Tom Cochrane recorded a popular song titled, “Life is a Highway,” with lyrics. “I wanna “ride it all night long.” Life is a highway and we all hope we log lots of mileage on that road, piling up many highlights along the way.

In these uncertain times, taking stock of our blessings (people, places, events, opportunities), seems to be happening a lot. If we had to list our life’s highlights, that list could be almost endless, but maybe if we picked one line of memories for each year we’ve been on this earth, it might be a little easier. So, I thought I’d try to do something similar as this coming Thursday will mark my 67th trip around the sun.

This list isn’t all highlight information of my years, but can be asterisked as the first of many lists like this I could create.

So, here are 67 lines of special memories of my longevity (not in any particular order):

¯ Growing up on Bowen Street (Neighborhood families and friends included)

¯ St. James School

¯ Family dinners and Sunday family activities

¯ Christmas Eves at Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary’s

¯ Catholic War Veterans’ picnics

¯ Allegheny camping (as kid and parent)

¯ Indians/Yankees doubleheaders

¯ Passion plays and high school musicals

¯ Silver Fence, Hall’s Pond, Uncle Bob’s, the Pines, Puzzle Lounge (special places with the East Side Guys and Gals)

¯ Umpiring baseball and softball

¯ College methods courses

¯ Teaching career

¯ Meeting my bride-to-be

¯ Wedding day/Becoming Chasy and Chrissy’s dad -same day.

¯ Fundraising (Yes – highlight) Girl Scouts, Holy Family School (especially Mega Bucks), Washington Cheerleading, band, chorus, orchestra, gymnastics, baseball, soccer, travel sports, class trips, all my children’s and my teams’, and my classes’ activities. (Didn’t mind fundraising at all. Still don’t.)

¯ Jon’s birth

¯ Class wax museums

¯ Flight 93 Memorial site visit

¯ Class outdoor education experiences

¯ Class trips to Toronto/Cleveland

¯ Class Flag Day programs and fifth- and sixth-grade Career Days

¯ Class Veterans Day programs

¯ Coaching Little League, Babe Ruth, 16-18 Babe Ruth and travel baseball

¯ Coaching at Cooperstown Dreams Park (three times)

¯ 1999 MLB Hall of Fame Induction

¯ Coaching high school baseball/softball for Panama, Jamestown, Cassadaga Valley and Falconer schools

¯ Washington Lobos football

¯ Myrtle Beach/Florida baseball trips (as coach, parent spectator), Family vacations there too.

¯ State Final Four — JHS Baseball, 1990

¯ State Regional Final — Falconer softball, 2013

¯ Medaille College baseball

¯ Annual Baseball Showcase

¯ Visiting the Field of Dreams

¯ My children’s weddings — Playing catch with Jon before his.

¯ Notifications of grandchildren’s/great-grandchildren’s births

¯ Pachelbel Canon

¯ Numerous Tribe home openers

¯ Two Tribe spring trainings

¯ MLB World Series in 1997 and 2016

¯ MLB All Star Week (2019)

¯ Disneyworld (1980 – honeymoon with girls), Disneyland (1997- California Trip)

¯ Gateway Arch (1988)

¯ California, Tennessee, Virginia trips

¯ Game at Wrigley Field

¯ Hawaii trip

¯ Las Vegas Trip — great shows, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, spring training side trip.

¯ Space Shuttle transport to launch pad

¯ Space Shuttle launch

¯ Volunteering at Jackson Center — meeting/hearing Gabriel Bach, Chief Justices William Rehnquist and John Roberts, amazing authors with the Young Reader’s Program such as Jane Yolen, Karen Levine, Phillip Hoose, Charles Shields, Sam Yasgur, Sharon Robinson, and many more.

¯ Hosting five Babe Ruth World Series

¯ Two-year facilitator – People to People in Washington, D.C.

¯ Seeing Presidential motorcade pass by with the Pope

¯ Two visits to Saudi Arabian Embassy

¯ Five Years working with Jamestown Jammers coaches and players (clinic coordinator), and two seasons as official scorer

¯ Annual pre-dawn post office trip each Wednesday before Thanksgiving

¯ Annual Christmas get-together with family and friends

¯ Buffett concerts with old friends and new

¯ Stage plays and music concerts with Sally

¯ Published two books and a Coaches’ Guide

¯ More than 10 years as The Post-Journal’s Voice from the Bullpen

¯ Browns Backers of Jamestown, N.Y.

¯ Recovery from Heart stent implantation procedure –2014

¯ Recovery from subdural hematoma — 2018

¯ Opportunities given to me and ones I’ve been able to offer others

¯ People who gave me those opportunities and/or allowed me to give them.

¯ People I’ve met and shared with through the years.

¯ 40 Years, and counting, with my beautiful bride, Sally. Hoping for many, many more!

Again, these aren’t every memorable event, opportunity, and/or highlight of my life, but a microcosm of things remembered from my early years, to where I am today. The list involves many people who’ve been part of my life and memories, so far. Hope you found something here that tickles that part of your memory bank connected to our relationship.