Blog 124 – 9.25.15

I write my daily blog in advance of the publish or post date so sometimes when I write about something I saw or did yesterday it might actually have been a couple of weeks or more ago. Time is an interesting concept. Today, as I write this my morning’s post was A Tribute To Mom and Dad. In that post I mention my daughter and my son but failed to mention “the boys.” Today as I write this I just completed a piece for posting later this month called Thank Heaven For Little Girls. Just now reading again the post about Mom and Dad I realized the omission. I have the know how and capability to update the article and include “the boys” but instead I choose to write a blog just about them.

For the seven years that I was married to their mother I got to be dad to two of the finest young men I have ever known or hope to know. The fact is, even before I loved their mother, I loved those boys. I wanted very much to adopt them and give them my last name but it didn’t work out that way. So after the separation and divorce though I tried to stay as much a part of our daughter’s life as possible. I did not try as hard with the boys and consequently we did not stay as close. Later after they were both grown I did make an effort to reconnect and we are friends at least, I hope.

I love those boys and wish as every true father does that they have long and happy lives, they and my other grown son. One of the things I learned to say when making my intentions is, “I make all of these intentions for the good of the Universe, myself, and all people everywhere.” It is a disclaimer of sorts, giving God/The Universe permission to modify or just leave off the wish list what does not meet that criterion or standard. I said all that to say what I wish for my boys I pray for boys and girls everywhere – Happiness.

Boys and girls, I cannot make you happy. And I have a word for you if you are able to hear it, neither can anyone else, not your mom, your dad, your boy friend or girl friend, you husband or wife, not even you zany and humorous Uncle Bob or your sweet and gorgeous Aunt Patsy. But there is a heaven of happiness in each one of us that has always been there and will always be there. We can break open a bottle of that intoxicating brew anytime we are a mind to and there is an endless supply. This party, and life is meant to be that, is strictly BYOB or Bring You Own Bottle. I like that. It throws the old half full or half empty cup argument out the window. I’m talking about a bottomless bottle that you never have to refill and no hang overs.

You can share your happiness with another happy soul but you cannot suck it out of someone else hard as most of us have tried or others may have tried with us. You have to find true happiness in your own heart, yes, your own back yard, Dorothy. Didn’t know Dorothy was a boys name? Well, The Friends of Dorothy are mostly boys and Doroteo is Spanish as is Dorotea. They are the boy and girl names for Dorothy. I am just full of little bits of trivia, yeah, I heard you, BS too.

In another of my favorite movies, The Legends of the Fall, after Anthony Hopkins’ three sons go to Canada to join the British in the First World War against the Germans, he and his youngest son’s fiancée are eating alone in the dinning room and hear the help laughing with their young daughter as they take their meal together in the kitchen. Picking up his glass and plate, he says, “Let’s join them.” The happy diners make room for their unexpected guests and the hired man raises his glass and says, “To you Miss and to you Sir” and his wife raises her glass and says, “And to the boys.” Anthony Hopkins in his wonderful voice repeats that phrase and they clink glasses. I raise my glass as well, “To the boys.”

Your friend and fellow traveler, one of the boys,
David White