Monday, April 28, 2008

Favorite Joke

I have lots of "favorite" jokes. I am not exactly sure what "joke" was Dad's favorite, but I remember him telling this one (and I can remember him chuckling vividly as he said the punch line):

A guy meets a hooker in a bar. She says, “This is your lucky night. I’ve got a special game for you. I’ll do absolutely anything you want for $300, as long as you can say it in three words.” The guy replies, “Hey, why not?” He pulls his wallet out of his pocket, and one at a time, lays three one hundred-dollar bills on the bar, and says, slowly: “Paint…my…house.”

-Craig

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Once in a Lifetime

There exists snippets … etched into the fabric of time .... scripted by a power with perfect timing … that know no bounds, … to be remembered and cherished ...

While I use this quote from the “Golden Buddha” by Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgio (The Berkley Group by arrangement with Sandecker, RLLLP, 2003) without permission, I do so with great respect for both the author and the content.

These particular words speak to me. They remind me of my father – a once in a lifetime person.

The question begs to be asked. What are the once in a lifetime events we experience? We might remember our first kiss or our first true love. I don’t remember either of these. I don’t recall my first dog Butch – other than by name and breed.

I do remember snippets of my wedding day or particular vacations. I would say many are even etched and scripted.

I remember the birth of my children and the first time my father held them in the hospital. I can feel the joy dad felt when each of them was born, a granddaughter, a grandson, and three more granddaughters. Each held a special place and he talked proudly about all of their achievements.

The difficult portion of the quote is “with perfect timing.” Are these memories of events perfectly timed? I think so. I believe each of the events in our lives occur for a reason, and are perfectly timed. Whether we like it or not, we get what we need when we need it – scripted by a higher power.

Dad said he would make it to Christmas and he did – etched into the fabric of time, scripted by a power with perfect timing, to be remembered and cherished.

- Craig

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Names

When I was working on Dad’s obituary and eulogy I got to thinking about middle names. Dad’s middle name is Sanford. His twin brother’s middle name was Manford – after Grandpa Edmonds – Manford Wayne. Dad was the oldest so you might think he would have Manford as his middle name… instead he got the rhyming first name to Grandpas’ middle.

I know Dad really liked his middle name. His signature always included his middle initial. My signature includes mine as well. Alexander (defender or helper of mankind) is a long middle name. Chad (warrior's town) has the same middle name as me. Julie (youth) and I liked the name Brandon, but Brandon Edmonds seems like too many “Ns” and your tongue tends to stick to the top of your mouth when you have too many Ns and several syllables.

Amanda’s middle name is my mother-in-law’s maiden name – Dupree. I say “Do-Pray” after the French pronunciation, but everyone else says “Do-Pree.” I like both. Amanda means “lovable, worthy to be loved.” Ain't that the truth!

Sometimes people combine long first names with short middle names or vice versa. A lot of thought goes into names. Some are hand-me-downs or have family meaning. People always buy baby books to find the “true meaning” of a name. Mine means “from the Crag” – it reminds me of the title of a Sci-Fi thriller – “From the Black Lagoon”.

Many people want their names to mean “love,” “strength,” or “gift of God.” Sanford means “negotiator.” How true of my dad!

I hate it when people combine two halves of two different names. Yes they are unique, and they can sound beautiful, but they are always hard to spell. You know what I mean.

- from the Crag