The Armando Legend Continues

While Armando and I were driving to some basketball game last winter/early spring I asked him if he could narrow down his 40 years at Camp Stella Maris into three specific statements or memories.  He gave me that Armando look, the one that says what the heck are you talking about, and we continued on our journey. He never answered, but it did give me food for thought.  It makes it even that much clearer that his length of service is extraordinary for sure and that to try to narrow it down would take away from his lengthy impact on CSM.

Armando has just begun his 40th summer at CSM.  My 12 summers pales to his 4 decades but his impact on Camp  Stella Maris has been exponential.  Anyone who has attended CSM in recent memory knows about, has seen, or gotten to know Armando in his role as the patriarch of Camp Stella Maris.  Those of us who were with Armando “back in the day” are many, but none the less impacted.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Armando since the summer of 1990.  This was my first year at CSM and the beginning of his 22nd summer.  I had heard about him from the other counselors but nothing that they had told me even scraped the surface of the kind of person he was and his tremendous impact he would have on me and on all things CSM.  

First and foremost he has a tremendous memory and he remembers things and people in such a personal way that to just chat with him about days gone by always is a lot of fun.  He has been there through boys weeks and girls weeks, he worked on the farm with Joe Morsch, was there at the beginning of boys and girls sharing the camp together, and he has seen more programs, more skits, more bonfires, attended more staff meetings, more masses, more Prime Times (well, maybe not), known more staff members, and done more lost and found laundry than you can even imagine.  If there is ever anything you need to know about anything that happened in the last 40 years just ask.......he knows!  In addition to his knowledge of camp history he has stories that are legendary at camp.  He has managed to keep them alive and give them a life of their own.  Campers remember these stories for years and I have talked to more than my fair share of parents who attended camp who remember every detail of each camp story and more importantly, the story teller!

Armando has done just about every job you can do at camp.  He has been the summer camp director, a counselor, a rover, an area director, holdover director, the leadership coordinator, day camp worker, and served as the sounding board for every single summer camp and executive director during his four decades at camp.  His perspective, knowledge, and experience has proved invaluable to to the ongoing development of camp and camp life.  He has taken campers to the hospital, picked up supplies for the store, lined all the fields, driven the luggage truck on Sundays, and handed out security passes when parents arrive with the kids.  He has taken out docks at the end of the summer and mowed the grass.  I am sure I am leaving something out, but I am equally sure that when he reads this he will encourage me to either add or subtract something.

The impact that he has had on the thousands of kids over his stay at camp is magical.  There are few, if any, youngsters who had made camp their home away from home who do not have fond memories of Armando, Tiz, the Old Trout, Mondo, or as he prefers to be known, The Legend.  He has played games, laughed while sitting on the bench in front of the store, helped those who were homesick, led the Morsch Cheer in the dining hall of the Big House, and had has pictures taken with a great many staff members and campers. He has been the MVP of every camp game, and even invented games unique to camp.  These kids have loved him forever and he in return has loved them back.  He cares deeply for them and when the day comes that he no longer makes camp his summer home he will be missed.....for a long time!

He has legendary status at Camp Stella Maris with the staff too.  When pre-camp begins and Armando arrives on the scene he is like a magnet. He knows the inside scoop on the staff and what happens on the weekends.  They are convinced that they can do nothing without him finding out.  The staff has  always gravitated to him like a moth to a flame.  The flame can get hot sometimes and as a leader of the camp community you must be prepared to get some advice from him about how things are SUPPOSED to be done if something did not go the way it was supposed to go.  Always done with love, his leadership role has been unquestioned by all of us who worked side by side with him.  It is hard to imagine what camp might have been like without his leadership and direction. There is a cabin names for him, and rightly so.......but what he has done for camp will probably last even longer than that cabin.

