Category Archives: Family

Joy from Grief

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

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Ah, but to enjoy the simple things again
Where grief does not interfere,
Where memories are once again pleasurable,
Where a smile comes with happiness, not obligation.

When will the pain and suffering end?
To what lengths must we go to assuage these feelings?
How long must one endure the roller coaster,
The ups and downs of emotions?
When will one step in front of the other actually
Take one forward instead of treading water?

Grief has no true beginning nor end,
Nor does it follow the same path for everyone.
The road to recovery will have potholes and bumps
Along with curves and forks to traverse.
But be assured, the grief will begin to hurt less
As you travel this journey to a new destination
Where you can find joy and a renewed self.

To Receive is To Give

31 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in Children, Family, Humor, Life, Love, Nature

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His small hand
tightly clutches the present,
the one he picked himself.

So full of pride is he
as he hands me
a golden yellow cluster
of petite petals dangling
from its spindly stem.

“I picked a flower,
‘specially for you.”

Carefully, I take the
delicate gift and
find a mini vase
to showcase its beauty.

“Oh, thank you, honey.
I love it!”

I don’t have the heart to
tell him I’m allergic to
dandelions!

My Theory of Positivity

29 Saturday Mar 2014

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Damaged treasures,
Broken hearts,
Injured pride.

Images
indelibly stored in brains,

negativities
heavily weighted by physiology,
tipping the scale, if allowed.

Even mathematically,
a negative will take
a positive down.

So stack the odds with
purposeful remembrance
of good times,
of positive feelings, and
of loving family and friends.

Planted Memories

23 Sunday Mar 2014

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I don’t like getting dirty,
Yet I like to play in the dirt.

Oxymoron? Perhaps, but

Fresh tilled soil, raked and ready for planting,
is a welcome invitation to run the soil through my fingers,
sifting through memories as I stop to remember
our first flower gardens beside the porch,
mine on the right side, my sister’s on the left.

Tilling, planting, watering, weeding…it seemed so
tedious at times to a child, but it brought beauty to our lives.
‘Twas Mom’s clever way to teach the ways of work…
Responsibility, competition, rewards; and
Dad’s way of sharing his connection with earth,
Where today he rests in peace.

Fly-through Delivery

21 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by in Animals and Insects, Family, Nature

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Not able to “go out” to eat,
young bodies with big voices,
impatiently squeak their order,
chittering, chattering to be
heard above their siblings,
beaks open, necks outstretched,
ready for the worm as Mama
prepares the “delivery”.
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photo: Kati Fleming, Wikipedia

A Generation Apart

09 Sunday Mar 2014

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The conversation opener
was an oft heard phrase,

“These young people today,
They have crazy ideas,”

As I sat on the couch, I
feigned sharp interest,

and I prepped myself for
a story about teens.

My mind drifted
only momentarily,

but even half listening,
I realized that

this 90-year-old man
was talking about

someone from
my generation.

We’ve been friends so long,
he didn’t see age;

just a faithful listener
to share his rage.

Waiting…

25 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by in Family, Health, Life

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ICU, CCU, and surgical wards
perform magic behind closed doors

while family and friends engage,
helping their anxiety assuage:

Some tap their feet
to an inner beat;

Some pace back and forth,
as if waiting a birth;

Others leave for a burn,
smelling of cigarettes upon return.

Some close their eyes
Hiding tears and cries;

While some in the middling,
with magazines they’re fiddling;

In the corner there’s chatter,
topics don’t matter;

Just passing the time
is the need most prime.

Individually diverse,
fundamentally the same
each is immersed
in the waiting game.

Red and Pink Do Go Together

14 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by in Art, Family, Love, Nature

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Red is the color of my true love,
a positive aura in adversity. He
balances my pink personality
when mega cautious tries to rule.

His powerful stance and personality
helped his career quickly advance;
whereas my pink, more reticent self
leaned toward intuition more readily.

He’s self-assured and has overcome strife,
Cerebral Palsy and polio, to name just two;
But here is where my pinkness shines,
my nurturing soul yearns to take care of him.

You’d not likely find two more diverse souls.
However, like the colors that represent us,
blended together, we become a richer,
more beautiful version of each other.

Hi, Grandma!

09 Sunday Feb 2014

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Steam rises from the soup kettle,
adding a ruddy glow to her cheeks
as she accompanies me ’round the kitchen.

She’s been gone nigh 30 years, yet
it seems just yesterday she taught me
her secret recipes, her gift of laughter,
and her special way of loving.

I’m sure she earned her angel wings,
and I’m glad she takes time to join me
in my kitchen as I often joined her.

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I Never Knew…

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Family, Humor, Life, Love, Writing

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The smell, like steam,
rises to warm me.

It reminds me of helping mom
in the kitchen while growing up:
down-home cooking
for the evening meals;
home-baked goodies,
for nightly desserts.

As the smells intensify,
memories drift to
my own years of cooking
meals for my family, or
baking goodies like
Christmas cookies
and Birthday cakes.

Yet, this year, I’m not in a kitchen.
The delicious smells wafting through
the house are complements of a
retired husband with a passion
for trying new recipes, while I am
afforded the pleasure of writing
in my sanctuary.

And do you know what I’ve discovered?

I never knew I didn’t like to cook…
Until I didn’t.

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See No Evil

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

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There were three of us,
raised in the right ways…
“See no evil,
Hear no evil, and
Speak no evil.”

But we had no possible idea,
that we needed one more say,
until I met my husband with​
his gentle Buddhist ways.
​
We neither see, hear, nor speak
of evil in our lives,
but by adding “Do no evil,”
our mantra’s now complete.

Old-Fashioned Fun

09 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Children, Family, Life, Seasonal, Weather

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Buried beneath tools
in a cluttered garage,
lies a childhood sled,
hidden from view.

Twenty-five years since
it was actively used,
our lively five-year-old
set on having fun.

Today the same sled
saw the light of day,
as I tugged and drug
it from beyond its lair.

Our five-year-old grandson,
set on having fun, sledded
the snowed hill our
daughter had done.

Hard to imagine
in a techno world,
an old-fashioned toy
would be more fun!

Happy 84th

30 Saturday Nov 2013

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I remember when I was young,
you seemed so very large.
As a small girl, it seemed like
such a long way when you
bent down and picked me up.

I thought you must be the
strongest man in the country
as I watched you work, handing
you tools, helping, learning
solid work ethics, day after day.

I held my heart in my throat as
I watched inclement weather
threaten your entire year, yet
your fortitude is how I now
survive adversities in my life.

I remember advice you gave, in
such a subtle way, as we drove
around the farm. I only wish I
could have such opportunity as
I give guidance to my family.

But most of all, I respect the
way you’ve aged, the way you’ve
overcome countless challenges,
accepting your time of life with
grace, and an occasional chuckle or two.

God bless you on this, your 84th birthday.

Love,

Your Daughter