It seems like not long ago that I was thinking how long it had been since I'd been away from home. The last time had been Christmas! Then boom, my luggage hardly has time to unpack before it's packed again. And no, I'm not complaining, not in the least!
Tomorrow hunky hubby and I are going to a very la-de-da resort in Newport Beach, which is a very la-de-da town. It's actually been in the news since lifeguards there are making over $100,000 a year. I'm not kidding. We will be guests of hubby's sister and husband and we are all looking forward to a time of...nothing. At least nothing we don't choose to do. I'm planning on a lot of time to rest, relax and read. Oh yeah, and maybe talk a lot. And maybe eat a lot. We four aren't friends (as well as family) for 50+ years without a lot of love and laughter. Aren't we blessed?
Then to fill my cup to the brim, we will stop to see younger son & our two grandsons on our way home. Hugs fill our time there. And some Gramma time cooking, baking and yes, even shopping.
Many, many years ago (in the 70s) my mother had an electric donut maker. My brother's wife now has hers, memories prompted my niece to buy one on EBay, and you know who was hooked. $10 later I now have one packed and ready to go on our trip. Our grandsons will have as much fun as I will. Memories, now onto the next generation. Love it.
Am I excited? Oh yes. Am I thankful? Oh yes. I count my blessings every day. Hoping you find blessings to count as well, Jan
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Missing Link
I don't know if any of you have perceived the "missing" link of our family? I mentioned our granddaughter in one early post and have not updated since.
She had her 21st birthday last Saturday and it has now been eleven months since she disappeared from our lives. This is hard to write, hard to think about but someday we hope she can come back to us. A year ago we were celebrating her birthday in grand style. She thoughtfully prepared her list for us and we loved being able to share her plans and her excitement. If there is one thing that she loves, it is having attention lavished on her and we are all good at that.
To backtrack to her arrival at our home with her brother and father, at age 20 she had never been given the opportunity to mature as most young girls do. Her mother bathed her, washed her hair, selected all her clothing and basically treated her as if she were 5, not 20. I (very slowly) gave her the opportunity to choose how she wanted to live her life. I showed her how to turn on the shower, gave her a towel and left the room. She was so proud to do it by herself. The same with washing her hair. For the first month I took her to a salon so I could watch how they managed her wiry, curly, long, beautiful black hair. Then I did it in our home for a month or so and asked if she would like to learn to do it herself. And away she went! She experienced shopping and choosing her clothing and loved it. I was beginning to teach her to cook.
Then one day her mother arrived with a private detective and kidnapped her. I guess you can kidnap your own child? Our granddaughter was taken from school--not willing to go but nonetheless has now been hidden by her mother for nearly a year. She has had her cell phone taken away, probably thrown away. Any mail we have sent has not reached her. We have not been able to talk with her or see her.
We miss her every day and wonder how she is. I hope and pray she is well. I don't think she is happy but someday, some way, I hope that by her 22nd birthday, we will know. Sadly, Jan
She had her 21st birthday last Saturday and it has now been eleven months since she disappeared from our lives. This is hard to write, hard to think about but someday we hope she can come back to us. A year ago we were celebrating her birthday in grand style. She thoughtfully prepared her list for us and we loved being able to share her plans and her excitement. If there is one thing that she loves, it is having attention lavished on her and we are all good at that.
To backtrack to her arrival at our home with her brother and father, at age 20 she had never been given the opportunity to mature as most young girls do. Her mother bathed her, washed her hair, selected all her clothing and basically treated her as if she were 5, not 20. I (very slowly) gave her the opportunity to choose how she wanted to live her life. I showed her how to turn on the shower, gave her a towel and left the room. She was so proud to do it by herself. The same with washing her hair. For the first month I took her to a salon so I could watch how they managed her wiry, curly, long, beautiful black hair. Then I did it in our home for a month or so and asked if she would like to learn to do it herself. And away she went! She experienced shopping and choosing her clothing and loved it. I was beginning to teach her to cook.
Then one day her mother arrived with a private detective and kidnapped her. I guess you can kidnap your own child? Our granddaughter was taken from school--not willing to go but nonetheless has now been hidden by her mother for nearly a year. She has had her cell phone taken away, probably thrown away. Any mail we have sent has not reached her. We have not been able to talk with her or see her.
We miss her every day and wonder how she is. I hope and pray she is well. I don't think she is happy but someday, some way, I hope that by her 22nd birthday, we will know. Sadly, Jan
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Celebration of Life
Hunky hubby and I leave this afternoon for N.California. Again. Tomorrow will be the Memorial Service for our friend. I think it's a wonderful expression of our times that we have evolved from "Funerals" to "Memorial Services" and now to "Celebrations of Life." I feel so deprived if I miss someone's Celebration.
