Homeward Bound

       Our vacation is almost over, but I continue to hold on to every moment of it as we travel across the Atlantic to Chicago. The Admiral’s Club is a memory for sure. Given our business class status we walk right in and again enjoy free food, soda, and the Internet all in comfortable wide and cushioned chairs. I can see how people with money could easily see this as a way of life; something they could not do without when they travel. For me, well, it was a wonderful anniversary present for which I am very grateful. Given the cancer I am living with, I doubt if there are any further overseas trips to be recorded by me; the memories will, however, last forever. I will be in the lounges, on the beaches, in the ports, high in the mountains, spellbound by historic sites and romantic places.

            I am eternally thankful for Debbie taking the time these last several months (and longer) to assemble all the journals and pictures that have accompanied them through the years. It is my joy that we have experienced these things together. I hope to see the final volume before I die. And more than this, I know she will have them when I am gone, and the children can return to them whenever they want to go down memory lane. Thinking about the future, I can see them looking and reading, laughing, and yes, sometimes crying. They will be good tears for these times were special, worth remembering. They capture life as it was in all its glory.

            As I have repeated often in these journals, I told Debbie that if she married me I would show her and the girls the world. And moreover, if she didn’t want to see the world, then I was not the right guy for her. Her response was something like, “Are you kidding? Of course I want to see the world, and see it with you.” Done deal. We have seen just about every area of the sandbox and the pebbles (people) in them. They have been different colors and move about the sandbox in different ways, but in the end, they are all the same. Like waves in the ocean – each has a different shape, size, and color, but in the end, they are of the same ilk; water.

            And so it is with we human beings. We are part of a large cosmos, a sea much bigger than the ocean, we have our births and deaths, but in the end, we are part of the cosmos that continues to go forward, evolve. I have comfort in this thought just as I do with all the prayers that have been uttered and sent my way. We are all part of this mysterious thing, life. Try as we do to understand it, I choose to stand back and marvel at it.

            The architecture and art in Rome, the mythical Gods motivating the building of the Acropolis, the enormous religious edifices and places of worship, people gathered by and living on the seashores of the world, stunning and creative things done on the side and on top of mountains, and yes, even in the desert, are awesome. To have seen and walked in the footsteps of humankind, to have seen and wondered about unexplained phenomenon spread about the earth, to be able to marvel, think about, and shout with joy about this marvelous life, is very special. I am grateful for every living moment, and if there is another, I look forward to it.

            I am so proud of my children and grandchildren. I sing out loud when I think of their futures. They are my legacy; life goes on. So Michael and Bradley, Jessica, Becky, and Christina, open your eyes, pay attention. Matt, Megan, Emily, Abbey, Oliver, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren to follow, always have a sense of where you are in time and space, seek to understand those around you, never take yourself too seriously, be humble, love others and accept them unconditionally. Watch out for resentments, they will kill you, lead you to drink and worse, fill your soul instead with love and understanding, leave no room for self-pity, self-centered ness, selfishness, and more. Reach out to and care for those who are less fortunate then you are; you are lucky because of the parents that have preceded you; take advantage of it. And always marvel at the world in which you live, you might miss something if you don’t.

            I love you all, children and friends. Thanks so much for being a part of my life; I am a better person because you have been part of me. And to you Debbie, the last two decades (well, almost two decades) have exceeded by expectations a million times over. Thanks for the journey, our life together, it has been worth living; I think we have made the most of it. Now get busy on the next chapter!

                                                                        David Busch Oliver

                                                                        November 2013

PS……we got home.