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Eureka!

I took up a new hobby this year. Prompted by men I umpire baseball with, and seeing that there was a need for it here in Naples, I started officiating basketball games. The season took me to the US Navy Air Base on Sicily twice, once over the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend. SinceContinue reading “Eureka!”

Alpine Adventure

When we were stationed overseas for the first time, in Okinawa, Nora and I started a new family tradition. We used the money we might otherwise spend on gifts and used it to take the family on a nice vacation trip. The day after the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and SaviorContinue reading “Alpine Adventure”

Happy Fathers (of the Church) Day

In a remarkable and wonderful coincidence, we celebrate the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council on Father’s Day. This also happens to be the feast day St. Tychon of Amathus, whose relationship with his father was close, formative, and—in at least on case—miraculous.Young Tychon’s father was a baker in Cyprus, who charged his son withContinue reading “Happy Fathers (of the Church) Day”

How the Babe Broke Baseball

New York Yankee Aaron Judge now holds the American League record for home runs hit in a single season with 62. (Some might also say that he is the only legitimate holder of the MLB record, given the other records’ holders being tainted by steroids, but we’ll leave that for another time.) Without dispute heContinue reading “How the Babe Broke Baseball”

Service Isn’t Optional

The first time I tried driving off-road solo, I got stuck. The Dodge I still drive has its oil filter at the bottom of the engine in front of the oil pan in an exposed place, so I had to be careful about straddling rock formations. However, I had already done some rather technical drivingContinue reading “Service Isn’t Optional”

Be Not Afraid

Of the many songs that have stuck with me since my childhood, one is from a Salvation Army Musical titled Glory. The song is called “The Name of Jesus,” and I think of it sometimes when I read Orthodox teaching about the Jesus prayer, because the song’s lyrics mention that “the powers of darkness inContinue reading “Be Not Afraid”

Death Changes Everything

In an episode of the television show House, a sick woman who is ill-treated by her boss plans to return to work for the same boss after her release from the hospital until she is confronted with a fatal prognosis. Facing her impending death, she resolves to do things differently in her remaining time andContinue reading “Death Changes Everything”

Contact is Inevitable

Most of my childhood baseball career was spent behind the plate. I loved playing catcher, mostly because my hero—Hall of Famer Johnny Bench—was a catcher, one of the all-time greatest. Not only did I get to see him play, but Bench taught me how to play baseball every Saturday morning on The Baseball Bunch. IContinue reading “Contact is Inevitable”

No, Luke, Don’t Trust Your Feelings

If you’ve never been around a pig farm, say a prayer of thanks. Pigs stink. A lot. So, when the protagonist of Jesus’ parable finds himself in their midst ready to eat out of their trough, he faces a certain set of awful circumstances. His reaction to those circumstances, however, is not as certain. ItContinue reading “No, Luke, Don’t Trust Your Feelings”

New Rules, Old Approach

Pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training, my MLB.TV subscription has renewed, and I can’t wait for baseball to begin a new season. No matter how the MLBPA and MLB try to ruin it for me, I cannot help but be positive in anticipation of each Major League season. This also seems to meContinue reading “New Rules, Old Approach”