Stain Free

There is something seriously wrong with me! And I think I’m going to blame my Dad.

Don’t get me wrong. My Dad was the best man I have ever known, my hero, and I loved him very much. But he had this problem where he constantly spilled food on his shirt. He was always a very good-looking man, clean shaven and usually dressed very sharp. Except, there would always be a small, sometimes hardly noticeable, sometimes very noticeable, stain on his shirt. It never failed.

We used to laugh about it a lot. But he warned me that I would likely get the shirt stain disease too, when I got older. Unfortunately, he was right, and I admit it. I do have the shirt stain disease these days. And I can’t figure out how it happens? I try to be careful and think I’ve gotten myself through a meal okay, until I look down and inspect my shirt and sh*%&*t… there it is!

And this crappy Coronavirus is only making things worse. My wife and I used to go out to eat at restaurants a lot and when I’m sitting properly at a table, I don’t usually get food on my shirt. But for months now, we have eaten every meal at home and a lot of the time I’m sitting in my recliner. And let me tell you, that is a really dumb place to eat a meal if you don’t want to end up wearing it. Just one more reason the Coronavirus is making my life miserable!

In fact, it’s gotten so bad that I now keep a large spray bottle of Oxi-Clean right there on my dresser. Every time I change clothes, I have to break out that stupid spray bottle and use it on my shirt. It’s embarrassing to realize I have been walking around with a noticeable stain on my T-shirt, but fortunately that Oxi-Clean stuff works really well!

And that got me thinking… I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and committed sins that have stained my soul for sure. But I smile when I picture the Sinless One, standing next to me, the sin-filled one, spraying me with his own extra-large bottle of heavenly scented Oxi-Clean. Forever stain free!

Andie's clean T-Shirt says it all!

As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: 

take it or leave it. 

~ Buddy Hackett

Is it in Your Nature?

Sometimes good things happen to me in my life that I can’t really explain. They just happen and while I don’t know necessarily know why they happen; I am still very grateful. I’ll give you an example.

Many years ago, when I was first started to play baseball, I met Scott. He was the best player on our team and probably the best player in the whole league. I, on the other hand, couldn’t hit a curve ball and thought a slider was a small hamburger. Fortunately, Scott took me under his wing. He was the star shortstop and I was the struggling second baseman, but Scott was patient with me, never got down on me, and when I booted a ball or made an error, he gave me tips that helped me get better each week. Eventually we both played on a team that won a World Championship, the highlight of my baseball life.

As my baseball career wound down and I switched to golf, I lost track of Scott. He lived up in LA and I lived in south Orange County. But then one day, when I was golfing as a single, I got paired up with a couple and when I walked on to the first tee, I saw that it was Scott and Rhonda. I was excited to see Scott again and super excited to get to play golf with him. Even better, I found out he had recently moved to San Clemente and so for the past year we have gotten to play golf together many times.

Scott coming into my life was a great thing and not just because of baseball and golf. The Coronavirus has made it impossible for my wife to go to the gym and swim the past four months. So recently, Scott and Rhonda have been letting my wife go to their house early in the morning while they are out golfing so she can swim in their big beautiful pool. This has been fantastic for my wife because she loves swimming like I love baseball and golf. And you know what they say about a happy wife!

When I think about good things happening in my life, more often than not it involves good people coming into my life. When Scott helped me with baseball, he probably never realized what a good thing he was doing, it was just in his nature. And Scott and Rhonda probably don’t realize what a huge blessing it is to let us use their pool, it’s just in their nature to be kind people.

And that got me thinking… You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money or put out a huge amount of time and effort to help somebody out. Sometimes… if it’s in your nature… you just might make a positive impact in somebody’s life without even realizing it!

I expect to pass through life but once. 

If therefore, there be any kindness I can show to any fellow human being, 

let me do it now. For I shall not pass this way again.

