Tag Archives: family

Share Your World 2016 Week #2

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

It’s time for SHARE YOUR WORLD again. Click the underlined link to visit Cee’s site and open yourself to a wider world.

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Here are our sharing questions for the week:

Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets? 

I suppose saying I believe in other dimensions (like Heaven and Hell) where other life exists (like angels and demons), and then saying I don’t believe there could be life on other planets would be a bit preposterous. Do I believe in the possibility? Absolutely. But I am with Larry Norman on this one.

How many places have you lived? You can share the number of physical residences and/or the number of cities.

I was born in Gardner MA and have lived most of my life in Winchendon MA. My parents moved briefly to upstate New York when I was a toddler and we lived there for about a year  and then we moved back to Winchendon. In college I lived for about a year and a half in Phoenixville Pennsylvania. That is where my son Joe was born. Then we moved back to Gardner. Now I live back in Winchendon in the house I grew up in.

If you given $22 million tax free dollars (any currency), what is the first thing you would do?

The first thing I would do is tithe to my home church. Then I would pay off my kids college loans. After that I would do all the repairs to the house that it needs inside and out ( I might actually just tear it down and rebuild on the same spot). I would set aside what I need for retirement,  put a million in a travel account. The rest I would probably give to missionary endeavors. What do I need all that money sitting around for?

The Never List: What are things you’ve never done? Or things you know you never will do?

I have never ridden a horse. I have never successfully waterskiied. I have never been sky-diving nor hot air ballooning. I have never been hang-gliding nor bungi-jumping nor zip-lining. Will I do any of these things? Most likely not.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful that after prayer on Sunday my thumb injury was healed. Hallelujah! I am looking forward to two successful moves for two more ladies in our church this week (hence the gratefulness for the the healed thumb).

Share Your World 2016 Week 1

Posted on by under For Family & Fun, Uncategorized

It is 2016 and time once again to SHARE OUR WORLDS. This is week one of the sharing and you can find out all about folks in the New Year by clicking on the underlined link. OK maybe you won’t learn everything but you will learn something and as they say “that is something at least!” 🙂

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Ready? Set? HERE WE GO……

As a child, who was your favorite relative?

My favorite relative as a child was my cousin Michael. He was imminently cool. He was closest to my age among the cousins (at least the ones I knew well) and I saw him quite often. I don’t think he felt the same. I was four years his junior definitely not cool and his mother had to baby sit me and my sister. So I guess looking back there were times he didn’t appreciate me as much as I appreciated him but that has changed over the years. He and his wife are now members of the church where I pastor and his daughter is one of our church pianists.

If you could be a tree or plant, what would you be?

I would be a date palm. Big and sweet.

What would be your preference, awake before dawn or awake before noon?

Oh gosh I am usually awake before dawn now and that is most definitely not my favorite…. but awake before noon? 😦 I guess if that could include waking up between 8 and 9 A.M. I would choose that. Sleeping until like 11 feels like such a waste of day light.

Would you like to sleep in a human size nest in a tree or be snuggled in a burrowed spot underground?

Oh underground please. I have always wanted to live in a Hobbit Hole!

photo by: http://www.backpackingearth

 

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful that I got the 20 pages of back story done for my publisher!

This week I am looking forward to helping at Special Touch REACH New England’s outreach service and I am also looking forward to helping my friend Deb Maciorowski from http://debbestillandlisten.com/ move into her new apartment. Hopefully she will be back writing again soon.

Share Your World 2015 Week #52

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

And folks this week is a wrap for 2015. Next week we start a whole new season of sharing our worlds and I believe 2016 is going to be a whole new ball of wax. It’s going to be the bee’s knees. It’s going to be the cat’s pajamas!! Oh boy am I excited to see what the New Year brings!!

The great host of Cee’s 2015 contributors can be found by clicking HERE

HERE ARE CEE’S 5 QUESTIONS AND MY 5 ANSWERS FOR THE FINAL WEEK OF 2015!

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SHARE YOUR ROAR!

 

Tell how you are feeling today in the form of a weather report. (For example, partly cloudy, sunny with a chance for showers, etc.) 

Foggy with a mix of precipitation and an occasional thunderstorm. I am admittedly a bit tired and cranky today.

What is most memorable about your high school years?

