one scaredee kat

you know i've never really been a huge fan of all hallows eve, but really when else can you run up and down your street/neighborhood in a crazy homemade costume (inevitably one article of your outfit is from what you had lying around your room or house) and collect--from your neighbors--enough sweet morsels that will leave you with a big fat filling and your parents with a month's worth of hyperactivity ("tommy, stop....STOP! how many pieces of candy have you eaten already?"to which tommy answers with a big chocolate grin, "only eleven!"). i would prefer not to speak about how scared i was to enter any makeshift haunted garages or get in the way of teenagers throwing eggs at houses and cars. for me (and my sisters), one of the best moments of halloween was not the actual trick or treatin', but rather the post-game ritual of dumping out all of the hershey bars, milky ways, sweet tarts, flavored tootsie rolls and pretzels (i even got a miniature Bible one year!) from our plastic pumpkin containers or pillow cases and spreading them across our living room carpet in order to count each individually-wrapped treat. once the final tallies were recorded, the trade talks began ("meg, i'll trade you a reese's peanut butter cup and a candy necklace for your king size nestle crunch bar?"). the halloween activities that the Kerrigan children participated in were minimal and lasted only a couple of hours; however, we were ready for bed by 9 o'clock. and for somebody who has always had stomach issues (usually excessive gas), everyone was pleased that tommy was retiring for the evening :)

a general rule of thumb for all you trick-or-treaters:
be good and be safe. but if you can't be good, well, at least be safe.

welcome friends

i've heard through the grapevine that more and more folks have been checking out my blog. i'm happy to hear this. please feel free to comment or just read some of my monologues (which i hope will become dialogues soon). thank you for visiting...

labre.

one of my roommates last year explained to me the difference between "homeless people " and "people who are homeless." another roommate taught me that trust is hard to regain when someone has proved to be untrustworthy. my third roommate reminded me what true gratitude entails and exemplified how i can indeed show God that i am thankful for all that i have been blessed with. all three of these lessons have actualized for me, especially after my involvement with the saint benedict joseph labre project at st. ignatius high school. what made me think back to these memories and morals? well, tonight was the first night in quite some time that i was given the opportunity to provide nourishment and company to some folks who are living on the streets of cleveland. and boy, was i glad i got that chance (this time alongside john carroll university students), because i forgot how special this activity can be. throughout the course of our van route, which made eleven stops in all, i think the one liner that made me stop and smile was when a man by the name of charles said to a few students gathered around him, "say thank you always and give back when you can." what simple, yet beautiful words that i was able to catch this evening. man, i only hope that i can grow as close to the Lord as some of these folks have become. poor in the eyes of men and women, but rich in the eyes of God, saint benedict joseph labre, please pray for ALL OF US.

say what you need to say...pretty please

do yourself a favor (om...my dad is always saying that!) and say what you need to say. why is this even a issue, folks? shouldn't speaking what is on your mind be obvious and automatic? in my opinion, yes it should be a given, but there is more to it than just telling someone how you really feel or explaining to someone (who doesn't even care) why something they did or said bothers you. in fact, many psychologists would say that we are protecting ourselves from further harm by avoiding confrontation and failing to express our innermost thoughts & emotions. enough already! are you worried about being hurt because of the beliefs, values and ideals that you h0ld dear or are you scared of embarrassing yourself in front of your peers (many of who will never be more than a passerby)? i mean really. what is it going to take for you to let your spouse, lover, friend, parent, sibling, neighbor know exactly how you are doing (when he or she inevitably asks you that conversation starter)? don't get me wrong, this sort of trust and security is not easy; it actually is quite difficult to attain. but in order to reach this stage, you MUST start somewhere at sometime with someone, so you might as well begin NOW. so let's get practical. next time you are in a situation where someone asks you how are you, would you please treat your own well-being with the respect that you deserve? is that too much to ask? i do not think so. chin up, look 'em straight in the eyes and let 'em know. you'll be better for it.

we remember...we celebrate...we believe

"nine eleven." we have heard those two words repeated thousands of times over the past seven years and every time that date stirs up a number of emotions (fear, anger, sadness, hope) inside me. we have seen the pictures and heard the stories and tried to remember where we were and what we were doing at that moment on that infamous day. isn't it interesting how this event in human history has become a fulcrum by which we measure and refer and trace seemingly almost ever other event? what was a heinous and devastating attack on our nation (in which the precious lives of children, women and men were lost) has become a rallying point by which every American can interlock arms with his or her fellow neighbor and say in unison "never again." for some, september eleventh has become another fourth of july, as we are reminded and celebrate all the freedoms and liberties that our country has granted to its people. a reminder of the formidable and resilient American spirit that will respond to such a tragedy with nationalistic pride and action. for others though (least we forget), it is a reminder of the pain and anguish that they endure each day because their spouse, sibling, colleague or child is no longer with them. whatever your reason is for remembering and honoring those who lost their lives on september 11, 2001, please see to it that you say a special prayer for them and the us of a today. god bless humanity...

dear august, i hate to see you go...

august was another memorable month with some noteworthy transitions. i think the best way to present these events would be to countdown the minutes until it is officially SEPTEMBER.

10 - days that i got to spend at home in massachusetts with my parents and two younger sisters

9 - is the score i give to the cafeteria food here at John Carroll (it puts the menu @ PC to shame)

8 - the number of Olympic gold medals that Michael Phelps won this month in Bejing

7 - new Cleveland JVs and i've already been able to be a supportive fJV to them

6 - ty percent chance that veronica will move back to cleveland before the winter solstice

5 - different & oftentimes frustrating ways of getting around (rapid, RTA, walk, bike, carpool)

4 - month anniversary for Gisella and I (she is pretty special)

3 - lovely young women (allison, brigid & veronica) whom i had to say farewell to after living in intentional community and serving with them in Cleveland for the past eleven months

2 - places at once (still trying to balance my time spent in west & east cleveland)

1 - more day until graduate classes begin...

even though i loved you* (august), i welcome you** (september) with open arms...

to bike or not to bike?

that really is the only question for cyclists, isn't it? i mean there are plenty of tasks that need to be completed and plenty of people to "catch up" with, but does anything compare to the possibility of being selected to pedal "from sea to shining sea" in the name of habitat for humanity? i may be exaggerating the awesomeness of such a prospect (of course, there are better ways to spend one's time especially with regards to family and friends and lovers), which is why i need your help. this is the first official poll that i have ever posted on my blog (and believe me when i say that it is only the beginning) and i hope you will share your thoughts. so here it is?

should i spend the next 7.5 months fund raising/training (which includes collecting at least $4,000 and biking an average of 40-75 miles per week) and then an additional 2.5 months on the actual bike & build (assisting at various Habitat for Humanity sites) journey from providence to san francisco?

reply with a...

(1) if you think this is a great idea and should be pursued, if all other factors have been considered.

(2) if you think this is a good idea, but would encourage me to consider other options of achieving a similar experience without the physical, financial and emotional costs

(3) if you think this is not a good idea, but would suggest that i think and pray about this prospect a little bit more

(4) if you think this is a terrible idea and would suggest that i discontinue any/all preparations for this trip immediately

thanks everyone. for more information about this bike ride go to www.bikeandbuild.org

until next time, remember to wear your helmets and check your brakes...