All Saints' Day

Happy Birthday Dad

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Thanks Dad :)

I just posted on Zach's blog about alumni band weekend. This was a pretty tough time for me, because I don't think I had ever marched in alumni band that Dad wasn't there. It was something we looked forward to every year - he loved it when we came roaring through the tunnel.

Well, it turns out that with the new stadium renovations the tunnel isn't really there the way it was before. Also they have moved us way up in the upper deck, so we ended up marching up 12 ramps to get to our seats. The drums kept the cadence going the whole time, so that was actually kind of cool. But it appears that we may never come roaring to the tunnel again. Maybe that's as it should be.

Last year Dad was at the game, and we had the craziest halftime ever. While we were on the field, there was a giant rainstorm. As we played the Eyes of Texas, it was pouring down rain on us. We made it through, and it was somehow very moving. That was Dad's last alumni band game, and it was the last time I would see him before we found out he was sick.

Anyway, this year we had beautiful weather. After our trek up the 12 ramps, we got to our seats up in the sky and the sun was still beating down. It was about 5:00 so we still had a couple of hours of daylight. But about 5 minutes after we sat down, a single cloud moved over the sun, and immediately we felt the relief. That cloud did not move for two hours. It stayed there, covering the sun, until it was just about to dip below the upper deck, which was also time for us to go down for halftime.

The girl next to me kept commenting on how nice it was to have the cloud there. I finally remarked, 'you're right, that is weird how that cloud is just sitting there'. She said 'I know! It is a gift! It's like someone is doing that for us!'

And I was just quiet. :)

Then we went down and did our halftime show and it was awesome.

I will not leave you comfortless
I will come to you yet again
And your heart shall be joyful
Alleluia

Chuckle Sob

We have a security guard in the parking garage at work. He is there in the little booth every day and waves at you as you come in. He is a very nice man. He has a little whiteboard, and every day there is something new written on it, designed to make you smile as you come to work (I assume). Unfortunately (for me), these little sayings started right around the time Dad got sick, so my reactions range from anger to mild amusement to despair, depending on the groanocity of the puns he tends to prefer. The worst is when there is one that I normally would pass on to Dad. It definitely has the opposite effect of what security guard is going for, I'm sure. Today was one of those days:

My uncle has a wooden leg.
My aunt has a cedar chest.

He Went to Paris

He went to Paris looking for answers to questions
That bothered him so
He was impressive, young and aggressive
Saving the world on his own
Warm summer breezes, French wine and cheeses
Put his ambition at bay
The summers and winters scattered like splinters
And four or five years slipped away

He went to England, played the piano, and married
An actress named Kim
They had a good life, she was a good wife
And bore him a young son named Jim
All of the answers and all of the questions
He locked in his attic one day
'Cause he liked the quiet clean country living
And twenty more years slipped away

War took his baby, Bombs killed his lady and left him
With only one eye
His body was battered, his whole world was shattered
All he could do was just cry
While the tears were falling he was recalling
Answers that he never found
So he hopped in a freighter, skidded the ocean
And left England without a sound

Now he lives in the islands, fishes the piling and drinks
His Green Label each day
Writing his memoirs, losing his hearing
But he don't care what most people say
After eighty-six years of perpetual motion
If he likes you he'll smile and say
"There was some of it magic, a lot of it tragic,
But I had a good life all the way"

He went to Paris looking for answers to questions
That bothered him so

(Waylon Jennings)

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

This version is longer and a little bit different than the one we're used to, but I really like all the words. Click here and here for a little bit of history...

*****

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

“Dancing with the Angels”

Memories surround me,
But sadness has found me.
I’d do anything for more time.
Never before has someone meant more,
And I can’t get you out of my mind.

There is so much that I don’t understand,
But I know…

You’re dancing with the angels,
Walking in new life.
You’re dancing with the angels.
Heaven fills your eyes
Now that you’re dancing with the angels.

You had love for your family,
Love for all people,
Love for the Father, and Son.
Your heart will be heard
In your unspoken words
Through generations to come.

There is so much that I don’t understand,
But I know…

You’re dancing with the angels,
Walking in new life.
You’re dancing with the angels.
Heaven fills your eyes
Now that you’re dancing with the angels.

We’re only here for such a short time
So I’m gonna’ stand up, shout out,
And sing Hallelujah.
One day I’ll see you again…

Artist: Monk & Neagle

This is getting ridiculous!

A few months ago at church, they asked everyone to submit their favorite hymn and why. I entered 'Come Thou Font of Every Blessing' of course, because it was my dad's favorite. We ended up singing it at Dad's service. The last month or so, each service has included one of the top 10 hymns. I've missed quite a few weeks so I figured they had run through all of them already. Today I went to choir practice and there was a full list of the results, broken down by age group and some other categories. I quickly scanned the list and didn't see it on there anywhere, so I figured the general church population just isn't as enamored with the word 'Ebenezer' as Dad was.

