Stories for Dads and Moms who Need a Laugh

Joey Olszewski was my cousin. He passed away in 2010 from an illness. News of the illness and eventual passing shocked my family. Joey was a healthy, athletic young man who played sports in high school and college. I'll tell you more about him later, but for now I want you to know what his family is doing to honor his legacy The Olszewskis started the Joey Olszewski Memorial Scholarship Fund  to honor their son and brother. The scholarship is awarded to a student-athlete at Massabesic who exemplifies character, grit, and community spirit. Fabulous Prizes to be Raffled off The scholarship fund is selling raffles for various prizes. All of the proceeds raised will go to the Joey O Memorial Scholarship Fund. this year's drive is a special one, as it marks the 25th anniversary of Massabesic's 2000 State Football Championship.  Bar Harbor Vacation. A three-night stay at a 3-bedroom condo in downtown Bar Harbor. Good November-March. New England Patriots Tickets. Two premium tic...

Loyal readers know there's never a dull moment with Wife and the Miracles of Christ. If we're not travelling to see one side, we're going in the other direction to see the other side. Sometimes we are staying the night and sometimes it's just a day trip. Whatever it is, whoever we're visiting, it's keeping everyone here on our toes. Sometimes there is a reason for visiting family that is not-so-great. I've told you about trips I've had to make in the past to say final goodbyes to family members.  There are also happy reasons for leaving the homestead and heading out to see people. Whatever it is, there is always news about our family, and sometimes that news gives us cause to get in the car and go. I got news of my uncle Jeff's passing two weeks ago. It was more sad news for my father's side of the family. I've said goodbye to my grandmother, two aunts and an uncle already. This made for the second uncle I've lost on this side. Uncle Jef...

September 20. The big day! Wife, the children, and I went to Maine last week. My cousin was getting married. Marriage and weddings are special occasions to celebrate, and it was quite a sight to see my little cousin tie the knot. My cousin's name is Dara. My uncle called him "Daronald". This led to my nicknames of "Damented", "Dalerious", and my favorite, "Daronalerious". As Dara grew up, I would play wiffle ball with him. My aunt and uncle have a pond on their land. We would go to the pond and try to catch frogs. Sometimes we got lucky and caught one. Video Games with my Cousin We also played video games. We played "High Heat 2004" . I liked this game and I thought it was just as good as what EA Games had to offer. I was in the minority. Anyway, Dara and I would play "High Heat". Because he was a child, I usually threw the ball down the middle for him. He would hit it, but I had good defense behind my pitcher, so I was ab...

Last night, I was watching a live feed from "That Dad Blog" . I started watching when receiving a notification from Instagram telling me that Alan, the man who runs that dad blog, had started a video and, curious, I decided to check it out. Challenges for Parents and Children The video was a good one. It was Alan walking down the road he lived on with his wife and children. As the family was walking, Alan was talking about how life had been going for him and his brood. The main focus of the video seemed to be his adopted daughter. His girl was born in Colombia. Learning English has been just one of the many challenges she has faced with her adoptive family. In addition to learning the language and customs of the family she is now living in, she is also dealing with the challenges that come with being a teenager and going to school. To me, it seems she has a lot of support from her family, and I hope things are going relatively smooth for her in her life. My wife and I have a...

It hasn't been the best of months for my family. In just a few weeks, we have said goodbye to two members of our clan. On of these relatives was an older person, the other wasn't so old, and that made it harder to say goodbye. "C" was young and healthy. It was a shock when we learned they were diagnosed with cancer. It was a difficult journey for her and her immediate family. My own family did all we could to for them and their family. The doctors did all they could do, but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough. We all gathered to say goodbye to them. It was comforting to see the long line of people who waited to say goodbye to them and offer condolences. I was amazed at the number of people who had been touched by "C" during their short life. It obviously wasn't easy for their family. "C" had passed close to Easter. There is never a good time to say good bye to a loved one, but doing it close to a holiday makes it especially difficult. Life goe...