Happy Birthday, Daddy

Today would be my father's 87th birthday.  At this point in my life, 87 doesn't sound nearly as old as it once did.  The sad thing is, my dad has been gone for 10 years and 77 years old  certainly doesn't sound as old as it once did.  I think of all the things that have happened in my life in the last ten years and wish so much that he and my mom were here to take part.  I like to think that they know all those things anyway.

My dad was what I call a"public professional".  He was in the public eye most of life.  As a child he worked as a child actor on a local radio program in San  Antonio.  As a teenager he was a news announcer and a disc jockey for several San Antonio radio stations.  He took a break to help the Army out during World War II returning to join the new media sensation known as television.  He remained a newscaster in San Antonio, with one short detour, until 1969 when he became a full time cartoonist -- a career he enjoyed until his death in 2000.  There are any number of detailed bios on him on the internet - just google Pat Boyette and you will find them.

My dad has been called a "renaissance man" -- much of his knowledge was self taught  -- he was an avid reader and had great interest in the world around him.  Whether you were talking to him about religion, politics, movie making, art, aliens, ghosts, Egypt etc, he had something to bring to the conversation.  I miss those conversations.

My dad was a man of compassion.  He would  never walk away from somebody in need and gave many times when the giving wasn't so easy.  He was one of the kindest people I have ever known.
 
 My dad wore a lot of hats, professionally, but to me he was just Daddy.  he was a good father, a great grandfather and he is missed on a daily basis.   So, happy birthday, Daddy -- I wish you were here.

Sleeping with Bread


After visiting the meme site I found yesterday (http://thedailymeme.com) I discovered another suggested site for a Monday meme.  This is a different sort of meme -- not just another question/answer list so to speak.

This meme is based on the Examen prayer.  The examen prayer follows the spiritual practice of St. Ignatius which involves examining the previous week and studying what brought you peace, strength, consolation and what brought you concern, weakness or desolation.  It is a very thought provoking practice and sets you to thinking about your impact on those and the world around you as well as their impact on you as well.

In the past week, I think the thing that has brought me the most consolation is something diametrically opposed to what brought me the most desolation.  I listen to the news a lot -- I listen to mainstream media as  well as alternative media.  It all, in various degrees, is awful.  It is all doom and gloom and, as best as I can tell from what is reported, there is absolutely nothing of any good left on this planet.  The people are bad, the politics are bad, everything you eat is bad for you, we are becoming more obese and less productive, people can't find jobs.....and it goes on and on until you feel like you are at the bottom of a well with no way out and it is  flooding.

And then...

I look into the face of my newborn granddaughter.  As she lays in my daughter's arms, devouring the food in the bottle, she is  gazing at her mother with all the unconditional love and trust that only a child can possess.  She is dependent on her mother for everything -- the food she eats, the clothes she wears and the love and nurturing that she needs to grow and thrive.

I am reminded of another Child, the Christ child, that gazed at His mother in the same fashion.  I am reminded that we are taught to come to the Father as little children, with faith and trust and that He will take care of us.

As I watch my daughter with her daughter I realize that there is still much goodness in the world.  There is hope and freshness and a brightness of future.  I look at this grandchild and see wisdom in her innocence and am again reminded that all we need is the faith, trust and belief of a little child.

Meme's

I like doing memes.  I like reading other people's memes. So, in a quest to find some new ones, I ran across a site called The Daily Meme (thedailymeme.com).  I ran across two, one I have done many times before, and the second is new to me so I thought I would participate in them tonight. 

The first  is called Unconscious Mutterings at http://subliminal.lunanina.com.  It is a word association game and can be quite hilarious, depending on your mood.  So, here is my unconscious mutterings for this week -- #391.

l.  inception -- beginning
2.  anticipation -- Christmas
3.  space -- travel, bags
4.  earn -- money
5.  .com -- the internet -- yay!
6.  hello!  -- goodbye!, The Beatles
7.  equivalent -- sugar to splenda
8. swore -- LANGUAGE! PLEASE!
9.  actions -- speak louder than words -- they really, really do
10.  expletive -- see #8 above


The second meme I looked at is called Word Beads at Catchwords (http://cfcl.com).  It is a writing meme and you have to use five predetermined words in a sentence.  So, here goes.

scheduable
pail
role
retract
lax

Because John was so lax in his role as pail carrier, we had to retract the offer because the plan was not scheduable.

So, there they are -- my memes for the day! 

Booking through Thursday


Do you ever listen to book related podcasts?  If so, why?

No, I don't.  It is simple -- I don't have an ipod.  Yes, I know they exist but I have never had much interest in having one.  I have thought about listening to books on tape in the car but I am afraid I would go to sleep or get distracted while driving and, besides, I am usually listening to alternative talk radio when I am in the car -- something to fuel the road rage.   I am afraid the most sophisticated I have gotten in the  electronic reading department is an e-reader which, to be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with which I am still trying to work out.  I mean, once you have named it, can you really just trade it in?

 

Friday Fill-ins #186


1.  I feel a bit helpless right now.

2.  I will never ever be able to catch up.  Frankly, I don't know if I want to because then what would I do?  It would be like reaching the end of the internet.

3.  Do not mess with Texas! Remember that catchphrase?

4.  I would like to create quilts that are completely unique.

5.  It is hard to know how much  is too much -- of almost anything.

6.  I don't think I know what to do with this on.  Follows suit -- hmmm...

7.  As as for my weekend, tonight I am looking forward to watching "Friday Night Lights" and watching hubby tear up the computer, tomorrow my plans include who knows what and Sunday I want to go to church and see our new little Bean.

Strange


On June 28 my daughter had her first child -- a girl.  The child looks so much like my daughter did as a newborn that we have joked that she  cloned herself.  However, it was such a strange feeling when I watched her rock this new life who looks like her -- it looked like she was rocking herself!  It was like a picture in a picture -- it was very strange.

Blogspot

I used to love Blogspot.  It was reasonably user friendly, it was simple, it was cozy.  I don't blog all that often but I really like it and would like to do it more often.  However, visiting my blog last week to post about my new granddaughter, I found that I couldn't post -- the new post window would never open.  Now I have to  publish a blank window, hit edit and then go in and actually write the post.  This can't be right -- whoever is in charge needs to fix it.  I have been searching all over for other blog sites but I haven't found anything I like as well.  I have a wordpress blog, a livejournal blog, a multiply blog, a typepad free blog, and I have been on weebly.  I prefer blogspot so I would like for somebody to fix it -- it is broken and needs it!

Ok, lets see if this is going to work! If it does, then I don't have to go elsewhere for a blog site!