Did I Forget to Mention???

I forgot to mention another big event that happened in the last month. Do I remember Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the US Men's Team win gold?? Let's see...what college team does he coach? hmmmm

Florida, Community Organizers Rock, and Challenges

Ok..i know I have not posted in a while. Things have been pretty busy up here since I got back from Florida: trying to catch up from what I missed while out and then getting ready for the new programming year at church. Plus, I have been watching the political stuff that is happening, and I use that word “stuff” instead of others.

Florida was, under the circumstances, a nice trip, minus the travel part. I thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers. My family is doing well and there were a lot of wonderful friends of my uncle that I met. Wow – what a great honor and gift to see the impact he made on so many people.

It was good to see my family, especially my aunt and cousins, who I have not seen in a LONG time. I have posted a photo of them, even though I know one will strangle me for doing it, but they are great. Their sense of humor with the dog in my lap is pretty bad…that is a story for another time. Let’s just say that I am happy that I don’t have rabies and can sit down without pain!!! haha

(PS..we ran into the Pensacola Lighthouse..How bout that coincidence!?! Thank you Auntie Mo.)

So, I have a couple of things to say about the political stuff.

First of all, Sarah Palin does NOT represent all women, by no means. I don’t think I want my VP to be known as a “hot chick”. Hmmm..think not. Also, I am happy and proud to say that I am a community organizer who has a lot of responsibility. That was absolutely wrong to say that community organizers don’t have actual responsibility. I had some respect for her until she made the comment that community organizers have no actual responsibilities. yeah - that one hurt. It's uncool to take shots at people who chose to work in community service, which incidentally, is also serving the country...rather than get paid the big bucks in big law firms. not classy at all.

Second, Barack…you know that they are pulling at you and the whole lipstick/pg thing because they don’t want the focus to go back onto issues. They want to keep with the ugly stuff so they can’t be compared to the issues. They know that you will beat them on that and yet, you give in and fire back with your ugly stuff. You don’t need to fall to their level. Forget what they say and just stick to the issues. You will outscore them by several touchdowns on that. You know that McCain is using Palin as political manure...oops, I mean maneuver. Look, he can’t even hold a successful rally without her by his side. Anyway, he is pushing your buttons about the pig thing, even though he used the exact same phrase against Hillary Clinton, and trying to keep the focus off issues. Don’t fall for that.

I know a couple of people in Florida will be sending me notes about that political stuff…but McPalin irked me with the whole community organizer thing and the hypocritical piece about McCain can use the lipstick/pig comment, but not Obama. Not good to be a candidate who is getting desperate like that. Makes you wonder.

So, a lot is happening in the next few weeks for me and I am excited and overwhelmed at the same time. Going home for a couple of days, just a couple unfortunately, but I have been invited to participate in a special service at my home church. Unfortunately, I won’t get to see many people though. Then in October, I am going to Wisconsin for a minister thing – not looking forward to that.

I am also challenging myself in some ways professionally and personally, to start standing up for what I believe in, for what I know I am capable of doing, and because I have been given the knowledge and the gifts to do just that. I am actually capable of doing some good things and I need to start doing those things. I have to remember that I actually have something to contribute and something to continue to develop and make stronger.

So do you…and I would suggest you do the same.

RIP Uncle Tom

My Uncle Tom Pruett passed away last night, August 4, 2008, after a fighting a courageous battle with cancer.

Uncle Tom, I will do what I can to honor you and the courage you showed in the coming week and all the days that follow.

Say hi to Dad for me and I hope you enjoy a good game of cards while you pop open a can of bud.

Invest In Yourself

Isaiah 43:1; 4 - But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 4Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.

You saw a recent post that I celebrated two years since being in Boston. Several people have asked me “what did you do to succeed in all these changes?” You are very kind in asking, but the first thing I would say is, change the word “succeed”. My work is nowhere near complete and there are many days that I fail at the process. I would not say “succeed” until I have fulfilled the final goal, which to be honest, I don’t know what that goal is yet. I guess the better question would be, “What did it take for you to “begin” these changes?”

I have had some time to reflect on this because I had to ask the same question in order to understand it myself. Honestly, I am not sure I understand it all to begin with, but I finally see what I had to do in order to begin the transformation.

1. Honestly, I had to stop being a hypocrite (at least on this topic) As a minister, I challenge people to continue to reach for better, to do what can be done to constantly learn and improve. I realized, how in the world can I ask the people to do that, if I am not doing it myself?

2. I had to stop listening to the “other” people. Since I was a child, I have been called many, many names in regards to my size…and not just from outside folks either. It continued through high school and college, however the names turned to rejection, ridicule, and harsh judgment…which oddly enough, continued on through to even the past few years. So with all that coming at you, from all levels, you tend to believe what they say and what they do.

