Bedhead Bob: Life and Times

Blessings  In my effort to focus on the positive in my life, I'm going to mention them here. This is in no way a complete list, as I'm certain that I will forget more than I will remember. BTW, I attribute this to my advanced age, and not my condition.  As I am writing this in the morning, I know, maybe not my most productive time. But I am awake and in the mood to write. So be prepared for my best and my worst. So let's rip the band-aid off, and get this BLOG rolling.  It's early, and my attention is drawn to the piter-pater of little feet. It's the sound I hear every morning as my dogs do their happy dance, signifying that my wife will soon be emerging from our bedroom, and the start of another day for me.  I have the love of my wife, daughter, friends and the rest of my family, and that's a great feeling. Something everyone should be greatful for. It's truly one the great gifts in life.  I survived a stroke that few people ever do.  Several years ago, I ...

In a continuing effort to document the people in my life, not just to remember the key players, after all, my memory isn't the best these days. But also to pay tribute to those that bring me joy, when this is the time in my life when I need to focus on the positive.  I told you one reason why Wednesdays were one of my favorite days, Josh. Another is Amanda.  Amanda is my social worker. Since December I have had the pleasure of getting to know this soft-spoken and caring woman, who has helped both me and my wife. She has chosen a career, suitable to her personality. You can tell that she wants to help.  I've decided to spend this week, focusing on my blessings, rather than on my trials. Yes, the topic of this week's devotional from Josh. But I have always considered myself a glass is half full kind of guy.  I have however noticed that these past nine months have resulted in an unusual number of self-pity parties.  Not any more! Going forward, I will count my bles...

Wednesday is one of my favorite days of the week. Not just because of that camel and that whole hump day thing, that was pretty funny. But it is also the day that Josh, the religious leader, stops by to spend time with me.  Josh strikes me as the type of person who would come, even if it wasn't his job to do so. And each week he reads me a devotional which always seems to be in line with something I was already writing about or thinking about. So much so, that it seemed as if he was spying on me.  As I think I told you once before, my faith means a lot to me. I pray a lot because it is my way. It helps me get through my day. It brings me peace and comfort.  I want desperately to believe my condition is part of a bigger picture, that I just don't yet realize. But I have to admit, that I'm having a hard time understanding what that could be. I however trust that it will be revealed to me when the time is right.  In the meantime, I choose to look at this time as a time ...

Obviously, Father's Day was celebrated this past weekend. Probably a lot of cookouts occurring everywhere. Good times had by all!  I took the time to create a letter to my children, a letter that expressed the true sentiment of the day. Too often we get caught up in the gift-giving aspect of the day and forget what the day is really about. What follows is my letter to my children.  Dear John, Scott, and Lydia,  I am so blessed to call you my children. Though Sunday, to me, is one of the Hallmark holidays. I must admit, that over the years, it has become one of the most important days of the year to me.  I know you boys have families of your own now, and obligations that draw on your time, but I want you to know that your mother and I, cherish the times we get to spend together.  Lydia, you are my princess and the apple of my eye. Although you are becoming a young woman, and much too fast, before my eyes. I am grateful for your maturity.  I realize that I ha...

This past weekend was busy. A few years ago, I was made aware of a sibling, that I didn't know existed. About the time that my Mom and Dad divorced, my dad had a relationship with another young woman, that resulted in the birth of a young child named Deb. She was adopted and lived a happy life in Indiana, without either one of us knowing that the other existed.  A few years ago, armed with the knowledge that she was adopted, and with the fact that she was possibly a twin. Deb set out to find her sibling. She did so by submitting her DNA, and while she didn't get the results she was expecting. She was led to my father, who she had been told had died some 20 years ago. She discovered that not only was he alive, but he had three children, a boy, me, and my two sisters. Half siblings, she wasn't aware of, and who wasn't aware of her. A little more than half a century old at that time, and we all were being made aware of the other's existence.  Deb now had identified her...

I often wonder what I am going to eat first when indeed I am able to eat " regular "food again. Will I eat a huge bowl of ice cream, smothered in caramel sauce, some of my wife's stir fry, that I miss, and have often been tempted to partake in, even though it would pose a major choking hazard.  Or will I eat my favorite food, pizza. Favorite, because it can be whatever you want it to be. Pile on the toppings of what you feel like at any given moment. I have had everything from breakfast pizza, to ham and pineapple! It is the perfect food as far as I am concerned! I happen to know it's Celias too, so I have her vote on this matter.  The truth is, it will probably depend on when I get the proverbial " green light ". And more than likely, even though there will be a first, it will be followed closely by a second, third, and fourth! In fact, I imagine that for several days I will gorge myself like an Ethiopian at a buffet. That's not a bad idea, going to a b...

 Q: What has been your motto since your stroke?  A: I would have to say, that my motto now, is consistent with what it was before my stroke: THIS TOO WILL PASS.  It's something I have lived by since I was a young man, and it applies now, more than ever. I truly believe I will find a way to make myself better. And that my condition will pass.  I have always had this internal dialog, especially when confronted with a bad situation. I tell myself that it is only temporary,. It helps me get through, really difficult situations. This Too Will Pass has been responsible for getting me through some tough times.  I was recently confronted with this motto, by my oldest son John. It seems that somewhere along the line, I must have shared this with him, and not only did he remember it, but he used it as a life lesson to his young Son Jase. It warmed my heart to know that something that has served me so well throughout my life, was not only remembered but being passed on to ...