Growin' Up Gregory

I get it, really I do.  We all want to spend time with our loved ones at Christmas.  We want to slow down to enjoy the moments without whirling haphazardly from one destination to the next.  We all know we should be more concerned with presence than presents.  But for some of us, it's hard.  And in my case - it's not you, it's me. With a recent tragedy in our family, I took time to reflect and several memories that came to mind were Christmas and other family gatherings.  This concept really sank in the other day when someone asked me if I still had my grandparents.  When I had to respond to their question with, "I don't," it got me a little deeper than I anticipated. Actually, I never had many grandparents at all.  My dad's parents passed away before I was born.  My grandpa died when I was 6.  I remember being sad.  I remember crying.  But I didn't fully understand death and luckily I was spared from it for many years....

I don't know how many people have ever bought a brand new, or nearly new, car from a dealership where they offered "free" (remember nothing is free) oil changes, tire rotations, or other routine maintenance.  Disclaimer:  I haven't.  Since my dad is a used car dealer I usually joke with people that if I ever buy a brand new car I get kicked out of the family.  But usually, when you take your car in to get serviced they offer to let you drive a newer, nicer, fancier car that's in their fleet.  Have you ever wondered why they do that?  Hint, it's not just to be nice.  Dealerships want you see their newest and best cars to let you see how good it is in an effort to tempt you into purchasing a newer ride.  Sorry, if you're car guy (or girl) but the rest of this post isn't about cars.  I can't for the life of me understand why some people from Union want to bash, tear down, belittle, or insult anything good that we have here.  If you're n...

Happy Father's Day to all of the amazing dads, daddies, fathers, and as Thomas says sometimes, "diddy" out there.  I hope that we all are planning something today to show our dads how much we love them and how much they mean to us (this includes your Grandpa, Uncle, Brother, or Mom is they were also your Dad too).  Go eat a meal with them, sit and talk a little while, buy them a gift or a card.  Just do something to let them know you're thinking about them and what they mean to you, especially today. I don't know that my Dad and I talk more now than we used to, but it seems like it sometimes because I actually listen more.  I've learned that he really does know a good bit about work, family, business, and just life in general (unlike the way I thought I knew everything during my high school years).  So as part of my gift to him and others, here are a few things I've learned from my Dad. 1.  We make choices everyday - what to wear, what to eat, etc. but...