2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Wedding Feast at Cana

This Sunday’s Gospel comes from the beginning of the second chapter of John (John 2:1-11). It’s the familiar story of Jesus’ first public miracle at the Wedding Feast at Cana.

Leading up to that event, it’s interesting to consider everything that happened in the first chapter of John: We hear the famous “In the beginning was the Word..” testimony, then the introduction of John the Baptist – the forerunner, then “The Word became flesh”. John came to give testimony, then “the next day”, Jesus called Andrew and Simon Peter to follow him. Then “the next day”, Jesus found and called Philip and Nathanael.

The Third Day

Then, in today’s Gospel, “On the third day…” falls our wedding.

Right out of the gate, we’ve come through the Christmas season in which we recall and celebrate “The Word made flesh” in the person of Jesus Christ, we see his public manifestation at his Baptism as the Christmas season ends, and we’re propelled right through the calling of the first Apostles and into the middle of Jesus’ first miracle.

Jesus doesn’t waste any time, and yet it’s notable that this “first wedding” falls on the third day – preparing us for the wedding feast of the Lamb coming later, on our next “third day” at Easter.

I’ve always loved the way this story unfolds… the wedding party has been continuing, and the guests have drunk fully of their host’s generosity.

When the wine runs dry, Mary takes the concern to her son first. At first, he seems to pushes her away. But she just turns to the servers, saying, “Do whatever he tells you.”

So much to learn from Mary – first, that she’ll always turn to our Lord on our behalf. Second, she trusts that if we listen and follow his way, he will provide. Third, he responds to her prompting.

The Miracle

And then the miracle. The servers cooperate with Jesus and fill the stone water jars as instructed, and without any hesitation, Jesus has them draw from them and take it to the headwaiter, who observes that it’s not water, but the finest wine to date!

I’d imagine that at that point, those first disciples were sold! In fact, the Gospel concludes noting how “the disciples began to believe in him.”

The Water, The Wine

What might that water represent for us in our lives today? What might the wine it becomes represent?

In the second reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), we hear about the many talents in the body of Christ…

Brothers and sisters: There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another, the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another, mighty deeds; to another, prophecy; to another, discernment of spirits; to another, varieties of tongues; to another, interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.

And the verse in the Alleluia before the Gospel reminds us:

God has called us through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ

Grace + Water = Wine?

We’re called to let the grace of God work through us and our God-given talents, and how we live the Gospel, to help lead by example, and to DO things that create positive change in the world around us.

What is the “water” in the world around me today? What could use the grace of God sweetening it into fine wine?

• Does my wife need a bit more of my time to help strengthen our relationship and keep us close?

• Does one of my sons need an extra hug, some encouragement, or just some time shooting some hoops together at the end of a rough day at school?

• Does that older lady need a hand getting out of church and into her car in that thin layer of ice?

• Does that guy need a hand getting that pile of lumber into the back of his truck?

• Does that fearful expectant mother need a little bit more encouragement and prayer?

Live It… Proclaim It!

The more we tune into that grace and focus it into the way we live our daily lives, the more we’ll become “other Christs” – Bread Alive in the world today for others. We’ll see more of the water of daily life around us becoming the fine wine of grace-touched hearts and lives.

In one of the hymns at morning prayer in the breviary this week, this verse caught my ear:

The faith that first must be possessed, Root deep within our inmost breast; And joyous hope in second place, Then charity, thy greatest grace.

In Christs’s coming, the three heavenly graces have been revealed and imparted to us: The faith of Baptism, the hope inherent in his call, and the charity his grace bids us impart to the world around us. Between last week’s Gospel and this week’s, we’re ready to encounter the world, bringing our Christian character to this Ordinary time.

We’ll not only live, but we may even lead others to sing with us the Psalm… “Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations!”

Like the first disciples who followed you from those first few days, into the wedding at Cana, and then on your journey, we’re ready, Lord. Thank you for your call. Thank you for your grace. Help us to do your work today.