I then went to my seat and picked up the rehearsal schedule, which always starts with the hymns for Sunday, and there it was, #400 (nee #93). At first I wondered whether Mark had read my submission and had selected it for me. But then he started rehearsal and announced that this hymn was the #1 pick of our congregatation. It turns out that the hymn survey was throughout the whole conference or something, but our particular church's favorite hymn is 'Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing'.

Way.

Another oooOOOooo

‘Scrubs’ scrubs in on ABC
By Diane Holloway Wednesday, July 16, 2008, 06:18 PM

"After seven seasons in limbo, not to mention dozens of time slots, “Scrubs” comes to ABC in September — and it may or may not be the actual, final end to the medical slapstick show.

“We thought every year was our last year on NBC, so we’ve basically already got our finale written,” said chief creator and perpetual jokester Bill Lawrence. “We just have to change a few pop culture references.”

And what if “Scrubs” actually becomes a hit on ABC? It will have to go on without star Zach Braff, who has made other commitments for 2009.

“We really thought we were over last year, but I would love to come back and visit if the show goes on for another season on ABC,” Braff said.

Perhaps in anticipation of new life on ABC (“This will be the year we’re a hit! Mark my words,” said Lawrence, who rarely if ever is serious), the writers are introducing young characters as bumbling interns. Hoping for the best …

And they’re lighting up the marquee with guest stars. Former “Friends” star Courteney Cox has a three-episode arc as the hospital’s chief of medicine.

“She’s hilarious,” Lawrence said. “She’s what we call a ‘gamer.’ She’s up for anything. We’d love to have her come back for more.”

Now that “Dirt” has been canceled, maybe she can.

And in an episode filmed in the Bahamas, the Janitor will get married. But his name is not spoken, a running joke on the show. Neil Flynn, who plays Janitor, has decided to call him Zanzibar Buck-Buck McPhee.

Nobody on this show is NOT joking. "

no. way.

"Granddad and Zachary were passing along all the words to some real good songs. :)"

oooOOOooo!

There is a new song out right now by Kid Rock I think, about singing Sweet Home Alabama in the summertime or something like that. I caught the end of it the other day and didn't think much of it, but this morning I heard it again and realized that underlying the song is the piano hook from Werewolves of London! Eerie!

I forgot about Warren Zevon

Ever since Dad died, whenever I hear about a celebrity dying, I think about how much Dad liked them and would have wanted to meet them. Like Bo Diddley. Or someone I know, like Nancy from choir. Dad would have really liked her - her lights were definitely on! Then I imagine them together in Heaven, and it makes me feel a little better, sometimes.

This morning I was listening to Zachary's new cd on the way to work - Dan Zanes Catch That Train, which is a really cool kids' cd. There is a song on there by Leadbelly, and he even introduces the song by explaining who Leadbelly was. It made me feel really sad that I didn't get to tell Dad that Zachary had a cd with a Leadbelly song on it. Then another song on the cd made me think of the song 'The First Showboat' and I realized that I left that off Dad's ipod mix, and that made me feel even sadder.

I finally got to work, sat at my desk, and turned on my radio. I don't remember what song was playing, but the very next song that came on was 'Werewolves of London'. I really felt like it was Dad telling me not to be sad, because really, how can you feel sad listening to that 'Werewolves of London'? That song rocks!

Anyway, it reminded me that Warren Zevon is up there too, which is awesome. He rules, BT (big time).

Flowers from the Hooks

Signs

Yesterday was tough. There's not too much more I can say.

I played my flute in church yesterday. I wished for a red ribbon to wear in my hair, but I don't have one anymore. I was pretty nervous - I haven't performed at all in over four years, since I moved back to Austin. We ran through the song twice before church, and each time I cracked my first note pretty bad, plus a few others, which did not ease my trepidation. Anyway, normally we process in from the back of the church, but we didn't yesterday - I guess it's because it's summer and we're not wearing robes. That means we came in the side door, which you get to by walking through a hallway with some offices, including the children's ministries director. I have walked by there many times, but never on Sunday morning, so her door has always been closed. As I walked past yesterday morning, her door was open, and what to my wondering eyes did appear but a roomful of FROGS! I mean, this was a collection that dwarfed my dad's. It was pure-d craziness. I stood there stunned for a moment, and she said 'I know, it's ridiculous!' I said 'No, it's awesome.' :) and moved along - that was all I could say. I went on to play my song, with no bad notes. Thanks Dad.

Then last night we were watching the Celtics game. The Celtics got pretty far in the hole in the first half, but they almost pulled off another upset. As the commentators described what had happened, they said 'but the Celtics came roaring back!' That was Dad too. :)

Happy Father's Day, Dad

Knock knock

Who's there?

Wayne

Wayne who?

Wayne or shine, you're the best, Grand-dad!

Robert's Eulogy

Thank you all for being here today to celebrate the life of my dad. My family appreciates all the love and support you have shown to us during this difficult time. Thank you for the prayers, the food, the phone calls, and all the help you have provided.

