Busy Day

My house was freakisly quiet today.    LOL After having company for nearly 2 weeks things have returned to normal. My Dad and Mom left this morning for their drive back to Wyoming.  They reached Beaver, Utah late this afternoon where they will rest for tonight.  I like that they call each time they stop for the night to let me know where they are and that they made it safely. 

 

I had errands to take care of early in the day and then I finally ordered my new glasses.  It'll be 2 weeks before I get them but, hey, I saw the doctor for my new prescription on May 5 so what's another 2 weeks?  I went to Costco and found ink for my printer at a pretty good price: 2 black and 1 color for $42...  not bad.  I also lucked out and found an Auto Adapter for Cari's    I-Pod which is something on  her

Birthday Wish List.  The set includes an adapter and a UBC cable to connect the I-POD to her laptop so I guess that's a good thing.  Right?  I know NOTHING about I-Pods so I'm just hoping this stuff will make her happy.  I am going to get her a wireless card for her laptop, too.  I got wireless connection while she was in Italy so we can both be on the internet at the same time.  Sam comes over and connects.  He says it works great.  Cari will be 22 on June 14 - Flag Day.  When she was little we used to tell her all the flags were out in honor of her birthday.  She doesn't buy that story any longer. 

 

I want to say a few things about Dad's funeral yesterday.  We were met by a full color guard carrying the U.S. flag and the Marine Corps. flag.  The Marine Corp. hymn was played on the bugle by a volunteer from the Veterns of Foreign Wars.  When we were seated, 7 VFW members gave a 21 gun salute and then Taps was played.  After that, members of the color guard did the flag folding ceremony and the flag was presented to Dad's wife, Bernice.  It was so moving and I know Dad would have been so proud of the tribute.  The pastor's service was a celebration of Dad's life and captured his quiet, kind, reserved personality.  Following the service, we hosted a luncheon here.  Dennis made a poster board with pictures of his dad from the age of 4 years to the present.  Everyone enjoyed seeing those.  The day ended around 2:30 in the afternoon.  It was just the perfect send off for a gentleman like Dad.

 

Now we are moving on and getting back into our normal routines.  We'll always have him with us in our memories and we know he took the love we had for him with him when he went to heaven.

 

Death Is Nothing At All

Death Is Nothing At All  by Henry Scott Holland 1847- 1918

Death is nothing at all.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

I am I, and you are you.

Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way you used to.

Put no difference in your tone, wear no false air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Let my name be ever the household name it ever was, let it be spoken without effect,    without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.  It is the same as it ever was; there is not unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.

"All is well."

 

Thank you to Rob at  http://journals.aol.com/akasamdodsworth/LordIWasBornaRamblinSam/  who sent this poem to me after my father-in-law died.  I thought it was so appropriate and lovely for today.  I hope it blesses everyone that reads it like it blessed me and my family.  I'll be taking all of your warm wishes and good thoughts with me today.  Thank you so much!

 

Just a Quickie

Just a quick entry today.  It has cooled WAY down today and I am praying that it will be like this tomorrow.  It was overcast until noon so it's only reached 81 degrees today.  The weather is so nice some of our guests might enjoy having lunch on the patio tomorrow.  It would be wonderful to have the house opened up with people moving from inside to out.   I'll have to have Dennis clear the yard of land mines (Kasey droppings, LOL) early in the morning if there is a chance we might have some guests outside.  I suppose I could have gone all day without writing that last bit but I'm open about those things and, after all, this is my journal and where I let it all hang out, so........

Mom and I have started preparing the food.  I bought a flat of the most beautiful strawberries I've seen all season.  Big, bright red, perfect, juicy and sweet.  We are keeping 1/2 whole and we sliced 1/2 to put over pound cake with whipped cream for dessert.  Yummy.  I will be admiring each dessert from a distance while enjoying a few whole berries as a special treat.  I got fresh pineapple, lovely green grapes, the strawberries and two huge cantaloupes for the fruit tray.  I was lucky to get a pre-made vegetable platter so that job is done.  We will fix a meat tray and cheese platter and serve rolls and rye bread for sandwiches along with 2 salads.  I think it will be a simple, yet nice luncheon for about 24 people.  I also bought 3 different types of cookies to set out in case someone wants dessert but not strawberry short cake.  I could have gone on and on.  It's like me to over do it but my Mom kept me in line, bless her heart. 

Good news!  My sister is stopping off on her way back to Central California tomorrow.  She and her husband won't be at the service but they will be at the house when we get back.  She will be here to greet early arrival's and to set up the food.  What would I do without her?  She is an angel and my best friend.  Sometime, I'll have to devote an entire entry to her.  She is a very special person.

Again, thanks to all J-Landers who have posted such kind, supportive commentsthis past week.  You've kept my spirits up and I appreciate it very much.  I know my family and I will be fine tomorrow.  We want to pay tribute to my father-in-law and to say good bye together as a family.  It will be very special to all of us.

Whoops! I Forgot Dennis

Dennis:

Determined

Energetic

Neat

Nifty

Intelligent

Sensitive

http://journals.aol.com/valphish/ThereisaSeason

Val at There is a Season posted a Word Play task that sounded fun.  You take each letter of your first name (and last, if you like) and assign a noun, verb or adjective to it that describes something about you.  I thought I'd give it a try using adjectives:

Kind

Attentive

Trustworthy

Helpful

Young-at-Heart

I wonder how others would use those letters to describe me. It would be fun to ask my children for their adjectives.  LOL  I could assign adjectives to their names easily:

Bryan:                                               Cari:

Bold                                                  Caring

Rugged                                             Assertive                          

Youthful                                           Reflective

Adventurous                                     Intelligent

Noble

 

Oh, My! The House is Quiet!

Mom and Dad just left for my brother's house.  Dennis has appointments this morning.  Cari isn't working today but she is still sleeping.  My sister and her husband left last night to see his family near San Diego SO it's just me and the dog this morning.  Ahhhh!!!!  I am enjoying the quiet. I'm still in my jammies, sipping my coffee and taking some time to write in my journal before really starting my day.  I do need this break and I'm relishing each moment. 

The weather has turned so hot that I'm going out today to buy a warm weather dress or suit for the funeral.  I was going to wear a knit suit but it is too heavy for 100 degree weather.  I hope I can find something nice.  I have such a difficult time when I HAVE to find something.  When I'm not looking for clothing I see hundreds of things I love but when I need something - forget it!  There is nothing on the rack!  Isn't that always the way it is?

I don't have much to say this morning.  Life is good.  I'm feeling content and peaceful as I face the weekend.  I'm glad to have a few days to myself.  I will be able to relax and let the events of Monday night settle in.  I think I've been too busy with company in the house to allow myself much time to let it sink in.  This is going to be good for Dennis and me to have time alone.

What Happened to Spring?

We sprinted through Spring into Summer in about two weeks.  Our weather has gone from pleasant to hot and I can say I'm not ready for the transition.  It will be nearing 100 degrees for the next 4 or 5 days if the forecasters are correct.  Ewwwww...  That's just too hot for me.  On days like this I am so grateful for central air conditioning.  The thing I have to remember is that here in Southern California, we have what we call June Gloom.  The interior deserts heat up and pull the cool, moist air from the ocean inland causing overcast skies and very cool weather that lasts, usually, most of the month.  By the time that trend ends, I'm usually ready for the sun again.  Our area is closer to the desert than the ocean so the hot weather lasts until October most years.  I remember, as a kid, it seemed that the week we went back to school after summer break was the hottest week of the year.  We wanted to wear our new wool skirts and sweaters but those usually couldn't come out of the closet until November. 

My Dad and Mom will be leaving in the morning to spend the weekend with my brother and his wife.  They are looking forward to seeing them. To me, it's like they are going to see distant relatives instead of my brother.  It is so sad that he misses out on all the closeness, love, fun and sharing that goes on between my parents, my family, my sister and her husband when we all get together.  We have a great time together.  We laugh, tease each other, talk about important family issues, cook together, work on crossword puzzles, watch baseball games on TV, and just generally enjoy the heck out of each other.  That he has chosen to exclude himself from our lives is something I will never understand.  I used to blame his wife because I know it started with her but now I have to hold him responsible for letting go of all of us.  He knows we are all together this week and he could have been a part of any or all of it if he had wanted to drive an hour to join us.  It just isn't a priority to him either.  I'm not angry or hurt anymore.  I've worked through all of the pain.  I'm just sad for him.  He and "L" never had kids and they don't have many friends.  It's going to be a very lonely life as they age and realize they have never invested in anything but each other.  There is no garden that will bring forth any fruit, so to speak.  As I look at my bounty - my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, my kids and grandchildren, my great friends and other relationships I know how deeply blessed I am to have been able to know the value of human relationship and what love does to enrich a life. 

I know this has hit home this week because of Dad's death.  Seeing and feeling the affection people have for him and for us has been what has kept our spirits up and has kept us moving forward this week.  We have received the love we have given to others.  Good things come out of sad times.