Drive Carefully

Labor Day weekend is one of the most dangerous on the roads, because of an increase in drunk driving. So be careful out there.

And please remember to drive responsibly. There are no excuses for:

Driving Drunk
Driving after smoking pot
Driving on drugs or medications that make you drowsy or affect motor coordination and reaction time
Driving exhausted
Texting and Driving
Calling and Driving
Speeding and being reckless on the road.

Just don't do it!! Your life and the lives of others are at stake.

In 2010, I lost a friend to a drunk, drugged, wrong-way driver. Tom was just 24 years old and left behind a wife and two very young sons. Gone far too soon, because someone was irresponsible.

Another friend lost her husband to a drunk driver over Labor Day two years ago.


Please be careful. And please, bystanders, take those keys or that phone if the need arises!

Love you all and like you alive!!

Learn more about Tom and how to end drunk driving here:

Drunk Driving
Ending Drunk Driving
Drunk Driving
Celebrating a Life
Drunk Driving: In Memory of Tom Serewicz

The Thomas J. Serewicz, Sr. Foundation for Kind &Responsible Living remembers Tom’s loving and generous spirit by supporting a variety of charities and hosting an annual memorial picnic.

I met Tom and his wife, Cherise, at the Christian YouthConference at Ocean Park (CYC), when they were teenagers. It was where they met and decided to marry. (I looked after Cherise’s engagement ring once while she was out on a service project doing physical labor.) CYC meets for two weeks every August in Maine and is open to all high schoolers. The 2018 Conference will be August 5-18.


Usually I post a blog about Tom on July 17, the anniversary of the accident. But my blog was on hiatus this year on that date. Hopefully, I am back now for a good run!

Song for Sunday: Details in the Fabric (In Memory of Tom Serewicz)

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I heard on the radio the other day that one third of all traffic accidents involve a driver under the influence of alcohol. One third.

And that’s only some of the preventable accidents. Other forms of impaired driving involve distractions like texting, cell phone use or playing games on devices. Inexperienced drivers are also often distracted by other passengers, by the radio, by food or by coffee and other soft drinks. Everyone who drives while impaired or distracted has made a choice to do so. In some cases, others on hand have allowed it.

Friends, our choices matter.

They mattered to Tom Serewicz and his family. Tom was just 24 when he and his best friend were on their way home from a night fishing trip. Their car was struck by the car of a drunk and drugged driver who was going the wrong way on the highway. All three were killed.  It was June 17, 2011.

Tom left behind a wife, two very young sons, a mother and two sisters. Their heartbreak continues five years later and will continue as long as they live. That woman’s choice ended her life, and two other lives, and had a horrible impact on two families.

One of Tom’s sisters is a dancer. She choreographed the song Details in the Fabric by Jason Mraz as a testament to how the family clung to each other after the accident and supported each other in their grief. It is a moving testimony to their love for Tom and each other.

A sample of the lyrics:

Hang on
Help is on the way
And stay strong
I'm doing everything

Details in the Fabric is today’s “Song for Sunday.”  Here’s a link to it.

 Live Kindly, Choose Responsibly

Learn more about Tom and how to end drunk driving here:

Drunk Driving
Ending Drunk Driving
Drunk Driving
Celebrating a Life
Drunk Driving: In Memory of Tom Serewicz

The Thomas J. Serewicz, Sr. Foundation for Kind &Responsible Living remembers Tom’s loving and generous spirit by supporting a variety of charities and hosting an annual memorial picnic, which I attended today.

I met Tom and his wife, Cherise, at the Christian YouthConference at Ocean Park (CYC), when they were teenagers. It was where they met and decided to marry. (I looked after Cherise’s engagement ring once while she was out on a service project doing physical labor.) CYC meets for two weeks every August in Maine and is open to all high schoolers. There are still slots available for the 2016 conference. Check it out!

Drunk Driving: In Memory of Tom Serewicz

It's July 17th, the anniversary of the day in 2010 that a  CYC alumnus was killed by a drunk driver at age 24, leaving behind a wife and two small children. You can read more about Tom here. He is very missed.

It's pretty clear that drunk driving is dangerous. Schools teach about it, there are PSAs everywhere... it's not a secret.

