Red Truck RIP

I wrote this poem about 6 years ago after I got into a head-on with a drunk driver.  I’m sharing this with all of you today, because I believe, on some level, this experience has lead me to starting StoryKeeping.  I hope you’ll enjoy my thoughts.

April 10, 2004

Good Friday had just begun
At half an hour until one
Though late at night I’m wide awake
So immediately I spot this car
Exiting the lot of Cowboy Bar
Must be some mistake I think
But the turnaround never comes
My voice of reason fully shunned; I’m stunned
As approaching Leslie Road I see
This pair of lights squared off at me
These shooting stars increasing speed
Growing brighter, larger, indefinitely
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Shawn, Debi, and Eason.

Have you ever thought, “Something great is happening right before my eyes”?

This entered my mind during yesterday afternoon’s StoryKeeping session.  This was an extraordinary new way of capturing the highlights of a loved one’s life!

Debi and Shawn are self-described non-traditional parents.  Debi is a single mom, but Shawn is still active in Eason’s life.  They wanted to do it their way, and they are.  In a non-traditional StoryKeeping session, I learned of how two vastly different people’s lives became intertwined perfectly, at a perfect time, for both of them.  The perfection of their union manifested May 23, 2006 in the form of a beautiful baby boy, Eason Orion.   Read the rest of this entry »

Right Beside You

Last week StoryKeeping went to the Cancer Therapy & Research Center for their monthly S.N.A.C.K.S. lecture luncheon.  S.N.A.C.K.S. stands for “Some News About Cancer Knowledge and Support”.  Mary Jackson, Director of Patient and Family Services, invited me to be the featured speaker for their March ’10 edition.  As in most of my endeavors, my aim was to make this thing fun.

As I walked up to the “CTRC”, I glanced off to my right and saw the blue-pastel high-rise Methodist Hospital where my life began roughly three decades ago.  ”Full circle,” I thought, “Perhaps this is the start of something beautiful, too.”   Read the rest of this entry »

“I want to do this, but how do I bring it up?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my grandfather is in this frame of mind where he thinks people are just waiting for him to die.  So I’m afraid that if I bring something like this up it could either go really well or really badly.”

Wow.  What a zinger.  This was the lead-in for a conversation I had with a friend of mine recently, but the sad part is that this was not the first time I’d had this conversation.  It seems there’s a lot of this going around.  Life pulls us in many directions to the point that those we love the most have no idea how much we care.  The human mind is funny like that.  Out of sight and out of mind holds a bit of truth. Read the rest of this entry »

And thank you for visiting StoryKeeping’s home on the web. 

A friend of mine that works in a wellness center for cancer patients asked me, “Have you ever heard of ‘Dignity Therapy’?”

I could guess what that means, but nope.

“That’s essentially what you’re doing,” she replied.

Well then, I think I’ll read up on this subject! After all, who doesn’t want to know what they’re doing? Achieving a better understanding of our chosen life’s work is a goal worth pursuing, I’d think. So I Googled.

I found numerous links, so I’ll now summarize. Read the rest of this entry »

Glenn and Joyce

I did a StoryKeeping session last week featuring a friend of mine’s grandparents. I’d never met them before, but had heard enough about their family through the years that I felt like I already knew them.

I was a shy kid growing up, and didn’t get into much trouble. In fact, I believe I was only grounded once. Me, Tamra, and Amanda Rogers were going to the movies. I sat in the back of the Caprice while Tamra got out to put gas in the car. Amanda had heard about a party over at a friend’s house, and somehow in that parking lot the plans changed from movie night to party night. I couldn’t drive yet, so I was along for the ride regardless.

We drove on out to Justin Joseph’s house. I sat in the back of a truck and drank a beer. It was the first taste of beer I’d had since I was a small child, when Dad gave me a sip to let me know how terrible it tasted, and I agreed I wouldn’t want to touch the stuff anyway. Seemed harmless enough. After a few hours it was time to go back home, so when we walked through the door Dad asked us how the movie was. “Fine” was the answer to most questions in that era of our lives, so that was it. Well, at least we thought Read the rest of this entry »

Third grade was a fun year for me. My flat top was in full effect, and I discovered girls. That, or girls discovered me … not sure which came first, but it was definitely a pivotal year. If I recall correctly I liked three girls in my class at the same time.

I was laying on my bed when Mom walked in with a piece of paper.

“Hey Clinton … who is Amber?”

“MOOOOOOOO-OOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!”

Elementary mistake, my friends. Don’t throw away your first love note at home. Read the rest of this entry »

I didn’t hear about it on the news, at least, not at first. I was talking to some of my fellow Board members after our monthly meeting at the San Antonio A&M Club, and I had my phone volume turned down so I hadn’t noticed the 1st call in time. Quickly, a second call came in from the same person, one of my lady best friends. Her broken voice told me something was terribly wrong, and that’s when she relayed the news. One of our high school classmates, and a friend that we’d both hung out with just a couple weeks before, had been killed on Loop 1604 on the NW side of San Antonio. Apparently it happened in the early morning hours, and within 7-8 minutes driving distance of my home. I drive that same stretch of road late at night fairly often. How far am I from death? Two nights ago it was 1.8 miles.

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Mother's Storykeeping Session

My dad purchased a StoryKeeping session for my mom as a surprise Christmas gift for the Haby kids. I was surprised at first. Mama is young. She has a lot of life to live, but then again Mom always has had great stories too. This will be fun.

Mom only wanted her kids to hear her stories, but hopefully she’ll be okay with me sharing a little bit about the process. She kicked off the session with a story I’d never heard before. I’ve known her all my life! I’m almost 30 now, and despite some shortcomings in my earlier years, I listen when Mama speaks. But right out of the gate, here it comes … Read the rest of this entry »