For me personally, my fondest memories of Armando will be related to the development of the most significant friendship in my life.  The times that we have shared have been substantial.  We shared a crazy summer sleeping in the White House with Tim Delaney, lived upstairs with Provo and Inso across the hall, gone out with the Northern Christian Leadership Conference for ice cream,  and laughed and laughed about crazy, funny stuff that is only meaningful in light of the camp experience.  Away from camp we have travelled together for years on the AAU Basketball circuit, ate his Dad’s restaurant, gone to Disney together, and shopped at malls and Nike stores up and down the east coast.  Countless hours together for sure.  I KNOW I can count on him no matter what.  We have travelled life’s path together for over 20 years, and I am am thankful the times we have shared, the people that we can both call friends, the CSM experience, and for all the laughter that we have shared.

CSM is a better place for having had Armando in its fold the the past 40 years.  As he begins his 40th anniversary summer I wish him well and hope that he has a few more years left to give to the Place Where Memories Are Made!  I treasure his friendship and I thank God each and every day for bringing him into my life.  I may even create some kind of an activity using my favorite beads to commemorate his years at CSM.....he loves these kinds of activities! 

The memories that I have of my life with Armando are substantial and PRICELESS.

Armando is what camp is all about.

Armando is my best friend.

He is indeed a living, breathing, legend.

Teacher Recognition Day

Where to start?  In the course of my lifetime I have been blessed with many people, from many walks of life who have played an important role in helping me to learn.  I am a fan of learning and each and every person who took the time, gave of their talent or wisdom to help me get to the place where I am today I continue to recognize and express my deepest gratitude.

My mom and dad were amazing!  They taught me that being adopted is very special.  They told me that they CHOSE me from a whole nursery of babies.  This gift of learning has helped me to appreciate even more that home is about the people who love you and care for you......no matter where they come from.  Respect for others, hard work, the love for learning, and being strong in the face of adversity were all part of the learning from my first teachers.  Even though they are both gone now, I still have many fond memories of what they taught me.

School teachers.....starting with my dad....were stage two of my learning.  I learned how to share, how to be quiet when others were talking, how to listen carefully to instructions, and how to be a responsible citizen.  I did not always make this easy for them, but they were relentless and never let me off the hook.  I had some amazing and memorable teachers in primary and high school and college who I loved.  I cannot even imagine what I would have become if not for them.  They helped to create my love of reading, my interest in history, and my general love of learning for learnings sake.  My dad, my first teacher role model, was creative, knowledgeable about his area of expertise, fair, hard working, and honest.  I watched him do what he did, watched his interactions with the students, and came to want desperately to be a teacher just like him.  I still remember when I was in third grade when I as asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, and the answer was a teacher.  This never changed.

Teaching colleagues were crucial in my learning curve when it came to being a classroom teacher.  From the minute I started teaching there were those fellow teachers who made suggestions, gave me a willing ear when I needed to talk, and told me when they thought I was making a mistake.  Some of my most memorable learning took place in the faculty room, where we talked strategy, philosophy, and methodology.  For over three decades there were fellow teachers who were amazing and very talented, and who were more than willing to share with me.  I learned a lot watching them work, observing them as they interacted with their students, and had a great time when we celebrated together often on Friday afternoons during happy hour.  I loved them and miss them, but they are in my heart and mind each and every day. 

I have also had the the pleasure to work with hundreds of young people who I taught, coached, or spent time with during my twelve summers at summer camp.  They taught me about music, technology, God, and food.  Each day was a new exciting and amazing adventure.  Their honesty, their perspective, their desire to be make a difference, and their work ethic always amazed and impressed me.  I loved the kids who made such an impact on my life!  I am thankful for all they taught me.

Richard Bach said that “If you have stopped learning you are dead.”  I have always found this to be an axiom to live by.  On this day of teacher recognition I want to just say thank you.....to each and every person who teaches others.  We are better because of you and grateful for all that you do.

Happy Teacher Recognition Day!

