David Letterman

I watched the end of the David Letterman show and remembered the time we had tickets and took the trip to New York. As chance would have it my back went out the day before the trip but I was determined to go. I was in pain as we walked the sidewalks of the Big Apple on the way to the show.

We got there early so the line wasn't to long. I was standing there in pain letting building hold me up when one of the shows interns came out to check on the line. She noticed me standing there in agony and asked if she could help. I told her I was fine but she insisted on bringing out a chair for me. When the doors opened the rest of the audience was let in as I sat and waited. The girl then led us to what would be front row seats. Well we got tickets again latter that year and sure enough my back was out again. I brought along my cane and again front row were ours. Sometimes my agony can have its benefits.

Memorial Day

I usually take a ride to the Veterans Cemetery on Memorial Day to visit the graves of my dad, family and friends.I find it comforting to ride thru the sea of small American flags that mark each grave.

I think of the sacrifice that veterans have given so that we can have the freedoms that we often take for granted. I wait and watch others visit there loved ones. I feel especially bad for the younger people we may be visiting for the first time a loved one who has recently died.

One year I met an older man who like my father had been a fireman. He was visiting the grave of a friend. It seems that all three of them had served together on the PFD.

We swapped stories about my dad and his friend and as I left thought about what I had learned that day about my father, something that I had never know before. You never know what you will learn on a simple ride to the cemetery.