"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Saturday, December 29, 2018

2018 End of the Year Book Survey

2018 End-of-the-year book survey
Stats:
  • Number of Books Read: 150
  • Number of Re-Reads: 9
  • Genre You Read the Most: Junior/Young Adult Nonfiction
Reading Survey:


1. Best Books You Read In 2018?
  • Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka (YA, Graphic memoir)
  • Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Adult fiction)
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love, But Didn’t?
  • An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 
  • Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders---the audiobook uses over 150 voices, it is amazing in this format.
4. Book You “Pushed” the Most People to Read (And They Did)?
  •  Educated by Tara Westover
5. Best series you started in 2018? The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Winternight Trilogy #1; Best Sequel Prequel of 2018?  Rebound by Kwame Alexander, prequel to The Crossover; Best Series Ender of 2018? Goldenhand by Garth Nix, Abhorsen #5

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?
  •  Jon Meacham (The Soul of America: The Battle For Our Better Angels)
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
  •  Sports books: Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
  •  Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr's Assassin by James Swanson
9. Favorite Book Club Selection Based On the Discussion?
  •  Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. Click the hyperlink for the questions I developed and my comments on why the discussion worked so well.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?
  •  The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman
11. Most memorable character of 2018?
  •  Arthur Less in Less by Andrew Greer
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?
  •  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (a re-read)
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?
  • The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights From Super Soul Conversations by Oprah Winfrey (audiobook)
 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read? 
  •  True Grit by Charles Portis
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?
16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2018?
  • The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, 531 pages, longest
  • A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss 32 pages, shortest

17. Book Which Shocked You The Most
  • What Happened by Hillary Clinton.  The amount of sexism that she experienced during the campaign:  Shocking.
18. Best Audiobook I Listened To in 2018
  • Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
19. Favorite JH and SH Nonfiction Books I Read In My Role as a Cybils Judge
  • Junior High Nonfiction: Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge
  • Senior High Nonfiction: Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 from an Author You’ve Read Previously
  •  Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (Previously read by the author: Lost City of Z. Both are nonfiction titles.)
21. Best Book You Read In 2018 Which Was Based SOLELY On a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
  •  Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2018?
  •  Raymond from Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Everyone needs and deserves a friend like him.
23. Best 2018 debut you read?
  •  Children of Blood and Bone written by Tomi Adeyemi
24. Best World-building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
  • Children of Blood and Bone written by Tomi Adeyemi, set in mythical Nigeria.
25. Book Which Put a Smile on Your Face/Was the Most FUN to Read?
  •  The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelli Barnhill
26. Book Which Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2018?
  •  What Happened by Hillary Clinton
27. Hidden Gem of the Year? There are several:
  • Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by JD Vance
  • The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
  • The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix
28. Anything odd about this year's reading list? 
  •  Yes, I re-read nine books, which I rarely do. 
  • Also I read five political books, and have started two more which I hope to finish soon.
  • I dnf (did not finish) 27 books. Most of them were Cybils nominated books and I read enough to evaluate them but didn't have time to read them all completely.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?
  •  Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked Their World by Pénélope Bagieu
30. Book Which Made You Angry (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
  • Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff
31. One Book You Didn’t Read In 2018 but Will Be a Top Priority in 2019?
  • Becoming by Michelle Obama...I've started the book but won't be able to finish it until next year.


Blogging survey:

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2018?
This is embarrassing to admit, but I am terrible about remembering site names of blogs I visit.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2018?
3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
 Judge for Cybils Award, Round 1 Junior High/Senior High Nonfiction 

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2018?
I really appreciate it when I hear from readers who say they enjoyed a book I recommended on my blog.  That is the best.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
I have battled periods of apathy about writing my blog, especially the book reviews since it feels like I am just writing them for myself.

7. Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
  • Nonfiction November--- I read or previewed 26 books
  • Reading Pulitzer winners---
    • Less by Andrew Greer, winner of the 2018 award for literature
  • Reading Classics Club books---
    • The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
    • Suite Francaise by Irene Nimerovsky
    • Kindred by Octavia Butler
    • True Grit by Charles Portis
    • My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Sunday Salon...These Are a Few of "My Favorite Things"

As you know, my father passed away earlier this month. Most of the time I am fine, but occasionally I am overwhelmed by grief. Yet, Christmas is around the corner and I know that Dad wouldn't want me to mope around the holidays. So today I decided to post a few favorite poignant and funny clips I've run into on past few weeks.  I hope you take a few minutes to sit down, unwind, and have fun viewing them.

1. Isn't the highest complement you can pay someone is to copy them? Well, Trump never seems to enjoy people "doing him", but I do. Here is Trump (Jimmy Fallon) singing Jailhouse Rock as Elvis.




2. I used to love Laverne and Shirley with their zany antics. Rest in Peace Penny Marshall.



3. If this doesn't warm your heart, nothing will. What I love most is EVERYONE dances, not just the flash mob. It is an ad for Target but it is still wonderful.




4. Ian enjoys Sesame Street in small doses. Check out this darling go-to-sleep lullaby with Elmo and Andrea Bocelli. Pure gold. Wish I sang as lovely each time I sing Ian to sleep.




5. I dare you to watch this one without a smile on your face the whole time! 22 musicals in 12 minutes. Wow.



6. I'm pretty sure that I linked this video to my page last year, but it is so darling it bears repeating. Kids tell the Christmas Story, but adults act it out.



7. This is really good news. An accident has led to the discovery of how to assist coral in regrowing FAST. Click the hyperlink for this one. Blue Planet BBC. Do it, go to the website! It is the good news of the day.

8. Tired of the same ol' Christmas/Holiday songs? Take time to listen to this, "December Song" by Peter Hollens. It was new last year. I met Hollens in New York last year. He has a simply gorgeous voice.




9. One of my accomplishments this week was scoring tickets to attend Michelle Obama's Becoming  book tour when it is in Tacoma in February. Watch this whole clip or cue it up to the 4:28 minute mark. Michelle talks about the importance of optimism.





10. This. The words of George Washington's actual farewell speech, spoken by Obama (44), set to the music from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. Obama starts speaking at around minute 1:45. So you can follow along, the words are printed below.



"Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, 
I am unconscious of intentional error, 
I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will view them with indulgence; 
And that after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, 
the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, 
as I myself must soon be to the mansions of rest. 
I anticipate with pleasing expectation that retreat in which I promise myself to realize the sweet enjoyment of partaking, in the midst of my fellow-citizens, the benign influence of good laws, under a free government, the ever-favorite object of my heart, and the happy reward, as I trust of our mutual cares, labors, and dangers."

11. And finally, since I titled this post My FAVORITE THINGS, it is appropriate to end with Crosswalk the Musical: The Sound of music With James Corden. "My Favorite Things starts at the 6 minutes mark.




Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!



Monday, December 17, 2018

TTT: Winter TBR

My Winter TBR. I did so terrible on my Fall TBR list, I decided to be honest and list the few books I KNOW I will get to this winter:

My upcoming book club selections: (We haven't selected books for one of my clubs and I've already read one of the three for the other club.)
  • The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
  • Beartown by Fredik Backman
My Classics Club Spin book:
  • Wide Saragasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Audiobooks:
  • Becoming by Michelle Obama
  • An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
  • The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Just because:
  • Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
  • Transcription by Kate Atkinson
  • The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (not pictured)
  • Home After Dark by David Small

