The Observation Deck

Again, thank you everyone.

I'm getting by very well, thanks to all of you.

Dad loved you all. Remember that smile and his encouragement to you.

But also, remember that steel in him. That determination to get out there and make a better world.

Hang the consequences.

Remember that judgement of others is not our job description.

Remember that prayer is good, but that we always need to also remember that rolling up your sleeves and getting involved is another kind of prayer too.

That's just what those WWII guys did.

They gave us this free world on a platter.

They didn't whine, they weren't crybabies.

Remember his smile yes, but also what he did.

Then, go and do the same, and more besides.

That would make him REALLY smile.

Back to the banjo...

Gary ........"Mr. Rice", Bob Rice, "Dad" according to the Bible, "To be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord".
So "Dad Rice" isn't lost. I am, at the moment. Since I know where he is and he's in the most awesome company of the Lord in the most awesome place, he's not lost. That isn't preventing me crying like a 4 year old right now. I had not checked the deck till just now for a few days btw.
Dad Rice literally molded me by our morning talks every morning in the Harding band room, sometimes a couple hours every day. My "birth Dad" left for his job long before I was awake, so Dad Rice was MY dad too, those 3 years. The highlight of my musical life, and I've had quite a few, was when we had the big band at Harding, did a concert, packed the Civic auditiorium, Dad was doubling on first trumpet part and we took turns doing the solos. When Dad said "take it" I did the solo on St. Louis Blues and the place went nuts. Dad was beaming, and when I sat down after finishing the solo I improvised rather than doing the stock solo as written, he slapped my hand and yelled in my ear, FANTASTIC. That one word of approval put me on cloud 9 and being in 9th grade, I worked harder than ever to play every song, professionally, than the time before. In my mind, God put Dad on this earth just for ME....even tho he was SO PROUD of you Gary. He really was.

I told Karen that i was going to call you two up wednesday afternoon to just check in and yack some, and I didn't. God knows I loved him as much as a kid could. He helped me grow from a kid to a man. I could go on and on for hours, but right now I'm going to sit in my favorite chair. and in joy, go over all the awesome laughs we had, the greatest of times in my life....and all that .....

It's getting hard to type thru the leakage ....Love ya Gary my "adopted bro" and Love ya Dad Rice.

Mark,

Thank you. Please call.

For those who missed it on the one-shovel-wide posting, here's a link to the last song Dad and I did together just this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cwwxvkzasY

Back to the banjo...

This link to a song is dedicated to Gary Rice, and me, because my Mom and Dad both went to be with the Lord 6 months from one another...and Terry Richards, my room-mate on the road for 3 years when we had the show-band. Terry went to be with the Lord a few weeks ago. It might be old, and maybe corny but it was written beautifully and performed just as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APD6fjFghEQ

Everyone,

Dad was buried today at Sunset Park with Military honors at a simple graveside-only service. Since he had been a bugler and Army bandsman, they were fortunately able to locate and provide a first-rate bugler.

It would sadly seem that buglers are not as common these days. We need more of them.

Dad could not even count the times that he played the bugle for military funerals, and even played for a funeral just a few years ago.

Thank you all for your calls and notes of concern.

I'm doing fine. We even had graveside sing-a-longs.

Back to the banjo...

Gary: Writing to simply say I am sorry for your family's loss and your father sounds like an incredible person who lived a fulfilling life. I smiled when I read that he helped you compose "One Shovel Wide" which is a new favorite of mine. My prayers are with your family.

-Ian

Ian,

Thank you.

Like many songs, there is much that can be read into those song lyric meanings, beyond the obvious.

During this week, with the changing of the titles and notifications and all the stuff that happens with the loss of a loved one, I found myself (when confronted with that mound of issues) just thinking to start pushin' it back, one shovel wide.

Whatever's in front of you in life. Take it one shovel at a time, and do it with a smile.

A bunch of people have already watched that song video. If there's any kind of a Lakewood legacy for Dad and me with helpin' to remind people what my dear neighbor did, maybe that would not be a bad thing at all.

WhatEVER'S in front of us, (snow, or whatever else...) if we could all only remember to start clearing it away, just one shovel wide....

Back to the banjo...