Unforgettable moment

I've discussed this before.

Some days I can not recall what I did an hour ago while other memories are unforgettable.

A few weeks ago, the great Doctor Robert J. White passed away at his home in Geneva. Dr. White is known around the world for being one of the best neurosurgeons in the world. He's also known world-wide for being an advisor and doctor to numerous Pontiffs.

We are blessed and lucky to know him as a very humble man who adored Mom, went to my church, attended daily mass, and was never too busy to visit or speak with you.

Growing up, I remember seeing the White clan at church Sunday after Sunday when the kids were growing up. As they grew up, moved, and moved on, Dr. White was still a pillar at daily and weekly mass.

With Mom being the church secretary, he'd speak with her often and took an interest in her health. Both had their strong faith and devotion which anchored their friendship.

One of the all-time greatest moments in my life as reader and Eucharistic Minister was the day I gave Dr. White communion.

The reality of it is that we are all God's children. And Dr. Robert White was as humble and real as they come.

However, to me, he was an icon, a hero. He saved lives. He was not God, but he helped people and oftentimes saved their lives if it was not time for them to see their Maker.

The fact that I was distributing the Body of Christ to one of my heroes brought me to tears and sent chills up and down my spine.

I will never ever forget that moment as long as I live.

Another very distinct honor I had was assisting in the singing at Dr. White's Memorial Service. Mom always told me, "You have a God-given talent. Use it. Those who sing pray twice!" So how could I mess with Mom, her directives, and not use one of my God-given talents.

I was honored and humbled to sing the entire Mass as well as solo Ave Maria during the service. I was even more taken aback when I ran into a longtime competitor after the service who put two and two together and was just gushing at my singing.

Another sign that we all have God-given talents and there is so much more to each person on this earth. Never diminish anyone. God has put us all here for a reason, whether we know why or not.

Every single funeral I sing, I look up to Heaven and pray that those I love dearly and the person who I am honoring can hear my gift to them and are smiling down on me and all of us.

Happy Easter!

I'm so proud that we've been able to successfully celebrate each holiday /holy day as if we would when Mom was alive.

We have not skipped a beat!

Holy Saturday played out flawlessly with last minute baking, cooking and then the blessing of the food! I took the liberty to toss in a few family pictures and a few other important mementos with the wine, cheese, butter, salt, meats, eggs, candy, breads, horseradish, and so much more!

Then taking the baskets to church with candy-filled plastic eggs for all the kids attending all of the Easter services. I'm sure their parents will be so thrilled!

You walk into church and immediately are overcome with the beautiful scent of all the lovely flowers. Every Mass was delightful. And it's always nice to see people who may not come to Mass that often, or attend other churches but love OLP and come home for the really special occasions.

Easter Sunday just a beautiful day!

The only flaw is that Uncle Bill is in the hospital. My Aunt and I visited with him for a while before we headed to our big family dinner. It's hard to see someone you love sick, with really no chance of ever getting better.

Unfortunately, my family has seen this too often. I know, when you begin getting older and everyone around you is even older, it's a way of life. I'm glad I've been able to visit with my Uncle regularly! Uncle Bill is our 'father figure.' He always has been and will always be. It's very hard seeing our 'father figure' dying so soon after Mom passed away.

It was nice spending the day with the family again out at the farm. There were even more chickens this year than at Thanksgiving. And little Sereta.

It was a very late night. Later than I expected. Too much food, as usual.

Most of the stuff I made DID taste like Mom's --except the bread which did not rise quite as much but everyone was very nice pretending to like it! Aw, just toss it in the toaster with some butter, and it'll be fine!

Trust me, even with all the adversity over the last 15 months, I know how lucky and blessed I am....and thank God every single day.

It comes & it goes

There is no rhyme or reason as to why or what sets the tear machine rolling.

Some days at Church I can't get through a song without the tears streaming.

Today's Mass was actually for Mom.

I don't know who had it said for her but what a nice gesture!

I sang the Mass but was determined to break away at Offertory and carry up the gifts with one of Mom's best friends forever, Mercedes.

