The Year End Letter Of 2017! It was a Fun Year, but also Sad!

The Year End Letter of the Kerofsky Family 2017

As this year ends I reflect on my son Ken whom we lost just three days before Christmas last year in a drowning accident as he was exploring the Rock River and fell through the ice by Harold’s Landing in Moline. Things are not the same at home without my son around. Halloween, which is our favorite Holiday, was not the same without him and Christmas will never be the same, as we decorate the tree together, open gifts, and have our family feast.

Though I have lost a son my wife and I had a productive year. I went camping alone at Sugar Bottom Campground at Coralville Lake to honor my son Ken over Fathers Day weekend. I went swimming at the beach, rafting, and hiked one of the nature trails. I had fun in spite of getting harassed by a deputy and a park ranger for making a video and camping alone.

I made a video for YouTube to honor Ken. I did not let the harassment stop me from having fun. After camping I went to Perkins, which was my son Ken’s and I favorite place to go after camping. I got the Tangler Burger, Fries, and Pancakes.

In July my wife and I rented a SUV and went on a two week road trip out west. The first day we drove for over 12 hours. We went through Illinois, Iowa, Kansas City Missouri, to Wichita Kansas. Was pretty exhausted by the time we got to Wichita so we crashed at the Super 8; After having a fun dinner at the Carlos O’ Kelly’s. We had a blast there and the waiter was nice. And believe it or not it was authentic Mexican food. The second day we drove through the flat lands of Kansas. Saw lots of cows and hay barrels. We drove through a section of Oklahoma in which we stopped for a picnic lunch at a place called Guymon. We explored the park which had a pig statue and a Rock Island Line train car. It was fun. Then we drove through a strip of Texas and on to Albuquerque New Mexico. In Albuquerque we ate at a place called the Owl Café. It was an unique old time burger bar with one of a kind milk shakes like the Elvis shake I got which was peanut butter and banana and delicious.

The third day we drove on across to Arizona. Where we spent 4 days at Chandler while visiting my wife Jill’s aunts and cousins. It was a joy swimming in the pool and talking to Jill’s cousin Pashay about the martial arts. In Arizona we went to visit my wife’s brother John and we went to the Arizona Memorial Cemetery to see her dad’s grave where I got to see my Grand Master Robert A. Trias grave as well. I took Jill to the Grand Canyon which she got to see for her first time. And then we went to Utah where we visited her Aunt Hannie. We stopped for one night and ate at a place called Houston’s Trail End which had the best Salisbury Steaks. In Utah we went to Sandy where my wife grew up and explored. Went to her old elementary school Oakdale, old high school Brighton, and hung out with her friends at a place called Jims Restaurant. On the last day I took her to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory which she had for the first time. 

We had a lot of fun on the road trip.

Afterwards we hightailed it home through the Utah pass back to Moline Illinois.

In August my wife and I went to the 31^st Battleship New Jersey BB-62 reunion in Chicago.

It was a nice weekend in Chicago. The weather was warm with a nice breeze. We went to eat Chicago Deep Dish Pizza at Gino’s East, went and explored at Navy pier, and saw the big Ferris wheel built during the 1893 Worlds Fair. At the reunion chatted with some of the old battleship sailors and had a nice dinner. I had the Chicken Florentine and Jill had the beef.

So we had a fun year even though we lost our son Ken. His memory is forever in our hearts as the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays approach. He is forever missed. My son Tim is still working at China Café as a delivery driver. He plans on attending college again soon. He helped with the Halloween decorations this year. We set up the yard in honor of Ken.

Though 2018 is approaching the memory of our son Ken will never fade as the years pass. 

2016 Year-End Letter

Year End Letter 2016

Dearest Friends and Family:

As this year ends I reflect on what was accomplished
and what I can do to better my self, my life, and family.
I cannot believe it is 2017. Where did the time go?

My son Tim is now a delivery driver at China Café.
He rented a new home. He is working on getting a car.

My son Ken is doing basics at Black Hawk College.
He wants to be a child counselor.

My wife Jill is still working at the China Café. On her spare time she does many activities with Bethel Wesley United Methodist Church. She works with the cookie walk, Pricilla circle, bible camp, and plans for the Liturgists.

