Author: jeff noel

Retired Disney Institute Keynote Speaker and Prolific Blogger. Five daily, differently-themed personal blogs (about life's 5 big choices) on five interconnected sites.

Are We A Family?

What is a Family?

What does a really good one look like? Is there such a thing?

I surely don’t have an answer. And yesterday, as I was minutes from leaving my house for the airport, I quietly wondered if I even have a clue.

The car was packed with my carry-on suitcase and small backpack. I was all set to drive to Orlando International Airport for a business trip to Niagara Falls.

“Goodbye Mom and Dad”.

My Father-In-Law started to cry after he shook my hand. He never cries. “What’s wrong”?, I asked.

Next thing I know we had a 20-minute conversation about life and the physical hardships of getting old.

They are 83 and 86, and when I get get back home today, they’ll be back in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

They’ve been visiting us for several weeks, to witness our Son’s First Holy Communion.

To make a long story short, I am challenged to know what to do, what to say or when to do it or when to say it.

Mother Theresa said something to this effect, “The way to create World Peace is to go home and Love your Family“. Humbly, jeff 🙂

Come Monday?

“Come Monday, it’ll be all right. Come Monday, I’ll be holding you tight“.

Remember that song, Come Monday, by Jimmy Buffett? No worries if you don’t.

Jimmy Buffett is a master storyteller. I have every CD he’s made, except a few of his greatest hits and Live CD’s. All told, it’s like three dozen.

We are all story tellers, aren’t we?

Whether we admit it or not, we are.

I’m working really hard today, Monday, to tell a great story. You in? carpe diem, jeff 🙂

Slept with Stan Last Night

My son and I spent the night at the Orlando Science Center. We were there with our Church’s Cub Scout Pack. There were other Packs and even some Brownie “Packs” there too.

Checked in. Dinner buffet. A presentation called “KA-BOOM”!!!! Private admission to cool exhibits. But wait, there’s more.

We capped off the night with two really unique experiences. In fact, I had never done either in my fifty years.

We used two very powerful telescopes to view the Moon and Saturn.

The Moon? Astonishing to be on earth and see what we saw with our own eye.

Saturn? WOW!

Saturn last night was 857 million miles away. To say this another way, it was almost a billion miles away. Billion. Ya with me?

While it was tiny, we all knew we were looking at the real deal. Not a photo. Not a TV show. Not a DVD program. The real thing.

Saturn is about eighty times bigger than Earth, by the way.

To be able to see something soooo big, yet so far away, and it shows up as a tiny, but absolutely crystal clear image, is, well, almost indescribable.

Afterwards, we all slept in “Dino Digs“, a huge and very well done Dinosaur exhibit.

My son and I slept direclty beneath “Stan’s” enormous jaws. Stan is a T-Rex, named after the archaeologist that discovered him. What made “Stan” famous is that 70% of his bones were found; more than any other T-Rex.

We had a great time and have some great memories. In the big picture, that’s about as good as it gets. Carpe diem, jeff 🙂