Birthday Weekend

The big free for all blog for this weekend is that this weekend is my wife's birthday so I am going to be spending time with her and our family. I will return on Monday with the usual blog. Same time same station along the Catholic Layman network

More thoughts

Hello all I m back for a Thursday on my blog. I am continuing to read Governor Huckabee book "From Hope to Higher Ground" I really am enjoying reading about his ideas for the presidency when he was still running. At the end of each chapter he gives a 12 step program for his chapter idea. This 12 step program that I finished reading today are the 12 step program to stop abusing our planet. I really like his ideas here.

1. Never litter
2. Report littering if your state has a littering hotline
3. Conserve gas by combining trips to do errands.
4. Carpool to work or school
5. Walk or bike wherever you can
6. Turn off lights and appliances when not in use.
7. Have an energy audit of your home
8. Spend time outdoors; hiking, bird-watching, hunting, or fishing.
9. Keep your car maintained and serviced for better fuel efficiency.
10. Take your family camping.
11. Recycle
12. Learn more about renewable fuel sources and consider energy efficient appliances and construction processes. (for example geothermal)

I think these are all workable solutions. I like the term conservationist that Governor Huckabee mentions in his book. I am going to work harder at becoming one because we should take of the planet we live on. Hope that you like these suggestions too. God Bless

Thoughts from a Governor

I bought Governor Mike Huckabee's book from Hope to Higher Ground awhile back and now have just started to read it and as I was reading it I noticed he had a 12 step plan to stop being cynical. I am guilty of that at times especially in our world today. Here are the 12 steps that Governor Huckabee laid out for everyone.

1) Don't believe bad reports without documentation.
2) Read the Bible more; blogs less (Except this one is ok to read) :)
3) Read more from the "Features" page and fewer from the "Letters to the Editor"
4) Listen to more music and less talk radio.
5) Watch classic films made before 1968. (My dad always tells me to do that)
6) Read biographies
7) Read magazines about your favorite hobbies.
8) Have regular conversations with people very unlike you (race,religion,political party,ethnic background)
9) Do volunteer work with the impoverished, disabled or ill
10) Write letters of praise to total strangers you read about who do wonderful things
11) Practice random acts of kindness
12) Watch TV Land and Nick @ Nite more; network TV less.

I found myself actually doing some of these things he mentioned already ( numbers 6,7,11 and 12) I just need to work on the other 8 things now. I am on chapter 2 now and I really am enjoying Governor Huckabee's book. I would definetly recommed it to anyone that likes reading "biographies". See how many of these 12 steps you are already practicing! Have a blessed day.

Prayer for Today

I thought I would continue with the prayer theme and this was sent to me. I hope you like it

"Something powerful happens whenever we bless anybody,even in the innocence of a children's prayer.Blessing others is very serious business with God.Take a moment to reflect and believethat every blessing you utter
will come to pass."

What a wonderful thought. I need to do that more often. Think of blessing people instead of condemning things that may not go my way.

Friday Free for All

Hope that everyone is having a great start to this holiday weekend. This is going to be my last blog until Tuesday. I am going to enjoy this holiday since we are finally going to get some warm weather our way.
I thought I would touch on a topic I have not talked about on my blog and that is politics. Most people who know me personally know that I am conservative on some issues and moderate on others. I have absolutely no use for the most part for political parties. I think for far too long both political parties have done nothing for this country. At one time I used to consider myself a Republican but since about 2002 I can't do that because of their bungling of economic issues and increasing the size of government and allowing Democrats to walk all over them. Democrats are even worse, the solution of the democrats is to raise taxes for every single problem and put the government in charge of everything. As we have seen in the past that does not work either. Now that brings me to the presidential election, It looks as if it will be John McCain against Barack Obama.
This Obamamania that is going on in this country is bordering on the absurd at times. So far all I have heard from him is he will bring "change"and "hope". What amazes me about Obama is how he is so thin skinned when it comes to criticism from anyone. As President of the USA you have to be able to handle pressure and Obama is folding under the slightest of criticism now.
As a Catholic Christian my conscience will not allow me to vote for a candidate that is pro abortion. Does that make me a better Catholic than someone else? No, but it is a moral issue that is very important to me. That is also not the only issue that I vote on either. He also wants to raise taxes the minute he gets into office. I am having a hard enough time now I do not need my taxes raised when gas is almost $4 a gallon. I have always felt that the individual is a better response to a problem than the government. This country was not founded on dependence on the government. This is what I fear that Obama wants to do. That would be the wrong way to go in our country. That was my political rant for the year haha.
I hope that everyone has a great weekend and a happy memorial day. Have a burger or hot dog and remember the fighting men and women in our armed services that serve our great country the United States of America.

