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The
"Your Life is Your Story" Blog Archives
© Tom
Gilbert
Read
about
quality family history and life story news, views, methods, products,
links, services
...and whatever else catches our fancy of personal
historian
January, 2022
current
blog entries
blog
archive
index
Memoir Movie of The Tender Bar
January 25, 2022
If you like movies about people's life stories, their life journeys if you will, then I think you will enjoy The Tender Bar, a movie based on the memoir by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist J. R. Moenringer.
I haven't read the memoir, not yet anyway, but after seeing the movie I
am interested. The story follows the main character as an aspiring
writer raised by a single mom. Since his father is out of the picture
it is up to his gruff but loving grandfather and a surrogate dad in his
uncle to dispense life advice and be supportive in the coming of age
tale.
The cast is great, from the heartwarming performance by Daniel Ranieri
as the young J.R. to Lily Rabe as the mom, Christopher Lloyd as the
grandfather, Tye Sheridan as the grown J. R., and especially Ben
Affleck as the uncle who runs a bar named after Charles Dickens. It's
directed by George Clooney. The movie is streaming on Amazon Prime. I
thought this review by Shah Shahid gives a good overview of the film and performances.
Colonel Tom
January 14, 2022
Colonel Tom was strict. Colonel Tom was smart. Colonel Tom was one
heckuva pilot.
Maybe you were thinking when you first stated to read this that I was
writing about Colonel Tom Parker, legendary musical entrepeneur and
manager of Elvis Presley. But no, this was a different Colonel.
Colonel Tom was my father.
Dad was a military man, a lifer in the Air Force where he had a
colorful 26 year career. His exploits flying jets led to a nickname,
"The Red Baron", because he was something of an ace pilot. He was
decorated for his missions in Vietnam and that experience had a lot to
do with how his life direction changed years later.
My dad and I were different. He liked football and the military life. I
was a post-hippie and a hardcore baseball fan. Politically he leaned
way more right than me. I was certainly further to the left than him.
But we had some things in common. I notice it in my philosophy on life
and my spiritual journey. We also shared a penchant for humor that
sometimes went over peoples' heads. I remember family member remarking
to him, 'What are you talking about?!" And sometimes I get that reaction
too.
Then there's the times I pass a mirror and get a shock seeing what I
think is my father's face. Or the times I hear something come out of my
mouth that he would say.
Colonel Tom passed away ten years ago to the day. He'd turned 83 just a
couple of weeks before on Christmas Day. I was honored to be present at
his deathbed, along with my siblings and other family and friends. You
can read more about that with the article I wrote a decade ago, The Pilot Who Soared on Eagles
Wings.
I miss you, Pops. But thanks for all you taught me about life and for living your dream to fly the wild, blue yonder.
London
Letter Only Had a Life Story As Address
January 13, 2022
A remarkable story out of London where Britain's postal service, the
Royal Mail, was able to deliver a letter despite it not having a
mailing address. What it did have was the recipient's first name and a
post code for a Northern Ireland village.
And one more thing - a brief "life story" about the person. There were
some details that included his parents' first names and how the the man
played guitar and once ran discos in the parochial hall and hotel in
the '80s.
It turns out a postal worker, Fergus McAllister, figured out who the
letter was intended for. "I feel like I know him, too, for his whole
life is on the front," related McAllister.
You can see the story from CBSnews.com.
This is yet another good reason to know something about people's life
stories. Of course, you can go much deeper than an envelope to record
your story. Give some thought about how you will preserve your life
story, because everybody has one!
The Betty Way
January 4, 2022
 By
now you have probably heard of the death of the legendary Betty White.
She passed away on New Year's eve at the age of 99, but she was on the
cusp of 100. Over the years she treated us to her sharp wit and
wonderfully positive attitude, both on and off camera.
There have been countless tributes. It's not surprising given her
legacy. She was a great actress with impeccable comedic timing. Her
love of animals was also a prominent passion of her life.
Betty White was an entertainer from before television and she was part
of not one, but three hit series. It started with the Mary Tyler Moore Show
and she had huge success with The
Golden Girls sitcom. But she kept going, performing well
into her 90's on Hot in
Cleveland. She also loved participating in game shows. In
fact, she wed Alan Luden, the host of Password, a popular
television game show.
What most sticks with me about Betty White is that she lived a full
life with enthusiasm, humor and no dwelling on negativity. We all we
could learn a better way to live by emulating the "Betty Way".
Mo Rocca had a nice tribute broadcast on CBS Sunday Morning
and you can view it here.
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