home sweet home

at last, i've finally returned to apartment 218 on john carroll's soil. my, oh my, what a past couple of weeks i've had traveling as far south as the close-knit communities of duran, ecuador to as far north as the mountain scapes and chilly air of burlington, vermont. all that being said, i think it is official that CLEVELAND has become my new home. it usually takes about 18-20 months of living in a new neighborhood and lifestyle to become completely acclimated. it's happened for me. CLEVELAND is HOME. i've been doing a lot of thinking lately (not just about my travels & experiences in foreign lands, but about my past, present & future). i have gained many insights that i hope to share with my small, but faithful fan club in the coming days & months. please stay tuned and remember that everyone deserves a HOME.

(the pictures are on their way...i promise)

heaven's circles

recently, i've been thinking about what heaven will be like. i'm not sure if this is because i'm going home soon or what, but i've had this image of tables and tables full of people. These people are people who I have encountered in at some point over the course of my short life. the only catch is that there are only 8 chairs per table and you have to start at the front set of tables before you can move to the back (kind of like what a bride and her groom do before they leave their wedding). i'd comment more on this later, but i thought i'd share since it has been awhile since i last blogged...

tk's stimulus package

i don't know about you, but i'm having a hard time understanding some of the terms and conditions in Obama's stimulus package; in fact, i'm not sure that i've met someone who does understand his complete action plan? nevertheless, i am offering you a new, personal package which is overall more informative than lucrative:

I. PROVIDE AN IMMEDIATE SMILE FOR THE WORKERS & THEIR ANXIETY

- did you hear the one about the guy who forgot to wish his girlfriend happy 10 month anniversary after she called and emailed him all day asking him if he's forgetting something? (yeah, that was me....but i'm not alone. the husband in the Nicholas Sparks' book, The Wedding-- that i am currently reading--committed a similar crime!)

- have you ever had someone ask you in the men's room at 8:30am on st. patrick's day whether you are alright, because you're audibly dry heaving and because he thinks you've had too much to drink? (this guy did on 03.17.09, and i honestly hadn't had a drop of anything)

- have you ever been given 8 minutes to come up with an advertisement for SPAM? (my ecuador group and i successfully did last sunday)

Stimulus: Plenty of smiles & laughs
Additional Reserve: There's more where those came from...

II. PROVIDE AN IMMEDIATE SUPPLEMENT TO WHATEVER YOU ARE CURRENTLY PREOCCUPIED WITH, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WITH LOW-ATTENTION SPANS

- let's switch 'em up. go to this site now and check out what i've been working on for one of my education classes (http://lifenotes-tk.blogspot.com/). feel free to share your comments.

- in case any of you were looking to be a little GREENer, i would recommend checking out this site/movement (http://www.earthhour.org/home/)

-if any of you were/are curious as to what i actually do as a resident minister at john carroll university, i invite you to check out this website (http://www.jcu.edu/campuslife/campusministry/resident_ministry.htm)

Stimulus: Openness to learn about other cultures & communities as well as live more simply

III. ESTABLISH A SECURE BOND THAT WILL HELP FRIENDS AVOID NEGLIGENCE & STAY CONNECTED

- reasons why i haven't done a superb job keeping in touch: FULL calendar of STUFF; been traveling a lot lately; still grieving my great aunt pat's passing; been glued to the television set whenever college basketball games are being aired; i've been SICK; keeping my 11 month relationship with Gisella going strong

- i've been praying for you all...and meeting some of you in the Eucharist at Mass

- i want to hear about ALL that you've been up to, so please do not forget to include that if you decide to comment or reply back! (Mose, Beth, Ericc & Katie Walsh, i look forward to reading your mass emails from afar...do keep sending them!)

Stimulus: GMAIL & Facebook (i know they can get the best of you, but they are great resources for keeping in touch!)
Additional reserve: Letter-writing & long-distance phone calls (it'll be my dime :)


IV. PROVIDE RELIEF FOR COLLEAGUES, FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS HARDEST-HIT BY CLEVELAND WEATHER PATTERNS, FRIARTOWN WOES, AND THE PEACEFUL DEPARTURE OF GREAT AUNT PAT

- i'm sure you've heard the expression that "a picture is worth a thousand words." well, i do believe that, but i also believe that a video is worth even a little bit more and certainly a few good laughs. so i would like to present some of my latest cinematographic work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTl9qxC11O4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3st6EwmGfs

Stimulus: Aspirations of becoming a part-time filmmaker

V. EXTEND & EXPAND THE WAYS IN WHICH I SHARE MY LATEST NEWS WITH THE FOLKS I CALL MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

- i hope you have enjoyed this blog entry & my personal stimulus plan
- know that i am thinking and praying for you and your current situation(s)

Continued Lenten Peace,
tk

p.s. when the "collection basket" for putting this stimulus package together comes around, please deposit at least $0.25 to support JCU immersion trips (i'm serious...i gotta pay for this trip somehow!)

the [iM)perfect president

i guess it's about time (on one of, if not, the most historic inaugural addresses in American history) that i address this issue. ever since i have decided that sen. barack obama was my choice for US president, i have withstood several confrontations from friends and colleagues with regards to being explicitly Catholic (and pro-life) and a supporter of obama. a few examples of what i have been "called out" on include: "how can you vote for someone who is a murderer and wants to kill innocent babies?" or "don't you know that the first thing barack obama wants to do when he is elected is pass the Freedom of Choice Act [which, if passed, would abolish all legal restrictions on a woman's choice to have an abortion anywhere in the US] and supports the continued holocaust of the next generation through abortion?" i am certainly grateful that a handful of friends with whom i have the deepest admiration and respect for have challenged me on this all-important issue of life. however, while i mostly agree with what they say with regards to the sanctity of life at all developmental stages, i also did not vote solely on end-of-life issues, but rather on all platforms that directly affect the common good of all man-and woman-kind (esp. the poor and vulnerable). with that out in the open, my response...

first and foremost, i think in responding to my critics/concerned friends, i need to direct them to the major resource (http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/) that i employed after realizing where barack obama stood on end-of-life issues that matter to me. i do not want any of you to think that i just waived or disregarded the stance that obama took on issues like the death penalty or roe v. wade decision or embryonic stem-cell research. that would be irresponsible and imprudent. for me, barack's positions on these issues were both startling and painful to read/comprehend. needless to say, i do not agree with him on several of these end-of-life issues and seemingly never will. at this juncture, one may say, "there you have it. barack obama's opinions/beliefs do not coincide with your own. the decision is easy now. john mccain is your man!" not so fast. hold your horses. this is where i want you to pay close attention.

I ARRIVED AT THE CONCLUSION THAT BARACK OBAMA IS A BETTER CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT DUE TO THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

1) Barack Obama pledges to address and reform serious educational issues (i.e. student dropout crisis, affordable access to higher-education, improvements in early childhood education)

2) Barack Obama plans to expand the job market (including a sizable increase in minimum wage), tackle affordable housing issues with appropriate grants/funds, and transform rural & urban neighborhoods by reducing poverty/crime

3) Barack Obama not only believes that the US should responsibly end the war in Iraq (and immediately remove US troops) but he also believes that there should be a concentrated effort on the part of his administration to support Iraqi refugees (bring them safely home) and prevent further war crimes and genocidal-type violence

4) Barack Obama is committed to defending the elderly through assuring medicare relief and solidifying fair social security standards

5) Barack Obama's is committed to working with women (and men) in preventive measures against HIV/AIDS, unintended pregnancies, cancer & other healthy risks, domestic & gender violence, pay equity (establishment of), women veterans (honor & care of), and title IX (protection of)

6) the Obama family (Barack, Michelle, Sasha, and Malia Ann) and their values

7) Barack Obama loves basketball (this is really just a bonus and has nothing to do with why I voted for him)

please rest assured that i am and will always be pro-life, and i am still committed to standing up for some of the basic human goods (i.e. life) that Obama's proposed policies are destined to impact immediately. i hope you will join me in continued discussion, reflection and prayer as we welcome the 44th president of the United States of America, Barack H. Obama (and his family), into the White House. May God continue to bless their minds, hearts and souls as well as the entire human race...and "stand beside her and guide her through the night with a light from above." ("God Bless America,"Irving Berlin, 1918)

2008, i hate to see you go!

boy, oh boy, what a year it has been. here's a look at some of the highlights from the past 12 months....

