Our Soldier Surprises His Sister at School!

Our son is a Soldier in the Elite 82nd Airborne Combat Aviation Brigade.

Our B-e-s-t CHRISTMAS ever as he comes home unexpectedly & surprises his sister at school after being away for a year!

Starts off with a few kids, then hundreds gather to form a huge semicircle to witness the surprise! The Principal says he saw a horseshoe form with nearly 600 kids!

Thank you to all of the students who came up afterwards & thanked our son for his service! 

Credit: Buddy Brown, Lyrics: Daniel Brown, Album: Deep South ~ Stop When You See a Uniform

Click this video below:

So proud our son has earned the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, his Aviation Wings, the Marksman Sharpshooter Award & he proudly wears the French Fourragere of the Ordre de la Libation awarded to the 82nd Airborne during the Historic Battle of Normandy. Then our Soldier surprised his Grandma ~ we love those outstretched arms!!A woman sitting at the next table cried during this reunion. It was overwhelming & beautiful for all.The Bright Spot – Celebrating the holidays together!!

Boots in the House!!

Like Boots on the Ground, Boots in the House is what it’s called when your soldier is home!!! Songs like “I’ll be Home for Christmas” were so much more than a pretty tune. After our son’s decision to leave the comforts of home, great job and lovely girlfriend to defend our nation and commit to 6 years active duty (click: BHUp), we were so happy to hear the only time in the year recruits come home during their 10 weeks of basic combat training is for the December holiday season. We were so thankful especially since there was no communication aside from two 27-second calls saying he was there and fine.

Friends & strangers writing to me as a new Army Mom offering support often said he’ll leave a boy & return a man. It’s only been 4 of the 10 weeks and they were right. His stance, carriage, conversation, so confident, so strong. Army Strong! Mind-bogglingly, the Army has already spent $77,000 per recruit the 1^st 4 weeks on weapons, 80 pounds of equipment, supplies, etc.

The 52,000-acre Army Basic Combat Training hub at Fort Jackson, South Carolina with over 100 ranges & 1,160 buildings produces over 60,000 trained, disciplined & physically fit warriors per year!  

Our son left Fort Jackson with 6,824 other soldiers snapping this photo before heading out. He said it was like a sea of green flooding the hallways of the airport.

All the soldiers were given a message in a Coca Cola bottle & a young boy ran into the airport store and bought our son an ornament to thank him for his service. He said the public outpouring of American support was overwhelming and heartwarming. 

He surprised his little sister (click: Superhero) by walking into a coffee shop while she waited for me. I wanted so much to catch the moment but I stayed away or his wish could have been ruined. A neighbor’s grandfather saw it all for us. As this granddad, our son & daughter describe, he walked in the bustling shop and she looked at him for a long moment trying to comprehend what was happening. He looked like her brother, but he was not due. It took a few seconds to realize this buff, clean-shaven fellow with dark-rimmed glasses (Army-issued ballistic lenses!), standing tall before her was her Superhero Big Brother. She burst upright shrieking with delight as she leapt into his arms & they hugged for ages.

He arrived on my husband’s birthday, what a celebration! In a nutshell, here are some things we learned about. He didn’t sleep the 1^st 50 hours & didn’t have time to think of the sleep deprivation as they had the recruits moving constantly through the initiation phase including a 2-sided line of every vaccine imaginable for soldier warfare
warfare readiness including anthrax, typhoid, yellow fever, small pox, etc. 

The soldiers are up every day at 4am for 17 hour days except Sundays. The have 5 minutes to be ready. They have 5 minutes for meals. They learn to shovel down food no matter how hot & run back to training immediately.

Disciplinary Action – if one person does something wrong, that person does not get punished. Everyone else is punished and the person has to stand and watch. Yup, that’s one quick way to get everyone on the same page!! And yes, drill sergeants do yell at the top of their lungs as the rim of their hat hits your forehead.

2 challenging tasks included rappelling down the 50-foot wall & taking off their masks in a gas chamber.

Everyone has been so supportive of our son’s decision. There’s only been one person who balked when she found out. The problem is that he was standing right next to me and was going to leave shortly. He had no idea what he was in store for and she’d known him 10 years. Her reaction gutted me. If she were that anti, she could have told me privately. It was so sad because he was right there. I asked him how he felt when we were in the car. “Don’t worry, Mom. I stand by my commitment to defend this country and its freedoms, and I’d die for her, too. That’s what freedom means.”