How'd I do on my ridiculously long Fall TBR? 
Terrible. See for yourself---

My Fall TBR
Upcoming book club selections: (2 1/2 out of 4)
  • Under the Wide, Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
  • An American Marriage by Tayari Jones ✓
  • Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton ✓ reading right now
  • Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate ✓
YA books that are potential award winners (6 out of 12)
  • My Plain Jane by Cyntha Hand, et al 
  • Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
  • Rebound by Kwame Alexander 
  • What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee
  • Votes for Women: American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot by Winifred Conkling 
  • We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss
  • A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Ellen Oh
  • Proud: Living My American Dream by Ibtihja Muhammad 
  • The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by Harry Abrams 
  • Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
  • Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
  • Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram 
Audiobooks: (3 out of 4)
  • Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
  • A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 
  • Dear Madam President by Jennifer Palmieri 
  • The Wisdom of Sundays by Oprah Winfrey 
Just because I want to read them: (0 out of 2)
  • Fear by Bob Woodward 
  • She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah) by Ann Hood
In my defense I should tell you that I have been very busy reading as a Round 1 Judge for the Cybils Award. I still want to do some reading for potential Printz Award books but that will have to wait until January.

How'd you do on your Fall TBR?


Thursday, December 13, 2018

Cybils: Time for an update

Today is the deadline of phase one for 1st round judges of the JH/SH Nonfiction category for Cybils. Tomorrow is the beginning of phase two. By the end of the day today I have to submit my favorite seven books in each category---junior high books, and senior high books. The other judges will do the same thing. Our moderator will compile our lists. then, starting tomorrow, we will be working off our shortened list only before we move up to seven books forward per category the end of the month for the 2nd round judges to deal with. Confused? I know. Me, too! I'll just deal with my job and hope that the process works out. So what are my favorite books in each category?

JH Nonfiction:


  1. The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix---this book should be in the Graphic books category, since it is illustrated but the gatekeepers felt it was so text dense that we should get it. I am glad they did. It is very well done and very enlightening.
  2. Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Killer by James Swanson---this book reads like the best thriller novel yet the juxtaposition of King's life and that of his killer couldn't be sharper.
  3. Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabar---I had no idea what an inspirational guy this famous basketball player is. He encourages everyone to pay attention to their coaches and to be their best selves.
  4. Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge---this book doesn't just chronicle the awful war, it looks at the events through the eyes of participants and victims. It is so well done.
  5. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements (Young Readers Edition) by Sam Keen---Oh my goodness, this book is so interesting. Can you tell from the title?
  6. My Family Divided: One Girl's Journey of  Home, Loss, and Hope by Diane Guerrero with Erica Moroz---This actress's life is a personal story involving undocumented parents being deported and the tragedy that ensued. Though her story happened several years ago, it is a very important and current story for teens to read about today. 
  7. For my 7th choice I can't decide between: 
  8. 1. D-Day: The World War II Invasion That Changed the World by Deborah Hopkinson; 
    2. Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrows; 
    3. Back from the Brink: Saving Animals from Extinction by Nancy Castaldo; 
    4. Apollo 8: The Mission That Changed Everything by Martin Sandler; 
    5. Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man by Tonya Bolden....








    I have a few hours until I absolutely have to decide. I wonder if I should be strategic and list books I think no one else will nominate and remove books from my list books I'm sure others will? It could backfire on me. What to do, what to do?
SH Nonfiction

  1. 1968: Today's Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change from Candlewick Press---each of the authors took a different point of view about the events of 1968 and found it fascinating and illuminating.
  2. Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson---I read the adult version of this book several years a go. I am so glad the author reworked it for young teens.
  3. The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century by .Neal Bascomb---wow, wow, wow with adventure meet the truth.
  4. Votes for Women!: American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot by Winifred Conkling---I thought I knew something about the suffragist's movement. After reading this book I can safely say, now I do.
  5. We Say #NeverAgain: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalist---this books is so NOW and so important. It may not be the best in terms of writing, but it's message is so important.
  6.  Now I am thinking of a new way to be sneaky. I don't have as many SH books on my list as JH books. So, can you hear me rubbing my hands together, why don't I suggest that some of the books listed in the JH category be moved to the SH books so I can list them here?  I think I'll spend a moment with each one and see if any of them can be moved realistically. Also I have two more books I want to cram before this evening: I Have the Right To by Chessy Prout and My Shot: Balancing It All and Standing Tall by Elena Delle Donne
I'm off to do more reading and scheming. Bye!

