This Tuesday morning when I entered class I suddenly remembered an helpful task that I did last week. During the class, the subject material triggered a thought that I needed to journal from the day before. Knowing that I would likely forget, I wrote it down right there in class. Later when I was reviewing the day, I was able to retrieve it. It occurred to me that I should make this a practice to jot things down as they occur during the day to help with the problem that I have been having of neglecting this vital practice. It just so happened that as I thought of this I had several of these things on my mind so when I sat down I started writing down journal notes for the past 3 days. As I was doing this, the professor walked back and forth and then settled in right near me. I realized that it might look as if I were doing other homework in her class. Thankfully I got the important points down by this time. I was very happy to make these notes, and to be able to catch up on reviews, as this was a very busy weekend and I am behind. This was one of those small occurrences that could go a long way in improving my outlook on things and helping me stay connected.

The professor talked about relationships today. One interesting idea she conveyed was the way in which we discuss our problems with others and sometimes take actions based on those conversations. She showed and illustration of triangles in which the three points were three individuals involved. The husband and wife for example, were points 1 and 2 and the wife's friend was point 3. In each case there was an arrow going back and forth illustrating communication between parties. The wife and husband discuss an issue and then the wife discusses it with the friend. The communication from the husband to the friend was I believe given from the wife in proxy for the husband. My professor showed how this pattern expands every time that a person is added and an unhealthy matrix forms. To me I thought this also illustrates how poor communication forms and bad decisions are made because party number 2 is not actually communicating for themselves. This means that the feedback received is not sound because of the potential for a distorted rendering of party #2's position. Objectivity is lost and bad ideas are perpetuated.

In the afternoon I finished my observation report from the weekend and did some math homework. I was pleased to get the report completed. I got more worried about math, which I am falling further behind on. I barely read anything on my book report but then I remembered that I still have another day, that it is not due tomorrow. I was very relieved about this, almost ecstatic. It was as if another day was miraculously dropped in to this week to help me out. Ironic that I had an experience with the perception of time.

In the evening we had a tee ball game. All went well getting there albeit a bit stressful getting everyone together. As the game went on my daughter began acting up the way she has been in the past 2 games. Her mouth got hurt when her brother bumped the water jug she was drinking from. She whined incessantly over this and got everyone to attend to her including my wife who came into the dugout. She missed her at bat unbeknownst to me as I was doing batting warm-ups and another guy was sending them in. Then on the field she continued her drama. Funny thing though, the very first batter hit a ball straight to her. She was drooping her shoulders and sticking her chin up in the air disapproving of my lack of sympathy for her plight and she instinctively reached down and caught the ball and threw it to first base. She didn't get the out but everyone cheered at the fine play. Nevertheless, from then on it was downhill and she was a big distraction. Each of the other coaches tried to get her to cooperate. Each tried their technique of cajoling her with kindness as I was clearly flustered. They all failed but eventually she did turn her attitude around when she accidentally started laughing with one of her friends. Her misbehavior seemed contagious as all of the kids began to play with each other and dig in the dirt and ignore baseball. At one point it looked like a free for all with an army of assistant coaches desperately trying to get the kids focused on the game. This was especially embarrassing as we were playing the best team, coached by the head of the umpires association, with kids that make run down tags and throw outs. But those kids seemed to have the same problem and he was preoccupied keeping them in it too.

My son (the kid with autism) had a great game. He played second base and covered the base every time. He actually looked like a baseball player. He caught a grounder and threw it to first. He played pitcher and made several run downs. He batted well and slid into home when he got around. He was very proud that he got to wear sliding pants today.

This evening I thought about my friend's invitation to speak at the treatment center. I finally spoke to my wife about it. I realized that I should make a better effort to accept this invitation. I felt obliged to give back for the blessings that I have received.

Thanks be to God.