Activist Maggie Kuhn said, "Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." It took a long time for me to get to that point verbally, and I still struggle with it a bit because I'm shy by nature. But a few years back I gave myself a challenge to speak publicly and I beat it.

About ten years ago, I had decided I wanted to make my Confirmation as an adult. Although I have different feelings about it now, at the time it seemed the right thing to do. Well, after the two-year process of doing that I was asked if I wanted to volunteer at the church as an usher or lector.

Normally, the thought of getting up in front of everyone and speaking would have scared the &$%@ out of me. But I was tired of being shy and wanted to do something about it and I thought this would be a perfect way to do just that.

My first time lectoring was ten days before Christmas. The church was packed so the added pressure of all the extra people was not making it any easier. I had my assigned readings and had read and re-read them a number of times. There was no turning back and I was either prepared or not.

The time for the readings came during the Mass and I walked up to the altar and did a quick scan of all of the people. Gulped. Then started to read. The words came out perfectly and I didn't feel scared anymore. I was able to look up from time to time and scan the room as I spoke. My confidence building with each word. I finished my readings and went back to my seat.

After Mass ended, and people were starting to walk out, a few paused near me and said what a good job I had done. One man asked me how long I had been lectoring and I told him this had been my first time. He was amazed and told me to keep up the good work. Positive feedback at its best.

I lectored for a few years until I realized that I didn’t believe, or was uncomfortable with, a lot of things I was being asked to read. It has been a few years since I’ve spoken in front of a large group of people, but my experience as a lector was definitely a good one because it made me realize what I could do if I set my mind to it.

I think the biggest secret to public speaking is to believe what you are saying. Be passionate. Be open. Be honest. And let them hear your voice, shaky or not!

Being a fan of lighthouses, old buildings are definitely on my cool list. It's the abandoned part where it gets iffy.

If it's abandoned in a really, really bad area then that is creepy. Any building, whether old or new, would be creepy in that situation.

I've always had an appreciation and attraction to old buildings. Whenever we're driving somewhere new and I see a really cool old building on the side of the road my wife knows right away that I'm excited about it. More often than not I wish I had my camera...but don't. :-(

I have this photo of an old carriage garage in Connecticut that is one of my favorites that I've ever taken. It has this perfect green color that has been weathered and the glass on the doors is perfectly aged. And when I play around with it in Photoshop I can get it to look really old and appropriately creepy.

As a kid, when I was much braver, my friends and I would explore everywhere in our town that we could access. And that led us to an old copper mine and an abandoned building that was originally going to be a space museum but I guess the funding fell through. We went in that building once and were amazed to find among the garbage and dirt a plastic, life-sized mock-up of a lunar module. That made the fear of being in there worth it.

More time. Isn't that the story of all of our lives...wanting more time. I think the most important use of time for human beings is in spending it with others...especially loved ones.

Sure, I could say I wish I had more time to write or more time to read or more time to play videogames or more time to visit lighthouses. But, the time I enjoy the most is spent with my wife and my son. I want as much time for that as I can get.

My wife and I are heading toward knowing each other for eighteen years. We still love to do things together and the team we make for taking care of Mikey is unbeatable. When I see her holding him it warms my heart.

My son, Mikey, is six years old already. It seems impossible to me. I can still close my eyes and picture him on the scale in the delivery room as our eyes met for the very first time. Now, he's finishing his first year of kindergarten in a special autistic students class.

I smile every morning when I wake up because it means I have another day to spend with my family. And, when you take everything else away, THAT is what is most important to me.