Growing up there was one Sunday a year that my mother would let me miss church…. Wimbledon Finals. There were a lot of good memories packed into the two weeks leading up to the men’s final. Time well spent with my grandfather watching as many matches as we could. And during those two weeks at some point there would be a commentary made on the traditions of Wimbledon and Kipling’s “If” would be recited. The final camera shot of the […]
I received a few pictures from the Boys & Girls Club today. The smiles were priceless….. so much like Christian. “Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly.” ― Mother Teresa
I am late posting pictures of our celebration of Christian’s birthday. It was a great way to spend the evening with people who knew him, laughed with him, made memories with him and most of all who loved him. So…. same place; same time next year with 150 wishing lanterns and even more people to celebrate a life that is very much worth remembering. “Where there is great love there are always […]
There is not too much I can say about this guy that hasn’t already been said. This kid somewhere along the way became this guy… this man who somewhere around 18 or 19 years old became not only my son… but my friend. So today all I can say is …….. I miss my sometimes-under-duress-partner-in-crime, co-movie buff, concert buddy, c0-defender-til-the-end Eminem fan, What-are-we-going-to-do-with-Alexa’s-bad-butt commiserater (Christian’s words), midnight-calling-“because-I-just-got-off-work-and-no-one-else-is -up-to-talk-to-mom”, and all around good guy. Happy Birthday We love and miss you… […]
As a small child, probably seven or eight years old, I remember writing a prayer that I would say every night. Over the years it became rote recital of the same words and sentences, almost like listing off the beads on a rosary. At the end of my “recital” I would tack on any new thoughts or concerns that was pertinent to that particular time in my life. But the first seven or eight sentences were always the same….. the […]
I heard an interesting story today of two men. One young and following a path of hard work and promise, the other older and choosing a troubled path of poor choices and heartbreak. Two men who were completely opposite in every way but bound together by a common thread….. The younger of the two died when he was 21. Quietly, no newspaper coverage, no TV report. Not a ripple made on the town’s radar. Questionable circumstances but no questions asked, […]
A few days ago the true intent of Magnolia Son was called into question. There was a statement made that Magnolia Son was formed to overcompensate for my role as a bad parent to Christian. Initially this bothered me and made me doubt my purpose and goals for Magnolia Son. So I had a few hours of soul searching and then I remembered something that was long forgotten…… coming home one evening and fussing about a situation at work and […]
One of the first concerts Christian and I attended was Eminem with Pitbull opening. That was before anyone knew who Pitbull was. 🙂 I told Christian not to tell anyone I took him to see Eminem because I knew I would win the “Terrible Mother of the Year Award”. Of course he couldn’t keep his mouth shut so I won that award hands down but I wouldn’t trade those two days for anything. We made a quick two day trip […]
When your children are born you as a parent are the center of their world. Their existence centers around learning to call you, toddle to you and to show you how much they love you. Their goal in life is to be so adorable that you as their parent can’t resist them. Then as their senses develop and their understanding expands you take second place to their new favorite past time and “what I want to be more than anything” […]
Magnolia Son may not be a large organization but what we lack in size we make up for in heart. I would like to thank all the people who made donations today and who purchased lunch plates from us. We are so lucky to have great people as part of the Magnolia Son family who time after time support our fundraising efforts. Due to their support we are able to make a difference in more and more children’s lives. We […]