Tag Archives: family

Jun19

bands.

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happy birthday paul mccartney

and thinking back to when i announced

in no uncertain terms

that my sisters’ choices of favorite bands:

the beatles and the doors

were stupid bands that would never last

and were nowhere near the level of greatness

of my favorite band

the monkees

they really should have listened to me

i know pure talent when i see it.


“most bands don’t work out.

a small unit democracy is very, very difficult. very, very difficult.”

-bruce springsteen

 

 

—

image credits: apple records, elekrtra records, rhino records

Jun17

who he was.

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i remember my dad standing right here 

when i was 2 years old

 we lived in chicago

 he was so young

just starting out in his career

i remember the bar in our basement 

climbing up into the stools

the candle wrapped in netting

the straw hats on the wall

and i remember 

he loved to be the life of the party. 

—

“it doesn’t matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was.”

-anne sexton

—

happy father’s day to all 

May27

animal instincts.

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when glenn had to go through painful surgery

and was at last home again

tiny sweet olive

approached him gently

touched her head to his

let him eat their favorite food first

and moved quietly

next to him

at his special place by the window

just lying there

in silence

for hours on end

while he recovered

offering him

the quiet comfort

of their tender friendship.

—

“besides love and sympathy,

animals exhibit other qualities

connected with the social instincts

which in us would be called moral.”

― charles darwin

May6

living room.

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and on the last night they’ll ever spend

in the only house they’ve ever lived

before moving to their wonderful new location for their wonderful new adventures

we celebrate by finally getting to eat in the living room without sneaking.

—

“your journey never ends. life has a way of changing things in incredible ways.

-alexander volkov

Apr19

grasshopper.

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kinder sings the praises of the grasshopper family he has created.

—

“how narrow is the vision

that exalts the busyness of the ant

above the singing of the grasshopper.”

-khalil gibran

Apr7

everyone should have a chance to be a kid.

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Solving Kids’ Cancer’s Junior Ambassadors are a group of 6-16 year olds whose philanthropic efforts help create new and more effective treatments for children with the most challenging childhood cancers. They deserve to be in the spotlight for their commitments and passions to bring change to the childhood cancer community. Throughout the month of April, we are proud to introduce you all to this inspirational group of future leaders.

Meet Jr. Ambassador, Finn Kennedy. (My niece, who never had the chance to meet her brother/my nephew, Hazen, who passed away from pediatric cancer before she was born.)

What do you want to do when you grow up?
” I want to be a lawyer because the world needs good lawyers.”

Why did you decide to become a Jr. Ambassador for Solving Kids’ Cancer?
“Because I feel like everyone should have a chance to be a kid, have fun and change the world and I want to help sick kids to have that.”

What do you want your efforts to do?
” I want this money to go to researchers who try to invent medicines using expensive technology.”

What do you think we can all do for children that are fighting cancer?
” We can encourage them to stay happy. We should work hard and do our best to let people know that there are children who really need help.”

—

Home

—

“the measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.”

-corrie ten boom

 

Apr4

will you play?

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grandies perform a grand ballet

—

children don’t say, 

“i’ve had a hard day, can we talk?’

they say,

“will you play with me?”

-lawrence cohen

 

Mar21

and along came olive.

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tiny olive

with green eyes of two different colors

just six pounds never to grow any bigger

came into my life

quite unexpectedly 

found in the caboose of a train

a teenage mother

rescued by kind humans

and

soon to move

into to my home and family

with patience and time and space
in the little cottage
olive the cat not the oil
so sweet and playful
met
glenn frey the cat not the rocker
so reserved and timid
and they soon found a way
to peacefully co-exist
watching the world go by together.
—
“peace puts forth her olive everywhere”
-william shakespeare
Feb26

“old dogs care about you, even when you make mistakes.” -tom t. hall

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i really enjoyed a relaxed game night with

a group of long-time friends

a couple of grandies

and

a few old dogs

just like most of us there

the old dogs

have lived full lives

one is lame

one is deaf

one is blind

 all have their challenges

and one thing in common

they love being with the people they love.

—

“old dogs can be a regal sight.

their exuberance settles over the years into a seasoned nobility,

their routines become as locked into yours

as the quietest and kindest of marriages.

-gail caldwell

—

image credit: pinterest.co.uk, steiff dog on wheels, brown and black mohair

 

Feb5

falling through the cracks.

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had a great breakfast with family

who returned a file of family history papers

that had traveled on a journey with them

across the seas

 i was happy to see them again

 had the papers in my hand for all of 1 minute

 as i set them down next to me

for safekeeping

they fell into a hidden crack

 just kept going deeper into the abyss

until they were gone

a very kind manager

without judgement

without questions

with a good sense of humor

offered to assist

by moving chairs

pulling the whole table out

taking the booth apart

and retrieving the precious files

intact and none the worse for wear

the family journey continues

with just a short detour.

“cracks especially. you have to be careful of the cracks.

sometimes they are disguised as something else.

a doorway, or a smile or even a winking eye.

and if you fall through them, you never know were you will end up.”

-isabelle carmody – greylands