////////////THE DAY I LOST IT?>?>?>?>

It was a nice day. The sun was shining, my son was getting married, all was well with the world. I just got back from the hair salon after getting my hair styled ( never before, never again) and the out of town guests were arriving. My cousin and her husband were staying with us. My brother-in-law was stopping at our house after work to change. We were late so I told him to leave through the garage and close the electric garage door with the button. The wedding went off beautifully, I found out later that a pair of butterflies were trying to nestle in my coiffed hair. After the dinner and dancing my cousin and her husband wanted to head back to our house so I gave them the garage opener. As we were saying goodbye to the last of the drunks my brother-in-law came to me and told me that he locked the entry door between the garage and house for security. Oh No, there isn't a key for that lock and I had meant to change the door knob. Aarghh that was the second time he had locked us out of our house. We jumped in the car and rushed home to let my cousins in. As we approached the house I realized that I had left the house keys inside so as not to bulge my pockets. Now I'm getting mad. I picked up an ax and proceeded to smash the doorknob to smithereens to the horror of my cousins. Just then, of course, my daughter showed up with the house keys and let everyone in the front door leaving me standing with an ax, broken knob and red face. That was 8 years ago and I just recently allowed my bro-in-law back in our house, under watchful eye.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoLOVExoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The other day my daughter and I were talking about her car. I didn't think she needed it since she takes the train to work and plans on moving to downtown Chicago where mass trans handles your travelling around. She said, "But I LOVE my car". I told her I never remember loving any car. Well in a fit of confrontation she stated that I don't love anything. I started to think about that and questioned just what is love. According to Wikipedia (disambiguation) or Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection[1] and attachment.
My heritage is Swedish and I believe there is something to the theory that Nordics have a more distant approach to relationships. I, of course, have a strong affection for my wife and children.
Wikipedia goes on to say that the word Love is not a single feeling but an emotion built from two or more feelings. Anything vital to us creates more than one feeling, and we also have feelings about our feelings (and thoughts about our feelings).
I would rather use the word ENJOY when pertaining to inanimate objects.
Sometimes we hold back our feelings to avoid heartbreak if those feelings are crushed. Whether we LOVE or ENJOY is a far better option than hate.

++++++++COMPLIMENTS++++++++++

Recently the Chicago Tribune ran a front page article about 2 college boys at Purdue who would stand outside the Chemistry building every Wednesday for 2 hours giving out compliments to all passersby. I did say FRONT PAGE. We need more happy news like this rather than the usual tragedy of murders and political crime. We had recently cut our Trib subscription to 4 days a week just because their content was so depressing. There is a link to the boys: chicagotribune.com/compliments

The article also mentioned a man with a sign giving out free hugs on a busy street corner. Another about a bus driver leading holiday singing on his route. At first thought these acts may seem a little over the edge but maybe we need a little more of this. It's too bad we have to live in such a guarded world where we can't trust anybody or their actions. I guess the P.T.Barnum saying "There's a sucker born every minute and two to take him" has caused us to calcify a veneer around us. Well I believe kindness breeds kindness and I'll stick to that philosophy.

50th?????You must be kidding

When I call our classmates and mention that we are sneaking up on our 50th reunion they are surprised, almost disbelieving. I look at the pictures sent to me of Bronson, Bill, Fred and Dick and haven't changed much at all. We move a little slower, ache a little more and clear our throats more often so as to not sound 90. I hear sad stories and happy ones. From recently lost loved ones to new born grandchildren. I'm glad we are all revisiting each other now rather than all at once for one weekend of celebration that when it is over its back to the routine. Pat Paul Leider told me she talked for 40 minutes with one old classmate she hadn't seen in nearly 20 years and Carol Woods Houston mentioned the same thing. Try it. Call someone and see how they are. Laugh with them or cry with them but in the end you feel good. I've been talking about this bond we have. Our parents came to Skokie, Morton Grove, Niles, Glenview and Lincolnwood so that we could enjoy a better life and we did. Now that we've scattered all over the map technology has given us the opportunity to reunite in a phone call or an e-mail or in a blog. When we were in school there were jocks, greasers, Harvey Nilehis and of course the India Plaid Society ( hey it's my blog and Chuck Worthington would like me to mention that obscure club). Now we are all in the same boat. My only concern is that there are literally hundreds of girls (now women) out there that we may never find to say hello again. Why didn't you gals keep your maiden names after marriage like they do today. And why did the Smiths name their son Bill or the Browns naming their son Howard.
Well I'll just keep searching with White Pages.com and with your help maybe we'll be able to circle all the names as found.