Many things run through my mind each week as I put the paper together. More accurately, after and before the paper is put together. As I perform the electronic task of piecing the pages together, I think entirely about where things will go; I also worry whether any stories, pictures, and cutlines I’m waiting for will fit together well with the rest of the content.
I finished reading the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia. It was good.
I enjoy short chapters. It’s easier for me to follow a major story made up of smaller parts. Short chapters accomplish this. I generally only read before bed because it makes me tired. That, and of course, I read a lot as I lay out newspaper pages.
I’m grateful both of my parents are still alive.
My mom celebrated her birthday Tuesday. “Celebrate” is an awkward word in this case because her dad, Ray Rosacker, experienced a medical emergency and nearly died. He’s still not in very good shape, but is doing much better than we expected after the initial scare.
My dad was only nine years old when he lost his father, Lester Lutgens, in 1970. Perhaps because of that, Dad and I talk sometimes about how fortunate we are to have spent so much time together while I was growing up. Hundreds of hours of “catch” with a baseball (or football, but mainly our mitts and a baseball). Many, many games of pool, and so much more.
I worry for Ray.
Growing up, I kind of had three grandpas on my mom’s side of the family. Grandma had my mom right out of high school; she and Grandpa Rodney Arnold didn’t stay together. My mom didn’t meet Rodney until she was 17 years old. They grew close after that. Grandpa Arnold passed away when I was young and I really only have one memory of him as a very young kid. I believe he collected model cars–my dad shared that little nugget with me one day.
My grandma Kathy was married to Dean Richardson for 30 years. He passed away in a car accident two years ago. I know/knew him the best. Many, many fond memories.
Grandpa Ray, on the other hand, was the father who raised my mother alongside Grandma Kathy before the two of them divorced. Ray is the one my mom regards as “Dad.”
Grandpa Ray is old fashioned and, well, he and I have never gotten very close. Mom always said he wasn’t the best with kids. Being the youngest of three, I just didn’t have many interactions with him.
We’ve all been mentally preparing for when Ray passes away because, well, he’s had multiple heart attacks and this year a cancer diagnosis which ultimately forced him to stop working. He is in his 80s.
I didn’t have a good feeling when Mom called. But I reminded her, he’s stubborn. I can’t say I was surprised when updates came that he was recovering after his helicopter ride to Rochester. Tomorrow will tell us more.
One major lesson from all of this is, spend time with those you care about while you can–while there’s quality time to be had. I’m grateful for the relationships I have with my various family members. It’s just not worth it to hang onto anger, troubles, frustrations and….and… and… The list goes on.
One day, however, life comes to an end.
Or as Deb (Bently) tells me, we leave the temporal plane and enter the eternal one.
As for me and the newspaper., we keep on rolling. The news, the stories, continue to be sent our way by many, many people. I’m grateful. It makes my job a lot simpler when so many readers go out of their way to insist, “You just have to write about this,” or “Can we get this in the paper?”
As we approach the end of 2023, I’m grateful for the successes, the challenges, and everything in between. Before then, however, we still have a couple more editions to put to bed before we say hello to 2024. I’m looking forward to Christmas. It looks like I have four different celebrations on my calendar. Again, I count myself grateful.
And to the many folks who share kind words, not only with me, but with others, thank you.
I passed along a message to Al Batt last week. “A month doesn’t go by without a reader, or three, telling me how much they enjoy your column, how it makes them laugh, or brings a smile to their face.”
Al’s response: “Your kind words make beautiful mountains.”
“Do something wild today. Look at a bird.” — Al Batt