same lips had cursed Jesus. Now they are defending him. Every head on the hill lifts to look at this one who spoke on behalf of the Christ. Every angel weeps and every demon gapes. Who could have imagined this thief thinking of anyone but himself? He'd always been the bully, the purse-snatching brat. Who could remember the last time he'd come to someone's aid? But as the last grains of sand trickle through his hourglass, he performs man's noblest act. He speaks on God's behalf. Where are those we would expect to defend Jesus? A much more spiritual Peter has abandoned him. A much more educated Pilate has washed his hands of him. A much more loyal mob of countrymen has demanded his death. A much more faithful band of disciples has scattered. When it seems that everyone has turned away, a crook places himself between Jesus and the accusers and speaks on his behalf. "Don't you even fear God when you are dying? We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn't done one thing wrong." The soldiers look up. The priests cease chattering. Mary wipes her tears and raises her eyes. No one had even noticed the fellow, but now everyone looks at him. Perhaps even Jesus looks at him. Perhaps he turns to see the one who had spoken when all others had remained silent. Perhaps he fights to focus his eyes on the one who offered this final gesture of love he'd receive while alive. I wonder, did he smile as this sheep straggled into the fold? For that, in effect, is exactly what the criminal is doing. He is stumbling to safety just as the gate is closing. Lodged in the thief's statement are the two facts that anyone needs to recognize in order to come to Jesus. Look at the phrase again. Do you see them? "We are getting what we deserve. This man has done nothing wrong." We are guilty and he is innocent. We are filthy and he is pure. We are wrong and he is right. He is not on that cross for his sins. He is there for ours. And once the crook understands this, his request seems only natural. As he looks into the eyes of his last hope, he made the same request any Christian has made. "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." No stained-glass homilies. No excuses. Just a desperate plea for help. At this point Jesus performs the greatest miracle of the cross. Greater than the earthquake. Greater than the tearing of the temple curtain. Greater than the darkness. Greater than the resurrected saints appearing on the streets. He performs the miracle of forgiveness. A sin-soaked criminal is received by a blood-stained Savior. "Today you will be with me in Paradise. This is a solemn promise." Wow. Only seconds before the thief was a beggar nervously squeezing his hat at the castle door, wondering if the King might spare a few crumbs. Suddenly he's holding the whole pantry. Such is the definition of grace...

Tip O' the hat to the drummer

From my young and wilder daze... It was nine years ago tonight that the world lost my very favorite rock drummer. Cozy Powell played with the likes of the Jeff Beck Group, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, The Michael Schenker Group, ELP, and in the top video he spent some time in the 80's with Whitesnake. He was big into fast cars and bikes and was killed when he lost control at a high rate of speed on April 5th, 1998. God Bless ya Cozy, you were the greatest... Hope you're making things noisy in Heaven...