I write this with a tear in my eye, as it’s the anniversary of the death of an incredible person. Jim Gosling was a college pal. We were in the Singing Hoosiers (think Glee for undergrads) together and laughed ourselves silly for three years. Our birthdays were two days apart (plus one year). My second year in Singing Hoosiers, Jim arrived, along with Vince and Mark. All so talented, full of promise; all from Elkhart. You’ve heard the term “triple…
It comes as no surprise that James was bound and determined to catch this year’s Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville. In spite of 2018’s exciting last-minute change of headliner to Alice in Chains, last year’s fest was nothing but a stick in the mud. Literally. Completely opposite of this fall, last September brought nearly non-stop rain. The festival was canceled, with the realization that slogging about in ankle-deep mud would destroy the beautiful outdoor venue. Poor James; his hopes…
Such wonderful news – John is engaged! Aubrie is delightful. She’s brimming over with kindness, brains, and a sense of humor. Plus … she tells great stories. “How was your day?” I asked her last Friday when we got together to celebrate Gary’s birthday and the engaged couple’s happy news. “Well, no one threw poop at me today, so it was a good day.” Aubrie is an Occupational Therapist. She helps people, even those who don’t want to be helped….
I miss the brudders every day. They’re all where they need to be – and want to be – at this point in their lives, and that’s how it should be. But there are more than a few sighs around here as Gary and I reminisce. One of my happiest ongoing memories is of driving each one of our three sons to school in the morning. They were born so far apart in years (in 1984, 1991, and 1999), that…
Did you know Farmer Gary went to Rose-Hulman, too? Here’s the story: During his junior year of high school (circa 1972), Gary decided to participate in College Day. That’s the annual opportunity to meet with representatives from various colleges and universities. The appointment schedules for these one-on-one meetings were taped up in the hallway. As Gary made his way from list to list, he noticed one school’s sign-up sheet was blank. So he signed up. His interview with Rose-Hulman was…
Christmas is a big deal around our house. When the boys were little, we went a bit nuts with what went under the tree. To counteract that gimme-gimme message, we always made a point of anonymously donating wrapped gifts to children in need. It was a fun family activity to pick out gifts for these boys and girls and wrap them in festive paper. When James was in Beta Club in high school, he came home one day with a…
“Mom! Come see this beautiful sunset!” With bedroom windows peering in a southwest direction, James always seemed to catch a beautiful sunset before the rest of us. He’d head outside to watch the changing colors and often grabbed a few photos at just the right moment. Other times, he slung a guitar over his shoulder and sang to the birds, deer, and the occasional groundhog as dusk settled. Mom never tires of hearing her red-haired grandson has a poet’s soul….
Happy Birthday to James – as you turn 20, that means Dad and I no longer have any teenagers. (Yes, it’s all about us.) Tom became a teen in 1997, so that means we’ve have teen(s) in the house for 22 years. Other parents don’t particularly like to hear this, but our three “brudders” were never a bother. No real “terrible twos” or teen-angst years to grit our teeth through. Just three extremely likable, reasonable, hard-working, kind, creative, and amusing…
One of my happiest moments on stage back in college was playing my soul sister, Lucy van Pelt, in “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.” The Peanuts gang is tasked with writing “a book report on Peter Rabbit” and the characters each approach the musical assignment in their own way. Lucy, of course, concentrates on the number of words required and is very, very, very careful to hit 100 on the nose. Funny thing, I remember back in second grade…
Since he was a wee lad, James’s musical preference was clear. He’s a metal head. Even before James could sit up unsupported, oldest brother Thomas would sit with him or prop him up in a bean bag chair and crank up Metallica. From the very start, the baby’s tiny head would bob to the beat. No doubt about it, he was a head-banger. As he got a bit older, James would crawl up onto the rocking chair and point at…