2021-11-27 13:40
Hero - (noun) - a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.Two Fridays ago, I jumped in my car headed to Chagrin Falls to see Jessica, Pat, Henry and Charlie. A couple… Read More
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Postcards From Midlife Blog
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2021-04-12 10:58
"Sometimes life whispers in your ear; sometimes it throws a brick at your head. It's your choice whether to listen to the whispers or wait for the bricks!"This.was.a.brick...This.was.a… Read More
2020-05-09 12:14
Those of us closest to her will call her by any one of a number of names...Mom, Gram, Grammy, Great-gram, JCLinc, You Mom, JC, Snowy, Sarge.Mom has held other titles as well: Salvation Army… Read More
2020-03-25 20:46
Today's word for the day is scaffolding defined as follows by Wikipedia: - a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, mai… Read More
2020-01-04 13:52
Early last year, we were delighted to learn that Jessica would be expecting her 2nd child. A short time later, our delight turned to concern when we learned that there were complications. Ev… Read More
2019-07-17 03:28
You can tell from the title of this post that I'm a fan of America's Got Talent. Don't judge. Contrived as it may be, there are talented folks; some with amazing and inspiring stories - that… Read More
2019-06-15 12:31
Father's Day..."a celebration of celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds and the influence of fathers in society" with its origins in the Middle Ages (ac… Read More
2018-05-23 09:51
It was on one of the two trips we took to the Cleveland Clinic for Dad’s bypass surgeries. We received notice that Dad had been moved from ICU to recovery, so we made our way the… Read More
2018-05-12 11:27
Growing up, Mom would often refer to Kath, Tim, and I as "You kids" as in, "You kids need to get ready for school!" I don't remember exactly when it happened, but one day T… Read More
2018-03-04 12:17
The first prayer for Dad happened many years ago after one of his three bypass surgeries.We were at the Cleveland Clinic about 8:00 in the evening and we were in ICU saying good-night to Dad… Read More
2018-01-31 18:18
"Bapa!!""Cooper!! Henry!! What's up, my little buddies!?""Cooper and I were talking, and we have a question for you, Bapa.""What is it?""Well, we know that it won't be long before people sta… Read More
2017-11-14 22:26
Last night…“Do you know what tomorrow is?,” she asked. My mind raced in a bit of a panic – what did I forget? Then I remembered, “It… Read More
2017-11-03 19:16
You would think I’d be used to it by now.I’ve dropped off my daughters for the first time at daycare; watched them get on the school bus for the first time; dropped them of… Read More
2017-08-11 20:01
With the news today that the Buffalo Bills have traded former first-round pick, Sammy Watkins, I needed to vent by reflecting on my history as a Buffalo Bill fan.I have two early memories th… Read More
2017-07-09 13:39
Her online dating profile intrigued me! Beyond the picture of a smiling, stunningly beautiful woman, she indicated that she was a widow. My initial thought was that she had been through an i… Read More
2017-06-21 10:08
June 21, 2012...Five years ago today, I walked out of the Wimot Cancer Center having completed my sixth and final round of chemotherapy...a present in honor of my 55th birthday. I remember… Read More
2017-05-16 01:06
An email to Erin...shared with permission...Erin,With today being the 15th anniversary of Mike’s death, I thought I would share something with you that I discovered soon after we… Read More
2017-05-10 01:28
No WordsThe calling hours began at 3:00 PM. I arrived about 3:25 and chatted briefly with a couple of RIT colleagues in the parking lot. I made my way to the line and noted the t… Read More
2017-04-16 20:46
I've driven back to Waterloo (my hometown) countless times in the last thirty-seven+ years, but only once or twice I have driven down Center Street as I did yesterday.As you come into… Read More
2017-03-11 02:18
(I wrote this back in early December, but just realized that I never posted it to my blog. My apologies to all.)I awoke on Sunday morning and knew that it was going to be a day o… Read More
2017-02-08 21:46
Random thoughts when I realized that it was five years ago this week that life threw a brick at my head!Feb. 6, 2012: Surgery for a small bowel resection - $25,000Cancer diagnosis - SURREAL!… Read More
2016-11-25 22:12
Dear Cooper (and his future siblings and cousins),We are writing you this letter on the occasion of your 1st birthday! A year ago, we welcomed you into our family and we have enjoyed w… Read More
2016-11-11 20:13
So I was going through some old computer files, and found the poem below from Christmas 2010.By way of context, it was the first year that Erin and I were married. Erin's sister-in-law… Read More
2016-04-23 12:11
Every family has them. Those stories; the ones that have been told hundreds of times...maybe more. The ones that get repeated at almost every family gathering, and not matter how many… Read More
2016-02-03 02:45
Dedicated to our father on his 80th birthday, and to the memory of our grandfathers, Milton H. Lincoln and Joseph N. Bassettbabysit - (intransitive verb): to care for children usua… Read More
2015-11-25 23:49
