In My Brain... Day 3

August 30, 2012

"Lord I'm goin' up town, to the Harlem River to Drown.  Dirty water gonna cover me over, and I'm not gonna make a sound..."-- Justin Townes Earle

I've been in the Harley-Davidson business for 26 years as part of the family, and 18 years as my full time job and way that I make my living.  I've been part of the Harley-Davidson 'thing' for much longer than that.  I often talk of the "love affair" that we have with these machines and the place that they have in our life.  A relationship with Harley-Davidson goes deep below the skin and into the soul and is about so much more than just the motorcycle.  The mere mention of the name "Harley" invokes a visceral reaction amongst the believers.  We look at roads and sunsets differently.  Our thoughts are monopolized by destinations and 'bucket list' items.  We truly are brethren.  Believers, fanatical followers...

As I grew up and learned more about this 'thing' that had already possessed the souls of my brothers, I formed my own relationship to what I call 'the brand'.  When I say brand, I don't mean trademarks in the same sense that I'd describe Coke as my favorite brand of soft drink, but more so I use the term 'brand' more like I'd use the word 'phyllum' or 'species'.  Brand, like marks burned into ones skin, ones psyche.  That tangible glue that not only emblazons the fuel tanks of these spectacular machines, but also that framework in which our lifestyle and love affair lives. 

The brand which I refer to belongs to the brethren.  Harley-Davidson holds the trademarks, but the 'brand' is all of ours.  The mystique, the religion.  I feel no small responsibility as a dealer, along with the motor company as 'caretakers' of that brand.  Oh how quickly we could screw it up if we are not careful.  We have a responsibility to always remember where we came from and what got us here.  The brand is precious, and fragile, and a necessity in our lives.

We made our way up to Saukville Wisconsin to tour the facilities of Calibre, Inc, a company that does paint for replacement service parts for Harley-Davidson.  I always love to tour this place, and I have to offer a huge 'thank you' to my friend Terry Bretl for being a gracious host to my family and group.  Watching the artists and craftsmen at Calibre is such a treat.  The things we take for granted, the commitment and attention to detail that goes into the work that those people do is humbling.  I have never looked at the pin striping on a Harley-Davidson paint job the same since I had the pleasure of watching those good folks apply them by hand. 

"In the back of my mind, eatin up all my time....Hangin weightless in the sky, like an angel with no place to fly..."-- Willie Nelson

We later made our way over to Menominee Falls to tour the Pilgrim Road Harley-Davidson Powertrain Plant, the birthplace of the Harley-Davidson Engine.  The senses become overwhelmed when you step out onto the plant floor.  The drone of the machinery.  The smell of the oil.  I've taken this tour before, so I didn't spend much time listening to our able engineer telling the group what the plant does, but instead I hung back and 'observed'.  I love the upper midwest, and it's people.  I love that this factory is still in Milwaukee Wisconsin.  It couldn't be anywhere else.  The looks on the faces of the operators on the floor.  Dedicated. Blue collar, real.  Steel, lubricants, wires, drills and presses, zip zip, whiz.  Real. Tangible. Authentic. Love.  Lunch pails and Green Bay Packer calendars.  Young.  Old.  Tattoos, and ponytails.  White beards, and bald heads.  Men and women all dedicated to the product that they are producing.  Make no mistake that they know the role they play in this 'brand'.  I've blogged before about the love that these that build the machine have for them.

http://abumpontheroad.blogspot.com/2011/12/love.html

They loved her first.

I can see out my window and across the industrial canal that the field in front of the Harley-Davidson Museum is starting to fill up with bikes.  Thursday is bike night at the museum and I'll dare say, Milwaukee and the HDM host the finest bike night I've ever been to.  That element of authenticity is in the air here.  The good people that attend are here for spiritual revival.  Their soul will be lifted as they commune and fellowship with their brothers and sisters in the sacred birthplace of their passion.  Tonight also kicks off the year long celebration of the 110th Anniversary of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, adding another level of emotion to the whole event.  I'm leaving you now to go see what it has in store.

Ride Safe, and with Purpose.

