Making memories - Thanks, Harry

Mary and Megan leave Sunday for a week of service with a group from St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston. They're going back to Nazareth Farm in West Virginia, where Mary has taken various church groups over the years. She's been joined by Megan, Dan and last year, Megan on those trips, along with myriad other teens from parishes here and in New Jersey.

It'll be hard having them gone for a week, but I know it's a special place and a special time helping the poor and needy of Appalachia.

Here's wishing them a safe trip and another wonderful week of memories. There's been nothing more important, I believe, in raising our four kids, than taking advantage of opportunities to make memories.

Now, as they are almost all grown, it's been terrific to see them share those memories and go out of their way to make the road trips necessary now for us to get together and make more from NJ, PA and VA.

I love the late Harry Chapin's music as I've written here before. One of his most commercially successful songs was "Cat's In the Cradle." I so remember hearing the words about the father and son who kept missing opportunities to be together, and remember, even as a late teen, vowing that would never be me.

Fortunately, it never has been for either Mary or me. And now that the kids have grown, they aren't letting it be them either.

I had great parents, as did Mary, so we both grew up with fine examples of being good parents. But for me, Harry's song was always in the back of my mind, especially those days when I might have been tired and didn't want to get up and do what one of the kids wanted to do. I may have said no once in a while, but most of the time it was always yes.

Here's a link to Harry performing that song if you're included to spend a few minutes with it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH46SmVv8SU

Later.