Incoherant Ramblings from a First-Time Father of an Extraordinary Daughter, along with Musings on Life, Food, Books, Entertainment, Running (heh - yeah, right) and Poetry all with a Lousy Dawg
The father pours the milk from his glass
into the cup of the child,
and as the child drinks
the whiteness, opening
her throat to the good taste
eagerly, the father is filled.
He closes the refrigerator
on its light, he walks out
under the bowl of frozen darkness
and nothing seems withheld from him.
Overhead, the burst ropes of stars,
the buckets of craters,
the chaos of heaven, absence
of refuge in the design.
Yet down here, his daughter
in her quilts, under patterns
of diamonds and novas,
full of rich milk,
sleeping.
When we bring up the topic of Annie surfing with Life Rolls On, most people cock their heads and say, "Wha?". Well here is how it all went down last weekend!
First off, we arrived at LRO-Central at La Jolla Shores Beach (they had plywood laid down on the sand to accommodate wheelchairs):
This is a professional operation!:
We saw our friend Patrick (the person who first told us about LRO):
We saw our friend Hunter:
We all received free t-shirts compliments of Citizens of Humanity clothing (the image on the front is both subtle and remarkable - very well done!):
Uncle Day came out sporting his "Go Annabelle" shirt for support (Uncle Day has a great post of his own describing the event from his perspective):
Checking out the action:
Our friend Hunter is suited up and heading out!:
Hunter catching his first wave of many:
Minutes before she was scheduled to go out, Annie (in typical fashion) fell asleep:
It was an extraordinary day meeting extraordinary people and I am absolutely addicted. Life Rolls On's West Coast season is done for this year but they will start up again next spring and we hope to not only participate but volunteer as well!
We heard of another local disabled surf program called Wheels to Water. Naturally, Annie is scheduled to surf with them on October 22nd!
Okay, I know this is late but I still like the pic. Taken this past Monday evening after ringing out the end of "summer" with good friends. We ate, we drank, we laughed until the tears rolled down our faces and the sun finally set.
I was just thinking that my friend M.is amazing, but she can’t see anything other than her flaws. I wish I could make her see all the awesomeness inside of her. She’s like a magnificent pinata filled with such beauty, and all I want to do is just smash her in the face with a stick. But in a good way.
An average joe comes in
and orders thirty cheeseburgers and thirty fries.
I wait for him to pay before I start cooking.
He pays.
He ain't no average joe.
The grill is just big enough for ten rows of three.
I slap the burgers down
throw two buckets of fries in the deep frier
and they pop pop spit spit...
psss...
The counter girls laugh.
I concentrate.
It is the crucial point—
they are ready for the cheese:
my fingers shake as I tear off slices
toss them on the burgers/fries done/dump/
refill buckets/burgers ready/flip into buns/
beat that melting cheese/wrap burgers in plastic/
into paper bags/fries done/dump/fill thirty bags/
bring them to the counter/wipe sweat on sleeve
and smile at the counter girls.
I puff my chest out and bellow:
"Thirty cheeseburgers, thirty fries!"
They look at me funny.
I grab a handful of ice, toss it in my mouth
do a little dance and walk back to the grill.
Pressure, responsibility, success,
thirty cheeseburgers, thirty fries.
I can't tell you how much my kid loves water. If we are out and about and she hears the trickle of a fountain her head will whip around and she will start shoving her wheelchair in that direction.
We actually have to alter our route in certain parks to avoid fountains when we don't have time to stop. The only way to get Annie away from a fountain she loves is to pick her up out of her wheelchair and carry her because she will yell and grip her tires so tightly that her wc will come to a screeching halt.
But more often than not we stop on our way to somewhere else to enjoy an unscheduled fountain and when we do, her face lights up and you wonder once again, "What's the rush?".
O, I believe Fate smiled and destiny Laughed as she came to my cradle Know this child will be able Laughed as she came to my mother Know this child will not suffer Laughed as my body she lifted Know this child will be gifted With love, with patience and with faith She'll make her way - Natalie Merchant
Please consider leaving a comment on a post that prompts you so that everyone can benefit. If you would like to e-mail me, I can be reached at Matthew.M.Linden@Gmail.com