Interestingly, visiting a friend’s home with him during this holiday break who is so anti-gun she helps run the campaign on a local level, she greeted him with a hug saying she understands the great sacrifice he’s making for our nation’s defense and introduced him to her grandson saying, “This is a real soldier.” She melted my heart.  

The Army has felt the latest generation of new recruits has often been undisciplined, disrespectful and overweight. A tougher regime of physical training beyond human limits meant to prepare for any combat situation has been implemented to ensure our American soldiers remain the strongest in the world.

• By Joseph Cranney jcranney@postandcourier.com April 8, 2018
• To cap the 10 weeks of basic training… Army trainees must pass …a final test â€” a simulation of a nighttime invasions staged in the woods of the 52,000-acre base.
• Over 4 days, the course tests recruits on virtually every aspect of their training — including patrols, obstacle courses, hand-to-hand combat and more than 45 miles of marching.
• The course is part of the Army’s response to a call from leadership for tougher, more physically fit soldiers …
• It’s also intended to address the Army’s concern that an emerging generation of trainees grew up with less exercise and are less attuned to discipline.
• The Army calls its new training course The Forge, akin to the final stage of hardening a metal. Like the similarly challenging Crucible for Marines, completing The Forge is now a prerequisite to becoming a soldier.
• Trainees leave their barracks at midnight and return after 96 hours of missions with light rest. They sleep on the ground in the woods…
• Army leaders said it stands to become one of the military’s most grueling tests.

Our son heads back for the final 6 weeks of combat training & The Forge before graduating & taking the walk above as graduate, team member, soldier. Then he’ll head to Virginia for training as a specialized Black Hawk Engineer.

The Bright Spot – He loves his decision & has no regrets.

I miss our son so much! It’s hard for a parent. Even the tree at our CVS looked camouflaged!

God bless you, dear son, as you head into your new future.

And God bless our troops here & abroad.

 

 

 

Black Hawk Up!

Today marks a monumental change for our family that affects all of us especially our daughter.

 

Her Superhero left home today.   

For a long time.

Click this link for: Superhero 

We are a particularly close family. This is big for us.

 

(Our son telling his sister the news)    
(Looking over the enlistment papers & his future career path)

An officer picked him up from the house; he will fly to South Carolina for the U.S. Army Aviation division.

He made the decision 3 weeks ago to defend & protect our nation & honor all those who have gone before him. 

 

 

 

 

It all happened quite quickly. He will become a Black Hawk engineer. The UH-60L Black Hawk starts at $5.9 million.

 

We thought it would just be for 2 or 3 years. He has been commissioned for 6 years!!!                                       

(Credit/3 photos: AlphaCoders.com  Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky Military UH-60 Black Hawk)

We celebrated Thanksgiving with him last Wednesday; he will be home for a few days for Christmas. We will have no contact with him except for 2-3 minute phone calls on a Sunday, only if earned.

On our last full day yesterday, 9 of us including his girlfriend and some friends enjoyed a memorable lunch & show at Medieval Times.    

Our family had breakfast this morning together and our children hugged their good byes. Our little one left for school with a brave face although her heart was breaking.

I’m glad for the hustle & bustle of the holidays so we can’t focus on the emptiness in our hearts during the coming weeks.

We thank everyone for the countless emails, texts, etc., pouring in. Here are a few:

From our daughter’s principal: “How proud of your son you all must be and I must say that I am too! I am sure this is difficult on all of you, in spite of the pride, but clearly your daughter will miss him tremendously. We will be sure to be of any support we can. Next time you speak with him please send him my best.”

Jane Fendelman, author, therapist & recurrent guest on “Let’s Talk!” wrote, “It takes a very generous heart for a mom to be happy for her son stepping out in a whole new way. His life is going to expand times 100.”

One of our daughter’s 6^th grade teachers wrote, “Tell your son thank you for his service – it takes a strong person to join the army. What an amazing role model he must be for his little sister.”

One of her 8^th grade teachers wrote, “My family is a big fan of Black Hawks! I have the utmost respect for her brother. What a selfless and generous decision.”

Our daughter’s 2^nd grade teacher wrote, “WOW! Proud mama moment! I’m sure you have a range of emotions with this one. Hang in there and know that his service is much appreciated.”

