Points2Ponder

"In memory of Aunt Ciria- Awesome Dawson does her favorite thing!”

                                     Points2Ponder

                                                                                                       By Alan P. Scaglone

Who knew?

Who knew all it would take to surprise an eight year old little boy would be…

Getting up at 4am, driving 40 miles, getting lost, turning around and arriving 5 minutes late…

Just to see him take off on his very FIRST Air Balloon ride!

And all it took was… getting up at 4am on a Sunday morning!

Yeh, you’re right!

IT DID take a lot!

POINTS2PONDER  Why do we assume that the best presents are presents? Sometimes, the BEST presents are PRESENCE!

I tried to get my wife to get up with me.

I did everything—“Come on, it will be a cool memory we can make together!”

That didn’t work!

Then I tried “It’s for Dawson—he will be so surprised that we showed up!”

She wasn’t budging.

So finally, I said, as I kissed her goodnight, “Sure would be a wonderful “Just Because I love you” present IF you surprised me and got up in the morning!”

Nothing.

Still had hope!

I have this weird thing about me—I have NEVER used an alarm clock. Never EVER!

My body just knows—when to get up, even when it’s NOT the usual time I get up, like say…. 4am??

And sometimes, it allows me some snooze time… waking up 5 minutes before I have to get up.

So…at 3:55am, my eyes opened, I looked at the clock, rolled over, looked at my wife—She was still sleeping.

I thought, “she knows, she has to get up at 4am, so…she set her alarm clock for 4…I will wait and see… she might surprise me!

3:59am… one minute ‘til her alarm goes off!

My wife lives by an alarm…every morning, it goes off, she hits it, she sleeps through the first snooze, then the 2^nd snooze…finally getting up for the 3^rd snooze!

So…I waited…4am comes….and goes!

No alarm. She is NOT getting up.

But, I did!

When I walked up, Dawson’s Nana saw me and pointed to where he was.

I walked up and said, “Dawson, this is gonna be so much fun!”

His EYES got as large as saucers and he said “You came to the balloon ride!”

I told him “Where else would I be when you are taking your very first air balloon ride?”

He smiled ear to ear.

We talked about school; we talked about his recent fishing trip to Montana—he caught 36 fish, per his recollection.

We talked about girlfriends—he giggled. Said he had an old girlfriend. The boy is 8 and he has an OLD girlfriend?

He was sitting in the van to go on the ride, and he said, “Will you sit next to me?”

I had to tell him that I wasn’t going on the balloon ride with him-- I just came to see him off and cheer him on.

He was disappointed-- and then kept talking about his new fishing lures.

He loves to fish—like his Dad! He told me “Dad knows how to use all of these lures, and he’s teaching me!”

He grinned talking about his Dad.

We got to the site and watched the air balloon being assembled. It was awesome!

Dawson got to help—he loved that.

Then came the “FIRE”—he was NOT expecting that.

He looked at me and said, “I’m scared! I don’t want to go on that!”

I said, “Come on, you just flew to Montana on a plane to catch 36 fish—this is nothing!”

He looked at me, looked at the big red balloon, looked back at me…and smiled…nervous smile.

They climbed in—Dawson, Nana, Mom and Papa!

Oh yeh—Aunt Ciria was there in spirit!

And I yelled out “You’re not in Kansas anymore!”

I had to say it—come on? I just had to!

And Awesome Dawson was off to celebrate his Nonni’s one year passing!

What a way to go!!!

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I'm Just Saying

“Aunt Ciria and her Awesome Dawson!”

                                          “I’m Just Sayin’”

                                                                 by Alan P. Scaglione

What a difference a year makes…

It’s been a year since my Aunt Ciria left us.

Seems like yesterday, and yet… seems like a lifetime ago.

Every time I see a cardinal, I think of her.

That was her favorite bird—

I saw a whole family, 4 of them, including 2 chicks, in my yard last weekend.

I thought “let me call Aunt Ciria to tell her.”

Then I remembered… can’t call her anymore. She’s not here—she’s gone.

A few weeks ago… I would have called her for another reason.

It was my mom’s birthday—her sister.

She and I always talked on my mom’s birthday.

We would say how we couldn’t believe Mama’s been gone so long.

We would comment on how old she would have been.

We would say how much she has missed.

We would say Mama’s line “Life is for the living—don’t waste it on the dead!”

We would laugh, we would cry… and we would just be silent, for a few moments!

This year…didn’t have anyone to fill in for Aunt Ciria.

Just not the same to do it alone… so, I just did the crying… alone.

Funny how life really does go on… after someone’s gone.

The Olympics was her thing—every time, she was glued to the TV.

She missed it this year—she would have loved watching Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas and Missy Franklin.

She would have asked about Oscar Postarius—the runner with the cheetah legs.

She would have marveled at the Royal Family—especially the Queen “flying” into the opening ceremonies.

And her family—

She would have called me about Fisher walking and talking and that beautiful smile of his.

She would have called me about her Awesome Dawson flying out to Montana to be with her brother.

She would have laughed at the picture of Dawson kissing all 36 of the fish he caught while there!

She would have chuckled that two attempts have been made to go up in an air balloon—both cancelled at the last minute due to weather.

She would have commented on the RNC coming to town—she read every page of our local newspaper, every day!

She would have commented on the increase in local revenue even IF she would not have been happy that “they” were all coming to town!

She would have worried about her daughter having to drive through all of that traffic all week long—all caused by republicans!

Just so much has happened in a year!

She probably knows this, but…

Everyone misses her laughter, her Wendy’s frosty requests, and her beautiful cards, filled with the prettiest handwriting.

Her grandsons are doing well; Dawson just started back to both school and scouts, and her daughter is making it home safely every night

Even WITH the republicans being in town for a week.

And about that balloon ride? We are trying it one more time this morning—just because she loved her Air Balloons!

The Bible tells us in Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His saints!”

I know that it’s also been a year for her to be with Jesus – something she longed for, talked about and hoped for.

I also know—What Jesus wants, Jesus gets!

He wanted her… and after 80 wonderful years, sharing her life with us, she has now had 1 heavenly year, sharing eternity with HIM!

She was precious to us…now she is precious to Him.

I have no regrets… I spent time with her, I talked to her, I listened to her, I respected, honored and loved her—she was my second mother!

I took her a Wendy’s Frosty almost every time; there were times she would tell me, “Not this time, I still have one in the freezer!”

The last one I took her was finally thrown away—her daughter left it in the freezer for awhile – Just in case… hey, you never know?

But today, I feel like having one—Just for her!

 Until Next Time

I’m Just Sayin’…

Brother “A”

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Points2Ponder

“Like Father, Like Son!”

                                     Points2Ponder

                                                                                                       By Alan P. Scaglione

Ever know when you’ve been had?

You know what I’m talking about—when you know, no matter what you say, no matter what they’ve done, you’re gonna give in—they’re gonna get their way!

And yes, I meant to say “gonna” – it’s an endearing southern term.

We say it while we are tickling our kids!

“Gonna get you!” as the Jaws Hand comes down on their stomach and they yell and scream “No! No, Stop!”

All the while—laughing their heads off.

It’s all in that look—and they know—Tickle time is here!

Well, sometimes, it’s that “other” look that lets you AND everyone else watching know—you are about to be manipulated and charmed—

And you cannot do a thing to stop what’s about to happen-- you’ve been had!

POINTS2PONDER  Why do we let some people “get away with murder” knowing they have us wrapped around their finger—all with “that” look!

I have to reveal something about myself that, until now, only my immediate family knows about me.

I hope you are not disappointed in me once you hear it—but, I am an honest person at all times, so… here goes!

I love to play with remote control cars!

Not the expensive ones—some people spend $500 on a RC car—nah, my habit is a cheap one.

I won’t spend more than $15 on a RC car—but I just love to play with my RCs.

And so do my grandkids—all of them!

Even my granddaughter MacieGirl—she loves it too!

But no one likes it better than my youngest—Jett!

He loves making them go backward—and forward—and backward, again and again!

Not sure he has figured out that he can make them go long stretches, all in forward motion—without backing up!

Maybe that comes later!

As my wife would say… here comes another “Jett” story—but, hey? He gives me good material!

So, we are playing with the RCs, one is an orange vintage 1969 Dodge Charger—my favorite car of all time!

And the other is—a lime green 1972 Ford Cobra—my OTHER favorite car of all time!

I have it set up so they are on the same frequency so one controller can move both cars!

Jett doesn’t understand that yet—he is amazed that the cars move at the same time—he keeps looking at the “other” car every time he moves his car!

That look in his eyes- sheer wonder—he must be thinking “How’d that happen?” every time!

Just makes me crack up laughing.

So…it comes time for Jett to leave…

He knows the drill—Nano’s toys stay at Nano’s house so… we can play with them NEXT time we come to Nano’s!

He knows the drill—but this time, he’s not buying it!

“I’m gonna take Nano’s cars home—right Nano?”

I look at Jett, my son looks at Jett; we look at each other.

And then Jett does it—

That Look!! If you’re a grandparent, you know THAT look!

And my son says, “Oh NO Nano—he’s pulled out the puppy dog eyes! Run!”

And there he is, one car under each arm, head tilted slightly to the right, eyes could not look sadder if he found out Thomas The Train was derailed in an accident!

And he just looks at me… and says one word.

 “Pleeeeeaaaaassssseeeee!”

 Must have lasted 3 minutes as he said it.

And I look at him, and he’s looking at me…

And my son looks at his son, then looks at his father…and suddenly laughs out loud  and says, “Oh my gosh—it’s actually working—He’s got you—you’ve been had!”

And I look at him and say “just like you used to!”

Needless to say—I’m now shopping for 2 new RCs!

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