Ramblings...

I like to read. Sometimes I don't take time to read as much as I'd like. Other times, I feel guilty about "just sitting and reading" rather than being outside and doing something "productive." So, I try to find a happy-medium to my reading times. I have read several interviews from some of my favorite authors, over the years, and have always been a bit curious when they talk about the writing process. I am always surprised to read that while they have an outline and supportive materials and research to back-up their outlines, they don't usually know, with absolute certainty, how their characters are going to come to life within the pages of their books.

As I opened this page to write a post, I have no idea what the heck I'm going to write...I could tell you about Haime's recent oral surgery, but there's not much to tell other than, if the ability to follow recovery instructions were a test of one's survival abilities or part of some test for advancement, Haime would never be allowed to leave the house without being completely encased in a giant bubble! You see, in addition to the normal "do's and don'ts" that you'd expect, Haime was instructed to "not talk." WHAT?! Haime not talk? HA! Haime talks ALL THE TIME! (OK, he doesn't really talk in his sleep, all the time). Haime talks to the television, to the dog, to himself, to me, or just to hear himself talk. You know those "companionable silences" that Hollywood sometimes identifies in movies or that we find ourselves in with most of our close friends and relatives? Haime and I don't have those...he is just never silent. So, he talked to me, to the attendant who wheeled him out to the car, to the radio, to the traffic, to the...OK, you get the picture. All that was just on the way home. The only time he was actually quiet was when he was knocked unconscious from the pain meds...he was encouraged to take pain meds...he was a very happy Haime. 

Then again, I could tell you about a funeral I attended today. The funeral was for the wife of one of the most honorable men I know. I had the privilege of working with Mike for about 3 1/2 years. He is honest, dedicated, a gentleman, a scholar, trustworthy and one of those truly good men. He and Belinda were married for over 39 years. According to Mike, the reason their marriage survived his years in the military; and the pain of losing a daughter, their only child, to cancer; and the "stupid things" that he sometimes did; was because Belinda would have it no other way. 

Belinda developed breast cancer. 

She and I went to lunch a couple of months ago and I had a wonderful time with her. We talked a little bit about her disease but mostly, we talked about her support systems. She talked about how her sister was her constant. She said that her sister either came to visit her and do things for her everyday or, at the very least, phoned several times during the day to see if there was anything she could do for Belinda. Belinda also talked about Mike. She said, you know, Mike is not the easiest man to live with. According to Belinda, Mike is very particular about (almost) everything and has very specific expectations about (almost) everything. BUT, Mike was her rudder, her anchor, and the love of her life. She talked about how gentle and loving and caring he was for her. They were more than a team, they were a unit. 

Today's funeral was beautiful and moving and terrible and wonderful, all at the same time. One other thing that Belinda and I talked about at lunch, however, helped me get through it. She talked about a support group that she attended and that one of the leaders of the group had asked her if she was in need of any anti-depressant medication. Belinda said she asked why she would and was told that some people with cancer contemplate suicide as they fight the disease. Belinda, a woman of such strength and faith said, "I lost my daughter to this disease and I know she is in heaven. I live my life in such a way that I know I will see my daughter again, no, I do not need any anti-depressants." WOW! Heaven welcomed an angel home.

I think that's all I want to write about for now. 

Please tell all those you love, that you love them every chance you get.

Until next time, 

I love you.

Lois  

A Day for Making Memories...

Today, most of you celebrated Valentines Day, or marked its passing, or begrudged Hallmark's insensitivity, or something....Well, Haime and I did that too; however, we also celebrated the fact that we've marked off another year of our life sentence together! WOW-TO-THE-WOW!!!  Who woulda thunk it? Okay, if you think a Valentines Day anniversary is sappy, just wait...we were married in Las Vegas...no Elvis (real or impersonated), was not there. This year, we waited too long to make reservations for dinner so we decided to celebrate with "the kids." Chip, Mallory, Carter, Reece and Chelsea joined us for dinner at our house. We had a great time! Actually, we had a wonderful day.

You might remember in an earlier post, that Haime believes all Thursdays are good...Thursdays are his "no way in hell I'm missing" golf days. So, true to his philosophy, Haime golfed today. That was actually fine with me because I spent the day with Mr. Wonderful...Carter. We had an amazing time. After hanging out together in the garden this morning, Carter and I went to a nearby park. After leaving the park, we went to my mom's house and delivered some roses to her for Valentines. Then, the three of us went to a different park for lunch and some fun. And what fun it was! While I watched mom and Carter, through my camera, I was filled with such love for both of them that it literally took my breath away. Carter's joyous laughter and mom's love, pride and her own joy were just impossible to capture accurately here. However, this afternoon was one of those times for me that I will never forget. 

