I LOVE YOU DAD

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE MY FATHER PASSED AWAY. SINCE THEN I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED WHAT KEPT THE TWO OF US ON SUCH DIFFERENT PATHS. NOT THAT I DIDN'T LOVE HIM, I WAS JUST A KID GROWING UP AND I COULDN'T COMPREHEND WHAT HE WAS ALL ABOUT AND I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY HE WAS SO CRITICAL OF ME. HIS FATHER WAS A MAN OF VERY FEW WORDS AND STRICKLY BUSINESS. CONVERSATION WAS OUT OF THE QUESTION. MAYBE THAT WAS PART OF DAD'S PROBLEM. AS I'VE GOTTON OLDER I HAVE REALIZED VERY LITTLE OF THIS WAS ABOUT ME..IT WAS PROBABLY HIS CHILDHOOD AND THE TOUGH CLIMB TOWARD THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN IN LIFE THAT FRUSTRATED HIM SO MUCH. AS A VICTIM OF EPILEPSY AND CONSEQUENTLY MANY ACCIDENTS HE FOUND THAT KEEPING A JOB AND SUPPORTING HIS FAMILY WAS DIFFICULT. I THINK HE ALWAYS FELT INADEQUATE BECAUSE OF IT. HE HAD BEEN A BAKER, IRON WORKER, CARPENTER AND MORE. THEREFORE, WHEN I DECIDED TO GO INTO TELEVISION AND RADIO ANNOUNCING, HE WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. HIS IDEAS FOR ME WERE GETTING A TRADE AND WORKING WITH MY HANDS LIKE HE HAD DONE. BUT IT WASN'T FOR ME. AS AN EXAMPLE, I REMEMBER IN HIGH SCHOOL I SPENT A YEAR TRYING TO PUT FOUR BOARDS TOGETHER TO MAKE A BOOK CASE IN SHOP CLASS. AS TIME CREEPED ALONG AND MY CAREER IN BROADCASTING WENT UPWARD I THINK DAD WAS SECRETLY PROUD OF ME AND HE BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND MY CHOICES IN LIFE WERE OKAY, TOO. AFTER ALL, I WAS MAKING MORE MONEY THAN HE EVER DID AND HIS FRIENDS WERE COMPLEMENTING ME FOR MY ANNOUNCING. I ALSO UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WASN'T MY SHORTCOMINGS BUT IT WAS HIS ROLL OF THE DICE IN LIFE THAT MADE HIM THE WAY HE WAS. ONE GREAT THING HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF ALL THIS -I TOOK MORE TIME AND SPENT MORE DAYS WITH MY SON THAN MY FATHER EVERY DID WITH ME. THANKS TO HIM HE BROUGHT A FATHER AND SON CLOSER. NOW THAT I'M THE ELDER GUY I REALIZE DAD DID LOVE ME BUT HE JUST COULDN'T MUSTER UP THE WORDS TO OPEN UP HIS HEART TO SHOW HIS FEELINGS. IT'S SUCH A SHAME THAT SO MANY PEOPLE SIMPLY CAN'T SAY "I LOVE YOU." TRY IT YOURSELF...I KNOW IT CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS.

REMEMBERING DAN MILLER

WHY IS 918 HEARD AVENUE IN AUGUSTA, GEORGIA SO SPECIAL? WHILE MANY AUGUSTA ADDRESSES WERE HOME TO FAMOUS RESIDENTS THE ADDRESS OF 918 HEARD AVENUE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE LIST BECAUSE IT WAS THE CHILDHOOD HOME OF AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN NAMED DAN MILLER. DAN WAS AN IMMENSELY POPULAR TELEVISION ANCHORMAN IN NASHVILLE AND PAT SAJAK'S SIDEKICK ON A LATE NIGHT TV TALK SHOW, BUT THAT'S ONLY A FRAGMENT OF HOW HE WILL BE REMEMBERED BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. STARTING IN THE 8TH GRADE DAN AND I SPENT A LIFETIME AS BEST FRIENDS THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, ARMY BASIC TRAINING, MARRIAGES, CHILDREN, DIVORCES, SUCCESSES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS. TO ME DAN WAS ATTICUS FINCH (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD) WHEN IT CAME TO STRONG IDEALS AND DEVOTION TO HIS KIDS; SOMEWHAT LIKE RHETT BUTLER (GONE WITH THE WIND) TO HIS AMAZING WIFE KAREN; AND ALWAYS FULL OF FUNNY ONE LINERS (BLAZING SADDLES) FOR THE REST OF US TO ENJOY. HIS LOYALTY, COMPASSION, GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR AND ABILITY TO FIND GOOD IN OTHERS WON HIM FRIENDS FROM COAST TO COAST. I KNOW I CAN'T BE FEELING THE PAIN HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY FEELS OVER HIS PASSING BUT ALL OF US WHO KNEW HIM WILL ALWAYS BE SAD THAT HE IS NO LONGER A PART OF OUR LIVES. GOODBYE OLD FRIEND. PAUL

DAD'S MONEY LESSONS

Did you ever get the feeling way back in time that something had to give in the world of plastic money? I've felt that way for years after hearing stories from friends of mine who had $60,000 or even $90,000 in credit card debt while only earning under $100,000. Do the math..with high rates of interest up to 25% or more how is it possible anyone could ever pay off their cards in this lifetime. What the heck was so enticing out there in the world of things to buy? You don't buy cars on credit cards so we can leave that one off. I tend to believe it was smaller things you really could'nt afford but talked yourself into. You did'nt have the cash, but so what? How about a new top of the line high speed laptop computer with wireless connection and a very large screen. This seemed like a really practical thing to purchase. Never mind that you already had a PC that was just two years old. Or let me suggest maybe the riding lawnmower with all the bells and whistles for $3,000 was a bit overboard considering the yard was just about the size of your 2,700 square foot home. Then there was those trips to football games that were all charged on your overweight credit card. Gas , hotels, food and even bar tabs. It was time to party. And you always bought the biggest and best gifts for Christmas so no member of your family would be deprived of anything. It all adds up before you know it. My father was not a Rhodes Scholar but he was right about money. Since he did not have any bank accounts or savings he had a small black purse or wallet sort of thing that opened at the top with several little compartments. That purse was always with him and underneath his pillow at night. Dad was tight like Mr. Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol." I never ask him how he separated cash into the various sections but he did teach me something I've never forgotten and it's a simple lesson for everyone. If you don't have the cash money you can't afford to buy anything. In other words if it's not in your pocket you don't have it. What a simplistic huge lesson for this nation! What did people do before credit cards came along? They found some other way to make things work! I am a practical person who has never really wanted for anything and I'm not in debt to anyone. This country has got to return to the frugal days of the past. Figuratively speaking, I suggest what all of us should have is something like my dad's little black pocketbook that lets you know how much money you really have to spend and no more!!! It works!

PAUL WOLFE

THE LAST DANCE

Back when I was in the 7th grade my mom said I was a little clumsy and she decided that going to social dancing class was the answer. So every friday night I took the Lakeview bus and headed downtown in Augusta, Georgia to the YWCA ballroom to face the incredible torture of learning to dance. All the boys wore suits and the girls had those big frilly dresses. I wore my only suit to church two times a week and to dancing class. The suit gave me sort of a Jerry Mahoney or Howdy Doody look with freckles. Having yet to discover hair tonic my hair style was a lot like Alfalfas. Being the worst possible dancer in the class also brought on a medical condition known as "sweating buckets syndrome." Most of the time the teacher, Mrs. Price, was my constant companion on the dance floor where everyone could snicker at my ineptness, but once in a great while I would dance with my actual dancing partner named Henrietta. She had a great personality but was not much to look at. The music for the classes was stuff I hated like Papa Loves Mambo by Perry Como, Sway by Dean Martin and Blue Tango by Leroy Anderson. After an evening of stepping on many, many toes I would leave and go buy a Coke to help with the dehydration problem and wait for the bus in front of a store I loved called Bowen Brothers. This store had all the latest things plus Augusta's first escalator. I remember that the "The life of Riley" was always on the tv in the store window.
The other day I happen to pass the old "Y" and did a double take. It was reduced to a pile of rubble and machines were scooping it up. Someone said the new library would be taking it's place. As I stood there gazing at it I suddenly realized I never really danced again after that class. I wonder if that kind of social dancing still exists. I kinda hope it does.

BIRTHDAYS

It seems like just a few months ago I had a birthday but here it is again. As you get older you would rather ignore the day than blow out the candles. God forbid someone secretly tells the waitress and you are suddenly surrounded by the entire staff of TGI FRIDAYS attempting to sing Happy Birthday which makes me turn sort of a beet red color. Another thing about getting older is I find the women at Circle K and Starbucks have given me irritating names like "hun" and "sweetie." So i always throw one back like "babe" or "honey." That'll show 'em." And then there's that nightmare where I'm on the Today Show and Willard Scott is calling my name and my picture is on the side of a Smucker's jar and they send me a case of 24 jars of strawberry jam. Well at least they believe I'm gonna live through 24 jars.

Paul Wolfe

THE OLD PHILCO RADIO

DRIVING ALONG IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOGGY NIGHT ON THE WAY TO A CITY A HUNDRED MILES AHEAD I HAPPENED TO BE SEARCHING FOR A RADIO STATION TO KEEP ME COMPANY. IT WAS'NT LONG UNTIL I CAME UPON WSM IN NASHVILLE. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE DJ'S CONVERSATION CONCERNING THE EARLY STARS OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY BROUGHT ME FACE TO FACE WITH MEMORIES COVERED IN COBWEBS. IT WAS THE EARLY FIFTIES AND ON SATURDAY NIGHT I WOULD LAY ON THE BIG GRAY RUG IN THE LIVING ROOM AND LISTEN TO THE GRAND OLE OPRY ON THE RADIO WITH MY MOM AND DAD. THE SHOW WAS FILLED WITH STARS LIKE HANK WILLIAMS, PATSY CLINE, JIMMY DICKENS, THE CARTER FAMILY, ERNEST TUBB AND MANY OTHERS. DADDY LIKED BLUEGRASS MUSIC, YODELING AND HE "PLAYED AT PLAYING" THE BANJO. OUR RADIO WAS A PHILCO CONSOLE COMPLETE WITH A 78 TURNTABLE, FM, AM AND SHORTWAVE. DADDY LOVED TO TURN THE DIALS AND PICK UP STATIONS IN MOSCOW, ENGLAND AND ALL OVER THE WORLD. I LOVED THAT RADIO, TOO BECAUSE IT GAVE ME THE MEANS TO PRETEND TO BE A DJ AND PLAY 78 RPM RECORDS FOR HOURS AT A TIME WHEN NOBODY WAS AROUND. A FEW YEARS LATER I BECAME A DJ FOR REAL. THEN IN 1953 OR 4 WE GOT OUR FIRST TELEVISION SET AND THE RADIO WENT SILENT. ED SULLIVAN, I LOVE LUCY, MILTON BERLE AND MANY OTHERS TOOK CENTER STAGE AT OUR HOUSE. EVEN LATER LAWRENCE WELK, ORAL ROBERTS AND WRESTLING SHOWS GOT DAD'S FULL ATTENTION. HE DIED IN THE SEVENTIES AND MOM IN 2004. WHEN WE HAD THE ESTATE SALE FOR THE CONTENTS OF MY PARENT'S HOUSE THAT RADIO WAS STARING ME IN THE FACE LIKE AN ORPHAN SEARCHING FOR A HOME. SOMEONE CAME ALONG AND JUST HAD TO HAVE IT AND I SAY YES. I KNOW THEY TELEVISE THE GRAND OLE OPRY ON SATURDAY NIGHT, BUT SOMEHOW IT WOULD BE KINDA SPECIAL TO LAY ON MY PARENT'S RUG, TUNE IN WSM AND HEAR THE GRAND OLE OPRY JUST ONE MORE TIME ON THAT OLD PHILCO RADIO.

GAPING WOUNDS

FRESH FROM OUR MOTHER'S WOMB WE BEGIN OUR LIVES AS PERFECT LITTLE PEOPLE NOT YET EFFECTED BY THE WORDS OR DEEDS OF THOSE AROUND US. AS TIMES ROLLS ON LIFE'S ROCKY TRIP CHANGES ALL THAT. ALONG THE WAY SOME HAVE TO DEAL WITH ONLY MINOR BRUISES WHILE OTHERS ENDURE A GAPING WOUND THAT FESTERS. IT CAN BE SAID WITH CERTAINTY THAT ALL 32 VICTIMS OF THE VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE WERE NOT PERFECT PEOPLE, BUT LIKE 99.9% OF US THEY WERE GETTING THROUGH LIFE PRETTY WELL. FOR SUENG HUI CHO LIFE'S CONSTANT INPUT TOOK A DIFFERENT TURN AND HIS DEMONS FINALLY WON. WHAT GOT HIM TO THAT POINT WE WILL NEVER KNOW. AND SECOND GUESSING HOW WE COULD HAVE STOPPED IT DOES'NT HELP THE DEAD AND BURIED. AS CARING HUMAN BEINGS WE WILL PROBABLY THINK ABOUT CHO IN THE DAYS TO COME AND WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE APPROPRIATE TORTURE FOR SUCH A KILLER BUT THEN, THAT COULD MAKE OUR OWN LITTLE BRUISES GAPING WOUNDS.

PAUL WOLFE