I Thought I’d Have More Time

/ justdrivewillyou / 4 Comments

For Mom, a repeat of a post from two years ago. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. All gratitude and love from your kids. Larry

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

You’ve been gone since January, 1976, when I was sixteen and a half years old. The cruel hand of death snatched you away long before any of us were ready. (Not that we ever are.)

I had only a few Mother’s Days with you. It’s been so long ago now, I barely remember them.

I barely remember you. I look at pictures of you now, and you’re almost a stranger to me.

Almost.

What I do remember, though, is a sweet, compassionate, fun-loving, beautiful-in-every-way person who loved life, family and friends. Who had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh.

Someone who loved playing with her grandkids, and card games with her friends. (Does anybody play Rook anymore?) Who enjoyed a good game of Mad Libs on long car trips. Who loved going to Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers games.

Someone who took care of her little boy whenever he was sick, which was pretty often early on. Lucky for me, you were a nurse.

Someone who catered to my finicky appetite when I was little. If only you could see what I like to eat now.

Someone who saw something in me that inspired you to sign me up for piano lessons, the idea of which initially repelled me, but that I eventually came to appreciate.

Someone who laughed when I laughed, held me when I cried, and disciplined me when necessary. (Although, between you and me, probably not enough. But I wasn’t ever gonna say that. 😉)

You never let me forget you loved me. If only I had worked up the nerve to say, “I love you” to you. Just once.

I thought I’d have more time, you know. I guess we always think that. You just take it for granted the people you love are always going to be here.

I wish we could have had a grownup-to-grownup conversation. I think you would have been fun to talk to on that level.

I wish you could have been here long enough to meet the wonderful woman I married. I think you would have approved.

I wish a lot of things with you that, unfortunately, will never be. But, I guess that’s life. I just know, I’m glad I had you as long as I did. It was a wonderful, if terribly brief, life with you.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. Thank you for being so good to me in the time we had together. Thank you for all your love and care and support. You were the best mom I could have wished for.

I never said it, and I’m sorry for that, but I always felt it: I love you. ❤❤❤❤

The Entertainer

/ justdrivewillyou / 1 Comment

William Martin “Billy” Joel, AKA the Piano Man, is 75 years old today, May 9th. A very Happy Birthday to you, sir! 🎂🎉🎵🎹

Though Elton John has always been closer to my heart among piano playing rock stars, I’m a longtime admirer of Billy and his remarkable talents. I’ve been lucky enough to see him in concert four times, and he just kills it every time.

For starters, he’s an extraordinary songwriter. Whether he’s telling someone’s story (Allentown, Goodnight Saigon, The Downeastern Alexa, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant), expressing his love (This Is the Time, The Longest Time, Until the Night (a favorite of mine), Just the Way You Are), or just burnin’ the house down (You May Be Right, No Man’s Land, That’s Not Her Style), Billy Joel has set honest, heartfelt lyrics to melodies that stay in our heads, again and again, for 50 years and counting, all the way up to this year, with his latest single, “Turn the Lights Back On.”

Not only that, he’s a fabulous performer. He may not work the stage quite as much as he used to, but he is 75, after all. He can still play that piano, though; in my opinion, even better than Elton, and that’s high praise coming from me!

And his vocals always deliver; whether the message is sweet or bitter, tender or tough, sincere or sardonic, his voice can go effortlessly from melodious to gravelly and back. It’s a versatile and terrific instrument, and he’s preserved it well all these years.

Then there’s the way Billy engages his audience. He’s always had a great rapport with the fans who come to see him, and he has a wonderful sense of humor. It’s like being over at a friend’s house, just carrying on a conversation with him while he plays a few tunes for you.

Only with several thousand other friends there, too.

Billy’s wrapping up his years long residency at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, and getting out on the road. Go here to see if he’ll be performing anywhere near you. If he is, and you’ve never gone to see him before (or even if you have), get in a New York State of Mind, and treat yourself to an evening full of hit songs from a rock legend. I guarantee, you will not be sorry.

Can You Imagine?

/ justdrivewillyou / 5 Comments

On my favorite news website, The Guardian , I happened upon this very fascinating story:

Welsh Senedd members consider criminalising lying by politicians https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/30/welsh-senedd-members-consider-criminalising-lying-by-politicians?CMP=share_btn_url

I mean, really.

If lying by politicians ever became a criminal act here in the good ol’ US of A, we’d have to build about 20 more prisons. Court dockets would be full from here to eternity. (And good luck finding anyone to defend them.)

I’m going to follow this story with great interest; I really hope Wales gets somewhere with this.

And as for us Americans, well…a guy can always dream.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Idiocy

/ justdrivewillyou / 1 Comment

Daily writing prompt
Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
View all responses

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”

That quote has been attributed, in one form or another, to everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Mark Twain, but no matter who said it, or exactly how it was worded, the point remains the same.

And for better or worse, it has been my guiding principle through life.

Because my biggest insecurity throughout my life has been how smart, or not smart, other people perceive me to be.

Whenever I decide to speak my view on a subject – almost any subject – it’s difficult for me to not look at the person or persons on the receiving end of it and imagine them thinking:

“What are you, an idiot?”

So, writing is a bit of a refuge for me and my opinions. At least then, I’m not watching you and worrying what you think.

My father, as good to me as he was, nevertheless had this unfortunate knack for making me feel like I wasn’t particularly bright. I’m aware he didn’t mean to really be that way, but he was my role model. And when your role model casts doubt on your intelligence level, there’s a pretty good chance you will, too.

So I just stay quiet most of the time, so as not to risk something incredibly asinine coming out of my mouth.

If only some Republicans could learn this practice.