Oh, yes, the emotional pendulum is swinging, that’s for sure. Proud, happy, sad, nervous, excited, thrilled. He just left a few hours ago and we miss him so much already!

I suppose a uniform was always in our son’s future. From the time he wore the cap of one of New York City’s Finest to the moment the Associated Press captured this photo at the 9-1-1 Memorial at Yankee Stadium, he proudly wore his uniforms as a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Volunteer Firefighter & Cadet at Valley Forge Military Academy & College. 

The Academy was founded in 1928 by Lieutenant General Milton G. Baker. The 1st cadet to enroll was Guy Wheeler, Jr., who graduated in 1934. He was awarded the Outstanding Alumnus Award given for outstanding service to the school.                          (Fellow cadet & our son long ago)

 

 

 

General Baker awarded this flag to Cadet Wheeler, Jr., for his services to the school. The flag hung in his office until his retirement. Following his death, he was buried next to the chapel at Valley Forge and the flag was given to his son, Guy Wheeler, III, an alumnus of Valley Forge, Class of 1968.

 

Mr. Wheeler presented this flag to our son on July 15, 2008 for his inspiring passion and love of VFMA&C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’d like to say I’m prepared for what lies ahead, but, in truth, I am not.

It’s all happening so fast. I received an informational email with the Subject line: “Welcome to the Army Family – Pre-Ship Parent Information” followed

 by “I welcome you because as the parent of a soldier, you, too, are serving in the United States Army.”

Daunting. But the email is full of links, videos, seminars (one is tomorrow night – my husband & I will log into it to learn about the 1-2-3’s of the Reception Battalion and Basic Training before our son’s specialized training begins in his chosen field. 

The Bright Spot – Proud of our son. Proud of our country. Proud of all who serve. God bless America!

Well, here we go! Maybe you’ll leap right into something you’ve always wanted to do & see what new adventures lie ahead. Until we leap into his arms again, we will miss him with all our hearts. We love you, dear son!

See how our Darling’s brother became a Superhero, click here: Big Brother 

20th Anniversary

Happy 20th Anniversary!
These photos are of our weddings in England & America.

They were 4 weeks apart both under a full moon.

In the last group of photos, there’s a picture of us today. 

For more on the English wedding, click here: Castles & Vows

Since my beloved father had passed away suddenly the previous year, my husband’s wonderful father walked me down the aisle in England and my father’s best friend, Prince Abdul Ali Seraj, walked me down the aisle in America. My sweet dog, Moussie, with his huge white bow led the way down the aisle!! And I love how Moussie’s standing next to me in the above picture!

For the story on this amazing dog, click here: Moussie

I had wonderful bridesmaids at the English wedding & the American wedding and, of course, the best maid-of-honor, my sister! Most bridesmaids flew back and forth. Look closely and you’ll see my sweet furbaby, Moussie, sitting on the grass with his big white bow in front of the blue dress!!! 

Then & now….photo from today. *Poof* ~ 20 years flew by!

I had my bouquet designed after my mother’s bouquet. I’ve gazed upon my mother’s wedding portrait since I was a baby. It was something to love and cherish and admire. She had natural stems and a huge red bow, biggest I’d ever seen. She cradled the bouquet in one arm. I brought a copy of her portrait to the florists in England & the States for both weddings.

                  

The Bright Spot – Love. I love how my mother looks at my father devotedly. She adored him. He was her one and only and she’s lived these 21 years alone since he died but she keeps his memory alive always talking about him when we’re together. It’s sad and beautiful at the same time.

My husband and I have been through a lot these 20 years. Of course, I appreciate all the blessings of our wonderful family, especially my children, and the life Phillip and I have created together. 

But there have been many tragedies – 5 miscarriages, Phillip’s aggressive Stage 4 cancer (click: The Good, The Bad & The Spicy), loss of our company in the deep recession, other complete miseries throughout the years, and now the weird lightning bolt that took out our well pump the day before our 20th Anniversary costing us $3,700 wiping out our summer vacation fund for the vital rest Phillip needed since he missed vacation last year because of more cancer treatments.

So you can imagine how thoroughly touched I was when a friend through Facebook whom I’ve never met but mutually feel kinship toward for an assortment of reasons including the fact that she loves animals and is just simply amazingly kind, wrote this: 

Wow! Truly, Liz captured the essence of these two decades. Thank you, Liz, for your kindness toward us, animals and all whom you serve.

