Change of Plans

As part of our 30 day blog challenge, tonight’s topic was supposed to be about being a champion. I thought it would be a good fit given the BCS National Championship game is being played tonight. Truth be told, however, the topic is actually quite lame.

I was going to write about the experiences I remember as a child of winning league championships in football. I played four years for the Boys Club in Miami, and we won our league championship three years in a row. I was then going to transition to the blog I wrote about my son’s recreation league basketball team winning the championship a couple of years ago, and how watching him win felt better and was so much more rewarding than when I was his age and playing ball.

Still, as I sat down to write, I just didn’t “feel it”. I just didn’t find that groove I thought would come so naturally for me and this subject. That’s probably because my mind is still lost at sea. Lee and I just returned from our annual voyage on The Rock Boat, and it was such an excellent vacation that’s left me on such an amazing high. It’s not something I come off easily - nor would I want to - and I am still feeling blissful about the stellar memories I’ve just recently etch into my brain.

So I am going to completely ignore today’s topic and instead just rattle off some things I learned aboard this year’s cruise. At first, I was going to compile a numbered list. The more I thought about it, however, the more I figured I would just list thought after thought and see where we end up.

With that being said, I present to you my thoughts, observations, and random mind-clutter from The Rock Boat XI. (Warning: These memories are all over the place - happy, sad, funny, and weird - and go way past eleven)

• A drunken person will tend to do stupid things. A collection of drunken people will tend to do really, really stupid things.
• It’s okay to be late to the party. For years now, I’ve felt like I was missing out on something with regards to what my friends were saying. Finally, I had my breakthrough moment: Will Hoge is *bleeping* amazing.
• If I had to do it all again (career-wise), I’d make sure I ended up working for Sixthman.
• Smuggling booze on board DRAMATICALLY reduces the final total on your sail and sign card account (just say’n).
• There are guys on The Rock Boat that CAN walk around with no shirts on and then there are guys who can’t. I fall into the latter.
• Being able to just hang out, have a conversation, and share a drink with a musical artist is, value-wise, worth every last penny of whatever it costs to book a cabin. It’s all about the experience, people.
• Hearing two performers sing in perfect harmony must be what angels sound like.
• Live music can unite strangers, heal old wounds, give hope to the saddened, and reduce a grown man to tears. If you don’t believe in magic, it’s probably because you’re not listening.
• The phrase, “You don’t want to grab a guy’s junk via proxy” is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard uttered in a bathroom. (Don’t ask …. you had to be there).
• Cap guns can be quite the attention getter.
• It’s possible to get goose-bumps on top of your goose-bumps.
• The age of digital photography is equally convenient as it is dangerous.
• Do not drink tequila that comes from a plastic bottle.
• Social media continues to make the world a smaller and smaller place. I was asked three times in line if I was @danaCreative. This was both kinda’ cool and kinda’ creepy, but mostly cool.
• Not sitting in the front row as Toby Lightman sings her song ‘Front Row’ is akin to watching the girl you’ve been crushing on kiss another guy.
• The idea of relaxing in a hot tub is great until you think about everyone else who’s been in the hot tub. Two words: Petri dish.
• Watching Aslyn sing ‘Wally’ on the Serenity Deck as the sun was setting and the waves were her back drop was literally breath taking. I think time stood still for a moment.
• It’s humbling to be able to ‘be there’ for friends. The beauty about the music community in which Lee and I partake is we get to interact with so many wonderful people, and every now and then we get to experience something deep and real.
• God doesn’t send memos. He simply presents you with a situation and challenges you to take action.
• There are few things in life that are better than Rock Boat pizza at 3:00 AM
• Inspiration is all around us at all time. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of just stopping and taking notes of what it is you’re seeing, feeling and experiencing.
• Sister Hazel still is, and forever will be, simply amazing.
• It is possible to meet someone in person for the first time after having known them for over four years but having it feel as if you’ve known them your whole life. I can’t put into words how amazing that feeling is.
• God works in mysterious ways, specifically in lyrics.
• God is a music fan.

I am sure there will be many, many more I’ll remember in the coming days, but this will have to do for now. Given this was supposed to be an entry about being a champion or being the best, I hope I didn’t fail with my ‘from the hip’ approach.

As for being the best, I can say without equivocation the team at Sixthman is the absolute best at creating experiences that will last a lifetime. They are the best at what they do, and they make it all seem so effortless. There’s no putting into words the positive impact this fun group of people have on the lives of others, and when it comes to creating something uniquely special, Sixthman definitely comes in first place.

Leap of Faith

There are times in your life when you have to let go of everything you know and reach out for something new; when you have to take a chance on the unknown and believe in yourself that you'll land on two feet. This is not one of those times.

Sure, I could play dramatic on your heartstrings, but this entry is not what its title suggests.

I have no crisis of faith. I have no doubt in my mind that God exists. I have no doubt He gave us His only son, Jesus Christ, for our sakes. I believe with absolute certainty in the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Mother Mary and the glory of Heaven. These are unshakable beliefs I possess, and I will always hold true to them.

Still, it was time for me to let go of what I know in terms of Sunday mornings and try something new. I needed to take a chance on a Sunday service unknown to me, and I did so with a firm belief that everything will okay. As such, Lee and I trekked down to Ybor City in Tampa with the kids to Relevant Church.

Why is this such a big deal? Well, I am a creature of habit for starters. I am also a cradle Catholic, and I have never attended a regular, weekly service (i.e. not a funeral or wedding) that was not a Catholic service. From a perspective of formality, I was going against 36 years of upbringing. I was going counter to my spiritual foundation.

Still, there we were, on the second floor of The Italian Club in Ybor City, staring at a stage setup with musical instruments and a Goin' Country theme. I was already feeling comfortable having been warmly received by several individuals, including the parents of the church's pastor, when all of the sudden I heard the familiar music of the Zac Brown Band.

"I thank God for my life, for the stars and stripes, may freedom forever fly, let it ring…."

I was sold. This was going to be a wonderful new experience.

Upon beginning with a greeting that included a mini-monster truck race (tough to explain but very funny to watch) and Christian music from the church's live band – three songs that can only be described as totally rock'n – the preacher, James Adair, began his sermon about Father's Day. However, sermon is not really the right word to use. It was more of a witness talk; a testimonial, if you will, about his experiences both with his dad and as a dad. James' words were not preachy nor overly evangelical. Rather, they were conversational, understandable and relatable.

In addition to being gracefully and tactfully intertwined with passages from the Bible, James' words were comforting and made me draw on my memories with both my dad and my kids. I am very fortunate to be able to say I have no holes on the retrospective thoughts of my father. As I've said before, if I can be half the dad to my kids that my father was to me, I will be alright. I also smiled at the thought of this new experience for my children, both of whom were one floor above us in the church's child development area.

Upon the conclusion of the service, both Natalie and Daniel presented me with hand-made Father's Day cards they made while Lee and I were taking in James' marvelous testimony. We wrapped up experience with lunch in Ybor with our friend Kurt, who introduced us to Relevant Church, and his two kids.

I am not sure if I am completely done with the Catholic Church. It's still hard for me to think I can simply walk away from all those years of homilies and Holy Communion. Still, it feels like forever since I've been excited about Sunday service, and I am really looking forward to making it out to Relevant next weekend. It's not necessarily a leap of faith, but it is a significant step for me in finding in my spirit what I feel has been lacking for quite some time now.