Patron Saints

Everyone has a patron saint. While it is usually popular to pick the saint you were named after, I have chosen St Joseph the spouse of Mary and Jesus earthly father as my patron saint. Every day I say a prayer to St Joseph for protection over me and my wife and our future children. Here is one prayer I especially like to St Joseph.

To St. Joseph for Protection
"Gracious St. Joseph, protect me and my family from all evil as you did the Holy Family. Kindly keep us ever united in the love of Christ, ever fervent in the imitation of the virtue of our Blessed Lady, your sinless spouse, and always faithful in devotion to you. Amen"



Devotions - St. Joseph, Prayers and Devotions to St. Joseph<---This is a great website with many different prayers and devotions.

I have enjoyed this week so far talking and sharing different prayers with everyone and I would be interested in hearing other devotions to different saints. I ll be back tomorrow with the free for all God Bless

Another thought

I thought I would continue the blog this week with another great prayer that I received. I think you will like this one too.



Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right.
Love the ones who don't just because you can.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it. Kiss slowly.
Forgive quickly. God never said life would be easy.
He just promised it would be worth it.
I am only as strong as the coffee I drink
and the friends I have.
To the cool friends that have touched my life.
Here's to you!

It is little writings like this that really lift my spirits. It stops and makes you think about what is important in life. I hope that this blesses you in your life too.

A kids prayer

This prayer was sent to me in an email and I could not resist reprinting it here today in my blog. It really puts things in perspective.

Last week,
I took my children to a restaurant.My six-year-old son asked
if he could say grace.As we bowed our heads he said,
'God is good, God is great.
Thank you for the food,
and I would even thank you more
if Mom gets us ice cream
for dessert.
And Liberty and justice for all!
Amen!'
Along with the laughter
from the other customers nearby,
I heard a woman remark,
'That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream!
Why, I never!Hearing this,
my son burst into tears and asked me, 'Did I do it wrong?
Is God mad at me?'As I held him and assured him
that he had done a terrific job,
and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached
the table.He winked at my son and said,
'I happen to know that God thought
that was a great prayer.''Really?' my son asked.'Cross my heart,' the man replied.Then, in a theatrical whisper,
he added
(indicating the woman
whose remark had started
this whole thing),
'Too bad she never asks God
for ice cream.
A little ice cream
is good for the soul sometimes.'†††Naturally,
I bought my kids ice cream
at the end of the meal.
My son stared at his for a moment,
and then did something
I will remember the rest of my life.†††He picked up his sundae and,
without a word,
walked over and placed it
in front of the woman.
With a big smile he told her,
'Here, this is for you.
Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes;
and my soul is good already

Psalm 23

Today my wife and I attended the funeral of her Great Aunt and during the funeral mass psalm 23 was read.


A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.

In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me;
you restore my strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake of your name.

Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage.

You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.

What a wonderful thing to know how much God loves us all. He is always with us and we can pray to him any time we want. Until tomorrow God Bless.

Roller Coaster 101(Free for all)

