MU-OU

In possibly the biggest game since, oh, that '64 Yale-Harvard classic (what the heck am I talking about?), MU on Saturday night will take to the field as the #1 college football team in all of the civilized universe. They control their destiny - if they win, they're in...the national championship game on January 3 in beautiful, scenic, & safe New Orleans.

If OU wins, however, life as we know it is over. Dogs will start sleeping with cats, Cubs and Cards fans will wed, and former first ladies will start running for the White House.

Oh crap. I have a bad feeling about this...

Seriously. I would make a prediction, but I'm afraid it'll jinx it. I do feel very optimistic, however.

MIZ - ZOU

Just spent the last 3 1/2 hours yelling at an inanimate object televising moving pictures of the MU-KU football game.

36-28, good guys. This'll probably move us up to #2.

Holy moly, what a game. One of the best football games I've seen.

But, to quote Marty McFly, "Why do we have to cut these things so darn close?"

"A small, tiny spot"

I remember the Sunday morning very well when our friend, Marge, told us she had a "small, tiny spot" on her lung. The doctors had caught it early, she said, and their early prognosis sounded like a few treatments later and this awful, frightening word - cancer - would be but a distant memory.

A small, tiny spot.

We lost Marge Tuesday night.

Tammy and the boys got to see Marge occasionally over the past few years; it seemed like every time they could go, I was under the weather - and vice versa. In her condition, we didn't want to spread anything to her. While I'm sure that was the obvious way to go, it seems sort of wasteful in hindsight. Were I her, I would rather have seen us than heard we were ill.

But, she did see us occasionally throughout her ordeal. And, for those who aren't familiar with her situation, it was indeed an ordeal. Operations, treatments, and exams begat more of the same. She's a much stronger person than I'll ever be. I think I always knew that, but I saw it in action over the last few years.

The last time I saw her was when I was - ironically enough - at the Ambulatory (walk-in) Clinic in Hannibal, and she & Bob came in for an appointment with the lab while I was in the feeding line for antibiotics for some upper respiratory illness I had at the time. I stayed a good distance away - I'm still not sure what I had - but I had a chance to visit with her and with Bob. They were always so pleased to see us - and we them. They really treasured our boys, nearly as if they were their own. And our boys loved them. Jonathan couldn't believe it on Wednesday morning when we told him.

I looked at Tammy tonight, and while I don't doubt the wisdom of God's plan or His timing, I said, "It just hit me. These last few years were all brought on by a little spot."

I could wax philosophical about the meaning of life or ramble on about how we're just specks in God's plan, but let me cut to the chase.

I've held loved ones close this Thanksgiving. Take my advice. Do the same.

I love my wife...

Tammy just related to me that she'll always remember Brandy's mom's name. We just finished an IM conversation w/her - that's how this came up.

Brandy told Tammy her mom's name was "Geneva."

To which Tammy replied, "You mean, like the Convention?"

"Yes, Tammy...the Geneva Convention."

I love my wife.

The Next Chapter

And today, the change official, I resigned as Sunday School Director at my church.

It was quite possibly the hardest ministry decision I've had to make. And, the outpouring of support I had from my closest friends and teachers was the definition of what a church family should be. May God bless them - they have a place in our hearts they'll never fully realize.

But, all good things must come to an end, or so I've heard. Today, this was the time. I'm not going to sit here and bash or hammer home reasons responsible for my decision. However, I will say if you've read this blog at all over the last few weeks, you probably understand.

I will say this for background purposes - I had helped put together the Sunday School Plan for our church, an initiative I announced and we started back in early September. I had told a very few that evening - following the meeting - that I would see the plan through to fruition, but after the plan's completion, I was done. True to my word, the plan was enacted today, and my service is ending - I'm remaining in the position through December 16.

But, the reasons that I finally answered the call to step aside that night a couple of months ago were far from the final reasons which helped drive home my decision. It became crystal clear after events I experienced a couple of Friday afternoons ago. No need to go into sordid details, but I knew then it was time.

I've rarely experienced this sensation...deep sadness over the end of a ministry, yet a great anticipation & freedom in looking forward.

Barry Bail Bonds-man, Part II

Top 10 Christmas gifts for Barry Bonds

10. Smokes

9. Carhart jacket to wear out in "the yard"

8. The mother of all nail files for his cell bars

7. A Yankees jersey so he can get used to pinstripes

6. An old time Giants jersey so he can get used to prison orange

5. Soap on a rope

4. Housewarming gift for those visits with the Manson family

3. Conjugal visits with godfather Willie Mays

2. Exercise equipment to get in shape the old fashioned way

1. A baseball encyclopedia with a huge asterisk

Barry Bail Bonds-man

I can't claim this line - it's Tammy's:

"From San Francisco to San Quentin"

Perfect vision

I had a fairly animated conversation with a couple of people recently, and it really struck me that people want to diagnose the symptoms instead of the problems in any given situation. We seem content in treating the sneezing instead of removing the mold and allergens from the house. Continually mopping up water that drips from the ceiling instead of fixing the roof. Putting air in a tire over & over again instead of getting a replacement or patching the hole. Getting infuriated and browbeating the messenger when the root problems are the issue.

