Markley's Blog

I recently blogged about losing my job of almost 22 years.  In my last two blogs I ranted about the labor movement and the direction they have taken.  I personally feel that direction has hurt this country more than helped.  I believe the power the unions have amassed has been wrongly used.  I see signs in yards that say PROUD UNION HOME.   When I see one I ask myself, what are they proud of?

Is there pride in knowing that perhaps the fact of labor leaving the country is due to the overpricing of labor?  Two prime examples. The auto industry and the steel industry.  When smaller better built automobiles started coming from overseas at first there was not a ripple.  Later as the popularity and reliability started to make waves, there was tidal wave of opposition.  When the effects started to wash over the auto industry the damage was as bad as a tsunami.

It crippled and wreaked havoc.  Jobs started to be lost.  The cry went out “buy American”. That didn’t seem to matter to the money saving consumer.  Cheaper price, better built, better gas mileage.  Three things that the consumer looked at and said, “I feel this is a better choice for the money” and the foreign car market exploded in America. When it started to effect sales and jobs were lost the cry would go out, buy American!  In order for that to happen the consumer said drop the price, make a better car, and give me better gas mileage.

New designs, more efficient, less money.  The cry went out from unions don’t touch our pension, our pay.  We will make a car the company can sell for less and drop their profit margin, but don’t touch our benefits.  The automakers have been playing catch up ever since.  Most recently surpassing some models.  They did this by being able to cut wages and expenses.  The union had to finally give and start that harmony Samuel Gompers tried to foster years ago.

On the other side, companies who used steel saw it made better and cheaper overseas also.So it was purchased and the steel industry in America collapsed. The cry went out they should be buying American steel.  They bashed and belittled the companies for being just as frugal as the consumer was in buying a better made car for less.  Again the consumer can spend their money anywhere to save a dollar, but a business is chastised for the same practice.  Why is that? 

I lost my job because the company was doing what good companies do.  Look for the best possible way to be profitable.  Could they have done things different?  I’m sure they could have. Selfishly I wish they would have.  Not every decision that was made was for the best for the future of the company.  Talking with my plant manager he would, and was the first to admit that there were some dumb moves in the past.  The union was asked if there was anything as far as concessions that could be made.  They were told it was too late and the cuts would be too deep.

I wonder if a union ever tells its membership, “you are asking for too much”.  The pay you are seeking is not warranted by the skill of the job you perform.  I do not mean to demean anyone’s job when I write that line.  But let’s face it $10.00 to flip a burger? I was once told at my job that “we need to bring the lower wages up to what the highest wages were at”.  I don’t get that.  Again not to belittle anyone’s job, but if a person wants to be paid a skilled wage, they should be able to do the skill.  See there is that mentality that we should all get the same thing.  Or in other words, that guy who comes everyday, does his utmost to be as efficient, he gets paid the same as that worker over there that is constantly missing time, has to be reprimanded and told to get back to work and is more of a burden to the company than an asset. Is that right if they get paid the same?  The union would say yes and would do all in its power to make sure he kept his job.

I see no advantage of union representation if I come to work, do my job, and have the best work ethics I could possibly practice. Do you realize that being a member of a union, you have to pay in order to work?  If you work at a union shop you have to pay dues in order to have a job. Those dues go to pay officer salaries.  Even when out of work those dues have to be paid.  Those in control still get paid while the worker is out of a job.  Is that fair? There are now laws in place, thanks to the labor movement, that protects workers from being treated unfairly.  I now work for a non-union employer again.  In the first three months, my pay has increased by 28% and because my boss sees my work ethic I get paid for my lunch which means my 10 1/2 hour job is now just 10 hours.  All without the help of a union.  If it was a union job my boss would have told me that if he did it for me, he would have to do it for all the employees. Even those who have bad or no work ethic at all. Is there pride in that? I am very disillusioned by unions now.  After being a strong supporter I now question my support and ask, why?

To those who are strong union followers, I know this blog will raise hairs.  I am just sharing my experience and my conclusions on the validity of having union representation in my work career. It may not be the same for you and that’s fine.  One of the greatest virtues of this country is the freedom we have to agree to disagree.  I just disagree. I am proud to be Non-Union!

So what is it that made me express the union issue?  Several things have helped to make up my mind.  One, because of several conversations on Facebook about the raising of the minimum wage in the state of Illinois.  Two, seeing signs in yards proclaiming “A Proud Union Home”.

