July Dilemma

 

It was divine intervention;

She said sometimes that works.

It was always my intention,

To honor that bond, in spite of the quirks.

It takes two to Salsa dance,

To live in the moment and embrace.

You can see it at a glance.

You can see it in her face.

Derecho force,

The sky full of fury,

Before July fourth, 

Lightning crashes in a hurry.

Open the door, 

Walk closer to the street,

In the present and nothing more. 

We're broken apart, but together complete.

Janie visits the Lou (Janie part 6)

 

Janie comes to the Lou - June 30 to July 2, 2023
Janie (part 6)
 
Janie is a busy retired nurse, although you might not notice given all the shifts she still takes on. She is mom to four and grandmother to five and more (since she has three brothers with a boatload of extended family members).

She’s coming to see me in Saint Louis in spite of it all. She arrives in the afternooon. If things go as planned, she might catch the tail end of the post game of my golf outing (AMA event I have orchestrated for 20+ years). After that, we will enjoy some grillin’ and chillin’ at Perry Drake's place in Chesterfield. Perry and gal-pal Beth are anxious to meet Janie. (The weather forced us indoors but steak, corn on the cob and baked potatoes were more than enough to enjoy over the diner table.) 

Janie settled on June 30 - July 2 after too many conflicts/schedule changes in our respective lives. We first discussed the idea of her visiting months ago. She made it happen and that is really wonderful. My American Marketing Association annual golf event, at first, I thought it could be a conflict but upon further reflection I realized it might be a perfect scenario for her to meet and be met by some of the people in my life in Saint Louis. (I promised her at least one friend named Dave. She did, she met Dave Cox.)

I cannot contain the excitement of the Janie visit with me in Saint Louis. It’s just a window of time that has her flying Southwest arriving on Friday, June 30, 2023 and flying away back to Cleveland on Sunday July 2, 2023. My two-bedroom apartment at Millennium Creve Coeur needs some tidying up but I have time to donate a few furniture items to the St. Vincent Thrift Store and make a little space for my evolving lifestyle. I got some flowers and some grocery items (including some green tea for Janie).

Friday - American Marketing Association golf event at Creve Coeur Golf Course: Dave Cox agreed to MC the final scoring and awards portion of the post game activities. Janie’s flight is on time and arrives at 3:20 p.m. We caught the handful of golfers still hanging around at CCGC. Janie met Dave, Tom Shaughnessy and got a glimpse of a few players after they have survived this 100+ degree day.  

                       
We check into my bachelor pad long enough for her to see the impromptu gallery space of random art that adorns the walls including the big 30+ year retrospective of family photos leading up to the weddings of Ben and Lindsey in 2012 and 2014.

We have tickets to see the Cardinals vs the New York Yankees on Saturday at 1:15. I convince Janie to head downtown early so we can peruse the amazing public sculptural art at City Garden, the historic Wainwright building and the Gateway Arch.

Our “nose bleed” seats are in section 439 in the upper deck at the end of the first base line. We have the benefit of a bit of midday shade in this section. The Cards dominate behind the pitching of Jack Flaherty. (By Sunday the Cardinals will have won this game and 2 out of 3 for the weekend and win the series against the American League New York Yankees.) 

We left this game a bit early (the Cards has an 11-0 lead). We left behind our Roger Marris Bobble Heads/attendance prize. We reached the parking garage in time for a rain downpour. (My plan to include a quick stop at the Saint Louis Art Museum on the way home was spoiled as I became disoriented in Forest Park due to the heavy rain.)

Trying to outsmart traffic in the rain resulted in my getting us a little lost before getting onto I-170 North in time for a weather delay, downed power lines, and power outages that turned that innerbelt thoroughfare into a parking lot. My otherwise reliable transportation overheated and we limped off I-170 as traffic was directed to drive in the wrong direction to the ramps to exit. The steam was visible from my engine and Janie got to witness my lack of problem-solving skills as we waited at the parking lot of the University City House of India restaurant (closed due to power outage).

The AAA tow truck arrived after an hour and a half and carted Janie and me and the Ford Fiesta-Jet to my apartment complex parking area. Dave Cox rescued us the next morning as our shuttle ride to the Lambert International Airport so Janie could get to Terminal 2 to catch her 8:45 a.m. flight.

Janie’s patience was tested. She manages to compartmentalize the adversity (as she does expertly). Reading a book on her iPhone and resisting the opportunity to listen in to the calming advice of my brother Greg on my cell phone.