It was hilarious. Father has a way with people and life in general. As I handed him the water and wine, he said, 'now get back over there and sing!' I was trying to be polite and wait until Mercedes handed him the hosts and he said, "I mean it!'

All in fun of course!

I sang the entire Mass and did not shed a tear, even though it was for Mom.

Like I said, no rhyme or reason. I'm not going to fight it. I'm just gonna live, savor each moment and react in each moment the best way that I can!

Merry Christmas!

Yes, I said Merry Christmas!

And to my friends who may not celebrate Christmas as such, the sentiment is still there stronger than ever for your traditional religious beliefs!

I'm in uncharted territory--celebrating Christmas from start to finish without Mom. Fortunately, I am not alone. But still, nothing I will do today will be like I've ever done it before!

I can not even imagine NOT celebrating Christmas. Yet, recently I saw Medium John Edwards talk about how, after a great tragedy or death of a loved one, many stop celebrating holidays, events, birthdays. Wow! I'm not like that. I must carry on the tradition and try harder to remember our loved ones, especially during these cherished times.

What WILL BE the same is singing all the Christmas Masses.

What's not the same is having a later dinner which leaves time for a little more baking! Gonna attempt to make our 'fruit pastry.' That's not what it's called but honestly, I could not spell it if my life depended on it! Basically it's dough filled with raisins and mincemeat topped with home made frosting baked golden brown! YUM!

Will mine taste like Mom's? That's been the question this whole holiday season!

I must say, even if it does not taste exactly the same, the fact that I have been able to pull together St. Nick, all of our baking, wrapping the gifts Mom already bought, and do everything else has been handled with the assistance of MOM. When I feel like I can't do something, somehow it all comes together!!!!

We decided this year to get gifts for everyone --whomever can afford it.

Honestly, Mom and I were a lot alike in many ways but buying gifts for people was a big one. If we saw something that reminded us of someone to a tee, we'd buy it even if it were February!!

I know some folks may feel bad if they can not give out gifts, but I don't care! One of the greatest joys for me (always has been) is picking 'the perfect' gift, giving it to someone I love and ultimately watching them open it. The look on their face is priceless!! I'd rather experience that feeling over and over again than getting all the gifts in the world.


Giving out the gifts Mom bought for everyone will be interesting. She bought everyone at least one gift already...


Well, there's not much more I can say. I know all of us will cherish spending the day with each other. We always have fun, laugh, and eat a delicious meal on Christmas. And over the last few years the Cleveland Cavaliers have been in the spotlight making our day even more enjoyable!

The day will not be the same without the Matriarch of the family physically with us but we must move forward.

I still can not believe that just over two months ago, Mom was still alive and I was talking with her and holding her hand. I can't believe the amazing trips we took this year and Mom's 80th birthday celebration. And with the stop of her heartbeat, it was all gone.

Blows my mind. I will never ever get over this life-changing event. I think all of us know Mom is still with us. She comes through to me, at least in someway, every single day--either through a song, a phrase someone else says that is totally Mom, words spewing out of my mouth that I would not say, or just helping me solve a problem that normally would not get solved.


And again, what will help me get through this holy day is knowing that Mom IS celebrating Christmas with us and more importantly with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Christmas Eve traditions

I'm proud of how I keep plugging along knowing what I want to accomplish this holiday season but not being too hard on myself if it does not get done in a timely fashion.

I've already established that I WILL send out our annual Christmas letter. As of this writing, the letter is not quite finished but the holiday season goes on for me until at least the Feast of the Three Kings!

I've also decided that I will continue making all of our Christmas cookies, even if I have to make some of them around and in the New Year.

This is my favorite time of the year. I know we've lost a great lady, but I will not let her down and stray from both of our most Sacred Holy Time and favorite holiday.

So today, I had more errands to run than anticipated but did get them all done. There's always one thing I forget that I can not find at the last minute. Happened again this year unfortunately.