SMB

In My Brain... Day 2

Part II, Day II

10:45 AM  Starved Rock State Park, Northern Illinois

"Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child’s balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fool’s gold mouthpiece the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves to warn
That he not busy being born is busy dying

Temptation’s page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel to moan but unlike before
You discover that you’d just be one more
Person crying

So don’t fear if you hear
A foreign sound to your ear
It’s alright, Ma, I’m only sighing"--- Bob Dylan

So glad this one showed its beautiful face on the playlist today as we clipped north. I love this one.  I was first introduced to it through the soundtrack to the movie "Easy Rider".  Try to find me a biker that has no kinship to that movie... yeah, good luck.  Today's ride so far has taken us along the banks of the Illinois River, again totally reminiscent in this romanticised imagination of mine of that seminal movie. 

"As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don’t hate nothing at all
Except hatred"

There's a great scene in the movie that occurs right after the riders are "encouraged" to leave the small Louisiana cafe where they had stopped to dine.  They end up setting up their camp along side the road (another lost art) and are pontificating with a bottle of cheap bourbon and a joint by an open campfire.  George, Jack Nicholson's character is in  discussion with Billy, played by the great Dennis Hopper...Check it out....

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Times have changed since those days, but how much really?  Let's talk about freedom.  All of us do.  They spout about it to us on the TV, especially during election time, about what it means.  Who really knows what it means.  How many of us are truly free?  Free to make our own decisions.  Free to chart our own course, to do with our lives what we wish.  I worry about the definitions of freedom that my children might espouse.  Do they know what it means to truly be free?  Do I for that matter.....

Evening.....

Made it to Milwaukee.  What a city.  What a feeling for those of us that love these motorcycles.  More on that love in days to come.  But what a ride to get here....

"For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despise their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something they invest in

While some on principles baptized
To strict party platform ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And then say God bless him

While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society’s pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he’s in"-- Bob Dylan

Thinking back, as we rode, on the trek of Captain America, Billy and football helmeted George as they made their way to Mardi Gras... As I said, times are different.  Our society does at least a bit seem more tolerant of the fringe of culture (which all of us who ride motorcycles either live, or deep inside, aspire to live) but there is still that distrust of the "mainstream"... The cager, the non-rider. We see him in his car as we pass him, or as he tails us just a little too close for comfort.  We see the look in his eyes.  Often I wonder what lives in that look... Is it jealousy? Jealousy that he is wrapped in his world of structure that wouldn't let him dream of a life with a little danger, a little adventure.  Perhaps it's fear.  Perhaps it's apathy.  Envy. 

I'm not talking of every driver.  Often I can spot a motorcyclist as he drives his car.  He has that look of longing, wishing he or she were with us.  There is an aura of respect and love that radiates... an extra couple feet of room off the bumper.... a wave, perhaps.

I'm talking about the guy who seems not just like he's not paying attention to the fact that we have a right to the road as well, but the one that seems to be out to get us.  Maybe this is why motorcyclists wave at each other as we pass... we get each other.

"And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They’d probably put my head in a guillotine
But it’s alright, Ma, it’s life, and life only"--Bob Dylan

Safe and sound at the Iron Horse Hotel, my favorite hotel anywhere.  It was good seeing my friend, Steve Piehl.  Steve has worked for Harley longer than about anyone else I know.  That's comforting to know that there are folks with Steve's history still at the helm of the ship.  I am a lover of the machine and the brand.  I don't take it for granted and neither do people like Steve.  Thanks brother, and let me express the thanks of others that strive for an authentic experience. 

Time to call it a day.  Great ride.  More adventure tomorrow.

By the way, I 'd have a hard time thinking of a better song to blare while riding than "Honey Bee" by Lucinda Williams.  Try it and I dare ya not to speed up and weave just a little.  Just a side note.

Ride Safe and with Purpose...

SMB

In My Brain (As I Ride)

Preface

There is a magic about road trips, one that is difficult to describe to those who have never travelled by motorcycle.  There is a strange separation from consciousness that occurs when your senses are overridden by the sound of the motor and wind across your ears.  The next few posts are snippets, same day when possible, of what happens in my world when covering miles the way God intended.  By motorcycle.

