Hands in the spaghetti

I was never glued to the tube for the Sopranos, but I was a fan. I probably even missed some seasons in their entirety, but for a number of episodes, I tuned in with lots of other people to see what good old Tony was up to.

Once, I was telling Joe what my brother Eddie says about people he thinks are too cowardly in handling challenging situations. Eddie would always say to me, “You know what I mean, Sue, she’s just not someone who’s willing to get her hands in the spaghetti.” Of course, since it was Eddie, I knew exactly what he meant by that. Not being willing to get your hands into the spaghetti was just not at all attractive to Eddie! He liked people who would fight for a cause, even if that meant getting down and dirty if you have to. (Who knows where he comes up with these things.)

Anyway, I'll set the stage for you:

Last year, I was heading down to visit my dad, and I had shared with Joe that I wanted to have a real heart-to-heart talk with my dad about some important topics from the past. I suppose I was a little bit apprehensive, hoping daddy would understand what I would say, and that he'd take it in the right way when I did. Now, as it turns out, my dad is a “Tony,” --(although, certainly a much nicer, more admirable Tony than Tony Soprano.) My dad is now living in Statesboro, Georgia with my older sister Mary Kate.

Joe came along on my visit, (and Joe is originally from Oklahoma.)

My dad and I wound up having a very nice visit, much as I thought we would, and we really communicated well--we had a great talk, hugged and cried, and there was nothing at all to worry about, but prior to my heading down there for my visit, Joe thought I might be anxious, and he handed me this hilarious photo with this caption beneath it. I never shared it before with my dad, and daddy, I know you read this blog, so I hope you get as big a kick out of it as I did.

It still makes me laugh…

“The family. We are a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.” (-Erma Bombeck)