Category: Family

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 …

I remember how happy my father-in-law, Lou, was when David was born.  He had a houseful of females and was over the moon when his grandson was born.  He wasn’t the jump up in the air kind of guy, but he and Ruth’s mom stopped into our Kalamazoo home every weekend after David was born.  …

The last conversation I had with Ruth concluded around 11:00 am the morning of September 27, 2022.  We agreed upon a plan to visit our California kids the weekend prior to Kate’s birthday.  I overheard her speaking to Michael one evening and Elizabeth, a day or so later, about the trip.  She told Mike we’d …

I ran across this online the other day.  While it doesn’t sum up my thoughts about family, it’s how some families operate. “There’s an old proverb that says you can’t choose your family. You take what fate hands you. And like them or not, love them or not, understand them or not, you cope. Then …

Thanksgiving weekend, Michael, Sutton and I golfed at a course we’ve played dozens of times on our trips to the Coachella Valley.  Each time we played there was a “starter” named Bob to welcome us and send us out on the course.  We first played the course about fifteen years ago.  Bob has worked there …

Note:  I began this blog prior to Ruth’s passing.  I’m finishing up a thought that began with the September 21, 25 and 28 blogs.  The September 28th blog was ready for posting, so I sent it out after Ruth died. Mom was about ninety years old when I organized her postcards for her.  I put …

Ruth and my first look at death as a married couple took place on April 30, 1979.  I got a call at work in Addison from Ruth’s Aunt Casey.  She told me Ruth’s dad, Lou, had a heart attack.  Lou was sixty-five.  Ruth and I were thirty-two. David was four, Elizabeth two, and Michael nine …

The day Ruth died was like any other day we shared.  She was up earlier than me, so she ate early, and I ate late.  We spoke like we did thousands of other retired mornings.  If I wasn’t out golfing early, we talked, played a game of Euchre, and reviewed our individual days.  Golf was …

There’s no easy way to start this next series of blogs.  I’ve struggled with the words, but none seem to work.  Ruth was involved in a car accident last Tuesday evening and she died.  This is the first time I’ve used the word.  It’s too final. If you’ve read her obituary, you may think I …