My Back Pages

My Back Pages: Memorial Day 2013 :              Thoughts On Memorial Day, 2013  Monday,  May 27 2013,  will be the 43rd Memorial day since my release from active duty in ...

             Thoughts On Memorial Day, 2013  Monday,  May 27 2013,  will be the 43rd Memorial day since my release from active duty in the Marine Corps way back in 1970.  So many things have happened since that day of hope and optimism. I've had three children by two wives, raised 5 children. I've had one failed marriage and one successful. I had a good career with Verizon. I've been through hard times and good times and back to hard times again. I've seen politicians come and go. Some good, some downright awful... none great. I've lost friends through war and disease. I saw my father, who served this country with honor, die an early death. What I have not seen, in all these years, is one day when we were not at war somewhere. Oh, I know we have not been in 43 years of declared warfare, but our troops have been somewhere for as long as I can remember. It's a sad statement on the affairs of the world, and on mankind in general. We cannot seem to just get on

My Back Pages: Fat Man : Papa John and Baby John, Father's Day, 2010 I'm Fat!  There's no other way to put it... I'm not 'A bit overweight...

Papa John and Baby John, Father's Day, 2010 I'm Fat!  There's no other way to put it... I'm not 'A bit overweight', I'm not a 'Burly Man', I'm not 'Robust'... I'm fat, overweight, sloppy....  if you can find a more disgusting word for it, then that's what I am. I look like Jaba The Hutt with clothes and legs.  I look like a small planet. I cannot stand the way I look. I disgust myself, and that is sad. If you cannot like yourself, then how can you expect others to like you or look at you in any other way then 'That little fat guy'... it's disgusting! Papa John May 21, 2013  I wasn't always like this. As a matter of fact, up until two and a half years ago, I was in decent shape, for someone with arthritis and two torn rotator cuffs and a history of back problems. I didn't take pain medication, I walked every day, I ate normal meals and drank a lot of coffee. That was my only vice... oh, wait.... I

My Back Pages: Mothers Day : Mother Your mother is the first one to take you in her loving arms and brings you to her warm breast. She cradled you when you cried, an...

Mother Your mother is the first one to take you in her loving arms and brings you to her warm breast. She cradled you when you cried, and suckled you when you were hungry. She chased away the bad dreams with a kiss and a caress, whispering reassuring words into your ear as you slowly drifted back off to sleep. When you were ill, she worried over you and nursed you back to health. When you hurt yourself, she would kiss the minor scrapes and sooth you, as she doctored the wounds. She was there to encourage you when you were in school, even though she may not have understood the work that you were doing, she would help you to learn, just by being there and telling you that you could do it. If you failed, she would dust you off and encourage you to keep trying.  As you grew taller and stronger, she cooked your meals to ensure that you continued grow straight and strong. She clothed you, and made sure that you were washed and ready to face the world. She corrected you when you needed i

My Back Pages: Break Time : Spring has finally come to the Great Northeast, in all it's glory. The days are still getting longer, the air over the ...

Spring has finally come to the Great Northeast, in all it's glory. The days are still getting longer, the air over the last couple of days has turned sultry and is filled with all the different scents of Spring. Early in the morning, I can hear the birds calling to each other and watch the squirrels as they make their way through the tree branches as they do every morning. I love this time of the year, the Spring Renewal. The trees take on a light green hue, as their leaves slowly unfold.. it's one of the most beautiful colors in all of nature. Flowers are pushing their heads towards the heavens, in search of the sun. The bees help in their pollination to help them regenerate and spread their beauty through the gardens and roadsides. There isn't a thing not to love in the days of Spring and Summer. I love the sound of the mowers on the weekends, and I miss the shouts and the laughter of the children in this neighborhood who have all grown up and left to rai