Welcome to Small Reflections


"Nothing is ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Duck photo source: Lisa's Chaos
I hope you enjoy your visit. If you're looking for something specific, check out the links to posts by category in my sidebar and down a ways. They'll assist with tracking down different types of posts found on each of my three blogs. You might also enjoy checking out the other sites: Sacred Ruminations, Blog Rolls, Bling & Blurbs, and Happily Retired Gal.

I hope you'll look around & leave comments
then visit me at my new blog ...

Giraffe Journal

and/or website ... Labyrinth Journal
both self-hosted at WordPress
where I publish as myself
rather than under a
pseudonym.

I've not had much time for posting or blog visits, but if you're interested I hope you'll find time to check out my new blog, Giraffe Journal or my Labyrinth Journal website ... both self hosted at WordPress.

Thanks for your visit and have a delightful day ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Saturday Stuph - Remembering Dad ... Sharing Smiles ... and Happy Flag Day everybody

Scroll down for my 7th Smiley Saturday ;--)

This is my 5th...
This week's Saturday 9: Happy Father's Day Eve
Many of this week's questions relate to when we last saw, talked to or when we might next see our Dads. Since my father died of cancer in February of 1976 (when I was 30 and he 73), I thought I'd skip those ... so that leaves questions 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
I guess that makes mine Saturday 6 today!

1. How many siblings share your dad?
I'm the youngest of 3 kids ... my older brother died about a decade ago ... one month shy of his 65th birthday, so that leaves my sister and me. She's has been traveling the USA in an RV for the past few years since retiring from teaching. We connect often thanks to cell phones and we appreciate the free cell-to-cell minutes allowing for long conversations. Dad managed to find time to spend with each of us ... even when he worked LONG hours.

2. Do you gift him gifts on Father's Day?
As kids, the gifts we gave Dad were things we made ourselves because money was scarce. Once I had a job, I always bought gifts for him on Father's Day ... usually something I knew he'd love to have but never buy himself.

3. Have you ever had a tough time in your relationship with your father?
I don't remember any tough times or difficulties getting along with dad other than his 'typical fatherly concerns' about his teen-aged daughter 'dating' ... and even then he simply expressed them without being overly intrusive.

4. What was the last thing that you did with your dad?
Ah ... the last thing I did was to sit at his bedside and tell him he could die after all ... that we'd all manage somehow without him. Two & a half months earlier ...(at Thanksgiving)... he asked me to sit with him in the kitchen then proceeded to tell me how he'd lived a good life and I shouldn't 'be sad' when he died. My response was vehement! I told him to stop talking about death and reminded him that his dad lived to be 105 and I expected no less from him! (Denial WAS our family's way of dealing with 'stuph' like this ... and I learned it well from my mom). After all, I was only 30 ... much too young to lose a father to death, and he was young in heart, mind, body, & spirit! At that time he'd not yet seen a doctor but somehow knew what his symptoms meant. Interestingly, he 'hung on' long enough to give us all time to 'process' our impending loss and come to terms with it. Watching his health deteriorate over the next couple of months convinced me I'd been wrong ... and having the opportunity to apologize and thank him meant a great deal. He passed within hours of this conversation while my sister & I drove back to California, so I'm convinced he was waiting for me to come around.

5. Growing up, was your dad tough on you?
I was the proverbial 'apple of my dad's eye' and we shared a uniquely close relationship. He'd been ill and was out of work when I arrived on the scene ... and my mom let him provide 'primary care' for me while she busied herself with my older siblings and household matters. I have memories of those early years ... one of the most vivid is of him teaching me to turn a somersault on the front lawn. Later in his life I spent many an hour listening to baseball games on the radio with him while sorting through coins ... searching for the ones he needed to complete his collection.

6. Are you close to your father?
I carry dear memories with me and think of him daily ... so yes, even though it's been 33 years since that last day at his bedside in the hospital.
Click for other Saturday 9ers!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~


I'm a happy camper generally ... (being an eternal optimist seems innate for me) ... but in case you missed it, you can read all about my 'good news' in yesterday's Haiku Friday #47 entitled Anticipation.

In addition, I appreciate all those who visited and left comments last week. Pressed for time lately, I've found myself leaving 'group responses' in comments rather than individual ones ... though if your email 'comes through' I've tried to respond individually when possible. I've also tried to visit your blogs and comment there, but sometimes my computer locks up on me. I'm still confused about how Blogger handles this because I know sometimes the comments I leave on the blogs of others contains my email link (smallreflections @ gmail.com) and sometimes it's listed as something like (noreply-comment @ blogger.com). This happens with comments others leave me as well. I wish I understood how this works.

I'm saddened this morning to learn of the sudden and unexpected death of Tim Russert and the continued flooding in the Midwest ... my heart goes out to all those affected by these (and other disastrous & war-related) events and my prayers are with these families as well.

During the week I came across two upbeat links I'd like to share with all today ... Clean Jokes (that made me laugh aloud) and Amazing Creativity (leaving me wondering at the imaginative potential of the human mind). I hope you have time to check them both out because they're wonderful ;--)

If you missed any of the links in my Smiley Saturday post of last week (and have a bit of time to sit a spell) ... I hope you'll check them out today.

Happy Flag Day everyone!
Click to read Kwizgiver's excellent post with
historical information on the subject.

Thought for Today
"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." Clarence Budington Kelland

26 comments:

Hootin Anni said...

