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Quote of the Day – Family and Achievement
There are many kinds of success in life worth having. It is exceedingly interesting and attractive to be a successful business man, or railway man, or farmer, or a successful lawyer or doctor; or a writer, or a President, or a ranchman, or the colonel of a fighting regiment, or to kill grizzly bears and lions. But for unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison. – Theodore Roosevelt
I saw that illustrated this Christmas. It was the first one I spent without my wife of forty years, the previous one being only two weeks before her death. This year, instead of everyone coming to my house, I went to Dallas, to spend Christmas with my oldest son, his bride of sixteen months, and my five-month old granddaughter. My other two sons were there, too. One lives in Fort Worth, the other one came up to the DFW area to spend the weekend with his fiance’s family.
It was the first time I and the three of them spent time together, relaxing, in over a year. (Funerals don’t count.) I suddenly realized how lucky I was. All three are out on their own, standing on their own two feet. They have their own places (the oldest two own homes), have worthwhile jobs, and have started or are starting families of their own. From a parenting standpoint, that is batting 1.000.
Janet would have been proud. I know I am. Theodore Roosevelt is right. It does make all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.
Published in General
Thank you, Writer of the Seas.
Merry Christmas, Friend.
I had more peace yesterday in quite time with my family and a best friend than I have had in a long time. It is what is important.
Lovely.
How blessed you are, @seawriter.
Yes. I am. That is what keeps me going through rough times.
Agreed. Roosevelt got it right.
I had all my children and grandchildren for the last two days. It was amazing. I am happy for you.
Which brings us another great quote from Utah Beach “we’ll start the war from right here”.
I think there is some dispute about exactly what he said, but it’s still a great quote.
My grandfather passed this year. Upon watching old family videos and reading his obituary, I came to the same conclusion –
Our Orwellian age has a term for it – #Priorities
This confuses me. Teddy died well before his son (and well before WWII).
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I was thinking of you this Christmas, I’m glad it was enjoyable. You and Janet have a lot to be proud of: your kids and also yourselves. Kids don’t turn out well by chance.
Okay. I got that very wrong. Teddy died in 1919. Thank you.
When he was 22, he lost his first wife and his mother within a couple of days of each other. The PBS Kevin Burns special dwelt on that death and Teddy’s grief quite a bit. I’ve deleted the comment. I really screwed that up. Too much eggnog. :-)
I believe you’re thinking of his son Kermit, who did die young.
That makes more sense. Except that Kermit died in 1943.
I can’t seem to fit anything I’m reading with my memory–obviously incorrect–that the South American exploration was the result of a good friend of his urging him to go to take his mind off his grief. But that sentence just doesn’t match anything I’m reading on Wikipedia about Teddy’s life. I give up. :-)
I am in the process of moving to Waxahachie, TX over the next month or so, all for the purpose of getting closer to our kids and grandkids. Perhaps a meetup if you are in the area @seawriter?
Kermit, the youngest son, died in WW One. He was an aviator. There is a beautiful fountain in the French village near where he served along with a street named after Kermit. It was Kermit’s death that sent Theodore Roosevelt to Africa. I believe Candace (?) Millard has a book on this period of Theodore’s life. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was the one who died in WW Two. He had pretty bad heart disease and probably would never have been allowed to serve let alone fight these days.
Also @seawriter, I will say that we are awaiting the birth of our second grandchild. (Due date December 30.) I can only imagine the pride that you have in your family and the grief of losing the one who made that family with you. A continued Merry Christmas (I’m one of those 12 Days of Christmas persons) to you and yours.
You’re about 4 hours away from him. There are many Texas Ricochet members, and even those far away sometimes show up at a Texas Meetup. You might also wish to join the Texas Ricochetti group, and monitor the Ricochet Meetup group.
I am rarely in the Waxahachie area, but if I am, yes, a meet-up would be good.
We’re getting there. It was Quentin. It was his youngest son, and he died a war hero in World War I at the age of 20.
Quentin died on July 14, 1918, and TDR died on January 6, 1919, at the age of 60, of a blood clot that traveled to his lungs.
@MarciN Thanks. Embarrassing to mix up Kermit and Quentin.
Having just moved back to (central) Texas, I’ve been reminded of two things:
Well, yeah it’s in the area. It’s only a two-hour drive.