PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 94 - Christmas 2024

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 94 - Christmas 2024

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 93 - CHRISTMAS LOVE ROCK

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer! I miss you all. I am posting my song CHRISTMAS LOVE ROCK. Last year, I recorded a Country version with banjo. This version is strictly honky tonk rock and roll. Love you and miss you,Pawpaw

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 92 - YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 92 - YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND I love you all! Papaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer! I'm posting my song YOU'RE ME BEST FRIEND. I hope you like it. I used ten foreign language words for friend in it. Love you, Papaw

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 91 - Traveling to the Canadian Rockies

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 91 - Traveling to the Canadian Rockies

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer!

It is Fall of 2024. Our friend Curt (he and his partner Frank used to let you guys swim in their pool and they always bought you Christmas and birthday presents) has always wanted to visit the Canadian Rocky Mountains. As Tom and I looked at videos and photos of them, we decided that we wanted to see them too. So, I mad plans for a ten day trip from Florida to Banff, Alberta, Canada.

I booked us a hotel in Banff Town where we could walk to everything. We had one of the best vacations ever. The glacier-made Rocky Mountains are huge and surround this little town. The snow and ice from the mountains creates rivers and lakes that have beautiful turquoise water. 

We visited Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and the Johnston Canyon waterfalls. We rode a gondola 7500 feet to the top of a mountain.

Tom took a photo of me holding an elk antler. A huge elk walked down the road beside our vehicle. At another place, a herd of mountain goats blocked the road. One day we came out of our hotel and three deer walked past us and crossed the street right in front of us.

Banff is a beautiful place. I wish you could have been there with us. I miss you guys.

I will love you forever,

Pawpaw

(Please remember - I did not abandon you. I would never leave you willingly. When your parents became attached to their new religion and became extremely political, they disowned Tom and me. We were no longer welcome to visit, call, text or even send birthday and Christmas gifts.)

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 90 - HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY BRYSON

 PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 90 - HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY BRYSON

Happy 9th Birthday Bryson! I am so proud of you and always will be. I cannot put into words how happy it makes me to be your Pawpaw. I miss you and will love you forever.

Someday when you are 18 years old or older, I hope that you will search for me. I have never stopped loving you even if I am not allowed to see you.

All my love,

Pawpaw

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 89 - Choose Me video for you

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 89

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer!

I have named my new music album: SONGS FROM PAWPAW. I hope that you find it online and on Youtube and know your Pawpaw.

CHOOSE ME is a song about the feeling we all have about wanting to fit in. It took me decades to discover the truth that "As a grown man now, I'm no more like a bough blown in the breeze. No more do I bleed from a painful need to constantly please. I am now at peace. I've made my mind cease to want to fit it. I feel confident to simply choose me."

Also, you'll see me wearing a blue kilt. My sixth great grandfather was born in Scotland in 1720. I wear kilts to honor my Scot heritage.

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 88 - Miss you

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 88

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer!

Happy belated12th birthday Connor. 

I searched the internet and found a few photos of you all. You have grown so much! You are so very handsome! You all look very happy. Seeing that makes me very happy too. At the same time, I am heartbroken that I have missed so much of your childhoods. I think about you every day.

I love you,

Pawpaw

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 87 - See You Later song

 PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 87

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer!

Since you probably won't be allowed to see me until you may choose to do so after age 18, there's a good chance I won't be alive then. I leave these messages to let you know that you were loved and missed every single day. I have loved you both since the days that you were born and I held you in my arms. (I only was able to hold Archer once and only for about an hour).

I have decided to record my songs and leave them on Youtube for you to hopefully find someday and know your Pawpaw better.

My song SEE YOU LATER is one of my favorite songs that I have written. It is about my Grandma Virginia Margaret Wheatley McWilliams. She was your maternal Greatgrandmother. 

Grandma Mac was what we all called her. She was of Appalachian heritage and Scottish before that. Her Fourth Great Grandfather Abraham came from Scotland to Pennsylvania before the American Revolution! His son Samuel fought in the revolution for American independence. Even though she was from a northern state, Grandma had a country / southern accent as Appalachians do. 

Grandma never said goodbye. She always said "Sweetie, this is not goodbye, it's just another see you later." I wrote this song for her.

Pawpaw will always love you boys!

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 86 - love song

 PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 86

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer!

Since you probably won't be allowed to see me until you may choose to do so after age 18, there's a good chance I won't be alive then. I leave these messages to let you know that you were loved and missed every single day. I have loved you both since the days that you were born and I held you in my arms. (I only was able to hold Archer once and only for about an hour).

I have decided to record my songs and leave them on Youtube for you to hopefully find someday and know your Pawpaw better.

My song THINKING OF YOU SLOW DANCE is a love song. I hope that people in love will hear it and take their partner into their arms and share a special moment together.

Pawpaw will always love you all!

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 85 - Pawpaw music

 PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 85

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer!

Since you probably won't be allowed to see me until you may choose to do so after age 18, there's a good chance I won't be alive then. I leave these messages to let you know that you were loved and missed every single day. I have loved you both since the days that you were born and I held you in my arms. (I only was able to hold Archer once and only for about an hour).

I have decided to record my songs and leave them on Youtube for you to hopefully find someday and know your Pawpaw better.

I wrote CHOOSE ME about the feeling every human has - the desire to fit in. It took me decades to realize that loving ourselves is a big part of being healthy.

Pawpaw will always love you guys.

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 84 - my music for you

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 84

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer!

When you were younger, Connor and Bryson, you used to ask me to play Pawpaw's song in the car. You both love music.

