After hanging out with Joe in South Bend and my grandparents in St. Louis, I traveled back east to Columbus for the final sibling outing with Jack (24). As some of you may already know, Jack just recently became a seminarian for the Diocese of Toledo, and is in his first year of Pre-Theology studies at Josephinum in Columbus. As many of you also know, Jack has been my best friend over the last 22 years. We have shared many great memories over the years, from playing catch in the backyard, to Irish football games, to fun nights at Marquette.

In Columbus we went out for some dinner and a few coldies at Bodega. Due to busy schedules over the last few weeks, it was the first time either of us talked in depth since our new journeys began. We are both entering unique new chapters of our lives, and are sharing some of the same feelings of nervousness and excitement of what’s ahead. We talked about our thoughts on the next year, both for each other and ourselves, and what some of our hopes and expectations are over this life-changing time. It will be such a blessing to have my brother and best friend going through some of the same things that I will go through. Although we will be 7000 miles apart, we will still have each other to lean on and be able share in each other’s experiences.

For anyone interested in following Jack through the seminary, his blog is: http://maninthemarble.blogspot.com

Also, I figured I’d add the newest family picture to this site, so you can see the siblings I have been blabbering about and the wonderful parents who are raising us (take on their 25th Wedding Anniversary).

On Sunday evening I departed Toledo to meet up with my younger brother Joe (18) in South Bend. Joe is beginning his freshman year at Notre Dame studying Science/Business with the plan of Medical School in the future. Although I was bummed that he did not continue on the Kelly Boys tradition at Marquette, I was very excited for him to pave his own path at ND.

When I arrived Joe showed me around his dorm (Carroll Hall). I met his three roommates who were all nice guys, and met several of his other friends on the floor. We hung out and chatted for a couple hours in his room, and eventually went down to the chapel for 10pm Mass. After Mass we went to Reckers for a smoothie, and walked around the campus for a bit despite the rain. We ended up back at Carroll and went to bed; Joe had a busy day Monday with back-to-back-to-back classes beginning at 8:30 AM, and I had a busy day of traveling to St. Louis to visit my grandparents.

Though a short visit, it was nice to spend a few hours with Joe. He was feeling pretty overwhelmed with everything the first week of college brought, as many of us I'm sure have experienced. He realized how fast the classes move and how much material they cover, especially in Chemistry and Calculus. I told him to take everything one day at a time, and enjoy his college days (he was already a few days ahead in all of his classes, a position unfamiliar to me over 4 years at MU). College is completed best by finding balance between schoolwork, hanging out with friends, and sleep, even though there is not enough time in the day accomplish all three fully. Even though the work is important, it is just as important to make sure "the best 4 years of your life" don't pass you by.  As rocker Tom Petty said, "The work never ends, but college does..."

Sunday came as the day to take out the baby of the family, Anna (6). She got really excited earlier in the week when I told her about the dates, and knew right away that she wanted to go Putt-Putting. She remained patient throughout the entire week as her siblings had their fun nights, and finally her day came. Onward to the greens!

We arrived at the Putt-Putt course and selected our balls. Anna picked the purple one, and let me know she always picks purple. I went with the bright green. After a few putts on the practice green, we went on to the first hole. Anna got off to an early two-stroke lead, but I was determined not to let my six-year-old sister beat me. With help from a hole-in-one on the 8th and the heat and fatigue catching up to Anna, I was able to storm back for the win. "Its really hot out... can we get ice cream?" Anna said with a sigh as she dragged her club back to the clubhouse. We grabbed a few frozen treats on our way out and headed home.

My date with Anna was the one that I was looking forward to most, mainly because we have not spent much one-on-one time together (she was 2 when I went away to college). However, on our date she asked, "Tom. Do you remember when we did that big puzzle together?" Over Christmas break a few years back, Anna and I spent several hours together and completed a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It brought a big smile to my face that she remembered completing the puzzle with me, and while in South Sudan, I’ll be glad to know she remembers her big brother.

