Life - simple but, always complicated!!

Anthony Schmitt Fordham University Graduate School of Social Work. July, 2012 Application Essay I have always had a strong interest in helping others. In my adult life, I was very involved in  volunteer activities through my church. St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Webster NY had a very active social ministry program. I actively participated in Habitat for Humanity, clothing drives, food donation drives, and delivering the food to the needy during the holiday seasons. Additionally, I chaired the finance committee and it was part of St. Paul’s parish mission statement to tithe 10% of our collections to charity. I was involved in the process of approving the charities that were receiving our donations.  On Long Island, I was a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. I gave rides to cancer patients who did not have transportation to their medical appointments. Also, I am a trained Spiritual Care Companion for Catholic Health Services of Long Island. This ministry is to be a...

The weekend of October 5, 1985 I was in Cincinnatus NY.  We travelled from Rochester to visit my father-in-law. During the week he had polyps removed from his throat. They turned out to be non-cancerous. However, he was stuck in the living room with a pot to vomit in. He felt ill and was nauseous. Additionally , he was unable to speak.  It was a damp chilly fall day on Saturday,October 5th 1985. My brother-in-law and I decided to go play golf at Knickerbocker Golf Course in Cincinnatus , a few miles away. It was an old dairy farm converted into a 9-hole golf course, now it's 18. My in-laws played regularly there in a golf league as did my brother-in-law. I played there very often with my father-in-law beginning in July 1983,  and this was the first time I was playing the course without him. Rusty and I were  some of the few brave ones  on the golf course that chilly blustery fall day. I got off to a relatively good start and parred the first two holes. Rusty was...

Remember that TV credit card commercial, what's in your wallet ?  Jesus really preaches very often about man's addiction to money, rather than love of God & neighbor. Listen to the two minute podcast about not having enough love & heart in your wallet. Matthew 19 28:30 Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” https://bible.usccb.org/ podcasts/video/2020-08-18- reflection-420 Tough Love : This Gospel is a hard Gospel. It can be tempting to try to rationalize it, to say that Matthew is talking about spiritual poverty, but Christ’s ...

I was fortunate to have been a parent lottery winner, most of my childhood friends were also winners. My cousins were lucky too, both of my parents were definitely winners. I believe my daughters were winners of the lottery. Jesus was a parental lottery winner. The key to being a good winner is to pay homage & love back to those who helped you succeed. And then pay it forward. Did I sometimes not act respectful to Mom & Dad ? Yes, but I felt terrible & empty inside until the situation was rectified. I loved it when I shared my thanks & life with my parents & grandparents.  Randy Pausch was dying of Pancreatic cancer when he wrote The Last Lecture and included a chapter on winning the parent lottery. I smiled when I first read it. Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Father Steven Reilly, LC writes this Scattering the Proud: Proud people are generally very focused on whatever serves their best interests. So “scattering” is a perfec...

I liked it much better in the day , when I was a kid, and adults talked about Giants or Jets, whether Mid-Island Dept Store started back to school sales, the price of bologna at Farmingdale Meat Market, was Schmidt's or Wollys the better place to buy nails, how was the Daler football team going to be, what was the date of Hawks opening day parade, or in my neck of the woods, what was wholesale price of cabbage or romaine. But, rarely if ever heard politics discussed. Why ? No one was home watching 6:30 national news, either working or at some kids game or practice.  " The Wonder Years" ...too bad Jeannie can't blink her eyes and make the world a kinder, simpler place. Nelson - Jeannie that's the ticket.

August 6, 1974 Not this load, nor canvas cover from this truck, but it was this truck  I had received my Driver's Ed class certificate in the morning. This truck had been loaded with 200 fifty lb. boxes of cabbage in open wooden melon crates. I was driving the truck as it was being loaded in the DeLalio field about 1/4 mile down Republic Rd. from the barn yard. Boxes were stacked directly onto truck floor, no pallets. Then secured with heavy ropes. The rest of the produce was to be loaded in the yard.  It was noon hour. Dad was eating his lunch, as he was driving a truck to Pathmark warehouse in NJ. Roger had to go to other fields for irrigation purposes. Joe needed to tend to workers in other fields. Hey Charlie, (one of my many nicknames),  you can drive this truck into the yard. Remember, go very slow on the lane & road. Yes!! Yes !! I'm going to drive the truck on the road. Only 1/4 mile, but still the road. I went very very slow on the dirt lane alon...

Friends,  I was diagnosed with RA back in summer of 2002. I was struggling to get out of chairs at home & work, couldn't do simple tasks at home, couldn't shoot a basketball with my daughters at YMCA, among other things  This article sums it well about causes of flare-ups & treatments. Many have no idea about the difference between these two arthritis types &  osteoarthritis . For the past several years, I've been on Methotrexate. It's been very effective. I also try to do low impact exercises , this summer I've been swimming laps most days in pool where I live. If I go for walks, it's not long before my hips bother me.  I do have occasional flare-ups, that effect my wrists, knees, and ankles. I know RA has effected the strength and flexibility in those joints. It's important to prevent damage to joints, as once damaged they cannot be repaired  All in all, with the help of my rheumatologist, change in diet, and light exercise it is under control...