Another Hole In My Heart

I have another hole in my heart now.  My friend John passed away at 1:45, January 20 while listening to Magical Mystery Tour on his play list.

I know there are many people feeling the loss today. John was a wonderful son, brother, and a friend to many.  I know that I didn't know him as well as most, but I still considered him my friend and a good man.  

From what I know of John through our conversations, I find it totally appropriate that he left us during Magical Mystery Tour.  I know I will never hear that song again without smiling and thinking of John.

RIP my friend.  

Roll up, roll up for the magical mystery tour, step right this way.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up (AND) THAT'S AN INVITATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up TO MAKE A RESERVATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
The magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away,
Waiting to take you away.

Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up GOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, roll up for the mystery tour.
The magical mystery tour is hoping to take you away,
Hoping to take you away.

A mystery trip.

The magical mystery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up (AND) THAT'S AN INVITATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up TO MAKE A RESERVATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
The magical mystery tour is coming to take you away,
Coming to take you away.
The magical mystery tour is dying to take you away,
Dying to take you away, take you today.

A Difficult Week

A friend entered hospice this week.  I met him through Loni.  I have actually only seen him face to face once, but we have sent messages back and forth of the years and I don't think I am wrong when I call him friend.

Today's news is he only has hours left.  He fought a brave fight against sarcoma.  He was actually treated through the same clinic as Raymond at M.D. Anderson.  That is why I ended up meeting him.  Before he made his first extended trip I had lunch with him and gave him some notes and ideas of what it was like to be a patient there.  

He is loved by many, and will be missed probably more than he ever expected.

My heart goes out to the family.  Having gone through this process, I know what they are facing.  

 

I know it has been hard on Loni too.  They were good friends.  

Yes, a most difficult week.

Randy, the Blues Man

My friend Randy is playing in a band again.  Wild Sage Blues Band.  Playing music makes him really happy.  I love the song he wrote for me.  

I am still disturbed by the person in the band Mina thought was Randy. I am going to take this opportunity to remind Mina she is not that much younger than I am, and therefore, that man she picked out was way too old to have been my high school boyfriend.  Yes, Randy is older than me, but only by 3 years.  That other man looks like he might have about 15 years on me.

Baloney Moon

Saturday night Loni, Kathleen, Brenda and I went to see Baloney Moon at Banter in Denton, TX.  My oldest and his girlfriend met us there.  

Cindy Maloney is one of Kathleen's friends and the lead singer.  Cindy can belt out a song.  They sang mostly their own songs, but there were some old favs in there too.  Van Morrison's Moondance, one of my happy songs, and Chain of Fools (Aretha made it famous, but I like Cocker's version).

It was a fun evening.  I would definitely go see Baloney Moon again.

Hear Baloney Moon:

The Bridge
 The Bridge

Unwound

 Unwound

I have a friend that calls me "his little buddy."  I know he means it as a term of endearment, but it makes me want to start humming the theme to "Gilligan's Island."  Sometimes I have to really bite my lip because I know he would not appreciate the sentiment.

Weepy Day

I had one of those days where everything just made me cry.  

A good friend told me some really bad news this morning, and of course she and I cried together over how we are powerless to do anything to solve the problem.

I saw two of my favorite seniors after several weeks and they have gone so far down hill in such a short time that I had to go cry over that for a while.  

One of my co-workers told me bad news, so we had to cry together.  

Then I listened to a song and it made me cry.

I think I need to drink about a gallon of water tonight to replenish all I lost today.  

 

I Usually Know

When I love you, I usually know when things are not quite right.  Loni is well aware that I don't miss much when it comes to picking up on little things with the people I love, she says it is a "Mama thing."

I may choose not to mention that I know something is not right. I may choose to delay mentioning that I know, or I may get right in your face about it, but I usually know.  I determine how to act by judging the situation against the person.  Like with my youngest, you have to be careful with him because you can shut him down completely if you react to fast.  With another friend I have to make sure they have analyzed the situation a little for themselves before I start talking asking them about how they are handling things.

I have been burned in the last couple of years by caring too much and being direct about that caring, so I am more cautious than I was in the past.  There are some that I have learned to keep my mouth shut around.

The phone rang a little while ago and it was a friend pretending all was good, but I knew things were bad.  I could tell by the tone of voice and I could tell by the words they chose to speak to me.  I let them know I could tell things were very wrong.  They laughed me off, but I knew.  

I received a message a few minutes ago from this friend telling me that they were "In a bad way."  I told them I knew and asked what I could do to help.  Unfortunately, I cannot help them but they said they were glad I could tell.  Sometimes knowing someone cares about you enough to know when something is wrong is all it takes to bring a little comfort.  

My Heart is Heavy

My heart is heavy from some of the news I have received this week.

