Ryan is now a doctor!

Dear Friends and Family,
What an exciting day for the Whitted family.  This morning at 10 am the service began in which Ryan graduated from 4 long years as a MD.  The service took place at the beautiful Mondavi center on the UC Davis campus. It was a beautiful service and lasted for nearly 2 and 1/2 hours.  There were 90 graduates and they are going into every speciality there is and around the country for their next step.  Ryan heads to San Diego and then Tenn. where he will attend Vanderbilt University.  He was very happy to have made this milestone and his parents were both jazzed too.  Pam's mother and sister were there from Chicago, Bill's mom, sister and nephew and nieces were there.  Other friends attended as well.

After the service was over we met at PF Changs on J street for an excellent lunch and more people joined us there.  It was a happy group and the cake was both delicious and beautifully decorated.

I finally headed home around 5 pm and encountered rain as I drove down 5.  This evening I've been doing laundry and the dryer is still making scratching noises as the drum turns.  After all the work I can't believe it is still creating racket.  At least I sort of know what to do about it now.  It is not the same loud screech as before but it is still not quiet, this is just round 1.  It will be quiet before I'm completed with it.

Once I got home and settled this afternoon I made a fire and kept it going all evening.  The weather was cold, windy and a fire was great.  I made popcorn, a little personal bag, a hot drink and watched the Good Wife, CSI Miami until I caught up.  One personal note I will mention.  Bill's best friend Stu who I've met many times over the years at gathering with Bill and the kids was there at the graduation service today.  With him was his new wife of just a week.  As I observed them interact I found it interesting that after caring for his wife for years and who cancer finally took away from him, a time of several years of being on his own, that using the Internet he found his new wife.  Now I've got to say she would not have been my choice but that was not the point, I think I've been spoiled by having 36 years with Nan and then being surrounded by really terrific ladies, I no longer am willing to settle just to have someone live here.  Either they are young at heart, sharp mentally, have a huge sense of humor and be able to keep up in conversations or they need NOT apply.  Being alone is not so terrible that one has to sentence himself or herself to a boring relationship.

It will be very interesting in the months and years ahead to see what develops but life is really pretty exciting right now.  I get great joy from watching the kidos develop, learn new phrases, words, behaviors, I love the feedback that I as  Papa get from them.  In this world right now my biggest admirers are my two dogs, Starr and Lady, they are at the door waiting, they jump up and confirm they are delighted to have me home.  Then there are the kidos, Kallie runs at full speed and crashes into my legs saying Papa, Papa and I scoop her up and hold her.  Keanna comes out the gate after school filled with adventures to share and so glad to see me, Timothy runs across his porch and looks down yelling Papa.  Now that is great stuff.  To get to be in their lives and render occasional assistance, well that is very good stuff.  If you have grandchildren you know of what I speak, if not these words are just babble, just wait, your turn is coming and it is totally wonderful.  Nan's biggest regret was not leaving me, it was leaving the little ones that she had looked forward to for so long and I'm biggest regret is that she didn't get to be here longer to enjoy them even more.

I would appeal to those of you who may be in the doldrums right now, sort of bored with life, feeling like you are stuck in a rut,  perhaps you need a vacation, some time in nature, should you join a gym?  start hitting the pavement again, use the phone more to reach out to friends and family.  I'm pretty sure that good things do not usually  come knocking, instead I think we have to go make good things happen, we need to refill the test tube that characterized our friendships.  Unless we fill them up with time spent the tube starts to get lower and lower until it is empty and the friendship is passe, gone, finished, kaput, history.......  Its hard work to love people, to listen to them, to care enough to really be there for them.

May I encourage you to get up, get started and do the right thing today, make a list, include people on the list, reach reach reach out of your shell and touch others with your love, your gifts, you support.

Love

Tim