2019 and An Attitude of Gratitude

I know it's not good to put sports and sports stars up on a pedestal.  But, on the 90th day of 2019, my gratitude of the moment is for Bryce Harper.  Not because he's a great baseball player (which he seems to be), or because he is rich and famous.  No, as I was watching the Phillies on 3/31/19, and listening to a National Broadcast that did not place Philadelphia and its fans in a negative light (even if they did mess up their comments about cheesesteaks!), I reflected on how Bryce, in picking Philadelphia, the area's spirits have been lifted and excitement has returned to Citizen's Bank Park.  So THAT is why I am grateful tonight for Mr. Harper.  What a great start to the season! Today's prayer is also a prayer of gratitude for my fellow coaches on the Merchantville Mustangs.  Bob and Shawn make it so much fun for the players and also for me.  And the success of this was on display tonight as the Mustangs remained unbeaten (6 wins in 2 days) and wo...

On the 89th day of 2019, my wife and friends threw a party for me.  We celebrated my 50th on 3/30/19 with family, food, fun, friends, and it was Fantastic!  I am so grateful for my dear friends and family and for the love they showed today.  Fifty was truly nifty today!  :-) My prayer today is a prayer of thanks for the members of Alexa's Mustangs Softball Team.  I have been lucky to be able to join the coaching staff as the bench coach this season (after assisting in the final round of the playoffs last year).  The kids are both great players and great people. My prayer for someone who disagrees with me is for Jessie Biddle.  Not because I really disagree with him, but because he gave up a monster home run to Bryce Harper today.  Jessie is a Philadelphia area kid, playing at GFS.  And he was drafted by his hometown team, and then traded.  Now, with Atlanta, he had to pitch against his hometown team.  I hope that he is not too u...

The 88th day of 2019 started out a bit tough.  The first thing I did on 3/29/19 is attend the funeral of the father of a Penn colleague who is also a dear friend.  And, although I have never been an official staff member of VPUL (Central Student Affairs for Penn), I have always called myself a "VPUL Wannabe!"  And I sat with VPUL colleagues in the sanctuary, and the music of the choir washed over us (and some of us were singing along) and I felt like we were family.  I know one should not get too emotionally attached to their workplace (believe me, I understand this more than ever these days), but I could not help it today.  Today, I was in service with my VPUL Family and I am grateful for them all. Today's prayer, of course, goes out to my colleague and her family (and friends and neighbors) who are coping with the loss of an amazing man.  I never met him but, after today's service, I wish I had.  He was a wonderful man. Today's disagreement praye...

I took a day of from work on the 87th day of 2019.  That is because 3/28/19 was Opening Day for the Phillies!  What a great day of baseball, friends, a Phils win, three Phillies Homeruns, a some of the nicest Opening Day weather in recent memory.  I am grateful for Opening Day, a new beginning if you will.  Nobody has any losses (yet) and anything (almost) is possible to conceive for your team and your favorite players.  Here's to a great season! Today's prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving for the way Bryce Harper has embraced the City of Philadelphia.  So far, everything has gone perfectly, and I know it will not be perfect forever, but a prayer of strength for us all when it's not :-). And today's prayer for someone with whom I disagree is for the Braves fans from Nashville who travel around the country following their favorite team.  We did not agree on who we wanted to win, but we all enjoyed being in the stadium and baseball! 

This month I have been the captain of Penn's Open Expression Observers Team.  We have had a variety of events to staff and, on the 86th day of 2019, I was at an interesting one.  Sean Spicer came to campus to talk about the political scene, invited by the College Republicans.  Before that, still on 3/27/19, I was staffing Penn's University Council Open Forum, where we heard impassioned advocates for Veterans, cultural center staffing, changes to the proposed sexual harassment policy, and admissions policies for undocumented and DACA students.  But the most impassioned presentation was from a student with Fossil Free Penn who made an emotional case for divestment from stocks supporting fossil fuels in light of the changes the world is experiencing in its climate.  Late last week, we staffed a protest from Students and community members advocating for funding for Philadelphia Schools.  It was a month of varied views and emotions.  And that is why Penn is...

I know I have already shown gratitude for the Gertrude Hawks, our trivia team that won after our first planning meeting.  But, on the 85th day of 2019, I have similar gratitude for the people who came out for our next OEF Planning meeting.  The group is filled with a good set of interests and with parents of kids in HS all the way through Middle School, OPS, Pre-School, and no kids yet!  And, on 3/26/19, we discussed organizing plans, we laughed, we reveled over our successes so far, and got ready for the work ahead of us, raising needed funds for the teachers and students of our community. My caring prayer tonight goes to my advisee who is nervous about her family's situation.  They live in Venezuela and the situation there is dire, at best.  It's hard enough for a first-year student to acclimate to Penn and to do well academically.  It is even harder to do so when worried about your family, miles away.  Prayers of strength for her as she plans her ...

As I arrived on campus on the morning of the 84th day of the year, I was greeted by an inspiration sign in front of a campus store.  "SPRING IS IN THE AIR: ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS"  And I saw these flowers (above) outside my garage.  And it put me in a good mood!  So, I am grateful, today, for Spring Flowers Blooming. My caring prayer tonight is for the coaches of the Colls HS Basketball Team.  We attended the team's banquet tonight and I have prayer of thanksgiving for the leadership and guidance they provided for Alexa and her teammates. My prayer for someone with whom I disagree is for people in the office who snipe against others, without any direct examples or feedback and the ones who believe them.  May they find it in their hearts and soul to stop their behavior and may those who believe them find the wisdom to detect the truth.