Category: Family

Brady plans to go to Grand Rapids Community College next fall.  He was recruited to play on the basketball team with a promise that the coach would help get him to the “next level”.  We’ve discussed potential career paths, but right now he, like thousands of other graduates across the country, isn’t committed to one.  …

Brady graduates tomorrow.  It’s going to be a bittersweet day.  I’m happy for him, but I know I’ll be emotional because Ruth won’t be sitting next to me. She loved her three grandchildren with her whole heart. If she was here, she might be tempted to let out one of her classic WHOOOOP, WHOOOOP cheers.  …

Elizabeth was about eighteen months old when she took her first solo road trip.  We’d been to visit my mom and dad to show off our two-month-old addition, Michael.  My Uncle Harry and Aunt Phyllis dropped by and, as they were leaving, asked Elizabeth if she wanted to go home with them.  She did.  That …

When David played basketball in both high school and college, he talked trash.  Brady has a bit of the same gene in his system, but nothing like David.  The Bad Boy Pistons were a great team during David’s high school years.  I suggested he follow Joe Dumars’ example. Dumars spoke little and let his game …

If you’re a long-time blog reader, or one of our many friends, you know that Ruth and I eloped.   Once we were married, our parents planned after the fact receptions.  The Van Bruggens held a low-key cake and coffee gathering in their home in Plainwell, and my parents through an all-out Detroit style bash.  There …

Tomorrow is young Jackson James’s second birthday.  It’s also the sixth month mark of Ruth’s accident.  The twenty-seventh of the month took on new meaning when she died.  When children are born, we document their birth in terms of months.  He’s six months old, not a half year.  That’s how I think of Ruth.  She’s …

I’d prefer this was a Save the Date for a wedding or a shower, but I have neither on my social calendar. This is rather, a save the date announcement for Ruth’s Michigan Celebration of Life. The kids and I held a similar celebration in Florida this past December. It went well and served as …

The best part of the covid pandemic for Ruth and me was the ability to livestream Brady’s basketball games. We started watching the moment they became available. We had to pay for some but were able to watch most via YouTube. I was happy to pony up a few dollars to watch the history of …

My senior year grandson, Brady, graduates in a couple of months.  I’m looking forward to watching him walk across the stage to receive his diploma and know Ruth will be with us in spirit.  She and Brady have always had a special bond, and she was looking forward to sharing his senior year highlights with …

The first time I saw my father cry was December of 1955.  Our family had been out Christmas shopping and visiting Santa Claus. We’d just walked in the door when Dad headed to the hallway.  I didn’t hear the phone ring, but Dad came back through the living room after a short phone conversation and …