First I Was A Son
Two years ago this morning, my Dad passed away. To me, the date April 14th has now been redefined forever. As this date neared, and ultimately arrived, I have had many folks share their warm…
Two years ago this morning, my Dad passed away. To me, the date April 14th has now been redefined forever. As this date neared, and ultimately arrived, I have had many folks share their warm…
When I walk into those rooms, I know that there is someone, or maybe many someones, who are dealing with perhaps the toughest times of their entire life in those moments. This is where I pray a little more, I ask for the right words, along with extra love and compassion.
Some days go by and my thoughts race and erase with the pace of fleeting time. Then there are days like today when I see things that are no longer in front of my eyes.
The other day, I went outside seeking a connection to the those now gone.
Specifically, I was looking for the one we loved, the one we call, John.
We are so busy in our lives. There’s time, but too rare is it that time, we make. Mostly, it is the allowances that we welcome, our time it does take. So, slow down, take ten minutes or so, and go where this takes you. It’s safe I assure you, and visit as often as you would like to.
Yesterday my oldest son turned 24 years old. I was 24 years old when he was born. So, it got me thinking about how long ago that was, and just how much has happened in…
Tomorrow is Father’s Day and I wanted to get this off of my mind before the actual day. Over the last couple of weeks this thought has been creeping into my psyche a little more often every day. Until these last few days, when it has downright bugged me, bothered me, and otherwise haunted me. I asked my wife yesterday, “What am I supposed to do on Father’s Day, with no father, for the first time in my life?”
I suppose I still don’t know the answer. But I know that I miss my Dad an awful lot.

Dad, can we gather round the table one more time and just let loose?
Oh, weβd laugh til tears, you, my siblings, Mom, this boy you called moose.
I look at the hoop and wonder if Iβll ever see that arch ever again.
Dad, you were one the best lefty shooters there has ever been.
You werenβt well, but I never thought this day would come so soon.
Dimly, I thought that maybe when the day came, Iβd be somehow immune.
Dad’s presence was felt, his impact impossible to miss. I don’t think he was looking down from heaven at us, because I am hoping he had better things to do, like lose himself in his mother’s waiting arms, or to look his Dad in the eye and hear the words, “Well done son”. Maybe he was off creating comedy from nothing with his twin sister June. Perhaps he was walking the streets of gold and getting to know his brother Roger, who passed away as a baby, before any of the other siblings.
See, me, and my generation, we hope to be measured one day in the same breath as the great people of the generation before us. In that generation the simplicity of life lived was the stunning portrayal choreographed by the depth found in the intricacies of magnificent minds with the perceived time to approach extraordinary. I am just a man, my Dad was a great man, a great man of God. His new place in heaven ensures what should always be, that Iβll look up to him. I do, and I will.
I know I’m not the first, nor the last, to have a parent in a nursing home. Still, it’s a first for me. Dad is in a nursing home. Since the surgical procedure to insert…
In short, my Dad is in a nursing home. There’s a litany of health reasons why he is where he is. I share this because it has been tearing me up. Tears stream down my…
I stand in darkness, nearly in complete silence. The night air encircles my body and it’s comfortably warm, the same, safe, and it’s just right. My face is turned to the clear sky and I…
This morning Theodore walked up to me and said, “I be sick and tired. I just want to take a nap.” Then he laid down on the cold hardwood floor, just for a moment though.…
Theodore and Jacqueline (29 months) are ready to take a ride with dad. They were excited to go, and possibly more excited to have their pictures taken. We were just headed out to run a…
Dad, I know you can do it. You may doubt yourself or maybe even wonder if the effort is worth the trouble. I am not sure if my opinion counts or not, but I think…