So why do people still drink and drive?

Basically, because alcohol takes away your brain's ability to assess itself. In other words, you don't know how inebriated you are when you have been drinking...

Therefore, if you are going somewhere after drinking, designate someone to abstain from alcohol before you start drinking. Ideally, they drive right from the start and your car stays home. Otherwise, give them your keys as soon as you see them. Co-operate with them later. Be a good friend. Don't forget to take your turn as the sober driver. It's only fair.


By the way, exhaustion also affects your brain's ability to assess your condition, so if someone says you are too tired to drive, you probably are.

For more information on drunk driving, look at reachout.com's fact sheet on drunk driving.


RIP Tom.







CYC (Christian Youth Conference at Ocean Park) is a two week discipleship training program for high school students. It meets August 2-15, 2015 on the beautiful southern coast of Maine and is open to all teens ages 14 and up who have completed at least eighth grade. Check it out!

Erin Go Bragh

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I cooked corned beef and cabbage today, not because I am part Irish, but because I am part Irish-American. In the old counry, they ate pork and potatoes. Check it out on Hungry History.


For most of us, St. Patrick's Day is about wearing green, cutting out shamrocks and having a little fun with our Irish heritage. Good to pause and remember the real roots of the day, though. Here's a good story about St. Patrick -- with words about why it's relevant today.


Sadly, there is one other thing about St. Patrick's Day. Drunk drivers make it one of the deadliest days of the year to be on the roads in the US. (Celebrating with green beer is another thing found in America, not so much in Ireland.)

Post by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).                                                                                                      

Here are a few of my posts on drunk driving:

Drunk Driving

Drunk Driving

Ending Drunk Driving

Finally:

Now go wear green and catch a leprechaun!

Taking Orders ... Impaired Driving

Recently, I obeyed a direct order from my teenage son.

I do not, as a general policy, believe that parents should take orders from their children. It is supposed to be the other way around. So, maybe I should explain.

It was actually the first day of high school in our homeschool. We progressed quite well through academics and I planned on cooking a special meal for the evening. I took a nap to try, unsuccessfully, to rid myself of a headache and then went downstairs. I got my shopping bags and keys. My son asked me what I was doing. I told him I was going grocery shopping for his treat.

He looked at me and said, "Bed. Now." ........and I climbed obediently back up the stairs and into bed.

Later I was a bit chagrined at myself for simply doing as I was I told. Then I thought about it. I believe it was a good thing that I did just that. Why? Here are a few reasons:

That headache was debilitating. My driving would have been impaired. I could have harmed myself or someone else or worse. I did not belong on the road and apparently my judgment was impaired enough that I didn't realize it. So, it's a good thing that someone stopped me from getting behind the wheel, regardless of the fact that the someone was 36 years my junior and in my care besides.

It set an example for Jordan. Someday, for whatever reason, he may be impaired and wanting to drive. If someone tries to stop him, in that moment he just might remember that his mother accepted the fact that she could not drive when she was told not to. Stranger things have happened.

It empowered Jordan. He learned that it works when you tell an impaired person not to drive. If I had disciplined him for speaking up, that might have given him a different message and someday when the driver he is with is drunk, or distracted, or exhausted, he might  keep quiet. We don't want that.

I still maintain that teenagers do not get to order their parents about or set the house rules. But there are moments ...


Your thoughts?

Celebrating a Life

Today's post has two purposes.

First, it is a restart of sorts. I haven't posted much recently and am now planning to get back to writing regularly. I hope to write three posts a week.

The second purpose is to remember a CYCer and speak out against drunk driving.

Tom was a fun-loving young man of faith whose life, along with that of his best friend, were cut short on July 17, 2010 by a drunk, drugged driver who was traveling in the wrong direction down the highway. She died, too. Tom left a young wife (he was only 24) and two young boys (ages three and one when he died). Tom is only one of far too many tragically taken this way.

You can read more about Tom here.


So I make my annual plea:


Don't drink and drive.

Take the keys.  

Appoint a designated driver.

Call a cab. 

We've all had enough heartache.

