CONFESSION...OFTEN PAINFUL

"I am so afraid to open my clinched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing to hold on to?
Who will I be when I stand before You with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that
I am not what I own, but what you want to give me.
And what you want to give me is love, unconditional everlasting love.
Amen."
Prayer by: Henri Nouwen

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 54 YEARS AGO?

That's a question some of us can't answer, perhaps because many of us were not old enough to qualify. Well, that's certainly not true for me! I do qualify and also I know what I was doing during a two to three minute time period one Sunday afternoon in the Spring. I was posing for a picture in front of our garage (nice backdrop) with my dad and brother (I'm the good looking chap on the right). My sister must have been taking a nap since she missed this photo op.

After this photo was snapped with the family Kodak Box Camera, I'm sure I proceeded directly into the house and slipped out of these fancy duds. I then guarantee that I spent the rest of the afternoon in the house and in my underwear only. You see, that was our tradition. That way, we wouldn't have to get our "church clothes," or for that matter, another set of clothing, dirty. Good practical thinking and living in the early 50's. The problem is, I grew up thinking that this tradition was completely normal. I assumed everyone spent Sunday afternoons in there skiveys. This assumption led to a few embarassing moments as I grew up, and I subsequently broke the tradition shortly after I got married to my first wife at at the age of 20.

How about you? Any funny family traditions you would like to share??

TURN OUT THE LIGHTS

BLESS YOU BOYS II

Okay here we go. As the skipper of the Detroit Tigers, Mr. Leyland must do everything he possibly can do, to keep his boys loose. They are way too uptight...way too timid...and worst of all, they just are not having fun! My goodness, will someone tell these guys that they are playing in the World Series!

With just a few exceptions, these guys look like they are heading for an appointment with the IRS for an audit. C'mon, lighten up guys!

Directly above, enjoy a pic of "the boys" (3 generations worth) enduring a loss at Comerica in 2005. Tigers pitching gave up a record 26 runs in the first game of a double hitter that day. You see, I've earned the right to give a bit of advice to the Tiges! Hey, and wassup with LaRussa's shades during a rainy night game?

VACATION...
I love to travel and see new places.
One of the stops on our recent vacation was
Southern California. We spent some time in
several communities over a four day period,
but our first day there was spent in Pasadena,
Santa Monica, Venice, and Huntington Beach.
Pasadena is shown above. Southern Californians
love their shopping. It seems like they live to shop. I had an opportunity to rub shoulders with some interesting people in Venice and it was fun
to hang out in a place which appears in so many movies. I think we spotted a few stars.

I guess Pasadena is best known to me as the city that hosts the Rose Bowl but I didn't really get a chance to see it. Overall, I wasn't real impressed with what I saw...kinda bland.

Moving on to OC later.

WHO CAN THEY STOP??

Millen's team has lost still another one. The triple 'M' boys are making an all out effort to solidify their standing as the NFL team with the absolute worst record in the last 6 years. There's a rumor flying around that Millen wants to take over the Michigan State program and bring a national championship back to East Lansing. Go get em Matt!

BACK IN THE POCKET...


We're Back!
We just returned home after two great weeks in Washington, Canada, California, and Arizona. Places we visited....Seattle, San Juan Islands, Victoria, BC, Port Townsend, WA, Yelm, WA, Mt Ranier, Ontario, CA, Pasadena, CA, Orange County, Palm Springs, Tucson, Sierra Vista, Bisbee, and Tombstone. I'll post some pics soon....in addition to this one at Mt. Ranier.

My future is so bright...I need to wear sunglasses. 

THINKING OUT LOUD

Do you find it helpful to think out loud? I sure do. It helps me to process my thoughts with a much greater level of concentration. When thinking out loud, my wandering mind is stimulated and able to focus on the subject. Thinking out loud can be referred to as talking to yourself. I always thought that thinking out loud, in a room or a car all by myself, was a step closer to being a bit crazy. Come to think of it...blogging is thinking out loud.

On another note, the Tigers are showing some heart in the playoffs. Kenny Rogers and the entire team is believing they are a team of destiny and able to go all the way to the World Series. They must be doing alot of thinking out loud.

Go Tigers!