One of my high school friends that I have been conversing with every day had an MRI today.  He went for a check up last week and the doctor ordered an x-ray of his stomach.  That night the doctor called him at home and said they needed further tests immediately.  My friend called me to talk about it.  His entire family has died of cancer and he was freaked out.  We talked for a long time about his fears and how to handle the next step, which was getting the MRI. He had the MRI today and hopes to find out the results tomorrow.  I am hoping it is not cancer, but I am concerned about some of the things he has told me. This man is alone in life.  I hate that for him. It is difficult to get through any illness when you are alone, but I cannot imagine going through a potentially terminal illness with no support system. Of course I will be there for him, but I am 836 miles away.  

Another friend did not get good news from his recent visit to MD Anderson.  He goes to the same clinic Raymond was a patient in, so in my heart I have always known that some day the news would not be good, but I hate it for him. My prayers for him are continuous.

I have other friends suffering with health issues right now, but these are the two that are weighing my heart down tonight.  

Spring Break 2012

Since we have the big trip to Alaska coming up, I was not able to take any days off during the boys Spring Break, but I enjoyed it very much.

It took a little getting used to having people back in the house full time, especially the sounds after I would go to bed, but once the initial impact was over it was fun.  

I will admit there were a couple of nights when the family wanted to smack the oldest, but after that everything was like old times.

Of course having the boys in the house also means having their friends in the casa, which always makes Mama happy.  

Unfortunately two of my favorite boys couldn't be here over Spring Break and I had to mourn them a little.  The one is in the army and the other couldn't make the trip home from Butler.  I have gotten used to the army boy being gone, but this would have been the last Spring Break with the Butler boy.  He will graduate in May and most likely end up in New York, or some place else far away.  That is going to break my heart a little.

I am blessed to have such wonderful children in my life, both by blood and through friendship.

Congratulations Friend!

Marie is a grandma again!  YEAH!  Oh yeah, Bill is a grandpa again, mustn't forget him.

Everyone is well, except Grandma needs tissues.

My Twin

Sometime in the summer of 2011 I took a phone call from a woman at work and we immediately had a connection.  My conversation with this stranger lasted about 30 minutes and it was an instant bond. Since that phone call I have met the woman and she has become a dear friend. 

We also believe we must be twins. As we get to know each other we just keep learning how much we are alike.  We found out last week that our first jobs were in the same field.  When she went home to tell her husband his response was something like "Why are you two surprised?  I'm not any more."

Today at lunch she asked me to name my favorite all time book.  Easy answer for me "Jane Eyre,  I read it or part of it once a year."  She just sat and stared at me. Her husband is right, why are we surprised at this point.  Her favorite book, reads it at least once a year, or pulls out parts of it.

Our other discussion at lunch today was how to find me a man.  I told her she might as well pick me one out because she pretty much knew what I wanted.  We then had a 20 minute conversation on what traits I would be looking for, and she had them down pat.  

She even has a bad shoulder.  

Music to My Ears

I have a friend that hasn't had a lot to laugh about lately.  

I am pleased to say that I was able to tickle my friend so much tonight that he could not catch his breath.  It was music to my ears to hear his laughter. 

Of course the laughter was at my expense, but that is okay, it was long and hard and at the end he thanked me.

I hope he finds laughter every day from this day forward, but not always at my expense.

RED Opens February 3

This fabulous teapot is by my friend Kathleen Becherer and will be part of the RED exhibit, opening reception February 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Gallery 8680, Frisco, TX. I am so excited for her!

 

Hello Old Friend

Thanks to Facebook I have reconnected with another old friend.

Actually, this old friend was the reason I first set up an account with FB.  He was one of my closest friends in high school.  No, we never dated, we never wanted to mess up the friendship.  

I used to be able to keep up with him through my parents, but then they moved out of KY.  Then my in-laws would give me updates from time to time, but those updates ended years ago when my friend changed jobs and my in-laws did not cross paths with him.  

He did not have a FB account until the last week of October, and even though I am FB friends with his sister and cousin, I was not able to get any information about his life.  

Now we check in with each other to see how things are going.  He is happily married and a grandfather of 6.  I am thrilled that he is having a good life, because he has had some tragedy in his past.  

I feel very blessed to have reconnected with him.  It is nice to have someone that remembers you when you were younger.  A friend that, after all these years, still cares and knows that our friendship was special then and is special now.  

Hello old friend, I'm so happy to have found you again.

Rose-Mary Rumbley Luncheon

Today was the annual UMW Luncheon and Speaker at work.  Rose-Mary Rumbley was the speaker, lunch was catered from Elke's Market Cafe.

I enjoy these annual events, and I knew today's would be good because I was going to be joined by my friends Laurie and  Melinda.

There were 58 women there today, many of them my friends.  As I took time to look around the room before the program started, I couldn't help but take pride in how many of the women there I consider to be my friend.  Then as I started to look at each friend and think about our friendship, I took pride in the fact that I have friends in their 20's all the way up to friends in their 90's. I LOVE THAT!

