This was the year we brought back the tradition of making Gus get up to have breakfast with Trent commemorating the breakfast Trent had just ordered but didn't get to eat that morning 11 years ago when Gus came one month early. Gus is not (as has been previously mentioned) a morning person. He is often not an afternoon person and sometimes not an evening person. He IS, however a NIGHT person. A Night Owl. I digress. We woke him and he breakfasted on eggs and OJ with Dad. He chatted and smiled. Why? Because Gus is our child of tradition. He, more than any of the Peppards' loves tradition, celebration, ceremony. He'd make a great Catholic, come to think of it.... The stickler here would be that he has decided that he just doesn't believe in God. (Not that that's stopped many a Catholic from practicing.) I'm breaking out the library of culturally sensitive, inclusive, child-friendly biblical figures. He knows that everyone gets to decide what they believe and no one gets to tell you what you have to believe. He also knows that not everyone has to know that he knows. He still believes in Santa Claus.
Again, I digress. This boy loves celebration. He gets it. If there is ever an opportunity to celebrate some happening in the family... birthdays, anniversaries, dog arrival, cat birthday, (he can and will assign a date if necessary). But there will be acknowledgement.
He is by far our most complicated child.
Our family has more stories about Gus than about any of us.
This blog has more Gus-related stories than any of us. (He is still a few posts ahead of slacker-CF.)
He hides nothing about his own feelings, Gus tells it like it is. I was recently surprised to learn that he has many secrets. We were putting Christmas stuff in the trunk of the car and I said that something was a surprise and asked if he could keep a secret. He sighed and said (and I am not shitting you here) "Oh mom, I have SOOOOO many secrets." What the hell am I supposed to do with THAT load?
Gus is now 11.
No way! Gus CANNOT be 11! I love hearing all your stories. They bring back memories and make me miss you all even more! Gus makes me smile!!!
ReplyDeleteI just love that.... I have to say, am a little crushed he's mentioned more than me but considering I've only got ONE tag, it wasn't that hard to do ;) But to be fair, Corbin has WAY more stories than anybody else in my family but imagine if we would have had all this social networking when our oldest were around! It would have all evened out....or maybe not, Gus and Corbin are pretty cool haha
ReplyDelete....oh, and considering "worst mom ever" only has one tag, you're way ahead of the game!
ReplyDeleteOk - I wasn't going to comment, but the Real American Book choice sent me over the edge.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was Augustus (aka: GUS) Peppard - born December 7, 1911 in Great Village Nova Scotia. Your Gus sounds like so many Peppards that I know. Definitely marches to his own drum - love that! Grampa Gus, or just "Gus" as he preferred, won the Quebec Curling championships in 1951 and was a life long Lion's Club Member. He was chief chemist in a hard rock mine called Hilton Mines in Bristol, Quebec. My father, Douglas Peppard is a retired Coal Miner in British Columbia, like the boys in the Real American Book.
I really enjoyed your stories.
Joanne Peppard - Vancouver, BC
Wow Joanne!! I'm so sorry I only saw this now!! What a fabulous connection!! Gus is in school right now but I can't WAIT to read this to him!!!!! This is wonderful! Let's keep in touch!!!!
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