I Hope It's Rest...

I wrote this awhile ago thinking...praying...I would never have to come back here again. Well, here I am. The first trip to this nightmare was with a young man named Gus. Now, once again, it’s the same nightmare, but with a new name. He was another one of my son's friends from high school...and we laid him to rest today. At least...I hope it’s rest. And I pray he’s at peace...finally. This young man who will never see this world through an old man’s eyes. This young man who will never find the love of his life. This young man who will never hear his child call him Daddy. This good young man who, unfortunately, made some very bad decisions. We laid him to rest today. A lifetime too soon. Children are supposed to bury their parents. Parents are not supposed to bury their children. We laid him to rest today. For all of you who have been to this dark place, I can only pray you find some comfort in the arms of the angels. At moments like this, I know that God himself is weeping with us. We laid him to rest today. At least...I hope it’s rest. And I pray he’s at peace...finally. Know that you were once very much loved Ben. We’ll miss you.

Halloween Wind

It’s a Halloween wind that blows tonight. Can you feel it? Warm and sweet, but with just the slightest touch of frost around the edges. It’s the kind of wind that gently rattles drying leaves on soon to be skeleton trees. It’s the kind of wind that lifts outbound geese in chevron flight and drives the clouds low across a fiery sunset sky. It’s a Halloween wind that blows tonight. It’s the kind of wind that makes the evening shadows dance and the critters nervous. It’s a wind that whispers that a change is coming. Get ready. It’s a wind that whirls the mist around a gnarly old oak as easily as it does a faded memory around a lonely heart. It’s a Halloween wind that blows tonight. Soon the witching season will be here and restless spirits will once again take flight under the ghostly cast of a harvest moon. It’s a Halloween wind that blows tonight. Can you feel it?

Passing The Wallpaper Love Test

It's our anniversary. I guess we passed. From awhile ago----If you’re at all curious about the strength of your marriage, ask yourself this one simple question. Can you wallpaper together? I’m convinced this may be the truest test of true love. Especially, if you live in an older home. You know, before they invented straight walls and right angled corners. The first step in the Wallpaper Love Test is...can you agree on a pattern? Preliminary skirmishes may give you a good idea if The Wallpaper Wars are about to break out. If agreement can be reached, the actual hanging of the stuff...they picked a good word didn’t they...hanging...will bring out the best or the worst. Can you line up those itty bitty blue flowers...the pattern you thought you agreed on, but he secretly thinks is way too girly...without wishing medieval torture on each other’s families? Can you balance on the top of a ladder, holding a piece in place, while your wife takes a call from her Mother or your husband checks on the score of the game without your complete, unabridged collection of profanity escaping from your clenched lips? Well...can you? If you can wallpaper together, there is not much that can put your marriage asunder. However, if you can’t, it doesn’t necessarily mean your marriage is in trouble. It just means that, for the sake of the kids of course, paint is a much healthier decorating choice.

Once Upon A Time It Was...

Once upon a time it was a spaceship. Once upon a time it was a stagecoach…and a jet plane and a pirate ship and a circus train…a riverboat, an army tank, a submarine and a covered wagon. It took astronauts and cowboys and pirates and soldiers and sailors and test pilots on amazing adventures to the moon and Mars, the Oregon Trail, the deep, dark jungles of Africa and over, on and below almost all of the seven seas. It made daring rescues, heroic flights, dangerous voyages and narrow escapes. Once upon a time…a long time ago. Today it’s what’s left of an old wooden swing set out behind a long ago abandoned house. It’s weary and broken, the forgotten victim of a few too many hard winters and a severe shortage of childhood imaginations. Once upon a time though…it was a spaceship.

A Wish...A Promise

The other day I was watching my three year old grandson Brady while Mom and little brother Brennan went to the store. After mandatory baseball, I’m Verlander and he’s Prince Fielder, we were taking a break on the front porch. After sitting there for a few minutes the little Prince got up and announced, “I’ll be right back Gwampa”. As he turned to head into the house he hesitated for a second, put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Don’t let anything happen to you OK”. “OK Brady”, I said. “I’ll do my best, but come back soon. I need you”. “Don’t let anything happen to you OK”. That was his wish for me. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” That is my promise to him. It should be a promise made from all of us to him. It should be a promise made from all of us to all our children. I know it’s a promise we can only hope to keep, but we can do our best to…hope to keep it. Imagine what Spaceship Earth might be like if we all made that promise to each other. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” I know…we’ll never know. There is one thing I do know though. A little Prince has my back. “I’ll be right back Gwampa…Don’t let anything happen to you OK."

Starting To Bug Me

This summer our kitchen has had an invasion of ants. I don't know if it's the drought that has them coming in for the water or maybe we've just got the best ant goodies on the block. They're really starting to bug me though...if you know what I mean. They also reminded me of a post I wrote awhile back.----Bugs...Hmmm. They come in all shapes and sizes. You’ve got your hard ones and squishy ones...big ones and little ones...your crawlie ones, flying ones, hopping ones and some that do all of the aforementioned activities. Some bite, some sting and some just buzz around your ears at night while you slap yourself silly trying to send them to bug heaven. Wouldn’t it be interesting to sit down over a cup of coffee with the Big Guy himself and ask...”So, just what did you have in mind here with the Bug thing?” Maybe He just had a bunch of leftover spare parts and nothing to do one afternoon. Or maybe He just couldn’t pass up a great buy on legs and antennas at heaven’s dollar discount warehouse. Or maybe He looked down and thought...”You people really bug me sometimes...Hmmm...Bug...now there’s an idea”. I'm guessing we’ll just never know the reason for our...Bugs. So, maybe we should just live and let live. On the other hand...s’cuse me while I whack that skeeter.

Almost...maybe...

The road never taken…The door never opened…The hill never climbed. The path never followed…The call never answered…The corner never turned. The words I was just about to say. The things I was just about to do. The chances I was just about to take. Maybe I should have…Maybe I could have. What if…If only. It was too hot to…It was too cold to…I was too tired to...I didn’t have time to. I’ll get to it…First thing tomorrow…When I get the chance...If I get the chance. Someday…Almost…Maybe…Damn. I’ll never know.