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   

Neon Moon

As I was walking this morning this was the first song that played, Neon Moon, by Brooks and Dunn.

My Son when he was very small, maybe two years old, was a huge country music fan.  Mostly I am sure due to the fact his Mother was one in the same.  His favorite song was Neon Moon.  I have the most vivid memory of him in a Spiderman outfit holding his guitar and singing every word of this song at the top of his lungs.  It didn’t matter where he was or what was going on if the song came on you were about to be entertained.  He loved this song.  He would strum his guitar with such passion.  He would sing with such emotion.  Throwing his heads back I truly will never forget it. 

This morning as I started out I didn’t get very far when I was taken straight back to that little bitty living room in the same house I grew up in watching my Dad play his bass.  Remembering all the good times we had.  Then I was rushed forward to the times that were some of the toughest of my life a young son and a wife no money.  Trying to make the ends meet as best I could.  Then watching that little boy singing not knowing how tough it was, him just singing his heart out the joy in his voice seemed to take all of the worry away.  As I reflect now it seems he was what kind of got me through those times.  I have no idea what happened or when it happened that his role in my life or the way I look at him changed, but it did.  

It was so nice to walk today the wonderful breeze blowing as I walked, in my mind watching that little boy in that Spiderman outfit singing his heart out brought a tear of joy to my eyes I would be lying if I said anything different.  It’s funny how the most simply things, the smell of a pie, the sound of a song, can bring you to a time of your life that defined you.  We have made it out.  Him working and finally understanding that even if he is the smartest person on the planet he still needs people skills to survive.  Me living a dream, walking through paradise listening to the music of my life.  How Blessed am I?

Peace,

The Blessed Man

The Music of My Life

With things going so well now that I have moved to “American’s Friendliest Home Town”.  And my young Son seeming to try to be on his own this space has been neglected a bit.  Well as I am aging I am realizing more and more the need to stay active.  Well I have taken up waking!  I have always loved Music.  I guess I get it honest from my Father.  He was a wonderful Bass payer and enjoyed a bit of Fame in Memphis for his talents in Memphis which is a Music town second to none. So I get it honest!

The following posts will relate songs to memories as I work my way through my IPod.  I hope you enjoy the music, each song will be tagged, and the stories. 

Well here we go the Music of the Blessed Man

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Say

What did you think when you read the title of this one?  I bet it had something to do with conversation.  Either the spoken word or a rebuttal of some sort; maybe words of wisdom as a friend of mine says all the time.  But I bet never you never thought of one of the sweetest most genuine people you have ever met, did you?  Well I did.

Her name is really Aunt Sarah to all.  Yes, she is everyone “Aunt Say”.  And buddy she was hell on wheels.  She lived every day of her life to the fullest.  May we all strive to be like Say.  She laughed, said what she though, did what she wanted, and really didn’t care.  I loved her.  I can remember she was a vicious Spade player; she always wanted to play quick.  We have a friend who used to play with her often.  She nicked named her “Christmas” because she said she took so long to play her turn.  That was Say.

She was always dressed to the nines as well. Most times with the most beautiful hat.  She helped raise my adopted sister’s husband, so I got to be close to her on a lot of occasions.  She lived by herself and took care of herself.  She was a great role model for any young person.

My favorite Say story ever:

One night we were headed out to dinner with my adopted sister and her husband.  Say calls and says he needs to come by her house before we go eat she was in terrible need of his expertise.  Well we get in the car and he announces he has to go to Says before we eat.  You see Say had a little trouble sleeping and sometimes she had to use, let’s just say a medical herb to help her fall asleep.  Well this medical herb was in the form of something like tobacco, kinda.  Well it seems my adopted sister’s husband used to; well roll his own cigarettes so to speak.  And Say was in dire need of his talents to help her get this medical herb into cigarette form so to speak.  Well I don’t think I have ever laughed as hard sitting there in the parking lot of her condo watching him roll up Aunt Say medicine.  You see her medicine wasn’t the purest medicine that was available.  There was a lot of junk in it and he was complaining about the quality and how that affected the way it was rolled.  We were all just howling laughing.  Say, right there with us just screaming laughing as well.  Well needless to say the medicine finally got into the correct form and Say left us sitting there with tears running down our faces from the laughter.  I can’t remember where we ate that night, the wine we had, or anything else.  But I remember how much fun we had with Say.  I was blessed to know her.

I am hoping you have an Aunt Say in your life.  If you do, call her tell her you love her.  Tell her how much joy she brings to your life.  If you have had one, like me, then enjoy the memories and think of her often.

Well I guess all that is left to do is send up a small pray to the good lord, I need to tell him something he already knows, Aunt Say is there now and the party can really start. 

Peace,

The Blessed Man

Father's Day 2015

This has to be the biggest conundrum day for me of the year, as I’ve stated several times before….  I am surrounded by some of the best Fathers I have ever seen.  Many of them documented in these humble pages in earlier posts.  Some of them brand new Fathers others Fathers of fully grown men who have their own sons and daughters today.  Then there’s me.  A lost soul in a land of great Dad’s.

 

I think back on my Father.  A real man; a man’s man. A loving husband dedicated to his wife and family to a fault.  We never wanted for anything we needed.  Of course the key word in that sentence is needed!  He provided a safe, loving home for me and my three sisters.  He made sure my Mother was a stay at home Mom when others were out in the work place she stayed with us and made sure we were being raised to his standards.  Him, always putting us first never himself.

Now as we have celebrated another day honoring our Fathers I am again as confused as a person can be.  As I sit here, not hearing from my son today, I am not hurt or saddened.  Now I am guessing that this makes those reading this either sad or confused.  However, if you have read anything in this blog you know this would be a normal thing.  I do not think my son has the capacity to love or care for another human being especially me.  I spend all of my time trying to get him to see the ways of the world and he spends all of his time telling me how stupid I, and the world are for being like we are. 

I wonder if one day, after I’m gone he will feel like I do today.  I am missing my Dad as I do every Father’s day.  Well really every day in some way I see him think of him wish I had him to help me.  But my fear is he would have killed my son years ago!!  He didn’t play the disrespect game he earned his from all he knew.  I guess me, not so much, at least from my son.

Well I am blessed to be alive.  I am blessed to have the greatest partner a man can have on earth.  I am blessed to have the greatest friends a human being can have. I am blessed to have an extended family of friends that has a group of great Fathers in it.  So in the end as I have always said I am a Blessed Man.

If your Dad is alive, call him, hug him, tell him you love him.  And most of all tell him what he means to you and how much he has impacted your life, if he has.  These are the things I was so blessed to be able to tell my Dad before he left this life. 

Words I guess I will never earn, but I promise the world I gave my all.

Peace,

The Blessed Man