He Never Misses

Category: MAD FOR 2019

  • Mad for…Gus

    Dear young people, do not bury your talents, the gifts that God has given you! Do not be afraid to dream of great things! -Pope Francis

    Gus Hartauer, AKA “Shot Doc”

    Meet Gus Hartauer, otherwise known as “Shot Doc”. As you can see from his photo here, Gus digs black and gold. Unfortunately, this guy is a Hawkeye, so it’s not quite the right shade for us at the Thieme house. Based on my limited research, I have learned Gus received both his undergraduate degree and his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Iowa, though, so I’ll excuse it.

    He sure sounds like a real smarty-pants based on that information, and I’m typically impressed by anyone with that kind of intellectual acumen. However, the real reason I wanted to offer this little shout out today is for the work Gus does with young people.

    Gus has a talent for encouraging kids of all ages. His vehicle is the sport of basketball. He’s widely known as the “Shot Doc” for the workout sessions he has for young basketball players here in Hamilton County. He gives them many opportunities to learn something very important with his knowledge of the sport. He teaches them with his encouraging and positive demeanor that working hard pays off!

    His consistent offering of time and talent for the benefit of young people is a terrific witness of what it means to serve others, too. I’d bet he doesn’t realize how many parents of his sharp shooters have noticed and truly appreciate his big heart. You see, Gus holds these workouts quite often and in a local parish gym. He makes very little if any money doing it. He’s always giving kids (who range in age from grade school through college) little prizes for their hard work. Our own 8th grader, Zach, seems particularly fond of the chocolate and he loves to take home a little something when he hits a half court shot too! The kids leave sweaty and smiling. What more could you want? My youngest son is quick to report on his successes and the little “atta boys” that he hears from Shot Doc. Do you know what else? He shows up for their games from time to time to give them a thumbs up, too, and let them know he is in their corner.

    It means something to have someone believe you can– and say so!

    Thanks, Gus, for reminding me how important it is to offer our time and our talent for the benefit of others. This community is better because of you and all you do for the kids! You, Shot Doc, are the real deal!

    Want to know more about him? Follow Gus on Twitter @shotdoctorphd.

  • Mad for…Maggie

    Kindness is like snow- it beautifies everything it covers. -Kahlil Gibran

    Maggie Berger- Day 12 of 365

    Central Indiana is covered in a blanket of white today. Haltingly, we inched our way this morning from our home in Hamilton County to the far south side of Indianapolis so our Z-man and Coach Dad could get to the last regular season CYO game at St. Barnabas. Our car was filled with exactly ZERO snow lovers. However, Zach pointed out that he knew one person would be very happy to see all the snow. That would be my pick for person of the day– Maggie Berger!

    Lively and passionate, and with a heart of gold, Maggie has a certain zest for life that is magnetic! She’s an English teacher who loves all the kiddos like they are her own. St. Theodore Guerin has a famous quote which says, “Love the children first, then teach them.” That sums up Maggie’s professional life in a nutshell. It’s quite evident that Maggie knows innately that her students are both wise and capable, and this is why they respond to her with smiles and love. She has been known to sense the anxiety of middle schoolers and decide to turn down the lights and pray, asking the Lord to intervene for them all. Children who find themselves in her care are truly blessed. She is truly kind.

    Maggie is an amazing mother of two sons, Patrick and Thomas and a loving daughter to a great gal named Peggy. She’s also the owner of a terrifically sarcastic sense of humor that makes me snicker at the sight of her. She’s been known to text me when certain old songs come on the radio that remind her of the times when our boys were much smaller and we sat at Skiles Test watching them have fun while we laughed and sang wholly inappropriate lyrics from the 3rd base line…until tears formed from the giggling.

    My run-on sentences and lack of appropriate grammar in this entry will drive her slightly batty, but that’s my retribution for the snow you wished on us, Maggie. Ha?

    I hope you know how much you are treasured. I know your faithful heart is certain that you are a beloved daughter of the most high God, Maggie, and that’s really all that matters. I guess I just want you to know that I love you too, friend!

  • Mad for…Donna

    There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. -St. Thomas Aquinas

    Day 11 of 365

    The day I met her, my first day at a new job, was the same day her divorce was final. She was a bit of a hot mess, and I couldn’t help myself. I peeked my head in the office of a total stranger to see if she was okay. Clearly, she was not. I’m not sure in the 20+ years that have passed since then if have ever seen her cry again. She’s such a strong and steady person.

    People like Donna are hard to find. She makes me smile, she wants the best for me, she’d let me move into her extra bedroom if I showed up at 4am, with no questions asked. Have you ever heard “a good friend will help you move, but only the best of friends will help you move a dead body?” HA HA!! I love her too much to drag her into criminal activity…but you get where I’m going with this. She’s a keeper.

