Bob Dylan was right.
In between the period of my life when Saturdays were filled with Pop Tarts, early morning cartoons, and swimming at the municipal pool, I got married, divorced and witnessed the birth of my second son.
The world changed.
Two of the Beatles died.
Billy Joel lost his hair.
And my life grew more complicated.
My parents -- who have been a monumental presence in my life -- now look their age. My mother doesn't hear very well, and my father, who used to cut ricks of firewood for sport, now moves much slower. He sits more and chops less.
My children are quickly growing up.
Ethan, at 14, is tall, gangly and sporting the first vestiges of a mustache. Sara is willowy with curves and a smile that melts hearts. Clay is no longer three and toddling; he's ten and a starter on the baseball team.
I feel like that song by Bowling For Soup:
"...and bring back
Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana,
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV..."
Things got even weirder this week with the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett. For years, Farah's poster -- the one with her in a bathing suit against the towel -- hung in my bedroom. And I remember, still today, walking into the record store and buying Jackson's Thriller album.
I still have the record, but the poster is long gone.
And the period of my life when both those events took place is now, nothing more than a memory. My little brother is no longer little and doesn't need me to defend him. And those high school yearbooks look like they were produced on some far distant planet.
Yeah, times have changed.
The world is scary, the economy rocky and the monuments of my childhood are nothing more than distant, fog-shrouded places. I know what my father was saying years ago, when he told me to enjoy being a kid because I wouldn't get those days back.
He was right.
Today, I don't spend my summers mowing lawns, hauling hay and splashing girls at the municipal swimming pool in Yale, Oklahoma. The little weekly newspaper I grew up in no longer occupies a spot along Main Street and many of the people I called friends now sleep forever.
And still, the earth rolls on its belly.
Over the past 30 years, I have morphed into my father. I have his fears, his desires and and his stubborness. More than ever, I have taken the best he gave me and made it my own.
My Dad knows the value of a slow, summer day and the joy of laughter. He still relishes a cold glass of lemonade; and cooking a huge breakfast for his children and his grandchildren is still his favorite occupation.
And along the way, my Dad collected the memories.
The trip to the Grand Canyon. Countless hours fishing. Sitting around the campfire at the lake. Hunting for the perfect cedar tree for Christmas.
Those memories he gave to me.
Yes, I have become my father. And I am now the keeper of his legacy, too. I'm charged with remembering the events of my life with him and my mother and I'm responsible for passing those memories along to my children.
All this, while time passes quickly and my life moves into its second phase. Yeah, Bob Dylan was right, the times they are a'chagin.
I just wish they'd go a little slower as they do it.
Moore
July 1, 2009
The times, they are a'changin...
- Moore
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Changes made to big trash services
Changes have been made to the big trash pick up service which should make the pick up easier for both residents and city workers.
Residents who have Monday trash service will have big trash pick up in the months of March, July and November; Tuesday trash service will be April, August and December; Thursday is January, May and September and Friday is February, June and October. -
Fire in new auditorium at Southmoore High School
The Moore fire marshal is still investigating a small fire that occured shortly after 1:30 p.m. Friday at Southmoore High School.
Susie Pierce asked school board members to call an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss insurance and restoration fees on the fire at Southmoore High School. -
City passes tax rebate for Target
Chris Lundy, manager of public partnerships with the Target corporation addressed city council members Monday night to discuss building a store in Moore.
The Moore Economic Development Authority voted unanimously for a sales tax rebate to Target. -
Larsen says goodbye to district
Susie Pierce asked school board members to call an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss insurance and restoration fees on the fire at Southmoore High School.
She said about 20 auditorium seats were damaged by the fire and many others received smoke and water damage. - Savage, Patrick and Walker named site teachers Fisher Elementary School site teacher of the year, Stephanie Savage, graduated from Yukon High School and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She has been married for 19 years to Scott and the have three children, Blake, Paige and Allison.
- County will remove limbs Cleveland County Commissioners asked assistant district attorney David Batton to draft a resolution for roadside limb removal in the unincorporated area caused by the recent ice storm. Commissioner Rusty Sullivan said the county will remove the limbs through April 30.
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Fire in new auditorium at Southmoore High School
The Moore fire marshal is still investigating a small fire that occured shortly after 1:30 p.m. Friday at Southmoore High School.
Susie Pierce asked school board members to call an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss insurance and restoration fees on the fire at Southmoore High School. -
City passes tax rebate for Target
Chris Lundy, manager of public partnerships with the Target corporation addressed city council members Monday night to discuss building a store in Moore.
The Moore Economic Development Authority voted unanimously for a sales tax rebate to Target. - Savage, Patrick and Walker named site teachers Fisher Elementary School site teacher of the year, Stephanie Savage, graduated from Yukon High School and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She has been married for 19 years to Scott and the have three children, Blake, Paige and Allison.
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Larsen says goodbye to district
Susie Pierce asked school board members to call an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss insurance and restoration fees on the fire at Southmoore High School.
She said about 20 auditorium seats were damaged by the fire and many others received smoke and water damage. - More Moore Headlines
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Changes made to big trash services
Changes have been made to the big trash pick up service which should make the pick up easier for both residents and city workers.
