I see it now

We hosted our 1880's extravaganza event this weekend. For those who don't know, it was an all-girl weekend where the ladies got to get a taste of the 'old days.' They herded cattle from the big pasture to the corral pens, roped, branded, and spent a cold night under the full moon. The camp cookies (Uncle Bill, Bobo, Linda, and myself) cooked dutch oven biscuits and gravy along with the very popular cowboy coffee in the old blue coffee pot.
I guess it takes seeing the ranch through another's eyes to give me a fresh take on our outfit.
For one thing, I have a way of doing things. I didn't really know I did, but I do. I kind of always criticized my grandpa for wanting our roundups to be done THIS way, HIS way. He always seemed to assume that if you were out there helping, you should naturally have his instincts and skills and mannerisms for handling cattle. Never mind you were 12 and mostly were interested in NOT getting kicked in the juevos by that wild eyed Charolais calf with his tongue hanging out.
But, you learn.
I had to remind myself that many of our guests were just out here trying to get to do what I sometimes consider a chore. They saw it as a privilege.
Guess what... They are right.
Good job cowgirls.

dad

Last week my dad, David had heart surgery.
I've been through illness with my grandparents before, but when it's your immediate family, well, that hits close to home.
Trina's stay in the hospital earlier this year and now this are two times I'm glad to see in the rearview mirror. It takes these moments for us to realize how weak and fragile and temporary life is. And how precious (if I can borrow Linda's word) it truly is.
You never know when your time is coming, so it's important to tell your wife "I love you." Or your grandpa or daughter or dad.
Trina, if you're reading this, I love you!
Dad, I love you!
Give your mom a hug.

The War

This week and last, I watched the PBS series by Ken Burns "The War."
I encourage everyone to see this documentary. I know its 15 hour length may be daunting, but I think it really put that great and tragic war into a new light with which many of us, especially the children of the Baby Boomers, may have never seen.
My own grandpa served in the states training black troops, deemed unfit to go overseas because of a bad back. Many of his friends from the class of 1940 at Texas A&M went to the Philippines and did not survive the Bataan death march.
Trina's grandfather served on an ammunition ship in the Pacific. Neither one talked much about the war, and I think many of the vets didn't discuss the details much to their families and those who didn't go.
14 million Americans wore their country's uniform and served in one of the branches.
Many, many did not make it home.
Average Americans were asked to ration and cut back on consumption, in contrast to today's war where we are asked to spend more.
Like today, many of the fighting men could not see the point of their orders to take an apparently insignificant Pacific island like Iwo Jima or a European town like Bastone. Why spend hundreds or thousands of lives defending or taking these places?
To some, when the German death camps were liberated, at least some of their sacrifices had meaning.
There were no direct connections made to today's conflict but the parallels are there.
Maybe in time we will see why it was necessary to invade Iraq. Maybe it will be worth it.
Over 1,000 WW 2 veterans die every day. If you know one, thank him.