A whole new idea – a public dose of what I’m thankful for each Thursday.

This week:

(1) Mom

Today’s her birthday, after all. She carried me, gave me life, and was a blessing as a mom (along with my dad) raising me.

(2) Matthew & (3) Reconciliation

Our little #2 son, Matthew James – his big smile and even bigger heart. He’s the “heart” of our 4 boys, for sure.

And the Sacrament of Reconciliation – tonight, in fact, is his first Reconciliation. Thankful for the opportunity to make ourselves right with God through this great Sacrament. Looking forward to the special evening as a family!

Powerball balls. ABC News.

Last week, I took a little bit of flack on Twitter for asking, “Am I the only person who isn’t so sure I’d quit my job if I were to win the Powerball jackpot? (Not that I play…)”

One person replied, “Holding out for a billion? ;)”

Another, “Job might be more fun if you also had a seat on the board.”

Yet another, “Most likely.”

But still…

There’s part of me that thinks that if I did win some huge, billion-dollar jackpot, that I would keep on doing what I do every day. There’s another part of me that would hang up the consulting manager meets digital marketer meets analyst that currently fills my days. If I did that, I just might start a non-profit and publish easier, modern arrangements of obscure, ancient church music. But alas…

I LOVE what I do every day.

What is life, after all, if we don’t love what we’re doing day in and day out for our living?

I love my team, hands-down the best assembly of digital marketers and analysts in the business.

I love our solution set and market opportunity.

I love the excitement of the challenges that our clients set before us.

But back to that first point, more than anything, I love the people. And at the end of the day, that’s what matters.

The Daily Jackpot

Every day, I take a decent amount of time to reflect upon and give thanks for the coworkers, peers, teammates, and team members who work around me, and for our customers.

Maybe it’s the gratefulness and the constant reflection on how good we have it that makes me want to stay… or maybe it’s something else.

Regardless, I think that there’s great value in starting and ending every day reflecting upon how lucky & blessed I really am, and thinking that I basically hit “the Powerball of life” every day.

Think about life that way… Glass-half-full… Graciousness for the good things around you… Respect for the challenges and hurdles to face.

From my wife & kids, to my job & coworkers, to all of the family & friends and opportunities around me in life. 5 balls + 1 = Jackpot. Everyday. #Thankful.

“God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14). … Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.”

-Pope Francis, Easter Urbi et Orbi message, March 31, 2013

Knock, knock, knock.

That was the sound at our front door last night as I was in my office reading about the Corporal Works of Mercy and my wife was at our dining room table working on details for the kids’ school’s annual fundraiser dinner.

It was an unexpected visit from a surprising visitor that ended up taking the idea of “Mercy” full-circle in my own reflection.

Christ of the Breadlines, Fritz Eichenberg

The Church & The Poor

Sunday, while driving Joseph Michael (our 3rd son) home from a birthday party, he asked a simple question about the church…

“Dad, how much money does the church need to run?”

I answered that it depends – different parishes or different dioceses have different ministries, different projects, different numbers of people working for them, different bills for electricity and what not.

“No, but don’t we give our money to the church, and then the church gives the money to the poor?”

If only it were as simple in the real world as it is in the mind of the 6-year-old.

I explained more of the nuances of the expenses of running a church. He simply answered, “Well, I think that the church should just spend as little as it needs so that it has more to give to the poor.”

In his mind, the discussion was over and his solution was the simple one we’ve been looking for all along. A child shall lead them…

Works of Mercy

I can’t stop thinking about that conversation, and it led me to my office last night, reading a bit more about the Corporal Works of Mercy. They are:

1) Feed the hungry 2) Give drink to the thirsty 3) Clothe the naked 4) Harbor the harborless 5) Visit the sick 6) Ransom the captive 7) Bury the dead

So, there I sat, reflecting for the evening in my office on the first three in particular when the knock came at our door.

