anticipating New Years.. already...

Grampy's Wisdom: Blessings

It scares me a bit, because he has started sharing stories and memories like this one all the time. It is as if he is reflecting on his entire past life and wrapping it up, which makes me incredibly sad. He is the wisest and, in addition to my dad, the best man I know. He  possesses the strongest morals and character and is a wonderful example of true manhood. Even with my Grandma's staunch faith, he has never felt the draw to Catholicism. It is a conundrum to me. I suppose it will be explained in heaven.

Anywho, I just wanted to share  some of Grampy's reflections on life. He calls it fun, but read joy and blessings in his words. Love you!

"In the dentist chair for two hours the other day I decided to review fun things in my life. By definition happy times would mean carefree.

As a young child on Richard Avenue life was full of fun things in the neighborhood. We had rubber gun wars with the next-door neighbors. We had secret clubhouses in the corner of our yard.

Lots of activities outside that included sleeping outside on cots and sleeping out on top of a pagola.We had a couple of old garage doors ,put cushions to sleep on.We were probably 8 feet off the ground and away from the bugs

A lot of action with the neighborhood kids ,my brother ,my brothers friends et cetera. From the beginning of summer to September we were mostly barefoot and out running around ;lots of freedom.

As I grew up most of my happiest times were around the water or in the mountains.

Of course i had  fun in New Jersey where I met Mary. later years we went to Cape Cod ,Long Island sound , lake Quassapaug ;.some bluefish trips on Long Island sound and Cape Cod. Always the ocean and lakes seem to appeal to my free ,fun self.

The mountains were also a big plus for me. Our first ski trip in Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh was a blast.Our Jones &laughlin trainees coming down the mountain with no  lessons  or  training. Later my honeymoon with Mary in New York State sking and the bobsled run. Southington Mountain in Connecticut was a great training ground for the entire family. Then we would go to Vermont for a long weekend to the large mountain skiing. Lots of excitement with the ice patches in Vermont.

Later Colorado and New Mexico were great skiing trips with the boys. Later Mary and I took several trips to mountains both in the United States and in Canada.

In the mountains I always felt close to God

Another fun time for me  was various church events and retreats at unity Village Missouri and one retreat to Wisconsin ,when I was in Chicago. Again most of these help me feel close to God and to my spiritual self.

In looking back of my life there's been a lot of fun times.  Most of the not so good times are pretty much faded away from my memory.

Of course the happiest time that was not carefree was my family life. The joy and excitement of being a newly married husband to Mary was wonderful. We had fun times with friends and family in  New York. Playland free passes ,free theater tickets ,were a treat as well as vacations to Davis Park Long Island New York. Trips into New York City Was great. The joy of our first three children. Our first house on Bayberry Road. The people we knew in Cheshire were great. The birth of our daughter was a blessed event.

Obviously the people part of my life has been the most important and fulfilling. Especially the grandchildren

The grandchildren were fun to be with and let somebody else  be responsible for the discipline et cetera. I believe God gave us grandchildren for a reward for some of the other years that we're not always so much fun.

The above things were going through my mind while the Doctor  was having her fun on my root canal. " 

Bob Marley was right.

If you would be loved, love and be lovable.
--Benjamin Franklin

We all desire to be loved. Our common human characteristic is our need to count in someone else's life. At least one other person needs us, we tell ourselves, when we feel least able to accept life's demands. How alike we all are. The paradox is that our own need for love is lessened when we bestow it on others. Give it away and it returns. A promise, one we can trust.

The reality about love and its path from sender to receiver and back again is often distant from our minds. More often we stew and become obsessed with the lack of love's evidence in our lives. Why isn't he smiling? Why didn't she care? Has someone more interesting taken our place? Choosing to offer love, rather than to look for it, will influence every experience we have. Life will feel gentler, and the rewards will be many and far reaching.

Loving others promises me the love I desire. But I can't expect it if I don't give it first.

breaking free a bit

I spent a week in Chicago learning about economics, journalism, and a free society. Met policy analysts from DC think tanks, and journalists who both love and hate the city. One writes about religion and being a mother, and another writes about the militarization of the police force and all the unethical "isolated incidents" that somehow turn into them getting praised for their bravery when they should have been fired. 

6-7 hours of lectures each day was like drinking water out of a fire hose. But the most stimulating week of the year! Each night was topped off with a lovely open bar (where i was forced to learn to love beer, yes, I love a couple varieties of beer now) which made for very stimulating conversations, and the hilarious comedians finally came out of their shells too.   

Met a guy who strongly resembles Jonathan Rhys Meyers, is atheist, and has a mind for centuries. Its funny the things that make you feel like family. I always assumed this ensued with individuals who share my faith in the Catholic Church, which is true. But something else does it. The desire for truth. Even if they are at another point in their path, the fiery desire to get to the essence of justice and proper order as individuals and as a society, is totally unifying. I miss them all already. Justin and I made a trip to the beach and laid out one day. We spent three hours in the art museum and saw just about any artist you can name, and multiple pieces by each. I wish i took more pictures.

A small group of us, mostly the people who put on the seminar, went on a river boat cruise narrated by a fellow who knows the ins and outs of the architectural sights along the way. Beautiful. We stumbled off the boat bedazzled on wine, and let Radley (who writes for the Huff post) do what he does best - investigate. But this time for the prime dinner destination. Victory. We landed at the Purple Pig. I was reborn. Pork shoulder, pig tail, and bone marrow. I think i had a serious animal deficit in my diet, because it knocked me off my chair. 

I got back to Seattle and immediately packed up my stuff and moved into a room about 45 minutes north of where I was (and 10 minutes to work), into a friend's home on Mercer Island. I am subletting a room there until I find out where I want to live. I felt like Chicago put that intrepid nature (as Meags calls it :)) back in me and I couldn't take another moment in my parent's home. Something too comfortable about it. The family dynamics and the all too familiar "dont take risks" worldview they live under is anesthetizing.  The house I moved into is not comfortable enough for me to want to stay, so the fire is under my ass a-blazing. 

And I almost didn't even go to Chicago.

Happy Wednesday :)

It gets good about a minute in.... gosh I love 4 day work weeks!!

http://soundcloud.com/deejaysoundpower/shakira-feat-lil-wayne-timbaland-give-it-up-to-me-dj-sound-power-remix

Awakening the senses!

I woke up this morning with an indescribable desire to book a one way ticket to Spain or France. This was influenced by a plethora of things: my friend just landed in France where she starts her aupair summer job North of Paris (Mary Ellen - you met her) ; Sean's wife Anna is from Spain, and she is one of the happiest/festive people I have ever met (Joy keeps you young. She is a mum of 4 and looks 19), Sean and Anna are traveling Europe for their ten year anniversary and their pics showed up on my feed this morning; and perhaps the still yet to be scheduled trip to South Florida, where everyone is tan and socializes like its their profession. So I put on brighter colors than normal today and have been listening to Ottmar Liebert all day in the office, and happy to acknowledge that there is nothing restraining me from actually giving either posh destination a visit. While I see many friends getting hitched behind their white picket fences (which, mind you, I cant wait for), I am grateful that I have an insatiable curiosity to experience the colorful, disarmingly beautiful cites and sounds available to me the moment I decide to get out of my own way - i don't plan on waiting for my ten year wedding anniversary.

Spain

 

Monaco, France