August 28, 2012

10:30 AM

“You will miss sunrise, if you close your eyes.  And that would break my heart in two….”—Townes Van Zandt

On the road at an abandoned gas station just north of Fulton KY and listening for that drone of engines that tells me that the group is approaching.  This place brings back so many memories for me.  As I said, it’s a filling station from yesteryear that has obviously been bought by someone with the same desire for authenticity as I.  He has renovated it into a sort of adult toy box.  I’ve stopped in this gravel parking lot what seems like hundreds of times.  I’m literally just across the border from Tennessee and this is the spot where we used to stop to remove our helmets before the trek north into Kentucky and Illinois, back in the days when I would ride lidless.  Memories of my old friend Blake, and his friendship that he forged with a stray basset hound that once hung around the place.  Tips of a nasty plastic bottle of Kentucky Tavern before our foray with old pals. 

This trip finds me riding back to Milwaukee with the Memphis MVP group.  For a Harley rider, the trek to Milwaukee really never gets old and the MVP Old Milwaukee trip caries a feeling all of its own.  I’m looking forward to experiencing it all again with this new group of folks that, at this point, really don’t know what lies ahead of them.  I had breakfast in Medina this morning with Angie and Haiden before she headed back to school.  I was fortunate to have the rare opportunity to close my mouth and open my ears and a good lesson was learned.  Parents, stop trying to constantly ‘fix’ your children and learn to listen to them .  Good advice Princess, thank you.

The drone approaches…

12:30 PM

Great feature of the bike I’m riding, the iPod interface.  I can plug my iPod into a harness in the saddlebag and control it through the regular controls on the handlebars.  I find that  the correct playlist is an irreplaceable ally on a trip by bike.  My own personal soundtrack and it has not let me down today.  It sings to me, it is my companion and drives my thoughts as the miles pass. 

“I’m gonna live forever.  I’m gonna cross that river.  I’m gonna catch tomorrow now.”—Billy Joe Shaver

Stopped for ‘dinner’ (Hold on to Southern colloquialisms for they are dying) at The Blue Boar between Jonesboro and Cobden Illinois.  It is an out of the way place that I found with the recommendation of my friend and great American character, Shad Zimbro.  Shad is one of my mentors in the Harley-Davidson business.

Anyway… Many places are referred to as ‘biker friendly’ and you can assign any definition to that which you wish, but in my book, it is the pinnacle of ‘biker friendly’.  Not that it’s a “biker bar” or anything like that.  It doesn’t have the finest amenities for motorcycle parking, unless you are the type that digs gravel parking lots, but where it shines is in its character and personality.  I’ve talked so many times about ‘character’ and ‘characters’ and their importance in life.  NEVER EVER BLEND IN and the Blue Boar doesn’t.  It is a diamond in the rough.  In a world of cookie cutter eateries with the same old worn out menu, the Blue Boar is built upon incredible hospitality, inviting atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and great food.  If ever in Southern Illinois, don’t miss it.

We continue to make our way north through Illinois.  These are familiar roads to me.  Highway 127 north from Jonesboro toward Murphysboro.  How many times have I ridden this road through my youth.  As many of you know, I attended college at the nearby Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and this was one of my getaway routes on the old FXR that I spent many ‘formative miles’ on.  One of the great things about this road is that it literally hasn’t changed in 20 years.  Nothing about it has.  The scenery is exactly the same.  Who is intrigued by time travel?  Who isn’t?  Well, I tell you what… Today was a trip back in time.  Today as I careened my machine through the twisty curves I was 20 years old again, taking a quick break from the guts of the WSIU-TV edit suite that I spent countless hours of my life. 

“Look out here she comes, she’s comin… Look out there she goes, she’s gone….”—Guy Clark

That lyric, that was us.  My best friend, Eric Jones and I as we carved out our place in the world, just as we carved the corners of that magical road. 

Death took Eric from me right before we graduated, but today he was there with me again…. Smiling face, flat top haircut, ’79 model worn out, piece of shit, smoke billowing, oil spraying, Harley-Davidson Sportster riding gem of my youth.

“The Ghost has got me runnin…”-Whiskeytown

More on him some other day, some other blog.

Springfield Illinois tonight and tomorrow on to Milwaukee.  Good Night.

Ride safe, and with purpose.

A Birthday Present for Me.

Through my ramblings or by coming into the store or even some other connection of family or friendship you have with me, I'd suspect you've come to know a bit about the person I refer to as "My Princess."

http://abumpontheroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/letter-to-princess.html

Today she turns 18 years old.  A childhood finished and a life as an adult emerges.  I remember turning 18.  It didn't seem like much of a big deal to me then, in fact, the only thing I distinctly remember doing was registering for the draft.  So much for that.  I told her earlier today that really the only thing that would really be different today as compared to yesterday is that she could go to jail.... What a motivational speech that was, but anyway.