The most memorable thing about high school was my involvement in a group called Christ’s Ambassadors ( C.A.’s for short). It was in this group that I made all of my long term friendships and truly learned what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. I met my wife in C.A.’s and was called to the ministry out of that group.

Have you ever owned a rock, pet rock, or gem that is not jewelry?

Yes! Yes! and Yes! to all of the above. I was a rock collector as a child and when my parents wouldn’t buy me a pet rock I made one. His name was Charlie.

Complete this sentence:  I like watching…

Sci-fi/ fantasy. I know…I know I should probably say Bible stories or preaching videos but I am a science fiction fantasy nerd . While there are many Scyfy shows I cannot in good conscience watch I do watch others. I particularly like shows like The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl. I just started watching The Expanse and dare I say it I am a Haven junky. I just saw that the Shannara Chronicles is coming to MTV. I am going to have to give it a look see even though MTV has never been allowed on my television set.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for a peaceful Christmas (I actgually had two whole days off). I am looking forward to all God will do in 2016.

Share Your World 2015 Week #50

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

Two weeks left of life sharing in 2015 and then we are on to a whole new year!

Check out the sharing questions from CEE’S SITE below and then click on the underlined link and visit Cee’s place and share your own world with all of us there!

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Here are this week’s questions and my answers:

Favorite thing to photograph? Write? Or Cook?

Oh my this one could take a while. I think my favorite thing to photograph is trees

My favorite thing to write about is my God and Savior Jesus Christ.

My favorite thing to cook is Italian.

Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing? 

No.swinging was scary especially when everyone was jumping off. I never liked jumping off or watching people jump off. It kinda freaked me out.

What has surprised you about blogging?

The sense of community that comes with it. I have “met” so many people through blogging.

List at least five favorite desserts.

Bread pudding

Baked Indian Pudding

Grapenut Pudding

Carrot Cake

Apple Fritters (although I kind of consider this breakfast) 🙂

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for the Special Touch Christmas Party we had this weekend. Over a hundred people attended and a great time was had by all. I am also thankful I got a full twenty four hours off in a row this week! It’s a new thing I am trying.

I am looking forward to the concert at Wachusett Manor, the concert at Lifeskills and our annual Christmas Carolling night  happening this week.

A Photo A Week Challenge: Extended Family

Posted on by under Photography

Well it has been a while since I have been to a family reunion. I guess I think of my church as my extended family. I am related to lots of folks in the church where I work and to all of them by like-minded faith.

Here is my extended church family at a recent missions dinner.
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It was a great night. Teen Challenge came from Brockton and served the dinner and ministered to us in testimony and song.

Hey while you are at it check out other extended family photos at  A PHOTO A WEEK CHALLENGE!

Share Your World 2015 Week #47

Posted on by under For Family & Fun, Uncategorized

share-your-world2I’m a day late getting back into the game this week. I have been trying to make sure I get a full 24 hours off every week and this week I needed it. I slept almost 12 solid hours from Sunday into Monday and then spent most of the rest of my time lying on the couch too tired to do anything. Yesterday I hoped to hop right back into it. I even came in to the office an hour and half before anyone else to get a jump on things. E-mails and paperwork followed by two meetings, a concert and a rehearsal kept me away from the blogosphere for the entire day. By the time I stopped I had little mind space left for writing. The good news is I did get to work on the novel for a bit before the day went crazy.

But here I am once again an hour and a half before the crowd and launching into the blogosphere by SHARING MY WORLD. Cee’s questions are below and as always you can find a diversity of answers to them by clicking on the underlined link and launching yourself into Ceeland.

In your native language which letter or character describes you best?  Why?

“J” of course because that is my name. Well actually it is Joseph but I am the 5th in line and my son is the 6th so we all have nicknames: My great-grandfather was Joseph; My grandfather was Joe; My father was Jack; I’m J, and my son is Joey.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I am not a very extravagant person. I guess it would have to be eating out. I really like Italian food. Going to the movies is a close second. Oh, I suppose you could put travel in there somewhere. I try to go on a trip every couple of years.

Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?

I would rather exercise my mind than my body. I try to do both every day. I always get some mental gymnastics in. If I exercise physically three times a week right now I consider that a success

List at least 5 things that makes you laugh.

My kids100_1033

My sister100_1786

My dogs

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My Pastor Christmas hatr 5

My church family100_3866-001

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful that last Friday I got so much time to write. This week I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and my birthday! The kids are coming and we are having turkey dinner and cake. What could be better?

