What if tomorrow we had our last
And our future suddenly met our past
What if we didn't have another day
And a bigger plan now blocked our way
What if our dreams have met their end
Without a daydream left to spend
And those we did not quite achieve
Laid broken for our souls ro grieve
What if we left some things unsaid
And did not bury things long dead
What if we failed to mend a hurt
Before we filled the hole with dirt
What if this was the final call
Would we step up to answer all
What if our judgement day was here
Are we righteous people without fear
Did we live our lives without regret
And love the others that we met
Did we make the most of every day
And help those lost to find the way
What if tomorrow all was lost
And we had to pay the final cost
Would we say we saw it all
Or would just accept the fall
If you feel you forgot to live
Or the blessings how we can forgive
Reach long and hard within your heart
It's not too late to embrace the start
Tomorrow is no guarantee
For anyone like you and me
So make the best of every day
And together we can find our way
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Tribute To Richard Fink
Good morning. I have a heavy heart for some extended family today. I'd like to share some of those feelings with all of you.
Growing up in a somewhat rural area meant not having a whole lot of other kids living close to me. However, I was blessed beyond words to have the Fink family a short distance away. All of the kids were older than me, some significantly so, but for some reason they took me in anyway. In many ways I became the kid brother, kind of like the ones that would suddenly show up in a sitcom once the main kids weren't as young and cute anymore. I hung around the house for weekends and summers on end, always feeling welcome and loved.
When speaking about people, we often overuse words like "larger than life" or "one of a kind", but Richard (the Dad of the family) was truly those things. But he was not a boisterous person, in fact he was quite the opposite. He was genuine, honest, and quiet to some degree. What he said had purpose. Once you got to know him you could find a gentle side that liked to laugh and tell the tales of his experiences. His stories would be captivating in their unbelievable nature and yet you knew they actually happened. Once he would finish the story he would shrug and give an almost boyish giggle as though to say "I'm amazed by it too!". Despite the simplicity he showed on the outside, there was a terrific mechanical genius on the inside. He told me once that he would get a job at the machine shop he owned that he didn't even have a machine capable of doing. So he would lay awake at night and picture the process needed to make this certain part and he could design a new machine in his head, and go build it.
I was incredibly lucky to have been part of Richard's life, and the entire Fink family's life for that matter. He was so patient and gracious having this young twerp hanging around all the time, yet I never felt he looked at it that way. He taught me to ride dirt bikes, took me for motorcycle rides, and let me hang with him at the mountain cabin. We bowled together for a number for a few years and he got to know my wife and son. As the years went on, the family moved from state to state, but we still kept loosely in touch. I last saw Richard at his 80th birthday party. He should have been ashamed of how good he looked for that age! We wrote a few letters. The last we spoke was a phone call 5 years ago when we had our 25th Anniversary party.
The last few communications with him I made it a point to tell him that his friendship and willingness to essentially adopt me as one of his own was one of the most important things in my life growing up. I hope he understood that. I hope he understood that as I got older I looked back on that relationship with him and the entire family as a true gift that is beyond any earthly value.
Richard...you deserve a very special place in heaven and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for every story, and laugh, and adventure that you provided me. God speed. Love, Tommy.
Growing up in a somewhat rural area meant not having a whole lot of other kids living close to me. However, I was blessed beyond words to have the Fink family a short distance away. All of the kids were older than me, some significantly so, but for some reason they took me in anyway. In many ways I became the kid brother, kind of like the ones that would suddenly show up in a sitcom once the main kids weren't as young and cute anymore. I hung around the house for weekends and summers on end, always feeling welcome and loved.
When speaking about people, we often overuse words like "larger than life" or "one of a kind", but Richard (the Dad of the family) was truly those things. But he was not a boisterous person, in fact he was quite the opposite. He was genuine, honest, and quiet to some degree. What he said had purpose. Once you got to know him you could find a gentle side that liked to laugh and tell the tales of his experiences. His stories would be captivating in their unbelievable nature and yet you knew they actually happened. Once he would finish the story he would shrug and give an almost boyish giggle as though to say "I'm amazed by it too!". Despite the simplicity he showed on the outside, there was a terrific mechanical genius on the inside. He told me once that he would get a job at the machine shop he owned that he didn't even have a machine capable of doing. So he would lay awake at night and picture the process needed to make this certain part and he could design a new machine in his head, and go build it.
I was incredibly lucky to have been part of Richard's life, and the entire Fink family's life for that matter. He was so patient and gracious having this young twerp hanging around all the time, yet I never felt he looked at it that way. He taught me to ride dirt bikes, took me for motorcycle rides, and let me hang with him at the mountain cabin. We bowled together for a number for a few years and he got to know my wife and son. As the years went on, the family moved from state to state, but we still kept loosely in touch. I last saw Richard at his 80th birthday party. He should have been ashamed of how good he looked for that age! We wrote a few letters. The last we spoke was a phone call 5 years ago when we had our 25th Anniversary party.
The last few communications with him I made it a point to tell him that his friendship and willingness to essentially adopt me as one of his own was one of the most important things in my life growing up. I hope he understood that. I hope he understood that as I got older I looked back on that relationship with him and the entire family as a true gift that is beyond any earthly value.
Richard...you deserve a very special place in heaven and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for every story, and laugh, and adventure that you provided me. God speed. Love, Tommy.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
The Coronavirus
Put any 10 people into a room right now and you very well might get 10 different opinions about the Coronavirus. These opinions will range wildly from panic, to claiming it as a conspiracy to cost Trump the election.
I'm not going to offer my own opinion necessarily, but rather I will focus on how frightening the prospect is as a special needs parent.
For now lets make the assumption that there will be infections locally. The impact that this could cause for Tyler could be quite frightening. Consider:
1. Tyler attends a day program with many other disabled individuals with many types of disabilities. I cannot image the challenge to keep perfect hygiene in a place where there are adults in diapers, drooling, hands constantly at faces, etc. Even in the best of circumstances its got to be a breeding ground for germs.
2. What happens if Tyler, or the staff contract the virus? How will the agency maintain staffing levels if the worst scenario comes true? Tyler and his housemate are not able to care for themselves in an emergency.
3. Tyler, like many other in the special needs community, has pre-existing conditions. While these are not specifically threatening against the virus, how many others are in the direct line of fire because of theirs?
These are serious issues that nursing homes, group homes, and other care facilities are about to run headlong straight into. I just hope and pray we don't reach some of these possibilities.
Be well and God bless. Tom
I'm not going to offer my own opinion necessarily, but rather I will focus on how frightening the prospect is as a special needs parent.
For now lets make the assumption that there will be infections locally. The impact that this could cause for Tyler could be quite frightening. Consider:
1. Tyler attends a day program with many other disabled individuals with many types of disabilities. I cannot image the challenge to keep perfect hygiene in a place where there are adults in diapers, drooling, hands constantly at faces, etc. Even in the best of circumstances its got to be a breeding ground for germs.
2. What happens if Tyler, or the staff contract the virus? How will the agency maintain staffing levels if the worst scenario comes true? Tyler and his housemate are not able to care for themselves in an emergency.
3. Tyler, like many other in the special needs community, has pre-existing conditions. While these are not specifically threatening against the virus, how many others are in the direct line of fire because of theirs?
These are serious issues that nursing homes, group homes, and other care facilities are about to run headlong straight into. I just hope and pray we don't reach some of these possibilities.
Be well and God bless. Tom
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