~ William Penn

Love and Baseball

I fell in love with baseball when I was only 8 years old. At that time, our family was living in a tiny cockroach infested house on a Marine Corps Base. The house was really dumpy and my Dad was overseas, so my Mom and my sister and I lived there all alone. Times were tough. I was just a kid, new in town, and pretty much scared of everything because I didn’t know anybody and my Dad wasn’t around.

But there was a special gift my Dad gave me before he left. It was a small transistor AM radio. I can remember how I would lay in bed at night, worried about my Dad, crying myself to sleep. But one night when I turned the dial on that little radio, I came across a baseball game. I forget what teams were playing, but it sounded like they were having a ton of fun. Back in 1963, the big names were Willie Mays, Carl Yastrzemski, and the Alou brothers, Matty, Felipe and Jesus. They said all three Alou brothers were playing together in the outfield in the same game that night, so I figured that must be a normal thing. If you had brothers and played baseball, you all played together. Obviously, that’s not the norm. In fact, that was the only time ever that three brothers played professional baseball together. But boy oh boy, did that game sound fun! It really took my mind off my troubles. So from that night on I always tried to find a baseball game on the radio and I started dreaming about being a baseball player someday!

Unfortunately, being a military brat meant moving from town to town almost every year. That meant we never stayed in one place very long, which meant that I only got to be on a little league team once. I was 12 years old at the time, the oldest kid on the team, but I remember the best part of being on that team was finally making some friends.

Although I never really played much Little League Baseball, I did get a chance to play hard ball baseball as an adult. I joined the Halo Baseball Club when I was 48 and played until I was 64 and it was just like Little League all over again. There was all that same whining and complaining, but now it also included cursing, and some really creative practical jokes. And here again, the best part about being a baseball player was the friends I made. I truly miss it more than I can describe in words.

So fast forward to March of 2020. Now, not only do I not get to play baseball anymore, I can’t even watch or listen to a baseball game anymore. It’s kind of ironic. My Dad is overseas again (in heaven), I’m living in a small house again (although without the ornery cockroaches), and I can’t even see the friends I have (because of the Coronavirus). I find myself missing those late nights where that little AM radio kept me such great company!

Recently, baseball started back up again and everything in my life seems better now. Don’t get me wrong, I have the best wife in the world, four awesome children, and six wonderful grandchildren that I love dearly. So I’ve never had anything to complain about. Which reminds me, Yogi Berra once said, “Love is the most important thing in the world… but baseball is pretty good too!”

Beckham Aaron Trout "BAT" - Future Star of the LA Angels

You got to be a man to play baseball for a living, 

but you got to have a lot of little boy in you, too. 

~ Roy Campanella

All's Fair in Love and Grief

Here is a riddle. What five letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? (The answer is at the end of this Monday Message.)

Life is short. We’ve all heard that saying at one time or another. If that’s true, then it would be extremely important to embrace the positives in every difficult situation, however unexpected. Take grief for example. Grief is a part of life, perhaps today more than ever. Many people are suffering from illness, job loss, the loss of a loved one, or loss of their old lifestyle. We are all yearning for the good old days of 2019. So… How can we find anything positive in grief?

Feel it! If you find yourself facing grief for one reason or another, why not give yourself some time to feel it, wallow in it, even take a day to cry your eyes out. Take long fitful naps, cuddle under your covers, wear your pjs all day, and eat with abandon! Throw your stuff on the floor, sit in the dark, stare aimlessly, scream into your pillow. Let your tears flow, let your anger and your sadness have their day.

On day two, take a walk, breathe deeply, meditate on your grief. What exactly have you suffered or lost? What did it mean to you? Why did this happen? And then, how will I deal with this? Look for any positive angle. Pray for strength of character. Even with this loss, there must have been something great associated with it, so whatever the positives, whatever the associated blessings that came with this, add them up, write them down, appreciate them.

On day three, get creative with the positives. Look for ways to turn them into something that you can embrace, a new challenge, a new path. Here is my own personal example. Recently, I found out that two of my grandkids (ages 7 and 10) were relocating 1200 miles away, very soon. Devastation set in, grief, sadness, and thoughts of all I was losing. You might picture me going through all of the above in my grief. Still when I wore myself out with my sorrow, I knew I must find the positives in the situation.

