Thankful

This year I decided to make a list of the perhaps lesser thought of people and things for which I am thankful on our national day of Thanksgiving.  I am quite thankful for my beautiful daughters, loving husband who puts up with me, and my brothers, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, and nieces and nephews, also my surviving aunts and uncles. What follows is a list of some of my other thanks.

-the lovely, fun, fabulous, hardworking, loving women I work with.  They make every work day pleasurable.

-Jackie who takes care of Hillary at school every day. 

-the chiropractor without who’s expertise, knowledge, interventions and guidance I would be most uncomfortable to say the least.

-my favorite pharmacy technician.

-having a “merry heart” and Helen Hooven Santmeyer who introduced me to that term in her book “And Ladies of the Club”.

-my smart-aleck phone which allowed me to keep in touch during our 8 day power outage following
“Superstorm Sandy”.

-the members of my writers group. 

-my Facebook friends who enjoy my nearly daily status rhymes.

-electricity & heat.

-the opportunity to share my story of caregiving with a live audience last summer.

-Alexandria Bay, NY (SIGH)

-NCIS and The Mentalist reruns

-butterflies

-free pie

-the freedom to write whatever I want without fear of repercussion

-fond memories, and funny memories

-curbside garbage pick up

-the random scraps of songs that float through my head and cause me to hum throughout the day

-readers

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Oh my dear Readers! I've been neglecting my little blog here--life's been busy and this old body gets tired easily these days.  The past two weeks have been a bit crazy what with Sandy the Superstorm the size of Europe attacking my dear home state and knocking out our power and internet for the better part of 2 weeks.  Man, I don't like being cold and in the dark for long stretches of time!  I pray that I will never end up homeless, because I can't imagine being that cold all the time, and wondering where I was going to sleep and eat.  Having said that, I wanted to share a little bit of a light very short story I wrote for the last time we were able to hold our writers group (we missed the last one because of Sandy, and still the library is without power which makes me sad).  Hopefully we'll have one in December.  At any rate, the writing prompt was: "Panhandling can be fun...."  I wrote the story as if I were a newspaper reporter, hopefully you'll find it a pleasurable read.
**I made up the name, sorry if there is a real person with that name**

Panhandling Can be Fun

                by Susan Donald

            In a recent interview with Jesse Williams, the so called “Happy Pan Handler”, I learned what lies behind his happiness.  His main mission is to have fun and spread merriment wherever he goes.  He can usually be found at the corner of “Walk” and “Don’t Walk” in front of the “Coffee Place Café” during daylight hours, except on Sundays.  “I take the Lord’s Day off”, he said, “To be thankful for all the blessings I have.”  When questioned about his strategies for keeping begging from getting him down, he willingly shared some tips.

            “Only ask folks who look like they might need something to brighten their day.  Not the ones who look hostile, just maybe the ones who look a little down in the dumps.  Usually they’re uplifted by helping someone less fortunate than them.”

            “Sing some silly songs or make little rhymes to thank people when they give a little something.  That way it doesn’t feel so much like a hand out, gives me some pride, makes them smile.”

            “Sometimes I offer to carry their bags, or pick a flower and give it to them.  That really opens up the wallet and makes them feel good about helping me.”

            “Just telling a lame little joke brightens their day and they usually show their appreciation with a bit of money, or sometimes a sandwich and cup of coffee.  Some folks just smile and nod and hand me a dollar.”

            Jesse just has an appreciation of life stemming from a life changing event several years ago when he lost his job, his home, and his family.  Even though he was really down for a while, he says one day he realized that he has only one life to live no matter where he resides or how much he has, he wants to make people glad to be alive.  So the next time to you see The Happy Panhandler, give him a smile, and if you’re feeling generous, a dollar or two.  It’ll make your day.

 

Thoughts on a Wednesday Evening

~Tomato soup and grilled cheese, mac & cheese, bread pudding—just some of the most comforting foods on Earth.

~Don’t say you’ll “never” do something because one day you might find yourself doing and enjoying the thing you said you wouldn’t.

~I’m enjoying watching baseball (Yankees) so much that I don’t know what I’ll watch when the season ends. This is a new activity for me. (see the previous thought!)

~I think the papers have won, and I need a secretary.

~2012 has not been my favorite year.

~Changes in friendships are inevitable as we all continue to grow and evolve.

~I think my smart aleck phone and I have come to an understanding—at least for now.

~Halloween is an odd “holiday”.

~Sometimes the best thing you can do is just show up and smile; the rest will fall into place.  This applies to about 80% of life.

~Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you get what you need, and sometimes you get what you get.