Also, Tom's family has started a foundation in his honor called the  The Thomas J. Serewicz Sr. Foundation For Kind & Responsible Living, Inc.

This coming Sunday in central Mass, they will hold a fundraiser and memorial picnic.

Here is their description of the event:

We hope you can join us for our old-fashioned picnic. Relax on your blanket in the sun, play backyard games with family and friends,: Frisbee, blowing bubbles, target games, get a team together for sack races, volleyball, badminton, etc. Or sit inside and just visit or play cards, etc. Grab some summer reading from our second hand book table, enjoy something to eat on us, and just get away from it all and enjoy. Bring your fishing gear if you have a license and want to fish (for a minimal donation). All the while helping a great cause. The day is filled with free fun, and the opportunity to give freely to our fundraising efforts. Bid on some nice things in our silent auction, including passes to Davis Farmland and Megamaze, a 30 minute massage, and some other gift items from our vendors. This year a portion of our proceeds will go to Teen Challenge program, assisting teens and others who are struggling to overcome addictions. Help us to bring something wonderful to the world in honor of Tommy's life and love. 


If you live near there, stop by and join the fun!


And remember, sober driving only.

 

Drunk Driving

In 2010, 31% of all automobile fatalities were due to drunk driving. Tom Serewicz and his best friend were two to be included in that statistic. They weren't drinking, the other driver was.

Tom was 24 years old. He loved life and he was a man of faith who loved God and enjoyed studying the Bible. He built strong friendships in the camp and would chat with fellow campers who were feeling down. He was known for raids and plans for larger than life raids (raids are late night pranks) and even brought night vision goggles to the conference one year. Making others laugh was a great joy of his and he enjoyed clowning around. Tom was kindhearted and has been described as a good soul. His friends feel the world is a little darker and a little colder because he is gone from earth. Tom left behind his wife of nearly five years and their two very young boys. Things weren't always easy for Tom, but he was growing into his responsibilities and was a very loving husband and truly devoted father, just starting a new business to support his family.

It is in his memory that I post this blog. It is my hope that no more young women will be left widows, no more small children will be left fatherless, no more mothers and fathers will get that horrifying phone call, no more siblings will have cause to cry because of such an avoidable situation.

Tom is gone because someone made a bad choice -- the choice to drink and drive. Help stop these tragedies.

Here are a few thoughts on how:

-- Remember that your judgment will be impaired if you drink, and you are unlikely to notice. Appoint the designated driver before the party or night out. Give them your keys at the beginning of the festivities.

-- Talk to your teens. Be ready and willing to pick them up, without lectures, if they or their driver have been drinking or doing drugs. Later, you can explain your views on teen drinking but make sure that they know you are proud of them for choosing not to drive drunk and that it was the right thing to call you.

-- And teens/ young adults, make the call when you need to. Better upset parents than you dead. Taxis work, too.

-- Don't forget that if the people you are babysitting for come home inebriated, you can make alternate arrangements to get home. In fact, please do. Your parents won't mind you calling them. Trust me.

-- Be willing to take the keys. If you are the designated driver or witness someone trying to drive drunk, stop them. Sure, they might be mad. But, if they remember anything, they'll probably thank you when they are more clearheaded. And if they don't want to be your friend after that, are you sure they are someone you want to hang out with anyway? At any rate, everyone else on the road will be very pleased.

--Organize an awareness event in town, write a letter to the editor, spread the word that drunk driving is bad.

Drunk Driving Prevention Resources

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

CADD USA -- Teens

 I am sure you can think of other things. Whatever you do, thanks for keeping the roads safer.


RIP Tom Serewicz.




I knew Tom through the Christian Youth Conference at Ocean Park., where he was a camper and I was a staff. He is missed by those who knew him there and elsewhere.
 

Superbowl Sale..... of young girls

The Superbowl is a great time and a fabulous excuse for a party. Not so much into football myself, but I love a party.

Most Superbowl parties involve watching the game, eating snacks, and maybe drinking a few beers. Pretty innocent stuff. But there are some parties that are not so tame.

We don't want to think about it, but down in New Orleans, the police are bracing not only for potential drunk drivers, but also for an increase in sex trafficking. Girls as young as 12, runaways from America and youngsters from poor villages in foreign countries, are being shipped in for the pleasure of men.