Friday after school, Bob (12) and I went Go-Karting for our adventure. Upon arrival, the man at the counter informed us that Robert was still a "Rookie" wasn't tall enough to drive the "Big Karts," which meant we had to go separately. Not willing to concede without a fight, I asked if Robert could be measured. Bob walked up to the 58" measuring stick on the wall, stretched out his neck, and was above the line by literally 1/8 of an inch. With the congratulations of the man behind the counter, we were off to the track.

I let Robert take the pole position in the Green #15 car, while I was on his tail in the Green #18. After the first lap, with Bob extending the gap, I knew I had no shot of catching him. I'm not sure if it was because I had a slower Kart or Bob was a much superior driver, but as we continued to go around the track Bob continued to pull away. After several laps, he noticed that he had a clear lead and began toying with me, by slowing down on the straightaways and then gassing it on the turns. On the final lap, he got a bit too cocky. On turn 1 he let me get too close, and I proceeded to spin him out despite the strict "No Bumping" rules. I stormed into the lead and held it down the final straightaway, and began to slow down as instructed to enter Pit Lane. Bob however, still angry about the earlier paint swap, gunned it and bumped into me and into first, garnering a yell from the employees to "Slow Down." Getting out with smiles on our faces, it was clear that we had a fun day on the pavement. We finished off with a couple cold Slush Puppies and headed home.

P.S.- While Robert technically finished first, I received word from the race officials later in the day that he was disqualified for his antics. Better luck next time Bob!

Thursday evening I took my oldest sister Elaine (14) out on date three. We went to Charlie's Homemade Ice Cream & Edibles, a local place in Sylvania, OH. Elaine opted for the classic cheeseburger with just ketchup, and I went with the 4-Way (spaghetti, chili, cheese, and onions), which reminded me of my Real Chili days at Marquette :). While sitting at the table waiting for our food, the first question Elaine asks is, "Are you going to get your hair cut before you leave. You're going to be really hot in Africa with long hair." We will see Elaine. We will see.

Once the food came, we continued to talk about my trip to Africa. Elaine thought it would be pretty cool to travel halfway around the world to a new country, although she thought a couple weeks would be long enough. Maybe someday a year will be more appealing... I think she might be a future missionary. But first things first - she just started high school at Notre Dame Academy. We chatted about her first days there, and she really loves it. She enjoys all her classes, meeting new friends, and finally being treated as a young adult. She’s also excited to join the photography club.

After dinner we finished with ice cream. Elaine got Chocolate Almond in a cone, and ended up getting more on her face than in her mouth. I went the safe route and got Peaches n' Cream in a cup. Overall it was a great evening with my little (though growing up fast) sis.

The second date, or should I say "Manly Excursion," was with Dillon (16).  Wednesday was going to be the only day that worked for him since he had a busy upcoming weekend. In the morning before he left for school, I asked what he wanted to do. He said he would think about it during the day, and I had high expectations he was going to spend all day thinking of a great place for some brotherly bonding.  So when I picked him up from school, I was a little disappointed (only kidding) when I asked where he wanted to go, and his response was, "I don't know. Maybe somewhere to eat, like Steak and Shake."

In the car I asked him how his day went, and he proceeded to tell me that when I sent him a text in the afternoon making sure that we were still on, he accidentally turned on his phone alarm and got in trouble. Whoops! (not off to a hot start). I quickly changed the subject about what his plans were for the weekend. We arrived at Steak and Shake, and ordered burgers and shakes. Dillon went with the Mint Cookies and Cream and I got the Nutter Butter.

Since he is a junior at St. Johns, I asked him about what colleges he is starting to look at (Marquette, Notre Dame, Steubenville, Dayton, Xavier, and Loyola), and what he is interested in studying (Theology or Finance; couldn't be more different, I know). Some advice I gave him is to study something that he is interested in. Classes and the work are much more enjoyable when you like what you are doing. We also chatted about what it is going to be like for him to be the oldest home.  His situation is similar to mine six years ago, having our closest older brother go away to college and being on our own at SJJ. I reassured him that it was a good time for personal growth and maturation.

