Tag: God’s Timing

Two Years, a Million Memories, and Freedom

Two Years, a Million Memories, and Freedom

by | Aug 15, 2022 | , , | 0 |

Yesterday marked two years since Sandy, Youk, and I started this journey.

Ironically, we started August 14, 2022 in the exact same spot in which we ended August 14, 2020 at – in the driveway of our daughter and son-in-law’s house in Robesonia, Pennsylvania.

What a difference a year makes.  Last year, on August 14, we woke up in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Green Bay, Wisconsin and started out on a tour of cheese shops throughout Wisconsin on our way to Antigo for our first project experience with A Year to Volunteer.  The day before were staying at a Harvest Host called, Farm Wisconsin.  We were next to a sunflower field and witnessed two calves being born while we were there.

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A Sense of Accomplishment

A Sense of Accomplishment

by | Feb 17, 2022 | , | 0 |

I was able to get my newest book, The Journey of My Mother’s Son, Volume I through the editing process and into production.  The cover design has been approved and I’m just waiting on the production team to get everything formatted and ready for print.  Although this is now the third time that I’ve gone through this process, there is always a huge sense of pride and anticipation that goes along with seeing a project through.

The children’s book that I assisted on for Youk has now been sent off to the illustrator and we’re just anxiously waiting to see some of her amazing illustrations come back for review.  It’s a creative process and collaboration that is new to me, which is very exciting and refreshing.

The cover design for my next two books have also been completed and both of the manuscripts have been started.  I am really looking forward to completing this book series and sharing these stories with others.

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Loving the Nomad Life

Loving the Nomad Life

by | Jan 27, 2022 | , | 0 |

Many times, throughout our lives, before going full-time, we’ve had conversations with friends talking how they’d love to have a house on the beach or in the mountains or fill in the blank.

The beauty of our nomadic lifestyle is that we can have all of those things and more.

There have been times when we have had our home on a mountain.  There have been times when we have had our home on a beach or within walking distance to the beach.  There have been times when we have had our home in the woods.  There have been times when we have had our home in a desert.  There have been times when we have had our home near a city.  There have been times when we have had our home in the middle of nowhere.  There have been times when we have had our home in the yard or driveway of friends and family.  There have been times when we have had our home on a farm.  There have been times when we have had our home in a minor league baseball stadium parking lot.  There have been times when we have had our home in a rehabilitation center.  There have been times when we have had our home in the middle of a strawberry festival or RV show.  There have been times when we have had our home in a Wal-mart, Cracker Barrel or rest area parking lot.  The list goes on and on.

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Beauty in the Broken

Beauty in the Broken

by | Jan 20, 2022 | , | 0 |

There isn’t one single person on this earth who doesn’t have scars and broken pieces.  Some of those scars may have been self-inflicted.  Some of them may have been caused by other people’s actions.  Some may be easy for others to see and understand.  Most are hidden deep under layers of complexity.  In the end, how we got the scars and how easy they are for others to see really doesn’t matter.  It’s how we heal from them and how we move forward from them that does.

To each other though, we must be more empathetic.

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A New Year, a Time to Reflect, a Time to Look Forward

A New Year, a Time to Reflect, a Time to Look Forward

by | Jan 6, 2022 | , | 1 |

First, I’d like to reflect a little bit on 2021.

It started off in our new hometown of Melbourne, Florida at my Aunt Sally and Uncle Randy’s house.  It was a quiet celebration that had us sitting around the fire at the house.  Many of the neighbors made up for our quaint little celebration as the fireworks nearby started as the sun went down and didn’t stop until well after midnight.

Nine days into the year, we started our trek further south on our way to Key West.  We stopped on the way down to see friends and family along the way.  For the next several weeks, we zig zagged up and down and across the state of Florida.  Making sure to connect and spend time with more friends and family.

In early March, we made an unexpected trip to Pennsylvania due to a dear friend of ours passing away.  We Spent the next few months there.  We were able to celebrate Easter with our family and headed back to Florida on the Monday after Mother’s Day.