Share Your World 2015 Week 46

Posted on by under For Family & Fun, Uncategorized

I am coming back into the blogging world after a brief Sabbath. I am beginning this week of writing by sharing a piece of my world with all of you using my friend Cee’s forum.

Every week Cee asks five questions that connect people across the blogosphere together. You can see how all Cee’s contributors answered by clicking HERE.

My own answers are written between the bold questions below.

What type of popular candy you do not like to get?

I am NOT A FAN  of black licorice. My daughter often likes to trick me when we go to the movies. She will get me a box of Raisinets and herself a box of Good N Plenty. While I am not looking she will slip a few Good N Plentys in with my chocolate raisins and in the dark I often don’t recognize the difference until the hateful tasting objects are in my mouth.

What do you feel is the most enjoyable way to spend $500? 

I think a weekend away at a hotel with a great view and a hot tub is the best way to spend $500.00. Maybe I am just craving a vacation.

Where do you eat breakfast?

At home usually at the dining table. Sometimes in front of the TV watching the morning news.

Would you rather ride one of the worlds longest zip lines or bungee jump one of the highest in the world? This will come with a 5-day all expense vacation.

Longest Zip line. Bungees are out. I cannot bear the thought of falling all that way before bouncing back up. I think 5 days in the mountains would be a lot of fun. If this happened then I would change my answer to question number two and I would spend the $500.00 on books.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for a wonderful weekend of ministry. Saturday was Special Touch, a wedding and load in for the Cashman’s. Sunday Jonathan and Brittany Cashman ministered in three services at Cornerstone Church.

This week I am looking forward to ministering at the local Visiting Nurses Dayhab and then catching up on all the admin I have been missing.

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What Does Victory Look Like

Posted on by under Photography

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Victory.”

Here are just a few reminders of victory from my family album.

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Where there is unity there is always victory.

Publilius Syrus 

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The important thing in life is not victory but combat; it is not to have vanquished but to have fought well.

Pierre de Coubertin 

Me before the Rocky Stairs

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Me after the Rocky Stairs, but I made it!

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We cannot destroy kindred: our chains stretch a little sometimes, but they never break. ~Marquise de Sévigné

Share Your World 2015 Week #45

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

It is time to SHARE OUR WORLD again. Cee has asked us five questions as usual.

My answers are below and the rest of the world has answered on Cee’s page. So check her place out by clicking the underlined link above to learn a little about a lot of people!

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What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “fun”?

Fun!?! I think life is fun. I think all that I get to do as a minister is fun. Oh sometimes I get bogged down by the volume of the work but most times I cannot believe I get paid to do the wonderful things I do. Life is one adventure after another. It is fun!

What is your favorite time of day?

I love waking up. I try to do it slowly and when I succeed I love those first moments of coming really awake and then progressing towards that first cup of morning coffee. I especially like it if I am up before the rest of the world. There is something special about drinking coffee as the sun rises and the rest of the world comes alive.

Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want to have an evening with?

That’s easy I would spend an evening with each of my children in turn followed by an evening with all of them together. I guess that’s four evenings but it will have to do. 🙂

Complete this sentence: Something that anyone can do that will guarantee my smile is… 

Join me in worship.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful I got to start really writing again. I am looking forward to continuing at a little bit of a slower pace so that I can keep writing!

Share Your World 2015 Week #43

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

I am late getting out of the gate this week. I’ve been at Minister’s Retreat since Monday and posting was not given as an option in my time allotments.

So today is a catch-up day in the office. I have unloaded all the musical equipment I took to lead worship from  the van. I have caught up on some of my reading and even a few e-mails. I have a catch-up meeting with my lead pastor, an office to clean and worship rehearsal to prep for but I thought I would take a few moments to answer the questions from Cee’s Share Your World Post before I got started.

Here are the questions:

If you were on a debate team, what general subject would you relish debating?

I would love to debate theology.

What’s your strongest sense?

I think hearing is my strongest sense though as I age I do notice that changing. Then again, all my other senses are changing too so I guess it would still be hearing.

What would you name the autobiography of your life?

The Quiet Life Of a Country Pastor: A Divine Comedy

List your favorite flavors or types of tea.

I love fruit teas especially peach, lemon and orange.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful my lead pastor is back in the office after a month away on family leave. I am looking forward to November being a normal month where I am just normally not insanely busy.