Field of Hopes and Dreams

In honor of Memorial Day and all that it represents, a local parochial school sponsored the "Field of Hopes and Dreams" at a local public park. There were 1200 flags in perfect lines each with a tag that stated, 'This Flag is Dedicated to..." with the name supplied by people who purchased them in memory of deceased veterans as well as in honor of living veterans. I purchased three flags: one in memory of my brother Tommy [Navy] which will be waving at my house, one in honor of my brother Paul [Air Force] which he will have at his house, and the third flag will fly at my son's house in memory of his father[ Army].There was a very moving ceremony at 7 PM on Saturday with a color guard, speaker or two, a band, and taps. After the Memorial Day weeekend is over, you return to the park and take your flag[s] home to fly as a 'forever ' prayer for your loved ones.

What a meaningful way to celebrate the essence of the day! You were able to honor your personal veterans while taking the time to recognize the true meaning of this national holiday. The community hosted a ceremony, the school benefitted from the sale of the flags [as it was a fund raiser], and there are 1200 more flags flying in honor of 'the red, white, and blue.' Wahoo!

Our testament happened as a result of a woman who while driving through Waterloo, NY [the official birthplace of Memorial Day] came upon "A Field of Hopes and Dreams" and was in awe of its powerful statement. She spearheaded the project and headed a committee to make it happen locally, and one year later, the dream became a reality. What an example of 'If you see something great, make it happen again so that more people can become involved.' This event touched the lives of many people, and was so successful that I have heard rumors of it happening again next year. There were many people who wished that they had known about it so that they could purchase and honor their relatives and friends in the military [past or present]. I hope that it becomes a reality for next year, too.

And there you have it! The ball is in your court. Perhaps your town, or city would be receptive to this awesome ceremonial testament to our veterans...

And let us not forget that there is also Veteran's Day in November.

Thank you to all of the people who got involved and made this happen both locally and on a personal yet public level.

Thank you to the many veterans, and their families whose lives are forever touched by service on behalf of our country.

Are you a good witch...or a bad witch?

I'd like to think that I am a good witch, who occasionally likes to orchestrate...a practical joke ...now and then...for comedic relief...for sure!
These past few days, there's been a renewed effort to get the flowers and new trees planted and prep the rest of the grounds so that everything is 'looking good.' At about 11:30, the very pleasant Meals on Wheels {MOW} delivery volunteer dropped off the day's meal. I approached the refrigerator to keep the milk, juice, and dessert cold, and noticed that a fresh banana was 'treat de jour.'
At this point I must share that I volunteer at this Meals on Wheels enterprise, and have witnessed firsthand the ridiculous complaints and/or comments that people make about the food or service. [Both of which are excellent!!] And a practical joke suddenly seemed quite ap'peal'ing... [haha]
Oh right, back to the banana...
I dialed the MOW number, and when good buddie 'Bessie" answered the phone, I tried to disguise my voice and stated: "I'd like to speak to the person who thinks that a banana is a dessert!!"
There was a moment of silence.
And then she very uncharacteristically said..."One moment please!"
I couldn't believe it! She hadn't recognized my improvised accent!
Now, I couldn't wait to hear exactly where she had deflected the complaint to...
I recognized immediately that it was 'Kat' who was going to explain to me the dietary...nutrition...balanced...'blah, blah, blah info' that I already knew.
So I stopped her and told her it was me playing a joke on Bessie. As that was relayed to... 'She whose blood pressure was definitely on the rise', in the background I could hear,
"What?
Who is that? OMG! I can't believe it! Ya know...some people actually do complain about fruit as a dessert!"
Well, I knew that. Which is exactly why I instigated my little plan to incite....laughter.
Well, it worked. Wahoo! And so the names of the participants have been changed to protect the innocent [victims!!}.

It kind of reminded me of the time I called my elementary school's library assistant and posed as a Reader's Digest salesperson who wanted to sell her a subscription for the 'LARGE PRINT' version for the school to help kids who were having trouble reading.


Again, upon disclosure, some very, very, healthy laughter!

Tradition!

The earth laughs in flowers.

In that case, you could say that our local nursery was hysterical! [haha]

Actually, today we took the short road trip to the local nursery so that Mom could select this year's flowering basket. It has become a yearly tradition that addresses the welcoming of the warmth of spring, the beauty of the colorful flowers, and the active participation of our favorite 'flower picker-outer'... newest addition to our home. [That would be Flo...three years in August.] So many flowers...it was a difficult decision.