An emotional day. I ran into Mom's old physical therapist who had no clue she had passed. And then as I shared the "Mom rainbow" story with the owner of The Dancing Sheep, I made her cry which in turn made me cry. I'm telling you, Mom is physically gone, but she and her amazing persona and the stories of how she is STILL with us continue affecting our lives and others.

We decided that everyone would go to Mass together, as always, but changed which Mass. Does not matter for me. I sing them all!

However, it was nice because after Mass, I had a bigger stretch of time before I had to go back over to Church.

I firmly believe we have the prettiest church in the Diocese. And our Pastor is a gem. It's a win-win situation! Then factor in the holiday music and you have a wonderful night.

I absolutely adore the music we sing each Christmas Season. The Bells usually play a few of the Masses and our Choir Director David gets his friend who plays the violin to accompany us.

By the time I went over to Church, I had laid out all of our hor'doerves for after Mass. The house smelled so wonderful. AAAH! It must be Christmas!

I like seeing so many old friends who don't come to Church the rest of the year or they come back to Cleveland to visit family at Christmastime. And, no snow. It's a beautiful Christmas Eve.

Father Gary personalizes so many of his sermons. He brought a tear (OK, many tears) to my eyes at the Mass my entire family attended. He saw everyone sitting out in the congregation and threw in a line saying 'he sees those in the pews who may be having a harder time this year because they've lost a family member this year...' I lost it. I had to mask it being in front with the choir, but it was very hard. Finally, by the end of the Mass, I had to bail out before the end of the closing song because it was just too hard.

We had a good night.

We ate, spent time together, laughed, the girls did some fast hand moves trying to teach the boys, and the boys taught everyone how to tie a tie!

I could not have asked for a better Christmas Eve --except to have Mom here with me. But then I get a smile on my face because Mom is spending Christmas Eve with Baby Jesus this year.

All in a day's work!

I've gotten better at saying 'no.'

In fact, the word 'no' has, at times, become my best friend.

There is absolutely no way I could do everything required of me on a daily basis without saying 'no' every now and then.

Today is a perfect example.

Here is just a sampling of the main events on my plate today:

Race for the Cure

Hiram College Alumni Volunteer Day

Singing at Saturday Mass

the Local Emmy Awards, of which I was nominated for an Emmy

The Cleveland Indians Baseball Game

I cut out only a few of these items still leaving quite an action packed day.

If I would have done them all, I'd would not be writing this entry right now.

I always find it quite amazing that by eliminating just ONE item off of my agenda, I'm still able to conquer so much.

Remember, just say no now and again, and you'll feel less stress and quite liberated!

Try it, you'll like it!

On this day, Oh beautiful Mother

Absolutely nothing I could say would adequately depict the love I feel for my Mother and the gratitude I have for giving me life & constantly being there for me.

Nothing tangible will ever pay her back. Oh, sure, we went on a mini shopping spree and she got a bunch of chic outfits. She's stylin' and just the coolest Mom you could ever have! Our Mother's Day weekend was superb! One of the best we've had in years!

I'm so very proud of her comeback. She has more life in her today than 4 years ago. THIS is a gift bestowed on all of us from God and I refuse to take it for granted.

I was able to give her one gift so near and dear to my heart: the gift of song. I used my gift of song during weekend Mass. I have a great gift from God and love sharing it with others.

I am blessed. Maybe because it was Mother's Day weekend and my Church is named after Mary, our Mother...maybe it was just the music selection this weekend.....maybe I put a little more into it for Mary our Mother and all Mothers here on earth and those I know who have passed?

I don't really know but I can not tell you how many beautiful women/mothers came up to me after every Mass and thanked me for making their celebration more beautiful and complete.

It was my pleasure and honor singing 'On this day, O beautiful Mother' for every Mother this weekend, especially the Virgin Mary.

I am humbled to make Mom happy and proud by using my gift of song to the best of my ability.

I know Mom had a tremendous weekend....she says everything about it was wonderful: the singing, the company, the gifts, dinner and brunch, all the laughter, and the outpouring of love galore...but I know better. I know her favorite part was receiving her Slider Slippers! Enjoy Mom and Happy Mother's Day. Hopefully MANY MANY more to come!!! xoxo

Drum roll, please

Every day situations arise which demand decisive action & decision-making.