We again took our time and stopped to see new friends, surprise an old friend and meet another new friend for the first time in person.

We got back to Melbourne on May 17 and stayed in Florida long enough to celebrate milestone birthdays with three of my cousins before leaving to head back to Pennsylvania on June 12.  We took the long way to Pennsylvania, via the Florida panhandle to Buccaneer State Park in Mississippi to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama before getting to my sister-in-law’s house in Pennsylvania the Saturday before Father’s Day.

While in Pennsylvania, we stayed with family, reconnected with old friends again and scattered in a few stays in an amusement park and some other campgrounds.

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Kyle Denton – From Rock Bottom to Finding Hope by Giving Back

Kyle Denton – From Rock Bottom to Finding Hope by Giving Back

by | Jan 4, 2022 | , , | 0 |

He recently moved from heading up the warehouse at the Dream Center and overseeing the food panty to a case worker in the office.  Through my person interaction with Kyle, I can see that he has a heart for helping others.  I feel that his recipe for a successful and life-long recovery is to dive headfirst into the ministry of helping others.  Focusing on making other peoples lives better will allow him to move forward successfully in his own journey of recovery.

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Utah Sure was Salty and Red

Utah Sure was Salty and Red

by | Oct 25, 2021 | , | 0 |

We drove into Ogden, Utah and stayed at another Cracker Barrel.  I heard mommy talking to Aunt Cheryl on the phone the other day, and Aunt Cheryl told mommy that she should order a side order of bacon to go and bring it to me in the house on wheels the next time that we go to a Cracker Barrel.  So, I was really excited that we were at another Cracker Barrel!  That’s why I love Aunt Cheryl so much, she has great ideas!  Did you know that when we go to stay at Aunt Cheryl’s house that she always has a bag of bacon already cooked up just for me?  She keeps it in the refrigerator, so we just need to heat it up (or just eat it cold).  I don’t care either way.   It’s pretty awesome.  I mean she says that it’s for her and mommy and daddy too, but I know that she really does it just for me!  I’ll let mommy and daddy think that it’s for them too, but it will be me and Aunt Cheryl’s little secret that it’s really just for me.

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To Give is to Live

To Give is to Live

by | Oct 23, 2021 | , | 0 |

My mom was a giver, so was my dad.  They each gave in their own unique ways.  My mom never had a ton of money, so she gave her time in any way that she could.  My dad was an over-the-road truckdriver, so he, on the other hand never had much time, but was certainly able to donate financially to a cause that he believed in.

Some of my first memories as a child are going along with my mom to deliver Meals on Wheels.  My mom wasn’t one to just deliver a meal and move on to the next stop though.  She delivered a meal and visited with the people that she was delivering them to.  She literally became their friend.  She would sit and talk with them, ask them how they were doing, and most importantly, listened to their answers.  She was ever present with them.

If there was something that she could help with, she was there, without hesitation.  Between her and my dad, I think that is the main reason why as soon as I became an adult, I became heavily involved in volunteerism.  It’s also one of the main reasons why the nonprofit organization that I founded, the BIG Vision Foundation was so committed to getting our young players involved and understanding the importance of giving back.  I was a product of what being involved in volunteerism at a young age could result in.  It was second nature for me to give back.  It was the only thing that I knew.  By instilling that same value into our young players, we would be creating a ripple-effect that could be passed on for generations to come.

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A Week that was for the Birds

A Week that was for the Birds

by | Aug 21, 2021 | , | 0 |

Fred Rogers used to say, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”

There are a lot of scary things in the news these days, so for the past week Sandy and I were blessed to be surrounded by the helpers, and it was beautiful.  What was even more significant is that this amazing group of helpers was helping another incredible group of helpers at the Raptor Education Group, Inc. (REGI).  The icing on the cake is that REGI is led by one of the most remarkable helpers we’ve ever met, named Marge Gibson, who is the founder and Executive Director of the organization.

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