Past, Present and Future

As the years go by, perspectives change. Thanksgiving this year was full of memories of the past, enjoying the memories created today, and looking forward to the future.

Imagine seeing your Grandfather who died in 1936, Grandmother who died in 1986, Dad who died in 1998, and Mom who died 5 years ago on Thanksgiving eve in 2001. All on the same day as talking to your eldest daughter who is now 23, seeing my 22 year old college student son, and the "baby" now 20 and married with her husband. And there is more. Their was a phone call from son Ian, and a family dinner that included daughter Abby, Kathy, myself and Kathy's first husband Dwight, yep the 4 of us enjoying turkey and all the goodies. Brother Mike stopped by with his gal Sue, and the evening ended like a typical Thursday, Abby with her boyfriend Chris, Kathy and I waiting for Grey's Anatomy on TV. Throw in a card game, euchre of course, and talk of the future careers of Josh and Abby, and you find a very blessed family.

P.S. The visions of people who are no longer living are due to the magic of photography, and there were lot's more pictures of family that are still around, just more grown up. The picture above is of the "Baby" Tiffany. Her husband Jon said he really liked that picture.

Thank you one and all for being a part of my very blessed life.

Penn and Teller

Beware of the f word, but otherwise They are a couple of my favorites.

Veterans, one and all

As the weekend winds down, I sit in the backroom with a laptop in my, er, lap and finally take time to write.

A little while ago I was mowing by the light of the street lamps, after my wife took care of a whole lot of leaves.

Before that I was looking for some clamps to secure a tarp that Chris and Abby put over the out door porch thing that Rachael assembled for us earlier this year.

Before that I was talking to Mojo at the radio station about a music promoter that thinks we don't treat him fair, but we do.

Before that I was sorting thru papers on my desk that I had left Friday.

Before that I was sorting thru papers and files in a cubical of a former employee of mine that didn't have the ....looking for a kind word here, but there isn't any... anyway, she quit by just not showing up for work and finally after a few phone calls, she called me back to tell me, it wasn't working out. By the way, I wish her well, and I have a couple of her personal items in a box that she can have in exchange for the files on clients that she has.

Before that, I stopped by the downtown Starbucks to say Hi to my wife Kathy and her friend Kathy. I recognized the car because it used to be mine and there is a very distinct couple of words on it, "Dime on", that are there so I could slyly find my car in a big parking lot.


Before that, I was sitting at the downtown Higher Grounds Coffee shop, observing the lack of business on a Sunday afternoon, so I could compare it with the busyiness of the downtown Starbucks.

Before that, well lots of stuff, but let's go to yesterday:

Kathy and I saw the movie Flags of our Fathers. Everyone should see it. Not that everyone will like it, but you should see it anyway. A very appropiate film to see on Veterans Day. We also got a call from Rachael, the daugther that assembled the outdoor thing that I mentioned already that got covered with a tarp today for winter.

Rachael and her Brandon were at our house, wondering where we were, and we were at the downtown Starbucks, the same one Kathy and her friend Kathy were at today. So they came down to SB and joined us for a lively conversation ranging from physics to politics, to a few other things. We had a good time and I got a hug from my Rachael before we all went our own ways.

Veterans Day was designed to pay honor to our military veterans, and there is a lot more to how it came into being which you can check out here.

Without meaning to be disrespectful in anyway, I urge all of us to take stock of what we have experienced on a regular basis, to see what we are veterans of, and to use that in a positive manner as each day moves forward.

You see, as I started this entry, there are lots of things that go on in our lives that we take for granted, yet we should stop and observe and reflect. If not now, when?