My positive spin on this less-than-optimal day comes as I remind her that we are most fortunate to be spending time together. She is guarded and not so quick to agree with my Pollyanna outlook. Nevertheless a sweet kiss goodbye ends this visit at the airport on Sunday. 

I’ll deal with my overheating Fiesta on Monday and Tuesday (One day at a time.)    

P.S. This is part six of a love story. It seems that we may or may not weather this storm. I've been "all in" with faith and belief in "divine intervention" but God might be saying (in not so many words): "Not so fast buddy boy." Janie wants some time to think and feels she needs to step back a little bit. I just hope she gets home safely and, with time, sees the humor in this unusual weather weekend in Saint Louis. 

Amazing James

 

No-one's gonna make a monkey outta me. I'm the rightful ruler anyone can see chants the malevalent King K. Rool in this episode of Donkey Kong (DK). The song brings a smile to James. His smile is more joyful than sinister. It becomes a shared thing with Papa Wes who is also entertained. He's a bad guy but this is his way of trying to beat the odds against him when he tries to take bananas from DK. (K. Rool hates bananas but he wants to take something away from DK.)

James is learning something this week about good vs. evil. DK will prevail. Pete the Cat will make good choices. Mario and Luigi keep moving. Life goes on. 

James takes the bus to school each morning and enjoys seeking friends at the bus near the English Manor just off Logan Avenue. He's escorted by mom and/or dad every day. The pick him up after school at this location too. 

 

James enjoys a light snack after school (maybe a bagel with cream cheese, or a salad).  His palate is pretty sophisticated, He likes pink lemonade. He might enjoy a salad with chunks of chicken or a carefully prepared and cut PB&J. 

His pal Felix comes over and taps on the door. They play pretend games or find their way to the neighborhood trampoline in Felix Martinez's backyart which helps to make the next door neighbors yard part of the Morgan-Martinez compound. 5-6 kids might be experiencing a kind of weightlessness as they bounce. Weather permitting they might engage in water fights.

James is thrilled to win an octopus and a clown fish on the Jenkinson's Boardwalk at Point Pleasant beach after a family dinner at the Lobster Pot with mom, dad, maternal grandmother (Jean/Gigi) and paternal grandfather (Papa Wes). He wins the octopus and clownin in a "fishing" booth but doesn't beat the odds in the ring toss. The guys throwing bullets through tire swings with NFL recievers painted in the backdrop. 

There is just enough time for Gigi and Papa to watch James enjoying a chocolate milk shake with whip cream and a cherry on top. Dad is heading home and Mom is our ride. 

Mom showed up just in time. Security and bicycle cops are involved in an intervention of some rough looking gals that have some sort of altercation near the boardwalk. (Just another day on the job, it seems.) 

    

Gone but Never Forgotten

    `

 

I reflect as I write this poem;

Without you, this is not a home;

But I as I wander and as I roam;

I can see that I’m not really all alone.

 

Gone but somehow always with me;

Clarity now, I wish I could always see.

It is as crystal clear as it could be;

So casual and ordinary and so carefree.

 

Augmentation of family and friends;

A quality of life so completely depends;

No regrets, but if I could make amends…

The beginnings began without regards to ends.

 

From your smile on the day we met;

Not a day or a minute would I reset.

What I got was a good as it gets;

We beat the odds against all bets.

 

Thank you for being a nudge and a pest…

My dearest, I pray that you are truly at rest.

You gave all, and were truly the best.

Our babies know, full well now, having left the nest.

 

I wouldn’t trade a minute of a single day,

With kindness and care it was your way,

There is hardly anything more I can say.

There are no words - nothing anyone can say.

Love painting at top by Ben Morgan.

Photo Above: photo at Max and Mary's on Father's Day Week 2022.

Deborah (Digger) and David Schatzow.

Max and Mary Schatzow with Lilly and flanked in middle is Daniel.

Flashing peace sign is Samson with his dad on center of couch Perry (mom Autumn is right of couch). Behing me (Wesley A Morgan) is my daughter Lindsey Morgan Dewey with her son Lawton and the matriarch Toby Stevens in seafoam green and my boy Ben on the couch in light green polo shirt.  

 

 

But enough about me...

 

But enough about me... How did you like my last movie? My uncle David used that line from time to time and it reminds me of two things: 1. Don't take yourself too seriously and 2. Keep going with new challenges. Actors are, perhaps more familiar with the need to reinvent themselves but we all need to stay actively engaged in becoming our best selves. 

