The tenth anniversary of 9/11 has passed.  The thoughts I had ten years ago, five years ago, and even last year have changed.  I taught my son to commemorate heroes, not to put them on pedestals but honor them still as the brave human beings they were – not gods or becoming someone’s personal angel.  I wanted him to understand the human condition in what it surmounts to with…

When Tim was about 7 years old, Old Country Buffet was pushing to have their restaurants labeled kid friendly.  Part of this campaign was to go after the sweet tooth of juveniles across the country by having a commercial showing a kid making a mammoth dessert from chocolate chip cookies, soft ice cream, pie, cake, whipped cream and sprinkles.  Tim being no different asked if…

9-28-01

There are times that I look at you and I wonder if you were brought here for a greater purpose. Yeah, you might be saying “Okay, Dad’s lost his mind.” Well, it’s just a feeling. Mostly it’s just that I can’t get over how you were so brave for a six year old boy, during the course of September 11th. The experience left me with the feeling and vision of you becoming a police officer to replace me. I don’t want you to do that. I would rather you find your own path in this world.…

Monday, November 30,  1998

Rookie Cops Deliver Baby In Cruiser

(Philadelphia)--Two rookie police officers with less than a year on the force got  the surprise of their young careers Sunday morning when they delivered a baby girl in the back seat of their cruiser.

Geraldine Brooks of southwest Philadelphia gave birth to a premature baby girl at about 9:30 a.m., next to police officer Martin Connors who used her…

3/11/96

Sometimes I just wish you to think of this journal as an open letter to you.  One day you'll be a man, making your own choices in life, maybe falling in love, having children - what ever the future holds for you.  You will learn in religion class that man has free will to choose to do good or bad.  I believe that it also extends to be what you want.  I have my hopes of what you'll become, but I have some say in who…

When Tim was born, I began to write a journal of his life.  As life continued, the written word was exchanged for photographs.  I recently was able to pull it off a damaged disk.  Tim, this is the beginning of your life.  I love you.

7/26/95

Timothy, your journal begins now. I just want you to know your life from the beginning. You were born today, July 26, 1995 at 8:01 PM, weighing 7 pounds 13 ounces, and twenty-one inches long. It's the middle of a…

Watching shooting stars pass through Leo’s heart

As constellations dance in a celestial waltz

Seven sisters shed tears as I mourn my…

Tim’s first favorite Beatles song was “Yellow Submarine”.  The cartoonish imagery of the song, pre-dating the 1968 movie, was easy to follow with Ringo Starr’s monotone vocals.  My 1994 Camry had a tape deck and I bought the Beatles “1” album and when I would play it when we went on trips to the mall,…

When I became a cop, I learned to face the chance of my mortality coming to an end.  We learned in the police academy about criminology and from that victimology, first aid, patrol situations, comradeship, and death.  We just never learned what to do when it is our own child.  There isn’t really any course…

On July 4^th, 2009, Tim and I wanted to watch the fireworks.  Every year, the City of Philadelphia has a large free concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  There was a time that there would be simultaneous fireworks from the Delaware River and from behind the Museum of Art.  I had worked details on July 4^th celebrations for a number of years when I…

In August 2001, my vacation time finally came around.  We were planning a trip to Knoebels Amusement Park in the Poconos and trip to an underground cavern near Pittsburgh and possibly a trip to the Statue of Liberty.  I can’t explain why I felt uneasy about the trip within a few days we were to pack up and go.  But I did.  I decided we would take a stay-cation and go to the…

Tim and I left the Empire State Building and began to walk around Mid-Town Manhattan.  Near by was a comic book store and we were attracted to the display of comic book hero porcelain bisque busts, toys, t-shirts and stand-up cut out displays of Spider-Man, Boba Fett, Han Solo and a few others.  We went into browse, finding other treasures I wish I had the money to…

A few days after Tim’s birthday, in July 2010, I took him to the Empire State Building.  I told how it was something I hadn’t done and I knew he would enjoy.  We started out late in the morning of July 28^th.  I wanted to be up earlier, but both of us overslept.  We headed up I-95 to the New Jersey Turnpike then the Holland Tunnel into Mid-town Manhattan.  Tim…

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