Me; will, for the most part, this year has been pretty good.
My son Ken and I spent our father and son time camping at
Coralville Lake like we do pretty much every summer.
My wife and I went to Philadelphia Pennsylvania and Camden New Jersey for my 30th Battleship New Jersey BB-62 Navy Reunion.
I finally made it back to Long Beach California to visit my friend Steve. I had a blast in Cali. I made several videos for my YouTube channel. My favorite is me walking down the Pike District.
I work on my writings. I finished Relaxation Therapy Certification.
I am teaching private karate classes on occasion. I earned my 8th Dan and am one step closer of earning the title of Soke.
I will get it one day with determination. My physical therapist is helping me excel. She has me do some karate and tai chi movements at therapy. I hope to do my martial arts full time and teach a regular karate class again one day.

My dreaded downfall is that I still have to deal with constant pain and tingling through my spine, shoulder and fingers. I go to the VA in Iowa City frequently for pain shots and physical therapy.
Winters are always hard on me.

I pray that 2017 be as blessed as my 2016.
In the next year we are preparing our future to move and to start a new life in Las Crucis New Mexico.
We hope to be in New Mexico in the summer of 2018.
This will be a better climate for my body ailments and a warmer place to retire. I hope to have a ranch home and a couple of horses one day. I plan on opening my own art studio there as well.
I wish all of my friends and family a blessed year ahead.

Have a great 2017 my friends and family!


Mr. Timothy L. Kerofsky, MA and family

Top 10 things Obama has done

1. Got Osama Bin Laden
2. Got relations back with Cuba
3. Enacted the Affordable Care Act
4. Enacted more Environmental Reform including better emission standards
5. Fought for equal pay and equal rights and enacted many policies.
6. Fought for fixing our infrastructure.
7. Ended the Iraq War, which we should not have been in,
And refocused the War back to Afghanistan
8. Reformed education and testing standards
9. Passed Wall Street reform
10. Rebuilt the Auto Industry

Three Reasons why people take Martial Arts!

What I have found is there are three main reasons
why people train in the martial arts.
1. Aesthetics -
people like the exotic art form of the animals like the tiger,
the crane, the dragon, the monkey, the praying mantis, etc.
They like the art of the martial arts.
People, also, like the spiritual aspect of the martial arts, the meditation, finding inner peace, 
and ones true self.
2. Athletics -
Of course Martial Arts is a great way to get in shape and tone the body.
Some of the old school ways of training using stone weights,
hitting the makawari board, the tensation and relaxation exercises,
the kata, the forms, the fighting and take down drills,
will all get one in shape, that is certain.
3. Combative -
Today I feel martial arts went full circle,
and is back to the real combat of Okinawan Te and Jujitsu for example.
With all the gun violence, muggings, rape, murder, bullying,
it is a wonder why people walk out their front door today.
We are truly in a dangerous, evil, violent world in today's society.
And many people come to dojos to learn self defense (Goshindo Uki).
However, with dojos popping up on many street corners,
one has to be weary of just going to any dojo.
Watch out for the so-called McDojos which is a term being used today.
I will talk about that in another discussion...
Anyway, these are the three main reasons why people take martial arts.
Why do you take martial arts?

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 2016

New Year 2016!

A New Year resolution for each of my
Spiritual, Mental, and Physical well being:

1. Spiritual - To continue to study, learn truth,
    and get closer to Jehovah.
2. Mental - To better my Polish and Spanish,
    and to Finish my Fashion Course.
3. Physical - to continue to learn more healthy solutions,
    of herbs, getting rid of free radicals, my breakfast drinks,
    and overcoming and controlling my pain and tingling.

What I am going to achieve this year:

1. My 8^th Dan (Hachidan) in Shurin-ju Ryu Karate Do
2. To see the Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio
3. To do the rollercoaster challenge in Sandusky Ohio
4. To visit my friend Steve in Long Beach California

5. To get my shoulder and pinching in the spine fixed and ween off the pain pills…

Never Give Up, Keep Striving, even through pain!

My peoples I never give up!

This is what my struggles through my pain is like.

I ask myself:

Can cold, tingling, and pain really be overcome? 
Yes through God, through faith, through prayer.  
But not with chemical foods or drugs;

My pain pills work at times,

but then the body becomes immune to them.

