Sunday, May 25, 2025 – Day 285

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Good morning!

I want to circle back to Season’s Sunflower Hour from Tuesday. A big thank you to Nicole (Nikki) and Alex for making the trip to Crystal Lake to be part of the show. You both could’ve joined remotely and skipped the hassle of traveling—but you didn’t. You immediately said, “We’ll be there,” and reshuffled your work and travel schedules to sit beside us. Well… almost beside us—we had to be in separate rooms during the broadcast!

You both crushed the interview. I was beaming with pride. You let your personalities shine, and viewers got to see just how wonderful you really are. Sure, I’m biased—but I think the whole audience saw what I see: two remarkable kids. You stayed composed (more than your Daddio), and gave honest, heartfelt answers about how my ALS has affected you. I know how deeply it hurts, and it was incredibly brave of you to share your feelings so openly. I love that you still manage to find laughter in all this—humor is one of the best medicines we’ve got.

Thank you for showing up, always having my back, without hesitation. I love you both so very much. ❤️

Yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that we were going out for breakfast so Cindy didn’t have to cook. This time, she jumped at the idea. We invited our neighbor Fred to join us—just trying to check in and make sure he’s doing okay since his wife passed earlier this month. He declined.

But just before we walked out the door, Cindy got a text from her high school friend Jody—she wanted to meet us for breakfast. I loved that she asked. We met up at the restaurant. I thanked her for reading the blog all the way to the end…breakfast was the last paragraph. I always assume it must be a slog to get through my morning musings. But she gave me a different take—she said reading it is part of her morning ritual. I’ve heard similar things from many of you. That means more than I can say. Thank you for reading, and more importantly, for walking this ALS journey with us. I feel so much love from every single one of you.

We went to Tony’s, a popular spot nearby, and had a great (very filling) breakfast that I couldn’t quite finish. Jody’s a regular there—so regular, in fact, that the staff added a special button on the cash register just for her. She split her time between chatting with us and saying hello to just about everyone walking by our table. It was fun to watch—and people were kind, respectful, and genuinely happy to see her.

Toward the end of breakfast, I reached for my wallet. Jody must’ve spotted me out of the corner of her eye because she shut that down fast. Before I could even get my wallet halfway out, she had cash in hand and said she was paying. I really need to develop a faster way to pay—between my slow hands and that clunky wallet, it’s like I’m trying to avoid paying. For the record: I’m not! Seriously… I’m not.

Thank you, Jody, for the great conversation, for supporting Andy’s Army with bracelet purchases, and for being a friend. It was a treat spending the morning with you.

While we were chatting, something triggered my weird dream that I had Friday night—probably because we were talking about golf. Jody’s husband, J, is a golf pro and was out giving lessons, so he couldn’t join us.

Anyway, I usually don’t remember my dreams, but this one stuck. In the dream, I was on a golf course—no specific one, just some vague dreamlike blend. I stood on the tee box, realizing I couldn’t bend down to put a tee in the ground, let alone steady myself to place a ball on it. Normally, I have people for that, but in the dream, I was alone. So I had to improvise.

My genius solution? I grabbed one of those small plastic condiment containers—like the kind you’d use for ketchup or mayo—and filled it to the brim…my choice for dipping is mayo. I placed it on the ground and rested the golf ball on top. It was the perfect height. I lined up my shot (always an iron for me), took a swing—and then I woke up. No idea what happened.

I’m sure you can picture the scene. Had it been ketchup in that container, the aftermath would’ve looked like a crime scene out of the Prey series I’ve been reading. Total splatter-fest.

Anyway, I thought I’d share that bit of weird dreamland with you. No psychoanalysis needed. I’m afraid for what it might tell me.

Thanks for reading. Have a great Sunday.

Love you guys!❤️