JACK'S BLOG
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Oh Dark Thirty
MY BEST PRESENT is my family. I can't remember any toy, any electronic device, any knickknack that has brought me greater joy. It is the one thing that I wished for all my life.
Anyone who has read my stories, especially the early installments of Oh-Dark-Thirty that I have posted on this blog, knows that I am intimately familiar with abuse. I grew up with it. I watched it perpetrated upon my brother until he was old enough to escape and then it was my turn. Still, I dreamed of what a family could be and that is what I wished for.
I suppose that I appreciate my family even more because my first attempt at building one was a failure. I chose the wrong woman. When you grow up loving people that you don't like, it isn't a stretch to imagine that you would marry someone cast out of the same mold. I should have known better, but didn't. I was even foolish enough to pursue her despite repeated rejections. I simply wore her down. The marriage only lasted about three months though we remained together for four years and had two children. One is dead and the other estranged. Then I met Arlene. No, I didn't really learn my lesson. I simply got lucky. I had a good friend who made the match. He made it well and it stuck. We had two children, now three grandchildren. We are closely engaged in their lives. I have concluded that grandchildren are God's gift to those who suffer parenthood. Many years ago, when I was a young sailor, there was a popular television show, Adventures in Paradise. Gardner McKay starred as Adam Troy, a World War II veteran who remained in the Pacific Islands to skipper a trading schooner. My mother often remarked that she could envision me living that life. Although I was drawn to it by my love of sailing, the reality of my life proved her wrong. Although my experiences with a dysfunctional family might have pushed me into a lonely life at sea, I was still drawn to a more domesticated fate. I'm glad I was.
It's fun looking back at the old TV shows, even though they're hard to watch today. I suppose I was that handsome when I was young (please allow me my delusions), but didn't wander off on exotic adventures as Michener wrote of. Still, I had many adventures of my own. I've sailed both coasts as well as Hawaii, in everything from tiny cat boats to tall ships. But, I was able to get home most nights to be with my family.
Lest I depress you overly much (that wasn't my intention), let me offer the following video as my Christmas card to all the world.
Merry Christmas
4 Comments
12/25/2012 11:21:49 am
Jack,
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Jack Durish
12/25/2012 11:33:56 am
Anyone who would be a writer must be prepared to bare all and stand naked before their readers. (Of course, I speak metaphorically. I don't think anyone would actually want to "see" me naked.)
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12/26/2012 12:12:35 am
Reading your work, I'm reminded of the great quote by the early day Texas rancher Charles Goodnight. He said, "If you count all of the good luck and all of the bad luck I've had, I guess you can say I've had all of the luck in the world."
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Jack Durish
12/26/2012 03:40:36 am
I have heard enough of Charles Goodnight that between the tales and his name alone, he seems of mythical proportions. But, I didn't know that he was wise as well.
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