Frank
What I was going to write today changed upon the news of the death of Frank.
Frank, Mayor of Main Street Disneyland, leader of our group, the Porch Potatoes.
When Frank retired from being a long-distance truck driver, he said to himself, 'What do I want to do next?'
Go to Disneyland.
He went, he stayed.
Just about every day of his life, he spent the morning from 7 AM to noon sitting on the porch of what used to be the Bra Shop back in the day when Disneyland first opened.
The Porch was there for husbands to sit on while their wives were inside the store buying lingerie.
Every day, Frank would sit there and greet the people who came to visit the world of imagination.
What we saw was no product of our imaginations.
I would talk with Frank about how we both enjoyed the faces of the people who passed by.
The smiles, the laughter, the joy, the excitement.
I said to Frank This is heaven on earth.
The pure souls, wide-eyed, filled with love beaming from every gesture.
Frank would fist bump everyone.
He would take a picture with you.
He would admonish each person who spoke with him that today was a great day.
Frank demonstrated the reason why we are all here.
Every one of us, whether we want to accept it or not.
Our reason for living is the same.
To make someone else happy.
That’s it.
That’s all you have to do to be able to say to yourself I have done good.
I have served the purpose for which I was born.
Frank made countless hundreds of thousands happy.
Even if they didn’t know who that man in the blue Dodger hat and coat was, they knew him by the smile on his face.
His wave.
His laugh.
His joy at seeing them, welcoming them to this happy place.
He was, in his way, the Saint Peter of Disneyland.
Welcoming the tired and weary to a place where they could forget their burden for a while.
Become children once again.
To believe in the magic that is in the world all around us every day.
Bless that magic.
Bless our time with you.
It is asked where are the heroes, where are the strong, where are the angels?
Just look over your shoulder, there they are all around you.
Peace, my friend.
As always...
Wish you love.
Daniel J. Frey aka Toby