As I mentioned earlier here, "the kids" joined us for dinner. Actually  Reece did the grilling and Mallory did the potatoes and I sipped champagne and made hor d'oeuvres and some veggies. As we were all gathered around the table, talking about nothing special, just being ourselves and (me wishing we could do this more often---like 5 times a week...OK, maybe just 3...) I sent up a prayer of thanks that we are so Blessed to have such love and respect for each other. Mostly, it's just such fun, as a mom, to see what cool adults my children have become...Yep, this was definitely a day for making memories.

TTFN, 

Lois

Beginnings: Long Live the Pope!

Beginnings: Long Live the Pope!: These are very interesting times, or as Ferris Bueller said: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, yo...

Long Live the Pope!

These are very interesting times, or as Ferris Bueller said: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."  Today, the world learned that for the first time in over 700 years, the Pope is resigning. Folks, let me just say, this is HUGE! I mean, this is so HUGE that I'm at a loss to find a HUGE-enough comparison. (No, it is not sacrilegious to have an image of Ferris Bueller before the Pope...GEEZ!)

OK, let me back up. Whether you are a Catholic or not, it is pretty much common knowledge that when a Pope is elected, he is elected to a "life-term;" at least, that's the way it's been done for about 2000 years (OK, there have been a couple of previous exceptions to this, but they have been extremely rare).  As most of you know, the Pope is elected by a group of "elector cardinals." (This could get a bit detailed, you may want to take a quick break to grab a beverage, I know I just did...).

Cardinals are actually "Pope-appointed bishops" (Compare this to Supreme Court justices: judges, appointed by the President). The "elector cardinals" must be <80, of sound mind and able to make the trip to Rome for the Pope selection/election. These Cardinals are locked into the Sistine Chapel, (The Chapel is amazingly beautiful. Even though it is most famous for the mural painted on the ceiling, all of the walls are painted with murals as well; with all of the images to look at, I'd be too distracted to pay attention to anything else that was going on...just saying!), while they deliberate, nominate, debate etc. before electing the new Pope.

OK, here's something you might not know...the Pope need not be a Cardinal, a bishop, nor even a priest. Under Canon law, any Catholic man in good standing, could be elected Pope. Yeah, well, good luck with that. Since the mid-1500's the Pope has been selected from among the Cardinals. (Let's face it, Catholic priests probably invented  "the good 'ole boy" thing...HA!) I think most of you are familiar with the notification process, once the Pope has been selected and elected, (it all goes up in smoke), so I'll stop here.

As a "cradle-to-grave" Catholic, I'm going to confess that I have a really hard time with many of the Catholic church's teachings and doctrines. In particular, (those of you who know me well will not be surprised), I have the hardest time with the Church's "no women allowed" policy with regard to women priests. I also find the priesthood celibacy issue ridiculous as well as the issues of birth control, and the anti-gay stand. I don't think I am in the minority on these issues but let me get back to the Pope's resignation...

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected Pope on April 19, 2005 (after his predecessor, Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005.)  His "Pope-name" is Benedict XVI. He announced today that he will resign, effective February 28, 2013. He says that he "no longer has the physical and mental strength" to do the job. To this I say, GOOD FOR YOU! I think it is important for all of us to know when to say when. Prior to my retirement, I often heard it said of "old-timers" that "they should have retired years ago." Meaning, that the person had lost their effectiveness or their ability to effectively perform the tasks and functions of their job. I can not fathom the amount of physical and mental strength and stamina it takes to serve as the "Spiritual Leader" for over 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide.  The Pope is in his 80s, good for him for recognizing his inability to effectively serve. For me, and I believe for most Catholics, our faith is not rooted in any one particular person, rather, it is ingrained into the fibers of our beings. Whether we regularly attend mass or not or whether we even find ourselves attending religious services at other Christian churches, we are a people of faith. We love our Father and his Son and his Spirit. We attempt to live our lives based on the Ten Commandments (and when we fail, as we do, we try to do better the next time). The Church will weather this issue and I sincerely pray that the next Pope will be up to the challenge.

TTFN,

Lois