The Story of My Life: As Told By My Father

Alrightee. This is the post that many of you have been waiting for; the guest blog from my father. For those of you know him, I think you will recognize his unmistakeable "voice." Those of you who are unfamiliar with him, well, let's just say that if you stick around, you'll get to to know him soon. Depending on your sense of humor, you're more likely than not to be amused.

The parameters I set forth were simple: I asked him to guest blog on any subject he wanted. I have not edited one single word, though in the interest of full disclosure, after submitting the following he did ask me to add one additional sentence which I didn't think was appropriate (the sentence, that is). If any of you are interested in seeing this "addendum", please email me privately.

Also note that the family is headed out for an extended weekend of R&R to Arizona, where, according to weather.com, the temperature is a rather tepid 113. No exaggeration. So, not sure if I'll have the ability to post (because I will likely have melted), but will try.

Lastly, thanks for the cascade of good wishes today, everyone. At the risk of sounding trite, it really means a lot; actually, it means more than you know. Heavy duty day; I sincerely hope that none of you ever find yourself in this lifetime sitting in a doctor's office, waiting the outcome of your cancer scans.

Anyway. without further ado ... the Story of My Life in less than 500 words. Also note I've asked him to weigh back in as guest columnist on a monthly basis.

Here you go:




GS sitting in for howard .we (parents and brothers scott and neil) are very proud of h. i did not have high hopes for him after his low to mediocre 4 years at Michigan. The number of English majors at the time he graduated was only slightly lower than the number of roaches in the big apple. I knew he could work because he was a relentless worker at my co. during his high school summers but for 4 years he tasted the good life of college. The first clue i had of his ability was when he went to work for my cousin who had a failing advertising co. howard ,for no pay, made cold calls and if he was successful in making an appointment his reward was to go along to the meeting. My cousin surprised me by saying that if he had h a few months earlier they might have been able to save the co. still, smoking 2 packs a day and choosing to live in off the beaten track in Greenwich village supported some of my old doubts.
It all started in the boogie down Bronx. Probably the thinnest baby born in Bronx Lebanon hospital came home to our apt. in riverdale with a 24 hour case of hiccups. Scared the crap out of us . H. was so thin he only had one side. People came to see his heartbeat thru his skin. A year later came our move to n.j and the arrival of his 1st bro. another skinny kid. They fought all the time but noone ever got hurt because there was no beef. Soon comes neil. H and n team up against s. so we buy s a dog for s. Dumbest dog ever.
Turns out h. had something that attracted most of the neighborhood kids . I think it was that he always had something to do in mind while the others didn,t.this boy of many friends continued that way thru high school. His interests were gambling (card, racetrack) and music. He liked outdoor reggae concerts where he was the only white kid. How did he survive?. He was a good student in high school and was class pres. College for h was a place to make friends and he obviously did it with a passion. Drugs? Why not?
One day he and a friend from work decide to run. Next thing i know;a marathon and no more smoking. Soon after a wife ,a good job a,move to Chicago with a chance to save a black sheep office after many top knockers tried and failed and h succeeds. Along comes the new thin baby champ,z and then his seasonally named sister. H is now running, swimming and biking and does an iron man in lake placid. I am becoming more winded than he by these accomplishments.later a transfer to s.f and more of the same except with better scenery.
Look out ; a pain in the neck turns out to be the big c. scares us all. Still h continues to do his things. April and his father and mother in law become his support team and his friends from all over come to his psychological support. The future for a kid like this should be good.better be good.i am blessed to have a fighter like h.as his grandfather (99 years at time of death in las vegas) would have said “this kid kicks ass.”