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April 27, 2005
On the 4th anniversary of my dad's passing...
Well, it's been 4 years today since my dad died. It doesn't get any easier. I don't think I've ever shared the eulogy I delivered at dad's funeral... it has some great memories so I'll share that here today. You're still loved and missed each and every day, dad...
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Dad was such a fan of BGSU sports and basketball in general, I have equated the past couple of months to a basketball game to better help me understand and cope with his death.
The way I see it, dad was down by 2 against cancer on cancer's home court. He really only had two options; go for the lay-up of chemo treatments, a virtual sure thing that would send the game into overtime...but the visiting team almost never wins overtime games...the home team just wears you down over the extra period and finishes you off in the end.
The other option was more risky...take the more difficult 3-pointer and finish things off right then and there. Remove the cancerous tumor and live cancer free!
Dad took the three to win it...but unfortunately, he never had a very good outside jumper. It took REAL guts to that that route...we should ALL be so brave.
I have so many wonderfun memories of my dad, it's hard to pick out any that were more memorable than others, but here are just a couple that stand out above the others:
The time we were playing one-on-one in what was then Bill Reymer's driveway, I couldn't have been more than 15. It started out as a friendly game...but quickly became more serious as I was at the stage where I could finally compete against my dad. The game was close and a shot went up, bounced off the rim, and the next thing I knew, I had a broken nose!! Dad's elbow had swiftly landed on my schnoz in order to get the rebound. And until he saw how badly I was hurt (the pool of blood on the driveway was the give-away) he wanted me to keep playing! It was always fun playing ball with dad... and he had a HORSE shot that I'll NEVER forget! He'd hold the ball behind his back, flip it up over his head, and through the rim with amazing accuracy!
Another great time was Corvette shopping a couple years ago. We were like two kids in a candy store. We went to Napoleon where they have warehouse after warehouse of Vettes. We went from building to building picking out our favorites. Dad was a bigger kid than I was that day...picking out colors...which engine...and test driving a couple of cars. And, as fun as the shoping was, the conversation on the trip there and back was even better!!
Little things like Porch-sitting... greasy french fries with vinegar over the 4th of July... pop-overs by he and mom... and just hanging out watching TV together... these are how I'll remember dad the best...and when I'll miss him the most.
Just about 4 1/2 years ago, my dad stood in front of a room full of people and read what he had written upon the death of his father. Much of what he said then is very appropriate today. I'd like to read from what he wrote now:
I want to say just a few words about my father. Someday my son, Grant, will say a few words about me. Someday, furthur on, Grant's son will say a few words about him. That's the natural way of things!! We need not fear it, we must embrace and accept it.That's how dad approached death. No one wants to die, of course... but he did realize it is part of life and accepted that, and he wasn't afraid.
Dad then went on to tell a story about his dad and then he said the following:
There were many things my father NEVER DID:He never played small forward in the NBA
He never sang at the Grand Old Opry
He never made a million dollars
He never went on a round-the-world cruise
He never ran a marathon
He never starred in a movie
He never was on the cover of Time
He never endorsed an athletic shoeHere are some other things he never did:
He never let his family go hungry
He never struck me in anger
He never ran away from responsibility
He never pretended to be something he was not
He never forgot a friend
He never looked for excuses
He never lost his sense of humorHowever, he did marry one woman and stay married for 61 years
He did go to work every day
He did bring his paycheck home to his family
He did believe in his country
He did live a full and happy 86 years!!Some day in the distant future, Grant, I hope and pray that the list you read will be even a fraction as great as your grandfather's list!
And I hope you see him every time you look at me! Nothing could make me prouder and happier!!
Well, the distant future is here, not nearly as distant as any of us had hoped, and I can say that dad's list mirrors his father's except for the numbers. Dad DID run a marathon though... Dad married one woman and stayed married for 37 years and he lived a full and happy, although much too short, 57 years. Hopefully my list will continue that tradition someday.
Finally, last week in Columbus, mom's dear friends Rhodna and Phyllis came to visit and help mom out a little bit with some chores and the like. Maryellen and I walked mom and her two friends to the elevators in the hospital, and I, being who I am, cracked some kind of joke to try and lighten the mood. Rhodna's comment then really made my day, and probably really made the rest of my life. She looked at me and said, "Boy, you really ARE your dad, aren't you??" That's the greatest compliment I could ever receive...nothing could make me prouder and happier!!
Posted by Pepperguy at 06:49 AM | Comments (5)
April 24, 2005
Crazy Weekend
Like John Lennon once said, "Strange days indeed!! Most peculiar, momma!"
