The Kids

As I heard myself say, “When are the kids coming over?” I suddenly had a very strange thought. The kids…are all in their thirties. The kids…have kids. The kids finished college years ago. Two of the kids have Master’s degrees. The kids have traveled the world. They own their own homes…and I still call them the kids. "They’re not the kids any more are they?" my brain asked. Well…it was my heart that answered…"Yes they are"…they’re MY kids. And always will be. My oldest is a father now with two beautiful little girl kids of his own. But I can still remember the blond haired, blue eyed little boy who used to hold my hand and kiss me good night. He’s still my kid. My youngest son has a Master’s degree and lives in Chicago now. But once, at a three year old’s birthday party at Chucky Cheese, said costumed rodent scared the bejesus out of said three year old. I can still see the pizza and pop scattering in every direction as he scrambled across the table to get to the safety of Daddy’s arms. I’m still the Daddy. He’s still my kid. And my youngest kid…my daughter…a Mom to two little boys of her own. A teacher and a holder of a Master’s degree in Education. But there are times when I can still see the same little angel who used to fall asleep on my shoulder in that old rocking chair. She’s still my angel. She’s still my kid. So yeah…for as many years as I have left I guess I’ll always be asking, “When are the kids coming over?” because they’ll always be…my kids.

Life's Unanswered Questions

Oh...life’s unanswered questions. Those great wonderings we’re constantly having...knowing full well we'll never get real answers for the whys or wherefores. A lot of mine I’ve realized get asked as I’m driving. How about you? I’m always asking, “What’s your hurry...idiot?!” and “Do you always drive like a moron or is this a new thing for you?!” and I don’t know how many times I’ve asked, “Did you know they recently invented a device called a turn signal?!” But I get no answers. I also seem to ask a lot of them while I’m watching sports on TV. Perhaps you too have asked...”What the heck was he thinking?!”, “Are we watching the same game here?!” or “Are you kidding me?!” Life’s unanswered questions. Frustrating. And life seems to be full of them. “Who left the lights on in the basement?” Nothing. “Who took the last cup of coffee and didn’t refill the pot?” No response. “Which one of you has the muddy feet?” Silence. We ask...but we don’t receive. Life is full of unanswered questions. Just once, wouldn’t you like to know...”What’s the deal with that one shoe in the middle of the road?”

Bugs

Bugs...Hmmm...Now that the weather is breaking they’re everywhere aren’t they? Bugs...They come in all shapes and sizes. You’ve got your hard ones and soft 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”. Or maybe...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.

Backyard Observations

Now that the winter seems to be behind us, activity around the backyard has picked up quite a bit. So, here are some backyard observations I’ve made that I’d like to share. I have observed that birds are really good landers. No kidding. Now, I know they’re supposed to be…being professional birds and all, but these guys are really good. Take a wee, small tree branch in a gusty wind...no problem. They’ll nail it 99.9% of the time. Very impressive. I also observed that squirrels can’t remember crap. This one guy took the time to bury all those acorns in the fall…takes a winter nap…and now there he sits in the middle of the back yard…head in paws…can’t remember where he buried a damn one. Like I said, squirrels can’t remember crap. And geese have no sense of balance. I don’t know how many uneven formations of geese in flight I’ve observed. Unbalanced flying chevrons with four geese on the right and only two on the left….six geese on the left and only three on the right. You’d think some goose would notice and give a heads up…”Hey Larry, you’re on the wrong side bud!” But they just keep on flying…unbalanced…like they just don’t care. Overall I've observed that observing is pretty cool. If you keep your eyes open…you see stuff.

Stuff In My Head

With apologies to my younger readers, but can you really…fool Mother Nature? And do you think they really did want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony? Hmmm…I wonder. What if we really were in good hands and they really were like a good neighbor? This would be a better world wouldn’t it? Ahhh…and if only it always was good to the last drop and did build strong bodies twelve ways…life would be so much sweeter. When the rubber meets the road though, you really do expect more from a leader…don’t you? And just a couple of questions for you to ponder if I may be so bold. Should we really…leave the driving to them? And not to cause any problems, but doesn’t a deer…run like a Deere? And there has to be at least a couple of things around here that say lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven. In the end though, when you care enough to send the very best…it’s always mmm…mmm…good. And remember, as we cross the friendly skies asking “Where’s the beef?”…parts is parts.

Things I Saw Today

This morning, I saw a rising sun turn morning dew into dancing diamonds on a freshly mown lawn. Then…I let Jack the dog in and saw…as he dashed across the living room floor…feet soaked from those dancing diamonds splattering grass clippings from that freshly mown lawn everywhere. Interesting how the very same elements…looked at in slightly different circumstances…can create two very different pictures. The romance can be so fleeting once the splattering begins. So, moving on, it was while I was driving to the studio that I saw the sign out in front of one of the local churches. It read, “I need Thee every hour”. I thought that sounded a little selfish though. I’m sure there must be others out there who might need “Thee” every once in awhile too. And here you’re trying to hog almost all of “Thee’s” time. Driving back home I saw that possum again. Still playing…”possum”. He’s getting really good at it. He hasn’t moved in over a week. Stopping at the traffic light by the cemetery, I saw an old man sitting on the ground with his hand resting on a tombstone. A weekly conversation I imagine. And when I got back home, in the backyard I saw a chubby, little, red breasted Robin…bob, bob, bobbing along…with about a foot and a half of toilet paper in its beak. I don’t even want to know where that might have come from…but that’s what I saw today.

Smile Because it Happened

I read a wonderful quote the other day. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Now, I don’t know who said it, but whoever you are...thank you. The more I thought about it, the more it did...make me smile. I remember the tears from a broken heart long ago. Sure, I cried because it was over, but thinking about it, would my life be as full if I’d never experienced the wonders of that love? I don’t think so. Should I give up the memories of sharing and caring... laughing and loving...just to avoid the tears of their endings? I think I’d be a much poorer man if I did. I remember well the pain of my Father’s death. I don’t know when I’ve cried more. But when I got past the tears, I don’t know when I’ve smiled more. I shared 46 years with the greatest man I’ve ever known. The joy of his life far outweighs the pain of his death. Tears come when something beautiful ends...but wasn’t it beautiful? “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”