The Good Son

My Dad first started taking us to the rodeo when it was held at the old Sam Houston Coliseum.  In those days, the star performers would just enter the arena and ride around on a horse at the conclusion of the rodeo. There were not any concerts and stuff.  There were not any carnivals either.  I saw Roy Rogers one year, James Arness who played Matt Dillon on “Gunsmoke” another year, and Hugh O’Brien, who played Wyatt Earp on TV in another year.

I have not been to a rodeo in like 20 years.  You know what? I have never been to the rodeo’s BBQ Cook-off. Just saying. 

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Over the last few months, I shared with folks I know the health challenges my Dad was dealing with and how we were caring for him.  Some folks told me that I was a “good son” for taking care of him. What are you supposed to do? Let your Dad go at it alone? Who does that? I guess some folks do. Not me. Not my family. I didn’t necessarily think I was a “good son.” I was just doing what I was bought up to do. That’s all.

A couple of days ago, Tuesday morning, Commentary and my nieces, Rachel, and Cristina, spent a couple of hours at the funeral home making arrangements. The casket, flowers, vault, escorts, cards, and on and on. Talk about exhausting. Funerals aren’t cheap either. We covered a whole lot of ground. I am glad my nieces went. I certainly could not have handled it all.

The featured photo is from my Dad’s last Christmas Day a couple of months ago.  About two weeks later we had to admit him into the hospital. He came home a couple of weeks ago under hospice care. He died a week later, a week ago this evening.

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Lance McCullers, Jr. is dinged up. Again.  This will be the third time McCullers is on the injured list on an Opening Day.  Oh, well.