folded wisdom

It's OK to disagree with our friends. But they are still our friends! Words are powerful, words go and make people feel good or words can make people feel bad or angry. It's always better to make our friends feel good.

Here's a picture that Joanna drew for you! Bunny / Bear teaches about evaporation!

Hello Friend!

Life in a family is fun. Living - Loving as one. Finding the new under the sun. Living - Loving as one. I love you.

What a whirlwind trip. A "whirlwind" is something that happens when suddenly the wind whips around in a tight circle - blowing leaves and papers with it. That's sort of what our trip was like don't you think? Most of it was fun - the car ride up was not much fun. I'm sorry for that. Next time we'll try to leave earlier. It was fun to see all the aunts, uncles & cousins - of course GG too!

Theo you have so many good friends - in school and at home. Have fun with them. Learn from them and - important news here - be a good friend to them! Friendship is a two way street. Treat your friends good. Play the games that they want to play sometimes. Share your things with them. Then they will treat you good in return. Have fun!

Life is funny Theo. You are born in America, in a Big city in 1991 and you have one set of experiences. And those experiences shape you like you are made out of clay. Different experiences different shape.  It's not quite that simple but almost. Your cousin Ryan grows up in a very different place - a big farm by a very small town - horses, pigs, cows all around. No big buildings, no movie theaters or museums. Just lots of land and animals. Two different experiences!  Two great guys!

Happy Halloween Dude!

I hope you had a good weekend and it sounds like you did.  Next time tell your friends that you're not allowed to watch "R" rated movies okay?  I think that they sound too violent for you to be watching at your age.  You will have many times when you have to tell your friends things that you don't do - like smoke cigarettes or pot or drink beer.  You have to be able to say no to your friends sometimes - It's part of becoming a Man!

Good morning!  You're a lucky guy you know to have a big sister like Joanna.  I know you might not always think so but I know you would agree sometimes.  Brothers and sisters are a different kind of match - or maybe I should say a "match of differences" instead.  Because they're automatically very different just because one's a boy and one's a girl.  But people are different for more reasons than just their sex and you and Joanna are different for sure.  But you have one big thing in common... your family.  So help and support each other.  Accept the help and support when it's offered.  One day you two will be real important to each other. I love you so much!

(Today is your Uncle Jim's 50th B'DAY!)

I was only 15 months when he was born and we lived in Boston. I can't say I remember the day but I remember a lot from the years that followed. Jim has always been a great brother to me. In many ways he felt like my older brother. He was always hatching plans and making things happen for himself while I laid back, learned to play the guitar and drew. It was fun growing up together. I know it's different having an older sister but love her and you'll always enjoy each other!

I've been thinking about my mom the past few days. Thinking about all the things she did for me and my brothers and sisters, to help us grow up right. Guiding me with her example. Working her butt off to make our home life special which was not easy with 8 kids, a father often away at sea and no money to boot. But somehow she gave us all the gift of Love.

Your mom is working to give you that same gift - Love. She's working to help you see how good you can be if you only try and believe. She's working to show you the way to be the best you can be. She's loving you with all her heart. Love her back Theo. Show her your love by listening, trying, believing, learning and succeeding. She's holding up her end of the deal, now you hold up yours OK!?!! I love you.

History is so personal. You come from the joining together of two families, who in turn come from four other families. Guest, Caprio, Plotkin, Chambers, Kuhn, Sullivan. French, Italian, Jewish, English, German & Irish. Long before Intercontinental airlines made travel easy - these people rode steamships and trains and buggy & horse to get together and start new families with new possibilities. We all pick and choose what we want from our past but in large measure we are who we are and we are where we came from. Draw strength from your past of artists, business people, sailors, farmers. You are one of the first athletes. Start a new legacy - a new branch - be yourself and go far.

A family is like the pocket the quarterback moves in, looking at his options, unhurriedly releasing his pass with the best possible chance of success. A safe haven, a sheltered cove to anchor in to plan your next journey out on the open sea. There's a time to lounge and relax in the safety there, and there's a time to use that safety to free your mind and your time to plan and work and grow. I was impressed at your parent teachers conferences on Friday. Impressed with the appreciation for you that all your teachers showed. Room for improvement yes, but still plenty of success. Keep it up Theo.

The trees on Rugby silohette starkly against the brightening morning sky as Sunny and I round the corner. The image clears my head and I think of my sister Marcia - like I have been every morning since she died last August. Sisters are special creatures and you and I are both lucky to have at least one. Marcia was - and still is as far as I'm concerned - the oldest of my family of siblings. No one can ever knock her off that perch. Joanna will always be your older sib - pace setter - life example - fierce champion - strong ally (sp? God I'm a horrible speller) - helping hand - voice of reason - and more and more and more still. Love her and listen to her and try to be all those things in return.