FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Burlington Red Devils vs. Woburn Tanners

The age old rivalry between Burlington and Woburn is about to commence!

Under the beautiful September evening sky, the Burlington Red Devils will take on the Woburn Tanners at 7:00 pm at Burlington's Varsity Field.

Plenty of concessions available....don't forget to purchase your Boosters scarf and seat cushion, too!

Arrive extra early because this is the biggest game of the season!

You Can't Tell a Book By Its Cover

This past Thursday I was on my way to a meeting and stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts for a small cup of coffee, cream only. It was late afternoon so there weren't too many people present,just the truck drivers stopping for that late afternoon pick-me-up.

I approached the counter and saw the parent of one of the students that went through school with two of my children. I never really cared for her, she seemed to be from the other side of the track and a little distant. Divorced, mother of four, smoker, trying to make ends meet but always present at her kids' events.

I greeted her with my cheery "oh hi!" and received that same pouty look on her face. There weren't any questions about how things are going, how are the kids, nothing. I tossed it off in my mind thinking, "oh, it's just more of the same," and actually walked out thinking how I was so glad I rarely had to see her.

I really didn't think much about it until the local paper came out on Thursday. As I was scanning the various articles I stumbled upon a name that looked familiar in the obituaries. I read through the names of relatives. Yes, that woman's mother had just passed away and her funeral was the next day. I was so ashamed of myself for having thought so negatively of her. She was most likely working on the day of her mother's wake...

I always try to teach my children that you should always be kind to people no matter if you like them or not. You never know what is happening in their lives. Here was the perfect example. That incident was a reminder of the lesson I taught my children.

It's true. You can't tell a book by its cover. That daughter's face told a sad story but the story that was revealed was much deeper than the cover.

HANDS TO GOD

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. When I stepped out of the house to go to church I was amazed at how warm the air was. Spring weather is unpredictable in many ways, but there is one thing you can always count on. Renewal of all living things.

As Zaven and I were driving through Belmont Center, under the train tracks and around the corner, I anticipated my favorite part of the drive, the stately homes with perfectly manicured gardens accessorized with my springtime favorites, Tulips and Daffodils. They were plentiful on this sparkling morning, putting a smile on our faces and in our hearts. Ah the renewal of spring.

Something came to me as I was turning that corner, just past the bridge that carries the train tracks, just past Belmont Center. Now I have always loved the look of the Hosta plants as they are still waking up from winter, with rolled leaves still struggling to open, not quite past their blanket of mulch and dirt. They appear to be stretching as they awaken until ready to open and salute the world with their flower stalks.

But something else struck me on the ride Sunday morning when I saw the Astilbe plant, another personal favorite, with flowers that open to stalks of flaming color. As I approached one flowerbed full of these plants, I looked at the new growth where the stalks were still forming buds. Perhaps it was my frame of mind as I prepared for a morning of worship, but I realized that the stalks actually looked like hands reaching to the sky.

I guess this may sound silly to some, but God spoke to me on my ride to church yesterday through that plant. This simple plant, one of many specimens put on this earth, was using its "hands" to reach up to the sun.

And that's when it dawned on. We are also reaching with our hands, up to the Son of God, the source of all life and good graces in our lives and beyond.

He is ever present giving us reminders of our faith.

"It can only be good."

Here I am. Writing my first blog entry for the world to enjoy. So much to share, such little time...!

Why am I naming this blog "It can only be good?" I guess it's because that's my outlook on life. I've discovered that the choices we make for ourselves, and our families in this case, should always result in these five simple words.

It really hit me one day when my teenage son told me that he was going to pay his respects to the family of a newly acquainted friend whose father had just passed away. The young lady whose father had just died was on the dance squad at the high school, he was in the marching band. It was during band camp, just a week or so prior to the start of the school year. When he came home and told me that he wanted to go, I questioned him, stating that he didn't even really know the family. I guess I was thinking more about how maybe he was too young or perhaps how he would handle the situation without me being there for support. You know, all those mom kind of thoughts.

But I let him go, accompanying several other girls from the squad who knew that he would be their pillar of strength at this difficult time. Wow, imagine me worrying about him. When he finally came home and shared with me how the experience went it was one of those moments in time that I knew, as his parent, he had learned a lesson about respect, caring, sensitivity and support, and that the years of guidance and hard work as a parent was working. He had actually shown me that "it can only be good."

To this day I have used that moment to clarify things in my life. Oddly enough, I have worked with the mother of that young lady on committees and have an unspoken abiding respect and a special tie to her. And I must admit, had I not let my son pay his respects at that moment in time, my connection to her would have simply been in passing. I am truly grateful for having been taught that life lesson.

I know. It probably sounds silly, but as I continue on my journey, I review the events of my life and wonder what is in store for me. I can only hope that at the end of each moment I will hear that voice saying, "It can only be good."