At Our Own Door

Suzanne yelled down, “Michael! There’s someone knocking on our front door!”

As I came upstairs, she answered the door. Running through my mind were all of the possibilities, from a family member stopping by to a nefarious hoodlum seeking to do evil.

A small, worried woman stood across the threshold, close to tears. She lives a few doors down, she explained (we knew this). Her 24-year-old daughter had just gotten into her first run-in with the law – a DUI – and was in the city jail.

She had pulled together all of the cash that she could at the late hour that it was, and wasn’t sure where else to go to get cash so late at night.

She only needed 54 more dollars to be able to help bail her daughter out of jail for the night.

Suzanne closed the door and turned to me – what should we do?

My gut told me we needed to try to help. I pulled out my wallet and found just $8 cash. Suzanne opened her wallet and had $46. Together, we had exactly the $54 that our neighbor needed.

It’s Right

After we had given the woman the money and talked for a minute and she had left to work through the situation, we both momentarily questioned whether we had done the right thing.

I’m a person who lives by “the signs” – and the fact that, together, we both had the precise amount of money, and that this whole incident happened while I was reflecting upon the Corporal Works of Mercy, was enough for me.

However, on another level, it’s always right to help another person in need, to put Mercy into action in our world.

Earlier, I was reading a post on First Things titled The Need for Epiphanic Evangelicalism. You should read it, but part that resonated with me was a call for “the epiphany Jesus promises in work that feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, and visits the sick and imprisoned. Part and parcel with Jesus’ epiphany in these ministries, their very costliness to Christians in time and treasure is a means that credibly signals the Church’s profession of Christ’s Kingdom in a day in which mere Church talk is dismissed by the culture.”

Show Mercy

In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, I’m going to try to work harder on stepping up my own “Epiphanies” of the Works of Mercy, and help my family to do the same. Will you join us?

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’

“And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

-Matthew 25:34-40

This weekend is a diaconate formation weekend for my classmates and me. We’ll be studying “Prayer & Sacramental Participation”.

I’m going to try to remember to share when I’m away on these weekends, and ask you, in the charity of your own prayers, to please lift my classmates and me up in your prayers during these formation weekends.

In turn, I will be remembering you and keeping your intentions in prayer during our Holy Hour on the Friday night of the weekends. If there’s a particular intention you’d like me to keep in prayer, please comment with it here or message it to me privately.

N.B.: This first year is an introductory year – the four years that follow carry more intense college-level academic studies. This year’s topics include:

• September: Introduction to Discernment

• October: Introduction to Theological Reflection

• November: Introduction to Spiritual Direction

• December: Pastoral Identity, Skills, and Boundaries

• January: Prayer & Sacramental Participation

• February: Evangelization & Ecumenism

• March: Research & Writing

• April & May: Philosophy (formal academic coursework begins)

• June: Retreat

My grandparents’ house – where they made a home, raised my dad, my aunt, and my uncle, and helped to raise our generation.

They took a humble space, worked hard, made a home, and raised a family.

Last week, my dad, aunt, and uncle closed on selling the house to a new person for whom it will become a whole new home. It was a bittersweet day in many ways, for them directly, and indirectly for our whole family…

In this home, my dad and his siblings were raised. In this home, I spent many nights with grandma and grandpa. In this home, I got to drink grape soda, eat caramels and jawbreakers, and have hamburgers & french fries for dinner and pancakes & orange juice for breakfast.

In this home, I played pool in the basement with my uncles, admired my grandpa’s beer can collection and the bar my grandma built with her bare hands, and enjoyed playing their pinball game. In this home, the American flag and Japanese flag both flew proudly.

To this home, I rode my bike the few blocks to relax and “escape” my own house for a bit, every once in a while. In this home, I slept on the couch while grandpa slept in his reading chair, watching me. In this home, I also acted asleep on the hide-a-bed in the back room while my mom and dad talked about the ups and downs of marriage with grandma and grandpa.

In this home, I read the newspaper every day after preschool and kindergarten with my aunt – my earliest memories of reading. In this home, I played with electronics with my uncle. In this home, I picked roses and gave them to grandma. In this home, we gathered as family and enjoyed times together.

Inordinate Attachments

In The Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us that the purpose of our existence is “to know, to love, and to serve God and so to attain our salvation – eternal happiness.” In the same Exercises, he teaches of our nearly irresistible attraction toward things that continues to pull us away from our creator and toward created things. He encourages us to remember that created things are created for us to be neutral toward, but to remind us of and continue to point us toward God our Creator. We’re to rid our soul of “inordinate attachments” toward created things.

In the first paragraph of the book of The Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius writes, “By the term Spiritual Exercises is meant every method of examination of conscience, of meditation… and every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their removal, of seeking and finding the Will of God in the disposition of our life for the salvation of our soul.” (Emphasis mine).

Letting Go, and Letting God

This is hard at times, especially moments like this when we’re letting go of something that was so central to our childhood and family life. But, at the end of the day, it is a house, a place, a created thing. We don’t love the place for the place, but for how it turns us toward God. And in that sense, this home was a very special place that was a center for our family life and our growing toward God.

In the last few weeks, I was able to help my dad and my uncles (who had invested much time and energy getting the house ready to sell) move the last “things” out of the house. A refrigerator went to my aunt & uncle’s house. My grandpa’s grandfather clock has a new home in my dining room (this is very special to me). My parents have moved the dining room table into their own home. These last things are our last, very special, ties to the moments in and memories from that old home.

We now have new homes, new branches in our family tree. And their old house will serve a new family.

Farewell, 3272 Edgewood Avenue. May you be a good home for a new family, serving them well and helping them grow toward God and each other, as you did for our family.

(Photos from my sister Sara’s phone, from her last visits to the house)

I love this weekend’s readings. The themes in them have long been a big part of my life and character.

In the corner of my home office, I have a little set of reminders of the time I spent as a youth leader and as an adult volunteer in the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s National Honor Society, which focuses on developing servant leadership in scouting’s best.

In the corner, I have pictures of some of my favorite memories as an Arrowman and scout, with some of my best (and lifelong) friends and Brothers. I have the sash I wore when I served as a ceremonial character, helping to impart some of the Order’s message to new and upcoming members. I have the sash that all of the Arrowmen shared in wearing at the recent 100th Anniversary National Order of the Arrow Conference. There are ashes from my own Vigil fire when I was given the Order’s highest honor by my brothers (and given the Lenni-Lenape Indian name Lilchpin Lekhiket, which translates to Diligent Writer.) There are ashes from the Centennial Fire that burned at the 100th Anniversary NOAC.

There is a pair of #DareToDo sunglasses, reminding me of the OA National Chief’s challenge to do a good turn each day and spread the word about the good we do in the world.

And there is a medal that I was awarded back in 1992, when I was one of our lodge’s two annual recipients of the Founder’s Award (the other recipient that year was my long-time friend and adviser Jim Dedera, may he rest in the peace of Christ).

On the back of that medal are engraved words that embody the spirit of the Order’s founders and are embedded in the ceremonials and the life of the Order and its Arrowmen:

“For he who serves his fellows is, of all his fellows, greatest.”

Sound familiar?

Those words are effectively a paraphrase of a verse from the heart of this Sunday’s Gospel:

“If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all” – Mark 9:35b

I was raised in the spirit of this passage, and I still love and hold onto these words whenever I’m up against challenges in service that I find hard to tackle. Christ himself gave us the example of how the servant is raised up by the Father. He taught that humble service through His own life and actions.

And it gets even better this weekend… In the midst of the second reading is a clip that I read to myself each morning before work as a reminder of how I’d like to spend myself in service each day:

“Fructus autem iustitiae in pace seminatur facientibus pacem.”

