Daddies Rescue Children

 

Daddies sometimes do the most incredible things for their children. 

Military daddy

Tic Toc along

Aid volunteer rescuing a child

Dave Eubank

Daddies all over the world hold a love for their own children that no one can define. To give all you have to save a child, knowing that this is God's will and His gift to you is to be brave and feel compassion for a stranger, a sweet little girl who has lost all.

The Old Man

 

YouTube, Celtic Thunder  

The tears have all been shed now,

We've said our last good-byes
His soul's been blessed and he's laid to rest
And it's now I feel alone

He was more than just a father
A teacher my best friend
He can still be heard in the tunes we shared
When we play them on our own

I never will forget him for he made me what I am
Though he may be gone memory lingers on
And I miss him ... The old man

As a boy he'd take me walkin'
By mountain field and stream
And he showed me things not known to kings
And secret between him and me

Like the colors of the pheasant
As he rises in the dawn
And how to fish and make a wish
Beside the holly tree

I never will forget him for he made me what I am
Though he may be gone memory lingers on
And I miss him ... My Old Man
I thought he'd live forever
He seemed so big and strong
But the minutes fly and the years roll by
For a father and his son

And suddenly when it happened
There was so much left unsaid
No second chance to tell him thanks
For everything he's done

I never will forget him for he made me what I am
Though he may be gone memory lingers on

And I miss him ... The Old Man
Happy Father's Day to all.

A Real Man, a Real Woman

 

Hold my hand, daughter.

God, history, and hormones arranged how each gender performed in a family unit. Who did what? Man and Woman with their progeny struggled to survive in a sometimes harsh life. 

Man=hunt, impregnate, and kill. Woman=give birth, care for children, gather. Pretty straightforward, wouldn't you say? 

Some would say that there has been a radical turn-around. While many parts of this mixture remain solid, others shift around a bit. Given the changes in society and its needs, change in inevitability is natural.

Whether there is a dad or a mom in the home does not change a primary focus:
their family.

Mother's Day

Men walk through a mall carrying a pink diaper bag.  Women wear combat fatigues when taking their children to school. Men return from work on a motorcycle. Women take the cycle and head out. Men make quilts while women repair pipes. Men and Women both cook. Some are better than others.

Things change, things stay the same. 

 It takes a real man to feel safe in his role, whether it has changed or not.

It takes a real man to accept what he will do, what he can do.

It takes a real man to be the husband or partner to his beloved while both hold onto their family unit. 

And, it takes a real man to change a diaper. 

Happy Father's Day. Even if you are not a father or mother, be a figure for children to admire and respect.

Cromwell, the Righteous

Christies

Depending whether you are of English, Irish, or Scottish heritage, the name “Oliver Cromwell” evokes entirely disparate emotions.***

Cromwell lived between 1599 – 1658, and was an intensely religious man.  Every event in his life, Cromwell believed was ordained and dictated by God. 

After Elizabeth I died, succession was a royal mess.  James? No, how about…down to Charles I (who was captured and beheaded).  Much of it was related to two religions, two churches.  Catholic king?  Protestant king?

*** If you wish to avoid all this reading, skip on down to Monty Python's telling about Oliver Cromwell.

Parliament became a total mess as well.  

Dissolved, then “Rump Parliament” (honest to goodness, this was its title) was established, consisting of those who supported beheading Charles. It was a very nervous collection of men. 

Oliver Cromwell tired of the back and forth of politics, proceeded to walk in with sizable military force under his command. He dissolved the Parliament session for a time.

To keep this Commonwealth from crumbling, Cromwell (with his loyal military) assumed charge of ensuing chaos, suppressing any and all uprising.  

England was fairly easy to deal with, so Cromwell moved onto Ireland, where populations were heavily Catholic and were loyal to Charles 1. 

Massacre in Drogheda, Ireland, 1649

To say Cromwell dealt harshly is ridiculous.  His slaughter and subjugation of Ireland 1649-1653 resulted in near-genocide of all Catholics. Cromwell moved onto Scotland to do the same.