So we came home with 2 hanging baskets, and somehow...a wisteria jumped into the cart on the way to the checkout.

The red, white, and blue flowering basket is right outside the picture window hanging out with the bird feeders. The hummingbird feeder has been reattached to the window, and now we wait...all the while commenting:

"Those are beautiful flowers out there."

"You picked 'em out , Mom!

"I did?"

"And I must say that you've outdone yourself this year."

"Well, thank you very much!"

Motherdom!!!

Happy Motherdom Day to all...and being somewhat non-traditional at times, so are my thoughts about this title!

My mom, Flo, is the epitome of steadfast and unwavering love for her children...Paul and I are her biggest fans here on earth, and my brother Tommy is preparing the party of angels in the heavens for that time when their reunion will bring both lives full circle.

Mothers have very diverse personnas, and it is fate...chance...karma...you could call it destiny that places the mother/child duo together as a pair. That cannot be changed: such is life. Some mothers come by it naturally; some don't get it. Life is a learning experience, regardless of the mood of the lesson. Yet the role can be assumed in other ways by ' creating close ties' that inherently reflect 'mothering'.

Certainly adoptive mothers gain rights to 'Motherdom' [a relative of 'kingdom']. I know many people who have adopted children from within a family or from a different country. Some have done the legal paperwork; some have taken on motherdom because there was a child's needs which became front and center.

Foster mothers step up to help fill a void for children. Often a lifeline to a kid in crisis or family home in crisis, foster moms help troubled kids 'hold their ground'. Not an easy role due to the fact that often the kids come accompanied by a lot of baggage.
There are people who get drafted to the team. Mine is the mother on my 'sister by choice' [Janet]. I am child #10 in their family for 40+ years.

Teachers, especially elementary teachers, assume the daytime shift in guiding and nurturing 'our kids' as well as teaching the state's objectives and agenda. When you reflect on the fact that teachers spend more time within the child's waking hours than their parents, suddenly the power of this job is evident. Something that I took seriously, for sure.

Proxy Moms can be aunts, neighbors, day care providers, coaches, and/or angels who assume a caring nature with the little people who are in their charge. Adults, too, respond to a caring attitude as it reaches to the inner child in all of us. And while caring for Flo who is in her 90's, I see similarities in the sunset of life that are kindred to the earlier years.

Select secretaries can be the glue of the workplace solving various issues for many people in all kinds of scenarios. Our 'firing squad discreet' trustworthy school secretary was priceless and her 'motherdom' reached the employees, the children, the parents, and the general public...even the 'fixer' of the copying machine loved a call to our building!! All within Motherdom's reign.

As I write this, Amazing Grace, [adopted poodle who had already given birth to a litter of dachshunds...thereby making her a Mom], is giving my mom kisses which causes Flo to giggle and smile. They are quite the dynamic duo, and it is 'a beautiful thang'!!

And let us not forget Mother Nature. We would not survive without her, and yet her powers are awesome in both good and bad ways.

My personal and literal Mother's Day was the day when I got to see, hold, and smile at my son. A 'frozen in time' snapshot in my mind, especially since when I was up to my elbows in alligators [that would be hours of labor], I ...maybe... for a moment or two ...had lost the focus of the purpose at hand.

And then....there was Jer.

Presently, there may be an adopted daughter or two that I have chosen to add to my motherdom. I think that it is not necessarily a 'right of passage' [get it?] that bestows Motherdom; it is a state of mind.

So, Happy Motherdom Day Everyone! Share the love. It is not a private a club-everyone is welcome.

Teaching and childhood...

When I saw this quote, I knew that I had to post it along with a thought or two. This past week I have had three encounters with people where the conversation focused on teaching and/or kids in school.

The first round was with a volunteer at the hospital who has been a school volunteer in the same kindergarten classroom for many years. Last year, the teacher retired. My friend continued to volunteer, and is now shaking her head at how things have changed. The kindergarten kids were being pressed to sound out a word in an effort to spell it correctly on 3 different worksheets. She stated:

"A fine goal, but the kids don't know all of the letters yet...never mind their sounds. There is no naptime anymore...that 20 minutes is programmed to meet educational objectives. Whatever happened to playtime...recess...socializing with friends on the playground? "

There is not enough time.