1st Literary Award

Our 11-year-old earned her 1st Literary Award in a competition she entered months ago. She submitted a mini version of her 1st novella. It’s the 38th year of this competition & is open worldwide.

When Phillip read us the letter aloud, she jumped with pure delight feeling the fruits of her accomplishment after having spent months writing. We are so happy for her and very proud of her!

Castles & Angels

This gorgeous English countryside was captured on my cell phone! Breathtaking. Lush. So British.

During our 2-week trip to Europe to visit family, we went with some good friends to Northumberland. The girls loved that parts of Downton Abbey and Harry Potter were filmed here at Alnwick Castle.

 Lots to do here including bamboo mazes, ventures through the magic fairy gardens, the famous Poison Garden and, of course, flying broomstick classes!!

  

  

 

On our way back to Grandma’s, we pulled off the highway to see the Angel of the North, a massive copper & steel statue in Newcastle Gateshead, believed to be the largest angel sculpture on the planet. The wingspan reaches wider than a jumbo jet and the angel stands 65 feet high, more than 4 double-decker buses! We’ve seen her on the hillside from the highway for over 15 years. This ride home, we actually pulled off the exit and made time to visit. Those are the life-changing things we have found we do facing this awful journey of cancer, click: Kicking Cancer!

Yes, actually seizing the day and doing what we wish at a moment’s notice because no one knows how many moments we all have.  More than 150,000 people visit each year. This year, we’re one of those people.

 The Bright Spot – Visiting family & friends…and pulling off the highway to really seize the day!!

Amazing Grace

Blessed with lovely skin & timeless English beauty, my mother-in-law, Grace, and the Queen have always borne a striking resemblance. A woman ahead of her time, Grace, always gave new things a shot.

 
And nothing slows her down! Approaching 90, she has a personal trainer at the gym, Skypes us every Saturday without fail, uploads her digital images to her hard drive and e-mails family nearly every day.

 

 

 

 

 

The epitome of Englishness, she is gracious, discreet and always polite. During tough or sad times, Grace keeps a stiff upper lip and her chin up.

 

 

 

 

Her mainstay, of course, is proper English tea. It must steep in a         silver pot and the teacup must have a white interior.

She keeps her gardener busy and has redecorated parts of her home four times in the past 10 years.

In Grandma’s Gardens:     

Young Grace:

                  

Grace is an avid reader & animal lover. She enjoyed many years dancing with her dashing husband, Geoff, whom she misses very much.

        

                  

    
I’ve learned lots of things from my mother-in-law over the years, from baby tips and awesome authors to food advice, fabric care and beauty tips.

                
One of my favorite gifts from my mother-in-law was this beautiful statue sent from England shortly before I gave birth to our daughter.

A few months old (above)            4 years old (below)

To avoid arthritis in her hands, Grace knits and knits and knits. Beautiful sweaters and hats and any request our little one desires.

I mean any! Like the day our 7-year-old said, “Grandma, can you please knit me a cuttlefish & grimpoteuthis?” And in short order, the beautiful cuddly sea creatures arrived in the gift package made with grandmother’s loving hands. A whole array of knitted marine life:

 
Knitted headbands & sweaters, ballerina shrugs and ponytail hats!

              

 
The loss of her beloved husband took a toll on her but did not stop Grace from living life. She hopped on a plane to surprise my husband for his birthday and stayed for Christmas that year.

Grace flew over every summer to stay with us. In 2001, my Mom took Grace and me to Mohegan Sun, the big casino upstate for a grand shebang before my mother-in-law headed back to England. It was the 1st time she visited a casino. My husband warned, “My mother may weary, don’t stay out late.”

Honestly, nothing wearied her the past 8 decades… so when I arrived home at 4 AM with two happy grandmas, my husband was speechless. Not only did his mother have a marvelous time, she even won!

A few hours later, the towers came down and the world changed forever. Flights were canceled that week and Grace stayed with us longer that year. Phillip worked by the towers and felt the 2nd building crash to the ground. It took hours and hours and hours for him to get out of the City and back home. It was a mother’s nightmare and
a wife’s torment. Late that night, he finally made it home. We were grateful to be together as a family again, safe and sound.

