A mile in someone else's shoes...

[SactoFan]

I like many of you here. I also have a great family of close friends. I have a 7 month old boy and a great wife...I love my job and I'm usually pleased to get up in the morning...That being said, I know if I had cancer or any life-threatening disease, I wouldn't be here hanging with you cool folk...I'd be giving every extra minute to my wife and boy...I'd be making damn sure that they were living and breathing every bit of love I had to give...I'd be exhausting myself giving them everything...I'd be living each day and resting each night knowing I didn't hold anything back from them...all so I could do it again with each day God gave me until my time was up...

Then again, shoud Eddie, or any of us for that matter, have to wait until we have the ticket on our own mortality validated to live this way? I don't think so...If Ed is looking back at his life and reflecting and making certain that Wolfie and Val know they mean everything to him, let's all stop worrying about a Van Halen album and maybe take a cue from Ed and make those connections with the people in our lives we take for granted, especially our wives and kids...

I can spend my time analyzing the press releases and wanting new VH...However, I know I'd feel like a shitheel if in 20 years we saw Wolfie on VH-Behind the Music saying that he felt his old man cared more about his fans than he did about his only child...Think I'm nuts? Did you see what Julian Lennon had to say about his "legendary" father on BTM? Screw fame and fortune if it means compromising your relationship with your kids...

[KenyonVincent]

This is pretty much what I've been thinking all along. I'm not married and have no kids, but I do know it's more important than giving the fans an album when they have about 13 other albums and a hundred bootlegs to listen to. I want Ed to heal up completely for several reasons, one being that he'd be much better at writing songs when healthy than when sick. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[OLO]

Very true, couldnt have said it better myself. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[kpl]

Well said Sacto...my wife and 2 kids are the priority for me too....I've worried about what would happened if our family thing was hit by some sort of tragedy...If I were to go soon,I would always want my kids to remember me as great dad...

Along a similar note, (and this is just the wishful VH fan in me) it would be interesting if Ed reflected on what he has, and has had, not just with Val and Wolfie, but Al, Mike, but also Sam and Dave, and could patch up their relationships, not necessarily musically, but on a personal level....

[JWS_5150]

I'm with you Sacto.

Knowing Eddie is sick would make a new VH album right about now very tough to stomach.

[SactoFan]

kpl...an excellent point...maybe they are all thinking, "Hey, Dave was this or that...but at least we are all alive and it's just rock and roll..."

[Just Joe]

I'm right with you on this one. The turmoil Ed and his family have been facing is unimaginable to most. My friends and family would definitely come first, now matter what.

[Van Heine]

Well stated Sacto! Kinda puts everything into place and really explains a lot of things that have and havent been stated by the band. And makes some of our specualtion and hostility seem really pitiful and really beside the point. Really good outlook on life also! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[seriousjuju]

i totally agree sacto. ed has to take care of himself and his family first.

[79th and Sunset]

Family has to come first. I would be the same for my 2 boys. Hope Wolfie is dealing okay with things. I think he is 10 or 11 now.