Trippin With Dad

The time has come to change my writing home. My plans are to move my current blog home to Wordpress.com under a different name in the coming weeks.  BUT, that said I have soooooo many Dad stories that I'd still like to share; Stories of his past that have kept me entertained my whole life that I think you will find entertaining too. So here's the thing: I will keep posting, albeit less frequently.  Feel free to subscribe to:  trippinwithdad.blogspot.com to keep up with Dad and the beautiful colorful life he led. I made a promise to him that I would make sure his grandchildren knew his story and I will do just that through the blog. So stay tuned for more trips with Dad and new trips with Sylvia and Raymond. See you in a few weeks!!

Tonight I am going to take a blog break and finally open the many cards that have come in to mark Dad's passing.  Truthfully, I hadn't the strength to look through them all.  But tonight is the night to honor those who thought so highly of us to send a card.  Much love! 

"My feet ✝️  My Mission" is the title of our evangelist Pastor Fred's new focus.  His declaration is that wherever our feet are is where our mission work should be taking place. Keeping that thought in mind reminds me that literally everywhere I go I will cross paths with people who need to see Christ in action.  We seek distant missions work for reasons that have often baffled me. I was guilty of that same thought process for years. I couldn't fathom being a missionary in my own backyard. But when you see the hungry around you every day and you ignore them to go and feed the hungry in another country then that's something to make you stop and think. When you see the lives torn apart by illicit drugs and think you can only make a difference in the lives of those devastated by natural disasters in some far off land that makes you stop and think. Serve here. Serve in your neighborhood. Serve in the next neighborhood. Serve in distant places. Just serve like Christ d

We are charting new waters Raymond and I.  We have never been here before: focused solely on God, us and family.  Honestly, I AM TERRIFIED.  Ok, that's a bit dramatic but it does feel like swimming in murky water.  We are experiencing the "empty nest syndrome" that no one really talks about right?  It's not like we can just show up at the dorm room of the loved one that's moved out or helicopter text them into utter annoyance.  Our loved one left and they aren't coming home with a bag full of dirty laundry and an empty stomach.  We have blank calendar days now and it feels disconcerting to see assignments that were once vitally important simply gone.  I walk by Dads room and half expect to see some seemingly mundane task waiting for me that I have to get done.  But nope.  There is no use for me in there anymore.  I think when we experience emptiness the natural inclination is to fill it up with SOMETHING so as not to freak out a little bit inside.  You thin

Have you ever stopped and thought about how the process of grieving and loving are so similar?  Welp, as often happens I get to contemplate philosophical questions such as these while walking at dawn.   It is a serene time to exercise (ugh, don't call it that Sylvia!!) and mentally be still at the same time.  In the stillness this morning Holy Spirit revealed just how alike grief and love are.  I got to respond with, 'pray tell, tell me more' while being frustrated that I didn't have a pencil and paper handy to write down His thoughts.   But this is what I recall:  Both Love and Grief can happen suddenly to you like being hit by a runaway train; or they can come on gradually until all you can see is the narrow tunnel before you.  Both love and grief swell your heart to a capacity you did not know you were capable of experiencing.  Both flow over you in waves at the most unexpected times.  Both can be very inconvenient and cause you to act out in unfamiliar ways.  People

So.  The conversation with my Father a couple of weeks ago went something like this: Daughter Me:  Yes Lord I need you for a few days Me:  OK By yourself, quiet and without distraction Me:  Yes Lord It's not going to be easy but I need you to rest in me this weekend Me:  OK There are trials you are about to face and I need you well prepared Me:  OK I have a work I need to complete in you if you are willing and I need your full attention Me:  OK So when friends try to distract you, politely decline and focus on Me Me:  They may not understand but I can do that. It doesn't matter what you do.  It may feel right to praise, sleep, read.  Whatever you are lead to do, do that thing and do it without worries.  I need to still your heart and supply you with My Peace. Me:  I am ready Lord. See.  My Father already knew my desire for peace;  It was my hearts cry for weeks.  I hadn't asked for comfort or happiness or contentment, which, as a daughter I had the right

