I was born in the small town of Tampa, Florida, in 1947. I lived most of my earlier life in West Tampa with my parents: Matilda Mistretta Stafford, Voyde Wesley Stafford, and two younger brothers: Raymond Charles Stafford and Robert Earl Stafford. I married Carol Billings Stafford (later in life) and we have two bright, wonderful, beautiful children: Gina Denise Stafford and Dennis Neil Stafford. At the time of this writing I am blessed with six beautiful, intelligent grandchildren: Owen, Daisy, Emre, Teagan, Lily and Bode Flomberg as well as Bruce Flomberg, Gina’s loving husband and Carolyn Hart, Dennis’s talented girlfriend.
I was born Dennis LeRoy Stafford. I enjoyed a very pleasant childhood and although we did not have everything; we had a great life including food, clothes, toys, love, a warm household, loving parents, and relatives. Our homes were always in West Tampa and the location provided easy access to downtown, interstates, (later they were built), plenty of shopping centers, and malls (when they were constructed). Our location gave us easy access to the lake property our parents purchased in our teen years and water frontage along the Hillsborough River where they built our home on Rome Avenue. This gave us easy access to the Causeway and the beautiful Pinellas County beaches at the time.
The Clearwater area and Anna Maria Island were among my favorite places. We had excellent access to popular tourist places: such as Silver Springs, Cypress Gardens, Fort Desoto, St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach, and downtown Tampa.
Our family was raised with a Christian background and we mostly followed his religion of our father who was raised as a Baptist. We did attend other churches growing up including Catholic churches, but mostly followed in his footsteps. Although, I did not attend church regularly, religion was always highly regarded and during my early years, prayer was virtually a nightly ritual; that included giving prayers for each family member, until each one was prayed for.
My brothers and I never developed a ritual of going to church regularly, but keep a relationship with God while growing up. We usually attended with our father.
The first church I attended with him was the New Orleans Baptist Church (with Minister Thorpe) and later when we moved to West Tampa, we attended the WellsWood Baptist Church. Mom did not attend church regularly, but was religious and later on enjoyed religious TV shows during her retirement. Our mother and father practiced tying with different churches, and watched religious shows when they were not able to attend. Later on in life Carol and I were married here by Minister Thorpe.
Our parents were very loving and supportive. They wanted the best for us and set standards and values in us to live by as normal behaviors in our home,
Mom never finished school and stopped her education in the seventh grade. Dad never finished either. He worked as a lineman, and during this time was drafted into the Army (even though he did not want to go) and was stationed in Tampa’s Drew Park before his tour. While stationed in Drew Park, he met mom while on an outing to Ybor City. After the war and during their marriage, they decided he should go back to school. Dad earned his GED and attended college graduating with a BS degree in education and began a lifelong successful teaching career. Mom was always a business person. She was used to working for herself and had learned many good business practices from her father, who owned a store where she had worked in grocery stores all her life (along with other jobs while growing up including cleaning homes and scrubbing floors).
She was instrumental (with our father’s support) in buying the store that she owned most of her life with her partner, Julian Turlington, The name of the store was: “Julian and Stafford”.
We were raised with the principle that family should have the qualities of honesty and dependability. The grocery store followed these beliefs as well. Independence was also strongly practiced and our parents gave us generous lead way to learn the ways of the world from early life. We were encouraged to make decisions and learn by our actions.
Even at an elementary school age, I was sent to a furniture store to purchase a bedroom set and I did it without supervision, allowing me to use the skills they instilled in me early on.
Raised in a Latin based community, we were fortunate to have many relatives that lived close by as well as our grandparents. (This seemed to be the way of the time in West Tampa and Ybor City). It seemed to be something that was practiced in the nation as family relied heavily on each other for support and housing. It was not unusual for family members (even after marriage) to live in the same household as their parents due to the economy. Others in the community had a sense of closeness as well and would look out for you as their own. It seemed that there was a sense of belonging; although, it was not with everyone, but most people could be trusted and looked upon for help should there be a need. Doors on homes were rarely locked and children could play in the neighborhoods without fear of anyone causing harm. Not to say neighbors would have their differences as they would, but most seemed minor in today’s standards.
These close connections proved to be one of the most important values of growing up in a small community.
As you read, please remember I have written this as an individual without skills, of a writer, and I have done my best to incorporate stories that I remember. It is impossible for me to include all the stories I experienced in this short book. I know that much needs to be written about love, relationships, and sacrifices that people do in life and realize that although I did not recognize them all growing up, I did understand how awesome things were. I do hope when you read my story, you will appreciate those around you. Always love and cherish what others do, and what you can do for others. We all have limited abilities, learn at different times, and feel we will do for others all that we are capable of at the time. Life has a way of teaching us many lessons, but they may not always come early in life. One of the best messages I would like to give is (although not always required) to either return the love to those that gave it to you, or try to give to others that need your love. In either case to be a whole individual, I feel this is an important part of life. (Not only to receive, but to give)! This is a time when we need to reflect and think about where we are in life; remembering to love, learn, and listen. It is so difficult in our busy lives and while striving for our own goal to realize what is really going on in our lives. You must learn to embrace your loved ones and lead a righteous life. Yet, have balance in life to do what makes you happy. There seems to be no magic bullet and life has its ups and downs, but when you look back you know that time is short so enjoy each and every moment!