I thought I would combine the Friday Free for All with Saturdays blog since I have a very busy weekend ahead for me and the wife. One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is ride roller coasters. I happen to live nearby one of the most popular rollercoaster places in USA, Cedar Point. Nothing is more enjoyable than riding the coasters in the summer time. Unfortunately the amusement park closest to my house closed down last year(Geauga Lake). I thought I would talk about the different types of coasters and then put up some links to videos of my favorite coasters around here. The 4 types of roller coasters that are the most well known are 1)Wooden Coasters 2)Steel Coasters 3)Wooden hybrid and 4)Steel hybrid. If you like smooth rides on your coasters than you definetly want to ride the steel coasters as they are not as bumpy and rickety as wooden ones. Steel rollercoasters can go upside down and and also have very high drop hills. The wooden coasters are tall but not nearly as fast and are much bumpier and get you more airtime. I definetly love wooden track coasters best, but I do not recommend them for people with bad backs. The 3rd type of coaster is called the wooden hybrid roller coaster which is a traditional coaster design but with the primary structure made of steel and the coaster track is made of wood. Finally, a steel hybrid roller coaster is a steel roller coaster built with a wooden structure. The coaster itself resembles a traditional wooden roller coaster, however the track is made of tubular steel like a conventional steel roller coaster, providing a smoother ride. I have some great examples of these coasters for you to check out at Youtube and tell me what you think. Since I ve only been to amusement parks inside Ohio I welcome videos sent of coasters outside of Ohio. Here are some videos for you to watch 1) Steel Coaster YouTube - Magnum POV 2) Wooden Coaster YouTube - Mean Streak POV 3) Wooden Hybrid YouTube - The Villain @ Geauga Lake, OH - On Ride POV 4)Steel Hybrid YouTube - Gemini POV. Enjoy the videos! Send me some links to some coasters that you daredevils like to ride! Have a blessed weekend!

Catholic Websites

Today I thought I would recommend some great Catholic websites out there for everyone. I will put it in a list form and you can tell me what other ones you like to visit.

1) EWTN.com
2) CatholicExchange.com
3)Catholicity.com
4)Catholic.com
5)CatholicAthletesforChrist.com
6)SaintJoe.com
7) Lighthousecatholicmedia.com

These are just some great websites that I check out on a daily basis. I hope that everyone else has some great ones that I might have missed.

Back tomorrow with the free for all!

Peace.

Forgiveness

I found a good article online that gives an example of forgiveness.

WASHINGTON (AP) - John Hagee, an influential televangelist who endorsed John McCain, is apologizing to Catholics for referring to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great whore" and calling it "the apostate church."
Hagee's support for McCain has drawn criticism from some Catholic leaders. McCain has said he does not agree with some of Hagee's past comments.
In a letter to William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote: "Out of a desire to advance a greater unity among Catholics and Evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful."
Donohue, one of Hagee's critics, said, "To me, it's basically over." He planned to meet with Hagee.

While many people might question Pastor Hagee's sincerity, we should not withhold our forgiveness if someone asks for it. We can agree that Jesus told us in the Our Father "to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Have a blessed day.

Things to Do

Yesterday I wrote a blog about common courtesy when we go out to eat at a restaurant. That brought me to today's blog and things that we all could do in regards to common courtesy. Here are some ideas

1) Hold doors open for people coming in and out of stores.
2) Drive with a little more courtesy(Sometimes I think when we get behind the wheel of a car we think we are auditioning for the Pole Position at the Indy 500.
3) Simple things like saying 1)Please 2)Thank you 3) You're welcome
4) Lifting the spirits of someone who looks frustrated at their job with a cheerful hello or goodbye or engaging in small talk.
5) Not parking in handicap spots when we are not supposed too. I only park in the spot when my parents are with me because my dad has a problem walking long distances. I would never park in a handicap spot otherwise.
6) When we see our neighbors outside say hello to them! (I am guilty of this myself I have some neighbors living by me that I have never met yet and I have been here for 3 years!)
7) Respect others opinions on matters even if we don't agree.

These are just some things that I thought of for common courtesy. While they are not the Beatitudes they are some ideas. I look forward to your comments about this. Have a blessed day.

