Went to Milan's St Matthew for BBQ Chicken

Last saturday I went to St Matt's in Milan and bought their BBQ chicken. It appears to be a real nice parish with an active group of parishioners. The chicken was good.

Tough week after JD's passing

I talked to my best friend Joseph (we have been best frinds from age 4 until now, age52). He was also a very good friend of JD. It (JD's passing) seems to have really packed a wallop into both of us. It was worth the call, I won't wait long to cal or e-mail him in the future!

The passing of my friend JD Doherty

A friend passed away on Wednesday June 15, 2005 at 3:00pm.

He was a friend I grew up with. As a person with disabilities growing up in the 60’s, I had few role models.

I met JD when I joined the Boy Scouts in 1964. I was 11 and he was 16. JD was 4 years older and really was a person to watch and pattern. Like me, he had visible disabilities. We both had mobility challenges, but he had visual challenges and I have hearing challenges. It was a natural friend ship. Even our school friends connected, his best friend in school is the older brother of my best friend in school.

JD accomplished so much. For example: he earned his eagle, so I saw this was possible and earned mine. He was a strong participant in the parish, so (following his pattern) I became a strong and faithful participant and professes as a believer. We all know how hard it is for someone with hearing challenges to participate in a worship activity. I have always thought that in this respect (showing me faith by example) he was an angel.

You may know his name. Even though you may not have met him, he is a name you may know. This JD is the James Doherty in the Doherty -v- SCO. It was a most noted 504 case. I won’t rehash the legal or the personal issues of the decision, but it is an often-quoted case to justify the addition of skill requirements and essential skills for requiring a disabled person to meet to enter or complete a program.

Why do I mention this? Because if I had not met him, I might have never considered excelling in everything I do like going to college, getting a masters degree, and most importantly believed in myself as a person able to do and meet life’s challenges.

Even with the shortcomings of 504 and ADA, life before such legislation was much tougher. I remember scoring top score in standardized reading test in the 5th grade (there were 3 sections for a total of 75 typical students) with major disabilities and it floored the teachers (in St Paul Grade School) that such a handicapped person could be so smart. Back then (and even sometimes now); disability is equated with intelligence (concept back then seemed to be the more disability the less intelligence).

For those of you whowant to know, his funeral is Saturday at St Paul Catholic Church in Memphis. The family asks that any memorial donations be sent to St Paul Church at 1425 Shelby Drive in Memphis TN 38116.

A friend has left

JD was 4 years older than I, and that makes him 56. I met him in the Boy Scouts when I joined in 1964. His dad was the Optomotrist in the local area, and of course we all were families of St Paul Parish.

His claim to fame was that he was the James Dorherty in Dorherty -v- SCO, a landmark disability rights case. He lost his case. In his case a requirement could be added to a program to demonstrate a skill. When he was tested by demonstration and failed, he had completed 4 years of work at Southern College of Optometry, and failing to demonstrate a skill caused him -at the end of his program- to fail.

I will miss him. He was a good friend.

WHere I pray part two

I prayed at St Andrew, Lexington as my lunch break from Lexington Campus of the college I work, and met a wonderful priest, Fr David Graham.

Sacred Heart in Humboldt is also a great prayer place. http://www.sacredhearthumboldt.com/ Fr Joel Schultz is a great guy and talks to people both before and after mass. He (Fr Joel) and Fr James Martell make us UT Martin Grads proud. as alums

The saddest thing I have ever seen, no belief in a God.

I was at a funeral for a family member.

This person did not believe in any God of any sort.

He had a VFW member give a eulogy, talk about his favorite subject the WWII Seabees, and read a very generic psalm and that was all of the funeral.

I couldn't even imagine a belief in "no belief"! but it is true, the family member had no belief in any supreme being.

Sitting there I felt truly alone and sad for him. He was a good man. He led a just and good life. If he was driving 5 miles over the speed limit, then he would adjust it byu driving 5 miles under the limit.

June is the second toughest month

My mom died in October when I was 11. There are days and weeks I don't remember during this time. My aunt Mildred allowed me to stay with her & her family for a while, and helped me get through the tough times.

She died in mid June 4 years ago, and it felt as if a parent had died all over again.

She had faults, but she was there when I needed her!

Sister "Old Ironsides" OP

Here is a St Paul school story from the past and present.....................

"Old Ironside" is the phrase Fr Cashin used to describe our eighth grade teacher, Sister Jerome, in 1966 as the toughest nun on either side of the Mississippi River.

A couple of years ago, I stopped by St Cecelia's Motherhouse in Nashville to visit with former teachers of 30-40 years ago. I stopped at the imposing 20 food wrought Iron Gates and pushed the button on the speaker. I said "I want to stop and visit with former teachers from my school days". Silensce, and the "I remember you"... and the gate slowly opened. Greeting me at the door was a sweet old nun who stopped and talked to me. Lo and behold Sr. Jerome the toughest, meanest, and strictest nun EVER to hold a ruler had become a sweet older nun in retirement. WHAT A metamorphosis. Boy my perception of a person who could take on the toughest of the toughest with a steel cold stone cold stare had changed. She is the singular reason I stammer and sweat when a nun today asks me a direct question.

small world thing

When we bought our first house (Annette and I) @ 18 years ago, we moved to the country outside of Jackson, TN.

The funny thing about this is we are catholic and the rural south has few catholics. Our neightbors then (the two houses south and the one house north) were also Catholic. So in the rural south, you had 4 houses in a row with Catholic families. ALl of us attended the one Parish in Jackson, TN, St Mary's.

What are the odds?