Yes I feel less pain in a warmer climate,

but then one has to move.

(Which will be soon hopefully to Las Crucis New Mexico)

The tens unit worked at first,

but now it is causing me to tingle more.

The therapeutic cane works at times,

but then my shoulder gets tight for me holding it.

The swimming helps and the warm whirlpool helps,

but then I have to go in the cold and drive with one hand to get there.

I love summer, that is certain.

Though I also have blonde fundis

(which is why my eyes are sensitive to light);

and my shades do work for that.

Then I hit the water park and have my summer fun!

No matter what my therapists has me do,

karate, tai chi, yoga, tens unit, whirlpool, therapeutic cane;

I know that none of it works on its own.

Each day I struggle to find a better way to overcome my pain and tingling.

Each day I find the best combination of things to do to keep me moving.

What works most of the time is my breakfast drink,

natural foods, my herbs, my exercises, my swimming,

but in the winter and the freezing cold; the moist air,

I get so tense that sometimes nothing works.

And that is what I am working on now my peoples -

a way to keep my pain in control during the winter

until I get to a warm climate and get my dreams going

of opening my own art studio and dojo for children.

And one day all will be overcome,

and my dreams will be fulfilled.

I have faith in that.

I wrote this blog,

because no matter what life holds

One can never give up,

stay strong always my people;

especially in adversity.

And when it seems all is lost;

the Lord thy God (whomever your God mine is Jehovah);

will always guide you and comfort you. 

And do not ever be afraid to ask for help.

There are family, friends, neighbors, a counselor, 

always someone you can talk to. 

A mentee, karate ka, and friend of mine 

took his life because of bullying and cyber bullying. 

Do not become a tragedy.

When all seems lost, 

there is always hope.

With this I have faith. Amen.

Year end Letter 2015

Year End Letter 2015

Dearest Friends and Family:

As this year ends I reflect on what was accomplished 

and what I can do to better my self, my life, and family. 

I cannot believe it is 2016. Where did the time go?

My son Tim is nearly done with his classes at 

Western Illinois University in Macomb Illinois.

He is working on a BS in math with a minor in computer science and philosophy.

May the lord Jehovah bless him as he finds his way in this world; as he learns and grows.  

My son Ken is doing better in school. He has not been struggling as much this year.

He is in the STEP program and he is working part time after school at the Jackson Hewitt, doing janitorial duties and helps with filing. I am proud of him.  

My wife Jill earned her Health Information Management degree. However she is working in food service again. She works at the China Café. On her spare time she does many activities with Bethel Wesley United Methodist Church. She works with the cookie walk, Pricilla circle, bible camp, and plans for the Liturgists.

Me; will, for the most part, this year has been pretty good.

I joined a new church called, “House of the Lord”. I am finding my spiritual self.

I took a trip to Hawaii to visit my Ohana whom I have not seen in 12 years.

I was invited to see Kiley’s High School Graduation. I had a fun time in Hawaii!

I used to go every other year in the Navy, I miss that.

I was a part of my Ohana growing up. I will stay in touch with them more.

My son Ken and I spent our father and son time camping at Coralville Lake.

But we got rained on the entire time. 

We had fun rafting and shooting our BB guns, however.

I work on my writings. I am also working on a Relaxation Therapy Certification.

I am teaching private karate classes on occasion. I am working on the title of Soke.

I will get it one day with determination. My physical therapist is helping me excel.

She has me do some karate and tai chi movements at therapy.

I hope to do my martial arts full time and teach a regular karate class again one day. 

My dreaded downfall is that I still have to deal with constant pain and tingling through my spine, shoulder and fingers. I go to the VA in Iowa City frequently for pain shots and physical therapy. 

Winters are always hard on me.

I pray that 2016 be as blessed as my 2015 and that one day my pain is relieved.

In the next year we are preparing our future to move and to start a new life in New Mexico.

We got the house re-sided, new windows, and the roof was done a couple years ago.

We hope to be in New Mexico in the summer of 2018.

This will be a better climate for my body ailments and a warmer place to retire.

I wish all of my friends and family a blessed year ahead.

Have a great 2016 my friends and family!

Mr. Timothy L. Kerofsky, MA and family

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!