Happy Father's Day

After a great Father's Day lunch w/ Mom, Dad, my brother and his in laws, I uncharacteristically decided to go to the 6:00 pm mass.

Fortunately, the hymns were easy to sing, the church wasn't crowded, and the priest spoke clear English. Had a very calming effect on me.

At the end of the mass, Fr. Jim asked all the fathers to come up for a special blessing. Up they all went: 18-year-olds who barely have facial hair to hobbling black-haired old men with inch-long silver roots; they were white, black, Filipino, Indian, Mexican... they kept coming up, surrounding the altar, these fathers that we were to honor...

And I wept.

My body shook, overwhelmed by the humanity of it all -- these men who raised and loved us, made mistakes and made us strong -- walking up to be applauded and blessed. Although my dad wasn't there with me just then, the spirit of fatherhood took over me... generations past, generations to come...

How grateful I am for the fathers in my life: Dad and my brothers, grandfathers and godfathers who have left this plane, and fathers separated from and missing their children. What responsibility you've chosen to bear! May you always know how truly important, respected and loved you are.

Leaving Newark

Mom, Dad and that Adobong Manak guy.

Whew!

Have been waiting all day to hear the news about my Uncle Tim Medina -- Mom and Dad went with his wife to the hospital at 1:00 am this morning because he was unresponsive to her touch... They called me at 8:50 and 9:00 am this morning and EVERYONE who knows me knows I am VERY ASLEEP at that time of the morning so when I heard the phone ring, I assume it's not good news. But I couldn't reach them.

Uncle Tim and Auntie Li are my parents closest friends nowadays. They live about 1/4 mile from each other and have been having fun during their retirement years, gambling, travelling, playing poker. They both even played along with me to make a mini-video for my parents 45th anniversary. (Click on the photo and take a gander, they're so sweet!)

After getting a zillion busy signals, I finally reach my mom.

"It's been busy for a half an hour, Mom."

"Oh, everyone's calling because of Tim."

"So... how is he?"

"He's okay, honey. Just a mild stroke. He knows your Auntie Li's name and his sister's name, but he didn't know ours. But that's okay. He's able to get up, he's just a little confused right now. The doctor asked him how tall he was and he said 7'6" -- and of course, Auntie Li jumped in and said, "Honey, you're not a basketball player!"

Mom said they stayed with them from 1:00 to 9:00 am until some of their family could come, and when they went back to the hospital in the evening, the place was packed. Uncle Tim will be celebrating his 80th birthday this year, a few months after Mom does... lots of people are there to wish him and apparently he's going to be okay for awhile.

That's good, good news. I just didn't want to hear that another uncle had gone.

And I'm right in the middle of planning a big birthday bash for Mom's 80th on March 24... everything is just getting so "mortal" right now...

I'll write again about me and my "musical" music sometime... just feeling blue and under the weather. I've been so stressed at the amount of web work I have to do, plus music to write my head is spinning. I've got to learn how to shut it all off without eating like a horse or drinking like fish or my body is going to scream.

Happy Father's Day!

(inside)

I made these cards yesterday to send to my Dad and my two brothers... I know Dad will love it — he enjoys seeing his old pictures on display! (My brothers, on the hand DON'T.) Oh well, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to you all!

BTW, Had a nice long talk in freezing Venice the other night after a show tonight with an old "acquaintance" who's becoming a new "friend." May I just say that the fellas that are walking into my life lately -- RP, AH, PH -- are really... big-hearted, MEN. They are interesting, deep, sensitive, masculine, strong. Not that they are available to date because that SO isn't the point. In these three cases, it's just that their energy is GOOD! HEALTHY! LIFE AFFIRMING! I must be doing something pretty okay :) and I'm grateful.

Balanced testerone is a wonderful thing.