Evelyn Wells Mercedes Sledd

Yes my dear friends we have a new Chicken!!!

That’s right number six in the lineup of chickens now.  Number three in line in her siblings and number five member of her wonderful family.

Lord knows the Blessed Man has no Crystal ball but something tells me this one is going to be one for the ages.  Her battle to be born was one of strong will and commitment.  

What might the future hold for this wonderful little girl?  Let us look to the numbers for a little guidance.

The third child in a wonderful family, so what does the number three tell us about our newest member?

3s are imaginative, expressive communicators and artists. They are tolerant, joyful, 

optimistic, inspiring, talented, jovial, youthful, and dynamic ... the list goes on and on!

So we can expect this wonderful little girl to bring us great things.  I can see Evelyn leading her class in all areas.  Elected class president, if they still do that, in the drama club being a special part of everything she does and bring her on inspired touch to us all.  I can’t wait for that!!

The Fifth member of her extra special family: Her Mother and Father that have seen many posts on this lowly blog. Then there is her extraordinary brother and sister, as well.  What might we expect her to add to this already loving environment?

5s are energetic, adventurous, daring and freedom-loving. They also tend to be versatile, flexible, adaptable, curious, social, sensual, quick-thinking, witty, courageous and worldly.

Well more great things here. Now we have the one that will be jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.  Zip lining over an alligator farm. Then afterwards going into work, in her own company, making plans to expand globally and grabbing the bull by the horns and getting it all done with a smile that will melt any ones heart in the room.

Then she is the sixth Chicken in the coop. Each with a different personally but in a room together you can easily see they all have the social skills of their parents.  One gift I am certain she will receive

6s are responsible, loving, self-sacrificing, protective, sympathetic and compassionate. These loyal, maternal figures are domestic, fair and idealistic healers or teachers.

WOW it just keeps on getting better. Could she possibly become a teacher?  What lessons she will be able to share.  Those taught her by her unbelievable family, each a teacher a giver of love and trust. 

Well Miss Evelyn that is what the numbers say.  Here is what someone who loves you has to say. My friends Rascal Flatts say it better than anything I could ever write and yes my sweet one this is my wish for you

My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to.  May your dreams stay big and your worries stay small. You never need to carry more than you can hold. And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to I hope you know somebody loves you and wants the same things too for you. Yes, my angel this is my wish.

Well welcome my dear to this crazy thing called life.  We are all here to help you along, and watch you develop into someone who we all will be proud of and love.  Be true to yourself. Love your family. And never forget you got one Blessed Man cheering from the sidelines and that is willing to get in the game anytime you might need a blocker.  Love you my angel

I will never be able to read this one to you.  One day ask you DeDe what that means!!!!!

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Evelyn Wells Mercedes Sledd

Yes my dear friends we have a new Chicken!!!

That’s right number six in the lineup of chickens now.  Number three in line in her siblings and number five member of her wonderful family.

Lord knows the Blessed Man has no Crystal ball but something tells me this one is going to be one for the ages.  Her battle to be born was one of strong will and commitment.  

What might the future hold for this wonderful little girl?  Let us look to the numbers for a little guidance.

The third child in a wonderful family, so what does the number three tell us about our newest member?

3s are imaginative, expressive communicators and artists. They are tolerant, joyful, 

optimistic, inspiring, talented, jovial, youthful, and dynamic ... the list goes on and on!

So we can expect this wonderful little girl to bring us great things.  I can see Evelyn leading her class in all areas.  Elected class president, if they still do that, in the drama club being a special part of everything she does and bring her on inspired touch to us all.  I can’t wait for that!!

The Fifth member of her extra special family: Her Mother and Father that have seen many posts on this lowly blog. Then there is her extraordinary brother and sister, as well.  What might we expect her to add to this already loving environment?

5s are energetic, adventurous, daring and freedom-loving. They also tend to be versatile, flexible, adaptable, curious, social, sensual, quick-thinking, witty, courageous and worldly.

Well more great things here. Now we have the one that will be jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.  Zip lining over an alligator farm. Then afterwards going into work, in her own company, making plans to expand globally and grabbing the bull by the horns and getting it all done with a smile that will melt any ones heart in the room.

