New Church
I wrote a few weeks ago about how strange it would be to be in our new church at St. Stanislaus Parish and how much the old church had meant to my family over the years. Today, Leroy and I attended our first mass in the new church.
I think it is absolutely beautiful. It is not complete inside… There is a lot more to come, but it is inviting and it feels, already, like a sacred space. It is truly a blessing to have this extraordinary facility in our parish. I am honored to be able to attend mass there and appreciate the sacrifice of so many who made it (and continue to make it) possible. I have to be honest and say that it doesn’t quite feel like home… or that it’s mine… yet. It took a while for that feeling to come in the old church and I’m sure it will take some work involving ministry before I have that feeling again, but it is something that I am willing to work towards.
Completion
I’m a list maker. I like things written down in an orderly fashion and it give me a great thrill to check things off when they are complete. I like things finished and I guess you could say I really don’t mind endings. This isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes I’m looking forward to the ending of an event so much that I don’t enjoy the process or the moments that are involved. I miss a lot. I always try to remind myself that life’s a journey, not a destination… but I really like destinations.
Today is the completion of the 2008-2009 wrestling season for our family… at least the competitive part. I’ve complained a lot this season, I know… but I have to say… this is not the ending I would have chosen… but in the word of the wise… “It is what it is.” While there is disappointment… there is a sense of relief in the completion… a sense of accomplishment and an overall feeling of peace now that it’s over and we know for sure that we will endure and live to see the end.
Dr. Forester
Once again, Dr. Forester has come to the rescue of the Rocha family. This morning, in Steel’s first match, he cut his face just above his left eye… right on the brow bone. I first noticed the blood all over him (and his opponent) in the photos. They stopped the match immediately and bandaged him up so the match could continue. Immediately afterward, he went to the training room where they cleaned him up and placed several butterfly bandages on his brow. They told him that he would have to have stitches. The problem was… we couldn’t leave.
For the next 2 matches, Steel would get bandaged up with gauze and tape all around his head. When he finished his last match for they day, we jumped in the car and headed back to Modesto where Dr. Forester agreed to wait for us (skipping dinner with his family) so he could treat the wound. We got to his office around 8:00 pm and Dr. Forester placed six stitches (using a circumcision kit…) in Steel’s brow. We made a quick pit stop at the drug store and then took him back to his hotel in Stockton for a good nights sleep.
We really appreciate Dr. Forester’s kindness and generosity.
Steel
Today is the 17th anniversary of the birth of my son Steel. It’s hard to believe that it has been that long since I held that beautiful baby in my arms. He was gorgeous… (and I’m not just saying that. I think most newborns look like lizards.) His birth was a scheduled C-Section so he came out pink, pretty and perfectly formed. I never could have imagined (or dreamed) of the young man he’d become and all he’d accomplish in such a short period of time.
Steel is passionate and compassionate. He wears his heart on his sleeve and lives his life full of emotion. He has a brilliant sense of humor and quick wit. He is loyal, thoughtful and dedicated. Steel has been recognized time and time again for is athletic accomplishments but the ones I’m most proud of have nothing to do with his physical abilities. He has been named the ”Coach’s Award” recipient on seven different occasions for various sports including baseball, soccer, football and wrestling. This speaks to his character.
I am so proud of Steel and I respect and honor his commitment to his athletic endeavors and stand in awe of all that he accomplishes. It has truly been a privilege to be along for the ride. I look forward to what the future holds for him.
He is my hero.
Fat Tuesday
I sorta have a love/hate relationship with Lent. I always look foward to it being over. It’s a trying time… and if you do it properly… a time for looking at your life with a new honesty and that’s not always comfortable. I once described it as looking in a mirror for 40 days straight. Ugh.
Fat Tuesday was traditionally the day you used up all of the “fats” in the house that you would not be eating during the Lenten season. It’s turned into a big party day… and big eat day since fasting is a regular theme for the next 40 (or so) days. Fat Tuesday is the last hurrah before Ash Wednesday. One last chance to indulge before the fast.
Friends With Nice Photographic Equipment
How’s that for a title!