The Bright SpotTM – A Grandma’s love. Every visit with Grace has been memorable. The stories she tells, reminiscing the history of the family and her great love of Britain; she is a treasure in our lives and all who know her.

My mother-in-law and the Queen were born the same year…Grace is our very own queen xoxo

    

Nifty 50!

Everyone kept asking me what Phillip was planning for my 50th. He’s arranged some pretty spectacular things for me over the years so I knew whatever it was I’d be thrilled. Our son captured the moment:

   

   
Good Lord! What could it be? Well, prior to opening this envelope, Phillip planned a weekend of delights including dinner at La Panetiere.

                     
We visited the Cloisters on the northern tip of Manhattan overlooking the Hudson to enjoy the stunning array of more than 5,000 pieces of European Medieval works of art from the 12th – 15th centuries including the famous Unicorn Tapestries. The Cloister’s Library contains over 15,000 volumes of books.

     

Later, we toured the World of Wings butterfly atrium where I had my 1st opportunity to take photos with my gorgeous new Canon from my son. For the amount of time I invest in my photography, this latest Canon with touchscreen, image sensor & built-in Wi-Fi was the p-e-r-f-e-c-t gift!! Thank you, darling!

  

 

      
And if anyone knows our family well, you’ll know why the logo above is so significant!! 🙂

As you can see, this day was magnificent with brilliant sunshine & deep blue skies. But 50 years ago, there was a blizzard and my mother arrived at the hospital with a police escort. That’s one way to make an entrance.

Mom recapped the story over dinner. Then she surprised me with a very special gift…a piece of jewelry I’ve admired for 45 years. It was given to mother by my father’s mother when I was 5.

 

 

 

I’ve worn it in the past with great delight (photo on right), but on this special night, my mother said it was now mine. Overjoyed is an understatement. It means so much to me on many levels.

      

  

So what was in the envelope in the opening pics? Let me first explain that my greatest gift ~ now & always ~ is being loved by my family & friends. Flowers & cards, emails & posts. All is appreciated. The kindness, the thoughtfulness, the time spent to make my day special. Thank you all!!

 
The above cards from my children touched my heart deeply. My son chose a card that says I make him feel understood, happy and loved. Wonderful, wonderful!! And our little one says I make her happy every day…down to even the school snack. What more could any mother want? Happy, thriving kids – this was, by far, the very best gift of all!!

         

      

              

                 

       

16 years ago, I started the Harry Potter series with our son…reading it in “real time,” that is, waiting each year for another book to be published…standing in line at midnight openings with great anticipation for 1st edition hardcovers. We saw the movies, he had the posters, the comforter set, the throw pillows, the robe, Harry’s wand, etc. He even had a Harry-esque look to him, especially when he got his glasses.

        

Fast-forward more than a decade and our little daughter & her friends are relishing in the adventures, quoting the spells, whipping up potions and donning the robe. The perfect hardcovers have moved from our son’s room to our daughters’s bookcase. Over the holiday break, we watched all 8 movies (Yes, 8. The last book was filmed in 2 parts).

My friend, Sara, took one of our daughter’s best-est friends (since the girls were infants) to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter last month. The girls are now 9 & 10, the perfect age for the story. Sara posted this video of Platform 9 3/4 on her FB page & that was it!! What more fun could our family have than to venture through the fantastical world of wizards?

Sara said Universal Studios did a magnificent re-creation, a trip not to be missed! With the entire storyline under our belts just the previous month, I could not have dreamed of a more fanciful place to go for my birthday present!! In the envelope was a newspaper-like invitation from the Daily Prophet along with tickets to the mystical world of Harry Potter and a week’s stay at the CoCo Key water resort hotel. Simply marvelous, my darling husband, I love love love it!! And so do the kids!! (Well, as you can clearly see from our little one’s reaction in the 1st photos above as we opened the envelopes together.)

     

CoCo Key water resort & hotel:

     
We finished up the weekend celebrations with my favorite movie, The Scarlet Pimpernel, with Jane Seymour & Anthony Andrews. Luscious ~ Dreamy ~ Yum!

       

 

   
So many other details went into this weekend that I would just like to say thank you to my husband, my whole family and my friends for marking this milestone with great joy.

The Bright SpotTM  – Thankfulness that my mother is feeling better, it’s on & off and for my birthday she was really “on!” Even sparkly! And thank you to all who sent wishes for a beautiful birthday weekend. So ready for this next great decade, bring it on!!

