"It's a new day!"

Have you every heard the saying "My dog ate my homework"? Well my cat just erased my entire post with just one button. When I tried to retrieve it, it just wasn't there.

Your not so lucky if you didn't read the short version. I got to start typing again so I added some things.

All went as expected. There were two family's, and so we were blended as it should be. My Step Dad's first wife, her husband, and my Step Dad's two of three successful sons were there. One is in college at Michigan State. He is becoming a lawyer against the bad guys. :) He would have been there had he known. He really loved his Dad the most. His Mother made the call that he not be told, that is up to her. We had no idea why she choose this decision.

They all really took it pretty hard, it was quite visable. I thought it was so classy of my Mom to treat them just like her three. We all felt as if we were one big family. It was so nice and comforting. We all shared stories about how we blended together as kids on their visitation weekends with their Dad. I remebered that we would drive my Mom nuts! She always got along with wife #1 as she lovingly called her, and we all consoled her as well. You could tell that she was hurting badly. As my Mother said, she was once in love with him as well. You never lose all the love. I will always remember her being this kind. Once again in my life I have learned something. I probably forgot to say in prior posts that wife #1 also visited the hospital a few days before he passed away from us.

There wasn't a dry eye on Saturday (funeral day) when we all gazed upon the headstone that he had paid for, and had placed when he had cancer years ago. My Mother didn't even know that he had written anything on the headstone. She only told me that when going through the grueling treatments for the cancer, it had made him want to prepare for certain things. Death was one of them.

On his headstone is the title of my post. If you knew him, you would understand this as his attempt at humor. He always wanted us to be optimistic, and make each day the best. This he taught to all of his children. The one's by blood as well as my brother, and myself. We understood his humor very well. Dry witted till the end, but leaving you pondering in the fact that it is true.

I should tell you that Saturday was the nicest day that we have had in Jersey this year so far. If you could call this weird weather "Spring"!! My Step Dad always waited for that one beautiful day because it meant the beginning of fishing season right around the corner. Getting on his boat, and fishing was all he wanted to do. He loved the beach, and everything about it. He was always tan. He also loved listening to "Bruce" all the time. We also listened to Cat Stevens continuously for weeks on end growing up, and now I know every Cat song by heart. When I think of my childhood, just like a movie I have that 60/70 era rock playing in my head. Hey I just got that myself. Cat? Ironic~ My Mom & Step Dad had 10 cats. He leaves behind a legacy of furry loved ones that miss laying with him in the bed. They don't know where their Dad is.

He also was a member of the Hudson River Fisherman's Association for a long time before he got sick. He did some great work in the fight to keep the river clean as well. He won a fancy award called "The Pete Barrett award". There was a splashy yearly fisherman dinner every year, and I just happened to be at this one when he won the award. It was nice.

Sleep well teacher, friend, hippy, intellectual and Dad~ You really did know everything!

Have a good day all! After all "It is a new day!"