I'll admit that I have been very fortunate on my journey. I have been blessed with career stops in advertising, marketing and education. My avocations have included golf (never gonna make the pro tour), art (fan and practitioner), family (the best), friends (in spite of my episodic life and moves). I've been a member of the American Marketing association for more than 25 years, a docent at Laumeier Sculpture Park more than 10 years, I was active with advertising clubs in New York, Miami. Raleigh and Saint Louis (notably in recruiting Addy Judges for 18 years). I was talent show coordinator at SSD Neuwoehner High School for four years in a row. 

I could ramble on for hours about the wonderful and amazing things that have happened with me and around me. To be sure, I am NOT always the star of the movie but there is joy even in some of the bit parts and stints.

This picture gives you a snap of me and my siblings. My big brother was absent for this photo - proably in college. My dad was pretty good at keeping those bicycles in working order over the years. We were a family of six kids with just one sister (my favorite sister).

This pic is of the amazing crew at HBE were I managed to reinvent myself as a corporate marketing  guy. In photo are SteveWilliams. Sally Eaton, Jane House, Vicky Napier, me, Linda Jones and Steve O'Rourke.

Even in High School, I was focused on the idea of the merger of art and commerce. This is a pic from the Lakewood High School Yearbook when I was a Junior.

I was a sucker for competition (T-Shirt design contest got me tickets to Greek Week Ball and a B&W TV set as a prize). In college I was a frequent contributor to my college newspaper, as a cartoonist and yearbook as editor. Lots of little victories.

 

That's me with mom and three brothers on the Chris Craft 29' "Leprechaun". In spite of being third in birth order, mom tagged me as "oldest of the four boys"

Eventually, I was "the shortest of the four boys" 

This amazing woman became the mother of my two amazing kids and my wife of 41+ years before she passed peacefully last year (Feb 3, 2022). We had a girl and a boy (a full set).

And, oh yeah, I was the center on the Lakewood High School football team, We went 8-2 my senior year. 

CYO football in Saint Luke Green and Gold uniform, This pic is of me in seventh grade with #19 is Tim Dowling.

My brother Greg and I graduated from the University of Miami at the same time. My dad called us the "twin headaches".  My brother (now known as Sundance) and I participated in a big adventure on a bicycle trip from South Orange, NJ to Gettysburg, PA around 1989-90.

 

I was the account guy at Rocket Burkhead Lewis and Winslow when our client Skybox produced a TV spot with Magic Johnson and his 11 year old son. The spot promoted the Skybox trading card line featuring Magic and the Olympic Dream Team.  

I was account guy at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky and Tinsley Advertising in Miami. 

Adweek published this photo in Saint Louis as I moved to the client-side. As chapter leader of the American Marketing Association we showcased some of the leading ad agencies in a panel discussion. Pic shows John Lewington of Maryville University, Tom Townsend of Rodgers Townsend, me, Cliff Franklin of Fuse, Mark Kempter of Core and  Arlo Oviatt of D'Arcy

Team TBWA Saint Louis back in the Day. That's the incomparable Evan Willnow on the left and me front & center with cigar.

That's me with my Angel on her wedding day. It doesn't get much better.

But what could be better than a round of golf with my son? 

Or some quality time with James (or his cousin Lindsey's boy Lawton). 

Five Guys and a girl (our sister). Sundance attended Georgetown and the University of San Francisco but finished his college undergraduate career at the University of New Orleans, LA. Burgers and Fries all around.

 

 

My people show up when it's really important. Greg (front and center in black) and his two boys (Matt and Wes), Rob (back and center), Lindsey and Chris Dewey, Ben and Allison Morgan and Yadi.

I miss having a land line. (I lost my cell phone this week.)

Well we got the band back together last Friday (May 5, 2023). Tom Shaughessy, Dave Cox, Rowdy Jones, me, and special guest star Marco Tocco at the Magnolia Marine event at Cloverleaf Golf Course in Alton, IL. 

Some of the Unsual Suspects at the 2022 AMA Golf event at Creve  Coeur Golf Course

 

The HBE Alumni Memorial Annual is the first Saturday in Ocotber each year (initially to honor Ted Brown who passed in 2009)

And every once in a while the University of Missouri - Saint Louis (UMSL) Marketing Club gets a round in at Creve Coeur Golf Coiurse (CCGC) too.

