What a wonderful life!
March 27, 2009
Coy Watson, Jr died at the ripe old age of 96. I have such fond memories of him. He had such a love of life, that he made everyone around him happy. He was a caring, spiritual, fun loving, joker who brought some very fun conversations to my family. He moved from Los Angeles to Elk Grove, CA in search of a quieter slower life but I think it was just too slow for Coy. He needed energy around him and though he enjoyed our then peaceful fields and small town, he just had to get back down south to the big city. When I think of Coy and Willie, his wife, I think of lots of laughter and story after interesting story of his life in Southern California, in silent movies and as a camera man.
When my daughter, Julia Francis, was a little girl, our two families drove up to the foothills for a day-long picnic. On the drive home, I remember Julia and Coy trading songs and stories all the way home. They were both hams, through and through and had such a fun time entertaining us all. He said at that time that he knew she’d be an entertainer, and he was right.
Coy, you will be missed. You left many people with wonderful memories. Thank you for making this world a better place and thank you for all your contibutions to movies, the news and friendships.
This image provided by Pattie Watson Price shows Jackie Coogan, left, and Coy Watson Jr. in a 1927 production of "Buttons". Watson, the former "Keystone Kid" who appeared in dozens of Mack Sennett comedies and other silent films before abandoning acting for a long career as a newspaper and television news photographer, died Saturday, March 14, 2009, of complications of stomach cancer, according to his daughter Pattie Watson Price. He was 96.
Sacred Life Sunday – Mother and daughters
July 21, 2008
Precious Time Together
Today I am bouncing back and forth between two books and finding similarities in both, written by women of two different ages. One writer is in her thirties (like my daughters) , the other in her sixties (like me), and both are trying to regain balance and meaning in their lives. I’m finding more similarities between these two time periods in a woman’s life than I had previously thought. It seems many women in their thirties are beginning to look at their lives from a new vantage point and wondering if they are on the right path. Some are wondering how they can redesign their current life to ensure they have enough time and energy left over for that which is most important to them. It seems to be a time of reexamining everything they have believed in and realizing that time is not infinite. If they want to arrive at their targeted destination, they’d better make a plan and get going. Then again in our sixties, I hear many women, including myself, wanting to reexamine our expectations for our life and take time to recreate the life we want in the time we have left. We both want to continue to experience growth, creativity, relationships, and a sense of contributing, as well as making time for reflection and rejuvenation. Both the thirties and the sixties are a time for questioning, reviewing and committing to making changes that will serve us best in the years to come. Mothers and daughters in these age ranges are really not so different; we just have different time lines and energy levels. (Amen to that one!) We both want meaningful, successful (however each individual defines that for themselves), and happy years to look forward to, as well as to look back on.
I have had a couple of great days spending time with my two daughters. We three don’t get to be together at the same time nearly enough. Heather lives in Maryland and Julia and I in California two hours apart. I love the precious time I have with the two of them separate and together. Heather was here in California for a conference in San Francisco. She is a Speech-Language Pathologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a mother of three little ones. She and her husband do a great job of juggling work and family. I’m constantly amazed and I know it isn’t easy. Julia is a singer songwriter and marketing consultant. She and her partner live in a quiet community in Sonoma County and are involved in music and the theater. I am so proud of all of them. And I am so thankful for such talented souls in my family that contribute in such a positive way to this world. (And did I mention my grandson, 5 years old, wants to be heart surgeon? And my granddaughters, age 4, a pony doctor and ballerina? Look out world, more good stuff coming your way!)
My daughters and I spent a day together at the beach this week. We had a picnic of smoked salmon and tuna, cheese, french bread, raw veggies and wine. What a life! That kind of food on a sunny, breezy day at the beach with my daughters is the best! The sea air, the sounds of seagulls and children at the beach in the background made a wonderful backdrop for our conversations. I wish you all the same kind of day with your someone special.
Gail Brokaw
http://www.embracethepossibility.org
You CAN create the change you want in your life!
