Happy 2nd B-Day!

Dear Lincoln my little man,

I know, I know, it’s been 2 months since I last wrote to you on this blog. But you will find that doesn’t mean I haven’t wrote to you at all. As I have told you before, I have several notebooks that I write in all the time. I just haven’t gotten on the computer that much.

Life with you is much more than an adventure, it’s awesome! It’s also a learning experience. Everyday I learn more about myself and the way I look at life. At 2 years old you show more love, compassion, and joy than most adults. I have watched you put a smile on peoples faces that appear to have lost that simple joy of feeling happy.

For your 2nd birthday your momma thought it would be great to spend the day at Spicers Orchard, and boy was she right. You had a blast picking apples, pumpkin hunting, playing with other kids, and lets not forget the cider and pumpkin doughnuts.

Someday when you read these letters I can only hope and pray that you know how deeply you are loved little man.

From here to the moon I love you, Puppa

I Love My Puppy!

 

Dear Lincoln,

It’s late but I wanted to quickly post this photo of you and your “little” puppy.  You two love each other so much.  It’s amazing to watch how you interact with all animals.  You truly have a big heart when it comes to any animal you see.

I’ll write again soon, I love you Lincoln, Puppa

I am a VIKING!

Dear Lincoln,

I know, its been awhile since I last wrote you, for that I apologize.  You will soon learn that your momma and I work in retail and November and December become quite hectic and the work days longer, as well as the work week.  As long as we are talking about work, I am the manager of a well known and respected retail establishment and your momma was just promoted to management at another well known retail establishment.  I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of your momma.  She is an incredible woman as you well know.

Now I may not have found time to write, but I had found plenty of time to spend with you.  I think we can both agree that it is much more important spending time together than writing to you. Right? Right!  The next few weeks will still be a little out of whack as I prepare and complete the stores inventory, but come the end of the month we will all be back on a normal schedule.  Until then we will still find ways to sit and read, watch a little tv, play or as your momma says “mess stuff up”.  You and I do have a knack for getting in trouble, but in a good way.

I hear you starting to wake from your nap, so I’ll draw this to a close with the one thing I want you to always remember about your Puppa,

I love you little man, all the way to moon and back, Puppa

Halloween Memories

Dear Lincoln,

This year for Halloween your Momma come up with a great little monster costume for you.  You loved wearing it as much as everyone loved seeing you in it.

Halloween 2011

Last year you were only 3 weeks old at Halloween and trick or treating was out of the question, but this year you are one and you had a blast going out trick or treating.  Your Momma, Daddy, Nana and I took you to North Park where each year the campground is shut down completely for trick or treating.  No cars in or out.  In fact they are not even allowed to start a vehicle.  The police department along with the fire department  was there to make sure the night was a fun and safe one for all the little goblins.

The campers, who are there most of the year, really enjoy this special event for the kids.  A lot of the campers dress up in costumes as well as decorate their campsites for Halloween.  I have to say the night was fantastic!  It was so nice to be able to take you trick or treating without having to worry about crossing the street and watching out for cars, and the night was for little kids and not teenagers.

Your Nana and I were so glad that we got to share in this night with you.  I can’t wait to see what your Momma has in store for your costume next year.

 

As always Lincoln, I love you, Puppa

‘Make a Moment’ It’s Parents Week!

Dear Lincoln,

This week is ‘Parents Week” in the UK and the theme is ‘Make a Moment’ and I love the idea of making a moment to spend time with my daughters. These moments are precious and so quickly gone. I’ll always regret not taking more moments to enjoy looking at life through your mommas and Aunt Carlees eyes. Being a parent is the most wonderful and awesome responsibility. ‘Make a Moment’ reminds all of us, as we get older, more serious and less spontaneous, that children will be our teachers if we let them – they’ll teach us how to play, to laugh and be a child again.

With all the extra pressures modern parents face, it can be difficult to find the time that children really need. A parent being there for thier children isn’t about paying for expensive toys or day trips. It’s about the time and attention the parent gives. Whether it’s five minutes, half an hour, or longer, sharing a moment is what it’s all about – letting the child know that you love them and taking a moment to give them your full attention, whatever you’re up to at the time.  Your momma is great at spending time with you and showing you that you are loved a lot. “All the way to the moon and back”

“Evidence shows that children most value the simplest moments they spend together with their parents. Time costs nothing yet can make the most significant difference to our children’s development and overall well-being.” Professor Tanya Byron, childcare expert and FPI charity ambassador

Last week I got to spend time with your Aunt Carlee in Georgia and it was wonderful.  This week your momma and I have plans to spend Friday with you out in the country taking some fall portraits, visiting Barnes & Nobles, and lunch outside at the Ann Arbor Brewing Company.  Until then I know that your momma and you have plans of your own to enjoy each others company and ‘Make a Moment’ that will be Lenge….’wait for it’…..DARY!!