Then she is the sixth Chicken in the coop. Each with a different personally but in a room together you can easily see they all have the social skills of their parents.  One gift I am certain she will receive

6s are responsible, loving, self-sacrificing, protective, sympathetic and compassionate. These loyal, maternal figures are domestic, fair and idealistic healers or teachers.

WOW it just keeps on getting better. Could she possibly become a teacher?  What lessons she will be able to share.  Those taught her by her unbelievable family, each a teacher a giver of love and trust. 

Well Miss Evelyn that is what the numbers say.  Here is what someone who loves you has to say. My friends Rascal Flatts say it better than anything I could ever write and yes my sweet one this is my wish for you

My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to.  May your dreams stay big and your worries stay small. You never need to carry more than you can hold. And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to I hope you know somebody loves you and wants the same things too for you. Yes, my angel this is my wish.

Well welcome my dear to this crazy thing called life.  We are all here to help you along, and watch you develop into someone who we all will be proud of and love.  Be true to yourself. Love your family. And never forget you got one Blessed Man cheering from the sidelines and that is willing to get in the game anytime you might need a blocker.  Love you my angel

I will never be able to read this one to you.  One day ask you DeDe what that means!!!!!

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Rex

aka: RexRod,

aka : Rex-a-roni,

aka: Rexer

The best damn cat to ever live in my world!!!

We had to let Rex cross over the Rainbow Bridge on Saturday and it was a very hard thing to do, harder than I ever dreamed.  I have always thought of myself as compassionate and caring but this was an animal.  I come from a back ground where you name a chicken and then two months later you asked about “Ole Daisy” and Granny told you you ate her last Sunday for dinner!!!!  You never named anything on my uncle’s farm once you ate “Ole Daisy”! 

My Mother always had a dog.  Mostly small dogs or lap dogs as some people call them but little yappers is what me and my Dad called them!!  She went through her Great Dane Stage which was short thank goodness.

So when my lovely wife wanted to get a cat when in the early part of our lives together I had really no experience with them but knew they were much easier than dogs, so I was in.  It was 1999 and we had a dear friend Alyce who was highly allergic to cat dander.  So my wife on a business trip to Minneapolis visited a girlfriend who had Cornish Rex Cats.  They are hypo-allergenic cats!!  She was so excited came home and started looking for a breeder near us.  Well found one in Nashville went up got Rex and the rest as they say is history!  Seventeen years I shared a house with that cat and he never caused one seconds trouble.  I knew he was special but you never know how special until your wife looks up at you and says “We need to let him go”  I never would have believed the impact that statement had on me even now as I type I’m teary eyed.  For god sakes it was a cat!  Nope he was a family member and a damned important one.  I never realized until that moment that he meant so much to me.  What a treat to share a house with him.

The funniest story ever about Rex is this one:  As you know by reading this blog we entertain a great deal.  One weekend shortly after we bought him we had a dinner party on the guest list was my boss and his wife, a cat lover.  They came in and my boss saw Rex and then found out we bought him.  He states” Good God man you bought a Cat!” I said “Yes” Then my wife told him it was a Cornish Rex.  He said he thought there were only two kinds of Cats a Cat and a Calico!!  I thought my wife and his wife and me were going to die laughing!!!

My wife’s brother gave him the Rex Rod name.  He loved that cat as well.  You see everyone who met him liked him.  He was the calmest sweetest cat I have ever known. 

He slept for seventeen years on my wife chest every night, she got into bed he jumped up on the bed the covers were thrown back and he climbed into his place.  I have to believe that is going to be a very lonely place for the next couple of weeks.

This is as good of a place as any to mention Cleo.  She is our Calico Cornish Rex.  CRAZY as a bed bug, and has been forever.  She for the last four days was really nuts.  My wife and I believe now she was trying to tell us that Rex was so sick.  After the X-Rays we found out she was so right!  We got back home from the vet my wife cleaned everything and Cleo has calmed down so much it is uncanny.  She lays on my wife’s lap slept next to her last night, not on her chest, but next to her where Rex did sometimes when he got over heated.

The house isn’t the same with Rex gone.  In his later years he had slowed a great deal.  Not jumping and running all over like before more of the laid back gentlemen enjoying his golden years eating the best food and laying in the sun all day.  You know the other side of that Rainbow Bridge is beginning to look like a great place we have Ramey now Rex.  And if you believe like I believe Rex is jumping from my mom, Billie, to my wife’s mom, Bobbie’s lap back and forth. I will never forget the last time I was able to rub that cat’s head and grab his ears.  I can only hope he knows my heart has never had paw prints on it before but it sure does now. 