Monday, December 10, 2018

A eulogy for my father

Robert 'Bob' Kingsbury
September 17, 1928-December 3, 2018.

Dad died a week ago today.

He was 90 years old, which up until his death, I would have said was a good long life, but now it seems so short. A friend told me yesterday that she understands my pain, that my head knows that it was time for him to go, but my heart aches. My mother and sister were with him at the moment of death. My brother-in-law and I were there a few minutes later. His passing was very peaceful, he simply stopped breathing and was gone. It was a perfect ending for a very peaceful man. Why doesn't it surprise me that his life ended the way he lived it, peacefully surrounded by loved one?

Dad was born on September 17, 1928. He was the third child born to Augustus and Anna Kingsbury. Three siblings followed Dad so altogether there were six children in his family. His father, a construction worker on the Bonneville Dan, died on the job, leaving his wife and children not only bereft but extremely poor. Dad's youngest sister, Ruth, was only a few weeks old at the time. The three oldest children (Dad was only seven years old at the time) had to pitch in and help make ends meet for the family to survive. Though quite young Dad held several jobs: unloading produce for a company, sweeping the floor at the local grocery store, and scooping ice cream into tubs at the same store. He also helped his older brother, Richard, deliver magazines to subscribers.

Even though he always held down at least one job, Dad was considered Mr. Milwaukie (Oregon) by his friends in high school because he did so much. In addition to being the valedictorian of the Milwaukie High School class of 1946, he also played football, basketball, and baseball, he was a thespian, was on the honor roll, and was involved in his church's youth group. He got into college, University of Oregon, on a full-scholarship and joined the Theta Chi fraternity. He met my mom at the Wesley Foundation at UO where Methodist students gathered for fellowship and worship. She was eighteen, he was nineteen at the time. My mom remembers when they first met that both she and her best friend thought he was so good looking that they agreed one of them needed to marry him. Mom won and has been with Dad since that time. They married in 1951. This past summer they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary.

Photo taken during college
During his junior year in college, Dad's mom died. She'd had poor health due to a bout of rheumatic fever as a child. When she died, Dad's three younger siblings -- Betty, Jack, and Ruth -- were still at home. Their older sister, Fannie, was already married with a young child, so Dad and Richard decided they would split the responsibility of caring for their younger siblings until they could be launched. Richard took a leave from college and stayed with them first, then once Dad graduated college, it was his time. Once their sister Betty was in college, brother Jack was safely in the Navy, and Ruth was settled with foster parents, the two brothers could get on with their own lives. Never in my whole life did I ever hear my Dad talk negatively about the sacrifices he had to make for his siblings at such a young age. Surprisingly, the six siblings stayed close throughout their lives without living parents to gather them around. With Dad's death, all the siblings but one, Betty, are gone now.

My dad taught 4th grade at an elementary school in Portland for two years after he graduated from college. In 1952 he felt called to Christian ministry and enrolled in Boston School of Theology. For the three years it took for him to earn his Master of Divinity degree, he and mom lived in Boston. Mom worked as a nurse, and dad as a custodian in the evenings for the Boy Scouts of America. The time they spent in Boston was very special to them and they always talked about it fondly. While there they both became lifelong Red Sox fans. After returning to Oregon Dad pastored at several churches and in other capacities for the United Methodist Church for nearly forty years before retiring in 1993.

