Fr Mike's Notes

  As of tomorrow, July 1, 2025, I begin my fourth year at St. Cletus in LaGrange, IL.  In the 24th year of my priestly ministry, I can barely fathom the person I've grown into.  I guess taking on being configured to Jesus Christ has a real effect.   In 2001, as well as the 5 years prior to that, I could have never seen my life ever having with lost my best friend, Charles Watkins, to a cancer 24 years after we became friends.  Yet, as much as I couldn't see it, it happened.  Three years after he died, I can still see his face in his hospital bed for the last time he looked at me with his loving eyes.  It's an image I truly don't want to forget, but it is very difficult. Still, I have a new support system.  I hardly every hear from my friend in the Evansville, Indiana diocese.  My classmate who has been a rock in the past is much busier these days.  It seems like we just have different priorities.  Along with Charles, those thre...

I must admit that when I started this little venture of a blog, I didn't honestly think it would be such a challenge to keep up with.  I actually have several things I've written that remain in my Drafts because the topics are a little controversial.  It's difficult to continuously censor myself.  It's not so much about what people might think of me, but I also don't want to offend people for any reason.  Maybe that is why I began with more things about outer space -- a topic that is out of this world (pun intended). What continues to fascinate me about space (an I give a lot of credit to the astronomers for their dedication to their field of science) is simply that while we know there are many objects in space that simply seem to "be there," I know and understand some of the concepts of the physics, gravity, and that everything IS in motion all the time.  We don't ever truly FEEL like we are moving, but it really is COOL to know that we are all travel...

 In mid-February of this year, I began my journey of using a C-PAP machine for my overnight sleeping.  I guess I was not in the best shape for getting the proper amount of sleep as I had 14 events in my sleep test, which is a moderate level, and pushing severe.  So the machine is now a necessity.  Sadly, I am still not used to using it yet, and there are nights I may only get an hour of usage because it comes off, whether I pull it off unconsciously or it just comes off as I roll over, it's not at a perfection level.  I am grateful for the nights that I get 5+ hours.  Last night was 7.5 hours.  It's not consistent.  (shoulder shrug)