My Birthday Thank You and Teddy's Big Win

I had a wonderful birthday which included time with my longtime friend and former colleague Ken Giglio at Nationals Ballpark. At the stadium, not only did the Nats win, but Teddy finally won the race of the presidents. (He got an assist from his mascot buddy from Philadelphia. See more about that below).


You know you’re getting older when, at the drugstore, you have talk yourself out of buying the Gummy Bears infused with fiber.

But seriously folks...

I’ve been touched by kind words and birthday wishes coming from friends and family. As I look to process that, I’m comforted by a couple of quotations that I found recently.

My sentiment is similar to that of Oklahoman Will Rogers, a former National Press Club member himself, raised near my own hometown. He once said that “strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet”.  On that same subject, Elbert Hubbard, a writer and philosopher known for founding the Roycroft community in East Aurora, New York, is quoted as saying “a friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same”.  My greatest blessings are my wife and son. But I’ve also been blessed many times over surrounded with forgiving people who affirm friendship all the time. Such kindness might come from someone whom I haven’t seen in years, or those in the course of my daily life. God bless you and thank you so much for that.

And if you didn’t see Teddy win. Here’s the video. Nats fans owe a debt of gratitude to the Philly Phanatic, who essentially body-checked the other three presidents, Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson.