Go Ahead and make me laugh Andy White. Or at least smile.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Not just another Sunday Morning
Bright and early Sunday Morning. Once again I sliped out of the house while my wife of 6 years slumbers on. I have my usual Sunday morning breakfast with friends and aquaintences at the Firefly. But this Sunday is differnt. I made my first stop over at Sunshine Dry Cleaners, where that had about two weeks of my clothes waiting for me. Familarity starts setting in as the woman behind the counter, is one that has been there since I started dropping off my dress up clothes about 4 years ago. Breakfast today is my new ususal. Coffee and a bagel. But today is going to be different.
At 1pm today, I will be sitting in the Embassy theater, attending another high school graduation. The last one for awhile. Maybe forever. This time it is Abby. Abby Troue. My last daughter. The one whom I've shared a house with since 2001. Technically she is my step-daughter, and I do not want to take the place of her Dad. But she is just as much mine as she is his.
Abby was part of the equation, that led me to re-marry. Long ago, when I was divorced, I made a commitment to stay close enough to be able to stay invloved with my kids Tiffany, Josh and Rachael who were living in the Warsaw, Indiana area. It was the summer of 1995 that their Mom, Karen and I went through the divorce. My kids were 12, 11 and 10. Now, both Tiff and Josh have had more years with their parents divorced, than married. This fall marks that milestone for Rachael when she turns 24. ( I wonder if they ever have thought about that little factoid.)
Anyway, My original thinking was that once my three kids finished high school and went off to college, I could go where ever I wanted and start again. I know that when I left home after high school, I felt like I didn't need to stay near my parents. So that was my state of mind when I met Kathy in 2000. Kathy had Ian, who was out on his own, and Abby who was only 12.
I used to think that Kathy talked me into sticking around Fort Wayne, becasue she showed me how nice a place my hometown really is. But you see, my decision to marry Kathy was a multi-level decision. I knew that getting married again was also a commitment to Abby.
Today, Abby finishes High School, graduating from the same school I graduated from 29 years ago. Saturday is the offical grad party. I expect to see Rachael and her Brandon (who now live in Ft. Wayne) along with Josh and his Maddy (who also lives in Fort Wayne) along with many others. The circle is almost complete...
More to come, some of my friends have arrived and it's time to talk in person.
At 1pm today, I will be sitting in the Embassy theater, attending another high school graduation. The last one for awhile. Maybe forever. This time it is Abby. Abby Troue. My last daughter. The one whom I've shared a house with since 2001. Technically she is my step-daughter, and I do not want to take the place of her Dad. But she is just as much mine as she is his.
Abby was part of the equation, that led me to re-marry. Long ago, when I was divorced, I made a commitment to stay close enough to be able to stay invloved with my kids Tiffany, Josh and Rachael who were living in the Warsaw, Indiana area. It was the summer of 1995 that their Mom, Karen and I went through the divorce. My kids were 12, 11 and 10. Now, both Tiff and Josh have had more years with their parents divorced, than married. This fall marks that milestone for Rachael when she turns 24. ( I wonder if they ever have thought about that little factoid.)
Anyway, My original thinking was that once my three kids finished high school and went off to college, I could go where ever I wanted and start again. I know that when I left home after high school, I felt like I didn't need to stay near my parents. So that was my state of mind when I met Kathy in 2000. Kathy had Ian, who was out on his own, and Abby who was only 12.
I used to think that Kathy talked me into sticking around Fort Wayne, becasue she showed me how nice a place my hometown really is. But you see, my decision to marry Kathy was a multi-level decision. I knew that getting married again was also a commitment to Abby.
Today, Abby finishes High School, graduating from the same school I graduated from 29 years ago. Saturday is the offical grad party. I expect to see Rachael and her Brandon (who now live in Ft. Wayne) along with Josh and his Maddy (who also lives in Fort Wayne) along with many others. The circle is almost complete...
More to come, some of my friends have arrived and it's time to talk in person.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
A walk down a different path. A Lesson from a cat.
This morning, I took a walk. No prompting from my wife, no promises fulfilled to anyone, just a time to walk.
It began when I woke up, dressed and saw my wife secluded in the other room studying. It looked so nice outside, so off I went. Now Kathy and I will go for a walk and quite frankly it can be a real pain. Too long, too much of this or that. I know I shouldn't complain but sometimes I feel like that.
Today was different. I started the opposite direction and began praying as I walked. There are always lots of things occurring in our lives. But today I began by praying for the people in the houses I passed, then the people in my life, the events that are coming up. Then the end of the block. It was time to decide which way to go.
I decided to go the opposite way that we usually go. I continued my conversation with God as I walked and then saw someone familiar. Someone furry. I thought it was him so I called out his name. Napoleon. He looked at me and I called his name again and he strolled over to me. I tried to get my cat to follow me, but he stopped after a few steps. So I picked him up and walked. That didn't last long. This is a cat after all. After I set him down and continued my walk, I called for him to follow me. Instead he just lied down in the middle of the road and stretched.
See, my path of following the pavement around the block made no sense to Napoleon the cat. He can just walk through peoples yards and no one seems to care. He walks a different path. Just like I walked a different path today. And those paths were different from each other, but the most appropriate for each of us.
So what are the lessons? Different creatures and people see can see life very differently. Some of see what looks like the best (or only)way to go, while others see the same situation very differently. And that is okay. Are you stuck? try a different path. Find out what someone else would do. Remember the destination you want to arrive at is sometimes more important than the path you take to get there. And each path has it's own unique perspectives. Judge Less. Take a path or create your own, like Napoleon, the cat.
It began when I woke up, dressed and saw my wife secluded in the other room studying. It looked so nice outside, so off I went. Now Kathy and I will go for a walk and quite frankly it can be a real pain. Too long, too much of this or that. I know I shouldn't complain but sometimes I feel like that.
Today was different. I started the opposite direction and began praying as I walked. There are always lots of things occurring in our lives. But today I began by praying for the people in the houses I passed, then the people in my life, the events that are coming up. Then the end of the block. It was time to decide which way to go.
I decided to go the opposite way that we usually go. I continued my conversation with God as I walked and then saw someone familiar. Someone furry. I thought it was him so I called out his name. Napoleon. He looked at me and I called his name again and he strolled over to me. I tried to get my cat to follow me, but he stopped after a few steps. So I picked him up and walked. That didn't last long. This is a cat after all. After I set him down and continued my walk, I called for him to follow me. Instead he just lied down in the middle of the road and stretched.
See, my path of following the pavement around the block made no sense to Napoleon the cat. He can just walk through peoples yards and no one seems to care. He walks a different path. Just like I walked a different path today. And those paths were different from each other, but the most appropriate for each of us.
So what are the lessons? Different creatures and people see can see life very differently. Some of see what looks like the best (or only)way to go, while others see the same situation very differently. And that is okay. Are you stuck? try a different path. Find out what someone else would do. Remember the destination you want to arrive at is sometimes more important than the path you take to get there. And each path has it's own unique perspectives. Judge Less. Take a path or create your own, like Napoleon, the cat.
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