An important rite of passage in Nicolai’s life occurred this morning as he presents his personal credo to the congregation at First Parish culminating a year long Coming of Age program in which the youth of our church explore their spirituality and belief system. Nicolai spoke from his heart and conveyed wisdom beyond his years. We could not be more proud of him and we were thrilled that his siblings and Aunt Susan were here to witness this important day in his life.

Hello, my name is Nicolai Calabria and everyone calls me Nico. I went through the Coming of Age program just like my friends from church. I made my mask. I participated in learning about our religion. I learned what it means to be homeless. I ventured out into the woods on my solo vision quest.

While on that quest, I chose to start by building a fort rather than sitting down in a peaceful setting to contemplate my credo. Once the fort was completed, I sat inside for ten minutes and became bored when no revelations came to me. In my infinite wisdom, I thought, “hmmm, how sweet would it be, if I sat in contemplation up in that tree?” I’m no stranger to tree climbing, but this tree was very tricky. I struggled to find a way up for several minutes, genuinely enjoying the challenge, until I finally arrived at a suitable branch for thinking big thoughts. After a few minutes of silent meditation, I once again decided I was bored… I climbed higher still, looking for a branch with a nice view of the adjacent lake. “Almost there,” I thought, just as the branch that was supporting me snapped off and I fell twenty feet to the ground.

When my heart stopped pounding I immediately began checking my body sure that I would find broken bones or blood gushing from somewhere. Miraculously, I was uninjured and walked away with only minor scratches. There is nothing like a near death experience to help a person focus on what is important in life … and it is a very good cure for boredom as well.

I don’t really believe in fate, but this incident got me thinking; a twenty foot fall, during my vision quest, while climbing to new heights. This had to be a sign of some kind. I believe it was a wakeup call telling me that I need to more fully appreciate the one precious life I have and take greater care to protect it. I was given a second chance and I intend to use it wisely.

As I started to think about my good fortune, I thought about how lucky I was to also have a roof over my head, food when I am hungry, water when I am thirsty, and people who support me in everything that I do. Why have I been so blessed when people around the world go hungry every day?

This led me to start thinking about my belief system and God.

I believe that there is something beyond human understanding that people explain with the idea of a supreme being. For me, God is a mysterious force that makes us think, feel, love, choose, and create the connections between each other and our world.

Other people use the idea of God to search for the meaning of life. I choose to seek this answer for myself and to live according to a set of beliefs and values that are important to me.

I believe that there is nothing more important than family.

Shortly after my birth, my mother was describing me to my aunt over the phone. “He’s a beautiful baby boy, he has blue eyes, brown hair, he weighs 6 pounds 7 ounces and he has one leg,” the last item being little more than an insignificant afterthought. That one phone call sums up the way my parents view me and how they raised me…. just like any other kid. No extra help, no pity, no shame. Growing up my dad always expected me to carry my own weight and having one leg was never an acceptable excuse for getting out of anything, not that I used it as one. Now that I am older, I really appreciate what my parents have done for me and cannot thank them enough for never thinking of me as disabled and for supporting me in my endeavors every step of the way. Thank you, mom and dad.

My brother Kyle and my sister Maya have also helped me to grow up normally by never viewing me or treating me as different from them. When I suggest we use a parking spot reserved for the handicapped, they will say, “Nico! A disabled person might need that!”

If family is the most important thing to me, living life courageously is a close second. We all face challenges of one sort or another. If we let fear paralyze us then those challenges will define our limits. If we are brave and willing to work hard then every obstacle we overcome will open a new world of possibilities and help us to reach our full potential.

I believe it is important to help promote a world in which all people enjoy freedom and are treated equally. Freedom to live our lives in peace and pursue our dreams regardless of what makes us different from others.

I also believe it is important to live life honestly and with integrity because if for no other reason it just feels good.

Finally, I believe we must all take responsibility for changing what we can to preserve our precious planet. Humans, in the name of progress, have become a threat to ourselves. We have failed to recognize the impact we are having on the Earth and we must stop taking it for granted. It is our home and we must show it more respect.

My vision quest and Coming of Age journey might have ended very, very badly. Instead it opened my eyes to what is truly important, taught me a very important lesson, and helped me to develop my credo.

Before I finish I would like to say thank you to my COA councilors who contributed far more than their time to help guide me on my adventure of self discovery. I also want to thank my family again for treating me like any other kid and members of this congregation for all of your support over the years.

