Category Archives: Family

Water Polo & Chickadee

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There is no connection between the two subjects of today’s post that I am aware of.  Although I do enjoy watching both.

Tuesday evening, the Falcons played their regular-season home opener.  The JV took to the water first and were beaten quite soundly in a 13 to 2 loss.  Then the varsity teams met in their match.  The Falcons were led by co-captains Briana & Eliza.

 Briana prepares to shoot one of her two goals.



Briana (our granddaughter) scored two goals and had a few assists.  Eliza was like a brick wall for most of the match.  The opposition managed to get one goal in the net.  The Falcons scored a total of nine.

Briana was showing strong leadership with her encouragement to team members and getting spectators to participate in cheers.  She was constantly on the move.  Blocking holes on defense and getting open on offense.  The two trimesters of weight lifting have paid big dividends.  Her shot is looking more and more like a bullet as the ball streaks for the goal.  She is able to make effective use of the bounce (off the water) shot.

I’ll try to get better pictures later.  I didn’t have the settings quite right.

Chickadee

The black capped chickadee is one of our favorite birds at the feeder.

Chickadee
Black capped, cheerful soul,
A bold and brassy songster,
Loves sunflower seeds.

Random Thoughts & Miscellanea

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from dribbleglass.com
Happenings

Sylvia arrived home on Friday, which was a sunny and pleasant day.  Spring arrived on Saturday, and with it falling snow and temperatures.  I am not aware of any connection between the two events.

On Friday, Crotchety announced on his blog that our son, Bryant, had correctly identified the fact that he (Crotchety) has no belly button.  Congratulations to Bryant.  I hope he enjoys his prize.

Spring is certainly here.  Robbins, gulls, starlings, grackles and even buzzards have returned to the neighborhood.  The northern goshawk has left — evidently for parts north of here.  (They don’t nest this far south.)

Water polo season is underway for Briana.  The first regular season home game is tonight.  Sylvia and I plan to be there so we can shout and go berserk for #7, who is our granddaughter.

Sunday at The Summit

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Sunday afternoon, Sylvia and I went to see our son, Bryant, and his family, Barbara and Briana. Barbara had prepared a very nice meal to celebrate Sylvia’s birthday. Briana made a chocolate pie with whipped topping. It was all very good. We always look forward to our visits with the 3 Bees.  After the evening meal, we went to their church.

Briana went on a mission trip to Mexico with a several of the kids from her youth group. The group meets Sunday evening at The Summit. That’s the name they’ve given to their meeting place. Some of the kids were going to share a bit of their experiences on the trip, and there would be video and still pictures of their 10-day trip. We arrived well ahead of the 6 PM start time.

The High-School kids led the worship service. We all enjoyed a rousing good time of upbeat music with a solid message. As you can see, the young folks all gathered at the front and we all stood for the singing. It was wonderful!

Later we all sat down and some of the young folk that went on the trip shared with us. Several of them started by saying they didn’t really want to go when the time came, but were so very happy that they did go. It was obvious that many of them had life-changing experiences during their time in Mexico.

One young lady told of troubles that she had at home and at school and how she had even come to question the very existence of God. She read from her personal journal of a conversation she had with God. She had written, “Lord, I really need to know that you are there. I need to feel your presence.” She went on to say that she had written those lines just before the earthquake struck. Another one had a similar experience on earthquake day.

The leaders also told their stories of what had happened and what they had seen. There were videos and pictures for us to see. It was a very uplifting experience.

The adult leader said that Riane McConnell (a friend of Briana) would close the meeting with a song that she had written. She sang a beautiful song about letting go and surrendering. Riane is one talented gal!

Then it was over. I looked at my watch — it had to be wrong. Could we have been there two and a half hours? It seemed like a very short hour. What a blessing we received at The Summit.

Saying Goodbye to 2009

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So this is it. The final day of the year. Do you have big plans to see in the new year tonight? Or will you go to bed at your usual time? That’s what I’m going to do, and I expect to find that the only thing that has changed while I slept is that my beard is a tiny bit longer and the date on the calendar will have changed.

This has been an eventful year. This blog launched on January 2 and a month later we were preparing for Sylvia’s two-and-a-half week trip to Honduras. I sat here evenings reading blogs and preparing my post for the next day while she attended meetings with the “away team.” And then she left.

She was kept very busy translating for the team members, sharing lessons with the children and moms of the neighborhood and, of course, plenty of hands-on for our gal.

This was taken during the final days there. You can see how this Anglo gal has a beautiful coppery tan. Fortunately, she was able to keep me (and you) updated by regular phone calls. It made it easier to tolerate her absence, but I was so happy when she returned — healthy and happy.

After that, I reported about the evening the chair I was sitting on broke. I was at the computer talking with a customer prospect, when I heard a couple of cracking sounds. After the loud crash, I found myself laying on my back. I finished the phone call from that position.

In the fall, Briana (our only grandchild) started her senior year of High School. She was honored with the other seniors on the swim team on senior night.

 

We were thrilled to be there when she was presented along with her parents, Bryant and Barbara. She was a co-captain for the third year in a row.

Proud? You better believe it! And an academic All-State student! How about that?

Before year’s end, she had been accepted for admittance to the Honors College of Grand Valley State University. She plans to pursue an advanced nursing degree. But that’s next fall.

As winter winds up, water-polo season starts up. I’m looking forward to the games. They will be filled with excitement, and I promise to share pictures and stories with you.

As the year end’s, Briana is on a mission to trip to Mexico. If we’re lucky they’ll be stories and pictures to share.

I hope you’ve had a good year, and that the new year brings you more joy than sorrow. And may you have enough. Midnight says, “Meow.”

Remembering Dad

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Dad in uniform (WWII)

Dad on his last day of work at the Post Office

It was on this day 19 years ago that my father took his last breath. That final breath marked the end of a 15-month battle with cancer. I had been at his side, day and night, for several days. As he slept peacefully on his bed, I stepped into the next room and turned on the radio to listen to the 5 PM news. It felt good to sit in the comfortable chair. I could hear the rattle of his irregular breath. As I sat there, I realized the breathing had stopped.

There would be no more fishing, hunting or camping trips. No more side-splitting jokes over a cup of coffee. That hurt. However, there would be no more chemo treatments. No radiation. No pain. No suffering.

Later, I found among his treasures a copy of the book that was my first editing project. In it I had written, “Because you read to me, I learned to love books.”

So today I remember my father and the way he loved his children, and especially the way he loved our mother.

Thinking Back ~ August 2009

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I was returning home after a picnic. Sylvia would follow shortly. I was nearly home when I took this shot of the road on which we live.


It was so green and beautiful and the air was warm. Today everything is brown and gray. Soon there will be snow.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day yesterday. My sister, Maggie, joined us for our meal which featured leg of lamb, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, and pumpkin pie with plenty of whip cream for dessert. Then we watched The Five People You Meet in Heaven on DVD.

Thinking Back ~ Life Changes

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The other day I was thinking back on the experiences Sylvia and I have had. It has been an interesting time for us and for our two sons. We’ve lived in two states and two foreign countries. Those experiences have enriched our lives. We treasure those experiences.

As I thought about these things, I turned my browser to my photo archives. There I found two photos of our older son, Bryant, that speak to some of the changes I’ve been talking about.

Suzy Q and Bryant Fall 1968

The first photo was taken while we were living in an old farm house in central Michigan. Lots of room for this lad to play outside when he got home from school. And a dog that loved him too. After Christmas of 1972, we left this area of Michigan and moved to San José, Costa Rica.

After school on a rainy afternoon in San José. What’s a guy to do?

Things were great at first. Then came the rainy season. The heavens would open the rain would pour down, the gutters along the streets would run full. A short while later, it would end. The sun would come out and the world be beautiful and the air fresh. Flowers bloomed it nice, that is unless you were a youngster who wanted to go out and play.

Family Flash Back

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The ancestoral family home is not what it used to be.

John I de Sutton was my 21st great grandfather. However, as an old German grandmother once observed, “But that was long enough ago that it doesn’t matter anymore.”  A great bit of wisdom there — grandmothers seem to be particularly gifted in the ability to share wisdom.


Last Friday, I shared a verse that I have written and a dark and brooding image of Dudle Castle. I had no particular person in mind as I composed the lines. However, the castle image brought forth the emotion that I felt.


So here is the [very] short story of an ancestor, Sir John.



Knight, Lord of Dudley Castle, co. Stafford, 1326 Sir John de Sutton, of Dudley Castle, Staffs; made over the Castle and Manor of Dudley to Hugh le Despenser by deed 19 Oct 1325, but this grant, extorted from him while in prison, was cancelled 1327 and the property was restored to him; married Margaret, daughter and heir of Roger de Somery, of Dudley Castle. [Burke’s Peerage]

I’m still seeking more of the history of this branch of the family. The old grandmother’s wisdom says it doesn’t matter. Think about it. We had two parent, four grandparents, eight great grandparents, etc. By the time you get back to our 21st great grandparents, the number is roughly 10 million. At that time the world population was about 440 million persons. In other words, you have roughly a 1 in 44 chance of being related to a specific person alive then.

No Return

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Dudley Castle — Home of my ancestors (from pentrace.net)

No Return

Ever Looking for his return,
From their tower the guard keeps watch,
Constant vigil kept through the day,
Maintained through the long dark of night.

The widow mother her vigil keeps,
While sweetheart prays that all be well
And we who wait do so in vain,
He’ll not be coming home again.

(My 21st great grandfather was John I de Sutton of Dudley Castle.)