Dear Dad,
Well it’s now coming up on my second Christmas without you. I’ve been told by many that with each passing year it will get easier to deal with my loss. While in my head I know this to be true my heart just can’t sign on to that theory….not just yet.
I think you really did enjoy this time of year. I remember the gatherings at Christmas Eve. I even remember waking you up on Christmas morning..sometimes overtly and sometimes covertly. I remember one year getting a cassette recorder for Christmas. I remember taping you snoring and also remember you not really appreciating the humor. Oh well I was just a mischievous kid trying to live up to his mischievous Dad.
You were always about family especially this time of year. I really miss that. I really missed you being the focal point. I would give anything to have just one more Christmas with you. I would really give anything to even get one more handshake from my hero of heroes. These letters are always so difficult to write because while I know where your soul is now….I have no address to send this. While I know you are where we all strive to be I still have difficulty writing through the tears to express that thought.
You did not teach me to express my emotions as I even do now. You were brought up in a time and place where showing those emotions was almost considered a sign of weakness. I think living and having the benefit of a sensitive soul mate has helped me develop a sort of emotional maturity. I am both proud and in awe of my wife and I know you are too. There are few people on this planet that have inspired me as much as Linda. I am blessed to have her to lean on and to be leaned on.
So Dad…..know that I am doing fine. You gave me a strong sense of self responsibility and I think a strong moral compass to guide me through some pretty large challenges. I oftentimes look at a particular situation or challenge and consider how you would handle it. So although I say this a lot, it can never be said enough….I thank God for every day we had together. I thank him for the gift of a patient and caring father. I thank him for a man of both a generous heart and a giving soul.
While I may not have you to talk to in the flesh I am so blessed to have you to speak to and to have had you as a father. You may not be by my side any longer but you will always be an indelible and unmovable part of my spirit. Merry Christmas Dad…..and I love you.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
My Friend Chuck
My Friend, Chuck
I knew this day would come…..we all knew this day would come. Chuck fought a hard valiant fight against a most vicious and heartless disease. But one thing I know and anyone who ever had the pleasure of knowing this man….the disease may had won over his body but it never took his spirit or his mind or his incredible positive attitude. In short, cancer never defined Chuck…only Chuck defined Chuck.
The fact is Chuck’s life was his soul definer. He never met a person that wasn’t an immediate friend. He was a devoted husband, a great friend and very active and connected to his church. He was always there on Thursday nights before a chicken BBQ hacking up chickens with the rest of us. He was there on the hanging of the greens day before the Christmas season began. He was a devoted Vestry member for countless years and was always a very positive and well thought part of that body. Anything Chuck cared about he made sure others cared about as well but he did it in a manner that others could not help but care. That was one of Chuck’s gifts. It’s why he was a successful business man as well.
I will miss Chuck. I will miss his stories. I will miss his wisdom. I will miss his contagious smile. I will miss his friendship. God has definitely gained another angel. We are left now to try to deal with the loss and sorrow. In Chuck’s case I think the way to do that is honor his life by doing the very thing he did until his final day…..don’t ever take anything for granted and live each day….each minute as if it is your last. Rest in peace my old friend…..you are loved, cherished and will be missed.
I knew this day would come…..we all knew this day would come. Chuck fought a hard valiant fight against a most vicious and heartless disease. But one thing I know and anyone who ever had the pleasure of knowing this man….the disease may had won over his body but it never took his spirit or his mind or his incredible positive attitude. In short, cancer never defined Chuck…only Chuck defined Chuck.
The fact is Chuck’s life was his soul definer. He never met a person that wasn’t an immediate friend. He was a devoted husband, a great friend and very active and connected to his church. He was always there on Thursday nights before a chicken BBQ hacking up chickens with the rest of us. He was there on the hanging of the greens day before the Christmas season began. He was a devoted Vestry member for countless years and was always a very positive and well thought part of that body. Anything Chuck cared about he made sure others cared about as well but he did it in a manner that others could not help but care. That was one of Chuck’s gifts. It’s why he was a successful business man as well.
I will miss Chuck. I will miss his stories. I will miss his wisdom. I will miss his contagious smile. I will miss his friendship. God has definitely gained another angel. We are left now to try to deal with the loss and sorrow. In Chuck’s case I think the way to do that is honor his life by doing the very thing he did until his final day…..don’t ever take anything for granted and live each day….each minute as if it is your last. Rest in peace my old friend…..you are loved, cherished and will be missed.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Abolish Spam!
You May Qualify for a Financial Aid.
750 is a Great Score! | Check Your Credit Score for $0!
Get Certified: Systems, Servers, Programming & More...
Wal-Mart Giveaway - Free Groceries for a Month. Details Inside!
51% Off Film Festival - Raleigh
7 Day Forecast Mon Oct 3, 2011
Your exclusive offer ends tonight: 20% OFF Sitewide
Ends today! Take 30% off 1 item - including new Down Coats
ATTENTION MEN: Save 60% NOW on GNC's New Clinically Proven Testosterone Booster!
350k Coverage as low as 13.04/month!
Buffet Survival Strategies
Fall has arrived. And so have the savings.
So I thought I would comment on Spam. Below are the most recent 12 emails I received this morning. This stuff is worse than the circulars I get in my mailbox. It would seem there is little that can be done to stop this hideous onslaught of this most always unwelcome and quite frequently offensive drivel. You can put all the filters you want on your mailbox and what often happens is you will filter out the important stuff and get something about male testosterone boosters.
Looking at this list, at least it’s not obscenely offensive. Let’s examine each e-mail one by one shall we? I may qualify for financial aid huh? OK, fishing expedition…sorry I don’t need it. Of course the very next e-mail makes the bold statement that a credit score of 750 is “great”! So if I get the financial aid I’m guessing that the second e-mail would be irrelevant?
To speak to the third e-mail…..I’ve got plenty of certifications and just keeping them up is enough, thank you! Another fishing expedition that will get them nowhere with me. I wonder how many people respond to this junk. Enough, apparently to justify its annoying frequency.
I don’t want to look inside to get my free Walmart groceries for a year….just give them to me and we can each go our merry way.
The next one just makes me wonder why 51% off? Why not 50 or 55? Is this a psychological way to make more folks notice? I guess in my case it worked on some level.
OK, the 7 day forecast is something I can use with the exception of the fact that they only stand a chance of getting tomorrow’s weather somewhat accurate. The rest of the week my knee can typically be more accurate.
My “exclusive” 20% offer ends tonight! Oh my God……so this is my offer and mine alone? I am really going to regret not using this exclusive offer. Sorry folks, perhaps you’ll get your own exclusive offer some day.
I am going to miss out on yet another offer, although not exclusive it would seem. By their line it looks like they missed offering a discount on Down coats last time and some heads must have rolled.
The next one is mildly offensive. First of all just how would they know if my testosterone level was low? Might be a good guess on their part but it seems that is a pretty personal issue and I will use my own dipstick to check my testosterone level with no help form GNC!
Now seriously if I got a 350 K loan for $13.04 a month it would take me like 400 years to pay it off. I didn’t just fall off the applecart….especially using that archaic phrase.
I really love the buffet survival strategy book. I could write that book….it would say AVOID BUFFETS. I wonder how much I could sell that book for?
And finally the one email line that actually makes some sense. Fall has arrived! Wait…..has it?? Or have I slept for a month? I have to stop taking that Ambien…perhaps I’ll get an email from GNC about getting some help sleeping! I can’t wait!
So that’s my exciting list of spam email for now. I obviously have more when I returned home but I think I’ve made my point. This stuff wears me out and it is hard to believe that people are employed out in cyberland to just continually molest people with this type of junk e-mail. I want to interview someone some day that states they were a junk mail creator just so I can communicate how thankful I am.
750 is a Great Score! | Check Your Credit Score for $0!
Get Certified: Systems, Servers, Programming & More...
Wal-Mart Giveaway - Free Groceries for a Month. Details Inside!
51% Off Film Festival - Raleigh
7 Day Forecast Mon Oct 3, 2011
Your exclusive offer ends tonight: 20% OFF Sitewide
Ends today! Take 30% off 1 item - including new Down Coats
ATTENTION MEN: Save 60% NOW on GNC's New Clinically Proven Testosterone Booster!
350k Coverage as low as 13.04/month!
Buffet Survival Strategies
Fall has arrived. And so have the savings.
So I thought I would comment on Spam. Below are the most recent 12 emails I received this morning. This stuff is worse than the circulars I get in my mailbox. It would seem there is little that can be done to stop this hideous onslaught of this most always unwelcome and quite frequently offensive drivel. You can put all the filters you want on your mailbox and what often happens is you will filter out the important stuff and get something about male testosterone boosters.
Looking at this list, at least it’s not obscenely offensive. Let’s examine each e-mail one by one shall we? I may qualify for financial aid huh? OK, fishing expedition…sorry I don’t need it. Of course the very next e-mail makes the bold statement that a credit score of 750 is “great”! So if I get the financial aid I’m guessing that the second e-mail would be irrelevant?
To speak to the third e-mail…..I’ve got plenty of certifications and just keeping them up is enough, thank you! Another fishing expedition that will get them nowhere with me. I wonder how many people respond to this junk. Enough, apparently to justify its annoying frequency.
I don’t want to look inside to get my free Walmart groceries for a year….just give them to me and we can each go our merry way.
The next one just makes me wonder why 51% off? Why not 50 or 55? Is this a psychological way to make more folks notice? I guess in my case it worked on some level.
OK, the 7 day forecast is something I can use with the exception of the fact that they only stand a chance of getting tomorrow’s weather somewhat accurate. The rest of the week my knee can typically be more accurate.
My “exclusive” 20% offer ends tonight! Oh my God……so this is my offer and mine alone? I am really going to regret not using this exclusive offer. Sorry folks, perhaps you’ll get your own exclusive offer some day.
I am going to miss out on yet another offer, although not exclusive it would seem. By their line it looks like they missed offering a discount on Down coats last time and some heads must have rolled.
The next one is mildly offensive. First of all just how would they know if my testosterone level was low? Might be a good guess on their part but it seems that is a pretty personal issue and I will use my own dipstick to check my testosterone level with no help form GNC!
Now seriously if I got a 350 K loan for $13.04 a month it would take me like 400 years to pay it off. I didn’t just fall off the applecart….especially using that archaic phrase.
I really love the buffet survival strategy book. I could write that book….it would say AVOID BUFFETS. I wonder how much I could sell that book for?
And finally the one email line that actually makes some sense. Fall has arrived! Wait…..has it?? Or have I slept for a month? I have to stop taking that Ambien…perhaps I’ll get an email from GNC about getting some help sleeping! I can’t wait!
So that’s my exciting list of spam email for now. I obviously have more when I returned home but I think I’ve made my point. This stuff wears me out and it is hard to believe that people are employed out in cyberland to just continually molest people with this type of junk e-mail. I want to interview someone some day that states they were a junk mail creator just so I can communicate how thankful I am.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Random Thoughts
As I sit here in Orlando International Airport my mind wanders and I begin to observe people and also allow my brain to ponder things that most people, for good reason, do not. So here are a few of those random thoughts, etc.
The first thing is it seems that any airport in the world that wants more noteriety puts the tag international in front of its name. It would seem that if an immigrant is employed by the airport it qualifies As international.
It also occurs to me there are a few groups of people always doing battle. The people that have kids, have had kids, have never had kids and who are planning to have kids. I'm sure that no matter where you fall you have made instant judgements about the others. I am in the group, obvious to most, of having had kids. I wish I was better at connecting to young children. I don't seem to have a problem with teens on up but for some inexplicable reason I have difficulty with the droolers.....and yes I am referring to the young droolers. Just a self observation.
On the kids topic, when did so many parents stop being parents? I am talking about those parents that think most any large store is a play land for their children and basically no rules apply.
Another related thought is I'm curious where common civility went. People are so quick to make
Judgements of others. How has that happened? Have we as a society lost all patience and understanding of strangers? Assumptions have taken the place of learning. I realize I'm using a broad brush and many I associate with don't fall in this category. This is just a general observation and airports are a great place to make those.
Another thought that will tick off most everyone. I think they should lock the overhead bins in planes and make people check everything. I get so tired of the people who carry a two week supply of clothing, supplies, furniture and who knows what else on the plane and attempt to cram their stuff in an overhead bin. It sure would speed up the boarding and unboarding process. I know many of you think you beat the man at his game of charging you extra and you have but remember this when you have 10 minutes to get off your plane and make it all the way across the Dallas Airport....who wins then?
Ok, time for me to go get worked over by the TSA. Just some thoughts that probably most have considered a waste of time to read. I win this time!
The first thing is it seems that any airport in the world that wants more noteriety puts the tag international in front of its name. It would seem that if an immigrant is employed by the airport it qualifies As international.
It also occurs to me there are a few groups of people always doing battle. The people that have kids, have had kids, have never had kids and who are planning to have kids. I'm sure that no matter where you fall you have made instant judgements about the others. I am in the group, obvious to most, of having had kids. I wish I was better at connecting to young children. I don't seem to have a problem with teens on up but for some inexplicable reason I have difficulty with the droolers.....and yes I am referring to the young droolers. Just a self observation.
On the kids topic, when did so many parents stop being parents? I am talking about those parents that think most any large store is a play land for their children and basically no rules apply.
Another related thought is I'm curious where common civility went. People are so quick to make
Judgements of others. How has that happened? Have we as a society lost all patience and understanding of strangers? Assumptions have taken the place of learning. I realize I'm using a broad brush and many I associate with don't fall in this category. This is just a general observation and airports are a great place to make those.
Another thought that will tick off most everyone. I think they should lock the overhead bins in planes and make people check everything. I get so tired of the people who carry a two week supply of clothing, supplies, furniture and who knows what else on the plane and attempt to cram their stuff in an overhead bin. It sure would speed up the boarding and unboarding process. I know many of you think you beat the man at his game of charging you extra and you have but remember this when you have 10 minutes to get off your plane and make it all the way across the Dallas Airport....who wins then?
Ok, time for me to go get worked over by the TSA. Just some thoughts that probably most have considered a waste of time to read. I win this time!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Happy 25th to my "Little" Girl......
So my little girl turns 25 tomorrow. It just doesn’t seem possible. She has had more than her share of adversity. Losing her Mom would be right at the top but she also has had other significant challenges to overcome. I have been proud of her over the years for her accomplishments. I have laughed and even cried at different times about her. One thing has remained a constant. She will always be my little girl and I will always love her.
Another thing that makes me so proud is how she has taken her career and is really making something of it. She has never been satisfied at being a mediocre teacher. She has also faced and overcome an administrator that had only one thing on her mind and that was to make her fail. Not only did she prove this administrator to be the failure she has taken flight and her growth as a teacher continues and she doesn’t look back at the people that may have tried to derail her but only ahead at how she can become an even more gifted teacher than she already is. Whoever the student is that falls under her guidance is a blessed student in my eyes.
Linda and I have already given her the gift for reaching this 25th year however my gift has been these 25 years. I can’t imagine them without her in our lives and I really and truly look forward to many more years to come. So happy birthday Marlee….Linda is proud….I am proud….and your Mother in heaven is proud.
Another thing that makes me so proud is how she has taken her career and is really making something of it. She has never been satisfied at being a mediocre teacher. She has also faced and overcome an administrator that had only one thing on her mind and that was to make her fail. Not only did she prove this administrator to be the failure she has taken flight and her growth as a teacher continues and she doesn’t look back at the people that may have tried to derail her but only ahead at how she can become an even more gifted teacher than she already is. Whoever the student is that falls under her guidance is a blessed student in my eyes.
Linda and I have already given her the gift for reaching this 25th year however my gift has been these 25 years. I can’t imagine them without her in our lives and I really and truly look forward to many more years to come. So happy birthday Marlee….Linda is proud….I am proud….and your Mother in heaven is proud.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
My Take On Twitter
Ah yes Twitter. My curiosity got the best of me so I started an account. So for several days now I have been trying to wrap my mind around just what Twitter is all about. Last night as I laid in bed trying to wait for my fertile (ya right) mind to shut down I had an epiphany about what Twitter is and why it has caught on in some circles.
For those of you who have lived in the woods without the benefit of technology for the last year I will now let the wisdom descend upon you and like toilet paper in the sewage system assimilate in your mind. I really need to work on my analogies. Twitter is basically a collection of one liners, be they serious, funny or somewhere in-between. The unique thing about Twitter is many celebrities use it so it seems to be some way for all the # 1 fans out there to feel validated.
That is in a nutshell what Twitter is and now let me tell you why it has become popular. I can some it up in two words: attention span. As a society we no longer have one. We basically have little to do with anything that isn’t resolved in a few minutes. I even heard a radio talk show host spout off about how she can’t sit through a whole movie. Really? So Twitter requires basically no attention span and people really love that. (it seems)
There’s another reason I think it’s popular. It takes almost zero effort to engage in it. No work equals massive popularity amongst the current crop of homosapiens. Let’s face it, we are so embroiled in our day to day activities be it work or as my cousin in a far away land calls it retirement. To his credit he is an avid reader so he doesn’t necessarily fit the broad mold I am casting. People just don’t want to be involved in anything that requires much effort. That’s my take and since I’m writing this it is the only take that matters.
So there you have it. Twitter and all the twits engaged in it doing their tweeting are now explained to my vast mountain of reader. (No typo there) Twitter is basically a mindless activity that requires its fans to only have to structure one sentence at a time. BRILLIANT! ( Hey that might be my next tweet)
For those of you who have lived in the woods without the benefit of technology for the last year I will now let the wisdom descend upon you and like toilet paper in the sewage system assimilate in your mind. I really need to work on my analogies. Twitter is basically a collection of one liners, be they serious, funny or somewhere in-between. The unique thing about Twitter is many celebrities use it so it seems to be some way for all the # 1 fans out there to feel validated.