Restaurant Blues

Its the start of the week again. Hope that all the mothers had a great mothers day. I went to brunch with my wife and mother in law and then in the evening went to dinner with my parents and my wife. Both meals were very good and enjoyable. I was glad we all had a good time.
When I go out to restaurants I notice a trend among a small group of people. They are inexcusably rude to servers. Now I worked in restaurants back in the 1990s and I was everything from a manager, host, cook, dishwasher and server. 90% of the people who came in were very friendly and very understanding. I believe the same today of most people. However, nothing irks me now more than somebody who constantly complains from the second they come in the door in a restaurant. The person will complain that they were sat in a booth instead of a table (or vice versa). They were sat next to a window and its too cold or too sunny or too cloudy(Seriously these are some complaints that I have heard haha!) Then the meal arrives and its never cooked to their liking.
An example for you: A friend of mine sent back chicken wings 3 times. Now it was not because they were not cooked correctly, the first time they had too much sauce, the second time it was not the right sauce and the third time it was once again the sauce. Finally I think he just wanted plain chicken wings. (I was so embarassed at this point I just wanted to leave) Then after putting the waitress and cooks through all that grief he did not feel he should leave a tip.
Why is it a small number of people go to restaurants they forget common courtesy? They feel that the waitress is their servant and that they should be at their call all the time. What happened to treating other people as you want to be treated? Unfortunately from my years as a restaurant manager some of the rudest people to waitresses and myself were people who had just attended church sunday morning. As Catholic Christians we all should remember when we get out of church especially that we should be refreshed from receiving the Eucharist and hearing the word of God, that we need to treat people as we wish to be treated.
Now, I understand that there are legitimate complaints about food not being cooked correctly. These things happen to all of us. But is it really necessary to send a meal back if there was a pickle or tomato accidentally put on the burger? (Again this has happened to me) I hate tomatoes on my burgers and I order them without it every time but 9 times out of 10 I get a tomato. So I just take the tomato off the burger. Lets think about anyone we might know that is a very picky eater. Is it really enjoyable to be out to eat with them? The last thing I want to do is be with someone who tells me how great the restaurant is and then during and after the meal complains about it.
I remember what it was like to work in a restaurant so I am usually very understanding of any problems. I think we all can work on being kinder to our fellow man and remember Jesus saying. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" Have a blessed day.

Happy Moms Day

Today is going to be a short blog. I just wanted to wish all the Moms out there a happy mother's day and especially to my mom and my mother in law. I hope that everyone has a chance to spend time with their mom's tomorrow and show them how much we appreciate their hard work in helping us through life. See you back here on Monday!

Friday Free for All

Hi everyone, I was watching youtube today and came across a bunch of old tv shows that I used to watch. One particular show seemed to stand out in my mind: The Love Boat. The thing I loved about the Love Boat is that every week there were different guest stars in an episode. I frequent the catholic chat room on AOL here and thought of how most of us get together like an extended family and talk almost every day. How fun would it be to do that on a cruise ship? Now obviously we do not want to put anybody on the ship that does not like each other. But I can just imagine some of the different chatters getting to know one another. Some chatters I would want are Sean,Dash, Wing, Alth, Kat,Marie,Laffs, Ellie, Dawg, and Pats along with myself on the cruise ship. What a blast that would be. All the different personalities getting to know one another. Sean could play chess against someone and continue his losing streak of 3,000 matches in a row. Wing, Dash, Laffs, Dawg and I could talk sports and politics. The Ladies on the cruise ship can do whatever they choose to do. I would make sure everyone had Coca Cola (Thought you would like that Wing) What I am trying to get too here is take the time to get to know someone new, see what they like and dislike and make some new friends. If all of us were put on a cruise ship by ourselves and we really did know anyone else we would be forced to get to know someone else. So thats my homework getting to know somebody new. Remember family is already chosen for us but, friends are family we choose for ourselves.

Giving Thanks

Hope that everyone is having a great week. I know I am so far. Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. Hard to believe that 3 years has passed. Time flies when you are having fun. Just think how fast we think time goes by for us. I can vividly remember my high school graduation like it was a few days ago. The place I graduated (Richfield Coliseum) is now a field of grass. The Coliseum was torn down in late 1990s. I am sure many of you feel that way too. You drive by a place and say hey I remember when this used to be here and all the great times I had. The house I lived in till I was 10 is still there and I enjoy driving by it every once in a great while and remembering the good times. That is the nice thing about growing up you can remember these good memories. These are many of things that I can talk to God about and thank him for. I can thank God for a great wife, great parents, good friends and good health. I hope that you have many things to be thankful for also.