The services we now observe, at least those in our church, are true celebrations that honor the one who has died. The things I learn about each person enriches my memories. Of course, I always wish I could have known them BEFORE their passing, but the facts and details of each life are honored. And stories are told, so many wonderful stories! Some by family members, many by friends, the stories are rich with sentiment, laughter and memories.
Hunky hubby and I are happy to be among those to honor the life of our friend. I hope to come home with a warm heart, more memories and a lot of smiles and laughter.
How are you all feeling about the changes in our services? Chime in and let us know! Jan
The services we now observe, at least those in our church, are true celebrations that honor the one who has died. The things I learn about each person enriches my memories. Of course, I always wish I could have known them BEFORE their passing, but the facts and details of each life are honored. And stories are told, so many wonderful stories! Some by family members, many by friends, the stories are rich with sentiment, laughter and memories.
Hunky hubby and I are happy to be among those to honor the life of our friend. I hope to come home with a warm heart, more memories and a lot of smiles and laughter.
How are you all feeling about the changes in our services? Chime in and let us know! Jan
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mothers Day
It is a day of remembrance for me--my mother has been gone for fifteen years. Each year her memory becomes more tender, sweeter. Like most mothers, we had our differences but the more mature I became, the wiser she became! It's a gift of age that I truly can appreciate. I miss her voice, her laugh, her hugs and most of all, her encouragement. There was never a time she was not my encourager.
I hope I bring some of those qualities to our two sons and grandsons. And their partners too. Yesterday my sons, grandsons all checked in and it was such fun to hear their news and stories. Our family has LOTS of good storytellers! I also received phone calls from two ex-es of our sons, and I am honored that they include me in their thoughts and wishes. Hunky hubby totally caught me by surprise Saturday morning with the delivery of a dozen long stemmed roses!
I am blessed, I am happy. I thank God for my mother and for giving me children so I could be a mother too. Jan
I hope I bring some of those qualities to our two sons and grandsons. And their partners too. Yesterday my sons, grandsons all checked in and it was such fun to hear their news and stories. Our family has LOTS of good storytellers! I also received phone calls from two ex-es of our sons, and I am honored that they include me in their thoughts and wishes. Hunky hubby totally caught me by surprise Saturday morning with the delivery of a dozen long stemmed roses!
I am blessed, I am happy. I thank God for my mother and for giving me children so I could be a mother too. Jan
Friday, May 6, 2011
Hooray!
I'm home, I'm home, I'm home! O My Gosh, it is such a wonderful feeling. I guess Dorothy was right in the Wizard of Oz, There's no place like home, no place like home. Sorry, I can't help repeating myself.
It was a great week, it was a hard week, it was a challenging week, it was a bonding week. My friend whose husband died is working so hard to see her way through the maze of questions, decisions, myriads of paperwork and--not to be unrecognized--her grief. She is doing amazingly well, I am happy to say. I am proud of her. We had hours and hours of work to do together and got it all done. We also had hours in the evening to talk, share thoughts and memories, laugh and praise God for His presence. I love her dearly and can't express how thankful I was to be able to be with her at this time.
I also stopped by my 80-year-old cousin's house on my way south. She is special in every way. She remembers when I was born, was present when my elder son was born and is in every way my older sister. Our mothers were close, but I think she and I are closer, mostly due to the changes of privacy feelings of the two generations. I needed a family fix and she made sure I got one! I was indulged, watched over and even got to pick our TV programs. Now that's FAMILY!
Hunky hubby and I will be returning to Northern California next week for the services of our friend, but in the meantime--did I say how happy I was to be home?! Jan
It was a great week, it was a hard week, it was a challenging week, it was a bonding week. My friend whose husband died is working so hard to see her way through the maze of questions, decisions, myriads of paperwork and--not to be unrecognized--her grief. She is doing amazingly well, I am happy to say. I am proud of her. We had hours and hours of work to do together and got it all done. We also had hours in the evening to talk, share thoughts and memories, laugh and praise God for His presence. I love her dearly and can't express how thankful I was to be able to be with her at this time.
I also stopped by my 80-year-old cousin's house on my way south. She is special in every way. She remembers when I was born, was present when my elder son was born and is in every way my older sister. Our mothers were close, but I think she and I are closer, mostly due to the changes of privacy feelings of the two generations. I needed a family fix and she made sure I got one! I was indulged, watched over and even got to pick our TV programs. Now that's FAMILY!
Hunky hubby and I will be returning to Northern California next week for the services of our friend, but in the meantime--did I say how happy I was to be home?! Jan
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