Father Michael

It took a bit for the sense of loss to set in. Initially, right after we had heard of his passing, I think we both felt a strange sense of relief. He is able to attend the mass again, able to see everyone, feel everything earthly and otherwise without having to use a worn and old body as a conduit.

And then there were pictures at his funeral. His extraordinary life before St. Michaels and after. He conducted mass in its frame, travelled the world, educated himself to a degree few have. He was a young man and full of ambition and wonder.

In a way it's hard to relate to a stately and virtuous life lived. We certainly remember our father in Christ, a man who knew Truth. Can't quite imagine what it took to get there, and the struggles required to do it (always kept close to the vest) are now far away. What is left is a pedastal, inviting and daunting. What is left is a legacy of guidance that touched many lives and a proud congregation. To be a part of it is to be a part of that legacy, but it makes the work of allowing God into our hearts no easier. We will miss his reminder, yet remain hopeful because of it.

Father Michael affected both of our lives deeply. My wife had known him for most of her life, and he was a cliff that broke open ocean storms. I was fortunate enough to meet and talk with him and hear his sermons, and he too affected me greatly. One homile in particular will always stay with and guide me, and I paraphrase (forgive me if I am getting it wrong): "God does not see us from on high, such as we look down and see ants, although compared to Him we are. If you want to know his perspective when he looks upon us, you only need to stand at Calvary and look at another. You only need to see people in a crowd, like those Christ saw as he made his into Jerusalem. The difference is that he loves each and every one. The real question is: how do we see him?"

--Jeremiah

Go Angels!

Wow, how exciting! My wife and I have had this blog for nearly twenty years and I'm finally getting around to posting something, and that something is this: Go Angels!



Now, I know what all you Devil Ray fans are thinking: Why the Angels? Aren't we simply hopping on the band wagon with the rest of Los Angeles? And shouldn't they be the Orange County Angels instead of the Los Angeles Angels of what's its name?



1: You aren't going to find a more exciting and frustrating team. Win six in a row with total domination, and then loose seven out of the next ten while scoring a grand total of 3 1/2 runs. A single run is huge on one day, meaningless the next. Pitching, defense, hitting, and pacing-- one will see a combination on most every night. Plus, they're always the good guys.


2: No, we're not. We've been watching the Angels long enough to have a mental encyclopedia of Rex Hudlerisms. The secret is that while he runs on a loop, he accentuates everything like he's saying it for the first time. The man is just good at what he does.


3: Yes and no. The problem is that if they had Orange County in their name then they'd have to have Orange Uniforms and Rally Valencias (and Cutie Clemintines--inside joke). It would be a mess. At least the name "Angels" goes with Los Angeles (they were originally a Pacific League team--first in LA). When one hears the "Dodgers" they will immediatley think of Trolleys and New York (of course).


So that's it. Now you know where we stand on Baseball.

Wedding Photos

I have just finished uploading our wedding photos to Snapfish. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be, but it took allot longer. So just in time for our first anniversary (June 3), here they are...

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=155610453/a=54480990_54480990/t_=54480990

Also, Kristi Silva?!!! I'm so happy to hear from you. How are you and Matt?

Passwords can be tricky

Sorry its been so long since our last post, we have had some difficulty with our password and couldn't log on.

Here is a nice picture of us. See how happy we are now! life has been much better. I'll post about why later.