About Me

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I’m from New York but my driver’s license lists that my address is Ohio. My passport has a number of stamps in it. I’m the youngest of six, yet oldest son. I have a number after my initials, but not my name. I like music. I like coffee, beer and bourbon. I am a follower of Jesus. I watch bonus features on DVD’s. For four months each year my wife and I are the same age. “I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians.” I am an ordained pastor, but don't currently have a church. I’ve eaten raw horse meat. I’m fifteen inches taller than my wife, but I look up to her. I still prefer buying CDs to downloading music. I’m a night owl, who doesn’t mind getting up early. I like to play games. I moved to another country nine days after my wedding. I sometimes quote random lyrics. I believe in miracles. I prefer desktops to laptops. I like listening to audio books. I watch Buffalo Bills and Sabres games. I have five sons. I'm living life mid sentence.

Friday, December 25, 2009

I Truly Have A Wonderful Life

Year after year working at the radio station I would watch It's A Wonderful Life on TV on Christmas day, while I was alone at work. Every year I felt sad as I watched the movie, feeling lonely and just plane sorry for myself. Then three years ago, while I was at work--alone--, my (then) fiance showed up at the radio station to surprise me. She had driven two hours to spend the evening with me. That evening we watched It's A Wonderful Life on TV on the large projector at the radio station, and I no longer felt sad or lonely.

Three years later, as I sit at home watching the movie, I can't help but smile. I truly have a wonderful life. I can relate with George Bailey in that I've worked jobs that I wouldn't wish on anyone, just to support my family, and I've had to make some sacrifices for the good of my family. But, like George, when I stop and evaluate my life I truly realize that God has given me a wonderful life.

Today I was able to spend time with my little family and that alone makes anything I've given up to be where I am well worth it. Seeing my beautiful wife's excitement about opening her Christmas gifts, and seeing my little boy enthusiastically play with his first box of Legos filled me with so much joy. There were sacrifices, and some of the blessings we have received this year made some of today's joys possible. I was able to sell an old prized baseball card I had held onto in order to buy my wife a Christmas gift, and we saved up a gift card that was given us for our son's birth to buy him the Legos. Do I ever wish that we lived on easy street and didn't face some of the struggles we do? Without doubt. But when all is said and done, I know that God has blessed me with so much, and like George Bailey I truly have been given a Wonderful Life.