That is in a nutshell what Twitter is and now let me tell you why it has become popular. I can some it up in two words: attention span. As a society we no longer have one. We basically have little to do with anything that isn’t resolved in a few minutes. I even heard a radio talk show host spout off about how she can’t sit through a whole movie. Really? So Twitter requires basically no attention span and people really love that. (it seems)
There’s another reason I think it’s popular. It takes almost zero effort to engage in it. No work equals massive popularity amongst the current crop of homosapiens. Let’s face it, we are so embroiled in our day to day activities be it work or as my cousin in a far away land calls it retirement. To his credit he is an avid reader so he doesn’t necessarily fit the broad mold I am casting. People just don’t want to be involved in anything that requires much effort. That’s my take and since I’m writing this it is the only take that matters.
So there you have it. Twitter and all the twits engaged in it doing their tweeting are now explained to my vast mountain of reader. (No typo there) Twitter is basically a mindless activity that requires its fans to only have to structure one sentence at a time. BRILLIANT! ( Hey that might be my next tweet)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
A Little Tribute To My Bride
There are some things about my life I am so thankful to talk about; those special things that make my life so complete and such a celebration. One of those parts of my life is my lovely wife. She is so humble that she won’t agree with half of what I say here but it won’t stop me now. (In fact it’s never stopped me before either)
I met this lady when I really thought I was through having any serious relationship. After losing my previous wife in such a difficult way I thought that the rest of my life I was going it alone. God apparently thought different. I couldn’t be happier he did.
This woman has taught me so much about myself and about others. She has shown me ultimate grace under fire. She is selfless when it comes to others. She is oh so patient with me and all of my flaws. Four years ago she looked cancer square in the eyes and said NOT ME. She even took that time in her life to look for ways to inspire and comfort others. Even now she plans to volunteer in her retirement to help others afflicted with this disease. You know there is an old saying that goes something like this: “Character is not revealed in victories but in challenges”. Her character was definitely revealed and it is above reproach.
I don’t want to dwell on the cancer because she would be the first to say she doesn’t want to be defined by that. She has moved on and thank God I am moving with her. She works tirelessly for the United Methodist Conference in nurturing new clergy through the ordination process. Nurturing is another gift of hers and she is exactly in the right place at the right time for the Methodist Church.
This lady of mine has not always had it easy in her life. Her family like many families these days is fragmented and not without its own challenges. She grew up in less than ideal circumstances at times but her faith and her amazing spirit saw her through those times.
So I write this today because it is her birthday. Birthdays tend to remind us how blessed we are in this life. As long as this lady is by my side my life will be not only happy but complete. We don’t know the will of the almighty but I do know that the blessings we are handed need to be treated with respect and honor. So on this day I wanted to do this in a most public way for my bride.
I love you Linda….and every day I am able to draw breath with you by my side is a gift I will never take for granted.
I met this lady when I really thought I was through having any serious relationship. After losing my previous wife in such a difficult way I thought that the rest of my life I was going it alone. God apparently thought different. I couldn’t be happier he did.
This woman has taught me so much about myself and about others. She has shown me ultimate grace under fire. She is selfless when it comes to others. She is oh so patient with me and all of my flaws. Four years ago she looked cancer square in the eyes and said NOT ME. She even took that time in her life to look for ways to inspire and comfort others. Even now she plans to volunteer in her retirement to help others afflicted with this disease. You know there is an old saying that goes something like this: “Character is not revealed in victories but in challenges”. Her character was definitely revealed and it is above reproach.
I don’t want to dwell on the cancer because she would be the first to say she doesn’t want to be defined by that. She has moved on and thank God I am moving with her. She works tirelessly for the United Methodist Conference in nurturing new clergy through the ordination process. Nurturing is another gift of hers and she is exactly in the right place at the right time for the Methodist Church.
This lady of mine has not always had it easy in her life. Her family like many families these days is fragmented and not without its own challenges. She grew up in less than ideal circumstances at times but her faith and her amazing spirit saw her through those times.
So I write this today because it is her birthday. Birthdays tend to remind us how blessed we are in this life. As long as this lady is by my side my life will be not only happy but complete. We don’t know the will of the almighty but I do know that the blessings we are handed need to be treated with respect and honor. So on this day I wanted to do this in a most public way for my bride.
I love you Linda….and every day I am able to draw breath with you by my side is a gift I will never take for granted.
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