Friday night in Waukegan Clay struggled with his final note of “All Is Well”. Last night in Merrillville, we all held our breaths and said prayers for him.

Back in 1974 Kate Smith sang “God Bless America” during the Stanley Cup Finals (hockey) between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers won the Cup that day by beating the Bruins 1-0. Talk about being on edge! The Flyers were our team and only a miracle would do it!

In her younger years Kate Smith had been known for her powerful voice. Throughout the season recordings of her “God Bless America” were played and it became a good luck charm for the Flyers because they won every time she sang. So, who else would be appropriate for this special occasion but Kate herself (in person). Her voice boomed over the loud speakers and then – her voice cracked on the last note – maybe from emotion or strain or whatever! But nobody cared and some never heard it because of the crowd’s noise. She was great and our team won.

So, Clay has nothing to be ashamed of – and by the way, he “nailed” it last night at Merrillville. We love you Clay !