I understand that it is near impossible to make a living on the minimum wage.  Let’s remember that that wage was never intended for a person to try and meet the needs of a growing family. Its design was to be a fare wage for a younger and perhaps unskilled labor.  If that wage is raised, it would knock the complete economic structure off kilter. In the state of Illinois it may drive business out just like the raising of taxes is doing right now.  Let’s put the employee/employer relation in proper perspective.  The owner or CEO of a large company is often the one under attack when the debate of increase in pay is brought to the forefront.

It is not the responsibility of an owner of a company to support its employees.  It is their responsibility to pay a fare wage for the work that is performed.  That fair wage can be negotiated by either the individual, a union, or by merit. (Work performance) The owner of a business started the business to make a profit. Their goal and objective is to be vibrant and grow a business that would make them a lot of money for the investment and risk of starting said business.  It’s not to make sure that the employees are able to afford the latest new car or buy the most recent electronic toy.  So many times the cry goes out that the company has more than enough money to be able to compensate its workers better.

So the owner, for taking the risk, making the right decisions, and making money, is wrong for not giving it away?  Why?  Why should the owner give up any more than what was agreed upon.  Either by the individual, or by representation of a union?  They are asked to do competent work and in return they get the wage they are promised.  Again let me say that it should be a wage comparable to the work performed.  The unions started out with that mission.  To make sure workers were fairly compensated and not over worked with too many hours.

In the beginning owners and bosses were greedy and could care less about workers health and just wanted to grab all the cash with little expense. Capitalism was something that the unions would fight against and would be up in arms over.   Samuel Gompers, one of the founding fathers of the labor movement, began his labor career familiar with, and sympathetic to, the precepts of socialism.

He formed the AFL, American Federation of Labor which later joined with the CIO and became the AFL-CIO.  Labor Historian Melvyn Dubofsky has written, “By 1896 Gompers and the AFL were moving to make their peace with Capitalism and the American system. Even though Gompers was against Capitalism he realized the need to work together to strengthen the American work force.  He gradually adopted a more conservative approach to labor relations Although the AFL had once preached the inevitability of class conflict and the need to abolish ‘wage slavery‘, it slowly and almost imperceptibly began to proclaim the virtues of class harmony and the possibilities of a more benevolent Capitalism.”  One of the founding members of the labor movement realized the importance of working together to strengthen the American workforce. Not to wage a war and separate the worker from the employer, making them enemies.

Gompers’s philosophy of labor unions centered on economic ends for workers, such as higher wages, shorter hours, and safe working conditions so that they could enjoy an “American” standard of living—-a decent home, decent food and clothing, and money enough to educate their children. He thought economic organization was the most direct way to achieve these improvements, but he did encourage union members to participate in politics and to vote with their economic interests in mind.

Gompers’s trade union philosophy and his devotion to collective bargaining with business proved to be too conservative for more radical leaders such as Ed Boyce, president of the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) Source Wikipedia That last paragraph  is the reason why I have a question mark after the title of this blog.

The driving force it seems, behind the union philosophy is one of division and separation. Separate into different classes instead of harmony.  The owner, the boss, the CEO anyone in a position of authority, was the bad guy. Out to give the worker the bad side of any deal.

They are the ones who don’t care what the worker makes.  They want all the money and forget the little guy.  Do we not do the same thing when it comes to our finances?  If we have a budget to live on do we not look for the cheapest priced item so that we can save more money. That saved money we put away to use it how we see fit.  New cloths, new car, maybe a vacation. Some put away for retirement.  Whatever is done with it is no one else’s business.   IT’S MY MONEY I CAN DO WITH IT WHAT I WANT.

Yet when we feel when a business has a surplus because they budgeted well, we feel they should give it up because they have so much.  In some cases they do with higher wages, which then their budget changes and adjustments are made.  I don’t understand the philosophy that if a business is successful they need to give profit away.  Who says that they should?  We keep our surplus. After all necessities are paid, and we have a profit, there is no one sitting there demanding of it for themselves. So why should the worker ask for more of the profit from its employer?

People complain that they send work to other countries because it’s cheaper to make.  Maybe we have priced ourselves out of work.  Again, do we not shop around for the cheapest price?  It doesn’t matter to us if it may hurt one business. As long as I can save money I am shopping were my money goes furthest.  Again same philosophy.  Why is it the union wants to divide and place the employee and the employer into different classes?  Where is the harmony that one of the founding members of the labor movement worked for? Who is the one that is being greedy? More to come.

As I sit here in front of my screen, I’m still in a quandary on how to approach this subject.  It has got me in such a state that I’ve not been able to blog for the last two weeks because it weighs so heavy on my heart and fills my thoughts constantly. So with this being the Labor Day weekend I feel it only appropriate to share. This may not go over very well with some readers and could produce anger and hatred for the thoughts I feel very strongly about. That aside, may I say that these feelings are a very strong conviction on my heart and are things that I see both pro and con. I have been on both sides.

I was raised with a work ethic that was if I work hard, I will benefit. One of my first bosses once told me to never be ashamed of what I looked like at the end of the day.  Be proud that it shows you put in a good day of work. What has happened to that philosophy?

The more I look back to my 38 years of being a member of the American work force I see things in retrospect that makes me have these strong convictions.  My first job was for a small private company that was a non-union shop.  As a young and impressionable man, ok teenager, I would hear others proclaim the advantages of union representation. The biggest always being higher wages.  So as a young high school student I was excited to be hired by a company whose labor forced was represented by the AFL-CIO.  I had heard that name on many news broadcast. So now the big money would start to roll in.

I worked there or should I say “was employed” for five years working only half that time.  The union could not stop the decline in profitability which leads to layoffs.  When I did work I used the work ethic I was taught and worked hard to receive my paycheck.  No problem.  As I became more familiar with my co-workers the talk would always turn to how bad the company was and how they are cheating us out of more money.  Still being young and having the influence of my first exciting me more than my present co-workers I really didn’t let the talk bother me.

With being out of work more than in, I never returned when called back from being laid off.   I had returned to my first job where there was no union and had steady work plus overtime for the next nine years.  In that time, my wages increased dramatically and I was promoted to department head and later to Production Supervisor.  All without the help of a union.  So at this time unions and the benefits of being a part of one did not seem to be needed and just a waste of my time.

Then when new management took over, the realization and importance of unions became a reality and was something that needed to be addressed.  The new managements work ethic had changed drastically and I felt that there may be some benefit to being represented by a union.  So the workers voted to be represented by a union.  After the vote came the long disruptive and name calling (and not a constructive way of doing business) proceeded to take place. I was contacted by another local company in the same field in which I was now working in and was represented by the same union. Now I was back to working with union representation and being protected against the type of management I just left.

So everything would be better.  I would have a better job, more pay, and not have to worry about being treated as a second class citizen again.  The people I made alliances with would be like those I had earlier in my working history who I tried to stay away from and apply the work ethics I was raised with.  But just coming away from a job where I lost money, (by reduced wages and benefits) I was easily influenced to join the train that would rear its engine whenever there was a so-called injustice in the work force.  I was becoming a strong believer in the union and its philosophy.  I was an active member.  I became an Executive Board Member.  Later became Vice President and later the Secretary Treasurer.  I was in for the long haul.  Job security and the backing of the union.  I would be in good shape all the way to retirement.  It has been said that there are no guarantees in life. Part two will show how that is true.  

Since the beginning of this year It has been an overload of information that I have had to absorb.  If you have read my previous blogs over the last two months you should already know where I am coming from.  As you know it started off with a church play.  I had lines to memorize.   Then putting the mind to work in a way that it hasn’t had to work –  the news of losing the job was another comprehension the mind had to decipher.  Then, a new job.  Testing… getting to know new people… and a whole new routine.  You realize how complacent, and as you can say hum drum, your daily life was. ( Not complaining, just making a note). My whole morning routine was turned upside down.  I had farther to travel, so less time to do the things I like to do before I leave for work.  New responsibilities on the job, working 12 hours a day to start, than a new job within the job.  More testing!!

We get so use to not using our minds because everything is the same every day.  Drive the same route, see the same people at the same place, as you pick up the morning paper with the morning java jump.  Turn on the same lights, turn on the same machine, and do the same thing the same way Monday thru Friday.  Over the first part of this year my mind has been revitalized and stimulated in a way such as I haven’t seen since my days of public education.

Then there is our budget to re-work, due to the change in the amount of funds from the new job.  Through the summer there is always the wish list, to do list and the must do list.  That, with starting my small business all over again, this has been a year of first, lasts, and never again.  We sometimes need to be shaken a little.  Knock the dust off and clear the cobwebs from the routine and maybe see the path we are on with a different view.

