Tuesdays With Pappo: "Wheelie Good Repairman"

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PAPPO IS A "WHEELIE GOOD REPAIRMAN"...

This visit with Pappo included all the usual things....

* A #1 hamburger at Braums Ice Cream store....

* Sonic malts for all the ladies on the porch....

* Restocking the FREE card stock he has outside his front door..

And.....

The need for a "Logo Cartoon" for his Thank You cards to his walker customers.

Enter.....Aritificial Intelligence (AI)

As we sat in "our" booth at Braums, Dad gave me all the "wants" he had for an AI generated cartoon of himself repairing all his neighbor's walkers at the Independent Living Center he lives in. And here's what we came up with.....or rather, what AI came up with.

Complete with pens and paper in his pocket protector, sweat flowing from his brow, tools in hand and scowl on face....we came up with the perfect self-portrait of Pappo.

It was almost like AI knew him personally!!

Tuesdays With Pappo: "I Named You...."

 TUESDAYS WITH PAPPO

"He Named Me......"

A hundred years ago (actually only 65 but....whatever...), my Dad was away on company training in Detroit, MI when I decided to arrive in this world.

When he arrived back home, my Mom picked him up at Love Field Airport with a brand smackin' new baby in her arms. Dad got off the plane, cradled his new chunky baby.....kissed her on the cheek and said, "She is so soft (most likely due to the flab)....I'm going to call her......Softie."

And so he did. I have been Pappo's "Softie" for 65 years and I often wonder, "Does he know my real name?" It doesn't matter...I will forever be Softie to Pappo.

Yesterday, while having our weekly lunch together, he looked off into the distance and told me the story once again. "I named you Softie" he said....and I think I just might have seen a glimmer of a tear in his eye as he recalled that day.

These moments....this time with Pappo....I don't take this gifted time for granted. He is 97.....his days are limited more than most....and ya, sometimes he says crazy things....but then there are those days that he says, "I named you, Softie".....and it makes my smile.

GROWING SEEDS: I AM.....Your Good Shepherd"

 

Tuesdays With Pappo: "ALEXA, AI and WEBBED TOES"

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ALEXA, AI and WEBBED TOES

This week......at our Braums Favorite Booth, Pappo and I accomplished the following life issues:

1) Remodeling his apartment (okay...okay...LIZ remodeled his apartment on the backside of the kids menu. Dad looked less than happy to change out his recliners and conglomeration of desks for a sectional sofa in cream with a round coffee table and drapes to soften the window). This will probably (0kay..NEVER) happen.

2) Shared I was bringing him an Alexa to turn on and off his lights for him. His response? Whose Alexa and can she do the dishes?

3) Looked through every single carton of ice cream in the ice cream store for his beloved Cherry Chocolate Chip. Never found it.....

4) And last, but not least, we talked webbed toes. Yes...Pappo has webbed toes on both feet.....as does his son.....as does his youngest daughter Liz. But it dawned on me while sitting eating my Braums Kids Chicken Tender Meal that I had never seen Pappo's toes. So once we returned to his apartment, I started pulling off his socks and comparing. WOW. We had the very same toes webbed and at the exact same length. I actually took a picture of our feet together to prove it, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to see that.....trust me....you DO NOT want to see this.

And the greatest thing that happened this week? I heard my Dad laugh a nice long full laugh....a "showed-his-teeth-kind-of-laugh".

Best day ever......

Tuesdays With Pappo - Property For Sale

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PAPPO: (Phone rings.....its a developer wanting to buy his house in Garland thats not for sale). "Helllllo?"

DEVELOPER: "Mr. Calloway, this is Mr. So&So with We-Want-Your-House. We were hoping you might be interested in selling us your home at ____ in Garland, TX."

PAPPO: "Noooooo.....I've lived in that house for 30 years (truth is, he's lived there 61 years...but whose counting?). I'm not at all interested in selling it."

DEVELOPER: "We're prepared to give you a good price. Can we come talk to you about it?"

PAPPO: "Nah.....not interested. HOWEVER, I do have 2 lots in Richardson I would consider selling."

DEVELOPER: (Voice excited....) "Oh really.....what are they like?"

PAPPO: "They're beautiful lots.....trees....privacy and I'll make you a good price on them."

DEVELOPER: "Oh yes....we'd definitely be interested! Can you tell me where in Richardson they are?"

PAPPO: "Sure. They are located just off Greenville Ave."

DEVELOPER: (Voice even more excited to hear that) "Can you give me the address please? We'd love to go see them!"

PAPPO: "You bet. Just look for the Restland Cemetary sign and you're there. My two lots are under a beautiful tree!!"

DEVELOPER: Click.....

I've never been more proud of my Pappo....EVER.

TUESDAYS WITH PAPPO: "On Sunday"

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Tuesdays With Pappo.....on SUNDAY!!!

Tuesdays With Pappo: Happy Pappo Day!!

 Happy Pappo Day!

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My father has lived a lot of life in his 97 years....

He grew up the eldest of 5 kids.....poor.....and with a heart and mind of an entrepreneur.