G'day dear storyteller. I'm gonna go check out those two links you've shared with us.

If I can find time, I'd like to do this meme for Dads...but knowing me I'll forget all about it. I'm having a lot of senior moments these days. LOL

And to you...have a happy smiley Saturday.

Akelamalu said...

You must miss your Dad terribly. :(

It's taken me three attempts to leave a comment your blog keeps shutting down my computer for some reason. I'm going now before it does it again! :(

Bud Weiser, WTIT said...

You are so right that you were too young to lose your dad. You did a great job on a tough subject with Sat-9. Have a good weekend!

Anonymous said...

Visiting from Saturday 9 - sounds like your dad was a very special guy and loved you very much!

Kwizgiver said...

I love reading about your dad! What wonderful memories. Thank you for visiting my blog.

:-)

petra michelle; Whose role is it anyway? said...

Hello again storyteller, Thank you
for sharing so much of yourself today. It amazes me. Serendipitously meaning, I found your blog not meaning to. Being a writer, I gravitated instantly with your blog name. Have a wonderful weekend filled with warm memories. Petra

PJ said...

Thanks for dropping by. I did check out your meme of five. I noted you hang on to "stuff/stuph" too!!!

It's great to read the good father stuph. My husband has been a wonderful father to our two boys. To me fathers day is about honoring him. :)

Cat. said...

Loved what you said about your dad--mine died when I was just barely 31 so I can certainly relate.

Thanks for stopping by to read my answers.

Maude Lynn said...

I was absolutely stunned when I heard that Tim Russert had died. He's been a Sunday morning ritual at my house for years.

Anonymous said...

New computer is always a great reason to smile :grin:

Anonymous said...

What great memories of your dad! I'm so thankful for every year that I still have mine. He's survived prostate cancer and next week he'll have the first of 2 cataract surgeries! I intend to be by his side throughout! :)

Maisie said...

Congratulations on the new laptop you have ordered. I hope it comes soon for you. That is definitely something to smile about.

Joyce said...

Dear Storyteller,

What a wonderful post about your dad. It was a brief, uplifting glimpse of your family history. Maybe you will end up publishing a memoir? Thanks so much for sharing. :)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

ShannonW said...

Such a beautiful post Storyteller. Sounds like your father was awesome.

♥.Trish.♥ Drumboys said...

great reasons to smile a new computer - congratulations

I really enjoyed the creative hands link to Joy's blog.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for joining us in Smiley Saturday again this week. :)

palmtreefanatic said...

nice answers! sorry to hear about your dad!

thanks for stopping by...

Mercedes said...

Your Dad sounds like an amazing and wonderful man! Wonderful memories~minus the loss~bless you at this time! Thanks for visiting my Saturday 9!

storyteller said...

Thanks everybody for visiting and leaving your comments. I enjoy reading them over and over (especially when I’m feeling a bit lonely) … and typically leave ‘individual responses’ here in the comments section, but I’m so far behind at the moment I’ve opted to do a ‘group’ thing. When I clear out my gmail box, if your email is available (and if time permits) I’ll drop you a line or two then.

I do hope you had time to check out some of the links and/or bookmarked them for later when time permits. I think I’ve dropped by everyone’s site. If I missed anyone I apologize and promise to do better in the future. I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new laptop and hoping it will make visiting your blogs a bit less time consuming because it will work faster and have LOTS more RAM available. I hope you’re having a delightful day!
Hugs and blessings,

Tina Coruth said...

Storyteller,

Your meme is lovely!

It was a terrible shock to learn that Tim Russert died.

Thank you for the jokes! LOL

Hugs,
Tina

Anonymous said...

I loved you answer to #4. My mom passed away when she was 68 and I was 48, and that was way too soon -- 30 is so much younger. What a great relationship you had with a special man.

storyteller said...

Tina – Thanks. I felt shocked when I heard about Tim Russet’s sudden death. He was only 58 and his was one of the few shows on TV I watched with any regularity. I’m glad you enjoyed the links to the jokes. I hope you also checked out the link to Joy’s Creative Hands post. THAT was amazing!

Barbara H – Thanks … and I totally relate because my mom died when I was 44 … and SHE was 78. I wrote about this in a previous reflective post about her around Mothers Day … on a Monday (if memory serves). I feel fortunate to have had both of my parents … though my mom & I had our share of trouble for a while … until we worked 'stuph' through.

I appreciate both of you taking time to visit and share your thoughts here and hope you’ve had a delightful day.
Hugs and blessings,

Karen said...

What a lovely post about your dad--the love shines through.

storyteller said...

Karen – Thanks. It’s interesting how these ‘memes’ and ‘prompts’ elicit information I find hard to write about in any other way. I’m always a bit surprised at what shows up on the page as I respond. Perhaps it’s time for me to consider Café Writing, Sunday Scribblings and Writer’s Island … (or not). I don’t need any ‘pressure’ at the moment especially … though I may need a ‘nudge’ or two.

Thanks for taking the time to catch up today, giving me the opportunity to revisit what I wrote and published here.
Hugs and blessings,

Sreisaat said...

Hello Storyteller - thanks for visiting my blog. Your answers are very touching, and I think you miss your Dad.

storyteller said...

ZJ – You’re quite welcome and thanks for the return visit. Yes, I do miss my dad even though he’s been gone a long time now. Hope you have a wonderful day!
Hugs and blessings,

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