Rexer, miss you buddy.  Take care of Billie and Bobbie for us.  See you on the other side.

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Chickens

We were having a family dinner the other night and my adopted sister said something that really hit me.  We were talking about her daughter and a conversation they had about our extended family and how important it was to her.  Then she told her mom that she thought everyone had the same but after marriage found out that what we have is very special.

As I sat there recalling all of the wonderful times we have had together.  I realized like her daughter, that not everyone has this organization to fall back on when you need support and encouragement.  I have a dear friend from Boston that recalls he was 16 before he ever had a cookie that wasn’t homemade.  He came from a large Italian family where they all lived in the same neighborhood from grandfather and grandmother to uncles and aunts.  He had the system.  What happens when there is no large family group to circle the wagons when you need it?  Well that is when you build something special.  I am very blessed to be a part of a unit of people that do just that, from weddings to funerals to birthday parties to births we have all been there and through it all we seem to emerge a little bit closer every time.  As I sat there last night looking at the table I couldn’t help but remember when these same people held me up when I was at my weakest.  These people were there when I am my happiest like the moment we were sharing right then around a dinner table solving the world’s problems.

Her daughter finding out that not all people are blessed like us was an eye opener not only for her but for me as well.  You can’t ever give up on your people.  Maybe we don’t see each other like we did at one point but nothing will ever wavier my love and dedication to these people, my family. 

As we sat there I realized how much I miss seeing the Chickens!  You see the Chickens are my adopted sister’s kids and father.  We ate together at least 5 nights out of 7 back in Memphis.  And every time they came to my house we always got a chicken count and let me tell you the higher the chicken count the happier I was.  You see if you are a reader of this lowly blog then you know what we are talking about when I say this is a very special bunch of Chickens.  These children have social skills beyond their years, always fitting into the conversations never sitting on a couch playing with their phones, but always engaged in whatever we were talking about. 

As I write this I can only hope you have Chickens in your life.  I know I am so happy to have mine.  And the blessing is they would all be there for me just like their mom and dad would be and us for them.  You see that’s how this thing works.  If you don’t have this I am wishing it for you.  It’s not something that you can just go out and pick up.  This is something that has to grow naturally like a beautiful flower.  It is so unconditional so pure so part of a place in your heart that you really didn’t even know it was there until suddenly you are a part of it.  I am sure that in my friend’s family back in Boston it was just part of the DNA.  However, when you have to build it, it’s really special.  I simply love my extended family and never want to ever be without them or the support.

I am wishing for every single person that ever reads this you have what I am so blessed to be a part of an, extended family!!!

Guess I’ll go and check on the Chickens!!!

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Ramey

Now if you are a wine enthusiast you instantly think David Ramey, right?  Well believe it or not you’re not far from correct.  You see Ramey was one of the most special dogs I have ever known named after the incredible David Ramey.  Or at the very least the fantastic wine he makes.  

One couple, from the Memphis family, quite by accident got a puppy.  I was really shocked when they introduced us to the new member of the family and was really shocked when they told me that Ramey was the dog’s name.  You see this couple was the number one buyer of Ramey wines in the state of Tennessee at the time.  Yes, I said family!!

A few years later I took some very important members of my Memphis family, including Ramey’s Mom and Dad, to Napa Valley.  One of the places we visited was Ramey’s winery.  He showed us around and entertained us in grand style.   And of course these people bought a ton of his wine to be shipped back home to them.  David was so kind he gave them each an signed, etched Three liter bottled.  My friends had a picture taken of Ramey sitting by the bottle sent it back to Ramey and the next time we were in the winery a few years later  the picture was framed and hung in the middle of his tasting room.  We were all shocked to see the picture in such a prominent place.

So now you know the name story,  let me tell you the real story of the power of Ramey.

When Ramey arrived into the house the man of the house was a powerful, hard nosed, take no prisoners businessman.  He was the guy everyone wanted on your side of the deal and no one wants to deal against.  He was, and still is, a man’s man.  He, most times, is the smartest guy in the room.  OCD to a fault, but also one of the truest friends you will ever have in the world.  So Ramey arrives and just like a sharping stone she slowly starts to work on the rough edges of my friend.  This animal reveals something I have always known about my friend.  Ramey shows the world my friend is really; the kind, gentle, loving, caring, generous, and compassionate guy we all know and love but few see. 