Tuesday Thoughts

Sometimes I think Ohio is really Florida and other times I think Ohio is Alaska. Just a few days ago we barely struggled to hit 50 degrees and now we are getting close to 80 degrees and sunny. So I decided to open the windows and get the heat inside before we go back to 40 and cold.
These are perfect days for a nice walk outside and chance to listen to some Mp3s from my favorite catholic authors like Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins, Matthew Kelly and others. It is always nicest to walk when the temperature is in the 60s-70s and no humidity. But, the problem is I get used to that, and then use the excuse its too hot or too cold if the temperature fluctuates from that.
I seem to use that in my prayer life too, Sometimes it is not the "right temperature" to pray. I might be too tired or too busy or too engaged in watching a favorite tv show. When I first went back to the faith I decided I am going to read my bible at least 5 minutes every day. I usually do that when I wake up or before I go to bed because that is the either the first thing or last thing I read every day. That way I begin and end the day on the right note when my focus is on God.
I would be interested to hear what others think on how they keep their prayer life focused. Tomorrow my wife and I celebrate our 3 year annivesary so I will not be blogging, but I will be back on Thursday. Hope everyone has a blessed day.

PSR ends and fun

Yesterday completed my 4th year of teaching Parish School of Religion(PSR). I have been teaching the 5th grade now for 2 years and before that taught the 7th grade for 2 years. For the last 2 years my wife and I assemble our classes for the annual Catholic kickball game between the 4th and 5th graders. My class last year beat her team by a sizable margin. This year the same team she had lost to the 4th graders 12-11. They worked together as a team and almost won.
Now to me it does not matter who wins and loses in a simple kickball game the point of the game was for the kids to relax and have fun and enjoy the game. We would both ask our teams questions about the faith and if they got them right they were able to get up and kick the ball. I even decided to pitch for an inning. Hey why not join in the fun right? The fun part of the whole ordeal is I can remember 20 years earlier playing in that same gym since I went to Middle School there. These kids remembered most of what was taught and I hope they continue to remember that as they age. Faith is not just about following rules, it is about having good fun too. Jesus had fun with his friends and so should we. I am already looking forward to next year's end of the year kickball game between the 4th and 5th graders. Have a blessed day :).

Beginning of May

We are just heading into May now and most of us in my area are ready for the warm weather and to say goodbye to cold and snow. For some reason it seems like May-October goes a lot faster than November-April. Why is that? I 've always enjoyed putting on the air conditioner much more than putting on the heat in the house. Another great advantage to warm weather means baseball for me. I love baseball season. Going to a baseball game in summer is the best.
My main point here is that we can't always get what we want out from the weather or life. That is why we have to make the best of the hand that we are dealt. That is where prayer comes in and giving thanks. Sometimes I get frustrated that things are not going my way and I forget of all the blessings in my life. I have a great wife, great family, good friends and my health. Instead of focusing on the things out of my control I should focus on giving thanks for the good things in my life. Sometimes I think my prayers to God are like an ATM machine. The withdrawal button being all the time I ask God for things, and the seldom used deposit button where I should give thanks to God for the little things in my life. I hope that all of you have a great Lord's day tomorrow and I will be back with another blog on Monday!

Friday Free for All

Happy Friday everyone! Time to write about whatever is on my mind outside of my Catholic faith. I was talking to a friend of mine online yesterday and I thought that todays blog would be about music. In particular secular music in the world. I ve been very involved in my faith for about 5 years now, and some people wonder how I can be so involved in my faith yet still listen to music of the world. If you looked at my CD collection you would see such a wide variety of music from classical, jazz,80s, hair bands, alternative, and drum corp. I have listened to radio shows on Christian stations that have said once you become a Christian you have to get rid of all these satanic influences in your life and just listen to Christian hymns all day. I have even debated some of these talk show hosts on the air. I absolutely love listening to Catholic speakers and Catholic radio, however sometimes I just need to unwind and put in a good song that used to help me through tough times as a teenager or young adult. I can listen to Something to Believe In by Poison, and I find myself singing along with Bret Michaels about the hardships of life and turning to Jesus to answer his questions. Also Van Halen's I Can't Stop Loving You (A song about lifelong love between husband and wife). Warrant has a song called Heaven, (Another song about love and commitment). Firehouse has many good songs about love between husband and wife: Love of a Lifetime, I live my life for you to name a couple. The reason I picked this genre of music and its examples is because it is the most criticized for having songs about sex drugs and immorality. Did they engage in this type of stuff? Absolutely, but that does not mean every single song is immoral and that you can't get something positive out of it. I think the biggest problem I used to have was being scrupulous. I do not think God wants us to live that way. So for any of you out there that think that all secular music is evil listen to some of the songs I mentioned. I hope that they will bring you close to God just like they did for me.