2012

It is time to once again consider the New Year’s Resolutions.  From my experience most people are very good at making their list of resolutions, but most of us are not quite as good at keeping these well-intentioned resolutions.  I know that is hard to do, so I have decided that I am going to make some suggestions on changes that one might make in lieu of the dreaded resolutions.

My first suggestion is to make a concerted effort to do something for yourself daily, and at the very least, weekly.  Many people are great at giving to others, which I consider a noble and necessary part of being a member of the human race, but when it comes to doing something for themselves they often fall short.  Make a point this year to try and balance what you do for others with doing some nice things for yourself.  You will be surprised how much better you feel about YOU and this is going to positively impact how you feel about and what you do for others. YOU are important, so treat yourself accordingly.

Next, I want to encourage everyone to find a way to exercise the the body and make it a part of your daily routine.  The body has a limited life expectancy, and if we want to live longer and feel better we need to take care of it.  A daily walk, a trip to the gym, a bike ride on one of the local trails, walking nine holes, or doing some gardening can only make your body feel better.  To put movement into your life is amazingly powerful and once again when YOU feel good people around you will be impacted in ways that you never thought possible.  I know you are all busy, so get creative and find some new and different ways to get in shape.  Once you discover a great way to get moving share this with friends and you might be surprised at the ripple effect.

Train the brain is next on my list of suggestions.  The brain is one of the largest muscles in the body and yet a huge percentage of its power goes under utilized.  You would never think to play a sport seriously and not exercising or doing some serious training.  Why is it that we pay so little attention to training our brain?  Read a book, watch the news carefully, have serious conversations with others, argue once in a while with those who disagree with you.....force your brain to gather information and then put it to use in some way each day.  Once you stop learning you may as well be dead.  No joke!!!!  

Find some way to add love into your life.  These are both everywhere and we are so busy with the things that take up most of our day that we do not give as much attention to either of these as we should.  Give compliments often!  Little recognitions of what people do is really powerful and greatly appreciated.....a tremendous expression of love.   Give a bunch of compliments each day and you may even find that the workplace is more pleasant and a whole lot more gets done.  Love is all about seeing the best in others and then finding a way to let them know that you see their best.  Finding passion in your life is all about love. Use your love of art, gardening, wine, great food, or he family pet to incorporate feeling of love into your daily life.  Don’t forget that people love often gets lost, so pay attention to each and every person that crosses your path.  They need you and you need them.

I know this a lot to digest, so pick one, any one, and give it a shot.  You can and will make 2012 an amazing year not only for yourself, but for all the people that make up the fabric of your life.  Ultimately, I think you will find that once you get in touch with those things that make you happier as a person that your happiness will make its way into the lives of the people you come in contact with each day.

As I complete my list, I too can only hope to accomplish these tasks on at least a semi to regular basis.  It is hard sometimes to do the right thing or say the right thing.  As challenging as these all might be, they are worth the effort........you are worth the effort, and the people that you love are worth the effort as well.

I will keep you updated on my progress.

Happy New Year!!!

The Gift of Life

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the entire year.  It seems like people are a little nicer and little more forgiving while they enjoy the giving and receiving that takes place during the Christmas season.  Personally, I would much rather give than receive at this point in my life and doing things for others gives me a great deal more satisfaction than getting a gift for myself.

There are many kinds of gifts that you can give these days that generate food, water, books, schools, medical care, and basic necessities for people all over the world who are needy in one way or another.  You can put money in the Salvation Army kettles, work at a soup kitchen, provide gifts for children in the hospital, or do something special for the elderly or handicapped.  These are meaningful and necessary things that improve the quality of life for others while helping us to appreciate what we have and recognizing the importance of the willingness to share.  

My friend Betsy and I have another idea for a gift that we thing is worthy of your consideration.  It does not cost you a thing and yet the impact that this gift may have on many different people and their families is extraordinary and very far reaching.  

