Bob's Blog

I have now known you nearly all of my life.
You have been my refuge from life’s storms,
My salvation, my love, and my wife.
Yet with every passing year together,
I feel we grow closer still.

Now you know the road we’ve traveled;
It has sometimes been long and steep.
Yet we have had a whole lifetime together to keep;
Close to the downhill side of the mountain of life,
You are still my everything, my all, and my wife.

Now today on your 60th birthday,
I wish you nothing but happiness and love to surround you today.
Together, may the rest of our travels in life’s clear blue sea,
Be as beautiful and bright as the love you’ve given me;
My love, my dearest, my wife.

Bob Collazo Jr., 1/28/12

The year was 1998, when Eddie came to Andrew, and came to be.
More than just a dog, he was his constant companion,
Followed him everywhere, and was his best buddy ever, most agree.
He came at a time when he needed someone to help him swallow
When life brought the bad; and someone to share
In the good times that would eventually follow.

Well, the years came and went in the blink of an eye.
The boy that got the little dog back then, is now a grown man.
His family’s love had guided him for sure.
However, somehow in the magic of Eddie through the years,
Andrew is somehow a little better, a little stronger,
And he will always remember those barks from Eddie, as music to his ears.

Bob Collazo Jr. 1/17/12

I wrote this for my Cousin Andrew…remember the good times with Eddie!

It was a Saturday night in a November long ago,
My cousins and I went to a dance
At a civic center in a Laredo that still had not tasted violence
Saw her there in her yellow dress, asked her to dance, took a chance.
Looked into her big brown eyes, saw fireworks;
Knew right away that my heart was hers.

That special night the force
That had me go back to my birthplace that night, that hour, that minute;
By the God that put her and I on the same small path;
I knew at first glance the strong feeling, the sweet song;
Sparking a romance so strong;
Knew right away that she was “The One”.

Robert Collazo, Jr., 11/06/11
Happy Anniversary, Mi Amor de mi Vida!

Reflecting on what it means to be sixty today;
On how my life has turned out;
The meaning of happiness with loved ones and family.
Have resolved that there is still much more to come, no doubt. 
So where have I been, and what has it been all about?

Have not sailed the seven seas, and haven’t flown around the world.
Worked hard all my life, but haven’t exactly struck gold;
But have seen beauty and wonders to behold.
Had the love of my life, my beautiful kids, life has come full circle like a ring,
Wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world, and wouldn’t change a thing!

Robert Collazo Jr., 10/14/11

Another day, another chapter in life is gone.
I reminisce this morning in abstract thought,
On not only what life has brought;
But what more life has to offer.
What’s up ahead on life’s smooth or maybe rocky road;
What new experiences will I encounter today that I have yet to know?

But this morning, I’m contemplating life on a new dawn,
Remembering very good times that have passed;
With dear family and friends that are now gone.
But the beauty in a brand new day,
Is that we get to shape the new day to a brand-new cast;
To our goals and wishes, hopes and dreams, that we hope to take away.

We must remember that even though life is not always what we dream,
Especially if we’re battling through a hardship, illness, or personal woe,
We have to keep getting up, keep fighting against the current to get upstream;
To see what else God has bestowed;
A beautiful sunset, beautiful kids, the love of your life.
I, for one, want to know, what’s up ahead on life’s many roads.

Robert Collazo Jr., 10/09/11

Tio Pete was the first born Son out of ten boys and one girl
First-generation American, he grew up poor but very proud.
He saw that his Dad worked very hard to put food on the table,
So that instilled in him a strong work ethic, working hard in school and in every chore and soon he avowed,
That if he ever had any kids,
They would have a better life than he.

Most people do not know that Tio Pete was a soldier in World War II
He was from the greatest generation; a hero outright as a kid;
But from his point of view,
He was humble and never liked to discuss the war or what he did.
He was a fatalist who believed if God wanted him to survive, He would
If he didn’t, then he wouldn’t; Sel la vie.

Tio Pete did not talk about it to brag,
But when he did talk about the war the few times,
He talked about it in a simple way to implore the irony of it.
He was half way around the world one night in a foxhole in which he would reunite
With his brother Rudy, who he had not seen in 3 years, and didn’t recognize.
Now, how ironic and amazing was that?

Following the war, Tio Pete started a construction company with his Dad back home;
Taught himself to be an engineer, then later got a job with the “Corps of Engineers”;
Married to the love of his life, had kids, three sons and a daughter.
All in all, he worked hard to put food on the table;
Protected his family, and was a great Dad to the “N” degree,
For of course, all he wanted was for his kids to have a better life than he.

Robert Collazo Jr.  10/04/11
I know this very day, Tio Pete is enjoying his first born son, his grandson, and the rest of his family; so he wouldn’t want us to be sad…
[Tio = Uncle]

Who would know that thirty-eight years ago today
Was a perfect day.
For a brand new addition was added to the human race.
Funny that a geek kid who never figured to make his life work on computers,
Would later be destined to work for an internet hosting company called “Rackspace”.

Who would know that this skinny, 4 pound/2 month preemie kid would grow up to be a pal to many,
A husband true to one.
He is our thirty-eight year old Kid today, who still hasn’t reached his peak, and is still going strong.
This fanatical employee, who works all the time and hardly ever sleeps,
Has possibly logged more miles and conferences, I’m sure, second to none.

So what’s up the road for our Kid of thirty-eight?
I’d say he’s just getting started on big tasks and accomplishments yet to come;
Can only guess what they will be, but for sure, they’ll be first rate.
You ask how long can he stay on top, and in this crazy rat race,
I’d say stick around for the closing bell on the Kid from Rackspace!

Robert Collazo, Jr. 9/30/11

Happy Birthday, Son!  We love you!

We aspire to it; we live our whole life to reach that one plateau.
But when we’re on the brink,
Do we really want to go?
Do we freely want to leave the love of our lives, take our last breath,
And succumb to death?

That is the question.
Human nature tells us that most of us won’t want to leave this place.
But soon enough, all of us will leave this crazy rat-race.
Even though now we’re now on the ground floor,
We won’t really know, if we want to go, until death’s instant before.

However, if you’ve done good;
Done your best to aspire for your fellow man on this earth;
Then there should be no hesitation at that doorstep to our rebirth;
Knowing just across the other side;
Great happiness and bliss will eternally reside.

Robert Collazo Jr; 9/19/11

The world felt like we were standing still
Looking out our windshield at the dry, hot desert in New Mexico.
Barren landscapes, and far away beautiful mesas help me imagine
What it was like in the days of old.
How the first settlers made it through;
Or better yet, our Native Americans, the Navajo, Apache, or maybe Sioux.

Wondering now makes me think of how it was back then;
With many of their stories never told.
Celebrating and dancing with big gatherings at night around a big fire all aglow;
In these same lands, I can almost hear the chants and smell the smoke.
After their great hunts in beautiful magnificent plateaus;
These vivid thoughts evoke.

Robert Collazo, Jr., 7/7/11

Today, Lauren and Rob, you’ve just begun.
For today, you’ve become truly one.
Together, your lives will never be the same,
For you know the love you have for each other is like a big, bright flame.

Remember that some days may be bad, some days may be rosy;
Hopefully most will have plenty of hugs and be warm and cozy.
Remember not to go to bed mad at each other at the end of the day,
Then your love will never be taken away.

This love will enrich your lives and warm you when you are cold;
But only together, in love’s protective fold, will you both survive.
May this flame, this precious love, nourish you both, and never die;
Keeping you together forever and ever, all the days of your lives.

With much love,
Your Dad,

Robert Collazo, 6/25/11