Michael

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. – Joyce Brothers

Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts. – Author Unknown

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. – Jane Howard

Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family.  Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted. – Paul Pearshall

I’m in Austin, TX this weekend specifically to see my gifted niece perform in a dance recital. I’ve missed the last two or three performances and I didn’t want to miss another.

My niece is 16 and has been dancing since about the time she could walk. Dancing has been a consistent dream of hers and she clearly enjoys it. Plus she is quite good. I’m always surprised by her ability and try to imagine what she will be able to do when she is 20. I’m convinced it will be extraordinary.

I enjoy getting together with my family. We are a close group even though we live in many different cities and consequently don’t get together that often.

I do know one thing though. If I’m ever in dire need of someone to help me, I have a bunch of people that would drop what they are doing to give me hand. I would do the same.

In that, I feel blessed.

Have a great day!

Michael

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun.  Enjoy the trip. – Author Unknown

You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely. – Author Unknown

I’m sixty years of age.  That’s 16 Celsius. – George Carlin, Brain Droppings, 1997

Birthdays are good for you.  Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. – Larry Lorenzoni

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a great day. I got numerous phone calls from friends and family wishing me a Happy Birthday. It was nice to chat with everyone.

Bonus: I got some great stuff. A few of them I didn’t even know I wanted. Seriously though, I appreciate the generosity of my friends and family. It’s a good feeling.

Erica took me out to dinner. We had a really nice evening and I got to open more presents. I love the whole “giving and receiving presents” activity. Years ago, I had a friend who always wore a button on her shirt for her birthday. It said “It’s my birthday. Where are my presents?” That always made me laugh.

I never fret about age. It really doesn’t matter. It’s all about what you are thinking the majority of the time. The rest is just noise.

I appreciate my life, my family and my friends. Those are the important things.

By the way, I’m close to 10^o Celsius.

Michael

A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that “individuality” is the key to success. – Robert Orben

Your families are extremely proud of you. You can’t imagine the sense of relief they are experiencing.  This would be a most opportune time to ask for money. – Gary Bolding

I went to Houston to see my oldest nephew’s high school graduation. It was an outdoor cermony for 780 students. I’m guessing there was five times that amount of family in the stands vigorously supporting their student.

I’m glad I was able to make it. The ceremony was really nice. There were numerous rain clouds forming all around the stadium as it was a typical hot and humid summer day in Houston. I noticed the clouds formed in the distance. But as they approached the stadium, they seemed to part and pass on either side.

Nothing was going to disrupt the graduation ceremony. I found that quite inspiring. In fact, everything proceeded like clockwork.

I wish my nephew well on his next chapter. Remember, the world is your canvas.

Michael

I spent the majority of the day with my Spanish friend’s father and friends. Later we visited with her mother, grandmother and friends. It was a fantastic day. The scenery, food and conversation were quite special.

My friend’s father lives in S’agaró, Spain which is up the coast north of Barcelona about 60 miles. This is a beautiful seaside upscale resort area with stunning views of the Mediterranean. Most of the time was spent eating lunch (for over 3 hours) and talking. I was doing very little talking since I didn’t speak Catalan or Spanish. But it was fun to be involved with this close knit group of people. At one point, we had four countries represented; Spain, America, Ecuador and the U.K.

Near the end of the afternoon, my friend’s mother drove us to Vinyoles which is up in the mountains. In fact the area around Vic, Spain is a stunning valley surrounded on all sides by mountains. To the north, I could catch glimpses of the snow covered Pyrenees Mountains. They were simply stunning. I have to go back and explore this area some more.

My friend’s mother and grandmother were lovely! Her grandmother made a fantastic dinner composed of bread with oil and tomato, vegetable soup, omelet, and a very tasty dessert called A Gypsy’s Arm; some kind of cake with a crème filling. All the food was fresh and cooked on the spot. You can’t get any better than this.

I loved being able to experience the Catalan and Spanish culture at this level. I was able to see and experience how they live, eat and enjoy life.

At the end of the day I was feeling somewhat stressed because of some meetings I have on Tuesday. I was told to relax, enjoy the moment, tomorrow is tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Michael

To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter. – Euripides

Today is my daughter’s 25th birthday. It’s really amazing at how fast 25 has come. It only seems like yesterday when she was three and I was watching her play with our black cat, Connor. Time has flown by. Many things have changed and many are still the same.

As a parent, it’s been fun and difficult at the same time to watch her grow into the person she is today. Parenting is a fine balance between letting your child learn their own lessons and intervening when really needed.

I believe I’m like most parents when I question every decision I’ve ever made as a parent. You can drive yourself crazy or create a lot of guilt if you aren’t careful. I believe that I did the best I could at the time. If I’m questioning those decisions now, it’s because, hopefully, I’m wiser and more experienced. I should not be using that wisdom to make myself feel bad. That’s just plain silly.

One thing I know. My daughter knows that I’ve always been there for her and always will. Throughout all my issues and challenges I’ve had to face as a person, the one constant has been I’ve always tried to do my best for my daughter. That will continue.

So, Lindsay……I’m proud to be your dad. I’ve never felt anything different even though I may have not expressed it. Happy Birthday!!!!! It was great to spend the time with you in Yosemite.