The gift that we would like you to consider is the gift of life.  By becoming a tissue and organ donor you can alter the lives of many people.  Your organs, your tissue, your muscles, and your bones can all be harvested when you die to help those in need.  Organs can be transplanted, your skin can be used to help those people who have suffered in a fire or a chemical accident, eyes can be used to restore sight to those who have lost their vision, and by the miracle of modern medicine you can make the lives of many that much better.  What better gift could you give another human being than this amazing gift of life?  

You can sign up for this at the Motor Vehicle Office and get that little red heart on your license.  There are registries everywhere and by spending just a few minutes on line or calling your own Doctor or hospital you can get all the information that you need to begin the process of becoming an organ/tissue donor.  An easy process but amazingly powerful impact will be the result.  

I know that this is a very personal decision.  With all the decisions that you have made already the choices that you make about how you die might be one of the most important.  Talk to a mortician if you are concerned about the final showing and this may help you to make your decision.  Whatever you do, to do this now takes the pressure off your family when so often time is of crucial importance when you pas and decisions have to be made about what needs to be done.   

Betsy is one of my best friends and it took her a while to come to this decision.  I have known for quite a while that this is what I wanted to do.  We both value life, yet we have both decided that even in death that we can make a long lasting difference.  Paying it forward is important and necessary.  We encourage all of you to consider this amazing gift of life, and if you are undecided, at the very least give it some thought.  If you need help in deciding just let us know and we will be glad to offer support and guidance.

Have an amazing holiday season!  

A Wonderful Life....For Real!

I turned 60 today and begin my 6th decade on the planet.  I am amazed by how quickly the time has flown by.  The future looks bright as well as interesting and I am hopeful that I can survive another 4 decades at least.  It would be cool to be recognized on one of those morning talk shows as being someone who has reached the magical age of 100!!!  On a more serious note, birthdays are a great time to reflect back on the year(s) gone by and to count my blessings.

I have seen a lot, done a lot, met tons and tons of amazing people, laughed until my sides hurt, and cried more times that I care to admit.  I have milked a cow, driven a tractor, replaced a transmission in my car,  worked at a summer camp for 12 summers, mowed lawns and painted houses in the summer, sold home theater equipment,   watched both my boys be born, coached lots of folks in many different sports, and spent 33 years as a high school teacher......and this does not even scratch the surface.  I have been married twice, divorced once, had a heart attack, made a lot or mistakes, helped people as often as I could, and did my best to pay attention to the news, politics, and the latest and greatest authors and books.  It has been a great adventure for sure, and even as I look back today I can smile at the things that made life better, and cringe a lot at the things that hurt others.  For this I can do nothing but deeply apologize and chalk it up to making bad choices.  I can hope for forgiveness and pray for strength to not make the same mistake again.  


This past year has been amazing.  My boys and a few friends travelled to Bethpage to play golf and I broke 100 on all three days.....in spite of enjoying a good many of the available sand traps.  I continue to travel all over the place with my friend Armando with some very talented basketball playing girls.  We put a new roof on the house.  I painted the front deck and cleaned out the basement......AKA the Great Divide.  I bought a snow blower and we had an amazing garden.  My diet is heart healthy and I have gone to the gym six days a week for two hours each day religiously.  My son's new house is painted and looks fantastic and they are now settled in like an old married couple.  I worked with my dear friends at Camp Hope.  And as I write our new kitchen is two weeks into a complete makeover.  It has been a great year and the year ahead looks like it might turn out to be another amazing 365 days!

I am a lucky man!!  I had my dream job for 33 years!  Teaching was a blast and I can honestly say that each and every day was enlightening for me.  I am reasonably sure that I learned at least as much from my students as they learned from me.  They were fun to be around and I have many powerful memories that still have a special spot in my memory banks.  I loved my students and enjoyed our time together greatly.  I pray that as I continue to get older that I will be able to draw upon these memories until my last breath.  As I complete my 6th decade I want to thank all my students....you made my life so very gratifying. I am also grateful for teaching colleagues, administrators and fellow coaches for putting up with me and helping me grow and get better at my chosen craft.  You all helped me to make my dream become a reality.  I taught for more than half my life and would do it all over again!