Once you make it out of the maze of roads in our neighborhood, you reach Fairport Rd. If you head west toward the city of Rochester, Fairport Road merges into East Avenue; a primary thorough… Read More
2015-10-16 20:33
It's been several months since my last post - since my last postcard from mid-life. The long interlude between posts is a reflection of the busy lives that we lead; propelled mainly by… Read More
2015-06-21 12:52
The horrific incident in Charleston this past week, reminds me of the first time I witnessed racism. It was 1968, so I was in middle school and we were living in Montezuma. As w… Read More
2015-06-13 01:38
It was early in the morning last August, and I had just left for work when my cell phone rang. It seemed odd that Erin was calling because I had just kissed her goodbye only a fe… Read More
2014-12-29 20:22
In many ways, this was a very typical Christmas. There were neighborhood parties leading up to Christmas, and the many stops between Christmas Eve eve and Christmas Day to visit with e… Read More
2014-11-07 21:09
In preparation for her upcoming wedding, I said to Lizzy that we needed to do something special for our father-daughter dance. It doesn't take us long to decide on a Phil Collins song… Read More
2014-10-05 19:38
Last Sunday, Erin and I looked at the weather report and decided that it would be a great day to take off early in the morning and head to Naples for the Grape Festival. Our plans incl… Read More
2014-07-17 18:20
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the memorial service for former colleague at RIT. Having contracted polio at the age of ten, Jack spent the next 65 years of his life confined to a wheelcha… Read More
2014-05-13 01:36
The following events are true....the name has been changed to protect the innocent!?!?It was a hot, humid mid-summer day in 1979, and the red Datsun B210 made its way across the state. Our p… Read More
2014-03-28 00:22
Since the dawn of mankind, we have been relying on science and our experience to solve some of the great mysteries of life. We know that the world is not flat and we have eradicated or nearl… Read More
2014-03-27 00:49
About 2:40 this afternoon, my phone chimed to indicate an incoming text message. It was from Taylor and it read:Dad, I'm having a mid-mid-life crisis. I don't know what I want to do wi… Read More
2014-03-26 04:00
The news out of Buffalo the last few days has been dismal to say the least. Even if you are not a Bills fan, you had to have been saddened by the news that Jim Kelly's cancer had returned in… Read More
2014-01-21 22:09
Dear Lizzy and Mike, Jess and Pat,I wanted to let the four of you know how happy and excited I am for you! I know the months between now and your weddings this November and next September wi… Read More
2013-12-11 03:38
This is an unusual post as it contains a back story and invites audience participation...First, the back story...It was my first day of high school...September, 1970. We had moved to W… Read More
2013-11-19 01:15
Larry Bird:"Off the floor! Off the scoreboard! Off the backboard! No rim!"Michael Jordan:"Off the expressway! Over the river!Off the billboard! Nothin' but net!"Swish! The net snaps bac… Read More
2013-10-26 14:26
Much to their delight [chagrin], Erin and all of the kids recognize that I have a slightly warped sense of humor which I am pretty sure I inherited from my father. (I still laugh OUT LOUD wh… Read More
2013-09-30 18:54
This past Saturday, I spent most of the day volunteering for the Flower City Habitat for Humanity. At about 8:45 AM, I met a small group of volunteers and the two site supervisors at t… Read More
2013-09-05 23:13
The title of this posting is shamelessly borrowed, but correctly attributed to my good friend, Joe Nairn. Joe just recently earned his doctorate from the University of Maryland, and in… Read More
2013-06-07 18:15
Sunday night, I attend the Rush-Henrietta (RH) Singers end of the year banquet. The Singers is a choral group comprise of 64 high school students selected by audition. Taylor has… Read More
2013-05-27 11:51
Last April, I wrote about one sermon that Dad delivered that I still recall vividly and has always been my favorite sermon, My Favorite Sermon has a tie to Memorial Day, so feel f… Read More
2013-04-21 22:10
I decided to go to the driving range this afternoon. It was sunny, but not warm...about 45. The wind was blowing a bit, so as I reached into my bag for my golf glove and also fou… Read More
2013-02-27 22:43
Today was my first follow-up scan since completing chemotherapy. It's been about eight months since I finished my treatments and about six months since outpatient surgery to remove the… Read More
2013-01-31 21:26
Sunday is Dad's birthday, so I thought it would be appropriate to honor him by reviewing some of the lessons he taught us. Needless to say, when someone is both your dad and your minis… Read More
2013-01-03 19:55
Here are some of the lessons that I learned over the past year. You can click on the title of each lesson to read (or re-read) the specific blog post. I hope you enjoy my blog and that… Read More
2012-12-20 16:32
It's been about about three and a half months since I heard those horrible words. It was the day after surgery, and was having difficulty urinating (feel free to insert your favorite eu… Read More
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