God is always working and maybe He sees that we may need a loving push, a tap on the shoulder, a refreshing view, or maybe we need that shaking and cobweb clearing.  Things happen for a reason and maybe, just maybe, when we and our day have become so routine that we don’t see Him in our everyday walk, something happens to make us remember it’s all in His hands and all will work to bring Him Glory.  So when the routine is bumped, changed, revamped and your taken on a whole new path in life, just remember He is there and has walked that path already, and will walk it again. This time, right by your side.

I’m going to take you back 35 years.  Right near the end of my teen years and finding out about a new rock group.  One of my favorite rock bands had disintegrated, and digressed from where they had once been known as one of the forefathers of hard rock and heavy metal.  They had turned into more of a funk and rhythm and blues rock band that was not the band I fell in love with.  Deep Purple, a band that is responsible for one of the most played and recognizable riff in the history of rock, was now gone and was no longer making the kind of music I was use to.

Not only that, but my favorite guitarist (at the time) had left a year earlier,( that alone should have made me second guess the direction of the band).  Ritchie Blackmore left and formed a new band he christened Rainbow.  It was an extension of Deep Purple, so my love of the heavy style of Deep Purple was replaced by this new band.

Blackmore left in June 1975 and Deep Purple was torn apart by drugs and called it quits in 1976.  Jump a couple of years to 1978.  I am reading Circus Magazine (a rock periodical) which was my monthly fix to the rock music scene.  Flipping through the pages I came across an advertisement for a new album from David Coverdale.   Coverdale was the lead singer for Purple when they called it quits in 1976. He had a solo album out and it was one that I needed to have.  Even though the style of Deep Purple had changed, the vocal ability of Mr. Coverdale always impressed me, and made me want to explore his solo project.  Let’s face it, I followed Blackmore, why not Coverdale? He gave his band the name Whitesnake and another remnant of Deep Purple was born.

I was even more impressed and entertained by Whitesnake then with Rainbow.  What is funny, is Rainbow sounded like Deep Purple when Blackmore was with the band, and Whitesnake sounded more like the final incarnation of Deep Purple, the band that I came to loath because of the style it had evolved into.

Just like other areas in a person’s journey, there is a maturing process.  My musical taste changed. It’s not that I didn’t like the style of Deep Purple of the past or the recent Rainbow offering.  I came to appreciate the music of some good rock and r&b, along with the heavy riffs.  Whitesnake has always been one of those bands that never made it onto the popular rock radar – that is until 1987.  9 years after its first release, Whitesnake had a hit record.

The self titled album, (also known as 1987 and Serpens Albus in Europe) sold over 8 million copies and put them on the rock map.  Several labeled them a new band.  When I would share that I had listen to the band since 1978, people were shocked.  I had their entire catalogue and had always wanted to see them live.

Finally this past July I had the chance to experience one of the best bands, live.  Not only that, but saw them in a small and preferred venue.  A large stadium with 15,000 people and seats so far away that you cannot enjoy seeing up close and personal was and is not the best way to see a band live. (My opinion)   I always wanted to see this band in a small auditorium instead of a large stadium.  Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana was the perfect setting to see Whitesnake.

When I learned back in February they were schedule to play, I drove there to purchase tickets instead of doing it on line. I was rewarded with second row balcony, center stage right off the isle.  I was going to be up close and personal with Whitesnake and Mr. Coverdale.  I was not disappointed!  I love the way he and the band draw you into the show and made you feel the excitement coming from the stage.  I could not get that at a larger arena.  I also feel that a band performs differently with a small and intimate crowd than with huge throng or legion of fans.

All the songs I am used to hearing and seeing (live dvd’s are the best) were played and done to perfection.  I have written about the many acts I have seen live, (go back and check out my Top Live 5 blog) and this is one of the best.  Probably because it was one of my favorites. It was a small venue and it felt so up close and personal.  It’s funny how it can come full circle.  A style of music I loathed in the infancy of my musical, learning, exploration, discovery, has turned into one of the styles I enjoy most.  Does that mean I matured?  Ha!

So as I continue to share how God is moving, I want to expand a little on the second church play that both Kristine and I had the joy of taking part in.  I briefly alluded to it in a previous blog and want to point out how God directly used the storyline in my own personal life.  The story as I made mention of had to deal with a person who was expecting a big bonus so that he would be able to take his wife on a vacation to Hawaii for their anniversary.