He was in the Army before it was called the "Army".....been a pilot and owned his own plane.....worked in Saudi Arabia in the oil fields.....retired from a company after many years and then started his own company.....

He has lived a LOT of life in his short 97 years......

And today, as his youngest child of three, I want to THANK HIM for his sacrifice....for the long hours working the night shift to pay for my private school....for teaching me the things he knew I needed to learn to have a successful life.....and grounding my foundation by teaching me about Jesus.

He is a good man......difficult at times....contrary at times.....and yes, stubborn at times.....but those pale in comparison to the sacrifice and stability he gave his family. I will never stop thanking God for giving me Jim Calloway (JC) as my Dad.

Happy Pappo Day, Pappo!!!

Tuesdays With Pappo: A Different Kind Of Thursday

 A Different Kind of Thursday

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When I walked into his room on Thursday, he wasn’t in his usual spot. Instead of his well-worn leather chair, he was sitting in the roll-around desk chair, turned toward the door like he’d been waiting. It was a small change, but it felt big to me. And I have to admit—it was good to see him somewhere new.

“We’re shaking things up today,” I said with a smile.

Instead of our usual booth at Braum’s, we took a short drive down the road to Mr. Jim’s Pizza. It wasn’t the smoothest outing, however. We wrestled with flies, tried to cut the pizza with a spoon (thankfully, Dad’s pocketknife saved the day as they had no knives in the restaurant), and laughed at the craziness of it all. But as we settled in and he sipped his Diet Coke, the conversation turned reflective—like it so often does with him.

He spoke of his longing to move back to Garland—his home for 63 years. A place where life had been easy and good. A place where home felt, well.....like home.

Then he asked a question that caught me off guard:

“What would you like most for me, at this time in my life, Softie?”

I didn’t have to think. “I want more than anything for you, Pappo, at the age of 97, to look “forward” instead of “backward.”

He did the old JC-head-tilt and looked at me, curious.

“You’re in the home stretch now,” I continued gently. “And more than anything, what your Softie wants is for you to face the rest of your story with Hope. Hope for a bright future! Like a man on a long, hard road trip, you’re close to turning that final corner. And just ahead? Home.”

Not Garland. But Heaven.

“Think about it,” I said. “No more walkers. No more hearing aids. No more glasses. And best of all—you’ll see Jesus— with His arms wide open, ready to give you that bear hug He promised. Remember that moment? When you first believed? When you decided to follow Him? That’s what’s waiting for you, Pappo—eternity...real life, the kind that never ends."

He looked down, silent. Then gave that Pappo-slight-head-tilt of his—his quiet way of saying everything, without saying a word:

“I hope so, Softie,” he whispered. “I hope so.”

I grabbed his strong hand, just as I have for 65 of my own years, and gave it a squeeze.....

“I KNOW so, Pappo", I know so.

Tuesdays With Pappo: Granddaughter Day With Pappo

 Tuesdays With Pappo

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Granddaughter Day with Pappo

What a blast it was to have a co-pilot on my trip to visit Pappo this week!  My youngest granddaughter, Brie—a senior at GCU—is home from college, and together we buckled up and headed west for a special day with Pappo.

We didn’t stop talking the entire ride to Keene, catching up and sharing laughs the whole way.

Brie had heard all the legendary stories—about the 97-year-old man who kisses ladies on the head, leaves sweet notes for waitresses on napkins, and of course, the many handcuff tales—but this week, she got to experience them for herself.

Before we left Braum’s after lunch, we took our traditional weekly photo. And with a grin, Brie said, “It’s his turn to get kissed on the head!” So there you have it—Pappo got double the love this week! A “2-for-1,” as he proudly called it.

Friends, I could fill a book with all the blessings I’ve been given—all the moments, both big and small, that fill my heart with gratitude. Even in life’s tough seasons, I hold tight to the reminder from 1 Thessalonians 5:18: 

“Be thankful in all circumstances.”

But this week... this week was truly the best.

When Tattoo Met Molly

 "When Tattoo Met Molly"

It was a few months into 2021, after Wayne and I began dating, that we brought our furry family together: my dog, Molly, and Wayne's cat, Tattoo. Their initial introduction was far from harmonious. Tattoo, a fiercely territorial 14-year-old, saw Molly as an invading force threatening her beloved laundry room domain. Molly, equally set in her ways at 14, wasn't about to back down. Let's just say sparks didn't fly; hisses and growls did.

For a solid year, a six-foot radius around Tattoo was a no-go zone for both Molly and me. That laundry room was her sanctuary, and she wasn't interested in sharing it with anyone.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Tattoo began to soften. Eventually, Molly and Tattoo began sleeping next to each other and Tattoo and I became good friends.

Today, at the grand old age of 18 – a remarkable 270 in human years – Tattoo journeyed to her new Home. Some call it the Rainbow Bridge, but I like to imagine it as her reunion with her Mom, Cyndi, who was undoubtedly waiting for her there.

I don't claim to know God's plan for our pets, but what I do know is, He is a loving God....a God who gave us pets to love like family....a God who who loves Tattoo much like He loves us. And because I know this, I know she is better than she's ever been before.

Tattoo....you were so loved. See you on the other side....