Our days of having Haiden at home are fast whittling down.  In less than two weeks she'll be gone, off to school and whatever else lies ahead, leaving me here with two boys that don't yet know how much they are going to miss her and her mother, whom I'm fairly sure I'll have to put on medication.  She'll be moving up to Murfreesboro to attend college (on a full academic scholarship, I might add) and will be working for my brother up at BHD in the Boro.  I'm so excited for her but I dread the silence from that first room up the stairs on the left and that empty hole in my heart that she still fills every day with her sweet kisses upon my cheek.

But..... This week, I have a treat coming to me. 

When I graduated from High School, the greatest gift I received from my Dad was the opportunity to accompany him on a motorcycle road trip.  We covered about 4000 miles together over the course of a week or so traversing the Rocky Mountains and the Great American Plains.  To call it a trip I'll never forget is an understatement.  It was one of the formative periods of my life, one that I don't go more than a day or two thinking about. 

My treat this week is that the Princess and I will be setting out on a motorcycle adventure of our own.  I'm so excited about it I can hardly contain it.  I try to read her thoughts on it to see a glimpse of that excitement, but I remember being in her place. This is new to her and as I remember myself, I didn't have any idea the magnitude of what lay before me.  I just hope that I can make next week as memorable for her as it undoubtedly will be for me.  Just like my Dad did.

Your prayers and well wishes will be greatly appreciated as we strike out Monday Morning.  Those who plan to to the passport ride to Lynchburg and Murfreesboro will be accompanying us on that first leg.

Happy Birthday Princess, and thank you in advance for this wonderful gift to me.

I'll keep y'all posted as the opportunity presents itself.

Ride Safe, and with Purpose.

SMB

A Tour of Duty

I never try to sell you anything on this blog, and only marginally do I even discuss the dealership and it's activities here, but I wanted to make everyone aware of something special that we have going on. 

Not a day goes by at the store that we are not approached by someone asking for our help, sponsorship, participation, and donations for a myriad of charitable events.  Everything from ball team fundraisers to benefits to help someone offset expenses for something and everything in between.  It goes without saying that I operate a retail motorcycle dealership and not a charitable foundation, but we are blessed with the type of business that lends itself to helping with these kinds of things.  We cater to a very charitable segment of society, motorcyclists.  We hold events of all different sorts.  While it is not our sole mission to function as philantropists, we are able to help from time to time and accomplish all of our mutual goals, to be successful in our actual business as well as be able to lend a helping hand and give back to our society.  We are not always able to help with every request as they are so numerous that we simply can't, but from time to time, an opportunity to truly make a difference comes along.  Enter into this picture Mrs Molly Morel and Mrs Cindy Tatum.

I've known these ladies for quite some time as customers of the store.  I am also familiar with their backgrounds and the organization to which they belong.  They are both members of a group called the American Gold Star Mothers.  www.goldstarmoms.com Go check out the website and it will tell you all about the organization, but in a nutshell, they are all mothers that have lost children in the military while serving in active duty.  The name referrences the service flags that began seeing use during the second world war.  Families that had loved ones serving overseas would hang a flag in the window of their home with a blue star, one star for each member of the family that was in uniform.  If a family member happened to lose their life in defense of the country, that blue star would be changed to gold, hence, "Gold Star Mothers".

Anyway.... Molly and Cindy came and saw Tommy and I back around the first of the year with an idea.  They told us that their AGSM chapter was working on a fundraiser that perhaps we could help them with.  They told us about the Fisher House.  www.tennesseefisherhouse.org Fisher House provides free or low cost lodging to Veterans and military families while they receive treatment at military hospitals.  They are very similar in a way to the Ronald McDonald houses that operate in conjunction with Childrens hospitals around the country, a charity that has directly benefited me when dealing with my son's medical conditions.  57 Fisher Houses currently serve our wounded military men and women and their families, though we learned that there was not a Fisher House in Tennessee.  Well, this is where Molly and Cindy "teed up the ball".  The AGSM were helping to raise money to build one in Murfreesboro, to work in conjunction with the VA hospital.  Tommy and I looked at each other and the light bulbs started popping.

What has come out of these discussions is being called "A Tour of Duty", a Passport Ride benefitting the Fisher House. 