In church I had always learned: “Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you”. This was the moral fiber that guided me all my life and was exemplified by our parents daily. The problem with life is that sometimes people, who have experienced love, fail to return it at the same time. I have tried to do to the best of my ability to return love and goodness to those around me. At other times, I have failed miserably to return the love, but did so in a different manner or at a later time when it may not have been understood. My love was not given was with words, but more with actions. Many times my love was not shown, but felt within due to conditions surrounding the situation. But, I realized it has never been perfect, but the feeling was always in my heart and many times the circumstances kept me quiet. I have learned to do the BEST you can! Love should be unconditional; it is a connecting force and many times unexplainable. You give love as you know it and you take love when you can get it. Life is a split second in time, moving with lightning speed as a one way track with no coming back. We are born with knowledge and biological stamps that are programmed from the past and probably somewhat programmed for the future. For many of us, our knowledge grows with age and experiences along with what surrounds us. We are all God’s children, (never perfect), as God gave us the ability to choose and make decisions (never even close to perfect).
I have prayed for those around me that others will learn the lessons of life as I have. But, I realize there are so many lessons in life to learn. Life will never be complete and in order to survive you must move in time, learn, grow, sacrifice, and morn in order to love.
As we grow older in this world, I have learned we “become who we were”. I hope that somehow those words will have meaning to others and not just to me.
Although, I do not present this short story as a lesson in life, love, or history; I do present it as Love, Life, and History and encourage all to love those around them, learn from your experiences, your successes, and failures; as well as from others. Cherish the moments you have, count your blessings, pray for those less fortunate than you, and remember those that have made your life better! They are truly the unknown “Angeles”. As I have seen and felt, there are Angels among us! I have been fortunate in life to see the “Angles of Love,” as well as other Angels in my life. Although, sometimes they appeared for only moments and other times they lived among me. (Without a doubt) I know they were there for me; as they will be for you, when you need them!
My foremost awareness of growing up made me realize that “Those that walk with God have a more peaceful life, than those that run with the earth”. This has been my belief (although sometimes forgotten) since the seventh grade. Not sure how it came to be, but I thought of it during my lunchtime while attending Memorial Jr. High School in Tampa (while eating in the cafeteria).
Angels in Life
Although, this may be the representative form of an Angel, I have found they exist just as we do in human form and can take on many looks just as an individual would. The one item I have found that they have in common is that, they will come up to you as anyone else would, but somehow you will feel that they are different. They will give you a sense of calmness and not interrogate you, but deep inside answers will be found.
As I conclude, let me leave you with a quote that I found while reading a book:
“This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or grow in its light and be of service to others.
But what I do with this day is important because
I have exchanged a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever.
—Anonymous—
“Treat today as a present that cannot be returned!”
(Trattare oggi come un presente che non possono essere restituiti!)
“Part of My Beliefs”
To all that read my story enjoy your life, enjoy those around you, make room for differences, be aware that there are many roads in life to travel, many hills to climb, many oceans to cross, and plenty of sunrises to “sea”. There will always be fulfillment, joy, and disappointments along each avenue, but as long as love, balance, care, and reason are used with the guidance of our Lord and Father, (and an occasional interaction from an “Angel”), there will be plenty to live for! Give of yourself and use the gifts of others to blend a “happiness” that each can hold, feel, and pour out to others.
For those that want a future, you must not stay in the past, but learn the lessons of history in order to have a future. To have a future, you must hold a picture of it in your mind. I have said in my lifetime, that when I dream it, taste it, and discover it, it becomes mine. God has the same plan! Post a picture of Happiness, Love, and Reason within you and all will arrive in time for you.
Happy Reading!
(Buona lettura!)
Dennis L. Stafford
“For those that may never experience an Angel, this is the interpretation that I believe in”
The English word “Angel” comes from the Greek Angelos, which means ‘messenger’. In the Old Testament, with two exceptions, the Hebrew word for “angel” is malak, also meaning ‘messenger’. The prophet Malachi took his name from this word. He was himself a messenger, and he prophesied about the coming of “the messenger of the covenant”, Jesus Christ (Malachi 3:1).
“Angels have missions in our lives”
These spiritual beings comprise the celestial court and are called angels (from the Greek for “messenger”) because, according to the Bible, they carry out missions at God’s command. In order to complete these missions, they can at times assume bodily form. According to the Bible, their missions are sometimes of great importance – eg, the Annunciation (Lk 1:26; 2:9-14).
“Guardian Angles are around us“
Psalm 91: 10-12 A heavenly spirit assigned by God to watch over each of us during our lives. The doctrine of angels is part of the Church’s tradition. The role of the guardian angel is both to guide us to good thoughts, works and words, and to preserve us from evil. Since the 17th century the Church has celebrated a feast honoring them.
I feel I have been touched by Angels in my life recently, but I know they have always been there guiding and looking over me!
“Dennis L. Stafford January 2013”