Re-Introduction

Welcome

Ok, so it's hard to record audio podcasts in a busy house where there is no such thing as a quiet corner. Therefore, One Catholic Life is going to switch to a traditional blog with occasional audio and video podcasts. For those of you that are discovering One Catholic Life for the first time, welcome to my story. Here is the guiding principal of this blog:

• Your life and my life are gifts from God.
• God's gifts are extraordinary.
  
• Therefore, our lives are extraordinary, no matter how mundane or typical they may seem from the outside.
  

Every day I wake up and remind myself that life is beautiful. The trick is to recognize the extraordinary and celebrate it.

Pardon the repetition for those of you who started following my life last year, but I'd like to put something about myself in writing for new readers. I'm a father of four (two high school boys and two young daughters), a husband of almost 19 years (to my beautiful wife Brenda), a teacher, vice principal and technology coordinator at a Catholic elementary school, and an inquirer into the diaconate program in our diocese.

From the outside, our life looks about as average as can be: two boys, two girls, stable marriage, middle class jobs--not what you'd call diverse or unusual. And yet, each day brings with it its own special graces. No one's life is ordinary, despite how it might look when compared to the over dramatized lives on television.

Sometimes I'll write about what's going on in my present life, and other times I'll write about the past. To help me write about my childhood I'll be using a book my boys gave to me many years ago called A Father's Legacy, edited by Terri Gibbs. It poses questions to be answered during the course of a year. Needless to say, I'm a bit off the yearly schedule.

Mostly, though, I'll just write whatever I feel like writing. And maybe, if I write well enough, you'll come to see that your life is extraordinary too.

OLC#006v - Snow Storm Video

Heavy snowfall on December 19, 2008.

OLC#005 - Air Traffic Controller Strike and My Dad

A spontaneous, sometimes rambling answer to the question of what my dad for a living as I was growing up.

OCL#004 - Snow Day!

Today's show was recorded live from our backyard during a snow day.

OCL#003 - Catholic Charities, Germans from Russia and Bomb Shelters

Today I talk about the 100 Ways in 100 Days celebration organized by Catholic Charities of Spokane, and answer the question, "Describe your childhood home," which leads me to talk about Germans from Russia and living with a bomb shelter.

OCL#002 - Fire in the Hole, Nicknames, and The Big Valley

In this episode I talk about the novel Fire in the Hole by Mary Cronk Farrell. Also, find out my connection to the TV series The Big Valley as I answer the question, "Who gave you your name and why?" from the book A Father's Legacy. The companion book for mothers is called A Mother's Legacy.

OCL#001 - Hydroplanes, Slot Cars, and Salamanders

Welcome to the first episode of One Catholic Life, the experiences, reflections and memories of a Catholic husband, father, and teacher. In this episode I talk about the feast of the Baptism of Jesus, my daughter's 9th birthday, and what I liked to play as a child.