Needing A Break
You know, I was thinking. Why does life have to get so dog gone complicated at times? I am not complaining but just at the moment it appears that I will get to have some quality down time....................Bam! Something comes up and snatches that away from me. I know that maybe I need a little cheese to go with my whine here but that's just what I am feeling right now. I need to take a break and do it pretty soon.
By the way, part of this whole thing is that Rachel and I have moved up the wedding date to January 2, 2007. The reason...........................WE'RE TIRED OF DRIVING! It is very hard on a relationship when there is a 3 hour round trip commute standing between you and the one that you love. God has blessed me with the most wonderful person on the planet and I don't want to be away from her. On the 2nd we're having a small and simple ceremony with only a few family members present. We are still going to have July 14th as the day of the reception and will be sending out the invitations for that but for now we'll get hitched five weeks from today!
Another thing that is going on right now is a severe slow down at work. We are going to shut down our plant for two weeks over the holidays. In my six years here this is a first! It winds up being very convient for me, and since I will be taking the week off after the wedding for a short honeymoon, I will get three weeks in a row off! I think this could be just the break that I am looking to have. The big fear here is that things will get so slow that our company couldn't endure it! We're just going to have to wait and see.
I am going to take a break from regular blogging for awhile. Who know's how much I will post between now and the first of the year but I will do some sporatic postings I am sure. So all of you who read this regularly and are used to me commenting on your posts please understand that I will be back, but for now I need a little break. Have a very merry Christmans and a fantastic New Year but more importantly, be blessed beyond belief today.
Saying Goodbye To A Legend!
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Bo Schembechler, the winningest coach in Michigan football history, died Friday after collapsing during the taping of a television show, according to three Detroit TV stations. He was 77.
Schembechler's death was reported by WXYZ, WDIV and WJBK, which did not cite sources. He died a day before the second-ranked Wolverines were scheduled to meet No. 1 Ohio State in the latest installment of the century-old rivalry.
Goodbye Bo!
The Voice Of The Wolverines
No story of Michigan Stadium could be complete without mention of Bob Ufer and his "cotton pickin maize and blue heart." Ufer broadcast Michigan football for 37 years over WPAG and WJR. An exaggerated pronunciation of "Meee-chigan," which he adopted from Fielding Yost, a host of "Uferisms" and an unapologetically "homer" attitude endeared him to several generations of Michigan fans. His broadcast booth, bedecked with all manner of Michigan paraphernalia and resounding with the blast of his horn every time Michigan scored, was like no other.
I can remember listening to Bob Ufer on WJR while growing up in Milan. Here is one of his best calls ever. Be blessed beyond belief today.
LISTEN
The Victors
You know, I was thinking. The Michigan fight song
The Victors is without a doubt the best fight song ever written. Here is a little history of this great composition:
Since 1898, Michigan athletes have been cheered on by the strains of The Victors, a march that John Philip Sousa called one of the best he'd ever heard.
The song was written by Louis Elbel, in commemoration of one of the Wolverines' greatest football victories, at a time when freshmen were lured off campus for snipe hunts and suffered impromptu haircuts by upperclassmen. The student body was more football crazy than ever.
The Michigan Daily followed every move of the football team, reporting the details of each day's practice. The fever grew as the game against the University of Chicago approached. The U-M headed into the game, held on the last day of the season, with a 9-0 record. Adding to the excitement was the fact that Michigan lost to Chicago in the two previous seasons.
The Michigan Central Railroad equipped two special trains to take 600 students and fans to Chicago's Marshall Field for the big game on a bitter cold Nov. 24. Arrangements had been made so that the results of the game would be phoned back to Ann Arbor.
The game was strenuous and rough, and while there were minor injuries, no player from either team had to be replaced. The winning Michigan touchdown was scored by Charles Widman on a spectacular 65-yard run that became a legendary Michigan moment. The final score was Michigan 12, Chicago 11.
"We were crazed with joy," recalled Louis Elbel, a music student. "We paraded in the dark. We yelled and followed our U-M Band, singing to the tune of "Hot Time in the Old Town." It struck me quite suddenly that such an epic should be dignified by something more elevating, for this was not ordinary victory.
"My spirits were so uplifted that I was clear off the earth, and that is when "The Victors" was inspired. I put in a lot of "hails" and I knew the fellows would get them in with the proper emphasis. Through them, the title suggested itself, and I dedicated it to the Michigan team of 1898."