The Bishop of Oxford the Rt Revd John Pritchard has written a prayer for Parents’ Week encouraging parents to slow down and take more time with children in their care.

* Gracious God

thank you for the privilege and pleasure of children,

Thank you for what they represent for both the present and the future

and what they give us as they explore life and make their discoveries.

Help us to slow down, to pause and make a moment,

Help us to share their world and enjoy their wonder.

Help us to walk at their speed, and find that it’s your speed,

And so lead us together into life and joy,

in the company of your Son,

Jesus Christ, our Lord
Amen*

I love you little man, Puppa

The Moustache Project 2012

Dear Lincoln,

Your Moustache Bash Birthday party was a blast!  I’ll post photos soon of it but until then here are just some of the photos I did for your party.

Love you little man, Puppa

 

I’m like an onion, let’s peel back a few layers

Dear Lincoln,

Looking back at the letters I have written you I realized that I had promised to tell you about me and so far I haven’t. I intend to fix that now. Bear with me as some of the things that I will tell you now will need further expanlation but for right now let’s keep it to brief snippits.

I was born in Saginaw Michigan

I am the oldest of three boys, my middle brother is Jack and youngest is Jeff

My parents divorced when I was 17

I held several jobs during my senior year in high school to help support the family. I drove a delivery van at 4 in the morning before school for a bakery. After school I worked on a dairy farm for a few hours, then to a little corner pharmacy as a janitor and then ended my night as a dishwasher-bus boy at a family owned restaurant, home after midnight.

My family comes first!

In school I played football, basketball, baseball, track and golf.

I had severe asthma when I was young and spent way too many nights each fall-winter in the hospital in an oxygen tent. I eventually grew out of it.

I was turned down for military service due to my medical record of asthma.

I don’t like being told I can’t do something

I pray daily

I read the bible and find comfort in it’s pages

I believe that its more important to count the life in your years and not the years in your life. Like Fluffy Guy always says, “I don’t want to die tomorrow knowing I could of had cake tonight”

I love you more than anything!

Your Nana was my high school sweetheart and still is!

I had a photography studio for 20 years

I am the family photographer, the keeper of memories through a camera lens

Over the years your momma has claimed that I have become “sappy”

I don’t hide my emotions

I make sure that the people that matter know it.

It is not uncommon for me to read 6 books at one time, I enjoy reading

Every year, when asked what I want for my birthday or Christmas, everyone knows the answer… a hot cup of coffee, a good book and a warm bosom. You’ll understand later

Integrity means a lot to me, it’s not what you do when someone is watching, it’s what you do when no ones watching.

I learned the definition of being a man from my Papa and Great Great Grandpa Buck

I know that it’s harder to do whats right then what is easy. I’ll always chose whats right

I write poetry

I have been a retail manager for over 30 years

I listen to all types of music

My favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption

I have read every Harry Potter book more than once and loved them

My favorite author is Mitch Albom

I support mom and pop establishments

I was baptized Presbyterian but changed religions when I was in 6 grade to Catholic because I wanted more out of my church. At the time my church did not allow me to attend mass because they said I was too young to understand, so I started attending St George Catholic Church in Saginaw with a friend.

I attended 3rd grade catechism while I was in 6th grade so that I could become Catholic

I can’t sing but love to, and you seem to enjoy it

I played the violin, drums and guitar when I was younger

I still play the guitar

Words are important to me, always watch how you say things, words can heal as well as hurt.

I have never smoked. My mom, your Great Grandma Luna, told me when I was entering junior high that peer pressure would force me to try smoking and she understood if I did. Like I said before I don’t like being told I can’t do something, I said I wouldn’t smoke and I never have.

I believe we all have the ability to chose, so chose wisely.

I miss Smokey the Bear commercials “Only you can prevent forest fires”

My first job was being a paperboy for the Saginaw News when I was 11 years old. 7 days a week, 300 papers a day.

During the summer I pushed an ice-cream cart around the neighborhood to earn extra money. I haven’t seen an ice-cream cart in years.

