This year I celebrate my thirtieth Thanksgiving. I thought it appropriate to take a trip in the way-back machine and call out thirty specific things, from recent history and the distant past, to be thankful for on this holiday.I am thankful for the doctors, nurses, and prayers that kept my heart beating on April 7, … Continue reading Thirty Years of Thanks
The Value of Friendship
I was driving to get lunch tonight and a Beatles song shuffled on my iPod that I hadn't heard before. Actually, that's not true; last year, my best friends Nikki and Brad bought me The Beatles Stereo Box Set. When I got all that music loaded onto my computer, I listened through the entire Beatles … Continue reading The Value of Friendship
As Of Late
It's been a while since I've written. I have felt the dull tendrils of grief slowly rising and wrapping around me, preparing me for an inevitable night of catharsis. Until then, it seems little things set me off and put me into sad type moods. It hasn't been anything overwhelming, just slight tugs at my … Continue reading As Of Late
Still
It's been eight months and 25 days. It's not like this is new.Why is it when I tucked myself into bed tonight, expecting sleep and having not much else on my mind, that my thoughts turn to my father, and before I know it I'm crying out to him, wishing he were here.I haven't cried … Continue reading Still
Magic Hour
Magic Hour is the term for the first and last hour of sunlight in any given day. Everything is washed in golden light and there is an ethereal quality to the atmosphere. The orange and blue transitions to darkness as your eyes move from one side of the sky to the other. It's a great … Continue reading Magic Hour
Relations
Family is important.When I was younger, we would spend the 4th of July and Christmas at my Dad's folks' place. They lived in an old converted schoolhouse about fifteen miles north of Pawhuska, OK. It sat on two acres and the only traffic that old gravel road ever saw were from few-and-far-between neighbors. Dad was … Continue reading Relations
Smiles
It's a new day.As predicted, I woke up this morning in much better spirits. Last night, I found myself in a place where I didn't want cheering up, but I did, and amidst the confusion I decided to reach out. I spent a little over an hour with my good friends Leah and Darci, having … Continue reading Smiles
Direction
It's going to be October soon. Hard to believe the year is this far along already. The weather has cooled and our highs are in the mid-to-low eighties most days. We've had some rain. Pretty soon the leaves will start to turn and summer will be a distant memory. I've had a lot of really … Continue reading Direction
Dragon*Con 2011
Boy howdy. Dragon*Con. What a whirlwind of amazing times!The group of us (Brad, Nikki, Niki, Zack, and me) left Tulsa on Wednesday night thirteen minutes ahead of schedule. We arrived in Atlanta twelve hours later at 11:00 AM, tired and ready to be out of the van. I checked into my room at the Sheraton … Continue reading Dragon*Con 2011
Bad Dreams
I have bad dreams. I don't have any recollection of pleasant dreams at any point in my life. When I was young, I rarely remembered my dreams at all. When I did, it was a nightmare or a jumbled mess of confusion. Some of the nightmares were so vivid I remember them to this day. … Continue reading Bad Dreams
Rhys' Pieces 