The regional retreat in Lincoln, NE with Nick Niehaus, Dave Shogren, me and Vanessa Lobo Niehaus. I also attended the Leadership Summit in Chicago this year (2023) with incoming president Dave Shogren. That was my 7th Leadership Summit in my 25+ years as a member and mostly some sort of board member most of those years.

Account Guy (me) around 1983-84 leading the effort to help the client understand why it costs so much to produce a piece of print advertising. That's Ed and Barbara from JVC flanked by Tony and Wes from Marsteller Advertising, 

I agreed to be on the board of the Triangle Advertising Federation (The Research Triangle Ad Club in North Carolina). The president delivered that plaque but I took a job and relocated to Miami (around 1994).

...in 2008 I got Philip Kotler to sign a testimonial to my marketing leadership...(He was a good sport about it). 

....BUT enough about me. How did you like my last movie, More episodes coming...

My People

 

 

As I reflect on my life, direction and relationships I cannot help but think of the people and places that mark time for me. As my journey continues, I cherish family members more than ever. I count myself remarkably fortunate to have them in my life. Family has a way of keeping you on track and positive about the here and now as well as the prospects for the future. That’s certainly true for me. Especially as I feel the very real love that is so much more than the sum of the countless parts.

Dem Kids 

My wife of more than 41 years was a critical part of recognizing the amazing achievements of our kids. We shared so many happy moments as we saw them grow and prosper. Two kids, “a complete set” were Lindsey and Ben. They both found paths in the world that magnified the thousands of little victories of growing up in our movable feast of family life that resulted in moving from New Jersey to Los Angeles and back before going to North Carolina, Florida and Missouri. I know those moves caused stress but I hope they also contributed to the strength and adaptability that is so apparent in them today. 

The force multiplier of those two amazing kids, as they became adults, is the truly wonderful lives they live that starts with the partners they have chosen and the bonus grandchildren that have resulted. It brings me joy to see them proper and demonstrate astounding parenting skills with loving care and kindness. (In spite of my keen awareness of my own flawed abilities.)

 

The Matriach

My 90+ year young mother-in-law has become, for me, a great source of support and inspiration. She lost her husband three decades ago (1993) and has proven time and again that we have the very real leadership and guidance of the matriarchy. I started calling her on Mondays after my wife (her daughter) passed away more than a year ago. I might have thought I was consoling her in the beginning but now I can see the value of her wisdom and power that so often appears as a quiet stoicism. To be sure, I cannot thank her enough for demonstrating what it means to be a pillar of strength and courage.

Sister in Law #1 - Randazzle

My wife loved her older sister Randy. They say you cannot be too rich or too thin, (She’s both.) Nevertheless, she has been a source of strength as she challenges me to “live your best life”.  She lost her husband a few years ago. Her daughter will be married in the coming year.

Sister in Law #2 – Digger

Lynn was clearly a middle-child. My wife loved her younger sister, Deborah. Digger struggles with a case of chronic hypochondriasis (my joke). She is mom to two boys, each with thriving families of their own.

     

My Siblings

Since the passing of our parents in 2011 and 2013 we became six adult orphans. We all look back on our respective childhoods (beginning with our birthdays scattered throughout the years of 1944-1958) with a fondness that belies our childish grievances. Through masterful parenting, I was denied “middle child syndrome” in spite of being third in the birth order. Our only sister (second in birth order) navigated brilliantly as she confronted being a grown-up beginning with a teen pregnancy. The oldest managed to find peace, on his own terms, without trying to live up to an arbitrary perception of potential. My brother and I (3^rd and 4^th in the birth order) survived a lifetime of comparisons that began as I was “held back” in first grade. We shared so many rights of passage. Dad dubbed us the “twin headaches” as we pursued our individual academic lives as undergraduates at the University of Miami. Mom and Dad, by all accounts, mellowed a bit for siblings #5 and #6 but they each experienced unique and wonderful careers  as photographer and business leader/entrepreneur respectively.

Through this diverse set of reference points I cannot say enough about the joy I get in seeing those amazing lifetimes unfold. Morgans: 11 weddings, 9 college degrees, 9+ kids, 5 states (current) and so on. We're watching you and yours family tree: JV (Lane and Colleen), Philip, Lindsey/Chris (Lawton), Ben/Allison (James), Wes, Matt/Bianca, Lauren, Michael, Megan/Parker, Tara/Adam (Camille, Thomas), Kevin/Madelyn... And Sam and Toby Stevens' girls - Deborah: Perry/Autumn (Samson, Marlowe),  Max/Mary (Lilly, Daniel), and Randy: Erica/Bug. It goes on.