This is Not For You...

I've spent the past couple of days in Atlantic City, which has been nice and refreshing. I brought my grandmother here for the Greek Catholic Union's conference, held once every four years. She's a lodge President in Phillipsburg, so she's here to represent them. She's off at the conference most of the day, so I have time to myself while i'm here.

The only thing I did go to at the conference was the liturgy at the beginning, mostly because my grandmother asked me to. I met some nice people from other areas of the country, and it was a good time actually. In the course of it, something hit me:

This is not for you.

Not that this isn't for me in the sense that i'm not for the conference, because I am. This is not for me in the sense that I am witnessing what is a real milestone to my grandmother, now all of 88 years old, and I kind of just came along for the ride. This is something my grandfather deserved to be at, but he left us ten years ago, and so I am reaping the rewards of he and my grandmother's long life. They were good churchgoing people, active members in the GCU, and now at 88 years old, my grandmother was getting the honor of representing the church and lodge that had been at the center of her religious and social life since she was born in 1928. I was just here as a bystander to a milestone in her life.

And that's pretty cool, quite frankly.

More on my Liz

A few days ago, I wrote about the passing of my beloved first dog, Lizzie. At that time, I said that would probably not be my last post, and indeed, it's not. In fact, it's almost impossible to say when "the last" time i'll reminisce on here about her will be, because anyone who spends 14 years with you is going to leave a lot of memories, and a lasting impression.

This is a lot less sad post than the last one was, in no small part because time has passed. At the time of this posting, it will be a week on the dot since she passed, and I've had to function as a person a few times since then. My other two dogs are coping- they still seem confused a little bit about why she's not around, but they are eating and playing and generally going about their routine. Normalcy is settling back in, and at least there are two of them around to keep each other company. Everyone's coping good with the loss of a family member, all things considered.

So, some random things about Lizzie:

• Her favorite holiday was Christmas. She loved wearing her bells and getting presents, which I guess is understandable. When she was younger, her presents would be things like chew toys. As she got older, she got the good stuff- beds, blankets, and other things that made her feel good. She also liked that we'd eat breakfast most years, often salmon, and that she could beg away some food.
• This is not to say that she didn't love Thanksgiving, which was always at my family's. She would spend most of her time under the table begging, and my great-aunt Mary was caught a few years ago giving them sweets and stuff. That was a tough Thanksgiving.
• When Lizzie was a baby, my family had a pool, so I took her in and she loved swimming. We got rid of the pool though, and for many years she really didn't swim much. Last Summer, we took all three of them down to the sandy beach in Lower Mount Bethel Township for a party, and sure enough, even with her old, arthritic legs, she still loved being in the water (though I did hold her up as she swam).
• Liz never had puppies (I thought she should have), but young Nugget sort of became her kid. She would yell at him, get in his face, and yet leave him a little bit of food in her bowl at the end of breakfast, knowing he'd come and eat it. She was quite good to him.
• Sleeping in a bed with Liz was amusing. Though she never reached 25 pounds, she would literally push against you and move you throughout the night so she could have the space she wanted. She eventually wanted a pillow. That was a bit much for a dog.
• Liz got along very well with other dogs, especially as she aged. She was just so chill that they would sniff each other and just hang out then.
• If you wanted to know when dinner was ready, you just listened to the tapping of her feet. As she aged, Liz would literally tap the feet to let the people around know that she wanted some food. We generally obliged.
• She really liked to pose for pictures. She was quite the diva.

As I said, a week ago at this moment, Liz passed on to the next life. Hopefully she's running and playing by the Rainbow Bridge, and someday we'll meet again.

What I Learned From Junior and Senior

Yesterday was Father's Day, but I decided to take some extra time to write anything about the men who are featured most prominently in my life- my father and my grandfather. Like me, they are named Richard Wilkins, and like me, they grew up in the Easton-Phillipsburg area. Beyond that, we're all kind of different in our own ways. We look similar (whether that's good or bad is on you), maybe sound similar, and have similar backgrounds. Beyond that, we're all rather unique.

My grandfather taught me a lot of things. Loyalty, service, and commitment to his community all were traits of his. His life was in many ways routine by the time I knew him- church on Sundays, Phillipsburg games on Fridays, and even his meals were pretty much routine. He was loyal to those in life, especially me it seemed, and stuck by me through everything. His life of stability is probably something I can never quite match. I'm not sure I can match the service he displayed either, whether it was to the Navy, his community, or his church. I will certainly try though. His sense of loyalty to us all is probably why I still miss him on the regular. It's hard to trust people, but with my grandfather, it was easy.

Then there's my dad. We're similar in a lot of ways, from our musical tastes to our sports teams. The thing that stands out most obvious about him is his ability to have fun. The guy just enjoys life. He's 59 years old, still works, and yet has time for baseball games and his bands. He figures out a way to enjoy things. Now, it's worth noting that he has faced some serious challenges in his adult life, and yet still has found a way to laugh and enjoy things. His fun-loving nature and his ability to solider-on through the challenges stand out to me. I definitely try to emulate them. I don't really succeed as well though.

We all have flaws, and they both have their's. I have mine. I have seen the good traits in them though, and tried to copy them. I think my success is a mixed bag. I just wanted to share a few words on them for you, in light of this past weekend's holiday, and give you an image of the people I come from.

A Most Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day, and I would like to send out a happy mother's day wish to my mother, my lone remaining grandmother, and my god-mother. It's been a long week for our family, but what you've done for me is never lost on me.

For all the mothers out there reading this- thank you. Your impact on our society is felt every day, and is much needed to make the world a better place. May you all enjoy your day.