I have never actually scuba dived (do scuba lessons at the resort pool in Mexico count?) but I am familiar with the term, 'decompression'.  In a sound bite it means a return to normal atmosphere following exposure to great pressure.  My understanding is that after a diver has been under hundreds of feet of water for a certain length of time that  they have to allow ample time  for  certain cellular gases to exchange  so that they do not experience 'the bends' or  diving sickness before they return to the surface.  If done wrong the process of decompression could at the least make you feel just awful for quite some time and at the most could LITERALLY kill. you.  Knowing how to decompress is part of a divers training which they forget at their own peril.  Now.  Why would someone participate in an activity that is potentially so hazardous?  And not so much during but AFTER it is over?  Welp, my guess is that what you see and experience while that far underwater is amazing

Together at Mom's homegoing Challenging Tiger Woods What can I say about my guys?    They met 33 years ago and I am sure they sized each other up as men do.  I don't remember the exact dynamic but you can bet I felt PRETTY confident about this new relationship before I made the introduction happen.  I know how it COULD have gone but I'm glad their meeting was obviously one filled with mutual respect.  They knew they had one objective and that was to get along for my sake. Sharp at Lula's wedding That easily morphed into love and concern for one another independent of my opinion on it.  How blessed can a woman be to have the two most important men on earth love her beyond the beyond?!  Dad came to call on Raymond as often as he did me which was a great source of comfort and pride.  My husband was my Dad's son in every sense which left us all blessed beyond measure. About to take flight Maui love Heading home Dads pride and joy

Living life Our elders set the example The Three Amigos What a difference 24 hours can make.  Yesterday, we were the Three Amigos.  Today we are the Dynamic Duo truly missing our Wing Man.  What a difference 24 hours can make.  Yesterday we encouraged Dad to bravely walk the last mile of his journey.  And today we wish he could still travel just one more mile with us.  What a DIFFERENCE 24 HOURS CAN MAKE.  Yesterday, Dad was still breathing but hardly living.  And today Dad isn't breathing but truly living! We love you to eternal life Pop Pops.  Fully enjoy the family and friends you've been waiting to love on.  Watch over the loved ones left here.  Know that your legacy is secure.  I can only imagine that when you met Jesus you FINALLY told him what you've been wanting him to know for soooo long; "THANK YOU LORD". With your beloved now Love that will never end

Hey dear reader, I ALMOST forgot to tell you about the super duper crazy overnight trip we took to The Don CeSar, AKA the Pink Palace for my birthday. The Don on the Horizon   We snuck it in between the family reunion and my nieces wedding.  Cray cray I know!  Well, we didn't travel exactly on my birthday because it rained like the dickens that week.  Trust me. The beach is NO fun in the rain.  There are several distinct advantages of living so close to one of the most popular beach destinations in America though--if the weather looks janky then we.just.stay.home.  But the forecast for the next week was stellar so we did something we've never done before on a staycation--we hired a sitter for Dad to come WITH us for the first day of our stay.  Talk about awkward but freeing at the same time!  I wasn't used to delegating my care giving responsibilities at first so, at lunch I managed to trip over EVERYTHING she was there to do.  Then, I gradually relaxed and let go (who

Family reunions are a magical time for many to put aside the cares and concerns of work life, hustle and bustle of the day to day The family that prays together... Ray and Dad, two married ins Vic and Lisa, our adoptees and just settle in to the warmth and love of our origin story.  It is truly a work of art melding and blending together all of the nuclear families, avowed singles, grands and great grands that then crescendos into this large amalgam of love and concern.  Many of us go at least a year before we see each other but that doesn't matter.  Many of us still may not know all of the names and relationship ties we have but that doesn't matter either.  I'll bet we've had non family members sneak in without question encouraged to get a plate of food and join in the festivities.  It's a high time in the life of a family as large and gregarious as mine and I try not to take for granted the memories that are cemented in yearly.  In fact, I take so m

When a family member lives on the streets more than a thousand miles away from you, a part of your heart  constantly leaks love in empathy.  What you want to give and do for them you cannot.  So,  if you are blessed to give and do for those on the streets who just happen to live nearer then, you do what you can where you are.  But isn't that God's economy?  Sometimes what we sow, others reap and often, we reap what we ourselves did not sow.  That is why I so strongly believe that as we love our neighbors we are depositing into a bottomless account that others can draw out of in situations we may never know about.  Each time I was able to locate my family member in Detroit this summer we both shed tears of joy and hung on each others necks with hugs and kisses for extended periods.  We ate, shopped and talked like we were on the best day adventure ever.  And when we left each others side we knew that somehow God would continue to provide-material goods for him from willing and a

Marriage is a sacred institution blessed by God.  That was apparent at the wedding of my niece and namesake Sylvia L. Daniels to her soulmate Clarence Ray in August.  I have never attended a wedding that was truly a life-giving service to all in the room.. You could just tell something extremely special was formed that evening as the couple gazed lovingly at each other.  I know it is a match made in heaven that will withstand the test of time.  Congratulations Sylvia and Clarence! There's a Spark of Magic in Your Eyes! Looking Regal Bride, Groom and Crazy Aunt Blended family Love T & T connection Ohio and Indiana in the House Sylvia L. and Sylvia D. The food was ahhhmazing! Cute and classy cake

See.  Here's the prickly truth about Detroiters. They know that if you don't have anything good to say about Detroit then you must be from one of the suburbs.  Or Ohio.  Either way, your opinion is just that.  My 318 year old hometown is a complicated mix of pretty much everything most folks can imagine.  Since the "D" is in my blood though I can hardly be totally objective.  BUT, I haven't lived there for over 30 years so I can only know it the way a mom might know the child she gave up for adoption; I recognize her but I'm shocked at how much she's changed.  All of my relatives brag freely about the amazing transformation taking place downtown while they also bemoan the fact that they, say, don't have street lights or that whole swaths of neighborhoods are blighted beyond recognition.  What can one do besides watch it all transmogrify?  It's like watching your child survive their  terrible teens;  you just pray they emerge from them somewhat he

Shhh.  Don't tell too many people I said this but, I.Love.Cleveland.  Yup, ALL of Cleveland.  Of course my family makes it extra special ( and so does Slymans plus sized corned beef sandwiches)  but truly I love the city of Cleveland and it's lesser burbs.  This visit, the Three Amigos trekked to somewhat cooler climes  to meet new family members and hang out in a part of Cleveland I was totally unfamiliar with; this really helped me see Cleveland in a completely different light.  And I've been trekking to Cleveland for over 30 years!  Cleveland has always had this gritty but friendly industrial, urban/academic feel to me.  This time I got to experience a calm and serene Cleveland I didn't know existed.  We chose a home a stones throw from Lake Erie which got me excited the moment I saw the photo.  The opportunity to walk along the amazingly beautiful lake shore every morning had us seriously considering buying a cute fixer upper on the next block.  I am sorry Florida,

I finally, at the age of 57, got to experience the phenomenon known as 'Black Excellence', AKA the Essence Festival.  Talk about a game changer!  What a sense of pride and belonging that has lasted longer than the 96 hours I was fortunate enough to be there.  First off, let me just say that it was a stone cold blast rooming with 14 of the flyest women in my family.  It's not often that 15 cousins (OK, some are honorary cousins but it doesn't matter) get the opportunity to spread our wings away from home and enjoy a joint vacation.  We flew into New Orleans, LA from Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Florida and Virginia with a BUNCH of other really amazing women to take part in whatever you wanted to take part in.  This was the 25th anniversary of the Festival and they had something for e.v.e.r.y.b.o.d.y.  Some came for the beauty products, some to interact with celebrities, others to gain entrepreneurial prowess, many for the concerts, lots to hear from Michelle Obama, others

Forecasting.  It is the state of prediction that gives us a reasonable probability that something is going to happen a certain way in the future.  Some might think of it as educated guessing which would be accurate.  I see it as visioning which for me rings truer. I'd guessed a busy travel year for our family this year and so far all of it has come to pass as forecast.  To make the plans real I even went so far as to create a grid on, gasp, PaPeR so that I could see just how wacky things were potentially going to get.  As I stared into the future I quickly noticed that twice this summer I had less than 48 hours to wash, repack and head out again on another trip.  Both of those trips required me to pack Dad's things two weeks in advance to stay ahead of the game. As I fully took stock of the plans, I had to make note of who was travelling when to be sure we weren't double booking ourselves. Each trip required airline bookings, hotel or Airbnb bookings with lots of follow up

Hey hey hey dear reader!  I am back from summer vacay and before you admit to yourself that you missed me (muah) I want to say first that I missed writing to you!  It was a much needed respite BUT I've been itching to get back on the 'beat' that is L.I.F.E.  (Living In Full Expectation!!!).  It has been an incredible summer and I plan to fill you in on all of the travel details but for now, let me just say I am happy to be cracking on the keyboard sharing and caring.  I'd love to hear about some of the shenanigans you got into this summer--Let me know in the comments section, on Facebook or by email.  I will be coming atcha Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays so stay frosty and stay in love with LIFE!