Election Time

    In a few days we as Americans will be going to the polls to elect candidates for
higher office.  It is something I believe we should all take pride in doing.  It is our
right and our duty as good citizens.
     What makes me upset about the election process is the media and the politicians have split the country. It is almost impossible to find an unbiased point of view about each of the candidates.  Television channels and radio stations and periodicals have taken one side or the other in the election process. The media, in my opinion, should present the facts and nothing but the facts.  It amazes me how often I read an article or hear on the radio about a story and I only receive part of what really happened in a
certain instance. Many times I see or hear commercials how one candidate or another voted on a particular topic. Unfortunately, they don't present all the facts on why he or she voted the way they did.  For example,  a bill concerning increases or cuts in health
care spending, might have addendums to it.  Some add ons might be giving money to a
Senator's state for highway funding, or to build a new stadium.   If a candidate votes yes or no you will only hear that he or she voted for or  against the health care bill.
You never hear the full reason why.  
     Most people I know and talk to have a real concern for how things are going in our country.  There are also many who believe that their vote does not count. I believe that is wrong.  We have to let the media and the politicians know that we all want to work towards one common goal, what is best for our whole country.  We want unbiased and fair reporting of all the facts and we want our elected officials to listen to the people and strive to make this a greater nation than it already is.

Vacation

Recently I just returned from vacation.  The family and I went to Ocean City, N.J.  I have always loved going there, it is quiet and family oriented and it seemed like a very nice place to visit.  I had a nice time and really enjoyed being with my children and grand-children, but it occurred to me that going there is not what it is cracked up to be.
For starters, we paid an exhorbitant amount for a week's stay. It is inconceiveable to me that people pay , in some instances almost three times their mortgage payment.  The house we stayed in was nice, it had four bedrooms, a master bath, multiple TV's,
cable, internet, a washer and drier. The same things I have at home. There are nice restaurants, stores, a playground, and close by, the casinos.  The same things I have at home.  If you want to go to these places, you have to drive, just like at home.  The only difference I can see is Ocean City has the ocean and a beach full of sand.  I have a big yard, a deck with an awning and a pool.
People say " its the idea of getting away ".  Yes it is true, but when I sit in my yard by my pool, I am away. It is quiet and peaceful, just like the shore and I don't have to fight traffic to get there.
I guess you can say as I get older I get more cynical, I just feel that the shore has really become overpriced and it annoys me to have to finance someone's mortgage payment.  What also annoys me is having to pay to use the beach, but that's for another time.
I have been to quite a few vacation spots in my lifetime, and quite a few have been less costlier than the shore.  I guess if I still lived in the inner city I would think differently about the shore.  I told the family, next year they can come to my house and stay, we can go shopping, go out to dinner, go to the casino, relax by the pool and spend time together. We can all sleep in our own comfortable beds and relax in our own comfortable living rooms.
This blog is just my opinion, I'm sure there our lots of people who love everything about the shore.  I do believe though that we are all pressured to go to these vacation spots in order to help their economies, and things are made to appear more attractive than they really are. That however, is how our economic system works. It is after all about making a dollar, and I think the shore practices that very well.        
 
    
    

Son

     Thirty two years ago my wife and I were blessed with a son. It was the speing of 1980. May 28th to be exact. Where has the time gone. Today, he is married and the father of twin boys.  He is smart and articulate and he has a heart as big as his 6' 4" frame.
     Since I first took him to work with me, at the auto repair shop, his thirst for knowledge on how machines work was beyond anything I could ever imagine.I have watched him do things with his hands that truly amaze me. He has become proficient in any job he decides to undertake.  He has been a waiter, a chef, a construction worker, a swimming pool installer and today he is a mechanical engineer.
     How proud of him his mother and I are. He never fails to be there whenever he is
needed.  He answers the call from not only us but anyone who even knows him just a little. He is always volunteering himself to assist his friends, whether it is to help them move or to fix a plumbing job.  He can always be counted on.
     Most importantly, he is a good husband and father. He provides for his family and he places them on a pedestal.  A lot of times when we do things together, like small jobs around the house, or helping me with my computer, he talks to me like I am the son. I step back and laugh and think my dad came back from the grave. He is so much like him.
Other times he is like his Mother. Real tough on the outside, but warm and tender on the inside.
     He is everything a man could want in a son. He is kind, generous, compassionate, loving, and strong.  He is without a doubt a precious gift that was bestowed on his mother and me.  We will always be thankful for him. He is truly one of God's gifts to the world.  It is a better place because he is in it.