After the game, Elbel walked to his sister's house in Englewood, Ill., about a mile-and-a-half from Marshall Field. "When I got to my sister's house," he recalled, "somehow I had the presence of mind to write down the notes of that song. And, when I got to South Bend the next day, I not only tried out the song on my piano, but finished the entire refrain. Then the idea of a big march came to me, and I completed the whole work on the train that took me back to Ann Arbor for Monday's classes."
When the Daily resumed publication on Monday, the headline on page one began with the words "Champions of the West." Louis Elbel's victory song, inspired by one of the greatest games in football history, would ring out around the world forevermore.
Remember GO BLUE and be blessed beyond belief today.
Oh Why Not? It's Wild Wednesday
You know, I was thinking. It's been awhile since we have had a wild Wednesday so why not do it again! I think that in light of what is happening on Saturday that we stick with the topic of college football. Now, remember how this works. You ask me a question (any question) that pertains to the subject matter and I will answer it. If you ask a question annonymously, your question will be deleted. So there it is, let the games begin and of course be blessed beyond belief today.
The Clash In Columbus
You know, I was thinking. This years Michigan/OSU game is shaping up to be one of the best ever! I cannot personally remember a bigger game then this one. The winner WILL go to the National Championship game and the loser.........might go there too? Funny how this could work out. If Michigan were to pull off the upset the odds that these to teams would meet again in Phoenix would be very high. My understanding is also that if Michigan were to lose a very close game we could see the same results! Now, if you are not a fan of college football, not a fan of the Big Ten conference and especially if you are not a Michigan or OSU fan, this will be just another week for you. But for those who back the Maize & Blue or the Scarlet & Gray, this is a special week. There is one particular OSU graduate who has been more vocal than usual this year about his precious Buckeyes and because I don't want to embarass Jim I won't mention his name here. OOOOOPS, I just did! Well, at least I didn't tell you his last name is Yearsin, that would have been a terrible thing to do. But if this person is reading this I am sure he will make his comments about Carr's record against Tressel. He may also mention how OSU was viewed as unstoppable this year. He will probably even through out some stats that support his position as a OSU alumnus and fan. But he will never be able to convince me that this game is over before it begins. This has got the potential to be one of the greatest games ever played in the history of college football. Here is what I said back on October 19:
NCAA Football: With two power houses going at it on November 18 I believe that the Michigan/OSU game will be the game that determines the National Champion! I will predict that both teams will go into this game undefeated and that there will be a great defensive battle in the Horseshoe. No matter what I do I can't pick OSU to win this game. Final score will be the Maize & Blue 24 - the Scarlet & Gray 21!
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Be blessed beyond belief today.
A Hopeful Look At My Future
You know, I was thinking. Every Wednesday night before I go to my bowling league in Tecumseh I usually stop off some where for dinner. Last night I ate at the Country House restaurant on the corner of M-50 & M-52. Now if you are not familiar with this establishment it is a very popular place to eat for senior citizens (insert Pudgeman joke here)! I heard and saw a number of things that made me smile last night. I left there feeling good about my future and about life in general. Here are some of the observations that I made:
In the parking lot there was a elderly gentleman that got his wife's wheelchair out of the trunk of their car and then picked her up out of the front seat and placed her carefully in the chair. I thought to myself, "if I ever was blessed enough to be around and still be with my wife at that age, I hope I would have the strength and desire to give that kind of love to her." He did it with a smile and probably didn't even realize that anyone noticed, but I did. So, I waited at the door to the restaurant and held the door for them. He said with a happy voice "well, thank you"! I just smiled and said "you're welcome."
I sat down near a couple of tables of seniors who obviously knew each other. At the table right next to me were three people (one man and two ladies). The lady sitting directly next to the gentleman was his wife and the lady sitting on the other side of the table was a sister to one of them (didn't quite listen intently enough to figure that one out). The sister across the table was either mostly or completely blind. The comedic bantor between these three people and the couple right next to them was fun to listen to. When the waitress brought out the salads for the three next to me she did something that amazed me. She reached over and grabbed a large bib that was brought to the restaurant by the blind womans sister (sister-in-law) and she placed it on the woman. Now, I don't know if this waitress (Heather) knew these people or not but she knew the need and acted on providing for that need. I thought to myself now that is love in action right there. Many waitresses would have just gone on doing the things that they are "paid" to do and to just let those little things get taken care of by the people that brought her. I made sure that since Heather was also my waitress that I threw a little extra on the table just because!
