What's new
The Shaving Cadre

Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun

Be gentle, Gentlemen...

FarmerTan

FarmerTan

Sr. Shave Member
I am contemplating writing a book, an autobiography if you will, mostly because I am at an age where I miss my Dad, and realize that I didn't really know him.

So this is for my son, with whom I have a great relationship, but when he was young, I was too busy, and now that I am not too busy, he is.

So I just wanted to ask you all if you've done this, ever wanted to, or think I'm nuts.

I plan to write it as if it were to be published, and not keep out too many secrets.

Thanks for any advice, Dave
 
I actually asked my dad for just that. Realizing that I was never old enough to ask my grandpa the right questions while he was around or appreciate what he was telling me. I knew my dad did a lot of peace and justice work around the world actually and knew very little about it. His was more recording his memories and was probably 12 pages or so, and I would have enjoyed much more detail.
 
That is a fantastic idea. The past 14 months of fighting along side through my Dad’s many health issues brought us closer together. Not that we weren’t already close but when you believe that tomorrow may be your last you have a tendency to say what needs to be said. I would conservatively say I almost lost him four times. You can only ever give someone your time and it is the most glorious gift you can give. The time you take now in capturing those memories for your son will be something he will I am sure cherish when he has a little time on his hands to enjoy and you are only the voice that comes to him from those pages.
 
As you collect your thoughts I suggest you create a journal to gather your stories or chapters as drafts or outline to organize. I’ve been journaling my thoughts for a while, along with a letter I wrote to my son when he was born. I apologized in advance for my failings.
 
Majorrich said:
As you collect your thoughts I suggest you create a journal to gather your stories or chapters as drafts or outline to organize. I’ve been journaling my thoughts for a while, along with a letter I wrote to my son when he was born. I apologized in advance for my failings.
Click to expand...
I plan on doing just that: an out line, brain storming, etc.

I wrote out a prayer the night before my son was born.
Took him to lunch and let him read it.

Was a very.... humbling experience.

I'm a pretty self centered jerk most of the time, but my son owns my heart.
 
Nothing wrong with that. It broke my heart when my son went away to school and got married. He rarely calls, or comes around. I understand and share your feelings in part or as a whole. Good on you yo want to communicate with your son.
 
I helped my uncle write his legacy which is a concise version of his life. It will be a treasure for his sons.

My grandfather used to tell the same stories over and over..........most in the family were annoyed by them including me, until I actually started listening. While in the army he met Elvis, Ronald Reagan, Clark Gable and many pro baseball players. Not only that, he was a mountain man of sorts going up into the Adirondacks when they were still wilderness. He hunted, fished, and trapped. He trained a bird dog that would look at him and he'd move his gun in a direction with the dog knowing where he wanted it. I urged my mom to get him a tape recorder so he could record all these stories but she and others didn't listen and now he's gone. After my uncles took what they wanted from his workshop and barn I had the privilege of going in and taking things. I use his tools today and think of him every time.

Yes, write a biography of sorts, but also tell your sons stories that they will remember for a lifetime. It's a gift beyond measure. I also think a journal is a great idea. I kept a journal during my divorce. Now it is my hope that my sons will someday read it and know how hard I tried to keep the family together though I haven't seen them in years by their choice not mine.
 
I think it is a great idea. My father wrote some amazing letters to me when I was in college in the 70s. Fortunately some of the letters were preserved and I have scans of those. At 92 and after the loss of my mother less than a year ago he has begun writing again. Until recently I never knew that his 96 year old sister tried to suffocate him with baby powder when he was an infant. Her response then was “we don’t need him or want him”. Today we laugh about it, but I’ve also come to understand better what it was like growing up in the depression and why the greatest generation really was.

I began to keep a daily journal after my wife died. It was a place to catalog my thoughts and to keep track of the dreams that would often comfort me. What I found was a daily journal to a reader was about 90% boring. I am in a much better place now and write much less frequently and probably not enough.

PM me if you are interested in seeing some of my Father’s body of work.
 
SM29 said:
I think it is a great idea. My father wrote some amazing letters to me when I was in college in the 70s. Fortunately some of the letters were preserved and I have scans of those. At 92 and after the loss of my mother less than a year ago he has begun writing again. Until recently I never knew that his 96 year old sister tried to suffocate him with baby powder when he was an infant. Her response then was “we don’t need him or want him”. Today we laugh about it, but I’ve also come to understand better what it was like growing up in the depression and why the greatest generation really was.

I began to keep a daily journal after my wife died. It was a place to catalog my thoughts and to keep track of the dreams that would often comfort me. What I found was a daily journal to a reader was about 90% boring. I am in a much better place now and write much less frequently and probably not enough.

PM me if you are interested in seeing some of my Father’s body of work.
Click to expand...
Wow. You honor me. Let me.... contemplate that offer.

All of you gentlemen have actually.... Blown my mind is really not too strong an expression.

I used to think I wanted to try my hand at fiction writing, and now I realize that my own life experiences are more... appropriate at this point in my life. The number of my days left to me are definitely less than those I've spent, so I just want to make them count as much as possible. Both the ones already spent, and the ones ahead.

Sorry for the ramblings my friends.
 
Some of the things we and our parents did in the pre-digital age are outside of anything our kids could imagine. My wife says sometimes we are the reason some laws were written.
 
Neat idea, can't help but hum this:

When they come to take you down
When they bring that wagon around
When they come to call on you
And drag your poor body down
Just one thing I ask of you
There's just one thing for me
Please forget you knew my name
My darlin' Sugaree
 
Brew said:
Neat idea, can't help but hum this:

When they come to take you down
When they bring that wagon around
When they come to call on you
And drag your poor body down
Just one thing I ask of you
There's just one thing for me
Please forget you knew my name
My darlin' Sugaree
Click to expand...

Shake it, shake it. Sugaree... Just don’t tell them that you know me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top