tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post2545583845738366166..comments2024-03-08T20:52:44.759-08:00Comments on In Search of a Title: Robert Paul O'NeillGraciewildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-74707405376586283272011-10-16T16:10:23.202-07:002011-10-16T16:10:23.202-07:00Thanks JT. You did a nice job of examining the big...Thanks JT. You did a nice job of examining the big picture and context in which our father lived his life. As a child he invoked fear in me and I can't say I ever felt a close connection with him. It was only after I moved to Bell Springs that I learned he was not by nature a cold and distant person, in fact quite the opposite. I liked the way he was grounded, and could be very aware of his own impulses (even if he could not always fulfill them). He was not burdened by intellect or ego, but by virtue of his own innate wisdom could think deeply and clearly about truly important matters. He could be bold when the time called for it. I always felt his mission to Bell Springs had a quasi-religious calling to it, and in a certain way the land was where he communed with his own being. I'm happy he was able to put his heart and soul into "the land" for the last 20 years of his life, and that his final full day on this planet was spent in hearty and fulfilling physical labor. In the end I do believe he did discover his own Paradise with an Ocean View!tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322310848325046933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-514327344049618922011-10-16T09:22:03.126-07:002011-10-16T09:22:03.126-07:00If there was one thing I knew growing up, it was t...If there was one thing I knew growing up, it was that education after high school was a must. I may have procrastinated applying to Cal Poly until April of my senior year, and I may have entered as an Ag major, it being the sole choice at that late juncture in time, but enroll and attend I did. I attended every hearts game that existed in the cafeteria those early quarters, and I attended every party. I occasionally went to class, hence my "D" in "Rocks and Stars," by everyone's standard, the easiest class on campus. I think Robert knew only too well how much he had given his children. They all grew into their respective community contributor roles, and that was available for him to see, long before the year 1996. Just as importantly, he saw the children, and he liked what he saw, and it made him smile.Mark O'Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16295762252612104201noreply@blogger.com