I remember one time we were visiting a friend of ours in the country.  Ramey always went with us and loved to swim in the lake.  One day we go to visit the friends father.  He has a dog that he says doesn’t get along with others.  We are making sure the two dogs are not near each other.  Well as fate would have it Ramey, being the friendliest dog on earth, got a little to close and the other dog jumped her.  My friend, in the blink of an eye leaped into the pile of dogs and took the aggressive dog down.  Now remember these two dogs were fighting, biting, scratching digging and barking like crazy.  He was ready to kill the aggressor as was everyone else.  We loaded up and came back home without anything losing it live but trust me more than one of us was ready to do the deed.  Nothing attacked Ramey and didn’t pay a price.  It was a classic example of the love this man has for this dog.  And it really was only the beginning. 

Ramey loved him so much she supported his OCD.  Walk at 5:30am. Then the hurry, hurry calls for her to do her morning constitution.   Followed by a cart ride around the square, Ramey reveling in her back seat throne taking everything in as she was driven around like a princess.  This happened every morning before Daddy went to play Pickleball.  Ramey never wavered always answering the call like the trooper she was.  She had much rather stay in bed as the evidence would show if Daddy ever left her in Mom’s care!!   

Mom, wow she was already a lover, and the main treat giver but Ramey brought a new level and an example of unconditional love that elevated everyone who she met to understand.  I think you can understand at this point this was a very special animal. Mom loved her so much.  Ramey cared for Mom when things weren’t going very well you could always count on her to walk in the room lay her head on Mom’s lap and you could see the stress and pain leaving her face for a brief moment while loving on Ramey.

Ramey also loved my wife.  My wife was about the only person outside her family that she wouldn’t bark at when we arrived at their home.  I can remember walking into their house and them saying “What Ramey didn’t even bark!” Ramey would walk over lift her face up and my wife would rub all over that dog’s nose.  Kiss her and love on her and she just stood there loving every second of it. The family told us no one else could touch her face but my wife.

Sadly Ramey has crossed the rainbow bridge.  But how blessed we all are it was very quick and hopefully painless for her.  She got sick one day and the next she was gone, only fitting for an animal that touched us all in such a special way.  Somehow I can see Ramey lifting up her face and Bobbie, my wife’s mom who also loved that dog, kissing that dog’s face and Ramey smiling.  I can see her going hurry hurry with Jordan who also loved that dog.  She is in a better place a place where all the chicken treats she wants are there all the time. And no more 5:30am!!!

I am going to miss that dog and I never thought I would say that in my life.

Love ya Ramey, kinda wish I had that picture hanging in my house now.  Wonder if David Ramey knows how special that picture really is???

If you have a pet go hug it and give it a treat they don’t stay forever. Think I’ll go get Rex and sit on in my chair for a while.

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Vacation

Everyone loves a good vacation.  I can remember when I looked so forward to getting away for a week or so and just relaxing and living worry free for a minute.

My wife and I often slip off and play nine holes in the late afternoon or Saturday mornings.  These are my favorite rounds these days.  I can remember when it was “I will never play golf with a girl”!  Back in the day with my buddies we would see someone playing with their female partner and just laugh and think how miserable they must be not having any male friends to play golf with them.  Well, let it be known I play golf with a girl and simply love it!!! We talk, laugh, give each other tips, and just in general have a great time and get to spend two hours together doing something we both enjoy do much.  She only took the game up when we moved to “The Villages”.

We were walking off the ninth hole last week and she said something so powerful to me.  She said “We live on vacation”!  I was stunned she had hit the nail on the head.  I have often sang the praises of this place and she put it all in one simply sentence.  We live on vacation.  No stress no worries we are both blessed to have our health.  We have our Memphis family here.  We have made wonderful new friends.  We eat well every night, we drink well every night, and we live a dream.