I am truly blessed to have all these friends. (Has nothing to do with wanting to live in Hermitville.)

I was also blessed to win a door prize today.  A ceramic fern vase in GREEN!!! It was obviously meant to be mine considering how well it goes in my house. Laurie won part of the centerpiece, a flowering cactus.

The only downfall on my part was Marcia's Mexican Wedding Cookies.  I never eat them because they are a food trigger for me, but I splurged today, and before the 2 hours were over, I had  8 of them.  That is why I never eat them when she brings them to church.  They are just too good!

Please Pray

If you are reading this, please take a moment to pray for my friend Marie.  She will be having repeat medical tests in a couple of weeks, and we would like different results from the last tests.  

I will be in constant prayer for her. 

Thank you.

Very Dear Friend

I have a very dear friend named Marie. 

I don't get to spend a lot of time with Marie, but I cherish every minute I do spend with her. 

Today we had a belated birthday lunch to celebrate her recent birthday.  I made her some pink coasters, since I know she likes the color.  

I hope she will think of me when she uses them, or when she throws them away.  It doesn't matter to me what people do with the things I give them once they are theirs.  (Except, I still won't make Loni the Halloween quilt she wants because I know she will display it all year, and that is just wrong.)

My Friend Laura Made Me a Purse

My friend Laura made this purse for me using fat quarters.  It is really cute.

A Day with Friends

I am still on driving restrictions, only work and back, since work is so close to my home. 

On April 15, the youngest had a closed weekend and had to come home, and I had to find a way to get him here.   I decided to call my friend Kathy to see if she would like to make a day of going to get him since we have been talking about doing that for two years now so she could see Recycled Books in Denton.  She was available and said she would love to go, so I called our friend Laura to see if she would like to go with us.  Laura took a little more convincing, but she finally agreed.  Laura is not into used bookstores.

The girls arrived at 9:00 A.M. on the 15th, a very, very windy day.  We left with Kathy driving my van and started our adventure.  

Our first stop was The Spotted Leopard in Cross Roads.  A jewelry and gift shop owned and operated by two women.  I have wanted to stop there for a couple of months and had not had the time.  It was a delightful store and we had fun looking at everything and talking to Heidi.  I bought a blingy large green flower ring, a turtle ring, and a green bracelet.  Kathy picked up several small things for daughter.

The next stop was Minding My P&Q's Quilt Shop.  We roamed around in the shop and I made a purchase of some fabric, and Kathy bought some notions for her daughter.  Laura picked up some ideas for a purse she wants to make.

Recycled books was the next stop on our journey. Kathy was thrilled, and I do mean thrilled with the store.  She immediately found a calligraphy book she had been looking for, and many others.  Laura and I stayed in the quilt books. She found one book she wanted, and I found three.  It was a lot of fun and we were all enjoying ourselves. Although I must admit when Laura and I were sitting on the old lemon and gold shag carpet so we could seen underneath the albums to look at craft books, I could have done without her comment of how she hoped we didn't get bed bugs or anything like that from the carpet.  I itched for hours after that comment.  Thanks Laura.

After the bookstore we moved on to the Antique Mini Mall since we were on the square.  I should say the wind blew us to the Antique Mini Mall.  By the time we left the bookstore the wind was truly so strong that we had no choice but to run or be blown down.  It takes a strong wind to move a heavy girl like me but in the tunnels of those downtown streets, that wind had no problem lifting me off my feet.  Kathy found some things in the mini mall, and Laura tried on some rings.  I was just happy to look for things for them.  

Once we finished up at the mini mall, it was time to pick up the youngest.  Once he was loaded into the van it was off to Wendy's for lunch and then home.  On the way back, Laura wanted to stop at the quilt store again to look at a book she had been eying.  Kathy and the youngest stayed in the van, but I ended up going in with Laura and of course making purchases, but when I got to the counter, Laura paid for my purchases as a birthday gift.  

Once back in the van it was a very windy ride home and upon arrival, the girls headed on to their homes.  

I had a great time with my friends, and I think they enjoyed themselves too.  I hope we can do a road trip again soon.  Maybe this summer when Gretchen is not working. 

 

Bless my Village

I really could not have gotten through this shoulder surgery without my village. 

Loni has been an angel, taking me to doctor's visits which is about a three hour process since his office is so far from the house.  Staying at the surgery center an entire day waiting on me.  Helping me change clothes, changing my bandages, folding laundry, taking out the garbage and recycling, bringing me food, etc.  She also will be removing the last of my staples soon.

My boys were good to help me while they were home on Spring Break.

Mina brought food and friendship, along with a bobble head turtle. 

Kathy brought a full meal and took me down to sign up for PT and will be taking me to PT tomorrow.

Cindy brought a meal.  

Laura brought me one of her wonderful burritos and fruit salad.

I have had lots of visitors.  

Cards have been arriving.

I could not have gotten through this all by myself.  There is no way. 

Thank you village!