It's a crying shame more people don't see the forest for the trees.

Excuse me??

Yesterday I received an email from someone who has decided not to join our homeschool group. That's fine. As president, I hear from all sorts of people interested in homeschooling and then they decide, for whatever reason, to not join our group. Fine.

Then it got ugly.

In her email she proceeds to tell me everything wrong with our group, why we'll never succeed, and then why Hannibal is a backward place. I know. I don't know how my homeschool group suddenly became the official representative of Hannibal.

I had written her an email. I poured my heart out. I told her how I felt. I got angrier. When I read the email to Scott, he suggested I save it as a draft, walk away, and email her something else. He did suggest, however, I post it as a blog.

So here it is, the email that I can't send to this person, but I can share with all our fans out there who know it takes to a lot make me mad. Couple that with essentially suggesting that I'm ruining my children's lives and then you've got yourself an extremely mad Tammy who is itching to send this thing!!!

I read with great interest your email. I feel I need to defend our group from some comments that you have made.

**** sounds like it has many wonderful opportunities. However, they are located near a very large city and they themselves have many resources available to them that we do not have. Any classes could be offered to our group; all it takes is a parent or interested adult to step up and make the offer. We are more than happy to open our group to new classes. In the past we have had a volleyball team, basketball team, various science classes, writing classes. The only thing it takes is a willing parent to step up and make the offer.

You said that $30 covered the cost, all costs, to join, yet said that students provided their own supplies for some classes. Is that not requiring them to spend more money for a class? While we do ask parents to pay a fee for classes, this covers all books and supplies associated with the class. Just last year we recieved a grant from a Hannibal organization for art supplies. Although Hannibal, in your estimation, may not be as forward-thinking as *****, at least some in the town see the benefits of homeschooling and have even gone so far as to provide funding for top of the line art supplies so our kids have the best opportunity to let their talents soar.

Combining age groups was seriously considered. The age groups were divided as they were to accommodate class size and maturity levels. Combining four-year-olds with second graders is a daunting task and someone will either feel woefully under-challenged or extremely overwhelmed. However, if a parent wishes to put their child in an art class that better accommodates their talent, even if that class is considered "older", we welcome that.

My main frustration over your comments was that you lumped our group in with your own perception of Hannibal overall. I, for instance, am not from this area and I know many others that aren't from this area either. I don't defend Hannibal often, but this is where God has placed us for right now and for my money it's certainly better than an extremely liberal area that considers homeschooling to be a backward, ultra-conservative fad or, worse, something we need to mainstream, much like many of the classes offered within the ***** group.

I am interested in seeing how things could be better for the group; I would think anyone would welcome that for anything they're a part of. But I do ask that those making suggestions actually have been a part of the group. Looking from the outside in is much different than being a part of our group and seeing that we aren't rigid and try very hard to work with others, encourage classes, and have holiday parties and socials approxiamtely once per month. No, our group isn't perfect, but we love our children, believe in homeschooling, and are committed to doing the best we can for both.

Now, some of this was edited because I certainly don't want to offend the homeschoolers in the other group. It's not their fault this particular person has diva issues. It's so frustrating when people who are on the outside looking in think they have all the answers. That's the main reason why I don't say anything when my friends who public-school say things about their situation. I've never sent my kids to PS so what right do I have to say anything? I simply don't understand why I, and others like me, can't be afforded the same courtesy.

She was sure before she wasn't sure

Let me make this clear. This is the ONLY time you'll EVER see a John Edwards video on this blog.

But it's just too good to pass up.

Ah. I miss the Clinton years...

Color me green...comma, stupid.

Last night, NBC's "Football Night in America" started the NBC-Universal enviro-wacko week by shutting off the in-studio lights for the tail-end of the pre-game show and then the halftime and post-game shows around the Dallas-Philadelphia football game played in Philly. The network wanted to show how energy conscious and enviro-friendly they could be by shutting off the studio lights, which was "enough power to fully light a normal-sized family home for a month."

Hey - here's an idea - leave the studio lights on, and PLAY THE GAME DURING THE SUNLIT DAY. Car headlights, studios, press boxes, and luxury boxes all could be partially-lit at best. Oh, and yeah...you could SHUT OFF THE MEGA-BANKS OF STADIUM LIGHTING at Liberty Financial Field in Philly.

How much energy could that have saved?

Oh, but wait - that would've required NBC to forfeit the millions of prime-time ad dollars they received by running the game on a Sunday night...no, now that can't happen, can it?

Don't even get me started on the impartiality of the week's "educational programming"...