Happy Birthday, Number 2 Son

My Bouncin' Baby Boy

April 27 is a very special day for me. It was on this very date in 1982 that I became a father for the second time with the birth of Number 2 Son, Toby Dillon Shoemaker. Toby came kickin' and screamin' into this world several weeks early at a mere 5 lbs 5 oz. Shortly after his birth, Young Tobe was placed in an incubator with so many wires hooked up to him, he looked an alternator for a '64 Chevy, although not nearly as heavy. I was the only new Dad at the NICU (Natal Intensive Care Unit) at the time and I was given a gentle knot on the head by the Good Lord, a dose of reality if you will. I wasn't sure if Toby was gonna go home with his mother and I or not. He was so tiny and helpless laying there just on the other side of the big plate glass window I was looking at him through. Worse, there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Talk about a feeling of helplessness. Hurry up and wait isn't one of my strong suits. Toby did come home a few days later weighing a hefty 4 lbs 13 oz. He was so small, I could cradle him in my arm like a football. It was something to behold, I'm tellin' ya.

I remember a few weeks (?) later when, on a clear starry night, I took Toby to the top of a big mesa just outside town. I held him up with my arms outstretched as far they'd go, my hands holding my son behind his neck and under his bottom reaching to touch the Face of God and I said out loud, "Behold, my Son...the only Thing greater than you". Just like in Roots. Ever since that time, Toby and I have had a spiritual connection that defies a simple worldly explanation. But I know the reason why it is so. God heard my payers while I was praying to Him for the health of my new son at the hospital a few weeks earlier. Toby, even as an infant, heard the voice of God tell him that he (Toby) and I would never be far from each others' hearts, no matter the circumstances. And despite some really tough times over the years, my son and I have never lost that supernatural ability to "feel" the other's love and commitment as Father and Son.

Toby D. is twenty-nine years old today and has a new family of his own - Faith and my three new grand children. Tobe's new family was ready-made for him, but he didn't miss a beat stepping into his new Tribe. He's is an excellent Dad and I hope (LOL) a great partner to Faith. My tiny 5 lb 5 oz baby boy is now a Man...and a damn good one. I couldn't be more happy for him.

Long ago and far away on a mesa top near Carlsbad, New Mexico, my Son beheld the only Thing greater than he and ause of that, I think, has been blessed since with unique and special qualities that make him a fine young Man today. On top of that, he got his good looks from me. :)

Happy Birthday, Son. Your Old man is mighty proud of you.

I love you.

MEDICAL NOTE: I Ain't Kickin' the Bucket, I Just Feel Like I Am

It's 5:00AM, EST and I just got home from the Emergency Room due to a health problem I thought I was taken care of a couple of years ago, but there has been a recurrence of said issue. I won't be blogging today (I don't think) as the ER Doctor hooked me up with some heavy duty meds which will probably keep me out of touch with reality for most, if not all, of the day. We shall see what we shall see.

I ask you to please scroll down the page to the "Blog Archives" gadget in the sidebar and take a trip down Memory Lane with some posts from the last 7 months. I'll try to gain a grip on sobriety when I wake up later today and post an update or something.

The medication is starting to kick in, so I am gonna hit the hay for a while.

Adios,
Toby

Cross-posted at Dumbass News

Texas Tidbits: Toby the Son Done Good

The Son That Done Good

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my 28 year-old son, Toby, moving to Colorado to be with his true love, Faith. Everything is working out well for them and I couldn't be prouder or happier. Or maybe I could. When Toby moved there to be with Faith, he also moved into Instant Fatherhood. You see, Faith has three children. To my knowledge not a lot of young men would be willing to assume that much responsibility all at once. From this I deduce two very important things: 1) My son is a helluva young man and 2) Faith is a helluva young woman. The reason Toby is a helluva young man is fairly obvious considering the huge responsibility he has undertaken. Faith must be a helluva young woman because my son is taking on all that new responsibility to spend his life with her. A lot, if not most, 28 year old men would look at a girl with three kids and haul ass in the opposite direction. It takes a special young lady for a young man to want to take on a ready made family. Like my Dad told me long ago, Toby, you just put on the pants of a man. I have communicated with Faith by email and I can just feel the goodness of her soul. I am extremely happy that Faith is a part of my extended family.