Each decision pieces together our life and sends us in a specific direction.

At times, we may regret those decisions and wish for a 'do-over!'

Luckily, being of sound, mind and body, I'm generally happy with my decisions, and extremely proud of the life I've made for myself.


Drum roll, please. I've made yet another decision today.

I'd prefer NOT to let my father back into my life.

I never pushed him out to begin with...that was his doing....but ya know, it was a good fit.

Let me take you back a few pages in my novel (and feel free to look back a few blog entries to Easter Sunday).

Mom and Dad got divorced when I was small. They were friends and still are. We all were civil and he would visit me once a week.

I have to be honest, it was a drag. There were things I would have preferred doing than being 'forced' to act like I was enjoying myself because the courts demanded he visit once a week.

Then poof--maybe 20 or so years ago, he had 'issues' and removed himself.

Frankly, fine by me. 20 years ago I was in the midst of a fantastic career with fantabulous friends, a whole life ahead of me, and a wonderful family who did everything together.


Then, after a blog post where I said my father really has missed out on a lot --all of our baseball trips, the fun parties and dinners we've had, and hearing me sing, my sister began the quest to reunite me and my 'estranged' father.


Well, that's not what I wanted or want. However, usually, what I want gets overruled by the 'adults' in my life because of course, everyone else knows what's best for me.


Today's revelation is quite liberating (yet I am sure it will NOT be honored). After I sang my first Mass, Mom said she was going to go to the next Mass. Very odd and I knew right then my father would be at the next Mass with my sister. Especially because Mom was not feeling well but kept pressing the issue...


Sure enough, we walked in and my father and sister came to meet us. No feelings whatsoever for him. No excitement. Frankly, a waste of my precious time. In my opinion, he was outright rude. He spoke incessantly leading up to Mass. He disrupted and distracted everyone in choir as we practiced. In fact, one of my choir members asked me who he was and asked if he could tell him to shut up! Now, for someone that came to hear me sing, I don't believe it for a moment. After Mass, not a single 'well done,' 'nice job,' 'you are fabulous,' 'I can't believe it,' nothing! But honestly, I did not expect anything less from him.


He actually creeped me out. Acted like more of a date saying "can I call you and see you again?" That's just creepy.


If I were on a date, I would have excused myself early and got the heck out of Dodge...and said, 'no I'm sorry, you can't call me again!'


Now, I'd like to share another tidbit from my first Mass of the day which helped me come to my realization. I saw many good friends who are near and dear to my heart. I look forward to seeing them each weekend. I've known many of these people my entire life and they would do just about anything for Mom and I.

A special surprise: the mother of a boy I went to grade school with was sitting a few rows from where I was singing. I had not seen her in years but I immediately knew who she was. I gathered she did not quite put 2 and 2 together but was smiling from cheek to cheek at my singing. At the sign of peace she came over and told me how blessed I was for my gift of song. She asked me my name and when I told her, the light went off above her head, her eyes brightened and she knew exactly who I was. I wanted so to speak with her and she with me but she had to leave early for her grandchild's baptism.


I have SOOOO many of these people in my life. They are all blessings. They range from family members on my Mother's side to kids I grew up with in grade school, high school and college who I STILL keep in touch with to this day! They are former co-workers, current co-workers and others who've crossed my path along the way. Heck, I recently re-connected on Facebook with a bartender who used to work at one of my favorite bars. He wrote me a note saying he still has the Indians' birthday card I sent him. It touched me and made my week!


I am truly blessed. I have good friends, good people in my life. I also am in the midst of a very chaotic, jam-packed ride which, thankfully because of my organizational skills/multi-tasking/and prioritizing, kinda stays on track.


There's not a lot of 'free time.' And that's just it. In my free time, I'd MUCH rather spend time with those people in my life I REALLY care about.....I love......instead of going through the motions and wasting my precious time.


Oh, I could make up an excuse and say I am too busy. Not it at all. Outright --I have made the conscious decision to do what I want, see who I want and unfortunately, my father's not on that list.