Our Moussebaby

 

If you knew Moussie, you knew he was one of the most loved dogs in the history of forever.

 

 

 

Saved from a brutal past and surviving on 2 1/2 working legs, we cherished every day together from the time I was 29 until 42.

Moussie was on air with me at the television stations,

he walked me down the aisle at my wedding, he soothed my aching heart when I lost my beloved father, he and our newborn came to work with me every day when we opened our own company, and Moussie adored our son and protected our daughter every single day.

 

   

I spent the years ceaselessly protecting & caring for his broken leg & mangled paw, carried him over any asphalt or concrete, lifted him up staircases and into my car…

      

…met with prosthetic doctors in Texas, surgeons in Connecticut, boot fitters in New York, and pet massage specialists in Illinois in any effort to help ease the strain & pain on his permanently broken leg.    (Dr. Randie Shane with Moussie)

   

When an emergency procedure led to an overnight stay in the hospital – Moussie’s 1st night away from me in an unfamiliar place – I immediately ripped off my shirt in the car and had my husband bring it to the ER vet so Moussie could feel comforted with my scent all night long.

 

My husband & son administered an IV in his neck for weeks following.

 

There is nothing we would not do for our animals. They are family. We are a tight family.

We used to jest with friends that if Moussie, Phillip and I were in a canoe and it was sinking and one of us had to get out, Phillip swims. 🙂 (Unbelievably, one person didn’t get it…she said, “Oh, you have a canoe?”  *sigh*)

 

People have often quipped if they return from Heaven, they’d like to come back as one of our pets!           Here’s a few reasons why:

          

   

  

  

  

  

  

   

 

 

     

  

  

   

  

  

Moussie worked the morning shows with me. My neighbor, Kristi, babysat him till I was done with the noon news. She always had it on the TV so he could hear & see me. He had many wonderful sitters: Stephenie, Adrienne, Mark, Dottie, Kep, John and Shanie, just to name a few.

Reminiscent of Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, we, too, crisscrossed the United States, enjoying adventures on the free roads, visiting many states and friends along the way.

Birthday dinners of filet mignon, cuddles under the covers, drive-in trips to Sonic, and his fun job at the TV stations listing the school lunch menus on the morning show and assisting with the weather, and even the contest “Where’s Moussie?” for viewers spotting him around town. Moussie was loved and cherished every minute of his life in our family.

Raised by grandmothers & mothers who were healers and lovers of animals, it was natural for Phillip and I to instill deep compassion, respect and love of all animals. All children should be taught kindness toward every creature, big & small.

     

  

       

       

    

          

     

No words were better spoken than those of Don Vincenzo Giobbe, circa 1700: “…and I whispered to the horse: trust no man in whose eye you don’t see yourself reflected as an equal.”

Such is our belief for all animals…so it is no wonder our 8-year-old daughter published her 1st book, The Healing, How Little Kids Can Help Even the Tiniest Critters, and she has been busy with author’s visits/book signings and will sit on a panel of doctors & healers in a few weeks to discuss her book from a child’s perspective. (Author’s Visit with 77 children/10 adults)

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching children to use gentle voices and soft hands is so important.

          

Teaching kindness, compassion, respect and tenderness is the premise for my children’s book,        Moussie Tales, due out when I finally find the perfect illustrator who can actually capture Moussie’s eyes, an ongoing search, indeed.

The understanding and care you show your children yields understanding and care to those in the world around them.

Over the years, Moussie thrived along with all of our family’s animals and life was great.

          

           

       

  

We spent many beautiful years with Moussie, and when he passed away, a huge part of my heart went with him. (Getting the worst news ever from the vet on my 42nd birthday)

Saying our good-byes.

  

Days of yesteryear…

The final goodbye 🙁

Shattered and lying in bed, I wrote Moussie a letter that raw and painful day he crossed over Rainbow Bridge waiting till I would once again embrace him in my arms. I didn’t know my husband found the letter on my laptop and built an entire website dedicated to Moussie around it! Www.MoussieTales.com People wrote the loveliest comments on his Remembrance Page, thank you all!

The Bright SpotTM - Our darling Moussebaby brought us years & years of joy. For that, we are forever grateful. When our neighbor brought us The Rainbow Bridge poem, it was the only thing that eventually comforted me. