Chili Cook Off

Well, tomorrow is Halloween and I'm pretty darned excited about it.

I love Halloween.

I'm not even sure why I love Halloween except for the fact that in my mind, I know that I'll get to see my love dressed up in some costume that will inevitably lead me to a fantasy scenario in my head which will make me so very happy.............


Yes, yes, yes.............in case you girls didn't realize it - us boys never stop that. We fantasize at least once every hour of our day - awake or asleep! I'll always remember Richard Pryor talking about the crazy stuff he used to think when he was smokin' crack.............

"OK baby, you take your clothes off and I'm going to run around on the roof three times naked and when I jump off the roof - you sit on my face."

And I've never smoked crack - but some of the thoughts I have from time to time do involve some very strange things.............

And that's all I've got to say about that!!!

Still, we went to a costume party this past weekend and my baby dressed up in her wickedly sexy sheriff's outfit and it did it for me. She always does it for me.........ah, lucky me.

But since we live in a neighborhood devoid of neighbors I'm pretty sure that we won't have anything fun to do at our house on All Hallow's Eve.

We're going to our church for a little Trunk-N-Treat which is pretty cool because all the little poor neighborhood children can come and get boat loads of candy from us rich white folk and it's in a very good setting.

But better than that, I'm participating in a chili cook-off. I made the chili this past Sunday so it's been sitting (in the fridge for you food nazi's) for the better part of a week. It was very yummy when I made it so I can only imagine that it's real darned tasty by now! We'll see...........

I didn't make it hot so everyone could try it - but I'll supply some hot sauce and other "special" condiments so people can doctor it up. I know I'll win unless the fix is in. Which I'm sure it is. I'll just have to report the results next week.

So in the meantime, eat some candy. Put on a costume and let it all hang out.

Switching gears..............

The day after Halloween is All Saints Day, which is a very holy day for me. I take that time to honor my loved ones that have gone on before me.

I miss my father so much. I miss sharing the joy that I have in my life now with my wife. I miss him seeing how wonderfully my life has turned out. He would have loved Paige so much. She is his kind of girl!

I miss him dearly as I sit here at this very moment with tears running down my cheeks...........yea, so I'm a little misty today - bite me!

But I do firmly believe that I will see him again. And that gives me comfort.

I miss my grandmother too.

Actually, I miss both of my grandmothers but especially my mother's mother who I called "Big Momma" because she had, and I quote Richard Pryor again, "she had the biggest titties in the world!".

She was an amazing woman - the adminisrator of the hospital in Picayune, MS back in the time when women didn't do things like that. There is still an award given in her name each year by the Mississippi Hospital Association for it's financial officer of the year award. She had a 70 year service pin from the Red Cross. 70 freakin' years, can you imagine???

But beyond all of that. Beyond the things she accomplished in life, the most amazing thing to me was that she loved me more than I can ever comprehend. She loved me when I was bad, she loved me when I was good and she even loved me when I was a teenager!!!

She was the one that showed me that no matter what happens, when you love someone that is what you show when things are bad. She showed me that you look on the bright side of life and hold on to the good things while forgiving all the things that irritate you.

I was her only grandchild and she was so proud of me. And that love truly transcends everything else.

As I love my wife each day, through the good times and the not so good ones, she is my example and the reason that I can recognize that no matter what happens, that the love is the best thing you have and it is the thing that comes first.

So thank you Dad - and thank you Big Momma. My life is wonderful because of the example that you set for me and my prayer is that I will live up to your expectations of me and that I will be able to pass along the gift of unconditional love to those in my life.

Peace be with you today.