“A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” – James 3:18

As I embark on this new journey of discernment and discipleship, exploring and praying about whether this path toward the diaconate is where God wants me to be, it’s heartening to be strengthened by the words of the readings this weekend, carrying messages that have long meant so much to me.

That Gospel? The word used in the Greek actually is: διάκονος – diakonos – servant. That word, meaning waiter, servant, or administrator, and now a form of ordained ministry in service of the Church, appears some 29 times in various forms in the Bible.

This is the self-giving, loving, peaceful service that our Lord exemplified on the very night of the Last Supper, when he knelt to wash the feet of his disciples.

In peaceful, cheerful service, we can bring others to God through our own example and show them how to do the same. We can give to others what they need, sacrificing our own wants and needs for others’ good and the greater good. That idea was instilled in me at a young age and as I grew into manhood, and has played a key part in my entire life.

Harvest righteousness through peace… and serve others.

Am I always good at this? No! I fall short just like we all do. That’s why I surround myself with reminders of these phrases and challenges. And it’s why I’m excited whenever they come up in the readings for the Mass.

How can we serve this week? The lonely person who walks into the coffee shop looking for someone with whom to talk? The teammate who needs some praise and honest feedback on the work they’re doing on the tough project at the office? The person looking for a spare dollar – or one earned in honest work? The friend needing an extra hand? The child needing an extra hug? The coworker who has questions about the Holy Father’s visit to the Americas? The spouse needing a few more minutes of your time and attention? The Spirit sends us forth to serve these, and all the others we run across.

A daily rosary; an intention per mystery

As I’ve gotten back into the habit of praying the rosary each day (a habit I never should’ve gotten out of, but that’s a different story), I’ve developed a “standard” of the intentions that I keep top-of-mind and place before Mary and Jesus during each of the five mysteries.

They’ve come to mean a lot to me and to aid in directing some of my reflections and thoughts as I pray (beyond just the meditation on the subject of each mystery), so I thought it might be worthwhile to share them here. If you’re looking for ideas for intentions as you pray the rosary, perhaps you might find some thoughts, ideas, or inspiration here.

The First Mystery: My bishop, the Pope, and all bishops

As I reflect upon the first mystery, I also hold especially in my mind the health, well-being, and intentions of my own bishop, Thomas John Paprocki, and of Pope Francis and all bishops.

The Second Mystery: My pastor, and all priests and seminarians

This one holds a special prayer in my heart, because this structured way of approaching my prayer intentions with my rosary developed when our pastor asked my mother-in-law, when he was blessing a new rosary as a gift for me, to ask me to pray the first Hail Mary of the rosary for him.

As a result, I always remember him, all priests who have served my parish and city, and all priests (especially those I know personally) in mind during the second mystery. I always remember my pastor, Father Jeff, in a special way during the first Hail Mary, but then immediately broaden my prayer to cover all of the priests and seminarians who come to mind.

The Third Mystery: All deacons, and those in formation

As I pray the third mystery, I am mindful of and pray for the intentions of all deacons, and my brothers in formation for the diaconate. I pray for our service among God’s people in the world. I also take a moment to pray for all religious, especially the religious sisters who have served in our parish and school.

The Fourth Mystery: My wife, my sons, and our family

During the fourth mystery, I turn my prayer toward my wife Suzanne, my four sons, our parents, and our whole extended family.

The Fifth Mystery: The intentions of family and friends

At any point in time, if you’ve recently asked me to hold a personal intention in my prayers, it’s in front of my on a slip of paper as I pray the fifth mystery.

In recent days, that mindfulness and prayer has included Madalene and her family, my friend Carol and her son John and their family, and our friend Barbara and her aunt Anita and their family. As time goes on, this one changes the most and brings my mind the freshness of prayer. (Note that I find it helpful to include real names – even if it’s just their first name – if someone asks me to pray for someone, I ask for their name, so that it’s easier to be mindful, personal, and intentional while holding them in prayer.)