When you have at least one dream job you are fortunate.  When you have two you are blessed.  For 12 summers I worked at CSM and those summers have helped me to see the world differently.  The summer staffs, the people that worked directly with me, and the hundreds of campers who dominated my life for 108 weeks were amazing.  They helped me to become a better man while at the same time supporting me and my family in our times of trials and troubles.  I remember the smell of the lake, the coolness of the chapel early in the morning, the multitude of stars that shown down upon us at night, the sounds of laughter of the young people, and the warmth of the many hugs that we all shared.  I have  made many lifetime friends that I know care about me and would do what they could to help me if I needed it.  My time at dream job number 2 was extraordinary and well as necessary for my growth as a person. 

My family is happy and healthy. My boys both work hard at their jobs.  They are kind to others and make me very proud.  I have added a daughter in law that i adore.  New houses and apartments are part of my life, and each day I thank God for helping my family find its way to serenity and happiness.  My wife is terrific and she helps to make me aware of the importance of second chances.  We are all doing well and for this I am thankful. 

As a look forward to the end of my 6th decade as proceed at warp speed to my 7th I can but smile and make sure that jump out of bed each and every day ready to hit the gym and then do the things that I need or want to do.  The peak of my life has long since passed and I am on the downward slope of the mountain of life.  This is not a bad thing, but a part of God’s plan.  I have never been afraid to die, but by the same token I want nothing more to live for a good many more years.  I want to be sure to utilize the downward portion of the slope.....simply because I remember how difficult climbing UP the slope was.  I loved the challenges that going up required butI would be lying if I said I was not going to enjoy that ride down the hill.  

My adventure continues and I want to thank each and every person who has helped me this far along my journey.  I love you all and hope that our paths will cross again some time soon......at least before Al Roker mentions my name while he does the morning weather on television. 

Occupy (City Name Here)

I have to admit that I am intrigued with the Occupy (Your City Name) movement that has taken over the nation and the world.  The fact that so many thousands of people are willing to live under the stars and brave the weather in the name of what they hope will lead to a better America is amazing and in many ways very inspiring.  

Over the past few weeks I have been watching with interest with the growing numbers of people who are out there doing their thing.  I am am more interested in the great diversity of the protestors.  Young people with few job prospects and thousands in college loans, Baby Boomers who watched their retirement savings disappear with the crash of Wall Street, and elderly people who are upset with health care and money lost while under the watchful eye of Wall Street traders and bankers.  Students, teachers, homemakers, small business owners, retired folks, and people who are just sick and tired of Congressional gridlock and an unemployment rate that grows by the day.

I am a news hound who reads everything and tries to have an understanding of the economics, politics, domestic policy, and foreign policy of this nation.  Jobs and the lack thereof,  political parties that seem to be more concerned about their own party than they are about the state of the nation, leadership that is being questioned by everyone, and 24 hour news programs that use sound bites and of pieces of news that they seem to believe should pass as news dominate our lives.  When you add the political theatrics that make up the election cycle it is easy to understand why people are angry.  The more you know and the more you read or watch the news it would seem to me that our new revolutionaries have a lot to be unhappy about.

Understanding WHY they are distraught is easy.  Trying to get a grip on WHAT they plan to do about their concerns and their grievances is a completely different issue.  When I asked a friend who is participating in my city this very question he answered, We are going to make changes.”  When I pressed him about what specific changes he  reminded me that the Bank Of America, and other banks were rolling back their debit card fees.  He believed that the Occupy (Your City Name) movement was directly responsible for this.  If this is indeed true then I am very thankful for their ability to facilitate change.

