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Showing posts from May, 2017

Flowers, Flags and Friends

I write this post smack in the middle of Memorial Day Weekend.  We, like so many Americans, enjoy grilled food on the back deck.   We notice the American flags secured proudly on front lawns and in the parks.  We bow our heads and give thanks for the sacrifice others gave so we can be a free nation.  We celebrate our freedom. Another kind of memorial Tom and I changed from our jeans and t-shirts into dressier clothes and drove into town yesterday afternoon.  He mentioned during the drive to the funeral home that we have spent several weekends attending memorials in the last months.   I balanced the pasta salad on my lap that I prepared for the reception after the service, and we lamented the passing of yet another good friend, our chiropractor, Danny.  It touched Tom and I deeply that the family invited us to the intimate service as well as the public one.  We joked that they better choose a place like the county fairgrounds for that one to hold all the people Danny loved

Sunday Afternoon in the Park

My eight year old granddaughter saves her money.  During my last visit, I noticed three full piggy banks in her room.  Recently, she invested her money in a tablet and now the rest of us had to get the AP for our phones so we could chat with her.  Her father scrutinizes her contacts so it’s safe and fun. In the past week I received a photo she took of her three year old sister sticking her tongue out, a drawing for me telling me how much she missed me and lots of answers to my questions about school. A chat that touched me deeply described last Sunday when their family went to Balboa Park after church.  They ate a picnic lunch and then visited the International Cottages.  I’ve been to the cottages on prior trips to San Diego and enjoyed my granddaughter's perspective about them.   I’ll showcase some of their photos along with some of my memories to explain the International Cottages that the park features. This first photo is a collage of Sookie now compared to

Wishing Mother’s Day Looked Different

This Mother’s Day doesn’t look exactly like I want it to.  We’ve been told that my sis has just weeks to live.   She’s still in a Chicago hospital and has survived a blood clot, infection, seizure and mini stroke this week. My daughter, Amy, came over for breakfast during the week and we searched my stash for just the right tablecloth for her mother-in-law’s memorial scheduled for this Mother’s Day Weekend.  We were both sad. I decided to serve our scrambled eggs on my mom’s Franciscan dishes that morning complete with my lace tablecloth and inherited silverware.  I am learning that creative centerpieces are a springboard to interesting conversation, hence the old photos.  That’s when our breakthrough came.  As we held each photo, we realized how blessed we are with the moms, grandmas and aunties that have sprinkled our lives.  We belong to a loving family and God has also blessed us with loving friends. We are thankful people.  My pastor said it well when she reminded

Family Tree Surprise

Ancestral studies rarely enticed me, that is until now!  My granddaughter, Sookie, created a family tree for her classroom assignment.   Emails between our families flew back and forth this week as she gathered information to complete her homework.   That’s when we discovered a surprise. Eight years ago, my daughter, Sookie’s mom, declared during her pregnancy that if she delivers a girl, her name will be Susanna and we’ll call her Sookie for fun.   We learned this week that my husband’s great grandmother’s name was Susanna, spelled like our Susanna’s with an “s”, the Hebrew version.  I wish I knew more about her!   Why such a strong urge on my daughter’s part for that particular name? But that’s not all. When my daughter expected her second baby, she declared:  “If it’s a boy, I really think we should name him Samuel.” Now I Have the Chills We learned this week that great grandmother Susanna married great grandfather, Samuel!  We remarked that these inclination