Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a

Good Morning All & Happy Wednesday!

One of the greatest gifts of this life is having good friends and these past few weeks have shown us just how blessed we are by the friends we have around us.  Yesterday, our friends Marsha & Earl prepared a delicious dinner and treats for us and it was such a comfort and encouragement to us.  When you’re down & out and feeling blue with what life throws your way, there’s nothing better than receiving a home cooked meal from a friend.  Many thanks to our dear friends the Whittakers for their expression of love to us.  And thanks to favorite in-laws Linda & Kirk for preparing a meal for us recently.  Much appreciated, for sure!

Judy & I were also touched by a care package we received in the mail a while back from dear friends Lori & Alan in California.  Lori had found one of our Christmas letters and re-created the “Ginger Crinkles” and “Rena’s Cookies” that Judy made each year for some 20+ years for clients and friends and sent them to us.  It had to be, without a doubt, one of the most thoughtful (if not THE most thoughtful) gifts & expression of love/friendship we’ve ever received.  Enclosed amongst the delicious cookies were notes from Lori & Alan and here’s an excerpt from Alan’s note:

“When Lori told me she was going to make some cookies from your recipes you sent out to everyone years ago, I thought, “What a great way to send something to say we’re thinking of you!”  Best wishes and hoping the best to you and your family!”

There have been many other expressions of love and support from so many people these past few weeks, as Judy looks toward a heart catherization/angiogram that will shed more light on her serious heart condition.  Facing the unknown is scary.  We are placing out trust in God’s providence to see us through.  Having the love and support of so many friends means the world to us.  Thanks to you all!  Please pray for good news from the heart catherization/angiogram this Friday!

Enclosed with the terrific care package we received from our friends Lori & Alan was the letter that Judy sent out to family, friends and business clients with the last batch of Christmas cookies, after devoting 20+ years to that effort.  I thought it was worthy of sharing with you…

“Dear Clients and Friends,

For the past twenty years Mark and I, and our partners at the firm have expressed our gratitude for your business with a Christmas gift of homemade cookies.  It has been a heartfelt expression of gratitude on my part, as you have all made it possible for me to be at home with my children and be a support to my husband.  This endeavor started out small, but as the years have gone by it has grown to a rather large undertaking.  Last year, with a crew of about 30 we packed up about 350 plates of cookies.  We are looking at about that number this year.  I have loved every minute of that process, and we all hope that you have enjoyed the fruits of our labors.  After much deliberation we feel that it has come time to end the cookie baking extravaganza and so this year will be my last year for baking 25,000 cookies.  I think I am getting too old for this kind of thing.  Mark and I want you to know how much we appreciate your business, and what a joy these cookie thank-yous have been over the years.  So it is with a somewhat sad heart that I am letting you know that this will be your last cookie plate.  Not to worry though.  If you have favorite cookies that you receive each year, I have included all the recipes for you to recreate whenever you wish.  Sincere thanks to each one of you and we hope that you have a joyous and blessed holiday season!”

You can’t imagine (or maybe you can imagine if you know Judy) the kind of love & support she has been to me and our family through the years.  Her gift of hospitality to us and to others and her love & devotion to family and friends is remarkable.  And I’ve been the fortunate/lucky/blessed one to be her husband!  Now, we need to rally around her and lift up prayers for her good health in the days ahead.  She’s definitely the MVP of team Newbold and we need her in the game!  Love you sweetie!  I love you the “mostest”!  I’m not sure that’s a word, but it sure describes how I feel about my “better half.”

Speaking of people to celebrate, here’s to my high school friend Steve in Bend, Oregon, who just celebrated his birthday yesterday (Nov. 2nd) and here’s to friends Kathryn in Yakima and Stephanie in Georgia, who celebrate their birthdays tomorrow, November 4th!  Looking ahead, Happy Birthday to my friend and Standard Insurance Company executive Neal in Portland OR, who celebrates his birthday this coming Friday, November 5th!  Here’s to you, Neal, and thanks for helping my employee benefits consulting firm be successful!  Much appreciated, my friend!

Happy Birthday wishes also go to comedian Dennis Miller, who is 68 today; to NFL football & New Giants great Phil Simms, who turns 66 today; to musician Adam Ant, who is 67 today; and to actress Kate Capshaw, who turns 69 today!  Here’s to all of you on your special day of celebration!

 

Here’s the trivia question for the day:

Q:  The lead guitarist of which band has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics…Aerosmith?…Guns N’ Roses?…Queen?…or Motley Crue?

A:  Brian May is best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen.  May was an astrophysics student when he joined Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor to form Queen in 1970, but dropped his doctorate as the rock band became successful.  May ultimately finished his degree in astrophysics nearly three decades after putting academia on hold.  He earned his PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007, and served as a team collaborator with NASA’s New Horizons Pluto mission.  Brian May is ranked No. 26 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”  How about that?

 

I think I’ve shared previously that I am a collector of “Outer Limits” cards, circa 1964.  Well, I came across another one of my “Outer Limits” cards the other day entitled “Bring In The Earthmen.”  It features a scary looking character with an oblong head and bulbous nose with bat wings.  Here’s an excerpt from the back of the picture displayed on this card…

“The Martian ruler sits in his throne room awaiting the arrival of the captive Earthman.  For thousands of years he has been the sole ruler of Mars.  But Mars is a dying planet, with its food supply nearly exhausted and its atmosphere slowly being poisoned by fumes from an indestructible Martian fungus.  Earth supports life and will give the Martian leader a new place to rule.  When the Earthman arrives, the ruler orders the captive to be brought before him…” (Sounds like Mars was going through some “climate change”).  I’m not sure I would be keen on being ruled by a horrible looking character like the Martian ruler.  Maybe we should skip trying to go to Mars and work on improving things here on Earth…what do you think?

 

I receive a periodic e-mail called “Six Minute Mile” that features inspirational stories from the sport of running, whether it be short or long runs.  Here’s one that caught my attention and I thought you might find inspirational…

“If you ever question why endurance athletes are often referred to as a community or even a family, there was a scary, but poignant reminder of that concept at the Boston Marathon last week.  Meghan Rock, an accomplished 2:44 marathoner, inexplicably went into cardiac arrest at mile 8 last Monday.  The story could have been tragic if it had not been for some quick-thinking fellow runners who jumped to her aid.  One of those runners was a firefighter from Oregon, Nick Haney, who performed chest compressions on Rock and watched her face turn from blue to pink.  In a tiny world coincidence, as he was working on Rock, Haney realized that he had met her at previous marathons.  When Rock awoke, she immediately thought of her young son at home in Minnesota and how close she’d come to never seeing him again…”  Here’s to Nick Haney and the wonderful bond that exists between long distance runners!

 

Here’s the word definition for the day:

The traditional skull-and-crossbones pirate flag is called what…”The Jolly Roger”?…”The Giddy Bert”?…”The Happy Steve”?…or “The Merry Tim”?

“The Jolly Roger” is term used to describe the traditional skull-and-crossbones pirate flag.

 

Here’s the thought for the day from one of my wife Judy’s favorite songs…

“Spend all your time waiting

For that second chance

For a break that would make it okay

There’s always some reason

To feel not good enough

And it’s hard at the end of the day

I need some distraction

Oh, beautiful release

Memory seeps from my veins

Let me be empty

Oh, and weightless and maybe

I’ll find some peace tonight.

 

In the arms of the angel

Fly away from here

From this dark, cold hotel room

And the endlessness that you fear

You are pulled from the wreckage

Of your silent reverie

You’re in the arms of the angel

May you find some comfort here

 

You’re in the arms of the angel…

May you find some comfort here.”

—Sarah McLachlan, “Angel” (about the death of Jonathan Melvoin (1961-1996), the “Smashing Pumpkins” touring keyboard player, who died of a heroin overdose)

 

Here’s to a great Wednesday and lots of love & good wishes always!

Press on,

Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)