One of the biggest stories in the news this week has revolved around the events at Penn State University. The sports world has been rocked by the events that have happened in a place called “Happy Valley”. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people that have had their world permanently changed because they innocently trusted someone that betrayed them. It’s terrible that this happens anywhere. I’m more frustrated with the people that covered it up for 10+ years. They just brushed it under the rug like it was no big deal. Do they not have children of their own? Do they not understand how wrong this type of behavior is from adults? Mentoring adults? People that need help and we treat them that way? Getting rid of Joe Paterno as head coach of Penn State doesn’t change the fact that people higher up than him knew this was going on and did nothing. No one person should be bigger than an entire University. But when you think of Penn State, you think of Joe Paterno. Do I think he should be allowed to finish out the season as head coach? No. But my thoughts also go out to the kids that signed up to play football for a legendary coach 1 -4 years ago and had no idea that their season and their life would change because of these events. It will be interesting to see how they deal with things that didn’t and never did involve them; yet they will be affected. ESPN college football anaylst Matt Millen, who played for Coach Paterno, said it best…”It’s not about sports or football anymore. It’s about people, and if we can’t protect our own kids, what does that say about us as a human race?”

This week I got signed up to coach my son’s 9-11 year old basketball team at the YMCA in Marion. I’m pretty excited about the season to start. The guy who runs the program said that they just didn’t have alot of people to help out. They had enough kids to play, just not a lot of parents to help. It gets frustrating to me to have parents who constantly drop their kids off at a practice because they have other things to do. If you have to work, that’s one thing. if you have a time-constraint event…ok, I can buy that one occassionally. But to drop your kid off so you can go do something else that’s fun to you…really? I had a kid tell me once that their parents dropped them off at basketball practice so that they could go to a movie. The movie lasted longer than the practice, and when I asked the kid where his parents were, he told me that they would just come and pick him up later and that the YMCA knows he here. PARENTS…do me a favor…invest a little time in what your kids are doing. They’ll appreciate it as much as you will. Before you know it, they have moved out of your house and are living their own lives, and you rarely see them. You’ll have plenty of time to take in a movie then.

No matter where you are this weekend, have a fun weekend! With Halloween this weekend, take some time and spend it with your kids. My kids get upset when I tell them how I used to Trick or Treat! You went out until there were no more porch lights on. If it was 9:30 or 10, so be it. Now kids only get a couple of hours. And we NEVER worried about people doing stupid things to a kids Halloween candy. Today you just never know. You have to check EVERYTHING! If you think about it, trick or treating is a great way for you to meet the neighbors where you live. Kind of like an extended National Night Out, except without all of the costumes.

While we don’t see them but just a few days out of the year, farmers and farm machinery are on the roads now as they are trying the get their crop out of the fields (providing the weather holds up!). Please let these folks do their job! Farmer’s are perfectly aware that they are taking up a majority of the road with combines and implements, and they do a good job (most of the time) of avoiding mailboxes too. They know that people are in a hurry and need to get places faster than the 20-30 mph that they are going. I have noticed more than one farmer recently pull over and stop so that a line of cars can pass and go by. Please give the farming community the same consideration by being patient and waiting for these folks to find someplace safe to pull over and let you go by.

Have you ever seen that show on TV about extreme-couponing? Where people will buy $2,000 worth of food for like $40.00? It just comes down to couponing. Some take it to the extreme more than others. I have found my wife more interested in doing this…not too that extreme of course, but so much that she bought a 3-ring binder and loaded them up with coupons. She even trades them at work with her co-workers. Last week she bought $100.00 worth of groceries for about $60.00! That’s not a bad deal. She gets pretty excited about it as well. What I can’t figure out is why people don’t do this MORE? A member of my family recently explained to me that she didn’t have time to sit all day and do that. If it was going to save you even $20.00 per week, that over $1,000 per year! At a time when people need to be finding ways to save more, they don’t…and then complain that they don’t have any money! Stop and think about how much money you use for things that you could REALLY live without. You might be surprised how much you save!

October is breast cancer awareness month. A number of events happen this month to raise awareness of this disease. High schools participate in “Volley for the Cure”, volleyball games. It’s important to self-exam or get checked to make sure that you’re cancer free. Some of the numbers are staggering. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15-54, and the second cause of cancer death in women 55-74. According to the American Cancer Society, you are NEVER too old to develop breast cancer. Be proactive this month in helping to find a cure for breast cancer!

When I was a kid going to the grocery store was NEVER fun. For most kids it NEVER is. Although grocery shopping with my Dad was OK only because I usually got something extra out of him. I remember shopping and walking through the store and hearing the worst music piped in and thought, “It’s no wonder that people hate to grocery shop…listen to that junk”. Fast forward 25-30 years. I’m in a grocery store this week and I’m walking through and I hear a song that I recognize (I’m weird…I listen for stuff that way). and then I realize that what I’m listening to is Van Halen! Van Halen at the grocery store!! REALLY???? It’s one of those “you know you’re getting older”, stories, ya know? And all I could think of was: A: Getting older stinks, and B: I wonder if kids today think that this music is junk, like I thought 25-30 years ago? And who is Van Halen?? I just have to remember that kids don’t change…it’s the parents that do!

And there goes summer!!!!!!! Have you seen the calendar lately? Does it feel like September is just about over? We’re into week 5 of high school football; I’ve seen leaves changing on trees already; Stores are beginning to put holiday merchandise out. That’s depressing!! Are people really in the holiday spirit in Mid-September? There must be a market for this or stores wouldn’t do it. This week my son and my wife were discussing what he was going to be for Halloween, and I said, “Dude, you’ve got some time”. And my wife says, “It’s only four weeks away”. Once again…depressing. I am not a fan of colder weather. The fall season I enjoy. It’s those nights that are clear and you have that bonfire? By the way, why is it that you have a cookout in the summer and a bonfire in the fall? Isn’t it the same thing?

I have more of a reason to watch football now more than ever. My son Adam plays! He scored his first touchdown last week. My wife and I were pretty excited sitting in the stands. I would really rather watch the youth football games than the NFL a lot of the time. He takes it pretty serious too. And he really understands a lot more of the game at his age than I did. When I was 9 we played in the backyard, had one quarterback and 7 or 8 receivers running around to throw too. It wasn’t until we had EVERY kid in the neighborhood playing that we had running backs (or 10-11 receivers to throw too)! He’s kicking field goals as well. A couple of weeks ago we went over to the school and practiced. He beat me 10 field goals to 7. They kick from the 7 yard line. They have a game this Sunday against Cardington. If you get a chance to watch these kids play, try to make it to a game. In a few years they will be playing high school football.

What do you do for the Labor day weekend? Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable for women to wear white. Think of this…Christmas is less than 4 months from now. Enjoy this Labor Day. Spend time with friends and family if possible. The summer season has really went way to fast!