Listen to this inspiring talk by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen about the importance of adoration.
When I was 12 years old, I took over a paper route delivering newspapers for the Peoria Journal Star. Every day, I picked up the newspapers at Stafford’s Dairy, which was located about 6 blocks from my parents’ home.
As you may know, the Broadway show, Wicked, played in Peoria from October 12th through October 30th. When tickets went on sale a few months ago, I bought tickets for me, Georgette, and our three youngest daughters, Mary, Christine and Teresa. Tickets ranged in price from $42 to $127. I got by “cheap” by purchasing the $42 (second balcony) tickets for a total cost of $210..
BOO! IT’S GETTING SCARY OUT THERE! As I am writing this, there are “Occupy” protests going on in numerous cities throughout the United States. One of the gripes of the protestors is the lack of jobs that are available. The protesters remind me of Linus in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Instead of going trick-or-treating with his friends, Linus waited up all night in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to arrive with free toys and candy. My favorite quote from the show came from Linus when he said: “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”
Earlier this month, I walked into my office and picked up a five-page document that had been placed in my inbox by one of my employees. The pages were stapled together and the first thing I noticed was that only one end of the staple had gone through the stack of papers, while the other end was crushed and clumped together on top of the first page. This was the third time in two weeks that I was given a document that had a staple that was crushed on one end.
When I was a freshman in college, I shared an apartment with a student who was a junior at the same college I was attending. His name was Dale.
It all started when my wife got pregnant within a month after we were married. What I mean by “it all started” were the questions we got from friends, relatives, and even strangers. Questions like: “Was it an accident?” or “Why didn’t you wait a few years before having your first child?” or “How long have you been married?” Then of course there was the 2-part question. First part: “When’s your due date?” Second part: “Oh, so when did you get married?” Then a pause to do the math to figure out when the pregnancy occurred – before or after the wedding.
Did you know that at one 
time Peoria was known as the “Whiskey Capital” of Illinois? According to a PeoriaMagazines.com article written by Jerry Klein, between 1837 and 1919, there were 24 breweries and 73 distilleries in Peoria. In another publication, “A Brief History of Peoria,” published by C.A. Cockle in 1896, it was noted that out of all of the breweries in Peoria, three of them had the lions’ share of the beer market: Gipps Brewing Co., Leisy Brewing Co. and Union Brewing Co.
The year was 1966. I was 9 years old and had just started the fourth grade at St. Mark’s grade school in Peoria. When my mom questioned me about what school supplies I needed, I asked her to buy me a mechanical pencil (refillable lead pencil). I had asked for a mechanical pencil in the past, but was told that I didn’t need one. When my mom returned from the store, she surprised me with a new mechanical pencil.
When I was growing up in the 1960’s, it was a common practice to give a young boy or girl a piggy bank as a birthday present. Parents routinely gave piggy banks to their children and then repeatedly reminded them to “put your money in your bank.” Ask any boy or girl today what a piggy bank is and the only response you’ll get will most likely be a blank stare. Of course, they would be able to give you a detailed description of Lady Gaga and tell you what an iPad is, but they wouldn’t have a clue as to what a piggy bank is.
In the movie Back To The Future Part II, the main character, Marty McFly, travels 30 years into the future with scientist, Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown. The movie starts with Doc returning from the year 2015 to 1985 and notifying Marty (who at that time is 17 years old and in high school) that they have to go “back to the future” to help Marty’s (future) son.