Important Birthdays--My Son's & Elvis'

      Yesterday was Elvis Presley's birthday. Today is my son's 34th birthday.
      So close that the family celebrates both birthdays for various funny reasons.

1) My mother "luved" Elvis and anything about him. So when Justin was born she was disappointed that, "My grandson couldn't have been born on Elvis' birthday. We'll just celebrate it a day early." So we did. He always got his presents and a party a day early when he was a kid. He probably thought that the radio stations and tv shows ran marathons of Elvis music, movies and documentaries just for celebration of his birth date.
      That is, until former President Richard M. Nixon died in 1994. The family was shocked that Jan. 9th was his and Justin's birth date. It took some of the glow off the day for our 15-year-old.

2) We continued on celebrating more Justin's real day than Elvis' or Nixon's, especially since Mom died in 1996. She had collected so much Elvis stuff, and I gathered a few items to keep as memories. She had owned three of his original Sun label 45 rpm records, but my younger brother had already stolen them and sold them sometime before 1977 when Elvis died. But she had 8 Track recordings and even a portable 8 track player; that was the only big item, even though she had taken my daughter to Graceland one summer. As far as I know the pictures, other paper items and mementoes were taken by her sisters, friends or the evil 2nd wife that my dad married later.

3) As Justin grew older, he moved away from sharing the Elvis birthday idea, until he moved to Seattle. There he met, fell in love and married a young woman who "luvs" Elvis and thinks my son looks so much like the young rock star. Justin began growing out his hair and sideburns during the first year of marriage. At Halloween they sent photos of him looking amazingly like a young Elvis Presley come alive again.

The collection and attraction of Elvis materials has grown some-what overpowering to my son, but my daughter-in-law still keeps collecting and celebrating Elvis' and Justin's birthdays, Jan. 8 and 9.
And they are not the only ones.
If you do, or know someone who does, give me a contact and let me know about it. Thanks.

Wisdom for Growing Old

Going through my writing files I found this great essay about "Growing Older." I enjoyed it years ago when I first received it, but I checked the author’s identity. Good thing I did.

    Regina Brett is not 90 years old, and she wrote 50 lessons in her original article in 2006 because she had just turned 50. I’m resubmitting 45 Lessons words of wisdom.

Regina Brett, 56 years old writer for The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, Ohio, wrote this in 2006 when she turned 50,

 "To celebrate growing older, I wrote these 50 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. "

1) Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2) When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3) Life is too short to waste time hating any one.

4) Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5) Pay off your credit cards every month.

6) You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7). Cry with someone. It is more healing that crying alone.

8) It is OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9) Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10) Love your parents because they will be gone before you know it.

11) Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12) It is OK to let your children see you cry.

13) Don't compare your life to others'. . . You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14) If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15) Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16) Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17) Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18) Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19) It is never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20) When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21) Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22) Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23) Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24) The most important sex organ is the brain.

25) No one is in charge of your happiness, but you.

26) Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27) Always choose life.

28) Forgive everyone everything.

29) What other people think of you is none of your business.

30) Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31) However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your Friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

33) Believe in miracles.

34) God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35) Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36) Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37) Your children get only one childhood.

38) All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39) Get outside every dy. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40) If we threw all our problems in a pile and say everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42) The best is yet to come.

43) No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44) Yield.

45) Life isn't tied with a bow, but it is still a gift.

I'm late for a meeting, so I will edit and resubmit the entire 50 later today.

Wherever you go, There you are.

        Back home after spending the month of December in Texas, I found this quote by Mary Englebrite that always makes me smile, and think.
        2012 was a different kind of Christmas; good, but unique. Then I remembered--each of our Christmases was not the same.
        Sure we had similar traditions: being with family, the decorated tree, opening presents on Christmas Eve (that's a whole other story), special moments that made that year unforgettable. But this year we were not at our house, not in our familiar surroundings creating traditions with half of our kids and grandchildren.
       Yet, like everything else in life--Christmas happened--Life goes on.
       "Wherever you go, there you are."
                                                            ##

 

New Year; New thoughts

Twas the eve before New Year's Eve.
A Sunday night to be exact.
No school, no job to be at tomorrow.
But football games on tv was my sound track.

We end one year with a shudder.
We start another with hope to be better.
I sit at my blog and wonder
what will happened

Morgan Freeman's complete statement

MORGAN FREEMAN ON THE SHOOTINGS YESTERDAY: Tell us what YOU think.....

"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.

It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater

 shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations , sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem."

Senseless Shooting leaves us wondering

    Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 –who is to blame for the senseless shooting of 20 children and 8 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut?   It is not a matter of blame, it is a matter of grieving and letting the families cope with their life-changing  event.

     Yes, we should stop ranting about the politics of gun control, and look at the problem from another angle.

Today’s shooter was 20 years old, and mental problems.

NFL player shot girlfriend and himself. Was it mental or emotional issues?

Colorado Batman theatre shooter was 20s year old and had mental problems.

Arizona Senator Gabby Giffords shooter was 22 years old and had mental problems.

Virginia Tech Shooter was 23 years old. Did he have mental issues?

Ft. Hood shooter was in late 30s. Did he have mental or political issues?

Columbine shooters were teenagers. Did they have mental or emotional issues?

The list goes on, and each time society wants someone or something to blame it on.

None of them were licensed game hunters, one was in the military trained by our own government, so why do we keep pressing for stronger gun laws when the shooters are not following laws any way.

The day after I wrote this, actor Morgan Freeman posted a similar opinion on Face Book. He is more articulate, but the meaning was the same: Stop blaming the guns, look at the mental health of the shooters and the media coverage.

I say look at the political response as well.

We are all hurting from these events. We want to help ease the pain, but we are angry and want to lash out and stop future tragedy. So the officials proclaim, “More gun control!” “More safety procedures!”

Why doesn’t society quit blaming and posturing for the media, and start educating people about sensible gun control.

Dec. 7th-- Pearl Harbor Day

Did the Media forget today is Dec. 7th?
The only reminder of today's infamous history I have seen was on FACE BOOK.
So what is the lack of rememberance?
Yes, I know it was 71 years ago today that Americans came into WWII because of the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. It was "a day that will live in infinity." It changed the world for all.

Unfortunately, there are a growing number of unforgettable days in our world history:
9-11-01, Columbine, Oklahoma City Bombing, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, and so on.