As I come close to ending the rosary, this also helps to turn my thoughts outward from the authority and structure that help to solidify and support my faith life, and outward toward the world where our prayer and action are needed.

What about you?

If you have a special way that you structure your mindfulness of the intentions you’re laying before Mary and Jesus as you pray the rosary, I’d love to hear about it in the comments here.

If you have a special intention that you would like me to remember as I pray the rosary, particularly the fifth mystery, please feel free to send me a message and I’d be glad to add your intention to my personal notes and list.

Thinking about this weekend’s readings and the grace of Confession…

At last week’s National Order of the Arrow Conference (I’ll do a write-up about the whole event soon), National Chief Alex Call launched a movement in his Wednesday night address. He asked (“dared”) each of the 15,000 Arrowmen in attendance to join him in impacting the world in a positive way as the Order begins its second century of service. The concept is simple: Execute one, simple act of service (a “good turn”, as it’s been called in scouting for ages) each day. But now, instead of staying quiet about it, talk about it – Tweet about it or post it on Facebook with the hashtag #DareToDo. Why brag? Well, it’s not bragging as much as it is changing the common perception that there’s more bad than good in the world. By executing good deeds and spreading the word about them, we hope to start changing hearts and minds towards positive action one day at a time. The challenge was to take the #DareToDo pledge for 100 days, but I have a feeling that for many of us, it’ll continue beyond the first 100 days. We’d love others – YOU – to join us. Would you? Here’s a video of the 25-minute address where Alex issued the challenge:

Ideas to start with:

A friend asked, so here are some ideas to get you started. But first, it’s important to note that no idea is “too small”. As our National Chief said in his address:

Love is simply the act of making others matter. -OANC

— OA National Chief (@OANationalChief) August 6, 2015

• Pay for the order of the car behind you in line

• Buy some cinnamon roles or other treats at the airport and take them around to the airline and airport employees (a friend did this at the Detroit airport today as they were flying home from NOAC)

• Give an hour or two to help at a homeless shelter

• Go spend some time with residents at a nursing home (some Arrowmen in Hawaii, catching wind of the challenge online, did this earlier this week)

• Offer to take an elderly neighbor to the store, or to church, or just spend some time with them over a cup of coffee

• Say “hi” to the person at school or at the office that no one usually speaks with – be friendly

• Cover some extra work and hours for a coworker so that they can make it to a family event

• Just give someone a warm smile

• Cut the neighbor’s grass

• Walk up and down your block picking up the trash

• Help raise or collect some money for a good cause

• Volunteer – anywhere!

• Hold the door open for a few extra people

• Be a little less aggressive in the morning rush

• Help clean up your table to make the wait staff’s job easier

• Check out some of the things other people are doing via the Twitter #DareToDo Search for more ideas

• Article on the Scouting Magazing blog: http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/08/05/dont-keep-your-daily-good-turns-to-yourself-share-them-using-daretodo/

• On the Web: http://dareto.do

• On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/daretodo2015

• On Twitter: http://twitter.com/dareto_do

Here’s a running log (updated each day) of my own #DareToDo posts:

Day 1 – August 6:

My #DareToDo today: Picked up each piece of trash I walked by. @DareTo_Do #NOAC2015 — NOAC Eagle (@NOACEagle) August 6, 2015

Day 2 – August 7:

For my #DareToDo today, I picked up a bottle of ashes from the Centennial Fire for my friend @danielreid back home. pic.twitter.com/l9CztpsWfE — NOAC Eagle (@NOACEagle) August 7, 2015

Personally walked a young Arrowman to where he needed to go to track down his 10k medal. #DAREtoDO — NOAC Eagle (@NOACEagle) August 7, 2015

Day 3 – August 8:

