By way of introduction, my name is Tom Kneier, and I write from my home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I live with my wife, Madeline, and our youngest son, Tommy. He was born with Down Syndrome and other disabilities, so our nest won’t be empty anytime soon. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

I was blessed to marry my college sweetheart in the campus chapel of The College of Steubenville (now Franciscan University), and we spent the next 27 years in Steubenville raising our one daughter and six sons, who have expanded our family to include sixteen grandchildren.

My forays in writing have been varied: news releases in public relations, a few essays in religious publications, university student life policies, non-profit grant writing, and newsletter articles. Now comes the opportunity to write reflections for a blog.

My career path has also been diverse: thirteen years as a lay leader of a charismatic prayer community in Steubenville, Ohio; five years as a licensed professional counselor; nine years as the Executive Director of Residence Life and the Dean of Students at Franciscan University; and twelve years as the Deputy Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Administrator of a sixty bed residential facility for homeless men.

I am now semi-retired and working part-time as a mental health therapist. A priest friend described this season of my life as being a free agent for God. I guess this blog is one of my assignments.

When time literally stands still – writer’s block