These Are The Things

I slept until 9:30 today. Rare. Very cool.

Five minutes after I went downstairs I got a call from my close friend Gary, who has been living in Sweden for many years with his family.

He is back in the states jump starting his life once again.

I took the call outside sitting in the brilliant, early morning, warming June sun. We laughed and talked. Our conversations are great because Gary is intelligent and wickedly witty.

Very cool.

Carol ran out to do an errand and came excitedly back and told me of some chairs on sale at a flea market kind of place. We have been looking for some cool chairs to put out on the screened in porch.

I dumped my coffee into a travel mug, we jumped into the truck, cruised to the bank and rolled back to the chairs.

Four chairs for $35.

Very cool.

Later today Carol and I are going out to buy me a new grill. She insists on doing this and I love her for it.

Very cool.

Tomorrow, on Father's Day, I will be graced with the presence of my beautiful and precious sons, Keith and Craig, with the magic and awe of Emily and Karen and, hopefully, with the wit and wisdom of my brother, who I love and respect.

And of course I will have Carol, who has been with me for almost forty years and who I love more deeply and in ways I could never have predicted way back then.

Lately I have been unhappy with how hard it is to negotiate get togethers with the family. But that unhappiness has been tinged with the bitterness of my current situation.

I cannot tell you how happy I am to know tomorrow is coming. Any doubts, any bitterness, washed away by these people named Carol, Eddie, Keith, Emily, Craig and Karen.

Very cool.

These are the things that make up a life.

I am feeling very lucky today.