About September 14th

Today my baby turned 20.  It’s a happy day.  It’s a bittersweet day.  It’s an emotional day.  Special days are always a double edged sword where Hillary is concerned.  I’m happy she is still here on this Earth and not yet in Heaven.  Every visit with her neurologist for the past few years has started the same way—with Dr. G. sitting across from Hillary smiling, beaming, looking from her to me and saying, “Well, she’s still here.  She looks wonderful.”  Could I ask for a better doctor for my daughter?  He’s the only neurologist we’ve ever taken her to.  If you knew everything the diagnosis of Aicardi Syndrome entails you’d understand his attitude.   Most children with the syndrome don’t make it to their 20^th birthday.  Yes, I am grateful for every birthday we get to celebrate with Hillary.  Yet, it’s a difficult day for me.  First is the gift.  This is one thing that just drives home the fact that she is not like her peers.  There is not a gift that will make her smile with pleasure, except perhaps a bouquet of Mylar balloons.  I know it’s not about the gift.  I do, but she deserves gifts just as much as any other family member.  So we buy her gifts, new outfits, new shoes, lotions, and most things you would expect to purchase for a age girl she is.  Unlike her sister, who is excited by gifts and shows it, Hillary doesn’t appear to care much, except for the balloons.  So I wonder, is it about her, or about my feelings?  Is there a part of me trying to pretend she is not the way she is?  Or do I just want to do what is typical in case she truly understands so she won’t feel slighted?  Perhaps the other gifts do really make her happy, she just doesn’t or can’t show it, or perhaps I feel like her soul knows and appreciates our efforts.

She had a fun day at school.  The chorus sang happy birthday to her during class, I brought in cupcakes for her regular class and they had a little party for her after lunch.  She so much enjoys being around her peers.  She brought home a gift from her “school mom”, her aide.  It was a beautiful outfit.  Once at home, things were quiet.  We were the only two here most of the afternoon.  I gave her the balloons, which I knew would be her favorite gift and bring a smile, and we opened the card and gift she brought home.  There was an e-card from an aunt and uncle which she watched on my computer, and we went outside to wait for my husband to arrive home.  It was getting late for her, she is so tired by dinner time.  After a quick dinner we lit the candles on the cake and sang the happy birthday song.  She enjoyed looking at the candles, trying to touch them, but I am careful to hold the cake just out of her reach.  Cake and ice cream and then off to bed with her; she’ll open her gifts tomorrow.  She’ll appreciate them more when she’s not exhausted.

  I didn’t finish this post that day, so I continue it now.  Saturday we went to the mall, something Hillary enjoys.  We stopped in where her sister works to say hello.  My husband and I opened her gifts with her later in the day.  She didn’t seem impressed; in fact, she seemed a bit angry that we were blocking her toy with her gifts.  She’s a funny girl!  I’m sure she’ll enjoy watching the movies we gave her, and the sweater will keep her warm.  On Sunday, she received her sister’s gifts.  Her favorite was the pair of lined moccasins.  She smiled when they were put on her feet.  Later we took her to dinner at Cracker Barrel, where she enjoyed the double chocolate coca cola cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

I’d have to say that Hillary had a nice birthday.  Some things I know she liked, and some I’m not sure.  I think she knows that she is loved, and that’s the very best gift we could ever give her.  I survived without too much emotion.  On to the next emotional mine field……er, holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Music

The sound track of my summer is different from the soundtrack of my work year, which is September to June.  During the work year I listen to one certain station on the radio in the morning that I can count on to keep me on track with time updates, and I’ve listened to it for so long that I really know what time it is instinctively by what song they are playing or whether they are doing a traffic update, an interview, or whatever programming is on.  Sometimes in the afternoon or evening I’ll listen to a CD or a music station on the TV.  But July and August are times that I listen to different radio stations and go to live performances.

               In the summer we go to fairs, festivals, and free outdoor concerts.  My favorite thing to do at a fair or festival is check out the musical performances.  This year I have three favorites, and they are eclectic choices.

               In June we went to a Scottish festival and the second we approached the field I was captivated by a lone piper surrounded by 5 drummers, it was Albannach, a Scottish band.  The massed bands is always powerful, so many pipe bands all playing the same song marching toward you in a block is an awesome thing, but the performance by Albannach  just fascinated me.  They are primal, and wild, and different than any other band I’d ever seen.  Needless to say I have one of their CD’s and occasionally check them out on Youtube.

               Every year we go to the local 4-H fair, and my favorite thing to do is hang out in the coffee house tent.  If I’m lucky we go on the day that Scott Hallock is performing.  We first saw him a few years ago, and something about his acoustic guitar and bluegrass style speaks to me. Primarily I’m a soft rock/pop music fan.  The first time we saw this performer at the fair he was singing a song he wrote about his grandfather.   Whether he’s covering a song like “Ode to Billy Jo” or singing an original song I look forward to seeing him every year.  He can also be seen on Youtube.

                Most recently, on our last night of vacation in Alexandria Bay, NY, we attended a free concert in the town park.  We didn’t know what to expect of the “Country Stompers”, but we picked up some sandwiches for dinner and headed off to the park.  It turns out that the band is local, has “groupies” who follow them from performance to performance, and are all over 70!  They were fantastic, playing covers of classic country western music from the Merle Haggard, Sr. era.  The groupies were dancing, and they even had a segment where the band called a square dance.  We were treated to watching the groupies square dancing, and all through the concert the audience, (my hubby and I included!) got up to dance.   A sing-along portion included “Roll Out the Barrel”, and they ended with “God Bless America” and all the groupies (mostly women of the same age as the band, I suspect) stood, holding hands with their arms raised as we all sang along.   Sadly, the “Country Stompers” are not on Youtube.  I think that may have been my favorite performance of the summer.

               In a couple weeks I’ll be back to the same old radio station and soft rock/pop, but in my head I can listen to any of these live performances any time I want.