David Michael Kubler

Today is the birthday of my nephew, David. He would have turned 21 today, had he not suddenly passed away in January. I know this will be a hard day for my brother and his family. The "firsts" are always tough when someone dies. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, whatever...we are reminded that we will never share them again with our loved one. And so I think and pray today for my brother, his family and all of us who knew David. And I take comfort from the lyrics of a song written and performed by Miley Cyrus.

David 1992

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear
Every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you, sha la la la la
I miss you

Is That a Perm?

My nephew Joe is a really funny guy, and I can always count on our holiday gatherings being even more lively when he shares a story. He works for a municipality west of the St. Louis area, and the pranks the employees play on one another are just outrageous. As are the things that happen to him in real life. Last Saturday night, his stepson got married in a rural area in Missouri. Following the wedding in a local church and the reception at the local fairgrounds, Joe and his wife went to join another family member in a bar at the nearest town. For one drink.Well, you know how that goes... Around 1:00 a.m. Joe went into the men's room. He was standing at a urinal when another guy, complete with a cowboy hat, came into the room and took his place at the urinal next to Joe's. Cowboy began staring at him. "Staring at you, as in checking out your equipment?", I asked. "No, just staring at my face." When Joe inquired as to if something was wrong, the not-so-urban cowboy said, "I ain't never seen a white boy with a perm before." Does that mean he's seen other non-white boys with perms? But I digress. Joe explained that it was not a perm. Cowboy then wanted to know if Joe lived in the area, and he told him that he lives in St. Louis city. "They let you get away with having hair like that in St. Louis?!?", Cowboy incredulously exclaimed. At this point my nephew decided he needed to finish his business and get the heck out of Dodge. I told him he should just be glad that Cowboy didn't decide to check and see if Joe's hat matched his purse. If you know what I mean.