3. The biggest thing I had to do was start investing in myself. I had always invested in my work and in my academics. But my personal life and health suffered greatly. The investing part has been my biggest challenge. I made a decision recently to get a trainer who works with me twice a month (couldn't afford more than that :-). I had the opportunity several months ago to begin the training but I could not see putting money into something like “that”. The “that” became me. I could not see putting that type of commitment and investment in myself. I realized that I could no longer do this transforming on my own and needed some additional help to get to the next level. This trainer is going to help me with that, and dare I say, kick my butt at the same time. I love the workout. I love the training. I love the challenge to reach for something better. Once I put the scale away and realized the “success” cannot be about the numbers (so don’t ask me how much I have lost, I won’t have an answer for you) I started to see "success" in a different way.

DISCLAIMER: I am nowhere near achieving these three steps because it is a process that continues on. But the key is that I finally recognized what I was doing on and I am working on the process. I have moved the bar down a little bit (because I had it way too high) and I have forgiven myself for things I have done in the past. I am also still working on forgiving others, and in many ways, that is the harder challenge.

The Isaiah scripture that I referenced above, reminds me why I need to do these steps. We are called by name. We are recognized as “precious”. We are loved and honored for being made by God. That is what I hold onto. That is the investment. God has invested in us – so shouldn’t I invest in myself?

RIP Randy Pausch

From cnn.com
Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47.
You can view his last lecture on a previous post:
http://coachkfan.blogspot.com/2008/04/randy-pausch-lecture-really-achieving.html

Jimmy V on the ESPY Awards 1993

In honor of my courageous uncle and the many others fighting cancer.

A New Step, A New Ride, and a New Year

I forgot to finish telling you about my vacation week. On my last day off (that Monday that I was going to clean my apartment) I did something different. I took out all my clothing that is too big for me now. I filled my entire trunk with clothing that I can no longer wear and took it to the local donation center.
It was somewhat of a surreal moment for me. I kept the clothes as long as I did because I didn't want to feel like I was "wasting" anything. But there was a part of me that was certain that I would need the clothes again. I have been on the yo-yo. Those of you that know me, know that. Well, this is different. A lot has changed and I needed to show myself that I have the mind, the spirit, and the courage to say, NOPE, I won't need those clothes any more. I needed to prove to myself that I am going to be ok.

Now, the only disadvantage to all of that is, I don't have any pretty clothing now. I have the "business" clothing but nothing really pretty. Maybe that will be the next step. They say a journey is one step at a time.

Someone reminded me today that I did not show you my latest. I took another step and decided to challenge myself in the exercise adventures. I am a couple of miles from the church and I wanted something to get some exercise. The church is just long enough, that I am not in the mood to walk, so instead, I got a bike, and yes, I got a helmet too. It has been fun, but something to get used to. I have not ridden in a long time and my knees were surprisingly shocked at the "pain". haha. But it's getting better. I have ridden to work twice. I realized on one day that I cannot do a lot of pastoral visiting with the bike, so I have to work on that plan. But it was a good "investment" I should say. I have not perfected the idea yet, but it has been good to have and challenge myself to the next level.

And one more thing, it is two years this weekend the cats and I moved to Massachusetts to start my new adventures at FBC Newton. A lot has happened in the last two years don't you think? I won't get into it now. You can see it throughout this journal, but it has been a wonderful, most scary thing I have ever done; yet surprisingly courageous and transforming journey.

That's what it about really. Read the quote at the top of my blog from Coach Mike Krzyzewski and you will see what I mean.

Can't wait to see what happens in the "new" year.

Vacation time

ok - so I am finishing up a great week of vacation, a much needed vacation I might add, I decided to stay around town and do some things that I have not done before.
Monday - International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island where I got to see my fav, Stefan Edberg from Sweden. Then, I took a turn to Pawtucket to see the Richmond Braves get beaten by the Pawtucket Red Sox. They almost won, but not quite. The fans were pretty nice to me, although, one person thought that the 2nd baseman was my son. That hurt.
Tuesday - a tour of Sam Adams Boston Beer Brewery and I unfortunately, had to taste some ;-0 It is smaller than I thought but then I found out there are a few more around the nation. However, here is where they do the new "experiments".
Wednesday - Horseback riding to celebrate 120 pounds of weight loss!!! I have not been able to do that in a LONG time, about 10 years I think, when I got thrown off. It was definitely a nice little reward. I was smiling like a child the entire time! An hour on a beautiful mountain range. Very nice.
Thursday and Friday - I went to a monastery to be in a 24 hour silent prayer retreat and worship with some new friends, the Episcopal monks. This was more needed than anything I did this week, I think. It was nice to be away from the world for 24 hours and be in silence. Even the meals were taken in silence, with the exception of one person reading from a book. The worship was wonderful and uplifting. They were extremely hospitable
Saturday - rest, reflection, talking to family, a haircut and shopping. I was supposed to work on cleaning my apartment, well...that didn't happen
Sunday - I was off from worship today so I went and worshiped with the Boston Harbor Lighthouse. A bit foggy at first, then cleared up nicely. I even climbed to the top to see the beacon. A perfect symbolic end to the week that I had.
These are just a quick sketch of photos. I have LOTS more and will share with you in my snapfish. Send me a comment and I will send you the link.
Monday - rest before I return to work. ugh...probably working on my apartment