I am all for the new revolutionary spirit that has taken over the nation.  Real revolutions have been few are far between in my lifetime and yet revolutions can be to focal point of real and long lasting changes.  Marching in protest, refusing to work, speaking in front of the crowd, writing a list of grievances, writing and singing revolutionary songs, going to jail in the name of the movement or using social media of all sizes and shapes are all important in a revolutionary movement.   Respect and admiration flows from me to each and every person who gives of their time, energy, and spirit to these various movements.  The Occupy (Your City Name) movement is about challenging that which is hurtful to the people and demands that the powers that be get off their dead, uncompromising asses and do what needs to be done to get this nation back on track.  This a great deal harder to do than one would think, but I honestly believe that the squeaky wheel can, and often does, get the grease.  The squeaking is getting louder and louder so keep demanding that you get some relief!!

It is my hope that a leader will emerge to help facilitate their plan for change.  I am confident that their resolve remains strong and that they will stick to their guns even as the winter weather approaches.  People in large numbers have always gotten more done that any single person so as your numbers grow you will have to find a way to make the numbers work for you and help you to get where it is that you have decided that you want to go.   

Don’t allow that 1% to prevent you from pushing forward toward the goals that you believe are worthy of your hard work. 

Continue to insist that the members of the government listen to your concerns and demand for change even when you know that our past experience has taught us that most political types are concerned more with re-election than what they can accomplish when they arrive at the beginning of a new legislative session.  What people say is not nearly as important as what they do!  We all need to be more demanding of those who make decisions in our name, using whatever means we are comfortable with.  If they are not doing what we ask of them then we MUST replace them with new representatives. Our power to vote is crucial to the process.

Do what you do to continue to hold there folks accountable as your elected officials.  They work for you, not the other way around.  Be sure to use your constitutional right to vote, speak your mind, and demand that he status quo is not good enough today, it was not good enough yesterday, and it will never be good enough.  This is true for bankers, wall street people, and those who have much more money than they need or could ever use.  

I respect you, admire you, and support you!

Plasticpalooza!!

Who in the hell invented tupperware anyhow?  I guess to answer my own question I could google it and get the name of this inventor, but I wonder if this creative soul had any idea how this mass of plastic would impact the life of an ordinary household.

We have a lot of these plastic containers in our house and they have brought me personally a goodly share of aggravation.  I am amazed how my plastic collection seems to grow exponentially and yet I cannot imagine when the I last bought any of this stuff at the store. Maybe my wife is buying this stuff and putting it away without my knowledge.  

It has found it way to our fridge, our cupboard, some drawers are filled with it, and I cannot remember that last time that I ran the dishwasher that a large portion of the load did not contain many plastic containers.  I have tried to move some it to the re-cycle graveyard, yet it seems to have more lives than a vampire and it continues to live somewhere in my house.  Too bad......we need more fleece in WNY.

I am aggravated by the fact that when I do use this stuff that I can never seem to find a top that fits.  Even the new color coded stuff leaves me pissing and moaning when I am trying to put away leftovers after dinner.  I push and pull and more often than not I just hope that I eat the leftovers by the next day so that they do not spoil because of a poor “snap top.”   They also seem to fit nowhere in our cupboards or drawers.  Crazy sizes make them impossible to store and equally difficult to maintain.

My primary theory about why I have so much plastic revolves around the possibility that other people who have collected their own stash of tupperware products are secretly doing their best to get rid of theirs by making it ours.  Parties, get togethers, bag lunches, family gatherings, and holidays provide a ton of opportunities to “forget” their plastic.  “Bring it back the next time you see me” is a great way to lose some of this plastic without agonizing about what to do with it.  Some people just flat out leave it wherever they brought it and don’t give a damn where it ends up.....as long as it is not in their house it is all good.  I even have a sneaking suspicion that some people even bring an extra bag of their plastic from home in a grocery bag and just leave it wherever they go.

I guess at the end of the day that there is not a darn thing I can do to deal with the amount of tupperware there is in my house and in the world......except to make sure that I don’t leave any leftovers, and make sure I pay close attention to what my wife brings home from the store.  Just know that the idea of bring some of my tupperware to your house so I can lighten my plastic load is a very interesting strategy.