Darryl Strawberry, Jesse Manibusan, and the Diocese of Ogdensburg

Hello-

What a great time we had in Watertown, NY this weekend! On Saturday, Orin and I had the opportunity to present at the first ever Jr. High Youth Alive. About 120 youth and adults filed into a high school auditorium for three hours of stories, music, and fun. We were very impressed with the young people, especially. While they were certainly packed with energy, the teens also showed a tremendous amount of focus. Thank you to all who attended, and especially to Bishop Cunningham for capping the day by presiding at the closing liturgy.

The strangest part of our trip, however, involved our travel. On Friday, we were waiting at the gate for our flight when a gentleman nearby got our attention and asked us if we liked baseball. After we said we did, he pointed out the fact that Darryl Strawberry, former New York Mets/Yankees outfielder, was also waiting for the same flight. It's not everyday that you see someone like Darryl, so we were a little caught off guard. If you are a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and attended games at Busch Stadium in the 80's, you undoubtedly remember taunting Darryl by chanting his name (Daaarrrryyyllll....Daaarrrryyyylll....) I don't ever remember giving that treatment to any other visiting ballplayer.

Then, on our way home, it happened again. As we were waiting (at 5am EST) to check in at the Syracuse Airport (a very small regional airport), we saw someone else we knew. Jesse Manibusan! It turns out that Jesse had a booking somewhere else in New York state that weekend and was on his way home. Not only were we at the same airport at the same ridiculously early time in the morning on the same day, but we ended up on the same flight to Chicago. You would think that would be strange enough, but by some twist of fate, we were also booked into the same row on the plane. It was a small airplane that, in each row, has one seat, an aisle, and then two seats. There were only three seats in the row and Orin, Jesse, and I filled them. Very strange! It gave us a great opportunity, though, to catch up with Jesse and talk a little business. There is a lot that Orin and I can learn from Jesse, so we were grateful for the chance to spend some time with him.

All in all, it was a great weekend. We look forward to Thanksgiving Day, when Orin and I have the opportunity to play music for an annual dinner provided for the needy in the Belleville, IL area. It should be a lot of fun.

-Shannon