Thursday, April 1, 2021

IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE

Written for my dad - born February 28, 1928 and passed March 15, 2021 - far left, who put up with this motley crew and loved them in his own certain way, with memories that could fill a piece of prose, found below.

And so the sentiments are clear; the affirmation set

Knowing what we put out there is what we will ultimately get

Recalling glimmers of visuals out of the murky haze

Holding close to heart all of our previous nights and days

Dreams of the past and future, memories of a life

“The universe is perfect – it’s great to be alive”

Coming into focus, names of yore from so far back

George Coulton, George Hutchings, Norm Zauchin, Jerry Kanack

Ricky Smith, Dick Sullivan, John Tyson, Marc Reymont

Friends and family – what more could anyone really want?

 

History: born in Detroit, father James and mother Mary

Sisters Amy and Barbara, later came the military

A reluctant student of economics, still you passed the test

Then came the unlikely insurance – it even took you out west

But first came destiny, God’s good grace, fortune and luck

All from a stapler in a drawer … it was stuck

A vacation, the same weekend, taken together

A marriage – July 31, 1954 – that would last forever

1959 Redondo, 1962 Cambay Lane – following the road traveled less

Mary Lynn, Jimmy, Kathy, Emily, Monique, Emmett, Grace and Tess

Christmas mornings – waking up to half-eaten cookies on the hearth

Lawrence Welk, Hee Haw, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart

Slurpees, Jack in the Box balloons, McDonalds, Cocos, Carrows

Skinny Buffet, Apple Appeal, Jon’s, Tijuana Tacos, Sambos

Japanese Dear Park, Santa’s Village, Mt. Wilson, Jungleland

Sea World, Knott’s Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, Wild Animal Park, Disneyland

 

All the places, every summer, in and out of traffic, where we’ve been

Familiar stories told over and over ... and over again

Meditation in the 70s, circle star one thousand and three … relax

Farmers Insurance, claims and fraud, each and every photostat

Coming home with boxes, angry at the ringing phone while “on call”

Concerned over sniper fire at the front door and protecting us all

JFK, Coast to Coast, Art Bell and mystic Dollee

Doing the picks, bags of scratch offs, the winning lottery

Prairie Home Companion, Celtic Thunder, cassette tapes, ON TV

Bowling balls, bags, leagues, tournaments and trophies

The carwash donuts, Black Panther fireworks, the “Family Pack”

Ragamuffin, Cosworth, Nicky, Rags, Fidrych, and Lucy the cat 

Dan Meade over for football, the Miracle on Manchester game

The Rams always losing to the Vikings in bad weather – so lame

 

Long drives in the car, everyone asleep but me in the back seat

The habit you had of cleaning your ears with a car key

Cooking chicken noodle soup all the way to the end

Super Bowl VII, in 1967 and 1973 the trips to Michigan

Since I was sick, you took me to a store to get sherbet and some pop

Once got me a Dodger t-shirt after collecting those Pepsi soda tops

The amazing homerun by Kirk Gibson – man, what a shock

A call from Bete, those late night metaphysical talks

Each memory – a gift from a surreal world, so sublime

Tears when Mary Lynn left home that very first time

Yes visions of the past, present and future, memories of a life

Remembering always: the universe is perfect … it’s great to be alive