As Toby's Dad, I get a bonus out of this whole deal. I get three new Grand Kids!! Even though the kids (read: grand babies) will be in Colorado and I'll be in Maine, I plan on being as big a part of their lives as humanly possible. They are a wonderful gift and needless to say, a welcome and precious part of my new extended family. I was talking with a friend of mine earlier this morning about how cool it is when my little girls call me "Daddy". I think that hearing the new Grand Kids calling me "Grandpa" will definitely be a heart-melter. I am stoked.

The old saying is proven to be true yet again - the Lord works in mysterious ways. And His mysterious way in this case is the blessing of bringing Faith and the children into our lives. You know, a guy could get real used to this mysterious ways thing. :) Toby the Son and the Lord done good.

Colorado Chronicles ; Major Moves

Number 2 Son

NOTE: I am writing this story with my Son's knowledge and approval.
 See that good lookin' young man in the photo? That's my Number 2 Son, Toby. It's come to my attention that Young Tobe is about to make a major move that could impact his life for many years to come, maybe forever. Here's the deal: A while back Toby met this young lady, Hope (not her real name), when he shared his ChapStick with her. After sharing ChapStick with a pretty young woman, it's traditional to go bonkers over said young lady. They shared, he went bonkers and that brings us to this Major Move I mentioned early in this post. Toby's relationship with Hope has gone way yonder beyond ChapStick sharing. We're talkin' serious business here. Since the ChapStick Share-a-Thon, Hope has moved to Colorado and these two young folks have had a long distance romance. After a while, long distance love is no bueno for caca. So, Toby, ever the romantic fool like his dashing, and equally handsome Father, is packing up and haulin' ass to Denver. I can't say I blame the lad. Toby and I had a discussion of this matter a while back, and I gave him the best Fatherly Advice (patent pending) that I could. Before I go on, Hope moving back to Texas was not an option. I told him that a love like the he has for Hope is a once in a lifetime thing and that, in my mind, he had two choices. Move to Colorado and be with Hope and be sure this is what he wants. If, for some reason, things don't work out like he wants them to, he and she at the very least had given it the old college try. If he didn't go, some day he'd sitting around wondering what if I had gone to Colorado. Personally, I'd rather take a chance and lose than to do nothing and never have a chance. Toby's a level headed young man, so he took what I told him, along with what his friends had to say about the matter and of course listened to what his Mother and older brother (Number1Son) thought about it all. The dude is heading to Colorado in about three weeks.  I've never met nor talked to Hope, but if she's captured my Son's heart, she's gotta be a keeper. I pray that Toby's leap of Faith (see what I did there, Tobe?) will be as rewarding to him as the one I took 4 years ago to come to Maine. Hope, I look forward to meeting you some day soon. Toby, have a safe trip, my Son. Your Old Man is mighty proud of you and I love you.

Texas Tidbits : City of Anna

I am doing this post today in honor of 28 year old Son, Toby. You may be asking yourself, "what does Young Toby have to do with Anna, Texas?" I answer because he lives there. Here's the scoop : Today Toby the Younger passed his test to get his Class A CDL. He's gonna be a trucker, like his Grandpa. I figured that if a town like Anna was home to such an enterprising young (not mention handsome, funny, suave and debonaire like his Dad) man, then a post about said town was warranted, nay, demanded. To put it simply, I found a way to spotlight an achievement of no small magnitude to tell my Son that I love him. OK? And damned if I didn't do it. :)
Back to Anna...the area (northeast of McKinney in Collin County) that is now Anna was settled as early as the 1840's, but it wasn't until 1867 that storekeeper John L. Greer built the first house and established the first business there.The Houston and Texas Central railroad arrived in 1873, but it was ten years later when "Anna" actually became a town. With a population of under 600 in the 1920's, according to the website for the City of Anna, there are today over 8000 residents. At this point, I'll turn the history of Anna over Anna-born-and-bred-Town Historian Chester A. Howell.
Toby, I am very proud of you, Son. Give 'em Hell (in a good way) on the highways of Texas. Your Grandpa is counting on it.