After we got done at Steak and Shake, I dropped Dillon off at the local supermarket to turn in a job application, only to realize that the hiring manager was not going to be in until Friday. Welcome to the real world Dillon! Although Dillon did not do any flips or tell me any cute stories, we still had a good time chatting and spending a few hours together.

While sitting in LaGuardia Airport on Saturday waiting for my flight, I began to think about what I was going to do during these last two weeks before shipping off to South Sudan. I decided to spend some one-on-one time with all of my seven siblings since I'm not going to see them for a year+.  So while they were at school yesterday I put together some days where they could signup to go somewhere, along with a few ideas such as Putt-Putt, Go Karts, or a Mud Hens Game. Once they got home from school I showed them my plan.

Audrey (9) was the first to show interest, and after telling her about my ideas, she said "Or maybe the mall?" Although I didn't really know what we would do there, I said we could go, and thus the first date was set.  When dinner was finished, we set off to the mall.  While there we walked around to a couple different stores (Build-a-bear and Disney), lost at the crane game a few times, and chatted about her summer. One of my favorite moments came after several minutes of her dominating the conversation when she asked, "Tom, do you think I talk too much?"

After the Disney store, we saw the Bungee-Trampoline outside of Macy's and walked towards it. I asked Audrey if she wanted to try it, and after a few seconds of thought she said, "Yes!" with a big smile. I knew I was being the cool older brother when while waiting in line she turned to me and said, "I don't think Mom would ever let me do this."  Once Audrey got strapped in, she began jumping, with the bungee pulling her higher and higher (probably 15-20 feet). After getting the hang of it, she began to experiment with different tricks. First came the back flip, then the front flip, and on her last jump she eventually pulled off the double back flip!

When the jumping was done, we decided to get some Cinnamon Sticks at Auntie Anne’s, and then finished at the mall with a rollercoaster simulator. Once getting in the car she noticed that we didn’t have to be home for another 45 minutes, so we ventured across the street to Barnes and Noble. While browsing through the books, she asked if I had a good birthday, and I told her I sure did. She said, "Good. Because during prayer this morning I said a special intention for you to have a good birthday, and it came true." Nothing feels better than to know your little sister is praying for you!

For me, today is the start of a new year.  It is the start of a new year not only because I turn 22 today, but also because it marks the beginning of my year of mission in South Sudan.  While most people do not see turning 22 as a big life event, this date has more significance to me than I could have ever imagined.

Over the last three weeks I was in New York for my program's orientation. One of the weeks we attended cultural training at Mount Manresa in Staten Island, NY (we fittingly arrived on July 31, the feast of St. Ignatius).  I was especially excited to go to this Jesuit Retreat House because I knew it would remind me of my last eight years of Jesuit education and of my faith journey which brought me here today.  On site there was a beautiful Chapel lined with stained glass windows of several Jesuit Saints.  On our first day we began with Morning Prayer, and I noticed the window of St. John Berchmans straight ahead upon entry. After seeing this window, I realized I knew nothing about him, despite the fact that he is the patron of my alma mater (St. John's Jesuit High School).

Once Morning Prayer was finished, I went back up to my room to read about St. John Berchmans. Much to my surprise, St. John Berchmans died from sickness at the age of 22, the same age I turn today. I was really drawn to this fact, not because he died at age 22, but rather that he lived holy enough in those 22 years to become a Saint. He used to say, "If I do not become a Saint when I am young, I shall never become one." St. John Berchmans did not become a Saint because he did anything extraordinary. His path to holiness was achieved by doing the ordinary with care and perfection.   He made kindness and piety part of his daily life, which is what I aspire to do during my year of mission.

In this 22nd year of my life, I can only hope to live my life the way St. John Berchmans did. In my time at orientation, I realized that I am not called to do the extraordinary while on mission, but rather to do the ordinary. I am called to be the Face of Christ to the children of Africa. I am called show them love, and more importantly let them know that they are loved. As Mother Teresa so perfectly put it, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."