Life - simple but, always complicated!!

Shame that many judge me without knowing all the details of an illness that engulfed me & controlled me. Many friends & family forgot the real me , and my values & beliefs that sometimes were ignored due to a terrible & powerful illness. Yet, I clung onto my vow "until death do us part", I didn't quickly abandon when things got really bad or hard. In other words I wasn't the one who quit, I sought help.  I had struggled with illness a couple of times before, but on the opposite pole & much different symptoms. But, I had been in a medical health care center only a few months before for Four weeks, before my partner threw in her cards. Wasn't interested in it for the long run. I found out not the fighter I was. Unfortunately, the other person quit, couldn't stand by a few of the vows.  For better or  worse , in  sickness  and in health, until death.. I don't remember a free get out of vows card ever being issued. 😒😒 I tell you thi...

Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" In an incredible act of compassion, the brother of the black man murdered by white Dallas cop Amber Guyger hugged her and offered her forgiveness Wednesday as she was sentenced to 10 years behind bars. Victim Botham Jean’s brother, Brandt Jean, was reading a victim-impact statement in the Texas courtroom when he broke off and asked the judge if he could hug Guyge.

Nice to know , but I wonder if I die in a similar manner on a Sunday morning will it also be reported that I had attended Mass & received communion. The media gets a bit out of control, by reporting truly irrelevant facts about celebrities. My father received Holy Communion & last rites hours before he died. How do I know? Because I went into the hospital & grabbed a priest, I was only one who shared the Eucharist with him. Mark 3: 31- 35. Yet, less than two weeks later my actions that day did not matter to family, as I was locked out of a shared family home. No sorrow for those actions by many responsible. I do believe my actions were family love, not sure about being barred from a family home.  🙏 😥 But, guess what?  I did not communicate my Dad receiving last rites  to people at the funeral home , nor with the priest who officiated at his funeral. He was a man of faith, not a saint. Yes, it is a tragedy that Kobe , Gianna, & 7 others perished at ...

Ah, Raffi ! When my daughters were very, very, young; Raffi's music cassettes were usually playing in our home, or in the van on road trips. 🎶 😊 . His music & songs never got old. I'm happy to hear he is still entertaining many. Oh yeah, we also had his VHS tapes to watch. https://youtu.be/-CSxGHve60E https://www.cbsnews.com/news/raffi-songs-for-the-very-young-and-young-at-heart/

Parvas, Stone, Manafort, Collins, Cohen. Remember when your parents told you; When we were younger, we were most likely warned by our parents to be careful of whom we choose to spend our time with. They said this in reference to the way others would judge us in accordance to our friends, in addition to the influence our friends would have upon us. The type of people you surround yourself with speaks of your values and what you stand for. We have all heard of the concept of being guilty by association, the act of people associating your behaviors and thoughts with the people you hang out with. If one of your friends acts in a negative way, you will be lumped in with him or her. Despite if this is true or not, it is all based on perception. Regardless if you believe yourself to be an altruistic person, a time may come when your bad company starts to influence your good behavior. I heeded this advice, it's apparent not all who are in leadership positions do. 😲😲 What you leave behind...

"Encourage and support your kids because children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.” — Lady Bird Johnson "Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” ― Benjamin Spock, pediatrician All true , all good. It's the best times of your life, frustrating -yes, rewarding - infinite.  ---  AJS   III

January 2020 In the fall of 2018, I got up in front of group of 75-80 men at a weekend retreat and gave a 2-3 minute talk about the perils & destruction of depression. It wasn't easy, but I needed to share. It has caused much destruction in my life, but we all have destruction in our lives.  What is important is that I recovered from the destruction & perils, many abandoned me, so be it, but it was my talk therapy, faithful medical professionals, proper medication and most of all my FAITH in GOD that got me through the despair & darkness of depression. That was the message I was trying to convey. FAITH is our rock. Read on... FINDING LESSONS IN BIPOLAR DEPRESSION BY Melody Moezzi Battling depression includes working with your doctor, paying attention to your sleep hygiene, eating healthy, exercising regularly—and, above all, fighting self-doubt. I’ve always believed in setting high expectations: in school, work, relationships—everywhe...

Herman Boone, Coach Portrayed in ‘Remember the Titans,’ Dies at 84 Mr. Boone led the T.C. Williams High School Titans to a state championship in 1971, his first season as head coach. By Sandra E. Garcia Dec. 19, 2019 Updated 2:12 p.m. ET Herman Boone, who led a racially integrated high school football team in Virginia to a state championship in his first season as head coach and was later portrayed by Denzel Washington in the Disney movie “Remember the Titans,” died on Wednesday at his home in Alexandria, Va. He was 84. The cause was lung cancer, according to Anthony Henderson, a son-in-law. In 1971, Alexandria’s three public high schools were merged into T.C. Williams High School. Mr. Boone was hired by the Alexandria school board as the head coach for the football team, the Titans. “He handled that coaching year with dignity,” said Wayne Sanders, 64, who was a running back on the school’s junior varsity team that year. “He was the right man for that year because of his coaching style...

I've only resided in one state my entire life, The Empire State aka New York State. The reason is basically out of happenstance & inertia. I was born on Long Island and I had a great childhood in Farmingdale. & Melville. The island had lots to offer, open space, fantastic beaches, close proximity to NYC and all its culture & entertainment venues, and  lots of family & friends. I was fortunate to grow up on a farm, and at that time agriculture still was prevalent on LI. Then went to college in Rochester NY, Western NY. The first time I was west of the Catskills was on my college visit. College was good. I got a good job in Rochester after college, met a beautiful girl, married, bought a house, had two beautiful daughters..etc.  But, now I'm not in a career job. My daughters are married and far away.  It's true cost of living and taxes are high, winters can be harsh. I think it's time to scout more suitable places to reside as I enter the last third of my ...

