Today is Dad’s Birthday. I wanted to post a picture from February 2006. This picture was taken for an article at M. D. Anderson and it shows the passion that Dad had for his motorcycle. I am sure today Dad would have traveled hundreds of miles on his bike, as today it was sunny and in the 60’s. Life continues to throw family challenges, but it helps to keep the days going.

~Jason

Just last week Mom came to Massachusetts to visit.  We had a good time shoveling snow, shopping, watching movies, hanging out, spending time in my classroom with 6th graders, and cleaning the house after all of the construction.  Mom is back home in warm Arizona!  Jason is busying in Texas working on his doctorate degree.  Jack and Shannon are preparing for the arrival of their third child in July.  This past week Mom was putting up an Asia bulletin board in my classroom and it was neat to read postcards Mom and Dad sent when they were traveling to various places in the world.  I think of Dad every time I shovel snow, because I wear one of Dad’s favorite casual jackets–Mom is wearing it in the picture here.  I know Dad is watching over all of us.

Jason is here in Massachusetts staying with Brendan and I.  We have come to find out that no bars are open on Christmas Eve!!  We have had a blast playing darts (avoiding the pandas as targets, since the dart board is hanging in the panda room) and playing dominoes.  Rhonda is enjoying her warm weather in AZ.  Jack is busy with his family in Colorado, and yes next Christmas they will have three children to celebrate with.  Grandpa has snowed in at home in St. Joseph, MO.  I have my two inflatable snowmen in the yard in Dad’s memory.   We all miss Dad greatly and wish he was here to celebrate the season with us.  Happy New Year, Amanda

This marks the start of another holiday season without dad. This year everyone in staying at their respective homes. Jack is in Colorado, Amanda is in New England, I am in Texas, and Mom is in Arizona. The holidays are a time for remembrance and also a time to be thankful for all the inspiration that Dad has brought to us.

“We cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears.  We must not demean life by standing in awe of death”  ~David Sarnoff

It was two years ago this week that Dad walked me down the isle, danced with me, and gave a speech welcoming Brendan to the family. It was also this week two years ago that I last played miniature golf with Dad. He is always in my thoughts. I miss being called Mandy! But I just wish I could sit down with him and have an intellectual conversation— I do miss those. At least the genes were passed on to his children, so we can still have those types of conversations. I thank God everyday for the amazing family that I have/had.

I just arrived back from the Society for NeuroOncology in New Orleans. Yesterday they had the first speaker of the Hassenbusch Lecture. As a memorial to Dr. Hassenbusch, the society created a lectureship that will be an annual event. This year the lecture was on healthcare reform given by Katie Orrico, JD. It is always touching to have a tribute to Dad and to see how many lives he impacted. I was also fortunate to speak on the Quality of Life panel and help give some insight from a family perspective on terminal diseases.

Last week I received the paperback version of Dad’s book. If anyone would like a copy, please email me.

Happy Halloween!

~Jason

The sun rises on the damp streets of Houston this morning, marking today as yet another month passing without Dad. This week has been a whirlwind that started with the passing of a great family friend last Friday. Alfred Bishop was a man that can not be described in a few short words. He was a great man who everyone loved and cherished.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=133131085

Thursdays will never be the same and I will miss the company on motorcycle rides. This leaves me alone on the motorcycle as Dad and Alfred will no longer accompany.

This week also marks the transition of Mom to Arizona. As of yesterday, she has left Houston with both Peanut and Stetson. Her house was sold on Wednesday and the Movers should be arriving in Arizona on Saturday. It is official, I am on my own in Houston.

God Speed Alfred, you were a father figure when needed the most.

~Jason

I say this every time, but as I reflect each month it is amazing to me how things change. I am here working on a large mailout and I think some aspects of dad have rubbed off on me, hopefully in a good way. I have been timing how long it takes to print each envelope and thus determining how long the project will take. I remember almost every time I stood in line with dad, he would time how long it takes each person and thus gain a estimated wait time. In many ways this is a bit of the family OCD that tends to come out, although I think it good in some ways.

Amanda and I visited our Grandpa over the weekend in Missouri. He is doing very well and in great health. Mom’s house is officially off the market as all of the inspections went well.