My camera died this weekend. It got me though the DV Section Championships… and even limped through the podium shots, but when I was shooting the youth tournament yesterday, it finally collapsed. I think it’s the shutter. It would just hesitate a bit. Then after a while, it would not record an image at all. The biggest bummer of all is that we have the best wrestling to come in the next two weeks… Sections and State!
I packed it up and sent it off to Nikon. I’m not sure if the problem is covered under warranty (please pray) but they’ll send me an estimate after they evaluate it. The whole process could take up to 6 weeks. Darn.
So… I was planning on using my D70 (which never let me down) for the next two weeks, but I was really dreading it. It would be very frustrating with the slower frames per second speed and the resolution isn’t as high as I’m used to… and then I thought of a friend.
I have a friend who is a parent on the team who just happens to own a beautiful Nikon D300. I ran into her at school today and she told me she didn’t plan on going to the tournaments the next two weeks, but she’d be willing to loan me her camera! Can you believe it? Talk about a blessing. Soooo… I’ll be shooting the post season matches with Carol’s camera and playing with all of it’s bells and whistles. I can’t wait. Check the website for samples.
No More Youth Tournaments
It would have been much easier if my New Year’s resolution was to start a blog that said… “Things that Really Piss Me Off.” For every blessing that I think of each day, the pessimist in me finds something to complain about. (To tell the truth… the complaints come much easier.) A nicer version would be… “Things Could Always Be Worse.” Today’s post would fit under that category.
This time of year, I complain (a lot) about wrestling. The stress, the traveling, the waiting, the money… it really takes a toll both mentally and physically. But all I have to do is spend 10 minutes at a “youth” wrestling tournament to appreciate the high school experience.
Please don’t post comments defending youth wrestling. I’ll only delete them. I think of it as a necessary evil. To be a competitive wrestler in high school, you (almost) have to participate in the youth system. It worked wonders for my son and we met a lot of really wonderful people… But I’m here to say I think it’s just one step above child abuse. I couldn’t believe the screaming dads, complaining moms and crying kids I saw on the mat yesterday. One guy yelled at his son… “Everyone in this gym knows your a big ball baby.” I looked on the kids arm and his weight was only 55 lbs… Sad. Pathetic. I think it’s become a lot worse since we were on the circuit… maybe not. Maybe I was just blind, but life is stressful enough. I can’t imagine going through that willingly and worse… dragging my kid through it every weekend and justifying it as “quality time.”
So… to turn this around… The fact that I no longer have to participate in youth wrestling is a blessing to me. I don’t really like kids (don’t be shocked… if you know me at all this is not the first time you’ve heard it) but I’ve learned that I like their parents even less. High school wrestling with all of its down sides is a completely different experience for both the athlete and the families involved. I think wrestling is a terrific tool to build character in young men. (Notice I said young MEN… not young men and women… That’s a whole other conversation.) I am a huge fan… but that doesn’t mean I have to like the road to success.
Vodka
I’m not a big drinker. In fact… there are many people that I “hang” with that have never witnessed me consume alcohol. My theory is that I’d rather eat the calories. Also, I’m never quite sure how alcohol will affect my behavior so just to be safe… I usually avoid it. But today… I didn’t.
A good friend had some good Vodka and cranberry juice in her hotel room at sub-sections and since we weren’t driving anywhere, I decided to have some… It was really yummy. We had a good time and blew off some stress from the season and the tournament. I wasn’t that intoxicated. I remember EVERYTHING I did… (and everything everyone else did.)
Lettuce Wraps
I really could blog about food on a daily basis… but I’ve tried to restrain myself. I have mentioned one of my favorite restaurants before (PF Chang’s) but I have to give credit to lettuce wraps (particularly theirs) to be absolutely one of my favorite things and the opportunity to eat them is always a blessing. Costco has a version that are pretty good… but when it comes down to it, eating these delicious little bits of heaven in a nice restaurant with the “special sauce” (medium please) is really a treat. It doesn’t matter what anyone else wants… I’ll fill up on the the lettuce wraps before anything else can be brought to the table.
