From the heart, and other mushy stuff…….

I am 78 years old.  I still consider myself to be in pretty darned good shape.  I still have most everything that I was born with, minus a gall bladder and a tooth or two.  I have some hair that is greying at the temples.  My wife says that I only have hair at my temples.  I guess she is refering to my rather large part in the middle.

I have been married to my dearest friend and wife, Ann for nearly 55 years.  It is funny that people, including me, don’t start appreciating the obvious things around them until it gets nearly too late.  We have had our ups and downs like any married couple.  Minor spats, nothing ever serious.  I have been faithful, but not to say that I haven’t had temptations placed before me.  You can’t be a wild sax player like I was, and not have a few teeny-boppers chase you around.  But nevertheless, she has stood by me and I love her more as each day goes by.

I was talking to my dearest (next to my wife) friend, Shannon, in Houston yesterday.  My conversation with her was the inspiration for this post.  I mentioned that I think everything happens for a reason.  When certain people come into your life there is a reason for it.  She is one of those people, and we met last year near the time I was hospitalized.  While in the hospital, she kept a continual on-line conversation going with me, while trying to take care of her own family of a husband and four children.  Ann and I have become great friends with her and of her family.  We are in contact with them almost daily and it has lightened our lives immensely.  I truly believe that Ann and I have been much closer since that time, as those three hospital stays opened our eyes that the years are passing.

I don’t know why I picked today, Memorial Day, to write this post.  It just happened to be fitting.  As I said everything happens for a reason.  And today, I am thankful for everything and everyone around me.  I knew what I wanted to write about, after my conversation with Shannon yesterday.  I just didn’t know how or when I was going to do it.  But wanting to write while the thoughts were fresh on my mind, I decided to get after it this morning.

So I am sorry there are no pictures today.  By the way, I am happy with being 78.  I like the sound of it, and maybe I’ll just keep it.  So far it has kept me from visiting the local senior center.  That is where all the old people hang out.

Now that I have written all of this mushy stuff, I am going to count to ten, then decide if I want to publish it.

Oh, hell, I only got to seven.  Darn right, I am going to publish it. 🙂