Our slogan for this event is "They did their part, now let's do ours".  Here's how the whole thing works.  A passport ride is like a huge poker run, but you'll have about 6 weeks to complete it.  Starting on Saturday, June 30, you can go to any Bumpus H-D location and sign up for the ride.  All it costs to register and participate is $25.  When you register, you will recieve a "Tour of Duty" T-shirt and passport. You can then get the passport stamped.  Then, hop on your bike (or car, we don't care, we just want your participation) as time permits and make your way to all 4 other Bumpus H-D locations (Collierville, Memphis, Jackson, Murfreesboro, and Lynchburg) and fill the book up with all five stamps.  Do all this and get the passport back to us at Bumpus H-D of Murfreesboro by August 18th.  This is when we will have the final culmination of the event.  All full passports will be placed into a bucket and one luck winner of a $2,500 Bumpus H-D Gift Certificate will be drawn.  You need not be present to win, though you'll probably want to be there for the party.  Like I said, $25 per participant is CHEAP!  You get a t-shirt worth the $25 anyway, but also get a chance to win the gift card, but MOST IMPORTANTLY you'll be helping to build this home for these people whom we can never fully repay.  EVERY DIME of your $25 goes to the Fisher House.  We are NOT paying for the t-shirt, passports, or gift card out of this money.  That's all on us, its your duty to come and support the mission.

A Tour of Duty.  Kicking off this Saturday.  C'mon out.  I'll be on the grill flipping half-ass hotdogs again and yep, my little bucket will be hanging on the tent pole and every donation dollar I collect for free hot-dogs will go to support the Tour.  Join me in doing "Our Part" because they sure as hell did theirs.  PS, Mrs Cindy Tatum will be on hand in Jackson signing everyone up.  Be sure to stop in and thank her for "her service" as well.

Call us at the store for any additional info at 731-422-5508 or check us out on Facebook or www.bumpushdjackson.com

Thanks and as always, Ride Safe and with purpose.

Scott

The Secret to a Happy Ending....

It's been a long day at work and I've finally made it home.  While a little bit of Italian sausage simmers in some tomatoes and a glass of wine help calm me down from the day, my thoughts are lost in what lies before me tomorrow....

Saying goodbye to someone is never an easy task.  It is made harder when the bond forged between you is stronger than that with all the others that came before. 

It's been said in song that "the secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits".  That time has come.  I knew that it couldn't last forever.  I've been in this game long enough to know that you'd better enjoy every relationship by soaking in every minute, and maximizing the good days, before they're gone.  And that day always come.

Sweetheart, I put every ounce of effort I had into you, and I can truly say that you were perfect.  Every day, going all the way back to the minute I lay eyes on you.  You were what I'd dreamed of and I had you, all to myself. 

Bright sunshine always turns to beautiful sunsets.  And then the sunset turns to darkness.  How wonderful is the work of God to give us this beauty to escort out the closing of the day.  I too look at our relationship through this lens as our love seemed to grow with each and every day, until the bright blue sky turned its purple hue, and then.... darkness.

Please know, that my love for you never wavered.  I recollect all those moments we spent together.  Solitude and love.  Your curves had become so familiar to me that I could feel you without even touching you.  You dressed like no other and carried a style all your own. 

I always knew you'd catch the eye of another.  My hats off to this man, for he truly has won a prize of prizes.  My only hope is that your future with him carries the same affection and magic that we shared.  I wish you all the best as you disappear down the road with him.... tomorrow. 

You will always be my sweet, Big Red Sled.  And I'll miss you baby.

Now, what to build next...

Ride safe, and with purpose.
SMB

A Letter to The Princess

It seems like forever since I visited you here, but Spring is my prime time.  I've been so busy lately in the business and so focused on my day to day that there frankly just hasn't been any time.  My mind has been off and in the trenches and thus, finding a spark of inspiration for this blog has been more than tough.  But, you know,  inspiration can come from any direction.

Let me begin.

There's always a feeling of melancholy at the end of a road trip.  Reflective thoughts on the miles you've ridden, the places you've been and the people you've met.  There is a bit of sadness that is hard to shake, but also the excited sense of anticipation at what lays ahead, that next trip.  What adventures will it bring? As I write, there is another journey that is coming to an end, and, like road trips, another journey about to begin.

