BLOG

Funeral For A Friend

Peace Be With You Kevin
Peace Be With You Kevin

Ever get ahead of schedule on a project? Hardly ever right? Well, I can’t remember the last time it’s happened to me, except for right now.

It’s December 24, 2009, Christmas Eve as I write this, and we are getting ready for 5:00PM Mass, the Children’s Mass.

A few hours ago, my son and I attended a funeral for a friend.

Kevin and I were colleagues 14 years ago. His Family and my Family attend the same Church. his son is even younger than mine.

Kevin fought brain cancer, and had won, for the past eight years or so, maybe longer.

My Family and I were in Church when we heard the sad news this past Sunday.

Kevin went to Heaven. His funeral was beautiful. His life was beautiful.

Ever know someone, not well enough to be close friends, but well enough to call friend?

jeff noel Spirit Filled New Year

Well Fed?
Well Fed?

“Happy New Year” !

Have you ever worked on an important project and found yourself looking for creative ways to do things better and faster?

The Church looks for creative ways to do things better and faster. Seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Are you feeding your spirit? Feeding the spirit of others?

All we can do as humans is to attempt to put others first, attempt to serve.

And constantly look for better and faster ways to do it.

Are You Afraid?

Fear
Fear

Fear is a survival instinct. (think caveman) A gift, to keep us alive.

You get that, right? Fight or flight?

Fear is also an excuse.

“I’m afraid if I talk about it at work, socially, at the gym, with my neighbors, on the Internet, that I might ruin my chances for **insert** promotion, opportunity, relationship, readers, followers, advocates, etc.”

What the?

Exactly. An excuse.

I do not go around telling everyone I’m a Christian. In fact, I don’t tell anyone.

But I also don’t keep it a secret. In fact, I don’t keep it a secret from anyone.

I wonder if anyone else thinks like this. Actually, it really doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of me being a Christian.

That’s when you know you are no longer afraid.

The Gift That Visit Brought Us

Happiest Dog in the World
Happiest Dog in the World

We’ve been talking about a beloved Family pet, our Yellow Lab, Carter.

Virtually all pet owners understand the remarkable bond humans forge with their pets. And it’s especially strong in a pet relationship where there are no children.

Here’s the gift we received from what we thought was our very last weekend with Carter. We were staying at Mitchell’s Sand Castles, which is pet-friendly and on a quiet end of Sanibel Island. It was our 22 visit.

After a nice day on the Sanibel beach, with Carter at our side all day, we had a nice dinner in our cottage. I was walking contemplatively through the dark and tropical setting, taking the trash up to the road.

When around one dark corner, I was mildly startled by another man, standing by the road. Unusual, and a little freaky.

We said casual greetings and then he asked me, “Were you the guy with the Yellow Lab on the beach this afternoon?”

“Yeah, that was me.”

He said, and I will never forget this, “I’ve never seen a dog wag it’s tail so much. You must have the happiest dog on earth.”

There was a reason we went to Sanibel for Carter’s last weekend (so we thought) on earth.

It was so I could meet the total stranger out by the road, waiting for his pizza delivery guy.