I think this is a good start. I don’t want to reveal too much at one time, mystery and suspense is sometimes a good thing and you always want to leave them wanting more.

I love you little man, Puppa

“Into the Mystic”

Dear Lincoln,

Let’s talk about music today. Just like your momma and everyone else in our family, you truly love all types of music. When your momma was growing up Nana and I exposed her to all types of music, pop, rock, country, jazz, blues, gospel, classical, pretty much everything. You love to listen to music and when a song comes on that resonates in you you direct all your attention to the direction of where the music is coming from. Depending on the song you will get quiet, mellow, or start to dance, but always a smile appears on your face.

Now I can say that you do enjoy all types of music like your momma. Your momma has made sure that you hear a variety of music, but today I wanna talk about one particular song, “Into the Mystic”. I played this song the first time I rocked you to sleep. You were a little fussy, but as soon as you heard this song you quieted right down, snuggled your head into my neck and soon were fast asleep. Ever since then when I lay you down for a nap I play this song and you become very peaceful with a small smile on your face. I guess you could say this is our song. I think your drawn to this song for the same reason I am, it has a soothing, calm, medium-paced tempo.

“Into the Mystic” was written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance and is among the most popular songs doctors listen to while operating. The song was recorded during the Moondance sessions at A&R Recording Studios in New York City between September and November 1969.
The lyrics are about a spiritual quest, typical of Morrison’s work. Bass thrums like a boat in motion, and the song comes back to water as a means of magical transformation. Compared to “Yesterday” by The Beatles, It has been described as “another song where the music and the words seem to have been born together, at the same time, to make one perfectly formed, complete artistic element.“

In an interview Morrison said this about the song: “Originally I wrote it as ‘Into the Misty’. But later I thought that it had something of an ethereal feeling to it so I called it ‘Into the Mystic’. That song is kind of funny because when it came time to send the lyrics in WB Music, I couldn’t figure out what to send them. Because really the song has two sets of lyrics. For example, there’s ‘I was born before the wind’ and ‘I was borne before the wind’, and also ‘Also younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was one’ and ‘All so younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was won’ … I guess the song is just about being part of the universe.”

Here are the lyrics to the song that I have sung to you more times than I can count.

We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

And when that fog horn blows I will be coming home
And when that fog horn blows I want to hear it
I don’t have to fear it
I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
Then magnificently we will float into the mystic
And when that fog horn blows you know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows I got to hear it
I don’t have to fear it
I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will float into the mystic
Come on girl…

As always Lincoln, I love you all the way to the moon and back, Puppa

Georgia is relaxing

Dear Lincoln,

It’s a beautiful morning in Georgia. Nana and I are visiting Uncle Jesse and Aunt Carlee for a week and although it’s only been 2 days I miss you terribly. This week we will be relaxing and taking time to just enjoy life. It’s been hectic, again. It seems we can’t catch a break lately. On October 7th after your big Moustache Bash Birthday party up north at Puppa’s house on the lake, Nana and I hit a deer coming home and spent most of that night in the hospital. Although the car was totaled, Nana and I only had minor injuries, though Nana is off work for 6 weeks. Grandma Boo is still going through chemo and doing well.

I’m hoping to get back to writing while we are here. I now it’s been a while,(your momma keeps reminding me)but I have always put you and family first and have throughly enjoyed the time I have been given with you. We sure do know how to have fun together!

I have been working on a few books when I have the chance and that has taken time away from writing to you. The books are for you, one is Project 52, which is a book of photos I have taken during your first year. One photo representing each week from your birth to your first birthday. It will be printed soon and given to your momma, sshhhh she doesn’t know, don’t tell her. Another book is of Instagram photos of you and your momma. The last book is a book of remembrance of Great Grandpa Buck. that one has been tough to write but I’m almost done.

I wish I had more insightful things to say right now but my head is swimming with everything I want to tell you that I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts together. So right now I’m gonna grab another coffee, sit out on Aunt Carlee’s porch, relax, read, clear my mind, and start writing.

As I told your momma and Aunt Carlee when they were little, “I love you all the way to the moon and back”, Puppa.

Cherokee Wisdom

Dear Lincoln,

An old Cherokee was teaching his grandson about life.

‘A fight is going on inside me’, he said to the boy. ‘It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith’.

‘The same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.’

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, ‘ Which wolf will win?’.

The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘The one you feed.’

Lincoln always remember to feed your good wolf.  I love you little man, Puppa