Thoughts of My Dad

I hope everyone is enjoying the change in the weather. I was delighted to see our turtle, Squirtle, and bullfrog, Stump VIII, reemerge and be enjoying the pond.  And, the spring flowers are all blooming so my yard is full of daffodils, irises, freesia and tulips.

I would not be truthful if I did not share that my thoughts today are on my father.  In fact, it has been rough getting him out of my thoughts each and every day.  Because he is on my mind, I thought I would share two things with you all today.  The first, a poem he wrote entitled WIT and the second a photo collage. 

WIT by H. Larry Rea

I only hope when I’ve lost all and memories can’t be recalled

When flesh falls loose and ears grow hair and the top of head goes bald

When eyes see only distant blurs and you are so senile you can spit

I dearly want, Oh please don’t take away my Irish wit.

When tensions grip is loosed by white and yellow pills

White pleated cups filled with amber dew chase away all ills

When drippy tubes intravene and hypo’s come in kits

Let me laugh, yes roar out loud.  Oh please leave me my wit.

When diapers drape my bony hide and my tee shirt looks like a gown

When shirt arm holes disappear and me shorts are upside down

When eyebrows leap from my brow like weeks with no attend

Allow me to laugh at the irony that my legs won’t bend.

Let me cackle at toes that I couldn’t touch with a shepherd’s cane

And hair that holds it curl no more, but hangs like Shetland mane

Let me laugh and see the funny side of growing old and feeble

One last time, for Auld Lang Syne, I’ll joke for all the people.

And, when the final day had come and they carry me away

To some small church by Oceanside with a name like Depoe Bay

And when the last eulogy cries out that my like was too short

Let them hear from faraway one last, long, cackling retort.

 

With his memorial on March 13, we have been going through albums and I found the following photos of him that I just love.  

Top Row:  Dad’s Promotion, Dad and Mom in 1969, Dad and Mom in 2019

Middle Row:  Me and my Dad

Bottom Row:  Dad and Mom at Brandon’s Swim meet (where he broke the district record), with Devon at his graduation, with Justin as his graduation.

I am truly appreciative to each of you for covering during my bereavement and for sending me such lovely thoughts and funny memes. 

Happy Thursday all,

srt

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Team,

First, happy Valentine’s Day!  Wishing each of you lots and lots of chocolate or flowers or whatever makes your heart happy.  J

 

What a wonderful week starting with two days of SAFe Agile Leading Change class followed by the certification.  As I told someone this morning, I have enough knowledge now to be a little dangerous.  More to come with how we will align to the Agile Playbook and roll out agile architecture this year.

 

On a personal note, some of you are aware that my father was released to hospice the last week of January.  It has been a whirlwind of emotions for my family.  We are dealing with our impending loss, but also how we show love and care during this time. 

 

When my father was first hospitalized, we were told he would live 2-3 days.  After a very rough night in the hospital, he woke the next morning and said, “I made it”.  My response was that his next goal was to make it to Valentine’s Day.  Today, I smile, because he made it.  This morning, I told him his next goal is his 59^th Wedding Anniversary (end of February). 

 

My father was an executive, my mother a teacher.  I always talk about my mom as my rock (which she is), but forget to share that my dad taught me invaluable life lessons.  As a corporate executive, every day, he modeled authenticity, integrity, hard work, and amazing communication skills.  He was an amazing orator, speaking to huge audiences, was respected as a thought leader in his field and had an Irish wit that would make you fall out of your seat with laughter. 

 

He once wrote me, “The sky and stars are not a limit for you, Stacy Lynn.  So, set your goals high and fly”.  He was and remains one of my greatest champions.

 

On a rough day last week, a dear friend reminded me that our individual lives are like a book.  Each day has a new page, with adventures to tell, lessons to learn and moments to remember.  The book is our legacy.  What a powerful legacy my father will leave to his children and their children.

 

The experience with my father-in-law in November and now my own father, has reminded me to welcome the new morning with gratitude, a new spirit, a smile, love in my heart and good thoughts in my mind.

 

Happy Friday all,

srt

Martin Luther King Jr and Braving the Wilderness

Team, Not sure if others looked up at the calendar, saw it was Thursday, January 17, and already wondered where the time went.  It feels like just yesterday, the ball was dropping and we were singing Auld Lang Syne and making resolutions for 2020.  But, no, we are 17 days into the New Year.  Let that sink in.  

The calendar also reminded me that on Monday, we commemorate the life and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  

As I sit here and reflect on the significance of his presence on this planet:  his drive for racial justice and equality, his dream of democracy for all Americans, and his example of nonviolent action as a powerful, revolutionary force for social change.  I am humbled by his tenacity, his courage and extremely grateful.  Dr. King was a man of action and it makes sense that on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we too take action.  And, there are so many ways that we can be of service to our communities, a cause or in service of another.  I encourage you to plan your Friday in a way that affords us to honor his legacy through service.  And, as we do that, it will inspire us to invest further in service of something even greater. 

I finished Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown and recommend it as a much read for each of you.  Why do I recommend?  Read on… 

Braving the Wilderness

Brené Brown is amazing.  If you haven’t already been introduced to her work, take a look at her Ted Talk called The power of vulnerability.  Holy Moly.  It is a powerful, authentic talk on the importance of human connection.
The book moved me.  Brené was so vulnerable in sharing her personal story of how she chased the fundamental need to belong and, now, in hindsight shares openly how to avoid common pitfalls on our journey to find it. To her, belonging is mostly about learning to belong to ourselves.

Brené starts with encouraging us to be courageous in standing alone and be our authentic self when no one has our back. Here are three lessons I took away from the book specific to that:

• Lesson One:  Stop trying so hard to fit in and give yourself permission to be yourself.  
• Lesson Two:  The courage you need to be who you are comes from learning to trust yourself and others.
• Lesson Three: Turn anger into a positive before it becomes resentment. Acknowledge your anger.  Use it.  Turn it around for the positive – betterness, not bitterness – for those you engage with.

Final thought

With so much to divide us in our world, the book reminded me to root myself in the fundamental truth that we all want to be part of something meaningful and something that is bigger than we are. It is time to replace hostility and division with humanity, trust and respect.  If we can connect at this level and be ourselves, the engagement will be at a more meaningful level. 

Happy Thursday all,
- srt