I know this is a bit early, but on October 10th 2009 will be Sam Jam II which is the annual motorcycle ride by the M. D. Anderson employee motorcycle group. You can visit the website at www.ridersforthecure.org for more information!

~Jason

I am down in Texas visiting Jason and Mom.  Jason and I are in the process of revising Dad’s book, this time it will be coming out in paperback.  Tomorrow is Mom’s birthday!  I am continuing Dad’s tradition of getting Mom perfume for her birthday.  May God be with you in all that you do.  Sincerely, Amanda

As we are now into the middle of the hot Houston summer, there is still continual change. Mom’s house is now on the market as she prepares for her move to Arizona. I continue to work at M. D. Anderson while also working on my doctorate degree. Amanda has the summer off from teaching and she has been traveling. Jack and his family went on vacation to Disneyland. As Amanda has mentioned, I have started the process of creating and releasing a paperback version of Dad’s book. As the days go the presence of Dad is still strong and I use the strength that he has instilled to comprehend the world we live in.

~Jason

I saw a TV show the other day that I am sure dad would have enjoyed. On the Discovery Channel they have a show called “Pitchmen.” This is about the world of direct TV sales for interesting and unique products (Info-commercials). Dad always did enjoy his late night $19.99 purchases. We have many items around the houses that are a “must have” and many of them were a surprise at how useful they actually turned out. Then again, there were a few duds! I have purchased a few items in spirit of dad and the most useful one yet is the grab-it screw extractor.

      Time keeps on moving and it seems that in many aspects the year is becoming more difficult. I thought 2009 would be the start of positive change, but now I am looking to 2010. I am in full swing with the doctorate program and after my residency last week I am rethinking my dissertation topic. Today I drove dad’s charger to work and like normal, was stopped by 2 people who appreciate the 60’s muscle car. I always tell them it is my dads and one said I was lucky that he lets me drive it. Too bad dad is not around to put gas in it, as it is very thirsty for premium gas!

Attached is a picture from December of 1994 that mom took. It has the car, us kids, and Dad.

Till then,

~Jason

                 Dad is always on my mind!!! I am out of the school for the summer!!! I wish Dad was here to see me studying to get my teaching license to teach English grades 5 to 8. In grade school, English was my worst subject and now it is my best and most favorite subject. I missed Dad greatly on Father’s Day and had Dunkin’ Donut holes in thought of him. Love, Amanda

The picture of Sam, the kids, and the Charger brought back multitudes of memories! The Charger was my mom’s before we acquired it in the late 70’s for $600! Sam drove that car to the different hospitals that he worked in while we were Baltimore. It was parked out on the street (we did not have a garage) and if only it could talk! A couple was arrested fighting on the hood-they took out the antenna, the windshield sustained a bullet hole and the same bullet took out the headliner-a man shooting at his girlfriend’s ex, it had a polka-dot paint job after a man decided to paint the front of his rowhouse white and used a roller, and finally my yearly tire changing-when Sam would accidently run over a “Thunderbird” bottle while coming back to Hopkins to park—–AAA would not come and change it, they said the area was too dangerous!!!!! When we moved to Cleveland the Charger was only driven in good weather and parked when it started to snow. In 1993 on our move to Houston we dropped the Charger off in St. Joseph, Missouri to get some restoration done on it. My parents delivered the car to us 1994 with a new paint job! The doctors at Anderson hinted that Sam was paid enough to get a “new” car, but that was his baby and he would never think of parting with it—even though it did not have air conditioning! The Charger is pictured with each of our kids when they attended their proms, Amanda and Brendan left their wedding and drove to the reception in this very special car. Jason has worked on it over the years and a few years ago took on the job of a complete restoration. Sam quit driving the Charger to work everyday when he purchased his Victory motorcycle, but it thrilled him to take it to medical dinners in Houston because of all the attention it got, now his car was placed in front of a business and valet’s were excited to get a chance to park it!!!
I always enjoy opening my garage and to see the Charger there, that car holds decades of wonderful memories of my life with Sam and my mom. ~Rhonda