Veterans Day Holiday

This is an edited rerun of a blog post first written in 2008:

Today is Veteran's Day, a national holiday that has been observed since 1954 (before that it was called Armistice Day). It is a day set aside to honor the country's living veterans who served in wartime or peacetime. Some people confuse this holiday with Memorial Day, which also honors veterans, but is actually to honor those that have died serving our country. Still others confuse both holidays as a day to have a sale! Usually it's the furniture stores, car dealerships, and most any other retail store that chooses to do so. Why? What does honoring a veteran of war have to do with getting 50% off a new couch or end table? If they really wanted to honor veterans, they would close their store like most banks do, and go to a parade or museum with their family. Better yet, call a veteran or go by a local VFW hall, and thank him (or her) in person! I have uncles and cousins who served our country in the military. My nephew is a paralegal in the Army and is also serving with the Army Rangers. The closest I got to serving was when I was in the Air Force ROTC while in college. I had a pilot slot but dropped out after I failed my vision exam before my junior year. Nevertheless, I honor the many living veterans today who served our country with honor, to give us the freedom that we enjoy today! Thank you for your service to our Nation. May God bless you all the rest of your days!

No Shave November

My Managing Director sent out an e-mail the other day saying that our office was going to participate in a "No Shave November" beard growing contest to help and support people suffering from cancer.  Now, I haven't had a beard or goatee in over a decade, so it's not something I would have decided to do on my own, but since our office and entire agency is supporting this cause, I thought it might be fun to participate.  My wife was not thrilled with the idea when I informed her of my intentions, but she knows I am a team player and like to participate in contests and competitions of all kinds.  Now, I don't seriously expect to win this office beard growing contest, as my beard growth, from the couple of times I tried it in the past, is fairly thin and patchy.  My best bet is to grow another goatee and see what happens.  I used to have a goatee, like I said, over 10 years ago and I thought I looked pretty good with it at the time.  My wife said it made me look mean, but I thought it gave me a distinguished look and perhaps made me look smarter, if that's possible.  Anyway, this time around, I expect that my goatee will come in gray like most of the hair on top of my head.  Perhaps it will be a good look for the holidays this year.  At any rate, it can always be shaved off at the beginning of December if it looks really bad.  So far, I just enjoy not having to shave for a while.  For those of you who would like to learn more about the No Shave cause, please check out my page and consider donating:  Scott's No Shave November.

Bishop of Rome

Pope Francis

By all measures, the recent visit to the US by Pope Francis was a resounding success.  The cities and places he visited while he was here were packed by millions of people who wanted to get a first hand glance at the Pope, or a photograph of him as he passed by in the Popemobile or the now famous, Black Fiat.  Even the media seemed to have nothing but good things to say about him.  While most Popes are usually held to high esteem, and are loved and adored by the flock of Catholic Christians worldwide, this Pope, Pope Francis, seems to be taking it to the next level.  The numbers of people who attend the weekly audience has increased 3 or 4 times since he took over as Pope in March 2013.  His popularity seems to be increasing all the time as he touches the lives of those all around him in a way that only he can.  Yet, he is still misunderstood quite often due to misrepresentations by the news media and others who misinterpret his quotes.  Most of the problem is due to the language barrier as Pope Francis usually speaks in Spanish or Italian.  When his words are translated into English or other languages, the meaning gets changed sometimes.  On other occasions, I wonder if his comments are purposely misrepresented as some try to read between the lines or for some reason have wishful thinking that he might be saying something that he is not.  As much as some people might want to think so, the Pope cannot change Church teaching and dogmas of the Church.  A great example is in the case of women as priests.  No matter what people may think or want it to happen, the Pope cannot decide one day that he will let women become priests.  In fact, no Church council or synod can do this either.  Women just cannot become priests, period.  Aside from these issues, I think everyone would agree that Pope Francis is doing a great work as Pope and I look forward to the many years ahead as this Pope brings those outside the Church into a full and faithful understanding and appreciation for the genius of the Catholic Church and the rich history and tradition that we have in proclaiming Jesus Christ as our risen Lord and Savior for over two thousand years!

What's stopping you from becoming Catholic?

Do you or someone you know have questions about the Catholic faith?  Would you like to be able to go to a class where you could get your questions answers and maybe learn some other things you did not know about Catholics?  Well you're in luck?  A new RCIA class is forming at a parish near you!  RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.  It was originally created to help those who were unbaptized adults who wanted to convert to Catholicism, understand the basic tenants of the Catholic faith so that they can be sure that they fully understand and believe in the doctrines and dogmas of the church they are wanting to join.  After all, there are over 2000 years of church teachings and traditions to filter through.  RCIA classes are now also for those adults who have been previously baptized in another Christian faith tradition or denomination.  But you might say, well I'm not sure if I'm ready to join the Catholic Church, but I do have questions about the Catholic faith.  Then RCIA is for you!  What better place to come and get your questions answered than from others who have at one time or another had the very same questions you do.  So if you are ready to take the next step, contact someone you know who is Catholic and ask them about going to RCIA classes, or send me an e-mail at gmail@scottwheeler.net and I will help you find one in your area, or if you are in St. Louis, Missouri, you can attend the one at my parish.

Where are you headed today?

Summer is a great time to hit the road on your motorcycle.

What is summer to you?

For many people, summer has a lot of different parameters as far as when it begins and when it ends.  For children, summer begins when school lets out for the year.  When I was a kid, that meant sometime in June, but now it means late May.  This past school year, my children were done for the year on May 20th!  For people who work for a living, Memorial Day weekend kind of marks the beginning of summer, a time when the temperatures are warmer and the local swimming pools open up.  Of course, if you go by the calendar, the official beginning of summer is on June 21st with the summer solstice.  If the weather doesn't cooperate, most anyone else will have to admit that by July 4th, Independence Day weekend, we are definitely into summer.  People who have children in school will most likely agree that what we think of as summer, the time off between when school ends and when it begins, has definitely moved from a Memorial Day to Labor Day time period to a late May to early to mid August time period as schools nation wide have adjusted their schedules over the last 20 years or so.  For many folks, once the calendar flips over to August, vacations are over and you are buying back to school supplies and thinking about school starting again.  But really, summer is only about half over because it doesn't really end until Sept 21st.  So when is summer to you?