I often talk to my old golfing buddies back in Memphis and the surrounding areas and they always seem to be just a little bit jealous about my lifestyle.  You see I was the one that was the crazy one.  I can remember Rick working every single moment that the company would allow him too, not because he had to but because he loved it so much.  I can remember one time the company he worked for actually had to call him and tell him he needed to cash his paychecks so they could close and accounting period.  I also can remember Larry the same way always and still frugal to a fault.  Me not so much, I was the guy who lived paycheck to paycheck.  I closed down more bars than the law should have allowed.  I have lived like there was no tomorrow and had a blast.  They worked like a slave doing what I thought was looking to the future.  And now they both are trapped in a situation that neither can escape and I am living on Vacation.  I guess the good lord works in mysterious ways for sure.

Well I guess it about time to get ready to go play Wednesday night Couples golf!!  We play every week now, that we live on vacation. 

I love playing with my girl!

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Apprehensive

I thought long and hard about the title to this one. I am still not sure the word is correct but it is what it is.

Yesterday was a day of very mixed emotions for me.  You see my son got married yesterday.  I have been to hundreds of weddings.  I have seen how the two families as awkward as it is seem to try to put on the front of happiness and joy as each of the children becomes their own family.  However, yesterday that really wasn’t what the vibe was.  The bride’s family somehow welcomed my son into their family it what really appeared to be a genuine manner.  I feel like I and my family welcomed her as well.  It did seem like we all are a little hesitant about my son. His track record is anything but great.  I tried to put myself in her father’s shoes.  Then I took them off really quickly.  You see this is his baby girl the youngest of three daughters. I know enough by watching my Memphis family that the position takes on all new meaning when your baby girl gets married.

My wife and my adopted sister kept me in line but I am still very concerned about this young lady my son has taken as his wife.  She is smart, beautiful, loving, caring, with an innocents that seems almost childlike.   She also appears to be madly in love with my son.  Also I truly believe my son is madly in love with her. My only issue is that I have been around this young man 27 years.  I have never seen him love anything other than himself.  I have watched him destroy every relationship he has ever been in, be it family or otherwise.

However, this one might be the one that turns him around.  He has never had any skin in the game before.  I think this time he does. What makes me hold out hope this time?  When his bride walked out into the ceremony and he saw her I was watching.  He looked stunned and he said “Oh my God” when he saw her.  There she was with her Father walking toward him smiling like the little girl I am sure her Dad remembers looking forward to going on the next ride at Disney! And please remember this came from the mouth of a self-proclaimed atheist. So maybe there is a little light at the end of the tunnel.  As someone once said “Behind every successful man there is a great woman” I know he has a great woman the question is can she turn a hog’s ear into a silk purse?  I have always believed there is a good person somewhere buried in my son. If there is anyone who might be able to extract that person it is his new wife.

I promise, I will support her efforts wherever I can.  She has a long road to travel and there is no way she can travel that road by herself.  I believe with all of my heart her family will be there for her, so I must be there as well.  My wife, and adopted sister have been in my ear for weeks about this.  So I am going to try one more time to forgive and forget it will be the hardest thing I will ever do because the last time he showed his ass I pretty much wrote him off.  His wife doesn’t deserve that, so I will get back in the game for her.  And who knows maybe she can even turn me around.  That is going to be harder than turning her newly acquired husband into the man he needs to be. 

Good Luck my dear.  And if you need anything I got your back.  I’ll end with one of my favorite lines from a movie I just love. 

“Let’s kick this pig”

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Dreamworld

I had the pleasure of eating with my Villages’ family the other night.  As we finished dinner we sat around and solved the world’s problems and you know there is a lot to do in the regard for sure these days. 

As we sat there my adopted sister told me about someone she had met on the pickleball court whose children had bought their third house in the villages!!!  They bought their first house a rental in their thirties.  Then up graded and upgraded again.  They come on breaks with the grandkids and holiday to visits their parents.   Think about that for a minute.

Later, as I was getting ready for bed I started thinking about life in a dream world.  I reflected back to when I was so happy in Memphis.  Eating every night with family enjoy their children watching them grow and learn.  How cool would it be if that journey continued?  How cool would it be if my adopted sister’s children started buying houses down here?  I started thinking about watching these five young children visiting often.  I could relive one of the most treasured times of my life. 

Watching Jax Ellis grow and learn golf and then surpass us all in the game. 

Watching Baby Jade steal the hearts of all she meets on the squares and learning to Dance with DeDe and Poppy. 

