My Church

My favorite pastor, Carl H. Krueger Jr., once told us that church doesn't always mean sitting in the pew. We all worship in our own way.



Today, like many Sundays during a training cycle, running was my church. My sanctuary of choice was the Oak Leaf Trail. It was a perfect autumn day. I was blessed with cool weather, fall colors, beautiful views. I even got to see a skunk, a hawk, and a coyote. I ran an amazing 8 miles.

As Mayor Glowacki used to say,
God and Cudahy don't make junk!

I know it seems like a funny thing to say that running is my church. Seems like maybe a good excuse to get out of physically going to church. But we know that it's more than just a physical experience. I spend a lot of time on my long runs talking to God. Thanking Him for being alive. For putting air in my lungs. For giving me two good legs to run with. It can help me talk my way through the toughest parts of my run, when I want to just give up. I think about all the people who love and support me through these crazy runs, and thank God for them. I thank Him for showing me all the "natures" (like today's fall colors, and the animals that crossed my path). I thank Him for showing me that I am capable of way more than I can imagine. There used to be a time when I said there was no way in hell I'd run a marathon--or anything more than a 5K, for that matter! I thank Him for giving me the grit, stamina, and endurance to do all of those things.

So running is my church. It's spiritual. Mental. Emotional. Sometimes it happens on Sundays. Sometimes it happens on other days of the week. But I couldn't think of a better way to appreciate all the gifts God has given me.

And it turned out to be a nice tempo run on top of it!

National Coming Out Day, the Equality Act, and the Year 2019

Did you know...

The Equality Act is a bill that is currently before Congress. It would amend the law known as Title VII that currently prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of sex, to include sexual orientation and gender identity (which some people believe is covered under the current terminology, and some people do not.)

Did you also know that we’ve been trying to gain traction on the issue since 1974? 

This year I decided to be open about my sexual orientation with my students and their parents—not that I blast it everywhere, nor do I make a point to overtly state it. But I have given myself the permission to use the word “wife” instead of “spouse”, and replace the pronouns “they/their” with “she/her” when speaking about the person I am married to. 

Please think about that for a second. 

In my seven years of teaching, I have not had a single negative reaction when students find out that I am gay. My ten and eleven year olds have surrounded me with nothing but love. Most times, they ask me why I didn't just tell them in the first place. 

Let me say it loud for the people in back: Ten and eleven year olds don’t give a fuck. 

But in 2019, 52% of LGBTQ people live in states where they could be fired for their sexual orientation or gender identity (USAtoday.com).

A coworker has been encouraging me for years to just be open about my sexual orientation with my students. "It shouldn't matter,"  she has said. 

She's right. It shouldn't. 

While Wisconsin law prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity is not addressed.

From my understanding, the Equality Act has passed in the House, and its up to the Senate to pick it up.  It would still need presidential approval to become law (okay, we've all seen the Schoolhouse Rock video 🤣). The likelihood of that happening...well, it makes me want to seriously consider writing in Ellen DeGeneres in 2020.

There is certainly more I could say here. It felt important to acknowledge today, on National Coming Out Day. But the truth is that it matters every day.