Life - simple but, always complicated!!

Fellow Fisher alumni & friends,   I recently stumbled across this letter in my files, that is  nearly 7 years old. It was written by M.C. Antil & Dan Stummer both good friends of Muenchy & Fats , as they were known at Fisher. I added a few photos, but not a word. I never met either M.C. or Dan until Mike became ill, and after the death of both. Their letter truly illustrated a human portrait of M&M. TRIBUTE-LETTER Goodness, discipline, knowledge!! They lived & represented those words. I think their family members  should have Honorary Graduate degrees bestowed upon them. I bring this up again, because Rudy Guiliani acts in complete opposite of these two highly respected & admired deceased  Fisher alumni.  I had no clue as to the political affiliations of Mark or Mike. In the post Fisher years.  Our friendships grew on the basketball court, golf course, after basketball beers, social gatherings, we never talked...

A fabulous choice by Pope Francis. I've known Cardinal Joe Tobin since November 1976. He was in seminary & came by SJFC to go home with his brother & my teammate, friend Jim for Thanksgiving.  He was & still is just an average man, who has deep faith in God.  A man who knows his flock as brothers & sisters. He was the celebrant at my Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in 1984. He has listened to me when I was struggling with many if life's problems both as a friend and as a priest.  I 🙏 for Joe in this new responsibility to chose the next leaders of our Church. God Bless Cardinal Tobin . Pope Francis names Cardinal Joseph Tobin to congregation that helps name bishops Carol Glatz - Catholic News Service March 04, 2021 VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has named Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, a member of the Congregation for Bishops, the office that advises the pope on the nomination of bishops around the world. Cardinal Tobin, 68, takes the plac...

Today, is the day we used to celebrate the birthdays of the two Anthony J. Schmitt's ; Jr & Sr, whom are no longer here to celebrate. I'm the lone survivor. Happy Birthday to them. Today's news outlets are full of the Tiger Woods auto accident. Thankfully, he survived and no life threatening injuries. I first thought of his kids when I heard the news. Like my father & grandfather, I think Tiger values his children above all his possessions. And, I think like AJS Jr. & Sr. , he has sought forgiveness for his transgressions in life from God, and forgiven others also. We all seek forgiveness from God, from others, God does forgive if we're sorry & repentant. Do others forgive , do we?  Dad & Grandpa had faith , sometimes weak , sometimes strong, I think Tiger's life was spared not to play golf, but to be a father for his children. That's my faith, I've asked for forgiveness throughout my life for transgressions. It seems though o...

Mark 4:21-25 J Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” I Am a Gift for Others :  What is God’s will for me? We serve him best when we serve others. This often means sacrifice, but it’s worthwhile because sacrificial love is the only thing that brings us happiness. I helped these two dear cousins of my mother. ❤️❤️✝️✝️ Think back to the moments when you achieved real happiness—deep down satisfaction that doesn’t fade away with time. Wasn’t it when you sacrificed for the good of another or for God?...

September 1983 ,  Bills Mafia ??  Tailgating @ Rich Stadium. Went with Burroughs work colleagues, Jim Merz, Jeanne Leonard, housemate Mike King, college pal Lou Fuchs, our significant others, a few others. No prob getting tix that year, only 60,000 fans to witness a Bills win over the Houston Oilers 30 -13 Put him in the baseball HOF, way way past due.  Too smart to get involved with politics. 😢😢🙏🙏. He'll be missed  52 years ago today, January 12, 1969,  this guy led his NYJ to a 16 - 7 victory over the Baltimore Colts in SB III. 🏈👍👋👋 Amen !! Tuesday's gone.. Listen up. 🎶🎸🎹 https://youtu.be/_7p2ogicS1U

Sad, sad.. this opinion video from the Wall Street Journal sums it up. I'm most grateful I was gifted a Catholic education by my parents. I learned never to follow a political zealot , as he or she will never survive. ✝️✝️ ✝️🙏🙏 for United States Police Officer Brian Sicknick. 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲   A three minute video showing how a united democracy survives and moves forward. 🇺🇲🇺🇲 http://finance.yahoo.com/video/wsj-opinion-trump-erases-legacy-010344970.html?soc_src=community&soc_trk=ma Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, issued the following statement in response to January 6 , 2020 violence in the United States Capitol: As I watched the appalling chaos in the U.S. Capitol yesterday, I witnessed an icon of democracy occupied and hostage to mob rule.  The procession of violent images was deeply troubling.  Particularly disheartening is that this event unfolded amid a deadly pandemic, a terrible plague that our troubled nation should face in solidari...

A very Merry Christmas to you. My Christmas wish is rather simple, it can be granted without spending a dime. Simply, forget about political divide, forget about the division caused  by Covid-19 pandemic protocols. My wish to rejoice about the birth of baby Jesus. Do as he would do, make peace, love thy neighbor, and if your neighbor asks you to put on a mask, smile and put it on without a fuss. Happy & Healthy New Year .   AJS      

I sure do remember when his brother rookie Police Officer Edward Byrne was shot & murdered in NYC by a drug gang .God Bless President Reagan & President Bush for honoring NYPD Officer Edward Byrne. But, most of all God Bless Lawrence for never giving up the fight for justice to honor his brother. He walked the talk. 🙏🙏 Lawrence Byrne, Former Lawyer for New York Police, Dies at 61 His younger brother, a police officer, was assassinated by a drug gang at 22, a key moment in the city’s crack epidemic of the 1980s. Lawrence M. Byrne in 2016, when the was the New York Police Department’s deputy commissioner for legal affairs. He served for four years in that post, managing roughly 100 lawyers who handled all legal issues involving the department and its 56,000 employees. Credit...Jake Naughton for The New York Times By Katharine Q. Seelye Dec. 12, 2020 Lawrence M. Byrne, who as the top lawyer for the New York City Police Department defended several hotly disputed police policies a...

The recent news reports of a significant  increase in the sales of real Christmas trees, reminds me of December 2011, and my brief time in the Christmas tree business.  Christmas Trees @ The Plant Ranch It may not have been the best of business decisions, but I have no regrets about it at all. Mistakes often provide some of the best lessons in life.  However, in my household growing up, people often second guessed you when you made an error or a mishap. Some still do that. It's one of the reasons, why I didn't share my idea with my father as I knew what his response would be , and it did prove true. But, I did discuss with Uncle Roger. Why ? Because he took a chance and went out on his own, The Plant Ranch. I'm sure he heard negative feedback from family when he left AJ SCHMITT & Sons farm. Uncle & I discussed where to get the trees (Upstate NY wholesale Christmas tree farm near Syracuse). He said yes to letting me use his Plant Ranch yard to set up op...