Friday, I came home and we evacuated all contents from our TV room. This includes a sectional sofa, a leather chair, and all multi-media equipment. What this also means is no TV for the Cummings household. We have one TV, and we have only one cable hookup in the house. (well, that's technically not true b/c the cable modem comes in upstairs, but let's not quibble over details).
So, Maryellen's sister came and got the sectional and Andrew came and got the chair... Saturday AM I went in to work and when I got home Maryellen had ripped up all the carpeting from that room including pad. I carried the rolls out to the garage to be carted off at the next unlimited trash day.
Today then, we removed all the tack strips that had held the carpeting down (pain in the ASS work). So the room is totally empty now and awaits the electricians to come and re-wire it, hopefully this week.
Three evenings w/o TV so far and it's actually been really pleasant. Lots of reading, talking, music and internet. We'll see what a few weeks of it is like though.
OH... and to top off the strangeness (I wasn't expecting the evacuation of that room so soon for the renovations... that's why I'm calling it strange) we got several inches of snow today. One week ago, it was 80+ degrees here, today, 4-6" of snow. Nice...
Someone find me a job out in the Northwest so we can get out of this wacky land called NW Ohio!!! It's wacky, I tell ya!!
Posted by Pepperguy at 07:26 PM | Comments (1)
April 19, 2005
Silver Taps
Wow... So, I've been looking into Taps tonight, since a member of Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com posted information about BuglesAcrossAmerica.org. BuglesAcrossAmerica was founded on the premise that every veteran of the US military deserves a live rendition of Taps to be played at their funeral. Congress passed a law in 2000 stating that every vet was entitled to two soldiers to fold the flag and play a CD recording of Taps. This organization finds volunteers in all regions of the country who are willing and able to play Taps at these funerals...providing a touch more class and honor than a boom box. With the aging of America and more vets dying each year (500,000/year for the next 4 years), there is a shortage of buglers... If you can play, sign up!!
So then I found this information about Texas A&M University and their tradition of Silver Taps that they perform whenever an A&M student dies... pretty cool... It choked me up reading about it while the horns played...
Posted by Pepperguy at 09:40 PM | Comments (2)
Papal Conclave
You know, it's one of those phrases you've never heard before and then suddenly, you're bombarded with it 10 - 12 times a day!! I'll be SO glad when the barrage of the "Papal Conclave" mentions is over. Not since the great "Papal Nuncio" debacle of 89/90 (shortly after Manuel Noriega told his deputy "I've got Bush by the balls!!") has the media hurled about a Catholic phrase with such reckless abandon!
What's next? Priory of Sion updates on every newscast???
Posted by Pepperguy at 02:03 PM | Comments (2)
April 12, 2005
So long...
Well, unfortunately, they've decided to pull the plug on Thackeray's Books a few weeks earlier than they had originally planned. Most of the employees will be moving over to the new Borders books at the mall, so they can't keep Thackeray's open and train the employees at the new store at the same time. :-(
Today is the last day they'll be open, so I think I'll head over there on my lunch hour. 35% off of everything. Maybe I'll find one last treasure...
Posted by Pepperguy at 06:38 AM | Comments (3)
April 10, 2005
MS Walk Photos
Photos from the 2005 MS Walk are now online. We had fun!! Click on the gallery link to the right, or just click here.
Posted by Pepperguy at 01:09 PM | Comments (0)
MS Walk
Not my idea of a fun weekend... I really don't like working Saturdays.. it makes the weekend seem SO short. Anyhow.. we're heading to the MS Walk here in about an hour or so. Should be a great time!! We've raised more money this year than any year so far! Pretty exciting! Thanks to everyone who has offered up their support and pledges.
The other thing that's really great about this year's walk is the participation of a couple of BGSU teams. I worked with both the BG Hockey team and the BG Women's Basketball team to get them signed up and particpating in this year's walk!! These kids are great student athletes, but this kind of participation and community service will make them great people!
Meegan and her little one, Henry will be joining us as well as Chuck, Dorie and Zach. So it'll be a good time. I'll put up photos later. If you'd still like to make a donation, we can take contirbutions until May 31. Just contact me, or PayPal me with your support and I'll be sure to get it into the MS coffers.
Posted by Pepperguy at 07:01 AM | Comments (1)
April 08, 2005
Gallery
Well, I've revamped the gallery AGAIN. I had upgraded to Gallery 2.0 Beta... but it was a little too slow and the interface was harder to navigate than the earlier 1.4 release I was on. SO, now I've re-gressed back to Gallery 1.5. It's about the same as 1.4 with a few security enhancements. So, how about that? Wow.
Anyone know much about Longview, Washington?? Looks intriguing....
Posted by Pepperguy at 06:40 AM | Comments (2)