Another Letter....

 

Dear People,

 

dear, dear, people who believe it is their God given right to use the word retarded

 

people who believe apologizing for publicly using the word is weak

 

people who believe that we who are offended have our panties in a bunch

 

people who believe that we are too sensitive

 

people who believe that society is too 'PC' trying to eradicated the use of the word

 

people who scoff at the pain it causes

 

people who argue that it is not being used to belittle others

 

people who argue that it's just a word

 

people who try to justify it's use in any fashion

 

dear, dear, people you are missing the point.

 

Walk a mile

 

Stand in the shoes

 

Take a day in the life

 

And when your heart gets shattered into a million pieces over a word

 

Or you slam into a brick wall of diagnosis

 

Or you are buried by hurts caused by others indifference,

 

I will be there to offer you a hand

 

to offer you some glue to mend your heart

 

to pick up the bricks that surround you

 

to dig up the indifference.

 

Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times? Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven! Matthew 18: 21-22

http://thingsicantsay.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/pouryourheart1-e1328022968330.png



Dear Mr. Flacco

 

 

Dear Mr. Flacco,

 

I am not surprised.

 

I am not stunned.

I am not saddened or dismayed.

 

 

What I am is confused.

 

Here is a snippet from your official website about your support of Special Olympics Maryland:

 

Joe provides substantial support to Special Olympics Maryland (SOMD) and annually participates in the Polar Bear Plunge (2009-2011), benefiting the nonprofit which provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

 

In 2009, Joe co-hosted the SOMD Holiday Party with former teammate Adam Terry. In November 2010, Joe visited with SOMD athletes at the Ravens' flag football exhibition. Joe also attends the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games Kickoff each June.

Wow.

You obviously care deeply about the Special Olympics. 

Oh, wait, maybe you did care and something happened because you stopped showing up in 2011.

Hmmm can't imagine what the falling out must of been.

Oh, maybe you dropped the R bomb at the 2010 SOMD Holiday party.

I can see how things may have gone sour.

Oh, but wait, I am on a tangent.

The real purpose of this correspondence is to point out to you the problem with using the R word.

You stated it beautifully yourself.

"Yeah, I think it's retarded."
(the move of the Super Bowl to a potential cold weather venue)

You know that's not the part that hurts, you know the retarded bit.

The part that hurts is when you say

"You know I probably shouldn't say that."

Again, not so bad.

It's when you said

"stupid"

As in having the Super Bowl in a cold weather venue is stupid.

So here's the bad part.

In your mind retarded = stupid.

"But I did not mean it in reference to......" Yadayadayada

"It's just a word....." Yadayadayada

Shut it.

Just shut it and make no excuses.

Get down on your knees and ask Him for forgiveness.

Next, explain yourself to your wife, the mother of your son.  Break down if need be.

Next, pick up the phone and get in touch with SOMEONE at Special Olympics Maryland and arrange for a meeting.

THEN and ONLY THEN shall you be fully prepared for said "Super Bowl".

Priorities, get them in order.

Be A Stand Up Guy.

Let Baltimore Rave about You.

OWN UP

BE THE EXAMPLE

RAISE THE BAR

You should probably share this experience with your teammates and coaches.

Make Baltimore proud in more ways than one.

How great would it be for the Baltimore Ravens Franchise to jump on the bandwagon.

SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD

Thou shall not speak the word on the practice field, in the locker room, and heaven help you not on that game field.

Fines all around for those who can't refrain and donate those fines to

SPECIAL OLYMPICS MARYLAND

What better way for

SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD

to infiltrate our schools than for the

Baltimore Ravens to set the tone.

We must protect this house.

I must protect THIS house.

Respectfully yours,

Bridgie's Mom

“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.



Schleppin'

 

In the rain....

 

 

 

 

This is is what some of the sidewalk around Crofton Parkway looked like last nite.

 

 

AT MIDNIGHT.

 

How would I know you ask?

 

 

Well......

 

 

I went to the new house around 8:30 pm to finish some cleaning and other such things and around midnight decided to call it a day.

 

 

When I had arrived I parked the van in the garage and closed the garage door.

 

So, I used the button on the wall to open the garage door and climbed in the door....

 

This is nice, I thought, until clunk ca lunk and the garage door slams to the floor.

 

Ugh.

 

 

So I tried to manually lift the door, but it would not stay up.

 

 

I tried one more time using the step ladder for leverage and then when it did not work and I brought it back down it got stuck.

 

 

Oh, well, I'll leave it alone lest I break it and I'll just walk home.

 

 

I left the house through the front door.

 

And started Schleppin' in the rain the almost 2 miles to my house.

 

This is kinda fun, walkin in the rain.

 

5 minutes later.

 

 

This is really dumb, and really creepy, and it's cold, and these shoes suck.

 

 

5 minutes later.

 

This is really really not smart, I should call someone.  Who am I gonna call?

 

I'll freak my parents out, Jerry can't leave the kids, Tim might hurt me, and by the time Deke gets out the door and over here I'll be home.

I think I'll dial 9-1 on the phone and walk with my thumb on the number 1, just in case.

 

The rest of the way home I had a running dialogue of what I shoulda, coulda, woulda done and that I definitely would not want Erin doing this when she is older.

 

Alas, we live in Crofton and I made it home in one piece.

 

Just wet and cold.

 

I guess we shall just call it

 

Polar Bear Plunge Training!



Jerry

It's his Birthday today.

There won't be anything spectacular, flashy, fancy, or exciting.

Because his identity has become that of DAD.

Yes, he is a husband, brother, son, and friend but mostly...

He's Dad.

And I don't think he'd have it any other way.

Happy Birthday, Daddy.