Just 40 Days

We make a fuss over keeping a baby alive for 365 days!  Or maybe its the baby who was strong enough to survive. Which ever the case, many cultures

My mom and her two brothers. This is a photo of my mom and her brothers.  I think she was still in high school, so it was taken in the early 1950's.  They were visiting my Aunt Dorothy, aka Sister Carollette, in Tiffin. My Uncle Joe died last night. He was my mom's oldest brother.  She was the youngest of six children.  Uncle Joe (JC) joins his parents, his wife Aunt Sandy, and his brother, Uncle Phil and sister Norma, my mom.  It makes me happy to know they are all together in heaven.  This got me thinking...thinking about heaven. What would we do if we didn't believe in heaven?  I cannot imagine the loss. Heaven gives us hope of more life! A life that is so much more than we can imagine. I love heaven. I talk to people in heaven all of the time!  Those 'people' are called angels. I know alot of angels! I'm so glad that my parents taught me about it.  I could not live on this earth without heaven!

I

Three years ago, I attended a Casting Crowns concert with my friends Wendy and Eric.  It was shortly after Haylee was killed by a distracted driver.  I really needed to hear the song, Just Be Held . I had never heard it before and it helped me to let go.  I was tired of being strong. I was being strong for me, telling myself that it was just a horrible accident. (We didn't know the driver was on her cell phone until a year later, when the prosecutor released the phone records.)  I kept thinking that Haylee is in a better place.  No more suffering of kidney stones.  I told myself a lot of things to help me to understand this loss. I remember just crying throughout the song at the concert.  I still cry when I hear the song on the radio.  It's funny, but the more tears I shed, the stronger I become!

I'm no expert, but I've been around basketball my entire life and have noticed a few things over the years. I read a great article about the positive aspects of the sport on women but I've also observed that just as basketball changed, so did American culture.  I'm not sure either of them realized the impact they have on each other, but here's my take. Basketball was invented in the 1890's and there were only thirteen rules.  Life was simpler then.  By the 1930's, more rules were introduced.  All levels of basketball have their own rules, but it seems as though the NBA introduces something and it takes about five or ten years for those changes to trickle down to the NCAA and then onto High School. I'm not sure that get rid of rules, they just add to them.  Some rules don't really change, they are just not enforced anymore.  (I remember when women's basketball had six players.  Three on offense and three on defense!)  Here is a list of ...

It's been a long year of recovery for me, and for my dog Aiden.  He's just as out of shape as I am.  Actually, he's probably in worse shape as I've been able to go to the YMCA and workout some.  But that's changing. I've take Aiden on three walks, in three days.  Each is a little longer.  I can tell when he gets tired and I push him just a little further.  Yesterday we made it two miles and we'll stay there for a while until our time improves. Currently it takes us 40 minutes to get those two miles in.  My goal  is to get that closer to 30.  We mostly walk, but I'm starting to jog a little of it.  I'm hoping to get back to jogging most of a three mile walk with Aiden. When we get home from our walks, he lays on his bed and falls asleep.  In fact, he's snoring now!

When I think of the word fellowship, I'm reminded of the pre-festival parties at St. Thomas Aquinas church. This party was for the workers to gather, have fun, relax and get ready for the big work they would be doing the following week.  It was great!  It was the 1990's and it seemed that people took the time to do those kinds of things...volunteer, support, enjoy community. Thirty years later, I think that fellowship doesn't happen as often.  People are too busy.  The only time they make time for fellowship is when it's combined with other things like a fundraiser.  Or if their attendance is  'required' by their employer.  I think that fellowship is so important that communities that are able to continue to 'fellowship' will thrive and those that struggle to have down time to relax and enjoy each other will not. Cheers to fellowship!   Sláinte !   The closest term you can use to toast someone "cheers!" in Irish Gaelic. More accur...