We Interrupt This Blog For A Breath Of Not So Fresh Air

Toot , Toot , Tootsie ...

Immortality

( Dedicated to my friend Louise )


I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength,
and I stand and watch until at last she hangs
like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says,
" There she goes! "

Gone where?

Gone from my sight . . . that is all.

She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
as she was when she left my side
and just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of destination.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment
when someone at my side says,
" There she goes! "
there are other eyes watching her coming . . .
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout . . .

" Here she comes "

- Henry Van Dyke

---

Another Goodbye

..and yet again another good bye to a long time friend of mine who passed away yesterday of liver cancer at the young age of 57 . I will not ask why there is no answer . I will only be there to hug and comfort her daughters and my daughter . Her life is a testament of love , strength and determination for a woman who was a divorced and a single parent most her young life . She had her struggles , I am sure , but none like the last battle of cancer that has shortened her life so quickly . I don't know what else to write .

Life is but a stopping place ,
A pause in what's to be ,
A resting place along the road,
to sweet eternity.
We all have different journeys,
Different paths along the way,
We all were meant to learn some things,
but never meant to stay...
Our destination is a place,
Far greater than we know.
For some the journey's quicker,
For some the journey's slow.
And when the journey finally ends,
We'll claim a great reward,
And find an everlasting peace,
Together with the lord

Author unknown

It's Okay To Cry

Tears are nature's way of healing the pain . It was a small gathering of family and friends yesterday but with an abundance of tears . Father Pat was the priest who did the service . Not knowing the person who passed away and without knowledge of her life he did a wonderful tribute to a woman who touched the lives of her sons , daughters and grandchildren . He talked of his own father and how he always tried not to be like him , but in the end had a lot of his ways and came to treasure those characteristics in himself . After the prayers , he asked the family if there was but one word they could each give him about their Mother , what would that one word be ? Love , courage , humour , tenderness , kindness . Father Pat asked the family to remember the positive words that they just used to describe their Mother as those were the divine gifts that she has left behind in each one of them . Anything negative was simply a part being human . A successful life is never measured in what we have but who we are . If any one of us could be described with those same words then our lives would be a success as well . The priest wanted them understand that their Mom lived through them and was not gone but only changed . Father Pat is a wonderful man and a priest with grace , humour and compassion .
It's okay to cry .

Funerals

It has been said that as one gets older that there are more funerals in your life . I am beginning to think that theory is true as I have been to many funerals in the past year . These are not places that any of us wish to go , but as we all do , we go for the living and to support them in their grief . Letting go is never an easy task .
Today we go for James and his family in the loss of their mother .
Peace at last .

Out Of Africa

Last night was my first venture out since I was sick for the second time . My daughter , my neighbor and I went to a women's dinner where the topic of the night was vacationing in Africa . My daughter wished to attend as she said that Africa is one of the 3 countries she has always dreamed of visiting ... she has already traveled to Greece and Australia . To be honest , I went for the night out and to enjoy a good meal . Some may call it a red hat club , but that is not who I am . In fact , my best friend and I ( remember the redhead in the nautical outfit ) , we prefer to think of ourselves as belonging to the red thong club . Getting back to Africa , I thought the presentation was a little on the boring side . There were no lions roaring or tribal music . In fact ... well , it was quite factual . The travel agent led us through a geographical tour of South Africa from Cape Town and Botswana , up to Zambia and Kenya . Dawn was excited when she heard about the gorilla tracking and going on safari to experience the greatest wildlife experience of her lifetime . I was excited that the cheesecake was homemade and the asparagus was perfection a la dente . Dawn marveled at the rhino coach tour , giraffes and zebras , lions and cheetahs . I marveled at the way a chicken dinner could be so embellished to look like a work of art . ... and the wine was tasty .
Before we knew it the evening had ended . Dawn left with all of her pamphlets and her dreams of Africa .
I left with a full stomach and my dreams of Robert Redford out of Africa .

Finally ..

I am able to say I feel a bit of the old kick ass me returning to my body . For a while there I was beginning to think it was time for the rocking chair and tv bingo . Word from the outside tells me that there is a lot of people with flu symptoms this season and that this flu blob likes to sit on your chest for a long time .
Simulated conversation :" Look flu blob , I fully realize that my chest is a soft comfy place to rest your phlegmy self but if you are not out of Dodge by sundown , I am seeing the Doc to take care of the rest of you nasty , yellow bellied vermin ."
Thanks for all the chicken soup wishes guys and gals . If this dang thing comes back for round 3 , I have a cupboard overflowing with enough ammo that Mr Flu Jerk will be wishing he was on Dolly's chest and not mine .

Nausea

Need I say more ...

I Am Sick Of Being Sick

I am . I am so sick of being sick . Here I am again with another sore throat , another tickle me in the night lose your sleep cough , a nauseated stomach , and a headache that says close the dam blinds and keep it dark in the room or I will not let you rest . This is actually part and parcel of the same thing I had in late November . It got better in time for me to float through the holidays , but sat discreetly in my chest just waiting for a second chance to attack . Nasty little green mucous men have invaded my nostrils this time making me become a mouth breather which in turn does nothing for the dry lips and raspy throat . I have the flu shot but as my pharmacist daughter explains there is a difference between viral and bacterial . I take my vitamins , endeavor to handle my stress , eat my veggies (some organic ) and two nights ago had the fortitude to give give birth to quads in my sleep .
I should have known .. qu for Nyquil , ad for advil , and s for swiss lozenges .
Guess there is something to this dream thing .

Quads

I had this dream last night . In it I was pregnant . I am sure my friend , who reads my site will be reaching for her dream book now . I was huge in the dream and wearing one of those tight little belly bump shirts that all the stars wear showing off their proud pointy navels . Thing is in the dream my gut kept ballooning outwards until I couldn't walk anymore . Next thing I know I am on a gurney heading to a hospital . I credit this scene with watching too much coverage of the Britney breakdown . I do not recall being in any labor pain but boom next thing I know I am looking at not one but four little newborns . They were cute mind you . Not anything like Rosemary's baby . ( you have to know the movie I am talking about here ). All four were laying on a bed gurgling and being all cutey pie their little fists in the air . No one else in the dream just me and the infants . They all looked identical . So I did what any good mother would do under those circumstances . I nursed all four of them . Now before you start identifying this with some sort of psychological sex dream , it was all very natural and sweet . Cradling all four babies made me feel very ...what is the word I am looking for ... whole and content . I wanted to write all of this down while I still remember the facts and feeling of the dream . I do not dream as often as I use too so when I get a humdinger that is memorable , I tend to wonder if this is some sign from the universe or just a bad snack before bed . The quads were so adorable . No idea on the paternity .

N@ & Corn Join Wii- Anon

Dancing Into 2008

They danced ...
... and danced ...
... and danced ...
... and danced ...
..... and danced ....

... and danced ...
... and danced .
Dad and ceasar
The party people
Dad and daughter
Forever young

We danced 2007 right out the door and welcomed 2008 with Auld Lang Syne . My little friend T boogied her butt into a new year and Dad and Martha proved once again that age is just a number . A new year is a way to make a new beginning in life . May all of you be blessed with health and joy . Remember to
.." take a cup of kindness yet , for auld lang syne "