THIS Rhett Butler Will Never Die

This is my annual, typical, probably getting boring blog entry about my relationship with my dad. Dad's birthday was yesterday (October 5, 1932). He was born in Springfield, Ohio and that is where he is buried too. He died on September 7, 1969 in San Leandro, California). 36 years, 11 months and 2 days of living in this world was all the time he was allotted to figure things out with. His last couple of years, he became very quiet. Well, he was a pretty quiet man all the time that I knew him - he was not a big thinker or talker (the total flip side of how my step-father was - he was a huge talker and very extroverted. probably the greatest influence by an extrovert I ever experienced was from him.) no, my dad was very introverted. and where I was going with that thought was that the last couple of years of his life he was more quiet than usual - and I think that was because of the physical pain he must have been in. He died from lung cancer. 75% of his lungs were eaten up by the ca...

Today is the anniversary of my father's birth, October 5, 1932. He would be 76 years old if he were still alive, but get this. He died 39 years ago. I am 14 years older than he was when he died. So many things to wonder about. I miss him and I'm sad that he has not been here to live life with. When I think about the things that my son and I have been able to do together in my life, and that I didn't get to have half as much fun with my father, it makes me sad. So I guess my point in saying this is if your parents are still alive, find some way to treasure that. We all will fade from the surface of this world and it will be a surprise when it happens. Listening to Johnny Cash today in dad's memory; that is one of my strongest memories of him, his love for country music. oh, and in this photo he was 16 years old.