It was a good week. It was a much needed week. Since I have been here, I have not been able to really treat myself to trips like these. This was a spiritual week for me, focusing on some things that I needed to focus on. Before you ask, I did not go to Richmond, because I will be there in September and then at Christmas. (Plus, it's not cheap to fly, have someone take care of the cats, and much less drive, down south) This time needed to be about me. Selfish? I don't think so. You take vacation don't you??
It was fun. It was uplifting. It was rewarding. It was a treat. I was able to congratulate myself for getting this far with all the changes that have taken place in the past two years. Can you believe it's been two years since I moved up here??? It was a good week and a much needed one. Thank you for the prayers and support.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Dad!
Miss you.

"This is Big"

Another Great DAD Gone too Soon

He said it frequently on the political trail, "This is big". Well, this is a big loss to the nation, to all fathers, and to all children.

Tim Russert of Meet the Press died today of a heart attack at the age of 58. A hard worker, a great family man, and a wonderful dad. You have a lot in common with my dad.

As Father's Day is celebrated this Sunday, on a day when it can seem darker than most for those who have lost their father, just as recent as today, let's celebrate dads as he celebrated his with all the world.

Rest in Peace.

Life, Death, and Life Again

Today was a mentally surreal day. I’m not even sure where I will go with this post, but I just feel the need to type. I got to preach today and I think it went well. I talked about how we need to reach out and touch someone, because that’s just the right thing to do. There was more to it than that, but I won’t bore you with the whole thing.

Well the reason I got to preach today is because of the little girl that you see on this post. She is the brand new girl of our Sr. Minister, who was born at 3:24 this morning. I got a chance to visit with them later on and it was such a beautiful sight. She was just 9 hours old and all curled up in daddy’s arms. She was making this little baby sounds that just melt your heart. To hear these sounds coming from this new life just makes all the stuff we go through worth the pain. She is precious. Life is precious. Those sounds were precious. It was a precious moment.

The afternoon proved to be rather hot. So I took a break from that “hot” weather, and went to see Iron Man. It was highly suggested to me and so I went. Rather rather excellent I must say. You should go see Iron Man. That is a movie all about heart, fighting an inner conflict, and beating the demons that you thought were stronger than you. And that’s when you realize that you are stronger than iron. And I don’t think they could have picked anybody better than Robert Downey Jr. to live this role.

But it was what I did after the movie that made it surreal, full circle if you will. I decided to go for a run and the place that my car took me was the cemetery. I know, it’s a little strange, but at the same time, rather peaceful. Imagine pounding the pavement, relieving the stress of the week, the mental roller coaster, the release of adrenaline that was keeping you going throughout the day. Then all of a sudden, you hear the voices of those present. Mind you, nobody was in the cemetery. It was around 7:00 this evening and it was just me and a few thousand rested souls. I heard the people at rest. I heard their families. I heard the moments that they had to say goodbye. I heard the tears of those who left too soon and I heard sighs of relief from those who had suffered much too long. At the same time, there was a sense of peace. It was calm. The Memorial Day flags were still up as a reminder of those who sacrificed and you could see flowers of those who had recently visited. Then as I was sitting by the pond, the bull frogs started talking. I wondered if it was God with a weird sense of humor, but they just started talking to one another.

As I was running, I came through a scene in one of my favorite movies, “The Contender”. Joan Allen’s character, Laine Hanson, is running through the Arlington Cemetery, as the President of the United States, is speaking to a joint session, talking about the unbelievably strong character that she maintained through a bloody assault from those who didn’t think she deserved the VP nomination. The whole experience of going through a struggle, whether it’s a public one or private, makes anybody want to consider quitting, but then you keep running and you keep going to the next level, because it could only make you stronger and eventually, when you least expect it, it just may give you new life – even as you are running through a cemetery.

Carol Burnett Show outtakes - Tim Conway's Elephant Story

This is my all time favorite outtake. No, Harvey Korman is not in it, but it's classic!!!! You have to watch all the way through to get the punch line!