Bought the coffee for the car behind me during a stop driving home from #NOAC2015 #DareToDo http://t.co/1xIhdVXxGu pic.twitter.com/GHS4MuavsZ — Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 8, 2015

Day 4 – August 9:

Sharing the gift of music at Mass this morning. A scout is reverent. #DareToDo pic.twitter.com/zCAjdkt2gM

— Bread Alive (@BreadAlive) August 9, 2015

#DareToDo Traded seats on the plane with another guy so he could sit with his wife and child. — Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 9, 2015

Day 5 – August 10:

#DareToDo Went to the hotel lounge for breakfast w/out my cell phone, so I could focus on & talk w/ people. Amazing conversations @dareto_do

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 10, 2015

Day 6 – August 11:

#DareToDo Had a great long call w/ my grandpa’s old friend who’s having a hard time dealing with his death. Becoming a new friend to her. — Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 11, 2015

Day 7 – August 12:

#DareToDo: Simple today, but every little bit counts – Cleaned up the mess of paper towels on the floor in the office restroom.

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 12, 2015

Day 8 – August 13:

Spent extra time helping an older, shorter lady get her suitcase into and out of the overhead bin. #DareToDo — Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 13, 2015

Day 9 – August 14:

Today’s #DareToDo is real results to help ensure I’m here long-term for my wife & kids: Hard work = lowest weight & blood pressure in 2 yrs!

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 14, 2015

Day 10 – August 15:

Emptied my pockets for the firemen collecting in their boots for charity outside of the local store. #DareToDo — Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 15, 2015

Day 11 – August 16:

#DareToDo Day 11: Hand-written notes and gifts for two newly-inducted @oabsa Arrowmen from my home troop pic.twitter.com/kaDizRkwXN

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 16, 2015

Day 12 – August 17:

#DareToDo Installed new A/V equipment in the media lab for our kids’ school’s morning announcement TV broadcasts. — Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 18, 2015

Day 13 – August 18:

#DareToDo Day 13: Picked up trash on my morning walk around the park with my #3 son pic.twitter.com/dA8Z46L7sT

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) August 19, 2015

Day 14-26 – August 19-August 31: Picked up a TON of litter as I traveled and hung out with my family:

Haven’t forgotten #DareToDo, just too busy to post. For the last week, I’ve been picking up litter whenever I run across it. Lots out there!

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 1, 2015

Day 27 – September 1:

#DareToDo Helped a coworker find the way back to his hotel from a team dinner.

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 2, 2015

Day 28 – September 2:

Doorman said “You went to @PhilzCoffee? Great choice!” Gave him some cash to treat himself to some after his shift too. #DareToDo

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 3, 2015

Day 29 – September 3:

Doorman said “You went to @PhilzCoffee? Great choice!” Gave him some cash to treat himself to some after his shift too. #DareToDo

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 3, 2015

Day 30 – September 4:

#DareToDo Day 30 (9/4) Took the day off and spent it with my wife for our 11th Anniversary!

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 10, 2015

Day 31 – September 5:

#DareToDo Day 31 (9/5) Left a bunch of spare change in some parking meters for others’ benefit.

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 10, 2015

Day 32 – September 6:

#DareToDo Day 32 (9/6) Did a bunch of extra work around the house before & after our kids’ birthday party. They had a great one w/ family!

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 10, 2015

Day 33 – September 7:

#DareToDo Day 33 (9/7) Took 3 of the 4 kids so my wife could have a lighter day with just 1 of them, and take her mom out as well.

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 10, 2015

Day 34 – September 8:

#DareToDo Day 34 (9/8) Called BINGO for my kids’ school (ongoing fundraiser).

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 10, 2015

Day 35 – September 9:

#DareToDo Day 35 (9/9) Had a great lunch w/ an old client; caught up, listened a bunch, and shared some career input & advice.

— Michael Halbrook (@Halbrook) September 10, 2015

Day 36 – September 10: