My Life

These entries are for my three wonderful children, Zachary, Jeremy, and Julia. At right is a photo from Thanksgiving 2007 with my younger brother Edward, Jules, my nephew Jared, Jem, and my older sister Barbara. Wow look how tiny Jared is 3 years ago. I was thinking recently of my Dad, Leo, and how he taped an autobiography before he died in 1997. I still haven't listened to them. Maybe I am reluctant to hear the echoes of someone I loved and lost. I do think its important to have a sense of who were your parents though. What did they love, anticipate, dream, hope, and unfortunately regret? This blog/journal will be far from perfect. I am not going to edit it, just write from my heart for you kids. First, I want you to know I have loved my life. You three are responsible for more joy, smiles, and happiness then anyone could wish/hope/dream. It all begins with your mother though. She has been a superb wife/friend/lover and makes me anticipate every day. The last two years have been kind of tough and I don't know what the future holds for me. I do know that spending time with all of you is precious and I thank God for every minute. O.K. some family history. I was born January 3rd 1951 in Boston. I was the third child, Uncle Ed arrived 5 years later. My folks, Leo and Mildred, lived in my mother's father's house in West Roxbury. It was an old style 3 decker with two apartments for renters upstairs. You would have found it a bit crowded by our standards. My grandparents, parents, and all 4 siblings shared one bathroom. Wayne, Barbara, Edward, and I shared one bedroom. It was o.k. because its all we knew. I think eventually Barbara got her own space. We lived there till I was 7. We had this huge, musty cellar where there was a coal furnace. My Dad would shovel coal into it in the morning during the cold months. The apartment had steam radiators that would sizzle and pop all day. I enjoyed our years in Boston. We had a lot of relatives living nearby, particularly the Slotnicks, who were one street over. Alan and Richard were like older brothers to us. It was a fairly tough neighborhood so older cousins were very valuable in avoiding dust ups. I am not sure when I became aware that everyone wasn't Jewish. This was the '50s when ethnic groups clustered into neighborhoods. My Dad owned a deli with my Uncle Louie. He worked 6 days a week and was dog tired when he got home from work. Well I now realize my life story will be told with asides, reflections, and anecdotes. I'll try to be both entertaining and illuminating just don't expect many narrative threads. I never had a life plan. My main goals centered around being a decent husband, father, and friend. I'll let others judge how I did. O.K. kids blog 1 done. If you have any questions or comments send them along. Love you to the moon and back, Dad