Along with the sunshine, There's got to be a little rain sometimes.

These words have been going through my head the last few days. I could not think of the song but I kept thinking these words apply. For those of you who are not fans of Lynn Anderson's I Never Promised you a Rose Garden. Who? She used to be on the Lawrence Welk Show back in the 1970's. What? Look it up.

Well these words have been zinging around. I would change them up in my head and say Along with the rain there's got to be a little sunshine. Either way it takes both to grow flowers. Some days are dark and cloudy and rainy and the next the sun comes out and the blooms open but as the title says, We were never promised a Rose Garden.

This last few weeks I feel like I have walked through the desert and looked for the Oasis. Searching for something, that I started to believe was not there. When I found the Oasis it was in the strangest place. I found it watching 2 angels not with wings but with cell phones and cameras taking pictures of a beautiful sunset at the beach. Along with 2 proud fathers and their uncle that were glad to share this time together. A little boy that doesn't know any better than to dance when music plays and his mom.  I love that smile and his innocents. If you could bottle the joy that little one spreads it would be priceless.

We shared not only a meal and a sunset. The water was calm, just a ripple, the wind was blowing offshore and the clouds were drifting around to make the sunset perfect.

After dark we let go Chinese Wishing Lanterns for each member of the family that can no longer be here with us. It was the most incredible sight. Awesome was the word thrown around that night. The video of it brings tears to my eyes. Those lanterns did not drift or float but flew straight to heaven. Where Lisa, Amber, Lilly and Jim were there to catch them and toss them around like beach balls in heaven or is that what the stars are. We could see them for miles.

Absolutely Amazing.

A bit of Sunshine

I want to start with even though this is a bit of sunshine. Today I was also told that a friend lost her daughter after being hit by a car while crossing a road.  I know no amount of sunshine will stop the rain for you right now. But that shock and anger will give way to healing and pleasant memories that will remain with you to be shared forever. You are in our thoughts and prayes.

Tonight I went to dinner with Brian and my friend Tracy and her family. We ate at Capogna's Dugout. If you do not live in Clearwater it is not too far from the high school and it was the place to be seen on a Friday night after a football game in the 1980's and probably still is today.

We were sitting at a table near the wall and a few men walked over and were looking at pictures on the wall. I had my back to the wall so all I saw was 1981. And one of the men pointed at the picture and said, "There I am." I looked at him and said, "Well 1981 you must remember Hassan Jones and he said "I do and this is him," As he points to one of the other men standing near by. I reminisced about being a freshman and him being the man on our football team. He then played at Florida State University and went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings. Brian was so proud. His wife knowing so many stats on this guy. If you would have asked me to name two players I knew on the football team when I was in school he would be one of the two. We talked for a few minutes while they looked over Hassan's high school jersey framed on the wall and other pictures of players from that year.

Tracy was surprised by my High School Football knowledge as well. Funny thing other than his name and where he played football I didn't know anything else. So here are some of his football stats.

While at Clearwater High he was chosen to the Parade All American High School Football list.
Played for Florida State 1982-1986 caught 17 touchdowns and was #7 in receiving touchdowns in 1985 and #6 for total receiving yards in 1985.
5th round draft pick in 1986 by Minnesota Vikings out of Florida State.
Played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1986-1992 over 3800 career receiving yards and scored 24 touchdowns.

Just to be fair he has had some problems along the way which the internet makes it easy enough to find out but I hope him and his friends had a good dinner and enjoyed the walk down memory lane as much as I did.

 Afterwards I thought how funny that it made me smile making him smile because some lady in some restaurant remembers who he is or it made me smile remembering all the great fun I had in Band during all the football games with so many good friends.