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I turned off my alarm clock before its scheduled time to startle me out of a deep sleep at 3:00 AM. At 3:05 AM, my older brother, Andy, softly knocked on my bedroom door. “Pete. You up? Time to go.” By 3:30, we were in the van and embarking on a five-hour trip from our home in northern Connecticut to New Berlin, NY – home of the toughest damn motocross track in the world – Unadilla. We, along with tens of thousands o

The observance of this day, on the last Monday in May, is an annual remembrance of those who have died (men & women in the U.S. Military) during their service to the United States of America. I have no authority to broaden this definition, but I’m going to do it anyway and I hope you stick with me until the end of this post. I know many people, some very well, while some are acquaintances, who have served t

I wrote this and originally posted it as a tribute for Newtown, CT. However, it’s message still rings true in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. I think it is worthy of posting again. Hold on to love. Let go of hatred. Love will comfort. Hatred hurts like a thorn.  I know. Hold on to hope. Let go of desperation. Hope will heal. Desperation will destroy. I know. Hold on to patience. Let go of intoler

Marathon Monday. Patriot Day. Kids home from school. 11:00 A.M. game time for Red Sox. Bruins in the Garden at 7:00 P.M. It’s a good day to be a Bostonian. In fact, many New Englanders play hookey from their work or school to partake in the day’s festivities. But, on Monday April 15th, 2013, all celebrating, relaxing and enjoying a day off from normal life ceased, when the first of 2 bombs exploded at the

In a few days, I will take a trip to Wisconsin, a place I’ve never been. My hope is that I will find and rescue BaileighJo, a 1-year old Samoyed. She has been missing for over a month and has endured a blizzard and near zero temperatures. And, I am terrified! I am not afraid of flying. Piece of cake.  I do not know the dog’s owners but I will stay in their home. That doesn’t scare me. I am not afraid of looking

A man approached my empty roulette table with a dejected, whole-body expression. He came from another table across the floor. I’d seen this scene a thousand times before. Guy loses his shirt on one table that’s “gone cold.” He thinks he will “get it all back” on a different table. Men, women, seniors, young adults, rich, middle-class, and the poor. It makes no difference. Gambling

The clock couldn’t move fast enough. For hours, my brain instructed my body to carry out the task of dealing blackjack at a local casino; it was my job. Meanwhile, my emotions were screaming at me, “What are you doing here? Isn’t Shadow more important than this?” Yes, he most certainly is. But I have bills to pay and gas to put in the car. I need the money. Just leave me alone and let me finis

I realized this year, Charles M. Schulz teaches his audience a powerful lesson in his 1966 classic animated television special, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Maybe, that’s why it has been shown every year at Halloween for the past 46 years. It has withstood the test of society’s fickle nature and recent fascination towards reality TV. Oh, but this animated story is very real! The story is n

The following is an excerpt from my book I’M IN.  I am posting this because it was during this week, last year, that I spent 14 days helping to rebuild the city of Joplin, Missouri. It was an experience that will forever make me humble and thankful to be alive. This is an anniversary period that I will always cherish with mixed emotions. It broke my heart to hear the many stories of tragedy and to witness the e

I completed my first lap at the high school track when the gym class showed up. The students began running after receiving directions from a man in sweat pants, with a whistle, and a clip board (Boy, did he fit the stereotypical gym teacher description!) Some caught up to me and passed me with their $100 Nikes and their gifts of young, agile, and energetic bodies. It wasn’t difficult for them to pass a 43 year