My friends and family are like a bouquet of flowers. Each flower adds it’s own bright spot of color and scent to the bouquet. I spend some time now each day in quiet reflection. A face or a memory will come into view in my mind’s eye and I smile at each happy thought.
I’ll be floating in the pool with my Library Ladies, and listening to their feisty, passionate conversations. We would discuss everything from the Catholic Church to world travels, and how the kids were all doing.
I’ll be back at Glenbard South, during my lunch period, listening to a description of a sporting event; told by one of the, “oh so funny” coaches, that has us all laughing so hard we are almost crying.
I’ll be at the annual summer luncheon for World Literature readers enjoying a book discussion while we sample food from foreign lands. I especially remember a vegetarian stew, which included 12 different vegetables that my family loved, but I vowed I’d never make again. (Try cutting up a pumpkin for stew sometime!)
I enjoyed so many long lunches or dinners with girlfriends at area restaurants. The waiters were always too polite to ask us to leave when we hit the two-hour mark. How I enjoyed the catching up stories about your families.
Happy thoughts of the happy hours with the library crew at the restaurant in Lombard where we could let our hair down and laugh about life and high school kids.
My many visits to Kiddieland, (good-bye dear Kiddieland) were wonderful. The joy of watching small children so happy and carefree and all the free pop you can drink, imagine! You were the last of the cheesy, small –time amusement parks and I hated to hear you were closing.
Oh, I think of and all the fun with our neighbors. I pass your houses or former houses and remember the good times we shared. From the bed races, to bowling, to the kids’ sporting events, parties, outings, trips to Fiddlers during the Last Fling, etc. Twenty years ago, Fran organized dinners for my family while I recovered from surgery and the side effects of a very serious blood clot. I’ve never forgotten your kindness.
I think of the Garfield Park observatory this spring when I just had to see something in bloom or go crazy!
I was thinking of my work experiences, so happy to be spending all of my time working with books and computers. To quote Steve Martin, “And I get paid for doing this?” I’d talk about books I loved and wanted to share with other readers, what a life!
I’ve enjoyed all of your reading recommendations to me. Even in these dark days, I’m enjoying your book picks, one by one. (p.s. I’ll be doing a book talk next week!) My hospice nurse is amazed that I am always reading a new book when she arrives on Monday and Thursday.
I think of all my correspondence with a good friend; who shares my outrage at the disrespect shown in modern society. We could vent for hours about it all. I just love our discussions about something beyond cancer.
I think of time spent with some of my favorite cousins. We laugh over old family stories and all our childish escapades as kids. We reminisce about our folks who are all gone now.
My children, we laugh and cry together these days. Sorry to be ending our journey together; but grateful we still have some time to share our happy memories and laugh together. Family skit night, our gospel Christmas brunch in August, and text messages after the Bears games.
For Pat and I, our time alone is precious now. Often it’s too hard to speak and we just hold each other tenderly.
Oh, and my dear in-laws and outlaws. We’ve been through a lot together. I never would have survived those hours in the waiting room at Good Sam while Pat underwent his surgery without your love and support.
I am so proud of each of my nephews and nieces and I delight hearing from them and seeing all of the new pictures of their children growing up. So many happy years of birthday parties, weddings, sporting events, family picnics and swim parties.
I thank God for each of you in my life, and all of our times together. I’ve been blessed with so many good times that my life is like a beautiful memory bouquet, tied together with a ribbon of the laughter we’ve shared.
I lost some ground this week. Trips around the block are now by wheelchair. I can still get downstairs to get some fresh air outside. After a week of not eating, my #1 craving was frozen (thawed) strawberries and syrup over peaches. I received a new morphine patch on Thursday and have had the munchies every since. Betsy swears there is something a little more than morphine in this patch J