In my spare time, which is quite precious, I have so many others I'd rather gather with, spend quality time with, or just take a few hours for me--day at the spa, read, workout or clean. Heck, I got an I-Pod for my birthday and still have not been able to set it up. That's a priority of mine. I have access to a boatload of music by golly and will have my I-Pod started by the time I visit my best friend in FLA next month.


Here is how great my friends are--when I told 2 of my best friends I was thinking about going to see my friend Craig, before I even finished my thought, BOTH of them got out their day planners, asked me for the dates and said they would be happy to help with Mom if need be. Both of them said --'just tell me what you need, you know I am always there for you.'


I know my father is going to keep after me....I know my sister thinks she is doing me a favor. I am old enough to know what I want, what I need, what makes me uncomfortable, and what I don't want.


Hmmmm, why is it when others want something, they get it? Yet, I......


My father--"I want to come back into your life."

My sister --"You should let your father hear you sing & allow him back in your life."

Me --"I have a great life the way it is, wonderful friends and choose not to re-read the chapter of my life with my father."


I'm sure I will get overruled --and that's a crying shame.

Boy, did the Easter Bunny dump a load....

As if there was not enough chaos in my life right now....

The Easter Bunny pulled a huge prank (and it's not even April Fool's Day anymore) and dumped a huge load in my lap.

Now, I know I don't have a huge blog following, and to those of you who read this, you may say, 'what's the problem?'

You hit the nail on the head!

I may write in this blog once a day, more than likely with my crazy life 3x a week if I am lucky.

That small opening does not really allow for anyone to get to know me...REALLY know me.

A good thing actually. I don't think I really want complete strangers to know every A, B, and 3 about me, my life and family. As I've said before, this blog's dual role is to continue sharpening my writing skills as well as pondering the great questions of the day or even entertain and bring a smile to someone's face every once in a while.

And I am within my rights to share, vent or pontificate a topic.

But, not really knowing someone or walking in their shoes or knowing what they are going through 24 hours a day does not give someone else the right to 'meddle' or 'think' they know another person's needs.

Frankly, no one knows what I have been going through for the last 4+ years....let alone the last 3 weeks with that crazy guy high on PCP crashing through my company's 'supposedly secure and gated' parking garage --UNDERGROUND --and totalling my vehicle. The man who totalled my car has stolen precious minutes /hours, time, sanity and peace of mind right out from under me over the last number of weeks...and it's not over. Many more hours of lost time AND $$$$$$ await in light of everything I still must do to rectify this situation.

My God and my Mother have been with me the entire time, through thick and thin. Thank God my Mother is better but 4 years ago she was extremely ill.....and though a handful of people have helped (thank you), their 3% is no comparison to the 97% to 100% I've been giving the last 4 years and beyond. I'm just as overwhelmed today as I was 4 or 5 years ago. Even though I have a wonderful life, I really gave up the life I knew and could have had.

We've had help over the years (thank you again) and I do have a few very dear friends I know I can count on, but come on, the masses were not beating down our door when the going got really tough....and still not today. Heck, I'm trying to spend a measly 48 hours with a dear friend....and it's like trying to move mountains and offer my first born (if there ever is a first born) to coordinate this cataclysmic event.

So who's bright idea was it that I 'needed' to reunite with my father? That's not what I need. Not even a blip on my list of things to do. And that's what I am talking about. No one knows what anyone else needs...so don't meddle.....

I'm really not sure what spurred this on....but what I do know is that after 20+ years, on Easter 2009, my father leaves a message saying he would love to come hear me sing at Church.

Again, many of you would say --great! Let him come and listen to you. And that's fine, he can, it's a free world.

But that ship sailed. He borrowed money from me, said he 'needed time to get his life together' and took off.....never to be heard from again....

Until now. A day late and a dollar short. Don't get me wrong. He's a nice man, he's my father and I would not be here today without he and Mom (who is my true hero!). We still send he and my uncle a Christmas letter each year. However, I am not overhauling my life for this man right now. My life is back-timed. Each precious second is already accounted for....

