Category: Family

I met my wife, Ruth, in the fall of 1969.  We were both first year teachers at Plainwell Junior High in Plainwell, Michigan.  I didn’t like her when we first met.  I thought that she was too brash for a first year teacher. There were five newbies at the junior high that year –  Ruth, …

My earliest memory of Christmas – beyond attending mass and opening Christmas presents – was traveling to Detroit in the late afternoon/early evening for Christmas with the Barner family.   While my aunts and uncles rotated the hosting of Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas was reserved for my grandparent’s house.   Thanksgiving was important because that was …

When your children are born your first concern is for their health.  Do they have all of their fingers and toes?  If the answer is yes, the celebration begins.   As your grandchildren are born, you take the same inventory. Eva is my granddaughter with the emphasis on grand.   She reminded me early on …

I have two grandchildren.   Both are healthy, bright, and fun to be around. I enjoy teaching them things and I have learned from them as well.  Here are a few stories (all true) about my grandson, Brady. When Brady was being “potty trained” he received a jellybean when he accomplished his mission successfully. One …

Ruth and I love being grandparents to our two grandchildren, Brady and Eva.  While we love them, and enjoy being with them, becoming grandparents was a challenge for both of us.  We really weren’t ready to become grandparents. The issue was not associated with life’s role of being grandparents, but rather with the thought that …

My cousin, Gene, is four years older than me.  He’s the oldest of twelve cousins.   I’m number two and his sister, Ruth Ann, falls third on the list.   His given name is Harry Eugene, but most of his friends call him Woody.   I believe his mom and dad called him Gene (followed …