Then my heart it grew ashen and sober As the leaves that were crisped and sere – As the leaves that were withering and sere; And I cried: “It was surely October On this very night of last year That I journeyed – I journeyed down here! – That I brought a dread burden down […]
Michael Vale (It’s Time To Make The Donuts)
Do you recall the short little man in the Dunkin Donuts commercials, the one who got up before dawn every morning to make the donuts? In a zombie-like state, he’d repeat over and over, “It’s time to make the donuts.” In one commercial, he runs into himself, only to hear, “I already made the donuts.” […]
Anchor Aweigh
Anchors Aweigh, my boys Anchors Aweigh –From the song of the United States Navy On Saturday, I visited my father at the nursing home. When he saw me, he called me Becky, and when I told him I wasn’t Becky, he called me Willinda, and when I told him I wasn’t Willinda he said, “C’mon, […]
Dealing With The Loss of My Father
A couple of weeks ago, I was pushing a cart down the aisle of a thrift store. To my left was a rack filled with dozens of linens, blankets, and drapes and to my right were shelves full of toys and stuffed animals. And just there in the middle of that stupid aisle, I was […]
My Father’s Muse in Valentines
“…And I wish I could tell you in appropriate words, how very proud I am of you; not for what you have been, and not for what you are, but for what I know you will be, in years to come. Not the least among these things is the quiet reassurance I have in […]
Atomic Veterans: May your feet be jubilant today, Daddy
My father’s Operation Ivy Certificate from the U.S Navy “Mushroom Mike.” My dad, an Atomic Veteran, witnessed this. Atomic Veterans The certificate in my special Veteran’s Day masthead above belonged to my father, who is an Atomic Veteran. Learn more about Atomic Veterans and Operation Ivy, which my dad participated in during the fall of […]
Soft and Kind While I was Crying
Yesterday, the kids and I visited my dad in the nursing (hell) home. I took these memorable pictures. Like this song says, my dad really did work until his hands bled. While pastoring a rural church in Kansas, he took a second job strapping trailers in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He worked outside all winter long, from […]