Monday, June 7, 2010
Goodbye Amber
She was wonderful, never asked for anything really – although if your pocket ever at one time, even prior to washing, contained a treat of any kind – well it got the “nose treatment”.
This then is the trade-off -- our dogs never ask for anything but love, give it back 10 fold, greet us with wild abandon, think of us as one of them, comfort and entertain us and all we have to do in return is make the final, difficult decision – and even then, if we pay close attention, they will tell us it’s OK -- they’re ready to go.
Miss you girl – although I know there is an ethereal pasture somewhere celestial, that you are chasing some rabbit and waiting for the day when one of us will whistle you home.
"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan." from Irving Townsend, Separate Lifetimes
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Source of this story is really..... well - read on
Friday, May 14th, I was spending time on the road - again - driving to a client's office this time. Seems that driving has been a major pastime for the last - how long??? I usually spend this time, as I'm alone, in verbal communication with my team. For those not familiar with this personal term, it's what I call my spiritual guides, angels if you will, that are ever present and open to hear my thoughts, musings and requests, and of course that day the subject was my friend, Ed.
I thought I'd ask the team to keep an eye out for Ed and maybe - here's where it gets interesting - if possible just give me some kind of sign that he's there and everything is OK - but no - I quickly changed the request to give Patty some indication that Ed is in a better place, out of pain yet not out of touch. And that was it - I really do believe that once the request is made to the Universe, the next step is acceptance in belief.
Long trip to my destination and listening to CBC Radio 1 - thought the program was quite apropos in that it was dealing with a group of 4 people advanced in their years, where they had a strategy that allowed them to stay in their homes and avoid the eventual move to a nursing home.
Every morning they'd get up, open their blinds so each [they're all in eye sight of each other] could see that the others were OK, then get on the phone and do the rounds - so at the end they had verbal confirmation that the day was off to a good start. Not a bad strategy for those living on their own!
This particular episode was being narrated by one of the ladies in the group - her name was Marge and she is 88 years old. Her phone partner, Wally, always had a joke to tell - and Marge admitted they could be a tad off color - but not "too dirty" [her words - she was quite sweet, actually].
Recently Wally asked Marge why she - still vibrant at her age - didn't have a boyfriend. Laughing, she replied that she didn't need a boyfriend - she had her TV - gave her all the entertainment she needed, didn't talk back, and except for the odd "wack" on the side of the cabinet to straighten out the signal, was pretty low maintenance. As a matter of fact, she quite regularly referred to the TV as her boyfriend, to all - including her family - that knew her.
One day, her great-grandson is over visiting, Marge is in the living room watching TV - keeping it line with a few resounding smacks on the side of the cabinet - when a friend dropped by and asked the youngster if Marge was at home - to which he replied "Yes, she's in the living room, banging her boyfriend!"
Thought I was going to drive in to a ditch!
Now I’m not sure what was funnier - the actual punch line, delivered by the little lady, or the mental visual itself. The dilemma though, and the immediate accompanying sense of sadness, was the one person that I would shared this type of anecdote with, was Ed. He loved this stuff, and he had just as many, if not more, such stories to send out to his email list.
It stuck with me all day Friday and into Saturday, it just seemed to be that everyone I shared the experience with laughed, but it didn't resonate like it would have with Ed. I just felt it was so wrong that he was not here now to share this with.
Then I got it.
I really did forget that for a brief moment I asked for a sign for me, but quickly thought that it was Patty that needed reassurance. But this little vignette was a message to me - from Ed's spirit. It was exactly what he would have done - heard the program and sent it on to those who would have loved the humor.
So thank you to my team, and to the Universe – it really does works in unbelievably amazing ways.
And thank you to Ed. He has helped me to reflect and realize that even if we deal with serious matters in our day, we all need balance – and that comes from finding and embracing the funny stuff that comes across our desk or in our inbox, or sometimes – on the radio. And when we find that levity – or it finds us - we need to share it with those that we care about and know that they’d not only appreciate but possibly even need the lift at that moment.