Dad was really focused on working with young adults in a campus setting and he served as a Methodist campus minister in Eugene from 1958 to 1966, as a missionary working for the World Christian Student Federation in Liberia, West Africa from 1966 to 1969, and as a campus minister at Oregon State University in Corvallis from 1969 to 1984. Dad relentlessly worked on causes that would further peace, equality, civil rights, and fairness. He was vehemently opposed to the war in Vietnam, yet often found himself having to counsel young men who were called to serve their country as soldiers. Dad was always a great listener, a skill he honed during his many years  providing pastoral counseling but also because of his advanced degree in counseling, earned in 1971 at OSU.
Favorite teams: UO Ducks, Boston Red Sox
Mom and Dad were always involved with foreign student programs where ever they lived. Even when we lived in Liberia, Dad started a foreign student group for students from other African countries. This really got us all laughing when we saw a photo of one the gatherings that group had at our home in Liberia. Certainly WE were the foreigners in the room, but Dad never saw it that way. Mom and Dad have remained friends with many of these foreign students over the years, In fact two of them, one from Germany and the other from Iran, contacted Mom after Dad's death. Elmar, the German who now lives in Switzerland, said that Dad was one the kindest most thoughtful persons he knew, welcoming him and his wife so that they felt like family. Lloy, a girl whose family came to the USA from Uganda, dropped by to see Mom the day after Dad's death, mourning the loss of her American "grandfather."

Dad was very kind to everyone and he never talked badly about anyone, even behind their backs. Never. If he got angry or frustrated with me or one of my three siblings about the worst thing he'd say was "Nuts!" or "Oh Fudge!" If he disagreed with a decision we'd made he'd ask, "What'd you do that for?" There was usually no good answer to that question, but it would make us stop and think. When I took, and later taught, a parenting class I realized what a good parenting technique that was.

Photography was one of Dad's passions. When we were looking through photos to include in the slideshow for the memorial service, my brother quipped that we should start the show off with fifteen slides of South Sister, the mountain that overlooks Elk Lake, our favorite family vacation spot in Central Oregon. For many years, Dad didn't take photos, he took slides. When it was no longer popular to set up a slide projector, jerry-rig some sort of viewing screen, and invite friends over to view them, Dad was stuck with over 4000 slides of our years in Liberia and his travels to Europe and closer to home. A few years ago my brother gifted him the service of changing 400 of  the slides into digital copies to be saved on a computer. Apparently Dad really agonized over his decision of which slides to choose and eventually, even though my brother warned him not to, selected mostly landscapes, among them several views of South Sister.

View of South Sister and Elk Lake, Central Oregon, Cascade Lakes
Camping was another passion for Dad, though not the type of camping you think of when you hear the word. When our family says the word "camping" we mean church camp. When we were younger Mom and Dad would take us with them when they were camp counselors or camp directors all around the Oregon/Idaho Methodist conference. Dad proposed to Mom when they were at the Methodist camp at Suttle Lake in the Cascades. Our family attended a family camp at Magruder Camp on the Oregon coast every year for many years during Labor Day weekend with other members of our Corvallis United Methodist church. Each one of my siblings and I attended summer church camp at least once each summer from junior high on. One summer I went to three different church camps. In fact, my husband and I almost met during a junior high ski retreat weekend at Suttle Lake camp. We were both there, we just didn't know each other. My memories from camping are some of my favorite growing-up memories that I hold in my heart. Thanks, Dad, for making it such an important part of our lives.

Dad was always a willing participant in family traditions, too. Every Christmas eve our family would gather around the Christmas tree to read the Christmas story in the Bible, found in the second chapter of Luke. Then Dad would settle in to read How the Grinch Stole Christmas to us kids, or our kids after we were grown. He did the best voice impersonations.

Though he was obviously a Christian, Dad was never preachy or judgmental. He tried to find ways to be inclusive not exclusive with people of other faiths and walks of life. One thing that always seemed to bother him was when Christians tried to shove their religion or their particular brand of Christianity down your throat. When a relative distanced himself from his own children because they weren't living according to his own Christian ideals, it just made my Dad very sad. He often talked about the love of God, not the judgment of God. "How can a person discover the love of Christ if his followers aren't loving?" Dad would ask.