I am rejuvenating my life. I have a rich life just the way it is. I need to focus more on me....my health.....my God-given talents....continue giving 110% at my job.....continue spending quality time with Mom and her great come-back.....as well as my "Dave Letterman top 20 list of things to accomplish in 2009" drafted back on January 1, 2009.

More importantly, there are a number of people I love dearly who I would rather catch up with and spend quality time with.... I am so blessed to have great friends all over the world --grade school, high school, college and career-wise who, because of lifestyles traveling at warped speed, we've not kept up as we'd like, but we HAVE kept up....and when we see each other, it's like we've never missed a beat!!!!


I'm sorry. For those of you reading this right now, I must sound like an awful human being. Again, I do love my father. However, whatever the motivation and good intentions, he picked one hell of a time to resurface. Plain and simple: I don't have the time for him. I don't. My life is booked up with other pressing priorities that take precedent and really mean a great deal to me. I guess I am a bad person, because my father's name is not on that priority list.

I have some big projects I am working on over the next 7 months....and one that was not anticipated (my car situation), and frankly, I don't have the time for this unexpected development.


I just said to Mom yesterday, 'I will always be that 12 year old that everyone bosses around.' In fact, the few conflicts I've been involved in over the last 2 or 3 years were because of that factoid. On one hand folks tell me --"do what YOU want to do." And in their next breath they say, "do this, it's best for you!" And they tell ME what do to...what's best for me.


What's best for me right now is folks not telling me what to do....folks not meddling....folks respecting my wishes and my opinions, whatever they may be....and God giving me the energy, the strength, the courage, the patience, 4 extra hours each day, the perseverance, and the peace of mind to buckle down, take the bull by the horns, and continue crossing off MY to-do list which was drafted back on January 1, 2009.

Not the to-do list that everyone else and their brother 'think' is good for me and my happiness.

Magical memories

I am determined to hold onto those magical moments from last week!

It's very easy to have a few days off or enjoy a great party, concert, celebration...and once you get back to work or the grind of the routine, poof --everything goes out the window!

Not this time. We had a wonderful week! Jam packed as usual. But what else is new?! Every day in our lives is like being on the freeway at rush hour in LA, Orlando or New York!!!!!

Last week consisted of basking in the beautiful weather....family celebrations....new restaurants never sampled...good friends revisited from the past and the present...exotic places never traveled....making apple cider from scratch....singing, dancing and music....

Mix in the fact that baseball season is still alive! And the Cleveland Browns had an UN-BELIEVABLE MNF game. What more can you ask?!?

It truly was a dream week.

Toward the end, little things started happening as signs that the dream week was about to end. Not gonna let it happen!

Life is too short. Remember the good times to get through the bad times. Keep a sweet memory in your pocket when times get tough as a stepping stone to the next magical week.

Emotional weekend

Probably not particularly healthy but when I get very emotional and do not allow myself to cry, I get a huge lump in my throat that feels like it is going to just bust!

This weekend was chock full of those moments!

It began Friday morning (a vacation day) at 530am heading off to the hospital for Mom's procedure. I don't think I will ever feel what it's like to sleep in on a vacation day!

Things went moderately smooth today at the hospital except Mom was in even more pain than usual. It was awful. I'm not even going to go into any further detail or that lump in my throat will flare up. The good thing, all the nurses were extremely nice and Mom actually bumped into just about every one of her doctors! The nurses are quite caring and actually remember not only Mom but me too!

I must share this story--there is a little foreign 'house doctor' who is a trip. I'm not sure what he does, why they retain him, or what purpose he fulfills, but he brings comic relief. Right after the foreign doctor who speaks no English vacated our room, the nurse came over to assure us he had NOTHING to do with Mom's procedure!

Then off to dialysis. I have no idea how Mom does this?

You would think Mom would be exhausted and spent after dialysis, but she wanted to go to the Indians' game, being the final home stand, so off we went.

We did have a few scary moments. Mom had one of her post-dialysis episodes. We had to steal away to the Terrace Club bathroom couch for about 20 or so minutes while Mom recovered.