Ed, I will continue to ask and watch for your messages of humor and goodwill and will pass it on to those I care about - with you in mind.
I thought I'd ask the team to keep an eye out for Ed and maybe - here's where it gets interesting - if possible just give me some kind of sign that he's there and everything is OK - but no - I quickly changed the request to give Patty some indication that Ed is in a better place, out of pain yet not out of touch. And that was it - I really do believe that once the request is made to the Universe, the next step is acceptance in belief.
Long trip to my destination and listening to CBC Radio 1 - thought the program was quite apropos in that it was dealing with a group of 4 people advanced in their years, where they had a strategy that allowed them to stay in their homes and avoid the eventual move to a nursing home.
Every morning they'd get up, open their blinds so each [they're all in eye sight of each other] could see that the others were OK, then get on the phone and do the rounds - so at the end they had verbal confirmation that the day was off to a good start. Not a bad strategy for those living on their own!
This particular episode was being narrated by one of the ladies in the group - her name was Marge and she is 88 years old. Her phone partner, Wally, always had a joke to tell - and Marge admitted they could be a tad off color - but not "too dirty" [her words - she was quite sweet, actually].
Recently Wally asked Marge why she - still vibrant at her age - didn't have a boyfriend. Laughing, she replied that she didn't need a boyfriend - she had her TV - gave her all the entertainment she needed, didn't talk back, and except for the odd "wack" on the side of the cabinet to straighten out the signal, was pretty low maintenance. As a matter of fact, she quite regularly referred to the TV as her boyfriend, to all - including her family - that knew her.
One day, her great-grandson is over visiting, Marge is in the living room watching TV - keeping it line with a few resounding smacks on the side of the cabinet - when a friend dropped by and asked the youngster if Marge was at home - to which he replied "Yes, she's in the living room, banging her boyfriend!"
Thought I was going to drive in to a ditch!
Now I’m not sure what was funnier - the actual punch line, delivered by the little lady, or the mental visual itself. The dilemma though, and the immediate accompanying sense of sadness, was the one person that I would shared this type of anecdote with, was Ed. He loved this stuff, and he had just as many, if not more, such stories to send out to his email list.
It stuck with me all day Friday and into Saturday, it just seemed to be that everyone I shared the experience with laughed, but it didn't resonate like it would have with Ed. I just felt it was so wrong that he was not here now to share this with.
Then I got it.
I really did forget that for a brief moment I asked for a sign for me, but quickly thought that it was Patty that needed reassurance. But this little vignette was a message to me - from Ed's spirit. It was exactly what he would have done - heard the program and sent it on to those who would have loved the humor.
So thank you to my team, and to the Universe – it really does works in unbelievably amazing ways.
And thank you to Ed. He has helped me to reflect and realize that even if we deal with serious matters in our day, we all need balance – and that comes from finding and embracing the funny stuff that comes across our desk or in our inbox, or sometimes – on the radio. And when we find that levity – or it finds us - we need to share it with those that we care about and know that they’d not only appreciate but possibly even need the lift at that moment.
Ed, I will continue to ask and watch for your messages of humor and goodwill and will pass it on to those I care about - with you in mind.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Men Can Fix Anything
Enjoy.
Thanks, Ed!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
God's Wife
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
All stories and anecdotes following are professed to be true. The winner was:
A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry..'
*********************************************
Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.
A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption, I was adopted..'
'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.
'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'
*********************************************
On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first- base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was 'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered with a smile.
'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.'
'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face...
'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.'
*********************************************
Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott.
Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.
On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me....'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'
*********************************************
An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.
A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'
'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,'was the boy's reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.
She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes..
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'
As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her.
'Are you God's wife?'
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
All stories and anecdotes following are professed to be true. The winner was:
A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry..'
*********************************************
Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.
A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption, I was adopted..'
'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.
'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'
*********************************************
On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first- base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was 'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered with a smile.
'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.'
'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face...
'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.'
*********************************************
Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott.
Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.
On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me....'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'
*********************************************
An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.
A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'
'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,'was the boy's reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.
She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes..
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'
As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her.
'Are you God's wife?'
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