As a child, Memorial Day in the States, was ALWAYS May 30.... We had a combination birthday-picnic for my dad.It was in the back yard on Center Street, The Gannons, DeWolves, would visit, later on Toni Taj, visited when we knew her, my aunt from NYC would drive in,... to Connecticut.
going inside the house every 30 minutes to turn over the record album to gently replace the stylus on the grooves of Dizzy, Thelonious, Basie, Brubeck, on the Thorens turntable Dad built himself from a Heath Kit that I watched him put together.
Mom always made her favorite salads... Iceberg lettuce, Cucumber slices, Tomatoes sliced into quarters, , Lemon and Oil, Salt and Pepper, and a Macaroni Salad, with slices of carrot, and hard boiled eggs.
There was a large old Maple, and two Pines by the Swing Set,.. a Badminton Net was set up around the corner just past a large old wood and rope group of clothes drying lines that every year my mom would take her white lace wedding gown out of moth balls and air it out on, in the sunshine to keep it from yellowing.
The Badminton net got used a lot and every one had a good time. These were relatives and people my Dad worked with that had become as close as family. Some even became my God Parents.
During the year, we visited together every Sunday, and celebrated birthdays and holidays together.There were other times, spent with the DeWolfs on the Niantic River Bay, where I quietly wandered around, alone outside enjoying the natural beauty of the trees, birds, and shoreline, while my parents listened to music nearby, in the sunroom where they could see me.or with the Ganons in their backyard across the street from the Mystic River .
I realize now, what a blessing it is, to be able to have such a good memory to think about, ..... especially on a sad day, when I become self absorbed in my own adversity, and scold myself for it.
So I write, to comfort myself, and share my life with you, my dear friend.
My father passed away at a young age, from cancer,....so idylic moments like this were not common.
This Memorial Day weekend, amongst other activities, my mom and stepdad are eating at a Chinese Buffet for lunch, after spending the morning in their vegetable garden.
And , I forgot to write what I'm doing.
Well, I'm laying on my bed on a plastic mattress on a warm, humid, day,... because no matter how may times I put a sheet on it, it slides off,.. LOL.....
and I'm there because I'm pretty much bed bound, cause the wheel chair hurts too much, ...and .. when I go to stand it's like a slapstick comedy, my knees collapse.
No I cannot have surgery. My body is too fragile for it.
Please on't think or say I'm being negative, or lazy, or angry, or feeling sorry for myself, or being too much of anything that is considered a wrong way to be...that's not it all....
.and it might easy to jump to conclusions, or exxagerate the words or meaning, without ever meaning to.
Although I understand YOU would never ever be meaning to, my dearest friend.
The same words have different meanings for every one.
All I am doing is describing what I'm doin at the moment.
But I'm not alone. I am never alone.
So,.. that is the part of the story, I never include, .. never tell.
And I complete my train of thought with a quote from Bruce Lee...
“Defeat is a state of mind. No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as reality. To me, defeat in anything is merely temporary, and its punishment is but an urge for me to greater effort to achieve my goal. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.”
~Bruce Lee (1940 – 1973),Chinese American actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher.
going inside the house every 30 minutes to turn over the record album to gently replace the stylus on the grooves of Dizzy, Thelonious, Basie, Brubeck, on the Thorens turntable Dad built himself from a Heath Kit that I watched him put together.
Mom always made her favorite salads... Iceberg lettuce, Cucumber slices, Tomatoes sliced into quarters, , Lemon and Oil, Salt and Pepper, and a Macaroni Salad, with slices of carrot, and hard boiled eggs.
There was a large old Maple, and two Pines by the Swing Set,.. a Badminton Net was set up around the corner just past a large old wood and rope group of clothes drying lines that every year my mom would take her white lace wedding gown out of moth balls and air it out on, in the sunshine to keep it from yellowing.
The Badminton net got used a lot and every one had a good time. These were relatives and people my Dad worked with that had become as close as family. Some even became my God Parents.
During the year, we visited together every Sunday, and celebrated birthdays and holidays together.There were other times, spent with the DeWolfs on the Niantic River Bay, where I quietly wandered around, alone outside enjoying the natural beauty of the trees, birds, and shoreline, while my parents listened to music nearby, in the sunroom where they could see me.or with the Ganons in their backyard across the street from the Mystic River .
I realize now, what a blessing it is, to be able to have such a good memory to think about, ..... especially on a sad day, when I become self absorbed in my own adversity, and scold myself for it.
So I write, to comfort myself, and share my life with you, my dear friend.
My father passed away at a young age, from cancer,....so idylic moments like this were not common.
This Memorial Day weekend, amongst other activities, my mom and stepdad are eating at a Chinese Buffet for lunch, after spending the morning in their vegetable garden.
And , I forgot to write what I'm doing.
Well, I'm laying on my bed on a plastic mattress on a warm, humid, day,... because no matter how may times I put a sheet on it, it slides off,.. LOL.....
and I'm there because I'm pretty much bed bound, cause the wheel chair hurts too much, ...and .. when I go to stand it's like a slapstick comedy, my knees collapse.
No I cannot have surgery. My body is too fragile for it.
Please on't think or say I'm being negative, or lazy, or angry, or feeling sorry for myself, or being too much of anything that is considered a wrong way to be...that's not it all....
.and it might easy to jump to conclusions, or exxagerate the words or meaning, without ever meaning to.
Although I understand YOU would never ever be meaning to, my dearest friend.
The same words have different meanings for every one.
All I am doing is describing what I'm doin at the moment.
But I'm not alone. I am never alone.
So,.. that is the part of the story, I never include, .. never tell.
And I complete my train of thought with a quote from Bruce Lee...
“Defeat is a state of mind. No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as reality. To me, defeat in anything is merely temporary, and its punishment is but an urge for me to greater effort to achieve my goal. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.”
~Bruce Lee (1940 – 1973),Chinese American actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher.
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