"Be and Bring Good News to the World"

I do not take credit for the words in the title. These words come from the mission statement of St. Philip Neri's congregation. I wanted to pass along the emotion that settled over me when I witnessed wondrous music and song on a bright summer Sunday. The melodious voices heard matched the rhythmic beats of the musical instruments. Unfortunately, our late attendance only allowed for the last pew and thus, being unable to view the musicians and choir of St. Philip Neri happened only at communion. But it was here, at the time of communion that tears welled up in my eyes and made my son curious to ask me, "How come you are crying?" And all I could answer while controlling what would have been a waterfall of tears was, "Because I'm happy." The music selection during communion was "I'm In Love With Jesus" If you know this song then you may have felt the same when you first heard it sung. The angelic voice of the young singer was so strong and beautiful that all emotion poured out of me. I felt blessed and privileged to hear how this same faith based community worships and praises God. It was also the words of St. Philip Neri's pastor, Father Duris, "When you put your faith in God there is no need for worry," I felt like this message was hitting close to home. Might this be the answer to all my anxieties? Could this be a New Direction?

Happy Father's Day!

Sleep is a luxury
no time found
rest now
your day is
dwindling down

We greet you
with words
made with our
tiny hands,
with markers
and crayons
our banner
stands

From your boys
and girl
love and happiness
we employ
This day is here
we hope you enjoy

Holy %$@#!?

Where do I start this post? How about describing my emotions. My feelings can be encapsulated with Homer Simpson's famous line, "DOH!" You want to know why I feel this way? I was feeling high anxiety throughout the day that made me feel sick to my stomach. I could not steady my nerves nor my bowels. The bad feelings coupled with unlucky happenings. I never like to believe in superstitions. Friday the thirteenth came and went. But during the day little things just kept going wrong. When the one thing I had to do at Costco that usually only takes me 10 minutes actually became a total of 25 minutes. How about when I was running late getting back home and the last street light that I have to pass turns red AND the railroad cross bars come down. The kicker was when my most important tool fails me, on the field, while working a job. Am I just unlucky?
Wondering how my day went from bad to worse, the dialogue of Kung Fu Panda comes to mind. "The past is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the Present." I feel those words talking to me now. Yes I know now to prepare to not procrastinate and thus I would not have had to rush to complete my errands during the day. Having a contingency plan is in order to including packing for back up emergencies. Thinking about how to remedy the days 'unlucky' events is helpful, but I still feel shaken. And like the movie there is no special ingredient. It is the belief in oneself, in one's abilities that makes things happen and accomplishes the goal. The day was long and I am tired typing out my thoughts. A good nights rest should heal some of this emotion. But damn what a day. A day I will remember.

Summer Is Here

Press play button to hear Otis Redding while reading this post. Wow, where has time gone? Summer is upon me and I feel that the season has crept up from behind. I use to lay out my summer plans around festivals and weekend craft fairs. Now I sometimes do not have a clue what is happening on the weekends. Surviving daily routine and keeping up with weekly activities has been the challenge. Now summer camp and extra free time are on the agenda. How am I going to keep the kids busy without leaving them in front of the television? The time of transition is now. The last day of school will be tomorrow. Luckily camp registration and securing a spot for first choices begins in January!? So that time is locked in on the calendar. I guess I could check out the programs at the library. They always have the free reading program and free movie days. The movie theater also has free movie days. Wednesday evenings are free concerts in the park. So far the only planned events are Long Grove's Strawberry Festival. The one and only time to enjoy strawberry donuts. Yummmmmy. Whatever we do decide, I'm sure will be fun. Mind blowing? Maybe. Summer is finally here and before I know it, Summer will be a memory. Time to take charge of the week and weekends before time slips through my fingers.
My other concern besides entertaining the kids over the summer holiday is why have I not been able to look ahead to the days upcoming and why am I not preparing? The answer to these questions is probably because I have been taking on new projects and occupying my time with more knowledge and experience of a new hobby that I have been developing. (more info on this subject will come later). Weekends have been way busy for me. Or maybe the answer to my question is because I am and always have been a procrastinator. Always under the belief that I work better under pressure and off the fly (or however the expression goes). This could be the reason. But I have noticed my anxiety seems more real and not always under my control when working under pressure. Especially during times of transition. I could delve more deeply into this subject, but then I would get too Freudian for myself. I just have to face the fact that I should concentrate more on my family and not so much on myself. Time is passing by whether or not I am prepared. And if I do not want to get stuck with extra time with nothing to do but watch television, then I have to get my big butt in gear and figure something out. Planning activities for the family should allow for the day to unfold easily. Right?