In Ireland, if one says “Cromwell”, responses will vary, but all vehement in some way.  It was fairly common for a big huff, a strong mucous spittle on the ground, a swear word of some sort, and perhaps other actions. This is true at this current history.

Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. His ironfisted military control kept England together by absolute oppression. 

House in Ely where he lived a life of gentry

When Cromwell's uncle died, he inherited this house, Ely, near Cambridge, England.  Cromwell and family had lived in this delightful house in Ely for a time. A tour through the house included a 

This home has been completely restored.  Each room displayed very realistic figures, props and furniture narrative of his life in Ely.

 history, life in that room.  Each room displayed very realistic figures and perfect props.

What was unusual was that it was just after Easter, and the house still had plastic eggs throughout the house. A few on his Bible and rocking chair, even some on his deathbed (not accurate). The special effect in that room was lights dimming, Cromwell shook side to side. What was awesome was that there were some Easter eggs about the room, including one on his crotch. 

It was very clear that Cromwell is revered in Ely and all over England where many bronze statues have been erected to pay homage to his accomplishments.

He died in 1658, buried with honor in Westminster Hall, until 1660, when Royalists returned to power.  Cromwell was dug up. He had been interred in Westminster Hall with great honor. A year later he was dug up, without pomp and ceremony. This was supervised General George Monck, a former supporter of Cromwell, who jumped ships.

Taking a trip to Tyburn meant one was going to watch a hanging.

After Cromwell was disinterred, he was tried posthumously for treason, beheaded, while his body was hung in chains at Tyburn, (where criminals and others guilty of treason were executed).  

Without any ceremony, he was tossed into a common grave, minus his head.  

The head?  It was placed on a 20 foot spike and displayed at Westminster Hall.

BUT a storm knocked it down, causing the head to roll away.  

A soldier found it and decided to hide it in his home chimney. For decades his head passed from hand to hand, often being displayed in carnival shows. (This cannot be made up. Well documented and everything!)

Speaks for itself.

A Dr. Wilkinson bought it and offered it to Sydney Sussex College in 1960.  Cromwell’s head was finally re-buried in a secret place on college grounds.

Cromwell lived a life of religious fervor, where he was certain that he was doing God’s work. He will never be forgotten, in one way or the other.

Religious fervor cannot be tolerated before it erupts in absolute anarchy. He did just that, as have other regimes.

Why would anyone care to learn about Cromwell?  It is an incredible story, almost unbelievable in its horror and violence.  If it were happening today in our own countries, what would we do?  If it were occurring in some other country, what would be done? 

This post has been heavily loaded in history and such.  While living in Ireland, we learned much about Cromwell.  Our son in first grade came home one afternoon furious, absolutely furious about what Cromwell and English had done to Ireland, as if it were just yesterday or maybe last week.  

***To lighten this post, please listen to this Monty Python performance about...

This was posted back in 2017. Monty Python is brilliant. 

We will be taking a train to see our babies in Chicago.  I don't know if I will answer.  BUT please make your comment here!  I won't answer, but I will read!!

Time Calls for All

 

our lead to the phone was plain, straight

For the better part of my life, we had a landline phone: 2 longs and 2 shorts were our number on a party line. 

Then, technology brought a dial desktop phone.

Our phone number was (217) 734-2076. I dialed that number for my entire adulthood.  Hi, mom!  Could you tell me the recipe for……

vintage. Etsy

Now, Mom is gone. The phone number has been deactivated, although I have tried it many times. It made me feel good even though it would never answer.

If I have a question or need directions, I must access Google.  I must also remember and connect with my passwords, all the while wrestling with Windows. It never ends.

Mom’s phone number? I will never forget it. Oh, how I miss her.

The Battle for Humanity

 

The old church was a lovely peaceful place to worship with its great acoustics: wood plank floor, white plastered walls, oak pews, and vaulted wood ceiling.

Many worshipers found peace here....

Sounds bounced around that sanctuary.  Music, whispers from the back row, giggles from teenagers, and even the crinkle of a candy wrapper were  heard by the congregants.