A little over 10 years ago, I found myself making my way through this world as a single father of two little boys.  Through whatever stroke of luck or touch of grace, I met Angie and we began to date.  We had been dating several weeks when we met the "rest" of our collective "package deals".  Hers came in the form of a beautiful little 7 year old girl named Haiden.  Now, keep in mind, I am the youngest of four boys.  Until my nieces came in the late 80's, it had been over 30 years since a girl had been born anywhere in my family.  It's a common joke to say that men know very little about women, but I knew absolutely nothing about little girls.

But here I was.  The relationship between Angie and I grew quickly, as did my fondness for Haiden.  Angie was doing an amazing job as a single mother working two jobs to raise and support her daughter. It was not a long courtship before I fell in love, though I'm not sure which beautiful, blue eyed brunette I fell in love with first.  I think back on the days of playing game cube in the floor with Haiden, and of Bratz dolls and Barbies. Evenings spent sprawled on the couch watching TV, her delicate frame lying on top of me like a blanket.  I am warmed by the thoughts of those nights that I would tuck her into bed.  Picking her up, long legs wrapping around my waist, head on my shoulder as I carried that sweet girl to bed, and covered her with a quilt.  A Scooby Doo video was a must as well as the final words of the night, "Good night sweetheart, I love you."

Angie and I married and the boys came to live with us full time and as such we were able to completely blend our families.  We set off down the road of life. 

By the time you get to read this, one journey for Haiden will come to a close.  My Princess is graduating from High School and will soon begin the next of life's adventures. 

I had sat down tonight to get some of my thoughts about this milestone out in front of me to begin to sort them all out.  I decided to use this blog as the venue for those thoughts.  By the time you read it, I don't know how much I will have changed, or deleted, or just kept between Haiden and I, but....

This is my letter to my Princess...

     I always knew this day was coming. It's hard for me to imagine what life was like before you arrived in it. I had a friend a long time back who also had sons, about the same age as Carter and Brandon. He would always tell me, "Buddy, there's nothing like a daughter". I never completely grasped what he was telling me. It's not that the love one has for sons is any less, but when you came along, it clicked. That love one has for a daughter is different. 

      There was something special about you from the moment I met you. A sparkle in your eyes and an understanding of the world and life that I'd never seen in a child your age. You were smart beyond your own good and wise beyond your years, yet your heart was as tender and affectionate as a baby. It has been such a privilege to watch you grow, to see you change. I think back with fond memory of your passage from childhood into a young lady. You'd become a teenager and with it brought you new challenges as well as new challenges for your mother and I. You learned about life along with us. Parents become accustomed to sleepless nights and worry and we were no exception but you learned from your experiences and learned how to make your way, as well as leave your mark. I watched in loving awe as the cocoon opened and out into the world flew the butterfly.

     Your mother and I have never used the term "step".  There are no "step parents" or "step children" in our home, only parents and children.  I have never looked at you with any eyes other than that of a father who loves every fiber of your being. I've told you before, I might not have arrived in your life until you were seven, but God knows, I got here as fast as I could.  I hope you've always felt the authenticity of my love for you.  I have given you all that I have in my heart and soul and along with your mother, I have done my best to raise you into the splendid young woman you've turned out to be.  Thank you for giving me that chance.  Thank your for accepting me into your life.  Thank you for taking my sons to be your brothers, and for loving them no differently than if you'd been there the day they were born.  Thank you for letting me have the heart of your mother. 


     Thank you for allowing me to stand in the gap for you.....


     And now, here you are.  The great bridge between adolescence and adulthood.  You are focused and prepared to set the world on its ear. I can't wait to see what lies ahead for you.  Whatever it is, you will be excellent at it.  Why shouldn't you be?  You've always been perfect in my eyes. The world belongs to you.  Go and make it a better place, my Princess.  With every breath in my lungs and every beat of my heart, I love you Haiden Leigh. 

I hope all of you will join me in congratulating Haiden Leigh Diffee on her graduation with Honors from South Gibson County High School.  She will continue working at the store in Jackson through the summer until the time that she will pack her bags and move to Murfreesboro to attend college at Middle Tennessee State this fall.  She'll be working for my brother Tom over at the Murfreesboro store.  Y'all stop by and see her before she leaves and breaks my heart again...

Thanks for listening and as always, Ride Safe and with Purpose.

Scott