New Hat

My friend Don Wolfram gave me this wonderful gift today and I wore it proudly. He must think he knows me. Thanks Don, you made my day.

Ministry Opportunity

I went to a meeting at church today about the hospital visitation ministry. I am really excited to be on this team. There is something humbling and sacred about praying with people in crisis. The hospital room becomes holy ground. Just sitting quietly and being present can have a profound impact. In the Bible Jobs friends sat with him for days without saying a word, just being with him. There have been people who just sat with me when I was in crisis and it was so comforting. The friends of Job stopped being helpful as soon as they started talking. I want God to use me to help bring His love, healing and presence to hurting people.

Graduation Day

Boo graduated from her dog training class on Saturday.

......You are invited to the open house. We are registered at Petsmart. (Just kidding)

These photos are the only proof we have that she has been trained. Jimmy said he thought she should be held back. She was definitely the class clown. She peed in class, slipped off her collar and ran around the store, and got in a fight with a huge dog. She will not be bullied. For 8 weeks we learned a lot about our trainers dogs C.C. and Baby. Can you guess what C.C. stands for? Cute and Cuddly. Seriously. He admitted that sometimes he eats their dog food. uh, wow. Boo seemed to love her class as there was a plethora of dog butts to sniff.

Quote Of The Day

"Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting a bull not to charge you because you are a vegetarian." -Sharri Barr

Dear Michele

Last year Ben had to read the book The Life of Pi for school. I helped him write his paper and even though he didn't mention it, I could tell he was grateful. To be fair, I thought I would help you by writing the paper for you, so when you get this assignment you can just put your name on it and hand it in.

The Life of Pi; A Book I Read

By (put your name here)

Spoiler Warning! This report gives away major plot elements, such as what was in the boat with the boy.

I really liked this book because it was about a boy in a boat with a tiger. Of all the books I have read about boys in boats with tigers, this one is my favorite. I have long been a big fan of the whole boy in a boat with a tiger genre.

The boys name was Pi, and it looked like his life would be pretty short, what with there being a tiger in the boat with him and all.

Who is the boy? Why is he in a boat with a tiger? What will happen? I will leave such questions for my fellow classmates to answer in their reports while I delve into the deeper, less obvious themes of the book.

The book is rich with symbolism, which is a literary device whereby one thing symbolizes something else. Take for example the tiger. The tiger represents big, deadly, cat-like animals. Some people think that the tiger symbolizes the uncertainty of life and the uneasy alliance we must forge with death. But that's just stupid.

Mr. (or Mrs.) (teachers name here), I would now like to treat you to a dialogue which I have taken the creative license to imagine between Pi and the tiger. "Hi tiger," said Pi. "Hi Pi," said the tiger. "Nice boat, huh?" queried Pi. "Oh, it's just great," stated the tiger sarcastically. Tigers tend to be a sarcastic lot as any reader of Calvin and Hobbes would know.

Recent studies have shown that people love stories about tigers, and stories about boats are good too. So put a tiger in a boat and Baby, you've struck literary gold!

All good stories have a crisis. In this story the crisis is that there is a tiger in the boat with the boy. If that doesn't shout crisis, I don't know what does. Any time you are writing a story and you need a crisis, just put the main character in a boat with a tiger and BAM! Instant crisis.

Remember that movie A Perfect Storm, when the giant tidal wave is about to destroy the boat? Now just imagine that same scene only this time with a tiger in the boat! I think you get my point.

In summary, this book had a profound effect on me and changed my life. If I ever see a boat with a tiger in it there's no way I'm getting in that boat.

Michele, just sit back an collect your A+. You're welcome. Love, Dad

The More Things Change

I found my report card from third grade. Mrs. Campbell, my teacher at Emmons made the following comments about me. " Tom is well liked by the others. He accepts and demonstrates responsibility. He is able to work independently. Tom still has difficulty with proper letter formation and with producing a neatly-done paper." I still have those problems!

"The quality of his work is high in Reading, Spelling, and English." I am awful at speling.

"He knows and uses addition and multiplication facts. He is able to tell time." Have I been regressing since third grade?! I was at the height of my math abilities at age nine.

"Outstanding interest shown in class. Fine work when he has the time." When I have the time? What, did I have a job or something? "Sorry Mrs. Campbell, but between nap time, watching Scooby-Doo, and working in the foundry I was just too busy to color my picture."

I guess I've been busy my whole life.

We are the same people we were at age nine.

The more things change...


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One Wedding and a Funeral

Yesterday Nancy and I drove to Akron, Ohio for my nephews wedding. Scott and Carols oldest son, Joel Boerckel married Monica Amaretti. It was a really neat wedding. Scott did a great job officiating. Joel's brother Mark was the best man. There were many touching moments.

The reception was a blast. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. Monica's family pretty much dominated the dance floor, as our side is not known for busting moves. We don't dance, but we sure can eat.

We had to get up at 4:00 today to get back in time to attend Nick Perri's funeral. I've been counseling Nick off and on for over 5 years. His death by drug overdose came as a shock. He was only 21 years old. He and Jimmy used to play on the same little league team. Nancy even babysat him a few times. Nick went to our church.

I was asked to give part of the eulogy. Here is a little of what I said.

"I had the privilege of knowing Nick Perri. We prayed together. We laughed and cried together. He trusted me enough to open his heart and share his pain. And Nick had a lot of pain. But Nick was so much more than his problems. We are here to celebrate his life and to help each other heal. But we are not here to say goodbye. We are here to say, " We'll see ya later Nick." You see, Nick is more alive right now than he's ever been. The Bible says, "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." Nick is with Jesus right now. He is experiencing a new life of joy and freedom. I don't feel sorry for Nick. I feel a little envious of him."

Joel and Monica began a new life. It was a celebration of each finding their true love and becoming one. It brought an end to their previous lives of searching. Monica, the bride, walked forward to be with Joel, the bridegroom, forsaking all others.

Nick began a new life. It was a celebration of him finding his True Love and becoming one with Christ. It brought an end to his previous life of searching. Nick, the bride of Christ, walked forward to be with Jesus, the bridegroom, forsaking all others.

One wedding and a funeral. We shed tears at each.