Communion is not just for church. Communion is an act of fellowship. Inclusion and engagement are essential. Receiving the gift of another whether their opinion differs or not. Whether their culture, background or tics are different for you. Being present for their presence. Acts that can be carried throughout your days and weeks. Your fellow man should not be an antiquated phrase but a practice.

The first time I used Twitter in earnest was 18 years ago. I was sitting in a hospital waiting room, scared out of my wits as my wife went into early labor, and trying to distract myself. A NICU nurse (from Colorado, I think) responded, talked me through what was going on, and calmed me down. Last night, that premature baby crossed the stage to pick up his high school diploma - with honors and distinctions - and I couldn’t be more proud. I know I have a lot of new followers, but the folks who have been my pals for YEARS - some of them for well over a decade - know him as SamWow. I’ve shared his journey a hundred times before, but just in case you’re new, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version: - born premature - eye surgery at 3 - early signs of off-the-charts intelligence - didn’t fit school’s definition of “normal” - Autism ADHD diagnosis - merciless bullying = 3 school changes - COVID home schooling hit the reset button - amazing high school support team - advanced STEM program at local university - FAA-certified commercial drone pilot at 16 - summer internship with architect at 17 - internship with CAD designer at 18 - graduated with honors & distinction last night Next step: two-year college where he’ll study 3D animation, 3D modeling & design. Will move into a four-year program “if it will help my career and make me happy.” If I’ve learned anything over these 18 years, it’s this: whatever he decides to do, he’ll do it. Take it to the bank. It has been a long, exhausting, emotional road, but this kid is unsinkable. Just unsinkable. It took a constellation of people who care about him - from NICU teams to surgeons to counselors to teachers - to help him get there, but he did ALL the work himself. Even those bullies and teachers who treated him like garbage along the way, and the administrators who did nothing about it, played a role in shaping him into the remarkable man he is today. Lesser people would have cracked. He crushed it. It would have been so easy for him to give up - to say he was dealt a shitty hand and encountered a bunch of equally shitty people - and let that stuff define him. But he didn’t. He rose above. He’s writing a different autobiography and it’s a glorious one. As a parent, I was reminded time and time again that whenever you think the world is a cold place filled with indifferent people, someone will come along and be so warm - so caring - they’ll change that view in the extreme. The authentic reactions of non-US citizens visiting our amazing country for the World Cup is having similar effect for millions of Americans. For the past decade, our own media (and plenty of their helpers on various social media platforms) have been telling us how awful this place is… that America lost its way and it’s filled with awful people who need fixing. They couldn’t fathom that people could have different views and different experiences, yet still share a common bond. So, they set about sorting the country into two camps and sewing seeds of hate among us. That’s not so shocking. I’ve worked in media before and I know clicks = $ and controversy = clicks. Before the internet and social media, “if it bleeds, it leads” was what newspaper and broadcast news editors would say. Story old as time. The big problem, however, is that a lot of us started to believe them. We comfortably wrapped ourselves in the flag of whatever sub-category we got sorted into and defended it with claws out and teeth bared. But as @elonmusk bought Twitter and started changing things up, we began to see that things weren’t quite the way legacy media was portraying. Sure, there are bots and bad actors, but at the core - at what matters - people connected. The reactions of World Cup visitors to Americans and our way of life has been nothing short of beautiful. Quite a weekend. Thanks to everyone making this world a bit brighter. Even better days ahead.

The Army Full Honors Wreath-Laying Ceremony in honor of the Army’s 251st birthday will take place at 9 a.m. today at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Watch it LIVE here: dvidshub.net/webcast/38019

Flagday with @7thGypsy

Flagday 🇺🇸

Nature's perfect tapestry.

Random 70s at bat: Dennis Martinez vs Butch Hobson (September 17, 1977).

Didn't want to go bed hungry.

Summer shop hours will be adjusted to accommodate cigar smoking poolside.

During last night's my-RedSoxFast, I watched this. I am a Tom Hardy fan and would recommend this to any admirer of his work.

Also got a 48 year old post card in the mail today from the incomparable @RickCanale. Add the 250 postmark on the back, priceless. Thanks Rick!

We've done more funeral crosses in the past year than the three previous ones.

Pamela Anderson was 'discovered' in a similar context.

Boston and Surrounds are suddenly Scottish 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 We found a team to root for.

Hadn't known about this guy until reading this article yesterday. Damn he throws heat 🔥🔥🔥if anyone wants this jumbo comp. Lmk wsj.com/sports/baseball/jaco…

Join us at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, for an Army Full Honors Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at ANC in honor of the U.S. Army’s 251st birthday. The ceremony is free and open to the public. Unable to join in person? Watch live at dvidshub.net/webcast/38019.

It's been a minute since I've posted about the 78 Sox. This post is for the walking man, Eddie Yost the third base coach who also played 18 seasons and is 11th all time in BB.

Congratulations to my incredible niece who got engaged last night.