Odds and Ends

5 days of school down, 175 days to go...

Photos from last weeks football games can be viewed here Eric, my big guy, is number 66. He's largely unseen in the photos as linemen are usually under a clump of bodies somewhere within two seconds of the play commencing. Last week's games were scrimmages and I thought the guys looked pretty good, but today will be the true test as they play their first "real" game tonight.

This quote landed in my email box this morning:

Serving God isn’t about burning yourself out. It isn’t about action motivated by guilt or obligation. It comes from a deep realization that every bit of our daily work (and play) should be aimed at serving God.

I went to lunch with a group of friends yesterday, and then to go donate blood with one of my best friends. We normally do this several times during the school year. Giving blood is a great way to help someone else...it's free, it doesn't take very long, and it can help to save someone's life. Unfortunately, I learned yesterday that our trip to Costa Rica has me banned for a duration of one year. So now I've decided I need to motivate at least five people to give blood this year in my place. Click here to learn more about how you can give the gift of life by donating blood.

Today's Saint is Saint Monica, Patron Saint of Wives...one of the ultimate Catholic Moms. Her longstanding prayers for her son, Augustine, seemed to work out after much patience. Click here to learn more about St. Monica and let's all pray, through her intercession, for our sons and daugthers.

Speaking of sons, I received a very sad email from a friend who lost someone special in Iraq this week. Please join me in praying for the repose of the soul of Tim, for his family, for all of our troops, our world leaders and for lasting peace in our world.

We have an away football game today, so our family will be taking a little road trip to Los Banos - best known for being the place you stop to buy gas on your way to San Francisco if you're from the valley. We have a few spare hours there, so we're going to explore around town a bit and I'll report back on the game and fun stuff to do in Los Banos. Please pray for no injuries!

Sorry for being a neglectful blogger this week and thanks for all of your support and encouragement. I'm hoping to be more on top of things this coming week. I have great Book Club picks for September, some fun new articles and columns to share and much more. Have a wonderful weekend!