Where am I going ?

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.  I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am  actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thomas Merton

Stand By Me

No more needs to be said.  Enjoy.

Stef Golan: Patriot League Coach of the Year

Stef was named Patriot League Coach of the Year this week as she and her West Point ladies head into the Patriot League Tournament on Friday with an NCAA bid on the line.  Soccer has always been a major part of the Gene Kraay family, and Stef's accolade will now top the list.  Here are some other notes about Stef's Black Knights that may interest you.

*Army scored 22 goals in the regular season and allowed just five ... the record for fewest goals against Army is nine set in 2002 when the Black Knights were touched for seven during the regular season and two in the tournament ... Brown is the only team to score more than a goal against Army this season.


*In seven league games, Army has scored five goals by five different players along with a stingy 0.13 GAA, while posting six shutouts (three scoreless overtime draws).

*Army is 7-1-1 at home and unbeaten in its last four matches.

*Freshman Kim An leads the league in goals (nine) and points (20), and is tied for first in game winners (four).

*Senior goalkeeper Alex Lostetter is first in the league in shutouts (10), GAA (0.22) and wins (eight) ... she is ranked No. 2 by the NCAA in GAA and save percentage (.930).

*Army has allowed just two goals in the first half this season in a loss to Fordham and win over Bucknell.

*Army has outscored its opponents 7-2 in the first half, 13-2 in the second, and 2-1 in the first overtime and 0-0 in the second.

*Army has had six games go into overtime to show a 2-1-3 mark.

*Army's 15 shutouts shattered the school mark of 13 set in 1993.

*Army put together a six-game shutout win streak early in the season, three off the mark set at the start of 1993.

*Army tied the school shutout mark in conference play at six, first set in 2008.

*Coach Stefanie Golan is the second Army coach tabbed for Patriot League Coach of the Year honors ... second time for the Black Knights in three years ... Army's first coach, Gene Ventriglia, was a six-time selection.

*Four freshmen have been regulars in Army's starting lineup, with three (Molly McGuigan, Katie Wacker, Melissa McLaws) in the back and the other (Kim An) at midfield ... three others have drawn duty in a majority of the games.

*The freshman class has scored 13 of Army's 22 goals with the senior class registering three goals, five tallied by the junior class and a goal from the sophomore class.

*Army is ranked No. 5 in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the second consecutive week ... its highest ranking was third on 10/21

*Army has ranked No. 1 in GAA in the last four NCAA statistical releases and has been No. 1 in shutout percentage in the last five releases.

*STATISTICALLY

Kim An is the leading scorer in the league with nine goals and 20 points and tied for the most game-winning goals (four).

Alex Lostetter is the top goalkeeper in GAA both league (0.13) and overall (0.22) along with 10 shutouts (six in league play)

Army has allowed just one goal in league matches (0.13 GAA) , that to Bucknell, and five overall for a 0.25 GAA that ranks first nationally

Army has scored 22 goals this season with five in league play

Patriot League Champions

In her second year as Head Coach of the West Point Women's Soccer Team, Stef led the Black Knights to an undefeated league season and championship with a 1-0 win over Holy Cross last night in Worcester, MA.  Several significant records fell in the process, and West Point was ranked nationally in several categories.  The defense was incredibly stingy, and a large contingent of freshmen contributed mightily to the success of the team.  Next on tap is the Patriot League tournament with an NCAA bid in the balance.  What a wonderful job well done!

St. Patrick's Breastplate

St. Patrick's Breastplate is an Irish hymn attributed to St. Patrick during his Irish ministry.  I've posted parts before and have been meaning to put this one up as well.  It is a wonderful way to start your day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels ...

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth, and
Firmness of rock.

The 3,000 mile road trip

Decided to head back to Defiance, Missouri and check on the house.  Grandpa thought the change of scenery would be good for him, so he accompanied me on this 3,000 mile round trip.  We left Tucson on Wednesday headed for a stop over in Elk City, OK.  As we pulled into Elk City, a brake pad went out.  Bummer.  Fortunately, we found some good ol' boys up and at 'em at 0730 who helped us out, changed the pads on both front brakes and got us back on the road by 0815.  We reached Defiance around 1600.

As soon as we entered wine country, the nostalgia began to hit.  Marie and I had five good years there before returning to Tucson, but the mood turned a bit sour as we got to the old neighborhood.  Too many houses for sale at such low prices.  It's pretty depressing that such beautiful homes with access to such a beautiful lake are unoccupied and remain for sale.  I've concluded that bin Laden definitely succeeded.  On 9/11, his heinous deed did destroy the American economy, and as much as I want to be a good soldier and support the commander-in-chief, Obama has only exacerbated the situation and made friends with all of the free-loaders at one end of the scale, and the rich guys at the other with his $750 billion bailout.  Bad news for America.

Regardless, my Dad and I spent Friday and Saturday cleaning up around the place.  We power-washed, pulled weeds, trimmed bushes, mowed the lawn, etc.  Thursday and Friday, we had great sandwiched from the Bavarian Smokehaus.  Saturday, David Hamilton, my long-time friend and attorney met us for dinner at Ashley's Rose in Augusta.  It was terrific.  In between, I was able to visit Vic and Ruth Ann at their shop, and Grandpa met all the neighbors, the Babors, Cobleighs and Sadowskis.  All very gracious.  Kyle Burrows, who we've known since he and Brad were in nursery school as two-year olds met me at the house Saturday morning.  Kyle, an attorney by trade, has started a Real Estate company.  He now manages our property.  I could not have entrusted it to anyone better.

After our whirlwind days in Missouri, Grandpa and I were back on the road Sunday morning and made it to Santa Rosa, New Mexico.  It was an easy eight hour drive back to Tucson on Monday.  It was great to be back at the old house in Missouri, but we were grateful to return to Marie.  By the way, in our absence, Marie painted Grandpa's room a Southwest burnt orange and painted his bedframe black to really set it off.  All in all, a good trip, but we're glad to be back in Arizona.

From the Celtic Wise One ...

Dave McGrath, my Celtic kinsman from Upstate New York has been my friend for three decades now.  He passed this gem to me this afternoon.  I know you will enjoy it.

"Me wise old grandmither used to say, 'If you can't put a smile on someone's face today, what's the point of getting up?'  Somewhere there's some wisdom there.  I pinch myself daily and count my lucky starts to be blessed with a great family and friends like you.  I haven't missed the ring on the merry-go-round too many times!"