His grave marker will say Still climbing

I went to the funeral of the father of my friends this afternoon and it was lovely. All the kids (with one exception but she was just as much up on that stage in spirit as the rest of them were in reality) said something or sang something and there was a beautiful slide show.

All in all, it made me realize just how important this man was in my life. I met him when I was 13 and we'd just moved to Idaho. To say that I was bitter was an understatement. I didn't want to be here and I'm pretty sure I let it show a lot. But this man accepted me and all my baggage. I was broken and twisted inside but he and his family went a long way in untwisting and healing me. He was so patient with me. He was the first male outside of my father that I would allow to hug me. He was always going on hikes throughout the mountains that surround us and I remember thinking he was CRAZY for actually wanting to hike but he taught me how to look at God's beauty when I was out on those mountainsides.

I always respected the man even if I didn't always like him very much. I saw how he "messed up" with his kids and it haunted me for years because I saw the hurt on both sides. I truly can't put it into words how wonderful it was to see the kids get up and talk about how they FINALLY got to know their father and realize just how much he loved them and they were, in turn, able to love him. Such a gift! To know that they have let go some of the hate they had for their father is the best thing that I could have gotten out of this day.

It makes me realize just how much I love my family. We were able to learn from this man's family so that we weren't as hurt when we got into the same position as they'd been in during those early years. It's hard to learn those lessons on the back of someone else's pain, though.

I don't think I'd ever thought to thank this man for his contributions to my life so I'm doing it here. Thank you, Tim. Thank you for your help in shaping me into the person that I am today. Thank you for being there and being you. Thank you for being real when I was around, even when you had trouble being real around other people. Thank you for your insights and explanations and general knowledge. And thank you for your family because without them I would have been lost in those early teenage years.

Keep climbing, brother. Keep climbing.

His grave marker will say Still climbing

I went to the funeral of the father of my friends this afternoon and it was lovely. All the kids (with one exception but she was just as much up on that stage in spirit as the rest of them were in reality) said something or sang something and there was a beautiful slide show.

All in all, it made me realize just how important this man was in my life. I met him when I was 13 and we'd just moved to Idaho. To say that I was bitter was an understatement. I didn't want to be here and I'm pretty sure I let it show a lot. But this man accepted me and all my baggage. I was broken and twisted inside but he and his family went a long way in untwisting and healing me. He was so patient with me. He was the first male outside of my father that I would allow to hug me. He was always going on hikes throughout the mountains that surround us and I remember thinking he was CRAZY for actually wanting to hike but he taught me how to look at God's beauty when I was out on those mountainsides.

I always respected the man even if I didn't always like him very much. I saw how he "messed up" with his kids and it haunted me for years because I saw the hurt on both sides. I truly can't put it into words how wonderful it was to see the kids get up and talk about how they FINALLY got to know their father and realize just how much he loved them and they were, in turn, able to love him. Such a gift! To know that they have let go some of the hate they had for their father is the best thing that I could have gotten out of this day.

It makes me realize just how much I love my family. We were able to learn from this man's family so that we weren't as hurt when we got into the same position as they'd been in during those early years. It's hard to learn those lessons on the back of someone else's pain, though.

I don't think I'd ever thought to thank this man for his contributions to my life so I'm doing it here. Thank you, Tim. Thank you for your help in shaping me into the person that I am today. Thank you for being there and being you. Thank you for being real when I was around, even when you had trouble being real around other people. Thank you for your insights and explanations and general knowledge. And thank you for your family because without them I would have been lost in those early teenage years.

Keep climbing, brother. Keep climbing.

Lyric inspiration

I've been listening to quite a bit of 3 Doors Down lately. A couple of the songs are on the random mixed CD in my car and I put them on extended play on my iPod. Have you taken the time to really listen to their lyrics? They're kinda deep.

I'm thinking of using them as writing prompts. It's something I've been tossing around since yesterday so I haven't dug myself into a trench yet. I've got things to write this month! Things that aren't 3DD lyrics! I must continue to soldier on until the end of the month... but what about then?

It's strange how I keep saying that I write "drabbles" when I've been struggling to stay under 500 words since I came back to LJ this time around. I think I should say that I'm a ficlet writer. It sounds no more weird than a drabble. That's good though. The fact that I can't stop myself at 250 words is COOL! It means the stories in my head are getting bigger and more cohesive! That's exciting.

But I will get on with the writing I need to be doing for the moment!

Lyric inspiration

I've been listening to quite a bit of 3 Doors Down lately. A couple of the songs are on the random mixed CD in my car and I put them on extended play on my iPod. Have you taken the time to really listen to their lyrics? They're kinda deep.

I'm thinking of using them as writing prompts. It's something I've been tossing around since yesterday so I haven't dug myself into a trench yet. I've got things to write this month! Things that aren't 3DD lyrics! I must continue to soldier on until the end of the month... but what about then?

It's strange how I keep saying that I write "drabbles" when I've been struggling to stay under 500 words since I came back to LJ this time around. I think I should say that I'm a ficlet writer. It sounds no more weird than a drabble. That's good though. The fact that I can't stop myself at 250 words is COOL! It means the stories in my head are getting bigger and more cohesive! That's exciting.

But I will get on with the writing I need to be doing for the moment!

How my day went

This is how my day went... aren't you glad you know?

( This was a fun day... check it out! )

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