On my own day three, my sweet little granddaughter “face-timed me” early in the morning. Being able to look into her eyes and take in her sweet freckled cheeks and red bobbed hair, made me realize I could do that with her whether near or far away. Suddenly I realized there were more positives I could build on. I could talk to her as much as I want and stay close even from far away if I just put a little effort into it. We could plan vacations for the family together, laugh together, and have our own secrets. I started to feel better. I made her a special travel kit for her long drive that included homemade apple cinnamon muffins, a hand mirror with our picture taped to the back of it, a small travel pillow, and a hand written card all tucked into a cute little duffle bag with clouds on it. I’m determined to stay connected to her and her brother and secretly plan to encourage them to attend college back in my own hometown!

Grief can be long, or grief can be made shorter, if we count our blessings in any situation. By the way, the answer to the riddle… Short!

Grief is simply love expressed in tears.

~ Terri Guillemets

I Must Do Something

Doing the right thing wasn’t always obvious to me as a young child. I’m sure I wanted to and meant to do the right thing, but as a child I needed to be taught right from wrong. Fortunately, I was blessed with parents who felt very strongly about always doing the right thing. But they didn’t stop there.

My Dad was a huge influence in my life. He believed in doing the right thing, but he also believed that we were supposed to serve God by serving others. I watched him live his life that way, always doing the right thing, but also always going above and beyond. He took pride in his work (and in his family) and If something needed to be done, he would always do it, and then do just a little bit more. He was the kind of man who would show up early, stay late, and give you the shirt off his back if you asked.

And that got me thinking… Is having character a genetic trait or something learned? More importantly, if you don’t always do right, can you change and become a person of good character? I’m not sure I know the answer to that question, but I do know that I am tested on a regular basis and last Friday was no exception.

My new company, Sundown Inspection Services, uses ultrasonic technology to test parking lot light poles for rust and corrosion. (By the way, a few years before he died, my Dad helped me develop the technology that we use today to test metal poles.) On Friday I was called out to a large industrial complex in the Mission Gorge area of San Diego. The complex was pretty old, and there were 24 poles to check, most of which were extremely rusted at the base and in need of immediate replacement.

When I got to the last pole, I couldn’t believe what I saw. The pole was on the perimeter of the parking lot, on a slight slope, totally hidden in a grove of trees. The base of the pole, which is where I do my testing, was fully encapsulated with tree branches making it hard to even see. Our contract says that, “If we cannot access a light pole, we will not complete the inspection, but will return at an additional charge when the accessibility issued has been resolved.” I stood there for a few minutes thinking about the problem. There’s only one pole left to do, but I have the right to leave and charge more money for a second trip. However, if I stay and somehow figure out a way to complete the job, the customer saves a lot of money. So in my head, the question pops up, “What would Dad do?” The answer was obvious!

“I must do something” always solves more 

problems than “Something must be done.” 

~ Anonymous

Doo the Right Thing

Consider for just a moment, that you can no longer speak and you can no longer hear. Or at least you can’t understand the spoken word. Not only that, you can’t go anywhere on your own, or drive a car, or even cook yourself a meal. You think life is tough right now with the Coronavirus, just try being your average American dog!

I don’t actually have a dog at the moment, but I do occasionally dog-sit my daughter’s dog. Actually, I have been watching over “Fitzgerald” the French Bull Dog for the past four days and it’s been quite an interesting experience. In fact, he is teaching me a lot of things, like how to be a better person.

Let me explain. The new beach house that we live in is next door to a huge vacant lot that extends all the way from the street straight down to the beach. Unfortunately, when I look out my 2^nd story  kitchen window, I see people constantly walking their dogs, or should I say pooping their dogs directly under my window. That’s not necessarily the view I hoped for when I signed the more expensive lease for our new place, but if I look out a little ways, instead of down, I do have a beautiful ocean view.

So, I’m trying to be accepting because I realize there is always good and bad with every situation. But aren’t people supposed to carry those little doggie bags so they can pick up the doggie doo left behind? Some do, most don’t, and that’s really irritating… until I had to walk a dog myself. My daughter’s dog leash has one of those little plastic bottles filled with doggie doo bags, but the very first time I took “Fitzy” for a walk the cap came off and all the bags flew away. Oh, and of course this happened right when “Fitzy” was in the middle of leaving a doo deposit. So he finishes up and I’m standing there with no doggie doo bags and a stupid look on my face. So I started running after the plastic bags, but they quickly blew down the beach and “Fitzy” wasn’t exactly in the mood to run. So there I am dragging this 30 pound dead weight hopelessly chasing plastic doo baggies that are headed south in a hurry.

So that’s when I had to make a decision. Was I going to be a hypocrite and leave the doggie doo deposit where it landed, like so many other people? Or was I going to be a man of character? I took a moment to sit down on a rock and ponder that question. But after less than a minute, “Fitzy” came over, sat down right in front of me, and stared at me. I know he can’t speak English or even understand my English, but I swear he was telling me something. His face had that look, you know, that look that says, “If you don’t do the right thing, how can you expect me to do the right thing?”

So… Did I “doo” the right thing? I’m gonna let you figure that out. (But I’ll give you a clue. Doo is easier to pick up after it dries out!) 

Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, 

you would stay out and your dog would go in.

~ Mark Twain 

A Test of Tolerance

It’s actually ironic. The main reason we moved from our small beach house was because we had a really bad neighbor who held loud, obnoxious parties all the time. I say ironic because we moved to a nicer home that is a little larger and has a really great view… but it turns out that the house next door is a weekly beach rental home and there’s a party going on almost every single night during the summer.

The house next door is a huge 3-story that mainly rents to big families and/or large groups. So that’s why it gets pretty noisy, but I know it won’t ever be as bad as our previous neighbor, so I am trying my best to be tolerant. Unfortunately, with the Coronavirus, my wife and I are stuck at home most of the time, so having problematic neighbors sure can dampen our spirits at times.

But we are trying hard to maintain a good attitude. This past week, a huge family with 10 children under the age of 12 moved in next door. The sidewalk between our two houses was so filled with kayaks, bicycles, fishing gear, boogie boards, and numerous varieties of kid’s scooters, that It was almost impossible to get to our front door. But you know what, I like kids. They don’t usually drink too much, or cuss me out, or party all night long. In fact, most of the time they are pretty darn cute and entertaining. Plus, that many kids will kind of help keep all the parents in check at the same time!

So, you know how kids always say the darndest things. Well, one little boy who couldn’t have been more than 8, walked up to me on Friday and asked, “Hey Mister, why are you always wearing that thing on your face?” Fortunately, I took a moment to think about my answer. Inside I was irritated that for months now, none of the adults next door ever wear a mask when they go outside or on walks in public. I mean, the point is… aren’t we supposed to try to protect each other when we go out in public? Anyway, I looked at the little boy and explained, “I am wearing this mask because there’s a virus going around that can make people sick and I don’t want to get it… or give it to someone else.” He seemed a bit puzzled by my answer, but then he smiled and rode away on his scooter.

On Saturday morning, the same little guy approached me again. He said, “Hey Mister, my Dad says he doesn’t wear a mask because they don’t make one that fits him.” Wow! That answer really shocked me! I am a Dad of four, and a granddad of 6, and I can’t imagine lying to any one of my kids because I’m too lazy, or too cheap, or too arrogant to purchase a $3.00 mask. I didn’t say anything to the kid, but I sure did feel like having a little man-to-man talk with that Dad.

The family next door left on Sunday and I never did have a talk with that Dad. In my head, I kept telling myself to be tolerant of others, and that people have a right to their own opinions, and that I need to be respectful. But in my heart, I wondered how that Dad would feel if his carelessness cost him the life of his child, or his wife, or his own father? Tolerance is necessary, but maybe silence is not always golden.