Grateful

This Thanksgiving day, I'm not sure where to start to express my gratitude. There are so many who have enriched my life this year.

There are people I didn't even know existed at this time last year, one in particular who I have known only a little over a year, people who have made a difference in a short time. You know who you are.

There are those of you whom I have never met. Some I will never meet. One I met once, and will likely never see again. You also know who you are. It's amazing how important people in different states and different countries can become.

Family, as always, has been important this year, the family I live with and those I grew up with. I also continue to be grateful for long-term friends, those who have stuck by me for decades.

I hope all of you know how important you have been. If you don't, I need to find a better way to express myself.

The best part of my life is the people in it. Thank you, my friends, for making such a difference to me.

This blog is about somebody who I suspect will change my life. I know he will be changing others. It's written by a young man, Lt. Philip Gerard Johnson, who has recently been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

His faith humbles me. It's also something I strive for.

I found his blog through InsideCatholic.com. This is a man destined to inspire all of us and hopefully persuade us to more fully walk with Jesus. If you only have time for one blog, this is the one to follow.

You can read it at In Caritate Non Ficta. This young lieutenant isn't going to leave this world without first showing us all how to grow closer to God.

I can't imagine any greater way to live.

Could You Do This?

I read a story today that pretty much leaves me speechless. It's about a man willing to donate both a lung and a kidney to somebody who needed them. And he makes it sound easy.

I'm completely humbled. Here's the link: Living Donation

Giving Beyond The Grave

Anybody who's read much of my blog knows I've been a fan of Dan Fogelberg for many years. Now his wife, Jean, has provided an easy way for people to make a difference in an enjoyable way.

On Valentine's Day 2005, Dan presented his wife with a CD labeled "Sometimes A Song." All proceeds from sales of this song go to prostate cancer research. You can find it here.

If you're a Fogelberg fan, you'll enjoy the song. If you don't know much about his music, this is a good place to start.

You can also go to this page at The Living Legacy if you plan to order anything from Amazon.com. Jean Fogelberg is contributing any money earned through her amazon.com affiliate to prostate cancer research.

Both of these are ways to be a hero while enjoying yourself in the process.

Matthew 25 Project

I can't resist sharing this video. Its' too good to pass up.

For those who don't already know it, the song is "On Fire" by Switchfoot. I've loved this song as long as I've known it.

This video is an extremely touching way to remind us of something we should be thinking more about.

February 26

Two years ago today my Mom left us for heaven.

She spent her last 10 years in increasing pain. We never realized quite the depth of it until after she passed. She left writings behind. Now we have a much clearer picture.

She was an incredibly stong woman.

I should rejoice for her, but I'm only human and the loss is still too great.

Yet she continues to teach me. In my faith journey, I realize that I can't be complacent in a faith that can't get beyond myself and my loss. I cannot yet be joyous for her.

My grief is more about my selfishness and less about love. I miss seeing her, talking to her, sharing everything with her. That's all about me.

I'm realizing that shedding selfishness is going to be a lifelong journey, but a worthwhile one.

One day I want to be able to love my Mom and all the others in my life with a love that truly celebrates their joy, especially when they have the joy of heaven.

In the meantime, to nobody's surprise, when I turned on my mp3 player this morning, a Switchfoot song was playing. The song was Let Your Love Be Strong from the Oh! Gravity CD. It seems appropriate today.

In this world of news, I've found nothing new
I've found nothing pure
Maybe I'm just idealistic to assume that truth
Could be fact and form
That love could be a verb
Maybe I'm just a little misinformed

As the dead moon rises, and the freeways sigh
Let the trains watch over the tides and the mist
Spinning circles in our skies tonight
Let the trucks roll in from Los Angeles
Maybe our stars are unanimously tired

Let your love be strong, and I don't care what goes down
Let your love be strong enough to weather through the thunder cloud
Fury and thunder clap like stealing the fire from your eyes
All of my world hanging on your love

Let the wars begin, let my strength wear thin
Let my fingers crack, let my world fall apart
Train the monkeys on my back to fight
Let it start tonight
When my world explodes, when my stars touch the ground
Falling down like broken satellites

All of my world resting on your love


Happy Birthday, Mom.

Jeremy Gray Gives His Life

I won't normally blog about the same thing on two of my blogs, but this one is special. It's about somebody who gave his life for a child.

Anybody who gives their life for another is worth mentioning. I wish I could say I'd do the same.

Here's the beginning of the story:


A Kiwi priest has died a hero after sacrificing his life for a 7-year-old boy drowning off the coast of New Caledonia. Jeremy Gray, 29, was walking in shallow water with the boy while on a New Year's church picnic celebration, when the pair fell into a hole in a coastal reef at Yate, near Noumea.Neither of them saw the hole because the water was muddied by the recent rainy season floods. They were trapped by the swirling seas.Gray managed to push the boy out of the deep water and back into the shallows and, despite being tired from his efforts, refused to take the youngster's outstretched hand."Jeremy shouted 'go back, go back'. He knew he would pull the small boy back into the water and they would both die," said Father Bernard Girol, one of those at the picnic."He used all his energy to save the boy and he got tired. It was Jeremy who saved his life."

You can find more at "Yes, I'm Catholic" or read the full story at NZHerald