Archive for June, 2021
Dick Summer Connection
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021Dick Summer Connection
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021Today’s podcast is about being a “Sunshine Superman”. It’s the Lazy Crazy Hazy Days of Summer, with parades featuring 76 trombones, and the prettiest girls on the planet wearing their soft Summer dresses. Give a listen.
Dick Summer Connection
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021
Dick Summer Connection
Monday, June 21st, 2021
Dick Summer Connection
Sunday, June 20th, 2021
Wonder Wench came into my life. When that happened, I had my
Lady, and he had his daughter. The night he died, she leaned over
and kissed his forehead. He opened his eyes and said, “That was very
nice.” I think those were his last words.
Mom had always wanted a daughter, too. And my Lady filled
that need just as well as she did for Dad. My Lady became Mom’s
daughter, and her best friend.
A little while ago, I said I was almost sorry my dad was my
hero—because I only saw what he did, and I never really found
out why he did those things. I think that’s a guy thing. And it’s too
bad. I don’t think I ever knew Dad very well as just a guy—a guy
with a wife and five kids and a mortgage and aches and pains and
hopes and fears. I never had the slightest idea about his hopes and
fears. Especially his fears. He must have had some. I think my Lady
Wonder Wench got to know him better than I ever did. She knew
him well enough to be the daughter he always wanted. She was never
his “daughter in law.” She was the daughter he always wanted, and
maybe needed.
I think the reason why guys always hope to have a daughter is
that we’d kind of like to have someone who’s smart enough and
caring enough to find out not just what we do, but why we do
it—and how we feel about what we’ve done. I’ll never forget the day
our daughter Kris was born. She opened her eyes, looked up at me,
squinted a little, gave a little half smile that said “Hi, I know who you
are. I’ll be your daughter, so don’t worry about a thing,” and went
back to sleep. From that day on, I always tried to be the kind of guy
she thinks I am. I don’t always make it. But I always try.
I’m looking at Dad’s picture on the wall right now, and let me
tell you, I’m taller than he was, but I have a lot of growing to do to
come close to being anywhere near his size
Dick Summer Connection
Saturday, June 19th, 2021
Happy Father’s Day. This is from my book, Staying ‘Happy Healthy & Hot. For a free download…just click here.
I’m sitting here in my big, comfortable, black-leather poppa
chair in the living room looking at a picture of my dad sitting in
his big, comfortable, poppa chair in his living room a long time ago.
He was the only hero I ever had. And that’s too bad, because you
don’t really get to know the people who are your heroes. You know
what they did. But you don’t really know all the reasons why they
did the things they did or how they felt about doing them.
We know that the first order George Washington gave his men
when they crossed the Delaware that Christmas night in 1776 was
“Burn the boats.” My history book said that was so his men had
no choice but to beat the Hessians at Trenton, because they had
no boats to retreat to the other side of the river. But I wonder if he
was also thinking, “Burning the damn boats will give these poor,
freezing, barefoot, starving guys a few minutes of warmth before
they go to lay down their lives for this thing we believe in.”
We learn about Washington the hero—the gutsy, commanding
guy who used his head and won our war. But I always wondered
about Washington the man, the friend. How did he feel, watching
his troops—a bunch of other guys, some of them his friends—on
that frozen, awful night as they were getting ready to die to keep
freedom warm and alive in their hearts and ours.
I wonder about Christ like that sometimes, too. Not the miracle
worker, the supernatural Son of God, the second person of the Holy
Trinity. I have kids, so I wonder about Christ as a baby, born in an
animal’s stable—the kid who must have been terrified by frequent
nightmares of a cross and thorns and bloody nails. And how about
the young man? He had disciples and followers. But was there some
other guy he could trust to swap jokes with? And what was he feeling
when a beautiful woman smiled at him? I wish I knew.
Dick Summer Connection
Friday, June 18th, 2021
Dick Summer Connection
Thursday, June 17th, 2021
Dick Summer Connection
Wednesday, June 16th, 2021
Dick Summer Connection
Tuesday, June 15th, 2021