Down on the other end of the restaurant was another couple, not quite as old as the others in the restaurant but probably in their late fifties. They had ordered hot sandwiches with gravy on them. When the food arrived it wasn't very hot so they very politely told the waitress (Heather again) about the problem. Heather immediately apologized for the situation and took the plates back into the kitchen for some reheating. Almost as soon as Heather went into the kitchen, out came the cook and went straight over to the table of the couple in question to make his apologies for the situation. Soon Heather came out with fresh (and apparently hot) sandwiches for the couple who seemed quite pleased with the results. I thought to myself that some people would have used this opportunity to be rude to their server, but these folks didn't care about getting angry, they just wanted hot sandwiches. I just smiled as I thought about how a little kindness goes a long way.
When Heather had come by to refill my coffee cup and to take my soup bowl (corn chowder that was delicious); She asked "how was the soup?" I said "it was wonderful." She then told me that my chicken would be up soon, it was taking a little longer than usual because they were busy this night. I told her "that's fine, I'm in no hurry." WOW! I can't remember the last time that I had said that to someone! I really wasn't in a hurry. It was 5:50 and I still had 25 minutes before I needed to leave and head to the bowling alley. It was almost as if time stood still for me during this little stop of mine. I really relaxed and enjoyed it.
As I was leaving the Country House I couldn't help but to think about the life that is ahead of me with Rachel. How I long for the day that we will be the elderly couple (insert Pudgeman joke here) in the corner of the restaurant taking care of one another and being even more in love at that stage of our lives than we are today. Thank you God for leading me to this place last night and showing me all of the things that you showed me. Slow down a little bit and take a look around you. God is speaking, are you listening? Be blessed beyond belief today.
I Must Apologize
You know, I was thinking. Yesterday I responded to a comment very harshly on my blog. Now, the things that I said were what I meant to say but I called out Brandon without proper proof that he was the person making the comments that I found personally offensive. Regardless of who did the writing it was wrong of me to call him out like that. Brandon, I am truly sorry.
I wish to deal with this problem from a cooler perspective today. I will give all of you a little insight about me and this blog. I found the comments by "Anonymous" to not only be offensive but I also found them to be judgemental and personally insulting. I was hurt by them and those of you that know me do know that I have a pretty thick skin. I have been under a great deal of stress lately because of many things going on in my life (most of them good by the way, just time consuming) and for someone to talk to a person like that is wrong. Comments like those will never serve a purpose no matter what. I also have determined in my own mind that anyone who says what Anonymous said without revealing their true identity has no backbone or morals to begin with. If this was meant as a joke then it wasn't funny. If this is really how they felt then I have serious concerns for their spiritual well being.
Going forward I will delete any comments that are posted anonymously where the person does not reveal their identity. I will also ask that the regular readers of this blog pay no attention to any anonymous comments if you read them before I am able to delete them. If you respond to an anonymous comment then I will delete your response as well.
On a final note, let's all work together to further the kingdom of God. We won't do it by being dogmatic, judgemental or insulting to others. I will always come up short in my efforts to further God's kingdom and I can never do enough good to offset the sins that I have committed in my life. What I can do is go forward in love, do the best that I can with what I have and then strive to do better. God loves unconditionally and He is the one that will judge and believe me He neither loves or judges anonymously. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Much To Do, But Little To Say
You know, I was thinking. Most of you are aware that my mother has been in the hospital for the past week because of poor circulation in her right leg. Long story short, mother had a bypass done on her leg and is progressing nicely through her recovery in the hospital. I would like to say that this is the main reason that I haven't blogged for the past couple of weeks but it would only be an excuse. I have had a full plate lately and have felt drained of anything to give on this blog. I am doing well but I simply haven't had anything to say or to share, at least nothing that seemed at all relevent. This morning I looked at Pastor Tom's blog about being busy! My first thought was that I have said that so many times in the past month that I can't even begin to count them. But, I must say that I have hit a time of setting some greater priorities in my life in order to have some more control.
Over the past couple of weeks I have attempted to plan events. My plans are usually good until some kind of emergency happens or something unexpected occurs. I do have much to accomplish each day, but it is not all work. I do build in time for recreation and relaxation. Those two items seem to be the first to go when I get swamped. The next things to go would be my creative outlets like blogging or reading. I will often skip these in order to get everything else in. If things are still hectic that's when my ability to function actually comes in to question. This is the point where I find myself today. I have had to cut out a couple of activities in order to get back to center. It is worth this effort.
I don't write any of this in order to gain sympathy or to complain. I know that there are several who have enjoyed (for whatever reason) reading my blog over these past months and I wanted to let you know that I am still alive. I just really haven't had much to say lately. I hope to blog again before the week is over but we'll just have to wait and see. Until I have something more to say please be blessed beyond belief today.