Tommy's past:

o Tommy fell in love with a beautiful woman named Gisella

o Tommy finished his JVC year in the Cleve with three great people (Brig, Al & V.) and learned so much from each one of them on Church Avenue

o Tommy kept in touch with family and folks from SMdP HS, PC, Feehan, Norton as well as the greater Cleveland area

o Tommy bought his very first BIKE & loves to wear his helmet while peddling around the city

o Tommy became an experienced traveler as he visited Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, New Orleans, D.C., Iowa, Dayton, Cincy, St. Louis, Burlington, and Canada & used planes, trains & automobiles (as well as his bike & own two feet) to get there

o Tommy voted for President-elect Barack Obama in one of the most historic presidential elections this country has ever witnessed

o Tommy is glad you were a part of his year!

Someone famous & well-liked once said, "there is no better moment than the present." TK agrees with this statement at least for now ;)

TK's present:

- TK is returning to John Carroll for his second semester of grad school

- TK is resuming his position as resident minister in Murphy Hall

- TK is celebrating his sister's (Meghan) 21st birthday in Burlington, VT

- TK is looking for a new pair of basketball sneaks & a used fiddle

- TK is disappointed that the Patriots (11-5) didn't make the playoffs, but is ready for pitchers & catchers to report to spring training in February

- TK is excited that he will be back home (in Massachusetts) for spring break (February 27-March 8)

- TK is praying for you and your loved ones

what promises 2009 (and beyond) hold for mr. tom kerrigan...

Tom's future:

* Tom will be participating in an eight-day silent retreat at the JRH in Parma, OH before beginning the spring semester

* Tom will be traveling to Ecuador with a group of JCU students in May 2009

* Tom will, hopefully, be spending the summer of 2009 serving as a camp counselor to urban youth on the west side of Cleveland (maybe even a possible service trip visit to Ireland in late July?)

* Tom will continue meeting with his spiritual director (Fr. Bob Welsh, S.J.)

* Tom will be writing more letters, saving more money, spending less time on the computer, worrying less, keeping in better shape, cutting his hair at the same barber shop, eating more healthy foods, taking better care of self, and praying more consistently

since it is new year's eve & there is copious amounts of snow falling from the heavens, i thought it would be appropriate to share with you a new joke of mine (taken from a page in the kid's monthly magazine, Highlights).....

q. why was the baby ant confused?
(idk, why?)
a. because, his uncles were ants!

may the Lord continue to bless you each and every day. take good care.

His peace and love,
tk

[receive] Christmas

27 minutes until another Christmas day has come and gone. i figured i'd blog before going to bed on a simple, humbling & very meaningful Christmas. i did not wake up this morning thinking that i would look out my window and see green grass and 12+ inches of melted snow on the ground or play a family boardgame created by my younger sister (Kaitlyn) or even share Christmas meal with my maternal grandfather. but i will retire to bed tonight with a fuller understanding & deeper appreciation for the promise that is Christ each and every morning (not just on December 25th). He has blessed my family & i in oh so many ways and hope that He has done the same for you. so without further adieu, merry Christmas to all and to all a good & peaceful night!

it is a wonderful life...

after watching one of my favorite Christmas movies of all-time, It's a Wonderful Life, i am reminded of the true meaning & spirit of this special season--namely to recognize the greatest gift that the good Lord has given to men and women alike is life. Jesus, of course, is the reason we celebrate the season and His birth, life, death & resurrection have the utmost importance to so many of us; however, for each of us to forget that our life is precious and worth living (no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in) would be foolish. instead, let us celebrate life and the blessings that accompany that great gift this day & every day. tonight, i was reminded of what it feels like to lose all hope in oneself and one's life, and i want no part of that. we can all learn a very important message from George Bailey's (Jimmy Stewart) guardian angel, Clarence AS2 (Angel second-class), whose words jingle like the silver bells that adorn the tallest of trees: "remember that no man is a failure who has FRIENDS."