    What makes Donna really stand out is that she is so utterly selfless. She is the person I know who most closely resembles the version of love Mother Teresa explained when she shared this famous quote.

    “Love, to be real, must empty us of self.” –Mother Teresa

    Also, Donna is like the 007 of my friends. She’s the person least likely to have her identity stolen. She prides herself on having NO photos of herself on the internet. I speak of her often, but she’s largely unknown by most. She lurks in the background, though, where she lovingly cares for her elderly Dad, and spends herself in service to any friend who needs her near. She’s delivered Thanksgiving baskets with me, scooped my driveway free of snow when my knee was too swollen to do the task myself, she’s delivered meds from CVS straight to my bedroom post-surgery. She’s helped me out of binds I’d rather not admit to being in over the years, candidly. Also, you’ll note while I have chosen to honor her today on her birthday, I’ve given you zero idea of the year in which she was born. That would be identifying information, you see, and I’m pretty sure that would be a severe offense in her book.

    Is she an imaginary friend? Does she really even exist? I half think she’d like you to wonder. She may be the “James Bond” of my friend group, but YOU BET she does exist. She’s the owner of the most beautiful heart who always makes sure I know she’s nearby and that she cares.

    I love you, Donna. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

  • Mad for…Laine

    “She’s an old soul with young eyes, a vintage heart, and a beautiful mind.” Nicole Lyons

    Laine Schwegman

    Imaginative, musical, and engaging are three words that come to mind quickly when I think of this young lady. Meet Laine Schwegman! She’s a high school freshman who is mature beyond her years and simply more kind-hearted than most.

    Laine is a talented musician with the most soulful, pleasing voice. She simply picks up a string instrument and seems to be playing almost any tune in short order, without any sheet music at all. Her guitar “jam sessions” with her Dad and Grandpa bring tears to my eyes. Love simply oozes out of her. She’s a fierce and gifted athlete too. I’ve watched her frustrate many batters with her accurate arm from the pitchers mound on the softball field. Those things all make her unique and special, but they aren’t the reasons I’ve chosen her today.

    This young lady lives her life as a quiet and sometimes silly, yet faithful example to those around her…and WOW can we use as many folks like that as we can find. Am I right? Laine enjoys the little things, like whipping up a tasty recipe in the kitchen or goofing around with her brother, Ty. She seems to me to feel no need to be high maintenance. She’s empathetic and tries to understand from the perspective of others. These qualities make her a real life hero to her young cousins, Max and Lilah, with whom she is beautifully present…and to me! She has a gift with little ones, who are always such a good judge of authenticity.

    Laine, thank you for always reminding me how important it is that we are true to ourselves. You are a light that glows brightly, sweet girl. Keep shining!

  • Mad for…Derek

    “There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go.” –Frederick Faber

    Derek Johnson (Day 9 of 365)

    Here’s an outgoing, amicable face to brighten your day! Meet Derek Johnson. If you visit him at his place of work, don’t be thrown. His nametag says “Dee”. I asked his co-workers about that, and they all laughed like I was on the outside of a private joke. So, let’s just stick with calling him Derek for now?

    Derek has the sunniest face I have ever seen behind a butcher shop meat counter. He works at Fresh Thyme, a small grocery store near my house. Because I unapologetically place a high value on good customer service, folks like Derek are absolute gems in my book.

    Here’s the thing. This young man steps way past excellent service. He is a highlight in my day every time I see him. He reminds me of the old song “A Wink and a Smile”, owing to the fact that even when I pass right by him because I only came in for bananas or a gallon of milk, if he spots me, he never fails to give up a little wave….or a wink and a smile…even if from a distance. When Tom came with me to the store for the first time, Derek shined that big grin and said to me, “Ah, I see you brought your boyfriend today! Lucky guy!”

    Cutting and packaging meat isn’t exactly a glamorous way to spend your day. Derek does his work joyfully. All the time.

    When I asked him if I could take his picture and write about him, he replied, “Sure! But can you let me borrow your phone and take a selfie? I wanna look good!”

    Trust me, Derek, with that genuine smile, it’s a sure thing! Thanks for making the day brighter for all around you and reminding me how important it is to always be generous with cheerfulness.

  • Mad for…Marv

    marvdykhuizen

    He’s a member of what Tom Brokaw rightly called “The Greatest Generation”.  Meet Marv Dykhuizen, age 97.  Actually, he’s Uncle Marv to me.  You’ll notice he’s wearing his World War II Army Air Corp hat in this photo.