Thank you and be careful when climbing trees.

This evening we joined Kate Yoder and friends at her home to plant a tree in memory of her sister who recently lost a battle with cancer. Although there can be no substitute for a lost sibling, the women in these photos all think of themselves as sisters to Kate.

I had a business lunch today and spent much of the rest of the day catching up on a list of household projects. One required the use of a rented hammer drill to make a 3″ diameter hole in the foundation of the house and has left my back in need of a good massage. I was able to catch the tail end of one of Maya’s two games today. She was on fire making great defensive plays and continuing to head the ball with great tenacity. Her squad competed against the league’s top two teams and both matches ended in victory for the Concord Carlise girls.

Kyle and Hannah attended the Junior Prom this evening. In stark contrast to many of the other couples, both looked entirely comfortable in their refined evening wear and in each other’s company. For the record, Kyle is wearing the same tuxedo I was married in and in which I accepted an Emmy Award. I hope he will treat it with the respect it deserves.

I posted this photo exactly 5 years ago and could have never imagined then that I would still be at it today with 3846 posts under my belt. My initial thought was that a daily photo journal would help to improve my photography. It has, in fact, had the opposite effect. The pressure of having to publish a photo every day leaves me often settling for a “snap” shot. What I did not realize, however, was how much I would come to value a daily record of our family life and a means for keeping distant loved ones in touch with us. Occasionally I will take the time to post a really nice photo but my emphasis has shifted more towards writing about what is happening in our world. I hope one day that my children will look back at this blog with fond memories as they show their children what their childhood looked like.

On Thursday evenings I usually play soccer under the lights at CCHS. Today I decided to give my troubled left knee a break and settled into the couch with the DVR remote after dinner. Just as I was getting comfortable Maya began urging me to go into the back yard and throw the Frisbee with her (something we have never done before). Although the presence of mosquitoes made it a short outing I really enjoyed playing with Maya who when measured earlier this week has grown a full inch since January.

Every now and then, I have the right lens on my camera to capture something out of the ordinary. This was one of two military aircraft that I can only assume were scrambled to address a possible threat, given their low altitude and extremely high rate of speed.

Nicolai is a master of the header. He is able to out jump most of his opponents and has an uncanny mastery of 3D kinematics and physics (the ball goes where he wants it to). His team beat what I thought was a stronger side by a score of 2-1.

Jeanine has been growing and harvesting her own limes for some time now. This one seems just about ready for picking. There is something very satisfying about growing your own food and I feel lucky to be married to someone who takes pleasure in doing so. UPDATE: I have just learned that these “limes” are actually lemons. A couple days of direct sunlight and they are turning a pretty yellow.  Lemonade anyone?

Jeanine’s Mother’s Day request was very simple. No cooking and no cleaning. Her day started with tea in bed and ended with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. In between she enjoyed a long bike ride to Chelmsford with her friends and came home to a clean kitchen courtesy of Nicolai and Maya.

My left knee cap has been bothering me all week so I decided to start in goal this morning rather than risk further injury on the soccer field. By the second half I was ready to give running a try but quickly concluded that I would not be able to play and sat out for the remainder of the game. Nicolai was also in action on the soccer pitch today facing what I perceived to be a stronger opponent. Despite the mismatch the Concord Carlisle team was able to produce an unexpected and exciting 2-1 victory.

Kyle decided to shave his “beard” this morning and I decided that that was good enough reason to take a series of photos of him with Hannah. Maya’s soccer game was cancelled due to a thunder storm and I took an uncharacteristic 2 hour afternoon nap to recharge my batteries after a long week at work.

When I returned from work this evening I found our home chock full of kids. Nicolai had 5 of his friends over, Maya had 2 and Kyle, who stepped up as grill master, was joined by Hannah. Unplanned gatherings such as this are something we truly enjoy as a family and really makes us feel like an important part of our kids lives and our community. Later on I took Nico and his friends plus one we picked up on the way to the movies to see Iron Man 2.

Landscapers spent the day moving existing plant material from the front of our home to the side yard/garden helping to create a thick visual and acoustic shield from Williams Rd. These were replaced by several new tress and shrubs giving a whole new look to the front of our home. Jeanine is quite giddy with excitement over the new look which I will no doubt feature in a future photo.