My part was his boss who had to deliver the bad news.  Instead of handing him a bonus check I had to hand him a layoff notice.  The news was not good and he was encouraged to drop his pride and bend his knees and ask God to help him through this crisis.  God brings encouragement through different people and their personal experiences.  The main character was brought thru it all and God was given all the Glory.

While in the process of rehearsals I got a poster advertising the dates and times.  I asked my boss if I could hang it up when he asked what is what about.  I told him I played a boss handing out layoff notices; he shot a look over to my co-worker.  That made me wonder!  The company had been struggling on the financial side and needed to be proactive in increasing the bottom line.  It was less than a week after the play that a meeting was called at the plant and we all received the bad news that they would be closing in two months.

I was floored, shocked, scared, but not angry.  I knew something was coming, I just didn’t think it would be this.  6 months shy of 22 years on the job; I will be 54 when it all comes to an end.  It did not put a smile on my face.  First thing that ran though my mind is, what am I going to do?  In my line of work there are fewer and fewer jobs close to home.  In the 50’s and up to the mid 90’s there had been several places that could have used my experience.  Technology and efficiency has done a number in the printing industry and the digital age has all but put the small private company in peril. Without corporate backing they can’t afford the cost to change over. So the company, where I put 22 years of my life, had become a casualty to technology and not being efficient.  Now I would have to search for a job, work on a resume, and hope something would turn up.

I never felt betrayed.  The company offered help through a service with the job seeking process.  I filled out all the paper work and sent over 40 resumes.  I also contacted my brother and told him to let me know of anything.  Deep down I think I was a little scared and depressed, but I never doubted one time that God would take care of Kristine and I.  I wanted to be a testimony that God would be with me on my path.  A testimony of His provision and Faithfulness in His word, that He would meet my needs.  And guess what? He did just that.  Immediately after my last day, I went through some testing and started a new job 3 days after my last one. 12 hours a day 7 days a week for about 4 weeks. The money would be nice and after the overtime – 4/10’s!  A three day weekend every week is very exciting.  The big issue?   A 45% pay cut when the overtime ends and I am just on a 40 hour work schedule.  So it will be a challenge to stay on budget.  That’s okay.   My God has been Faithful, and I believe He will stay Faithful and will meet every need Kristine and I have.

The irony of the play and what happened to me is too cool. God has a way of showing Himself to us and using our every day circumstances to do that.  God is great, and I will praise Him in all that I do, because He deserves all Honor and Praise. Through all of this it has given me a different perspective on the work world.  Hmmm…

So as I stated in my cover blog, the beginning of the year was a journey I never expected on taking. Well please let me expand my thoughts and just share my heart.

God is bringing some amazing changes and challenges into my life and it is exciting, perplexing, and in some cases, questioning.  All in all the comforting aspect of this, is knowing that with all this exciting, perplexing, and in some cases questioning challenges, God is in complete control of it all. To Him it’s not, perplexing, or questioning, but I believe He knows how exciting it is, and how exciting it will be. With all this exciting, perplexing, and questioning events going on, it gives me a different view on several different areas that I can share with my readers.

First let’s start with the drama.  I need to go back a couple of years to a time when Kristine and I were ministering at the local mission in town.  We ran a class that was teaching financial responsibility.  We befriended one of the couples in the class and were able to share our heart, or at least my heart as far as a desire to serve our Lord in a unique way.  Realizing we had a kindred spirit of the same desire to serve, I was asked to take part in a play.

My friend Weston wrote this play and had a particular part he wanted me to play. The play was to be performed at an African American church, one of the largest in the area.  The culture that we experienced was such a blessing.  Kristine and I both felt loved and we also felt the love and dedication that the church, the pastor and the members had for our Lord.  It was truly incredible.  We all should get out of our comfort zone and our favorite pew, and expose ourselves to how other culture’s worship God!  It would not only open our eyes and our mind, our heart would be blessed.

Kristine and I were astounded and floored by what we encountered.  The first play was a drama dealing with materialism and possession, and the power they have over us and their ability to change us.  The second play was a little more of a comedy, yet the storyline was a powerful reminder of the special need there is in having a strong relationship so that when adversity strikes, we have the strong foundation to weather the storm.  I will share later how ironic that has become.