Watching Eden as her personally is transformed by being around all of us old folks, her laughing and learning to enjoy cooking with us and making great meals for us and her cousins. 

Watching Carrigan  learn to drive and work on his and our cars.  Watching him be the dare devil and jump off anything into the pool.  Learning archery and how to drive the remote controlled cars and just having a blast. 

Watching Thomas Keller taking his place in the group as he grows, learning the Art of the Deal to use his skills learned from his Poppy who wrote the book on that!  Also he might be the Pickleball King as DeDe always would need a younger mixed doubles partner.

Can you only imagine?  Dreamworld? Absolutely,  

Well we never know what the future holds for any of us, but this little day dream would be a cool thing in my book.  I love these people and wish all of them nothing but the best.  However, they need to realize that the best really is in Florida Friendliest Home Town! The Villages!!

Think I will start looking for investment property for them to buy!  

Hopefully, closer to me than DeDe!!!!!

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Keller Thomas Miles Berryhill

Well it’s time to write about the fifth grandchild to enter my extended family.  This one born to the daughter I never had and to a son anyone would be proud to call their own.

You might not know this but the number five is huge in the bible.  The number 5 symbolizes God's grace, goodness and favor toward humans and is mentioned 318 times in Scripture. Five is the number of grace, and multiplied by itself, which is 25, is 'grace upon grace' (John 1:16). The Ten Commandments contains two sets of 5 commandments. The first five commandments are related to our treatment and relationship with God, and the last five concern our relationship with others humans.  So right away we already know this little boy is destined for greatness.

Let’s take a look at this young man’s name for a minute.

Keller - Means Cellar Master.  You know I love this young man already!!!

Thomas  - We all know Thomas was one of the twelve apostles.  And it also means Twin.

Miles - Solider or merciful Not to mention Miles Davis!!!!!

Berryhill - Means he comes from the finest stock ever.

Now let’s put The Blessed Man spin on the name

Keller  - Keeper of the peace, bringer of love and joy.

Thomas - Taker of the heart. He will win the hearts of all of us before it’s over for sure especially DeDe and Poppy

Miles - Man of many talents This young man will be exactly like his Mother and Father and be able to do anything he sets his mind to, he will be the one we all look at and say wow what a wonderful young man so motivated, so alive, so together, what did his parents do to give him such a great foundation. 

Berryhill  - Best father ever!  His family ties will take this young man to heights we all aspire to he will be full of confidence, joy, love, kindness, caring and compassion for us all.

As I sit here thinking about this young man and the journey that lies ahead all I can do is smile.  In these times most people would be unsettled to say the least.  Young Keller has a few tricks up his sleeve that most do not have access to. 

Starting with his Mother, a strong willed young woman raised by an even stronger willed woman.  I used to love to watch the interaction between her and my adopted sister.  It was like watching someone talk to themselves in a mirror.  All of the drama and opinions came from the same place.  It was so cool to watch her mother turn around and I’d say she is just like you.  It was hilarious she would snap back “she is nothing like me!!!”  I would, and still do just laugh out loud!!

His Father a young man who has graced these pages many times, loving, caring, kind, giving, all of the great adjectives you want apply.  He is a man of great conviction, and love of God which is the foundation of all great homes.  But Dad has a fun side a mile wide.  This young man will more than likely know what it is like to ride a bull, jump out a perfectly fine airplane, climb a mountain, doing it all alongside a loving Dad watching over him like a bear over cubs.

Then you add the extended family and it all comes full circle.  I only wish all of the people, well maybe both of the people, who read these posts could get to know this family.  It seems in every post I always talk about the specialness of this family group.  Lead by my brother and sister from another mother.  I Love these people so much.  And now I have another one to love and I am so proud!

You often wonder where and what you will be doing in the coming times.  I feel like I know what I will be doing.  Sharing my life with the most wonderful family I know.

So, welcome Keller Thomas Miles Berryhill to this wild ride called life.  And if there is any opportunity for you to visit an adopted family member, (the old blessed man), you are always welcome in my house.  And all of the bad stuff you’re mean ole mama want let you have, is on the house with me!!!

Love you son and welcome to the family!

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Father's Day 2016

Well it’s me again on Father’s Day, by far my hardest day of the year.  Most people have that day.  The one you dread.  Maybe it’s the day you lost someone special.  Maybe it’s the day you met your soul mate for life.  Maybe it’s the day your child was born.  But we all have that day.  Mine is Father’s Day. 