A young family found a spot in the third row from the altar.  Coming late made the front pews the only ones open.  The three children settled in for the sermon. The oldest girl went to sit with a friend, while the mother took the fussy baby girl to the adjoining nursery where she could hear the sermon through the intercom.

The father smiled benignly through most of the sermon before dropping off to sleep. This was not uncommon, but usually the wife gave him the elbow jab.  Not today.

That left the three-year old boy who found enjoyment with his double-jointed fingers and his imagination.  Fingers could become galloping horses or speeding race cars.  Today his fingers were alien spaceships.  They were engaged in a fierce battle.

catching some zzzz

My husband is legendary is his ability to drop off to sleep in church.

As the struggle for space domination heated up, the boy stood up to use the back ledge of the second row pew to help better stage the drama. 

Sweet Grandma House always sat there in the second row pew.  People who visited the church often commented on this saintly woman with her fluffy white hair and lovely pink hat. Bless her heart; Grandma House was blind, and nearly deaf.  She could just hear the sermon if she sat in that spot, with her hearing aid cranked up high.

Sweet little boy

The little boy situated himself directly behind her precious white head, and resumed the space battle. 

Zooommm.  Ch-ch-ch-ch!  Aaaaaa…kabooooom!  Crashhhhhh.  The fingers/spaceships faced off on either side of the white hair, pink hat planet.

The fingers/spaceships met at the pinnacle of the hat, and collided in a glorious explosion.  Kerrrr-aasshhhh!  Nooooo…ker-ploom!  P-shhhhhhh! 

The congregation held its breath, watching the battle, and waiting for the space debris to shower down on Grandma House's head.  The pastor had paused to allow the dying alien fighters some dignity.

The final notes of music filled the church just about then.  Church ended.

Dear Grandma House stood and turned around.  “What a precious family you have,” she smiled to the young couple.  “So quiet!” Then she handed the boy a car she had caught during a battle.

Smirk sounds trailed after the family.

Many glorious sounds reach to the heavens....

If you have ever been in a church where a little boy is having a space battle, let me know. I have witnessed such. 

This is a repost from September 2012. We will be visiting our son and family in Chicago.  One son is 3+ and 2nd son is 20 months.  We have never seen or held the baby, but we will enjoy space battles of their own. Their daddy was a conqueror.

He will wait.

Full-sized Newfoundland dog

 

Please enlarge these articles to read them. 

Rock Island, IL
https://triciaannemitchell.com/2015/04/19/dimick-dog-chippiannock-cemetery-rock-island/

“With eye upraised his master’s look to scan,
The joy, the solace, and the aid of man:
The rich man’s guardian and the poor man’s friend,
The only creature faithful to the end.”

 GEORGE CRABBE

1855-1872 Edinburgh

Greyfriars Bobby

All photos and information are from Travels with Tricia . 

The Hell of Middle Age

YouTube, about 6 minutes long

The real Queen's performance of Bohemian Rhapsody is legend. Having watched it months before his death, I was astounded by his voice, piano skills, and range of voice.  So when I found the ladies adapting it by adding words that changed its entire lyrics to fit their needs, I said "I hear you, sisters."

Most men will say, "wut r they sayin'"  But any man who is married or is the son of a woman of any middle years will nod their heads and say "Oh yeah, it is hell. God help me."

I would hope every man reading who knows this to be true, raise your hands.

Rami Said Malek won an Oscar for his performance. He was superb.

God Bless America

 

I wish John Wayne had lived longer. 

John Wayne was a fervent patriot. He wanted to join up for WW2, but was rejected as being too old. But, the military wanted him to act in patriotic films. He was active in helping veterans and  supporting the military.

A list of some of his military movies:  

The Flying Leathernecks (1951) ...
Operation Pacific (1951) ...
The Fighting Seabees. ...
The Green Berets (1968) ...
In Harm's Way (1965) ...
The Longest Day (1962) ...
The Flying Tigers (1942) ...
Back to Bataan (1945)

I have seen all of these once and then twice. Now that I am older and have a better understanding of that horrible war, I appreciate what he portrayed. War is hell.

John Wayne, May 26 1907-1979