I had to agree that in the last 10-15 years, being a kid in the classroom did not easily include many activities where the word 'happy' can be integrated. That is, unless the teacher could find a way to tap into the creative side of presenting those 'educational goals'. One cannot underestimate the power of a teacher who enjoys learning with the kids, with the same to be said for those who are there solely to present information enroute to the paycheck.

The second encounter was with a former colleague who finds herself returning to the classroom after raising her children to school age. She is so excited to be there and at the same time overwhelmed at the differences between the public school where we taught together and the private school where she is doing a long term sub position until the end of the year. Most of the conversation kept coming back to the kids. Sometimes you really have to reach to inject some creativity [ and 'happy'] into paper and pencil tasks. There is not enough time.

The third encounter[s] involved two friends whose children are now teachers. One is anxiously awaiting confirmation that she will indeed have a job next year due to the massive amounts of cuts to budgets since balancing a [state]budget seems to be a thing of the past. The other has lost the thrill of it all. My best advice that I can think of for that situation: "It is what it is."

And the serenity prayer line that says 'change the things you can'.

Here's another picture that I had added to my collection just because I liked it. I knew that at some point it would speak to an issue:

Visual learners are often lost in the sea of words in paper/pencil tasks. And some fresh air might help renew the effort...if you take the time.

Dogs could be the poster 'image' for the importance of romping around outside in the fresh air for a spell!

Everyone needs to stop and smell the roses.

Routine... Can Be Underestimated!!

Never underestimate the routine day. Always acknowledge heartfelt help.

Friday became... the non-routine day. Nic's help is ...once again acknowledged.

On Friday morning I was only a half hour into the regular routine when my cell phone rang with the news that my mom was not joining the 'conscious' world. There have been a few occasions where she had a 'spell' while dozing in her chair, and was unwakeable!! This time, however, it lasted too long in trying to get her to wake up. This spell kicked it up a notch. 911 had already been called and I was there right after the first volunteer responder and just before the ambulance. As I flew down the hallway to join the wake-up committee, there was Mom with her eyes wide open and her sweet voice saying,

"Hello sweetheart! Some new people here this morning! Not sure what's happening."

Blood pressure was fine. It was decided to bring her in for some bloodwork and a CAT Scan to determine if it was a seizure, stroke, or altered states due to recent medications' adjustments.

With her striking blue eyes and pleasant personality, the emergency responders were already under 'her ' spell. She was agreeable...and off we went.

I met her at the entrance so that when they opened up those double doors, my face was the first thing she saw. And that was good. [for her!]

When they allowed us into the 'inner sanctum', Flo was in a bed hooked up to monitors.

Not sure why she was there, we told her,

"You had a little 'spell' and Nic couldn't wake you up."

At which point Nic added, "You sure know how to scare a girl, Flo!!"

A very pleasant young woman arrived to draw some blood, and when she pulled out 4 tubes from her cart, I jokingly added,

"She doesn't have that much available to give ya!"

Everyone was amazed at her age and there's a standard punchline that began years ago when someone asked about her teeth and we say,

"Yep! 98 and she still has all of her own teeth!!"
When Nic opened the canvas bag with supplies, I decided that I want to nominate her for that 'Supermarket Sweep' game show because in a matter of minutes before leaving the house, she had gathered Flo's comforts: a box of pop-up tissues, a hairbrush, Mom's makeup zip case, and a change of clothes.

While I was reading jokes from a pocket jokebook, Nic gave Flo some eyebrows and a hair fluff.

All was well. We waited for some results.

Before she took a snooze, in a quiet and friendly voice, Flo whispered,

"I wouldn't recommend this place for service!"

The doctor examined her, and a quick chest xray was accomplished. It was determined that since Mom had been off of her 'anti-seizure' medicine for a week because some levels were too high, it most likely caused her spell. That medicine was immediately given to her, and we got to go home after a mere 3 and a half hours, but hey!! I am not complaining. I am thankful that the facility exists and is about 6 minutes from my house.

Nic did the change of clothes thing for Mom. I went to get the car.

I did have to take my shoes off and loan them to Flo so that she could get into the car.As we were exiting the parking lot, Nic bursts out with...

"Wait! I drove separately. There's my car!!"

Everyone had been on 'automatic pilot' until the crisis had passed.

And there you have it. The latest breaking news...everyone is fine. And quite pooped.