Ian and his Great-grandpa
Dad suffered a small stroke in late April and his health had been compromised since that time. Mom cared for Dad at home, but it was getting increasingly difficult to do so the last few weeks of his life. Prior to his death, Dad made a few small goals for himself. He wanted to attend the wedding of his granddaughter Rachel in June. He made it and enjoyed the event very much. He wanted to celebrate his 67th anniversary with his beloved wife and to see his sister Betty, again. He did both. Next up, Dad wanted to make it to his 90th birthday. In September both he and his first (only) great-grandchild, Ian, have birthdays. We celebrated with Dad and Ian one very special weekend in September, Dad with his 90 candles, Ian with just one candle. That was the last best time I spent with Dad. Every time I saw him after that date, it was clear that time was catching up to him. It is likely that he suffered a few more small strokes because he speech became very garbled and he had a hard time making his pesky legs work any longer. Eating became a chore, soon the only thing he really liked was the daily milkshake Mom made for him to drink.

On the night before Dad died he was very restless and confused. Mom tried to keep him calm by reciting scriptures with him: the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm. She also got Dad to sing a few lines from favorite songs and Christmas carols. She said he even laughed when she tried to sing the high notes of one of the songs. In the morning, an ambulance was called to carry Dad to the hospital and from there he was transferred to a new, lovely hospice facility, The Pete Moore Hospice House. An x-ray was taken to determine if any further treatment would help Dad feel better. The x-ray showed an enlarged heart and fluid build-up in his lungs. Dad was dying from congestive heart failure. It was time to let go. My sister's first husband, David, dropped by the hospice house to say goodbye. He prayed over Dad and told him it was okay to let go. He was the first person to say this. When David stood up, he told the nurse that Dad was more of a father to him than his own dad. My brother-in-law, Tom, concurred. He said that Dad was a better father to him than his own, too. This made all of us cry. The nurse admonished us to quit crying and to start telling funny stories. "He can hear you, you know. He doesn't want to hear you crying," she said. So we did. We told our funny growing-up stories like the one about the time my sister and I were horsing around before bed and after we turned off the lights she thought I'd thrown something at her. When I assured her I hadn't thrown anything at her, she asked, "Then what is on the pillow next to my head?" It was a lizard. Ha! That memory is always good for a few laughs.

It was decided that Mom and Kathy would spend the night with Dad. Everyone else left for the night. Almost as soon as we did, after the room got quiet, Dad breathed his last breath. It was as if he needed it to be quiet so he could just slip away.

My younger sister and brother, Grace and Tony, made their way to Eugene to join Mom, Kathy, and I. We were all together again for a short while, missing Dad, though we certainly felt his presence when we gathered together to plan and prepare for the days to come and the memorial service which will be held in two weeks, after Christmas. It was a tender time being together. We did a lot of crying but probably more laughing.

Dad is survived by his wife, Shirley, of 67 years; his sister, Betty Aldrich; sisters-in-law, Dee Kingsbury and Barbara Parr; his children, Kathy Kingsbury (Tom Buhler), Anne Bennett (Don), Tony Kingsbury (Becky), Grace Ruddy (Rock); nine grandchildren, Jeffrey Edson, Rachel Edson (Michael Beardsworth), Rita Adams (Daniel), Carla Bennett, Samantha Kingsbury (Basti Kunkel), Andrew Kingsbury, Kaylyn Powers (Bobby), Mitchell Ruddy (Star), Brent Ruddy (Alethea); one great-grandchild, Ian Adams; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a grandson, Kyle Edson, and four of his siblings, Fannie Stevens, Richard Kingsbury, Jack Kingsbury, and Ruth Sanford.

Dad's guiding scripture comes from the Old Testament, Micah 6:8 "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Dad did all of those things. I am sure Dad is now with his heavenly Father who is saying to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

A memorial celebration of Bob’s life will be held on December 27, 2018 at 2 PM,
at the First United Methodist Church of Eugene, with a reception to follow. 
Donations can be made in Bob’s memory to Campus Ministry at OSU, Wesley Center at UO, 
or your local Habitat for Humanity chapter.

Do Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly