Me in 1959 - 2nd grade

Me in 1959 - 2nd grade
Originally uploaded by mike52ad

This is where it all began.
The Place: Chicago
The Time: September 1959
I didn't know it when this picture was taken, but I was in for quite a ride. We had just moved from one southside Chicago house to another about five miles away. The neighborhood was known as Brighton Park. In an area of about two square miles it had three Catholic churches and three Catholic schools nearby. Back then, you could not have one without the other it seems. The closest school to our home was St. Pancratius. This school was populated by a lot of Polish people. We were not polish. Then on California Avenue and Pershing there was St. Agnes School, this was the school for the Irish. We were not Irish. That left St. Joseph and St. Anne School and that is the one we picked. (It is the only time I can remember being allowed to choose something important when I was young,) The school was bright and new and it looked great from the outside. Second grade was not too bad. It built on what I learned in First Grade, there was not too much math and I didn't do too badly. But there was trouble brewing. After 2nd Grade came 3rd Grade and all hell broke loose. Stay tuned for more of the story later.

Lake Michigan Waves

Lake Michigan Waves
Originally uploaded by mike52ad

The waves on this hot summer day were roaring on to the beach. I know that the waves of Lake Michigan cannot compare with the ocean, but for this land locked picture taker it was impressive indeed.

Life is like the beach. Sometimes everything is quiet and peaceful. and other times life roars at you and big waves come crashing in. I guess what you have to do is to be ready for anything that life throws at you.

A Long Path

A Long Path
Originally uploaded by mike52ad

Life is a long walk.

During the walk we may see things bring into our lives great beauty. There are times when the road is long and seems to stretch out into the distance and there is no end in sight. My walk has been long, interesting and at times difficult. As a boy I walked the path confused and afraid. My fears cost me allot. But as I was growing, I experienced a lot of disappointments. I always thought of myself as inferior. Yet I always wanted to be "just like" other people. Today I am glad to say that I like being just who I am. There have been disappointments in life but I know that it is not because of who I am, but rather because stuff happens and you just have to accept where you are and move on. If you spend too much time regretting the past you miss the present and compromise your future. I embrace the walk of life and walk today with a greater appreciation for the things I encounter on the journey. When I come to my end and the journey finally ends I will be able to look back and see successes, failures, loves and hates and all of them will have contributed to who I am and who I was.