    Uncle Marv is a native of my hometown, Lafayette, Indiana and he played high school basketball for the Jefferson Bronchos.  He went on to join the Army Air Corp (the Air Force didn’t exist in WWII).  During that time, he was a navigator on a B29 in the Pacific.  He also married (my aunt) Pat Patton, who was from just east of Lafayette.  She attended Monitor High School.  They were married in Biloxi, Mississippi where he was stationed at a nearby Army Air Corp base.  According to multiple accounts (including some of his own), the tall, strapping blond Marv was not sore on the eyes as a young man.  All my life, he stood out for his totally bald head.

    After the war, Uncle Marv went to Purdue and got a math degree.  He taught math at the university for three or four years before going to work at Alcoa in a management position. He retired from Alcoa.  He was one of 5 brothers (including my grandfather, Ralph) and he has 2 sons himself as well as six grandkids.  He lost his beloved Pat a few years ago.

    Uncle Marv might be 97, but he’s sharp as a tack.  His eye sight isn’t what it once was, so he calls me every year when he gets my Christmas card to let me know how much he appreciates receiving it and to catch up on my family.  I always joke about enjoying the “audio Christmas card” from the oldest guy I know.

    Uncle Marv is a character.  He can’t drive anymore, so he walks the 1/4 mile or so to the local Burger King to “meet the guys” for breakfast.  If the weather isn’t so hospitable, one of those gentlemen stops by to pick him up.  Keep in mind, “the guys” are all now mostly the age of my Dad, his nephew.  He likes the walk.  It’s good for him, he says.  He’s outlived all of his contemporaries.

    Uncle Marv is a story teller, but then, wow has he got a story to tell!  If you see him wandering around on the north end of Lafayette, stop and say hello.  He’ll immediately begin to regale you with some entertaining tale.

    Our country owes a lot to men like my great Uncle Marv.  Thanks for your phone calls, your beautiful witness of what a committed marriage looks like, your sense of humor…and your service to our great country.  Uncle Marv, you are a ornery Dutchman and a total treasure.

  • Mad for…Katie

    Day 7 of 365

    katieconway

    Meet Katie Conway.  I’ve chosen to post this stunning photo of her, because I want to still be on speaking terms with her.  My other choice was a snapshot from a weekend we once spent together with a group of fantastic gals.  We were buried in a couple feet of snow about this time of year, in South Haven, Michigan and Katie never took off her winter hat.  As God is my witness, she wore that thing everywhere we went and also inside the house.  She wore it drinking wine and getting a pedicure and while we screamed and chased a bat out of the living room.  She looked slightly less glam than in the photo of her here.  Because she radiates love of the Lord in her face and from the center of her being, she pulled off this look with aplomb.  She’s as self-possessed, poised and genuine as anyone I have ever met.

    Katie is the person whose witness most strongly convicted me of the idea that being a Jesus girl is the only way to roll.  I wanted a scoop of what she had.  Her faith penetrates ever fiber of her being, and it defines her entirely.  She’s one of those people by whom I measure others.  What I mean is this.  If someone were to tell me they just didn’t care for Katie, I would immediately know that the poor soul was lost.

    A loving, affectionate, joyful mother of 4, Katie is also the wife of a pretty handsome guy named Brian who probably thinks it’s entirely possible to have too many religious items in one’s home?  Ha!!  Lets just say she is a collector of beautiful things.  Katie is a dyed-in-the-wool Catholic woman and a presenter at a women’s ministry called “Awaken to the B.E.S.T.” which is held at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carmel, Indiana.

    Awaken offers spiritual and scripture based opportunities for women who desire to deepen and share their Catholic faith in God.  I might be the last woman in Hamilton County to not have attended this VERY SUCCESSFUL program.  It’s a dynamic spirituality group for women-  innovative and original.  Visit http://www.awakentothebest.com if you want to know more.

    It surprises me NOT AT ALL that Katie was instrumental in this ministry’s formation and ongoing success.

    Thanks, sweet friend, for teaching me about being a Jesus girl.  I love you.

     

  • Mad for…Marshall

    marshall

    (Day 6 of 365)

    For more years than I care to count, Marshall Scheper has been the good Samaritan of the St. Louis de Montfort CYO program.  There are few volunteer posts more thankless than that of GYM MANAGER at a Catholic parish.

    Marshall is a fixture in the SLDM gym.  He’s set up and torn down more temporary bleachers than one can imagine.  He’s pushed a broom, calmed down referees, and kept toddlers with basketballs from unknowingly checking themselves into games they were a little too young to enter, cute as they are wandering in from the sidelines.  He’s had to handle some inappropriate fans and settle a few heated disputes, too.