The horror of this breaks my heart. Innocent little girls ....and hardened teens... it's just beyond imagining.

Most of these girls have been tricked into a life of prostitution. They need our help and prayers. Many organizations are set up to care for them and should have our support. Those girls need the hope and comfort of Jesus.

The men who use these girls need prayer, too. This behavior is sick and until these men are healed of this sickness teenagers will be endangered. These men need a cure for their own sakes too. They need the light of Jesus in their dark hearts. One group has declared today "Pray for the Johns" day.

Personally, I am going to pray for everyone involved: the girls, their families, their traffickers, the men, the party hosts, the police, the rescue organizations.


How about you?

Ending Drunk Driving

Thirty people.

That’s how many are killed every day in the U.S. by drunk and drugged drivers.

Exactly two years ago on  July 17, 2009, Tom Serewicz was one of them. You can read my blog post of his story here.

It is in his memory that I post links to resources to help end drunk driving. It is my hope that no more young women will be left widows, no more small children will be left fatherless, no more mothers and fathers will get that horrifying phone call, no more siblings will have cause to cry because of such an avoidable situation.

Drunk Driving Prevention Resources

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

CADD USA -- Teens

And once more, I make the plea: designate a driver, sleep where you are drinking, don’t hesitate to take the keys. Many people will thank you for it. Including me.

I knew Tom because of the Christian Youth Conference at Ocean Park. 

This is my 17th post for the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Drunk Driving

Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the death of a young alumni of the Christian Youth Conference at Ocean Park, the teen ministry I volunteer for. He was killed by a drunk and drugged driver on the way home from a fishing expedition. His best friend and the driver of the other car were also killed.

Drinking and driving isn't really a hot topic right now. It has given way to texting while driving (another dangerous combination). But in the news or not, it still leads to tragedy. There have been many attempts to put a face on drunk driving victims over the years. I am going to try again. If you are part of CYC, you will recognize the ties to a Judson brother. For those who are not, I hope you see a fellow human being, gone too soon.


Tom was 24 years old. He loved life and he was a man of faith who loved God and enjoyed studying the Bible. He built strong friendships in the camp and would chat with fellow campers who were feeling down. He was known for raids and plans for larger than life raids (raids are late night pranks) and even brought night vision goggles to the conference one year. Making others laugh was a great joy of his and he enjoyed clowning around. Tom was kindhearted and has been described as a good soul. His friends feel the world is a little darker and a little colder because he is gone from earth. Tom left behind his wife of nearly five years and their two very young boys. Things weren't always easy for Tom, but he was growing into his responsibilities and was a very loving husband and truly devoted father.

We rejoice that he is in Heaven with Jesus but we shouldn't have to be mourning his absence here on earth. He is gone because someone made a bad choice -- the choice to drink and drive. Help stop these tragedies.

Here are a few thoughts on how:

-- Remember that your judgement will be impaired if you drink, and you are unlikely to notice. Appoint the designated driver before the party or night out. Give them your keys at the beginning of the festivities.

-- Talk to your teens. Be ready and willing to pick them up, without lectures, if they or their driver have been drinking or doing drugs. Later, you can explain your views on teen drinking but make sure that they know you are proud of them for choosing not to drive drunk and that it was the right thing to call you.

-- And teens/ young adults, make the call when you need to. Better upset parents than you dead. Or call me. I'll pick you up or find someone who can. Taxis work, too.

-- Don't forget that if the people you are babysitting for come home inebriated, you can make alternate arrangements to get home. In fact, please do. Your parents won't mind you calling them. Trust me.

-- Be willing to take the keys. If you are the designated driver or witness someone trying to drive drunk, stop them. Sure, they might be mad. But, if they remember anything, they'll probably thank you when they are more clearheaded. And if they don't want to be your friend after that, are you sure they are someone you want to hang out with anyway? At any rate, everyone else on the road will be very pleased.

--Organize an awareness event in town, write a letter to the editor, spread the word that drunk driving is bad.


I am sure you can think of other things. Whatever you do, thanks for keeping the roads safer.


RIP Tom Serewicz.