Mr. Joyce Takes on the World

This is the eulogy I delivered for my Mom. Her funeral was today, July 29th, 2016.  A wise man once said, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered to get through this thing we call life.” How does one summarize a life? I'm not sure. So I won't attempt to summarize sixty-nine years in only a few minutes. Instead, I will give some highlights from Mom's life. Her favorite books were Lonesome Dove , and The Thornbirds . She loved the music of The Bee-Gees, Hall and Oates, and Prince (hence the reference). She drank more tea than the entire population of Great Britain. Her favorite movies were The Deer Hunter , Gone With the Wind , and The Bishop's Wife . She loved Tom Selleck. Anything Tom Selleck. We used to watch Blue Bloods together, and the Jesse Stone movies.   And Mom had a fondness for knicknacks and any food that contained sugar—believe me. She could also cook a mean steak, and taught me the secret of great pork chops; which my vegetarian friends wi...

Courage (The Cardinal Virtues Part Three) We're all on a hero's journey. The dragons we face may not have scales. The lands we visit may not be exotic. We may not have to carry a sword; except for the one forged by our own iron will. I have worn armor though, or many kinds. I have no doubt that in the future I will travel to many lands, and face many dragons. I also have no doubt that I will tame them. Why carve up a rare species when you can learn from it? Does the knight always have to slay the dragon? That being said, I may look good in dragon skin boots.  Know where I can score a pair? House Targaryen? Were they at New York Fashion Week? Moving along... If you have anxiety you'll know this is a tough one to practice. The world is an uncertain place. There's no guarantees, no security. Even stepping out the front door can be a challenge. But without the risk nothing is gained. The alternative is to live a life that is not only cir...