Love you,

Dad

We got back to Sacramento late last night from Yosemite. It was quite an incredible trip. Yosemite was beautiful, spectacular and very refreshing. The weather was perfect even with a night and partial day of rain. I haven’t found a time in Yosemite that was not perfect. It’s just what the place is all about.

My daughter and I realized that it was almost exactly one year since our last trip together to Yosemite. We’ve decided to make this an annual trip. It’s a great idea.

I’ve been here over 10 times and I saw things I had never seen. I’m endlessly fascinating about that. Wildlife was abundant. We saw mule deer and coyote on multiple occasions. There were new ephemeral waterfalls to enjoy. Wildflowers were abundant.

On the way out of Yosemite, we were able to spend several tranquil hours walking through the giant sequoias in the southern part of the park. As an added bonus, we discovered an incredible waterfall off of Hwy. 41 that made is felt like we had been transported to a tropical jungle.

We are already planning our next trip.

Michael

Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space. – Ansel Adams

It’s been many months since I was able to visit California. After living there for over 13 years, I still have a quite an attachment. The geography of the state is awe inspiring. In fact, I’m here for two very important reasons. First and most importantly to see my daughter. Secondly, to spend about 5 days in Yosemite National Park.

I haven’t seen my daughter since January. It’s been too long. Both of us are quite excited about spending the week in Yosemite. We’ve been there many times and never tire of it. My daughter’s boyfriend will be there as will Erica as soon as she flies in on Monday.

I’m always changed after visiting Yosemite. There is something about this place that revitalizes me from the inside out. Sometimes it feels like packing in a year’s worth of psychotherapy in just a few days. This recharge usually lasts me for several months.

I’m very appreciative of Yosemite. It’s an example of nature at its most splendid and place very special to my heart.

Have a great day!

Michael

P.S. I will probably not have any Internet access in Yosemite so I will not be posting anything about my experiences until the weekend.

Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter.  In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express.  – Joseph Addison

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart.  – Author Unknown 

Well, it’s been a short but fun filled trip to California. Most importantly I was able to spend some time with my daughter. Even though we talk regularly, it’s been too long since we last saw each other. I’m not going to let another eight months go by without seeing her again.

Our family is small but close. A little over 10 years ago, we moved to California and started a new life. It was quite challenging to begin with. We had to get adjusted to our new home, find new friends and make our place in this big state.

There were many challenging times, but neither of us gave up. Our bond was strong enough to help us get through even the most difficult moments. We’ve also seen some incredbile sights and done some amazing things.

As I look back over the last decade I can’t find a moment that I would really want to change. We both survived her teenage years and that’s a good thing. The rest was easy.

I’m very thankful for my daughter and I look forward to sharing many more years with her.

Michael

After a nice dinner of sushi, I went with my daughter and her boyfriend to a climbing gym. I had always wanted to climb a rock wall. I put on my harness and after a brief training session by both of them, we were ready.

My daughter is good and her boyfriend is really good. This sport requires strength, agility, intelligence, patience and trust. I have a least two of the five qualities. Well, maybe I have three.

I don’t have a fear of heights. But I definitely don’t like the idea of falling down from a high place as I don’t like the sound of bones breaking. It’s just not my cup of tea. But, enough of that.

One person is the climber and the other person is the belayer, i.e. the one who will stop you from falling if you miss a hold. This is where the trust part comes in. I watched both my daughter and boyfriend climb first. My turn came very quickly as Pat seemed to climb to the top in about a minute.

I took my time and followed the expert advice I was given and made it to the top on my first climb. Pat was guiding me by climbing right next to me. The wall was about 30 feet high and I have to say that the hardest part was letting go of the holds, sitting down in my harness and allowing the belayer (my daughter) lower me to the ground.

I did one more climb after that with only ground guidance this time. It was a little bit harder, but I made it to the top. I found this one to be a little scary because the wall jutted out a few inches. A few inches that high up seems amplified. A few deep breaths helped me work through it.

Another item checked off my list of things to do. It’s been a great trip so far. Each activity I do like this increases my self-image. It’s a great feeling.

Have a great day! Oh by the way, go climb a wall. It’s a lot of fun. I’ll be doing it again real soon.

Michael

Erica and I have been in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with my family for a week now. My sister and her family left today. One aunt and uncle left on Tuesday. Another holiday season is winding down.

This time of year always seems to go by really fast. A lot of preparation goes into the few days we spend together. The anticipation builds for several weeks prior to seeing everyone. And then, all of a sudden we’re all together and then it’s over. It can feel very surreal at times.

I do enjoy catching up and reconnecting with all my family as I only get to see everybody once or twice a year. We have a special group and there is never a moment where any of us feel alone. Everyone helps when needed; no exceptions. It’s a rare gift and one of the things I’m thankful for.

We travel back to the Northeast tomorrow after a brief visit to New Orleans in the morning. I’m already feeling the shift back to a somewhat normal routine, though I don’t let that go for long anymore these days.

One thing I’ve noticed about coming down off the holiday high is that I don’t have withdrawal symptoms. I had fun. I shared special moments with my family. My cup is filled and that’s a good thing.

Hope you had a good day!

Michael