It's about honoring and respecting those who supported you & got you to reach your goals in life. What a wonderful gesture by George, I can't think of a better honor. That young man will go far in life, as he recognizes at an early age that you never do it without those who sacrificed everyday for you. God Bless !  https://youtu.be/0WOzIQYS2nw

A Walk down Memory Lane October 11, 2010                                                                                                                      Farmingdale, NY     Tony Schmitt (the younger one) It was a beautiful fall night this past Friday, a perfect night for a high school football game under the lights.  Earlier that day I had checked the paper, and saw that Farmingdale High School was playing Oceanside. My father’s house is about a mile away from Farmingdale HS, so I decided to get some exercise and take a walk to the game. I had not been to a Farmingdale football game in over 35 years. Actually, the last high school game I saw on Long Island was in 1977,...

Someone asked the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, “ Is there anyone richer than you in the world ?” Bill Gates replied, “ Yes, there is a person who is richer than me.” He then narrated a story. “It’s during the time when I wasn't rich or famous. I was at the New York Airport when I saw a newspaper vendor. I wanted to buy one newspaper but found that I don't have enough of change. So I left the idea of buying and returned it to the vendor. I told him of not having the change. The vendor said, “ I am giving you this for free.” On his insistence I took the newspaper. Coincidentally, after 2–3months, I landed at the same airport and again I was in short of change for a newspaper. The vendor offered me the newspaper again. I refused and said that I can't take it for I don't have a change today too. He said, “ You can take it, I am sharing this from my profit, I won't be at loss.” I took the newspaper. After 19 y...

Let us not leave our posts while the Church through our bishop is suffering the agony of Gethsamine. Each of you is a leader of your cohort of prayer warriors for the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged. We have a governor who passes laws protecting cats' paws and authorizing the dismembering of infants. We have a society which is registering about half of its births out of wed-lock and redefining marriage, but like the Pharisees of old   they rend their garments and recklessly attack the church. We have a society which worries about climate changes and uses the incitement of divisive politics to achieve power. So for us we  must pray in the churches, in our homes, where we work, alone or in a group to Our Lady as the Mother of the Church and Our Lord. We must not flinch! We must stand fast and stand with our bishop, and support the hundreds of priests who service us so generously. This is the beginning of the beginning of our prayer initiatives. Ron B.

T. Boone Pickens Is Dead; Oil Magnate and Corporate Raider Was 91 A very rich man monetarily, but I guess not so much in family life. 😳😳 Mr. Pickens’s five marriages — to Lynn O’Brien, Beatrice Carr Stuart, Madeleine Paulson, Nelda Cain and Toni Chapman Brinker — ended in divorce. The saying goes that money cannot buy you happiness. I will always wonder how does a billionaire strike out 5 times in the most important aspect of life. Did he not know love enough to succeed ? Or did he treat wives as the same , he did companies he tried to acquire via hostile takeovers ? Sad.

Not my words today. But, the world would be a better place. Amen 🙏 Reading 1  Col 3:12-17 Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one Body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Gospel  Lk 6:27-38 Jesus said to his disciples: "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do g...

September 11, 2001 was a terrible day for all Americans. It was a day of terror attacks by foreign enemies. An attack on,  and destruction of landmarks that we all knew. The Twin Towers in NYC and the Pentagon in our nation's Capitol. Close to 3,000 people died that day, most of them our fellow US citizens. More continue to die due to 9/11 related illnesses.  On a personal basis , I knew (or knew their family members) 4 individuals who perished due to the 9/11 terror attacks. Peter Ganci was second in command of the FDNY. Peter was from Farmingdale NY, and I went to St. Kilians elementary school with his brother & sister. He died in the collapse of the Towers attempting to save people trapped in the tower. CORRECTION : At the time of the attacks, he held the rank of  Chief of Department , the highest ranking uniformed fire officer in the department John Wallice was a businessman with an office in the Towers.  John was a fellow classma...

9-14-17 Today, I attended the celebration of Chris Crandall's life. It was made up of sadness, celebration, tears, smiles, but more than anything love. I think most of you who knew Chris would agree that when you hear her name, the words that come to mind are friendly and smile. Caitlin, her youngest daughter, used both words to describe her beloved mother. Caitlin delivered a loving eulogy honoring both her mother and her late father, Gary. It was heart wrenching to see such a great group of young adults lose both their parents to cancer at young ages. Another thing that pops into my mind as soon as I hear Chris's name is St. Paul's Church in Webster. That is where I met Chris & Gary way back in 1988, when my wife and I joined St. Paul's parish with our newborn daughter. Another daughter to be born the next year. Chris was so welcoming and kind, Gary was quiet. Their three daughters,  Sarah, Elizabeth, Caitlin, and son Matthew were a few years older than...

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Not many of my original words today, but in life it is surprising when people when tested ususally chose the love of money & thus evil. Don't fall to the temptation, & the hypocrisy that accompanies it. Contrary to the famous line that Gordon Gecko spouts in the movie Wall Street, " Greed is NOT good." It causes disharmony in human relationships, not good, but evil becomes life's compass.  I can attest I have witnessed the love of money corrupt people up close & personal. The love caused them to trade in Christian morals, for selfishness, ugliness, and animosity to those who questioned their acts and intentions. Mr. Gecko would be smiling that his philosophy of greed lives on. 😥  Timothy 6:10 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs .Corinthians 6:10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the...