Since you probably won't be allowed to see me until you may choose to do so after age 18, there's a good chance I won't be alive then. I leave these messages to let you know that you were loved and missed every single day. I have loved you both since the days that you were born and I held you in my arms. (I only was able to hold Archer once and only for about an hour).

I have decided to record my songs and leave them on Youtube for you to hopefully find someday and know your Pawpaw better.

My song EDUCATION RUINS A SLAVE is a tribute to Frederick Douglass. His mother had been enslaved and when he was born, he was automatically a slave in a horrible time in American history. Frederick escaped and began to speak and fight against slavery. He influenced President Abraham Lincoln.

I love you all,

Pawpaw

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 83

 PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 83

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer! I miss you so much.

Happy 12th birthday, Connor!

I am certain that you have grown into a fine young man. I didn't write on your actual birthday because I was ill. Tom and I both contracted the COVID19 virus. Tom handled it very well in spite of being almost 83 years old. It was a little tougher on me because I have asthma.

I contacted your Mom and asked if I could send birthday gifts but she didn't answer again. I haven't forgotten you, buddy-pal. I'm just not allowed to see you or give you anything.

Anyway, Happy Birthday. Please remember that your Pawpaw loves and missed  you.

Pawpaw

THE CHER SHOW - The fabulous, heartbreaking and inspirational life story of a pop icon - Review by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong

 THE CHER SHOW - The fabulous, heartbreaking and inspirational life story of a pop icon

 
Review by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
 
The TONY AWARD winning musical THE CHER SHOW is the fabulous, heartbreaking and inspirational life story of a pop icon. Discover how young, shy Cherilyn Sarkisian transforms from a pop singer to fashion influencer to television star to OSCAR,  EMMY and GRAMMY winner to the entertainment icon we know today.
 
THE CHER SHOW is filled with more than thirty hit songs representing six decades of stardom. Did you know that Cher sang backup vocals on hits like the Ronettes' BE MY BABY and the Righteous Brothers' YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING? 
 
The show features three Chers - each one portraying her in various life stages. The three interact with each other, offer each other advice, argue with each other and even sing together at various points. 
 
Even though the show is a lot of fun because of the familiar music and perfectly timed Cher humor, there are some deeper revelations here too. After earning tens of millions of dollars, Cher realizes that husband Sonny owns 95% of their partnership, their lawyer owns the other 5% and the only thing she owns is a car. Then there is the time Lucille Ball advises Cher to dump Sonny and take control of her career. 
 
THE CHER SHOW won Tony Awards for Lead Actress in a Musical and for Costume Design for a Musical. Bob Mackie's costumes are over-the-top fabulous and perfect for an over-the-top icon like Cher. Mackie's character sings, dances and comments hilariously in THE CHER SHOW with fabulous gay flair.
 
A few of the music highlights include:
* If I Could Turn Back Time
* Half-Breed
* I Got You Babe
* Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
* Believe
* Song for the Lonely
* Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves
* Dark Lady
* I Found Someone
* Believe
* Strong Enough
 
THE CHER SHOW is onstage at the Maxwell C King Center in Melbourne, Florida tonight - https://www.kingcenter.com/
 
Visit THE CHER SHOW tour website for upcoming performances -
https://thechershowbroadway.com/#home

The Simon & Garfunkel Story review by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong

 The Simon & Garfunkel Story review by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong

What an evening of cherished memories! The Simon & Garfunkel Story is simply fabulous! The songs are iconic and story behind the incredible success of one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s is told through an immersive concert-style theater show that supports the music perfectly.

Folk-rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel began as friends who were fans of The Everly Brothers. Imitating the Everly style at first, Simon and Garfunkel billed themselves as Tom & Jerry.  When they created their own inimitable style and began performing as Simon & Garfunkel, they became one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s with more than 100 million album sales.

Simon & Garfunkel’s perfect harmonies and timely lyrics earned them 10 Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Their Concert in Central Park reunion in 1981 had more than half a million fans in attendance. 

On stage, the show is presented as a Simon & Garfunkel concert with a full backing band. The show uses video projection, photos and original film footage to underscore each familiar and fabulous song including “Mrs. Robinson,” “Cecilia,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound” and many more. It all culminates perfectly with a recreation of the pair’s famous  reunion for “The Concert in Central Park”  in 1981 where more than half a million fans came to hear Paul and Art's artistry once more. 

The American Theatre Guild, with ASM Global and the King Center, present the internationally acclaimed hit theater show THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY as part of the 2023–2024 BROADWAY AT THE KING CENTER SERIES February 13–14, 2024.

Tickets to THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY can be purchased online at KingCenter.com, in-person at the King Center Ticket Office or by calling 321-242-2219. Group ticket savings for 10+ are available by emailing Groups@ATGuild.org.

Information about THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY and tickets can be found at http://www.thesimonandgarfunkelstory.com.

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 82

PAWPAW'S MESSAGES TO MY GRANDSONS 82

Pawpaw loves Connor, Bryson and Archer! I miss you so much.

In February 2024, Tom and I took our first big travel adventure since the 2020-2021 Covid Pandemic.

We flew to Paris, France. We booked a hotel very close to the world-famous Louvre Museum. We spent the next 8 days wandering this fabulous city. I took French class in the ninth grade. I had a lot of fun conversing with the French people with my limited Francais. They were very kind and helpful and seemed happy that I was trying to speak their language. I wish that you had been with us. what fun we would have had together.

I love you and miss you, 

Pawpaw

_______________________________________________________

I create these Messages To My Grandsons because I want you to know your Pawpaw as you did when you were little children. I want you to know that I did not abandon you. Always know that Pawpaw didn't leave you. I was banned from seeing you. I hope you find these messages when you are a grown man. 

If I'm still alive, I would love to see you again. I would never leave you, my loves, Pawpaw