The Wedding

It has been a week since my daughter's wedding. It was at least a year of planning and it seemed like it was over in an instant.  I waited all my life to walk her down the aisle, and I was truly blessed to have the chance.  The wedding wasn't what I knew as a traditional
ceremony, but it was so beautiful and extravagant right down to the last detail.  I can honestly say my daughter has learned her trade very well. All the years she has worked in the wedding business has paid off. Her wedding was something out of a hollywood movie. She had everything scripted right down to the last hors d' ouevers.
The weather on the day of the wedding was beautiful. You couldn't ask for a better day. Blue skies and sunshine, low humidity and the temperature in the low seventys.
That morning I didn't have much to do, I spent the day doing small errands for my wife.
I went into the Village for lunch with my future son-in-law and my son.  When we returned, I went and sat down in the gazebo by the water fountain and small pond. It was
cool and relaxing. I took a nice nap. I spent most of my time there reminiscing about Christa and the things we did when she was young. I wouldn't say we had a "Father knows Best" relationship, but there were plenty of times when she came for my advice and of course I gave it.  Sometimes she listened and took the advice, other times she didn't. I don't ever remember telling her I told you so.
     Soon it was time to get ready and I was allowed to go into her room to see her.  I was in awe. She was beautiful. Her life from the time she was born to that very moment flashed before my eyes.  The first time I held her, I knew if I never had a dollar I would still be a rich man.  After taking some pictures it was time to walk down the aisle. I would like to tell you what I was thinking but my mind was blank. The time I had been waiting for was upon me and I was dumbfounded.  A lot of emotion started building inside of me, I thought I was going to cry. When we reached the minister and Charlie, I looked up and noticed Charlie had tears in his eyes. I knew then I couldn't start crying.
I looked at Christa and saw the gleam in her eyes. When the minister said "Who gives this woman" I didn't choke. I said I do.  I kissed her on the cheek and shook Charlie's hand, I think I said take care of her she is yours now. I turned and walked to my seat next to my wife and proceeded to watch the ceremony.  Christa and Charlie looked so happy, and they look like the perfect couple.  I know her heart belongs to someone else now but she will always be part of mine and I will always feel like a rich man when she is around.

Father of the Bride

In just a few weeks my daughter will be walking down the aisle as a new bride.  I have to admit it is a day I have been waiting for a long time.  I am not only glad for my daughter but I am excited for myself. I have always wanted to be called " Father of the Bride".  Any man who has a daughter knows what I am feeling. To be the father of the bride makes a man, for at least one day, feel very important and definitely proud.  It is different than being father of the groom.  The father of the groom is proud of his son and excited for him, but the father is put in the background and witnesses the wedding from afar.  On the day of the wedding all eyes are on the bride, as they should be, when your daughter is the bride however part of the spotlight shines on her dad.  The mother of the bride is also in the spotlight, but she has to be careful not to upstage her daughter, the bride.  It is not good for the mother to take attention away from her daughter.
     The father however can strut like a proud peacock. It is as if he had something special to do with his daughter becoming the beautiful bride.  He gets to be the "ambassador" at the wedding, walking around shaking hands, greeting guests and taking credited for all the good things happenning that day.  For most of his life, dad stays in the background
and does the normal daily things a dad is supposed to do. He watches his children grow and provides for them without much fanfare.  He is just a dad.  On the day of his daughter's wedding, he is transformed into " Father of the Bride" and it is his reward for all he did to help her turn into the sophisticated, beautiful and intelligent woman that she has become.  It is a bittersweet time when his daughter gets married. She now becomes
a wife and someone else is responsible for taking care of her, answering her questions, making sure her car gets repaired, fixing things around her house and so on.  I will always be there for my daughter, but I know I will no longer be first in her life, as it should be.
     So as this wedding day approaches, I am going to enjoy every minute, and I will be
smiling and be the proud peacock named  " The Father of the Bride".