A day set aside for most of the Father’s and children to celebrate this wonderful relationship of love and caring shared by most Father, Child relationships.  Well, then there is me and my son.  However, I must say here at the outset he seems to be doing much better and what makes most men do better?  You guessed it, a wonderful woman. 

He has met what my wife and I believe to be a game changer for him.  She is a strong and caring woman and must be a tad crazy to be in love with my son.  He worships the ground she walks on.  It is so funny to see a young man who nothing was more important than himself actually caring about another human being more that he cares for himself.  Does this mean there might be hope for the young man?  As I have written here many times, I sure hope so.  I so desperately want him to find his way.  No matter our pasted, everyone deserves to be happy, even my son.  All the hurt, the fighting, name calling, shouting, turmoil, even he deserves to be happy.  So I guess this Father’s Day I am happy.  For the first time in his life I really believe my son is standing on the edge of happiness.  I just hope and pray he falls off and into the abyss known as happiness and joy.

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Rotate

A very simple word.  We think about the earth rotating around the Sun.  Then the moon rotates around the earth.  In fact our entire solar system rotates around the Sun.  Now I know that is not a news flash but if you bear with me my hope is buy the end it will all make sense.

There are many things in life that rotate.  In a small way the seasons rotate unless of course you live somewhere, like me where you are blessed to have maybe two seasons.  Neither of which is COLD! I understand some like it, but not me. We hope they rotate the stock in our local grocery store.  We rotate clothes from season to season.  We rotate our tires. We rotate the screw top on a bottle of wine.  I think you get the gist.  The events of a recent dinner made me realize that friends and family sometimes rotate.

As I have written here I have so many special friends that I consider family.  Well sometimes even these people as close as they are rotate in and out of your life.  Now I understand that it may be a little conceded to think I am the Sun in this example.  Thinking before I started to write this do we all consider ourselves the Sun in our relationships?  Do you believe it is important for our ego’s to be the center of attention to be the supporter rather than the supported?  I have tried very hard in my life to always make the other person the more important one.  It seems to have worked well to date.   

But in the real world people go through changes every day from kids/family, health, and finances just name what could be the top three.   I am sure we all have had people rotate in and out of our lives.  How hard is it for you to let them rotate back into your life?  Is it hard because your feelings were hurt when they rotated out?  Did you think they needed you as much as you needed them or that you brought joy into their lives as they did yours and suddenly they rotate away and the joy you brought isn’t missed?  Yet you miss the joy they gave you.

I have decided it takes a very special mind set to be able to be the Sun.  You must be willing to let you little planets rotate around to the dark side or wherever they go.  Then the hard part; you have to be willing to put aside your feelings of abandonment and hurt and be the warmth and security you have always been when they are in your orbit.  When you honestly look at this it is hard to be the Sun.

The Sun can’t have thin skin.  The Sun can’t be petty.  The Sun has to be supportive, caring and especially genuine.  Sometimes I don’t think I can be the Sun. But then we go back to our inert desire to be the Sun in all of our relationships. Does this means that the people whom I thought rotated out of my life didn’t really do that at all; maybe it was different maybe I rotated out of theirs?  Confused yet? 

Well, let me tell you my dear reader I have never been more confused.  Here are people I love more than life jumping in and out of my life like a Double Dutch jump roper.  I guess I miss the way it was long ago when I knew where everybody stood.  I felt like we enjoyed being together.  We all needed the other for strength in all matters.  Well the box is open and all of the normal things have escaped.   We rarely gather together any more.  And when we do there are moments of olden days then there are the awkward moments when none of us are used to being back in the orbit.  But it never seems to dampen the good time.  It is just different.  Like they say the more the change the more they change. Or was that Yogi Beira??

One thing for sure this Sun is going to try his best to always offer the warmth, security, comfort and love whenever given the chance with one of my planets.  I am just hoping if they are the Sun they do the same for me. I love and treasure my little solar system no matter what, even if all the planets aren’t exactly round all of the time. They are still my heart.  Which I guess if you get right down to it is all of our Sun’s.

Here comes the Sun!!!  Is that Richie Havens I hear!!!!!

Peace,

The Blessed Man