I want to be an encourager.  Do not be afraid of something, you may not be used too.  Drop the preconceived ideas and throw out the traditions that may have bogged you down.  Open the heart let the Lord move in and not only touch your thinking, but let Him in and touch your heart and bring a joy you may never have felt before.  Kristine and I still talk about what we were exposed to and the refreshing wave of worship and community we enjoyed.  Be still, and listen, God is always working and moving and let’s be ready to be moved.

4th of July. Our country’s celebration of the independence in which we sought when leaving Great Britain, and become our own sovereign nation.  We wanted independence from tyranny and dictatorship.  We did not want to be led or controlled by a government.  Is that happening today?  There are more government programs and regulations today that it feels like our government is trying to take over.  The same things we fought for and formed our own government for, is being wiped away.

Our freedom has turned into a liberty to do what we want. I have written on this before and you can check out my previous blog.  We cannot allow our government to take away some of the rights many have died for.  We use the cry of freedom to take innocent life and have taken God away from our school and government institutions.  This is a blog on a whim and I will expand on it in further blogs.  So far I think I have said that in several of my most recent posts.

It’s like a fall preview.  Wet the appetite and make the mind think.  Maybe make you want to come back and see we’re it is I’m going with this.  Either way if it makes you come back to read more, than I touched a nerve or maybe the heart. Whatever the reason, for me the more readers the better.  So as you sit and celebrate your freedom, always remember that many lives were given for that freedom.  Whatever freedom you practice, though I may or may not agree with it, may we all be thankful for that said freedom.  May the red, white, and blue of Old Glory, forever wave and forever be a symbol and reminder of the freedom we have.  Happy 4th everyone.

Well Monday was a very exciting day. Sitting after finishing my blog, we had some uninvited guest make their way onto our balcony. I was searching on the web, when a black bear walked right past the door and window. I was so in a state of shock, I couldn’t let the others know what I was seeing. After it sauntered past the door it became apparent that it was a mother bear as following right behind her was a couple of cubs.

They made themselves right at home and we did not bother them or let them know that they were trespassing. In all reality they were not trespassing as we are the ones that have invaded their domain. So we let them enjoy the deck and let them take their sweet time until they made up their own minds when they were going to leave. It wasn’t that long that they came to the conclusion there was nothing around for them to stay. We were able to get pictures and video to document the event.

Later that night was another exciting moment as we sat and watched the Chicago Blackhawks take home their second Stanley Cup in the past four seasons. As the game went on and time was winding down the thought of a game 7 was becoming evident. I am not one to give up on my team, or the game of hockey in general. It is such a fast game that anything could happen in the blink of an eye, almost literally. With Just over a minute left the Hawks, as most teams will do, pulled the goalie for an extra skater, giving them a man advantage. Very risky and as my wife would often state, makes no sense. The Hawks were able to score with a beautiful pass from behind the net by the Captain Jonathon Toews. The pass found the stick of Bryan Bickell, who placed the puck between the legs of the Boston goalie Tuukka Rask and into the back of the net. The room exploded in jubilation and utter shock that the Blackhawks tied it with just over a minute and we would still have a chance to win in overtime.

But as I stated earlier the game could change in a heartbeat. We hoped we would not have to endure the stress, agony, frustration, or nervousness of overtime. Perhaps we would end up losing after coming back to tie the game.

For just 17 seconds after the Hawks made us jump off our seats and scream with excitement, they finalized it, and sealed it. They made it possible to bring Lord Stanley back home. Dave Bolland took a rebound off the post and put the puck right back into the Boston net. We all screamed and were all in a state of wonderment. I had to remind myself of the fact there was still 58 seconds left. An eternity in the game of hockey. For it was just in the last series against the Los Angeles Kings that I was once again reminded with the speed of the game anything can happen.

In game 4 there was 11 seconds left when the Kings tied the game. The Hawks went on to win and as you have been reading, made it all the way to bring the Stanley Cup back to the Windy City. What a great day in the Smoky Mountains. Not only did I get to see some of God’s creatures, I also got to see my favorite team win a championship surrounded by family and friends. Wow, I am so blessed.

Small side note: All season long my wife and I would share our excitement with my sister and her family. We watched as many playoff games together as our schedules would allow. Unfortunately, with us being on vacation we could not share in this game when they won it all. Through text and FaceTime we were able to share in the joy somewhat. So again I am so blessed.