I'm very fortunate that I know what to look for and how to remedy the problem. Within 1/2 hour, Mom was good as new!

The game itself quite emotional with the big Fausto-Sheffield fight breaking out in the 7th inning. With this turning point, you just knew we were going to win the game!


Saturday: Do you ever feel totally out of control of a situation and a missed opportunity? Well, that is how I felt today. Mom and I went to Mass. Upon entering, we saw the wrap up of a bride and groom finishing their wedding pictures, family saying their goodbyes and parishioners entering for Mass.

We knew many of the wedding goers! I grew up with them. I felt as if I had missed out on a wonderful opportunity to sing this Mass while seeing some long lost friends! My best friend from grade school had been at the wedding but had already retreated back to her hotel. I have not seen Joan in years.

She's a wonderful girl who has had, at times a very sad life. Yet she has a tremendous core group of family and friends who have helped her get through all of her trials. Her mother passed away when we were in the 4th grade. Her brother passed away a few years later on New Year's Day. She lost a very close uncle and her Father, just to name a few awful moments. Though she still had a lot of family up here, she opted to go live in the same area as her sister and brother-in-law and nephews.

I miss her. I can not believe she was in town and I could not even say hello. I felt handcuffed and a missed opportunity that I will never get back. These feelings do not happen that often, but today was one of them.


Sunday: The final game of the season at Progressive Field. To us, this is a huge deal. Baseball is part of our life. It's part of the many fibers that make us who we are, give us strength at times, entertain us, yet saddens our spirit.

Overall, a festive day with us sweeping the Detroit Tigers. After all the celebrating ended, we realized that we will not be back at Progressive Field until April 10, 2009.

A weekend to remember!

I hate to keep going back to the whole sports theme, but I must! We are in the midst of exciting Olympic action which can not be ignored!

Addicted...

Do you know that the Olympics come on very early....go much of the day on three stations...non-stop on the web.....come back on at Prime Time and then come back on after the late news until about 5am. Magnificent!


I think the stat that 40 million tuned in to see if Michael Phelps could win his 8th gold medal is quite chilling! Speechless. I know I will dedicate an entire entry to Phelps and his Mom. There was a 'goose-pimple' interview at the top of Prime Time Sunday night with Michael and his Mother that deserves some more props!


This was also a local weekend to remember.


Yet another jam-packed weekend with hardly a chance to sit down and recuperate! I guess that's the way of the world, the way my life goes day in and day out!

It started as quite a nerve-wracking weekend as I felt a cold coming on Thursday but could not get sick in the midst of one of my busiest singing weekends. I was singing a wedding Saturday. I could not let the happy couple down by bringing my 'b game.' Then we hosted the 40th anniversary celebration of the Apostles of Jesus at my church. These priests serve as chaplains at Charity Hospital, St Augustine Manor, Holy Family Cancer Home, and Lakewood Hospital. They also assist parishes, including ours, when needed! OLP, in honor of their momentous anniversary, held a day long celebration including quite a festive 11am Mass (with special main celebrant Bishop Pevec in attendance)...where I sang the entire Mass but also solo'd 'Ave Maria' in Latin and Swahili. I could NOT be sick for this event.

And by the grace of God, Mary, Jesus, Joseph, and the Holy Spirit, it went off without a hitch! Thank you, Mary! WOW! What an accomplishment as a singer!


Factor in the Hall of Fame weekend at Progressive Field. Exciting Cleveland Indians Games including Cliff Lee getting another win, and Jeremy Sowers with a great performance.....Saturday was turn back the clock to 1948 where they wore throwback uniforms and announced like they did back on 1948. They also had the scoreboard system and organ music from back on 1948.

The cherry on top was the Feast of the Assumption on Murray Hill --the authentic Italian food, atmosphere, the tradition of lighting candles for special intentions, and just enjoying a remarkable and imporant part of my heritage!

Exhaustion settles in after a completely satisfying weekend.......as I gear up for another week of Olympic Memories from Beijing!