Why did you marry Grandpa?

 

 ..or maybe it should read, "Another reason why I married my husband".

(Reference note: Grandma, why did you marry Grandpa?
AND   Sunshine and the Solar System)

I was sitting here, content to check out blogs and make comments.

John had taken the telescope out to back yard (there was no yard, just a pool which was seldom used after our progeny left).  He came running in, "Quick.  You gotta see this!  Jupiter's moons are lined up, and you can even see..."

I told him, "Just a minute, okay?"

"No, you gotta come now.  These things move out of focus really fast!"

Jupiter with its moons

So we ran out back, and he refocused the telescope.

There shone Jupiter with striations of orange and brown, with three of its moons in a line, and one shy moon snuggled in just beneath Jupiter.

Jupiter moving closer to Venus, with the Moon looking on

Awe struck.  That's what it  was.  Then I looked at John; his face was lit up like a child sharing a special toy with a special person.

And that's another reason why I married my husband.

 This is a re-post of April 2012. 

Who Is in Charge?

I am.

Who's in charge here? I have heard that question in so many voices, situations. 

Sometimes I am in charge, good or bad. I gladly ceded that responsibility now that I am retired. For twenty years and six-hundred students, I was in charge. 

Parents, we were/are in charge. For feeding, clothing, and all sorts responsibilities for our children, we were/are in charge.

Paying bills, having the oil changed, finding lost items, etc.--we adults: we're in  charge.

Given all that, some of the most amazing I'm in charge here people are children. They have no power, no reason to believe that they are in charge. 


Even though you and I know that a child should not be in charge in critical areas,  they are in the sweetest and most amazing ways.

(The longest video is the last one. The others are less than a minute )

A three-year old taking charge here, maybe

Expressing himself to one he loves

Helping mommy 

Who in charge here?  Both.

There are many elements in all lives when exasperation leads to a  real question:  Who is in charge of me?

He is.

Measure of a Man

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 walking 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 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.