Category Archives: Celebration

One of my best birthdays ever

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Yesterday I passed a milestone that my father, his father, or few males on that side of my family have reached in several  generations. The male average age at passing has been 54. I reached the big 7-0, and I’m just proud to be around. But once a person passes ‘a certain age,’ birthdays cease to be about presents and begin to be thinking about friendship and longevity. Much of my day yesterday was expended personally answering all 145 birthday wishes. from my fantastic family and friends on Facebook and Messenger, taking phone calls from my lovely daughters, enjoying my cards, and being taken out to a great steak dinner by my wonderful Rhonda, who also baked me a cake, which went down scrumptiously with rich cookies and cream ice cream.

I share my birthday with some pretty terrific folks including Davy Crockett, Mae West and Sean Penn. But at the beginning of the day I had received a super surprize when my oldest daughter informed me that my latest great grandchild had been born on this birthday! He’s a boy named Milo, and he’s in Texas! What more could I ask for. It’s for sure that I will always know how old he is, and know when to wish him the best birthday ever!

Father’s Day and Bonnaroo

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Yesterday was one of my favorite days…being a proud father, and all. I got taken out to lunch and given a beautiful card by my lovely wife; I received five phone calls, one text and two facebook messages from family and a number of ‘Happy Father’s Day’ wishes from friends.

My oldest son, who lives in Colorado, talked to me at length and told me about his adventuresome day of ‘firsts’. He went mountain bike riding, went to see a 3-D movie, and saw the new Corvette Stingrays, Of course he heard from his kids, too.

This morning, just down the road from here, tens of thousands are exiting Bonnaroo.  This year it featured such entertainers an Lionel Richie, Elton John and Kanye  West, who brought along his new bride, Kim Kardashian. Our local newspaper had an article with the heading Kanye West brings sharp tongue to Bonnaroo. I don’t know about that, because I was too busy doing family things and stuff that I felt counted for something.

Now another week of doing what I love: making sure that the public has the best possible new books to read and study. For more ‘good stuff’ see http://stclairpublications.com.   

Feliz Navidad

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On this holy day in Christianity I arose early. Not because I was anticipating opening presents, but because I was wide awake and couldn’t go back to sleep. First, I want to wish my readers a very happy and blessed day. The reason for the celebration is remembering the birth of the Christ Child who came over 2,000 years ago–not on December 25– but that doesn’t matter. The remembrance is what counts.

Over the past two weeks, like millions of other people, I have had a mixture of emotions. While still reeling from the senseless slaughter of innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, December 14, we were hit with the lingering illness of our precious little Pomeranian, Stardust, the dog which had been our special joy over the past 16 years plus, and her passing away on Tuesday, a week ago today. At first this was so stunning a blow that I could hardly communicate with others. And I shall always miss her. But we were blessed to have her. When placing this beside the loss of the parents and family members of the victims of Sandy Hook, I realize that it is paled in comparison. May God comfort them and give them tranquility of soul.

Today represents love and hope. The birth of the Prince of Peace. May his love give all a brighter tomorrow. Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, God Jul and may all receive His peace.

Scottish Highland Games at Stone Mountain this weekend

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For the past ten years I have been an officer with Clan Sinclair. We who take pride in our Scottish Heritage are likely to have such items as kilts for the men complete with kilt hose and sporans, and perhaps short coats and the like. The women don clan tartan dresses, and there are special pins for each clan. A lot of us belong to Scottish Societies and attend annual Robie Burns dinners.

Across America and in Scotland each year Highland Games and Festivals are held in which we man tents and eat traditional dishes like haggis. They not only have games like caber toss, stone put, and weight and hammer throw, they have sheep dog shows and Highland dancing and lots of bagpipes.

This weekend our clan and its chief are being honored at Stone Mountain, GA. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, come out and join us!

 

2012 Summer Olympics are history

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The Olympic summer games have once again come and gone, to become a part of our collective world history. I am proud to be an American. Our superior athletes walked away victors, winning more metals than anoly other country with the following: 46 Gold, 29 Silver, 29 Bronze and 104 total. China took 88 in all for second. But now we are left with some fond memories, and our great athletes have experienced the time of their lives. Rather than mention a few by name, I will just express my thanks to each, whether or not they came home with metals. They are all heros to me. God bless them, and God bless America!

 

Celebrating 103 years

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Today is the 103rd anniversary of my mother’s birth in Ducktown, Tennessee. In her lifetime she got around a bit. She grew up in Wyoming and Montana in the days of homesteds and Native Americans settling in the reservations around her. Then after obtaining a Normal Training certificate to teach school, she began in one-room schoolhouses, teaching in Wyoming, and Arkansas before going into Adult Education and graduating from Business College in Georgia in order to teach women how to earn a living while their husbands and fiances were away in WW II. She ended up in Who’s Who in North Carolina Education before marrying my dad in 1945. After that she even stayed with family members and did some tutoring. She also lived in Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, and North Carolina and traveled to many locales, plus going to Haiti on a mission trip. She was a dedicated teacher, wife, mother and Christian. She left this world in 2000 as she was nearing the age of 91. She set a high standard, I still love and miss her.