Memories of my Father

Happy Father's Day To All-

“One of the things that my parents have taught me is never listen to other people’s expectations. You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about it.” Tiger Woods

I thought since it is Father’s Day issue, I would pay homage to him. My father passed away on February 16, 2003 at 9:30am. We all said our good-byes and as we sat in the small conference room waiting for the chaplain or the doctor (I can’t remember clearly) I heard the venting machine beep loudly announcing that my father took his last breath. I will never forget how devastating it felt.

My father had three girls and one grandson. We all had a different relationship with him. Because I was the baby, I was the last to leave the house, so I spent everyday with him. Even after I got married, I went over to the house and spent time with him and my mother. My mom would cook breakfast for us every morning before we headed to work. My father did not say much, but when he did, you knew it was serious and you should listen. So, we talked everyday briefly but I always knew he loved me and I never worried about that. As a matter of fact, I never told my dad I loved him until he was in the emergency room laying on a wooden slate upside down preparing to have emergency surgery. But we knew the love between father and daughter was there. When I was in high school, he would always give me an allowance each day. I would save most of the money and by the end of the week, I had enough money to buy a book or something I wanted. When I got married, he still continued to give me an allowance of three dollars a day. I looked for this money too. Before I would head out for work I would go to him and say “daddy, you got my three dollars?” He would laugh and turn his back and look in his wallet and give me the money. We did this up until the day he passed away. I missed it. It was just something we did.

My father, Willie Miller, Jr, took good care of his family and he ensured we all had what we needed to live good, happy, and peaceful lives. He taught us to depend on ourselves and work for what we want out of life. He worked hard everyday for the things we wanted and needed in life. I miss him every day and sometimes I hear him speaking to me or I think of something he used to do and it brings a smile to my face. He was a quiet but strong man and he believed in family. Take this Father’s Day and say I love you to your father or the man who raised you and has taken care of you. Let him know you appreciate him. 
I really wish I could give my father three dollars…

A Publisher's Day

     I have to tell you about a wonderful  day I had yesterday. I had an interview with a young man and his mother in Hutto. He is going to be the cover on the July issue of Ujima. I had spoken to his mother but I wanted to speak with him and get photos. The thing I cannot believe is I did not have my camera handy or my phone camera for what was about to happen. After we spoke, he wanted to show me his new baby goats. I had never seen a goat up close nor the opportunity to pet one. So, I said why not? Well, because I know nothing about farm animals, I thought he would walk out to the pen and pick one up. But no, you have to chase them down, like you do chickens. He finally was able to catch one and he brought it so I could pet it. They are sooo cute! They almost look like small dogs. They were brown while the rest were white. I got to see the father and the mother's. But while we were admiring the baby goat, the other's came out of the pen. What do you do? You put them back in. Well, I did not know how to do that but I knew I had to help. So, I went to the fence door so I could help guide them back in the pen. 

The mother and the son guided them and I opened the gate up wide and got them in. It was such fun and a wonderful experience. I told this young boy, I would always remember him and the fun we had putting the goats back in their pen. I was tired and a bit sweaty, but it was fun. This is just another reason I enjoy what I do because I meet new people and experience things that are so out of my range. It's a memory I will never forget but I will start keeping my camera on me. I did recently purchase a Flip camera so I need to use it. It would have been a good video.

I told everyone I saw yesterday "I got to pet a goat and help them get back in their pen." This was a proud moment for me.

A Night On Lake Travis

Last night I took a ride on a boat on Lake Travis. It was a beautiful night, full of stars but quite windy. It was a family ride to celebrate the graduation of my great nephew. I had not been out to Lake Travis in a long time. I sat on the upper deck with my husband and we talked, watched the youngsters swim and everybody had such a great time. It was good to take a night off from working but I paid for it today, but that's alright because family still comes first in my life. 

The feeling of being overwhelmed has sucked up my energy and my brain.  With the fundraiser event only three weeks away, the crunch is on. I feel ready to take it on, but it's a lot to take in when you have never planned an event in your whole life. I pray people come out and support Ujima. I do understand that times are hard and people have to really think about what they spend their money on. So, I hope some people will spend it on a good cause which is the continuation of the magazine. We are almost at our year anniversary and in this short period I feel we have done good in the community. I feel we have reached people and celebrated our communities passions, creativity, and success.

I will prepare to go to bed knowing that tomorrow will be a new day and I will work just as hard or harder as I did today. Thanks for reading 

Embrace Your Community

Today was a great day for the Miller family. My great nephew graduated from Hendrickson High School! It was great to watch him walk across the stage to accept his diploma and his key to the future. He will step into the shoes of adulthood and pursue all the dreams and aspirations that lay before him. My nephew did a great job raising him. He is a smart, intelligent and fun loving soul. When he was younger, I didn't spend too much time with him or his siblings. But as I have gotten older and they have grown, I find myself talking with him more as well as his younger brother and sister. I enjoy them. But he will now attend college and start building his life and his identify as a Black male and a man in our society. I am very proud of him. He made it out of high school without doing drugs, becoming a father or going to jail. That's a great accomplishment for all of our Black males today. I am looking forward to watching his life choices and what steps he will take to leave his mark on the world. 

All in all I had a good day. I did hurt my feet wearing shoes that hurt my feet, but that's ok, it was for a good cause. But my feet do hurt :). Good luck Dre and I wish you all life has to offer. My husband and I talked briefly about how much older we will be when his younger siblings graduate, but if I can be 83 years old, like my mother who attended the ceremonies today, I will be happy. She was able to see her great-great grandson graduate. What a thrill and a blessing. 

Well, I'm going to sign off and rest because I have a busy writing day tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

Embrace Your Community

A Publisher's Day

Hello Everyone!

I have been busy and kinda tired, I haven't written in a couple of days. But I kept thinking I need to write something soon. Today, when I woke up I realized I didn't have to be anyplace. I could actually stay home if I like. So, after I tried to get up and go to the nearest coffee shop, I couldn't move. I did rise up out of my recliner, but I stopped and just sat back down. Guilt is running through my veins, but hey, I just couldn't move. I know I can't have any down time because I will sit and sit and sit. I got up for coffee and took my dogs outside, that is it. The good news is I started writing my July articles, so not all is lost. The Managing Editor had to do some errands for our mother, so I stayed in South Austin instead of racing to Pflugerville (across town) by 1o in the morning. I have to say it did feel good.

I had my usual drawbacks of spending too much time on Facebook, Twitter and searching for new blogs to follow. But I did some important writing. I am not meeting my deadlines and that is becoming a problem. I ask myself why am I procrastinating? Why? I don't know. I have to do better.  But overall I had a good somewhat productive day. I guess I better stop writing on this blog and get to work.  Thanks for reading.

Embrace Your Community