Welcome to my FIRST blog entry :o)
Daddies and Crossword Puzzles
On the eve of my Daddy's birthday, my "baby daddy" passed away. Early this morning, my baby's daddy gave in to his battle with cancer.
My Daddy's life ended in a similar fashion over a decade ago at the hands of cancer. Tomorrow would have been his 87th birthday. March 6 and 7 will be memorable for my daughter remembering two men who loved and raised her, who always were there for her, who smiled at the mere sight of her. I will forever remember admiring these two men when I would see the pure smile of joy and delight looking at her (especially considering that they were normally not the often-caught smiling type!)
Another thing these two men (both who were called "Al") had in common was their penchant for crossword puzzles. I remember a running joke about my Dad was that all he did at work (He was an electrical engineer at Boeing) was do crossword puzzles. He loved them, worked on one every day. This is certainly one of my favorite memories to think about.
My mini-addiction to crosswords may be attributed to my Daddy. And I feel no remorse especially since crossword puzzles have been praised to be a great element to maintain brain function. What a great, fun way to attempt to avoid Alzheimer's Disease! Those of you who like crossword puzzles - can you remember the feeling you had when you completed your first one? I was absolutely beside myself when I completed my first New York Times Sunday Crossword!! (And, I will admit, have yet to do so again...)
There are plenty of fans of noted Crossword guru, Will Shortz. One of my favorite documentaries pays major homage to Shortz: 2006's Wordplay. I became an even bigger fan watching Shortz fans Jon Stewart and President Bill Clinton talk about their puzzling... I have a feeling both of these Daddies named Al would have enjoyed this film as well.
I also would like to think that both of them are finding the time to look back and smile upon our little girl and share a crossword puzzle together. Rest in Peace Al and Al. Your daughters miss you, savor your memory and will always love you.
Ready for some crosswords? Here ya go:
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/crosswords/classicpuz.html
