HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Tyler turns 15 today. I think that's pretty amazing, turning 15. The transition between 14 year old boy to 15 year old young man has been astonishing to watch and yet, at times, frustrating to experience. Many times, frustrating, yes...MANY times. But now, I see him stepping over into the man he is working so hard to become and I find it absolutely amazing to watch. So hard because
I imagine traveling though the teenage years is difficult, challenging, overwhelming, frightening, and so incredibly joyous that a 15 year old doesn't possess the capacity to process it all. I imagine, because I can't really remember. I remember odds and ends, bits and pieces, but nothing too impacting to remain in the forefront of my brain. I'm sure there were several character building events that now help to make up who I am, but real live purposeful choices are absent. Perhaps that's age. Perhaps that's me still processing. That's one of the reasons watching Tyler's journey is amazing to me. Watching his discoveries. The personal philosophies he's developing, his faith in himself and those around him. The dreams becoming more in focus and hopefully not fading with the realization that hard work might be involved. The pain in his face when he realizes that the world is not one big amusement park and the laughter in his voice when he let's it all go just to have a good time. His friends are talking about Skin Heads and drugs, music and girls, sports and movies. Sometime politics, not too much yet, but they dabble. Teachers are either icons or idiots and technology is the end all be all in any way shape or form. And with all this talk, and with all this texting, and I mean "ALL" this texting, to see him discovering himself and to watch the foundation that is being formed beneath....is, well I have to say...
....I'm pretty proud! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER! :) (your mom)

Grandpa's Wisdom

A man once said, "Home, in one form or another, is the great object of life". There is wisdom in that. As we grow into adulthood we "leave the nest", as it were, to find our niche in the world. But, never in our quest for the freedom and independence that we seek do we intend to leave "home". Indeed, we move from one home, that one in which we grew up, which developed and nurtured our character, which taught us about who we are, and provided love and comfort; to start another home of our own. The desire to become free and independent did not remove from us, nor alter our pursuit of the "great object of life", to have a place to settle into a place we could call our own. This quest for "Home" is not to leave behind, nor to abandon that from which we came. We still have a tether to that place, its memories, its traditions, indeed the very people within that home, that shared and taught important things to us. Rather our goal, the object of our pursuit, is to replicate all the good that inhabited that place, and to build upon that good with our own ideas and standards. We take the traditions, teachings and comforts of the past habitation and blend them into our own recipe for "home". In doing so, we forsake that which was unpleasant for us there, or what we did not agree with there, or which did not suit our fancy there, and generate our own imprint, our own definition of place, of "home". It then becomes "our home". It becomes the place where the identity of our character and our traditions are there for others to see, where they flourish. This imprint includes more than just the "things" we bring into the new home. The things make a contribution to what we are creating, to be sure. Things, too, are a part of the definition of who we are. We might be eclectic or specifically defined in our choice of decor. These are the elements of what contributes to a house being a home. But that to which I refer is measured by the intangibles. The comfort created. The charm. The personal identity that says to every visitor, "This is where I live". These elements are what really make a house a home. These elements not only define the home, they define you. Every visitor will come to know you by what they experience in your home. Will what you create be an invitation for someone to want to return again and again? Or, will their first impression be their last impression? We do not think much of our home as we abide there from day to day. But when we strike out to create a home we begin to put ourselves into it, to reveal ourselves to the creation, and to those who will soon visit. We and the home we create will be the invitation, the event, the tradition and the memory.

Grandson Justin has recently embarked on this journey. May he reach back into the recesses of his past home experiences to pull the best of them as he unleashes his creativity into the development of his first, very own dream home. I know we'll know Justin when we visit his home.

Grandpa's Wisdom

Well, I guess nobody but one cares about what my teacher thought was the hardest thing about driving. To that one inquiring mind, this is it: She could not see over the hood of the car from the drivers seat; she was too short, but not real short. So, for the one person who was interested enough to respond, I want all to know that that person is now the only person listed in my will as an heir. Both of my assets will be given to that person upon my death. Now I suppose all of you will try to come forth and claim that you are the one respondent. Well don't you try it, cause I had a secret identifier installed on the blog so only I would know the exact name of those who respond.

Next item: The thing I am pointing to in the photo at the right is

Crafty Bandits

Ok, so someone just told me a story about a woman who was recently arrested for selling stolen scrap-booking materials out of her living room. Apparently she was all the talk amongst the circles, scrap-booking that is, and everyone that was anyone knew that she had obviously stolen the goods, but the deals were so good that they all just continued to go diligently hush hush to her house to make their purchases. Hmmmmm, I mean, seriously, isn't aiding and abetting a crime, and with all those scrapbooks chock-full of evidence why weren't they all carted away to the pokey? However, on the other hand, can you blame her, or them, that stuffs expensive! Maybe she just wanted to "stick it to the man." One has to wonder; is the economy so bad that it's forcing scrap-booker's across the country into underground crime rings? After all, isn't that one of our basic rights; The Right to Bear Arms & The Right to Scrap-book. Perhaps the candidates will catch wind of it all and decide the issue needs to be added to their platforms. Hillary can demand lower prices and Obama change. Then Hillary can argue that she said "change" first and Obama can say; "ok, then lower prices." Then Hillary will say; "No wait, I said lower prices first." Obama can switch back saying; "change is inevitable", and so on and so forth until McCain, whose just waiting, can slingshot himself to the podium...who knows what he'll say, I haven't heard very much, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Maybe the ladies will take it upon themselves to hire Chuck Norris as their celebrity spokesperson. Ridding the country of all overpriced scrap-booking goods with a wave of his fist and a firm handshake. I hear he's looking for another gig and not to mention the fact that he may just inspire young men across the country, ages 18-22, to pick up the art of scrapbooking, creating a nationwide frenzy...but no, wait, then prices will surely skyrocket. But who cares, songs will be written and television shows produced. maybe even an action figure or two. Disney might even grab ahold of it all and produce an animated series. And don't worry about those ladies, the one's who started it all, they'll get their cut, someday...Maybe Maury Povich or Celebrity Fit Club...and we all know that Deal or No Deal ain't goin anywhere!