This is my first day off since returning home from my family travels. The first item on the to do list is to shed my caveman hair which is a bit out of control. I won't slow down until the to do list is complete.
I would like to salute the leaders of our pickleball group who are working hard to bring outdoor pickleball courts to our community. Our new shirts are in. I can't wait to spread some pickleball love to our community. I'm back on the tennis courts tonight to prepare for some important upcoming matches. Both teams are off to a fast start. It's going to be busy. Have a great day.
I find it hard to believe we are equipped with trillions of brain cells. How on earth are we to manage all that circuitry? Sadly, most of us are on autopilot and we have no clue how to optimize brain performance. I'm starting small. My plan is to simply increase awareness of the current programming and slowly introduce some rewiring. This may seem complicated but it's not as daunting as one might think.
Perhaps the most controversial part of my brain rewiring has to do with the food supply. Although the brain needs glucose to thrive, I have pretty much cut out my sugar intake instead forcing my brain to be powered by ketones. Ketones, made in the liver, are an alternative food source for the brain.
The brain rewiring I'm going through is a grand experiment to see what happens when the overall programming is completely revamped. I suppose I could always revert to my old ways but the odds of that are slim since early rewiring results are yielding amazing successful outcomes. I really don't know what my limits are. What I'm learning is my old limits were pretty much self-imposed. Stay tuned. This is an exciting adventure. Have a great day.
I woke up at 3am this morning with a startling realization – I'm the oldest living male on both sides of my family. The baton has been passed. The good news is I can still rely on my mother, the oldest living member of her generation on her side of the family, for important life lessons. Also, there is great wisdom on both sides of the family in our current generation tasked with making the world better before it's our turn to step aside.
The stories of our forefathers will be told for generations in our family. My own stories I've been sharing here on this blog since 2009 will outlive me. While I'm in possession of the baton I will do my best to help make our own world better. Jesus is the one I turn to for the necessary wisdom to navigate a world that sometimes appears divided and hostile. I will continue to look in the mirror and work on my own weaknesses while remembering the lessons of those who came before me.
Perhaps the greatest lesson I learned from both parents is about forgiveness. It's the last lesson dad passed on to us and he did it with my mother at his bedside during his last days. This lesson is almost impossible to learn if you grew up in a household where forgiveness is more a sign of weakness than a way of life. It's the missing ingredient in our culture. My life completely transformed when I learned this lesson later in my life. If there is a number two issue to share, in my opinion, this has to do with worry. Don't worry. Waking up at 3am startled doesn't have to mean your life is filled with worry. See the opportunity in front of you and seize the day. Run your race to completion. Help others along the way. Keep running. Have a great day.
My eyes focused on the California plates of my uncle's white ford mustang as my cousins drove off. TTG414. It was a defining moment in our family history. We spent summer vacations visiting dad's twin brother in San Diego and my cousins visited us in Phoenix at Thanksgiving. This would be the last vacation we spent together in our Sunnyslope home in north Phoenix where I grew up. I know and my cousins know the pain of divorce. This morning I will be lighting a candle in our house of worship to celebrate the life of my dad's twin brother, Mike Mulligan.
My uncle Mike is responsible for one of the greatest defining moments in our family history and I'm deeply thankful for what he did behind the scenes twenty-two years ago to bring his twin brother home. There was quite a bit of chatter between the twins, Pat and Mike, when my dad revealed he had a spot on his lung. Uncle Mike convinced my dad to return home after a long absence from his family. Dad was living deep in the heart of Mexico at the time. Uncle Mike persuaded his twin that the best option for treatment was the VA hospital in San Diego. He helped dad get his military papers in order so he could get treatment. Sadly, when dad came home it was too late as the cancer had spread to all of his vital organs. Our defining moment lasted 35 days. We were fortunate that the twins spent time together on the front porch of my sister's home where dad and his wife, Molly, stayed. A twin rose showed up near the spot where the twins reclined during dad's final days. We spotted it after dad passed. It was a gift from heaven letting us know dad was home safe. Now his twin is with him and all but two siblings who are still working on their own defining moments with their families.
My dad was very private about his faith. Something happens when one realizes death is knocking on the door. It's a "come to Jesus moment" that removes the filters we use to protect ourselves from our fears about what others think about our actions. In the end, all of us want to belong. These twins are now reunited after a long time apart. I will never forget how these two could harmonize when they sang together. These twins kept the faith. They finished the race. That's why I'm lighting a candle today. I'm remembering the defining moments. If you could please join me in a prayer for my cousins, their spouses, and their children, that is much appreciated. Have a great day.
Pictured here is my dad's twin brother, Mike Mulligan, born on Christmas day, the last male relative of his generation to finish the race and enter Heaven where he joins brothers, Jim, Dickie, Thomas, Patrick, John, and sisters, Mary, and Peggy. If you happen to be a Padres fan like our family and my uncle Mike, you know how difficult life can be at times, especially this year when the Padres were one win away from defeating the eventual World Series Champions this year.
The family is asking for special prayers tomorrow. Here is an excerpt from a family post shared by daughter-in-law, Laurie...
In memory of Mike Mulligan, please take a moment in solitude this Sunday, November 3 and celebrate him in a quiet prayer. His modesty wouldn’t call for anything more than a lit candle or a little donation to a good cause. He was still able to recite the Lord’s Prayer and Hail Mary so he carried his faith all the way through. He proved that a kind smile goes a long way to helping others. It’s a gift he gave freely. His ashes will be scattered at sea.
May he rest in peace.
I would like to add my two cents. It's one of those oops moments. I intended to go to my house of worship yesterday on All Souls Day and offer a prayer for my uncle but I failed to remember until it was too late. A mulligan was needed to correct the mishap. This morning, my wife and I turned to our favorite YouTube pastor, Fr. Mike Schmitz of Dubuth, Minnesota. We found a worship service from All Souls Day, November 1, 2023. This was a special mass for Fr. Mike because it was the first All Souls Day Mass he celebrated for his mother, another new arrival in Heaven. Perhaps you could join me in offering a prayer for my uncle Mike while listening to Fr. Mike Schmitz. His talk about participating in family Ironman triathlons resonates with me because I attempted my own 1/2 Ironman triathlon twice unable to cross the finish line.
22 years ago we selected a reading about finishing the race when our dad entered heaven after his battle with cancer. It brings me great joy to know these Mulligan siblings are together again. Your prayers for my uncle and his family are much appreciated. Here is the mass I offered to my uncle. It's worth checking out if you have a loved one who crossed the finish line. Have a great day.
The voice of narrator James will soon appear on my first audiobook. James completed the project while I was on vacation. All that remains is for me to edit the files and sign off. Once this happens, "Live Long and Prosper" will be available on Amazon as an audiobook. Stay tuned. Have a great day.
The vacation is officially over. The photo you see is my favorite, partly because this is the location where we stopped to have lunch during one of our family adventures exploring Central Oregon.
We had abundant family time during this trip. Wheels are up at 5:30am. I'm thankful. Mother Nature was fully cooperative during our stay. This is a great time of year to see this part of the US. We will be back. It's time to go home. Have a great day.
