Ordinary Life

Ain't gonna hurt nobody to play a friendly round of Bopping Bee  “Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.”  ―  Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr

Sometimes, the best stories are sitting just beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered.  Look under your chair, there's a smile and the Holy Grail.  A lady sings to you from the lake  and life has all the luck you're willing to take. 

Basketball brings brothers together (and sisters!) 

I discovered this in some old phone files.  It is golden and you are a good big brother. 

Is it weird? Yeah, probably.  Is it sincere? Absolutely.  Riley picked your theme. I told her you would probably think that Kion was Simba because you grew up with The Original. She thinks that's a great thing for you two to bond over.  Lion King.  Wishing we could celebrate you in person.  Maybe someday soon.  Happiest of Birthdays and Happy, Happy New Year

I recently received a message from you to stop tagging you in social media posts. I found it uncharacteristic for whom I’ve always known you to be and even now reserve the possibility someone found a way to spoof me. (Your dad used to have a subscription and get a great kick from the SpoofCard) But I must also proceed as if that was 100% you.  I replied to that message that I was just trying to always leave a light burning, that my goal wasn’t to force you back into contact with your dad before you are ready but to always know that door stands open. I am saying that because he isn’t good at saying that. He isn’t good at saying nice things as a general rule. I am sharing this with you because I hope you’ll understand that there isn’t this First Family / Second Family divide as tends to be imagined. You aren’t the only child who ever waited on your dad to be like a dad to you. Those tears described in Chandler’s eyes aren’t there because this was the first time his heart bore a dad-s...

HALLOWEEN 1997 That costume? It's yellow, but it was also gold. We searched for that thing all over town. And if you look closely, you may notice that clean line cut across the bottom? It's like that because we couldn't find a Yellow Ranger costume in your size. We bought one a size or two up and trimmed it down. I have no idea who the Blue Ranger is- a neighbor friend from your MeMe & PaPa's neighborhood I think. Papa took you Trick-or-Treating. He sure did love spending time with you, Ty. Your dad and I went on that first date we had planned  ( Villa Europa , Basketball @Shoe Carnival & Devil's Advocate ) but not before we watched your awesome ninja moves. You've been impressing me ever since.

NOTE: When I first wrote this out, I had also started Track 1.  This one was to be the intro, perhaps.   Or maybe that one.   I started writing this quite some time ago- there are several drafts. I'm revisiting them each.  There's some redundancy - forgive me. But life can be redundant, really. The story of who we are and who we become can hinge on moments that show up in all of our stories  * They say stories should start at the beginning... the trick is knowing how far back to reach.  Should one begin in Genesis and work through the naming of all the animals or just cut to the scene where the hero first appears?   Who are the heroes; the villains? Are any of the characters conflicted?  Wait- what if they're all conflicted? I hadn't planned on writing another War and Peace...but, come to think of it, maybe that's the only rational expectation.  .  War. Peace. A whole lot of AND in between.  Once upon a time... the very first...

You were only 3. You can be forgiven for not knowing the story. For seeing the title " Songs About Yellow "  and equating it with that favored Power Ranger from days gone by, and certainly we will get to that part of the story, but you painted my world yellow before that... quite literally.  Sometimes I wonder how the beginning goes in your book. I try to think back to when I was three, and none of my memories are concrete, but, I can often say that about yesterday, so perhaps I'm not the best example.  I guess I should start with what seems obvious...I think of you most often when I see yellow. Now, I realize there can be less than flattering connotations if a person is called 'yellow'... but I've seen your ninja skills-you're definitely not pansy yellow. That is not the kind we are talking about here.  The kind we are talking about is bright-sunshiny-happy-golden-yellow. I was going to entitle this blog something like Hello, Yellow Fellow but... that...

  I'm writing this for you. I'm writing this for me. You'll notice that you came first in the lineup. That has always been true. Well, mostly.  I'm not writing a defense nor justifying my presence... ...but I don't know, maybe in some ways I am trying to do just that. Still, that's not the driving factor. I write because I want to say some things while there is still time to say them. I want the things that can only come from me to have come from me while there still is a me for them to come from. I don't want untold stories tossing me into my grave, nor do I want others to put their best spin on what they think I meant with my life.  This isn't the first time I've made an attempt. Several imaginary copies lie crumpled on the floor of my mind. They span years and years. I need to talk about these things with you, truthfully and respectfully.  There have been a lot of half truths along our way, sometimes no truth at all.  I don't know what you kno...