catching up....

the thing about not writing for a long time is ...well...you get out of the habit...

so....here goes...

well...violet called me last week to tell me she and chris got married...it was something i was expecting...they've been living together for a while...and they do have a daughter ...they talked about getting married...in fact pretty much when we had lunch a few weeks ago..she and chris told me they were getting married soon...and so this came as no surprise...

i have to admit when she first called me and told me they went to the justice of the peace and just got married...at first it sort of made me sad...i mean i was happy for them...don't get me wrong...but...i think all parents want to see their children married....with a ceremony...with friends and family gathered together to celebrate the day...maybe it's that as i get older...things start to make more and more sense to me...so i took a moment to think about it...and i realized...more than anything...anything in the world...what we all want for our children is for them to be happy....maybe it's finding that someone who makes them truely happy....not happy in the way that each day is full of laughter...but happy in knowing...they are not in this alone...

so...violet and chris got married...and i'm excited for them and for the possibilities the future holds for them...


a few weeks ago...
john stewart died...
i've listened to his music for as long as i can remember....from "daydream believer" in the 60's to "gold" in the 70's....to..his recent music...
i loved listening to his voice....to his guitar playing...
a few years ago mary and i went to see him in a small theather in loveland...
it was an enjoyable show for me...but i could also see he was getting old...
still...
because of the memories i have of his music...well...it was wonderful to see his music come alive...

last week...was "ground hog day"....
i have always enjoyed ground hog day...maybe because by this time in feburary...i'm getting tired of winter...and i'm ready for spring....ready for green...
and "ground hog day" represents a symbol ....that spring can't be too far away ...if we can just hold on...
still....the thought of a rodent predicting the end or extension of winter...seems more than a little far fetched...
so i was thinking...what if you want to know whether winter will be extending in your area and you don't have a ground hog readily available...
would the same prediction work with say....a hamster?
yes i realize they produce an awful small shadow...but hey...if it's really cold outside and you are that small...you're not coming out of a warm area just to see your shadow...and if you do you'll probably freeze to death...so if the hamster didn't come out...you can probably surmise...it's still going to be winter for a while...


oh and ...
i can't say i always watch "american idol" becasue i don't....usually i watch the first 3 weeks of auditons....and then i'll check it out from time to time....just to see how good the music is....
watching it this season i realized...
"american idol" is interesting to me...because...as i've been watching it i realized...each of us has a perception of how we are viewed to the outside world...as opposed to how we think we are viewed...
i know what you might be thinking...
so...ray...do you think you see yourself as the rest of the world sees you?...
well...
the truth is...i've become comfortable with seeing myself as an older pudgy mexican man...who...laughs out loud at bad jokes....has decent hair days and some really bad hair days...and i realize that i wake up in the morning looking like a total wreck...(don't get me wrong...as you get older you celebrate being able to wake up...period)...and i realize i snore so loud sometimes that i've actually woke myself up and had to check to make sure someone wasn't trying to break in the house...
maybe that isn't how the rest of the world sees me....i mean typically...our self view is somewhat better than the real view....so...
i'm not sure i want to know how the rest of the world views me...

so anyway..
beyond how i view myself and how the world views me...
i know...
i am blessed each and every day...
and i am thankful to God each day for every blessing...


music today is....graham colton...."best days"...
it's brand new....i highly recommend it....

"it's a winding road
it's a long way home...

so don't wait for someone to tell you...
it's too late...
cuz these are the best days...
there's always something tomorrow,
so I say let's make the best of tonight....
yeah...let's make the best of tonight..
here comes the rest of our lives"