The Home Opener for the Sox

Today was the home opener for the Boston Red Sox! I was born and raised in Massachusetts, and being a Red Sox fan was almost required. My grandfather was a Sox fan; my mom and dad are Sox fans, and I am a Sox fan currently trying to convert my wife and children. As a Sox fan, I am not used to a home opener like today.

Today all was forgiven, as the Red Sox received their second World Series title in four years; they also welcomed back Bill Buckner. You remember Bill Buckner, he is the first baseman that most people want to blame for the collapse that occurred in the 1986 World Series. That collapse had everything to do with the lack of pitching depth and little to do with Bill. Today, Bill Buckner threw out the first pitch and got one of the loudest and longest ovations I have every heard. Click Bill Buckner, scroll down to the story and click the video portion to see for yourself. You may have to log in to the site; once you have done that go to the Red Sox section and look for the story. It will do your heart good...even if your not a Sox fan!

A Time to Reflect

Christmas is a time to slow down and reflect. It is a time to reconnect with old friends, sleep late and make new friends. It is also a time when people tend to be friendlier. Why is that?

Albert Einstein once said, "There are two ways to live your life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle."

I have often thought of this quote during this season because it seems to me that we only live as if everything is a miracle during Christmas. As soon as Christmas ends, we go back to living life like nothing is a miracle.

As this season slowly becomes part of our past once again, let me encourage you to live life like everything is a miracle because that is the only realistic way to live, if you are truthful with yourself.

This season is about a baby born in a manager. It is about that one miracle that saves all who believe in that miracle. We know a baby named Jesus was born. We know he lived and preached. We also know he was nailed to a cross and died. The rest of His...story is the part where you have to decide if you believe in miracles or not. I, personally, choose to live life believing in miracles because if I did not...there would be nothing to believe in fully.

Look around at the world today. Yes, there are many terrible things occurring, but in the midst of it all, there are many wonderful selfless acts taking place. That is, in itself, a miracle, and they occur every day! I encourage you to live inside the reality of miracles and become a miracle for someone else. It will make your world a better place because it is truly better to give than to receive.

I leave you with this question. Which way of life sustains life: living life as if everything is a miracle or living life as if nothing is a miracle? MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Some Christmas Cheer...

I wish you and yours a warm heart-felt Merry Christmas! I pray that your time will be filled with relaxation, family, and spiritual intimacy. I leave you with some fun. Here are some of your favorite holiday carols, written a wee bit differently. See which ones you can name. Click HERE to get the answers. You will have to scroll down to see the answers.

1. Move Hither The Entire Assembly Of Those Who Are Loyal In Their Belief
2. Embellish Interior Passageways
3. Vertically Challenged Adolescent Percussionist
4. First Person Singular Experiencing An Hallucinatory Phenomenon Of A Natal Celebration Devoid Of Color
5. Soundless Nocturnal Period
6. Majestic Triplet Referred To In The First Person Plural
7. The Yuletide Occurance Preceding All Others
8. Precious Metal Musical Devices
9. Omnipotent Supreme Being Elicit Respite To Ecstatic Distinguished Males
10. Caribou With Vermillion Olfactory Appendage
11. Allow Crystalline Formations To Descend
12. Jovial Yuletide Desired For The Second Person Singular Or Plural By The First Person Plural
13. Commence Auditory Reception The Announcing Cherubs Vocalize
14. Kris Kringle Will Be Arriving In The City In The Not Too Distant Future
15. Bipedal Traveling Through An Amazing Acreage During The Period Between December 21st And March 21st In The Northern Hemisphere
16. Its Arrival Occurred At Twelve O'Clock During A Clement Nocturnal Period
17. Exclamatory Remark Concerning A Diminutive Municipality In Judea Southwest Of Jerusalem

' Tis the Season...

As the Christmas season approaches, I am reminded of one of my favorite poems. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the following poem back in 1863, and, guess what? It still rings true today. Read and enjoy!

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

'Til ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Merry Christmas!