Glad We Had This Time Together

I loved watching the Carol Burnett show growing up and one of the reasons was the Harvey Korman and Tim Conway team! How funny they are. Although, I must say that my favorite line from Harvey Korman came during the reunion show a couple of years ago. "Me using Viagra is like putting a brand new flag pole on a condemned building". I was in tears after that.
RIP Harvey Korman. As I heard this morning, "the world became a little more serious today"

then back to Newton

1. 10 little ducks walkin by the pond
2. duck, duck and a goose
3. Newton Cemetery honors veterans
4. First Church from a different view
5. and a sign i couldn't resist taking a picture of

more photos of Memorial Day

1. Three places within the Old North Church: The pulpit, a pew, and the back for the organ
2. a very expensive italian restaurant known around town, named Strega...i have seen the owner and I think "Godfather".
3. The home of the Boston Celtics!!



















4. Bunker Hill across the Charles River
5. One of the condos that only costs a couple million to own

4 Hour Walk with a new camera

Guess who finally broke down to get a new camera? I tried to get kodak to take care of the broken one, but they wanted me to pay $140 to have it fixed. Let me think about it!
haha - so today is memorial day and it would normally be a "holiday" for normal people, but Mondays are my "normal" days off. So, not really a holiday. BUT - it was a georgous day and i decided to take a four hour walk around boston. I went to the North End, otherwise known as Little Italy; walked the two mile freedom trail; went to the Newton Cemetery; and a few odd places here
and there.

1. So, you see the little Italian guy. he is at one of the entrances into the North End.
2. Paul Revere and the Old North Church - very nice
3. I was actually "on" Richmond!!
4. There is an infamous pastry shop in the North End, called "Mike's Pastry"
5. You won't believe it. I was attacked by a man who made me eat their famous chocolate creme cannoli. It was horrible. The guy forced me to eat one. I screamed the whole time.

Prayers Around New England Today

For a man who fights for the rights of all people no matter their age, their income, their lifestyle, for every child in education, for every soul.... he is in the fight of his life now. Keep fighting and keeping the strength that has carried a nation. Allow that strength to carry you.

Prayers for the Kennedy Family.

Back to the Minor League and with no photos :-(

No - I did not make it to the Boston Marathon. Not quite ready for that race yet.

Hey - I did something today that I have not done since before I left Richmond...I went to a minor league baseball game! About 47 miles from here, in Pawtucket Rhode Island, there lives the AAA Boston Red Sox team known as Pawtucket Red Sox, or as they call them, "Paw Sox". Oo how I missed sitting on the side and watching the AAA team playing. I still can't get over what that terrible Doug Wilder has done to lose the Richmond Braves in Richmond, but that is a story for another day.

Anyway, I LOVED the day. It was wonderful. It was an afternoon game. The Sox came from behind to win at the bottom of the 10th inning. Not very crowded. It is a vacation week for the schools, so they may be on vacation, but nonetheless, I had a blast. The stadium was interesting. Built in 1942, I noticed a few differences from the Diamond in Richmond. The dugout is not level with the stands. They are at ground level. The stands are above them. In order to get autographs from the dugout, the kids AND adults have to put their ball in a bucket/milk jug/some homemade device and hang it down with a rope for it to dangle in front of the dugout (before the game of course) and the guys are pretty good about signing. The other difference was the "sky boxes" or suites, are on the same level as the dugouts.

Unfortunately, I don't have anything to show you. The person who lives with her camera in hand, to document her New England life, is not able to do so right now. The camera is not functioning and I don't know how to fix it. Oddly enough, the camera is only a year and two months old and passed the warranty mark. I have been able to fix it before, but can't see to manage it now. Linda is sad.

Anyway, I will hopefully be able to do something before June BECAUSE I am going back to the park to see the Paw Sox play....wait for it....THE RICHMOND BRAVES. I can't WAIT. Who will I cheer for? Let's just say that nostalgia is not easy to replace .

Today was a good day. I did something fun and most importantly, I did it for me. It was good to do that. Beautiful day that brought back some grand memories and a relaxing time away from reality. It was good to be able to do that. Pray that something will happen for my camera. Pray that the camera fairy fixes it or something. I like to be able to live my life through that camera, so I can share these special moments with you.

Bittersweet Day

Today is a bitter sweet day. It is the first anniversary of the terrible shootings at Virginia Tech. I am at work today remembering them with my "Hokies United" tshirt on. So prayers for the school community and a little cheer for making it through the most difficult year of your lives. You did it!

On a more positive note - a big shout out and cheer to my Uncle Tom!!! Today is HIS birthday and he is able to celebrate in more ways than he ever imagined a year ago. Let's see - I think he is 35 today. hmmmmm

So - a big Shout Out and Birthday Greeting to My Uncle Tom - A Big Inspiration who is a reminder that you never give up!!!

Randy Pausch Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Talk about putting things into perspective...we can all learn something from Randy Pausch. For example, one of his quotes:

"The brick walls that are in our way are there for a reason. They’re not there to keep us out. They’re there to give us a way to show how much we want it."

Go to his website to see updates. www.randypausch.com

You can also do what I am doing now and read his book, "The Last Lecture". Your life is worth the time.