I just want to share a few things about our dad from my perspective as his son. When I was growing up, my dad was my hero. I felt like he could do anything, and I wanted to be just like him. One of the things he did was play softball, and he was good at it. He was the pitcher on the church team. So as a kid, I wanted to play baseball, and I wanted to be a pitcher. Dad would take me to practice and play catch in the front yard with me. We’d go to the park, and he would throw the ball as high as he could, and I would catch it. He helped me to be a better baseball player. But more significantly, he just wanted me to have fun and be a good sport. He never put pressure on me to make it to the Major Leagues, and he never treated me differently whether I hit a home run or struck out. As long as I was having fun, he was happy. I knew from a young age that my father loved me unconditionally.

As I got a little older, I began to observe how my dad would interact with people. I remember walking down the halls of First United Methodist Church and watching him talk to people. I realized one day that he treated everybody exactly the same. He had a genuine interest in people, and he didn’t care if you were rich or poor, outgoing or shy, popular or unpopular. He loved to ask questions and find out people’s life stories. If you spoke with an accent, he wanted to know all about where you were from. He had a tender and compassionate heart for people who were maybe a little different or outside of the mainstream. He made them feel special. He had a servant’s heart and never considered himself better than anyone else.

As a teenager, I became heavily involved with my church youth group. Dad would come along as an adult sponsor on ski trips to Colorado in the winter and to Christian Adventure Camp in the summer. On the ski trips, Dad would always volunteer to ski the bunny slopes with the first time skiers. He did it with humility and with joy in his heart.

At Christian Adventure Camp out in the Texas Hill Country, Dad and I spent some of our best father/son time together. We would often sit together at Morning Watch, which was a time to sit quietly by the Frio River and reflect on God’s Creation. We would also walk the Prayer Trail together with my sister Susanna. The Prayer Trail was a path of Bible verses to reflect on that were written on signs by the graduating seniors. I always loved having my dad at camp with me, and I never felt like he was invading my teenage space. My friends loved having him there, too, and they always felt like they could be themselves around him. He had kind of a teenage since of humor, so he fit right in. He loved corny jokes, and he was never afraid to be a dork. It actually came naturally, and I loved that about him. He made us all laugh a lot, and he still does. As Mom included in his obituary, one of his claims to fame is singing the worst ever rendition of John Denver’s “Country Roads” at camp. As Mom put it, he couldn’t sing, he knew it, and he celebrated it. He would also hum the first note every time our family sang “Happy Birthday To You,” and it would usually take us half the song to figure out which key we were in.

I mentioned earlier that I knew from a young age that my father loved me unconditionally. At my church service in Austin a few weeks ago, the pastor was preaching about how many people cannot accept the unconditional love from their heavenly father because they have not received it from their earthly father. I have no doubt that my father loved me unconditionally. I have no doubt that he loved my sister Kathleen unconditionally. I have no doubt that he loved my sister Susanna unconditionally. He allowed us to be children, and he allowed us to be the people who God intended us to be. I know he loved his grandchildren, Andrew, Reid, and Zachary. I know he loved his wife Kathy, his family, his friends, and his Lord. I am blessed to have Terry Lawrence Sladek as my earthly father, and I want to give thanks and glory to our Heavenly Father who loves us all unconditionally. Thank you.

Hey Bo Diddley!

I read today that Bo Diddley just died. I had to shut my office door to laugh and cry. How cool for my dad to finally get to meet him!

Obituary

This will only run online for another month so I decided to put it here. If you click on it you can see it full size to read it better.

What happened?

I apologize to anyone who reads Zachary's blog who did not know what was going on with my dad. He was just a very private person, and I knew he would not want me to post anything about him on Zachary's blog, but for it to be joyful.

I think I always assumed my dad would be around forever. His parents both lived well into their 80's, and they were not exactly the most health-conscious people. So it came as a shock when my dad was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer this past December. He had not been feeling well for a while - by the time he went to get checked out, it was just too far advanced, having already spread to his liver. I would like to strongly urge anyone reading this to get your colonoscopies as soon as it is recommended by your doctor!

Dad underwent nine or so rounds of chemotherapy, but it just didn't work. On May 2nd, after two weeks in the hospital, Dad went home and entered hospice care, and on May 14th my beloved dad passed away. All three of us kids were there, along with my mom and Charles and Jaime. He is now free from pain, but I miss him terribly. That's about all I can say right now!

Oh Very Young

What will you leave us this time?
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while.
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now...
They will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans,
Denim blue, fading up to the sky.
And though you want him to last forever you know he never will...
You know he never will.
And the patches make the good-bye harder still...

This is a song by Cat Stevens. My dad loved that song, and I have always loved it because he loved it. I had no idea how poignant and fitting it would be. I can hardly listen to it now. I'm sure with time I will grow to love it again.



We miss you Granddad.