    More than that, he’s simply EVER PRESENT.  No matter the hour of day, if there’s a game at the SLDM gym, Marshall shows up to keep the ship afloat.  Do you know how many sporting events that means he’s seen?  Me neither…but it’s A LOT.  He doesn’t have kids playing in any of those games, folks.  He’s just giving his time for the sake of others.

    Do you know what else the gym manager is in charge of handling?  Making sure every team gets practice time in the gym.  That includes grade school boys and girls basketball, high school teams, volleyball…even sometimes baseball, wrestling, and lacrosse.  Who am I forgetting?  Oh yes, there’s working around the school Christmas program, Art and Music events, Christmas and Easter masses, etc.   Did I mention there’s only ONE gym at SLDM?  That’s a lot of people arm wrestling for precious little time available.  Marshall takes all that on in service of many, because he is a self-sacrificing, kind, magnanimous soul.

    Marshall to me can be described most aptly with the word selfless.

    We could all stand to take a page out his playbook.  Thank you, Marshall, for all you do for the sake of the children and families of your parish.  YOU ARE THE REAL DEAL.

  • Mad for…Dave

    hollensbe

    Meet Dr. Dave Hollensbe.  I just always call him “Doc”.  Doc is a big fan of words like “hyperoxaluria” and “lithogenic”.  With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, the Doc says “big words and doctor talk makes me feel so smart.”  He needn’t waste so much energy convincing me.  I already knew he was deeply sagacious.  See what I did there in your honor, big guy?

    In all seriousness, Dave Hollensbe is both knowledgeable and prudent.   He’s a brilliant Urologist to whom I owe the last four kidney stone free years, the only 4 in a row of my entire adult life.  He’s a beast breaking rocks up with a laser too.  Also, his wise and timely aid is largely responsible for saving the life of my Dad, who became quite ill a few years back.

    Doc is the father of three adult sons he’s crazy about and the husband of Teresa, a wife he quite clearly adores.  He’s a faithful Catholic man with a tough looking exterior, but try as he might with his quick wit and sarcasm, he’s unable to hide from this particular patient that underneath lies a teddy bear.

    When my oldest college boy had a kidney stone incident a year or two ago, Dr. Hollensbe rang my cellphone and asked to talk to the kid while we were on the highway (from the Cincy ER) and headed home– to tell my Nick to come by his office at 7am the next morning.  We later found out it was his day off.  I can’t imagine how many of his urologic oncology patients and their families who have been treated with similar kindness over the years.

    Rumor has it that Doc is a big fan of both golf and cigars…and he knows how to work the beads on a rosary.  Here are two things I know for sure. First, for the generous and compassionate human being that he is, I truly love this man.   Second,  If the old song holds true and “they’ll know we are Christians by our love”, then this guy, Dave, is going to be convicted.

    Hate your luck, Doc.   🙂

  • Mad for…Jake

    jlabus2

    Good-natured, charismatic, and amiable are three words that come to mind when trying to describe Jake Labus.  He’s a 19-year old college freshman with friendly smile and a winning disposition.

    What makes Jake incredibly special is that he is so darn gracious.  A faithful young man who has long served his church and community in a variety of impressive ways, Jake takes the time to smile and greet everyone in the room and he has a wide ranging friend group as a result.  Several of his peers called him “the most likeable guy I know” when I asked them to describe him.  When you are an incredibly bright college athlete like Jake is now for the DePauw University football team, or a popular standout in multiple sports in high school who also sings like an angel, it would be easy to fall into the “I’m kinda a big deal” trap.  Luckily for him, the good Lord gave him two older brothers and a younger sister who all have certainly helped… to keep him humble?

    One day a year or so ago after mass, I ran into Jake’s pretty terrific mom, Deedy and his sister, Olivia, at a breakfast spot near church.  We sat down next to them as they were nibbling on a little something and chatted for a moment before a text came in to Deedy from her son Jake.  He wondered where they were, as they should have been home from church by then.  You see, Jake was at home and had a surprise breakfast waiting for them upon their return.  I’m pretty sure the Labus ladies had two breakfasts that day, and I know my own similarly aged kiddos couldn’t believe it.

    That’s just Jake.  He’s sunshine wherever he goes.  This summer I hear he’s thinking about using those vast talents at St. Meinrad to be a retreat leader at the southern Indiana Seminary.  I can’t imagine he didn’t nail that interview.

    There is much more that I could share about this fine young man, but I’ll just say one more thing.  This likable and grace-filled kid is the face of Jesus to all in his path. Truth.

    Thanks, Jake, for sharing your sunshine with the Thieme family.  You make us all want to smile at the world just a little more generously!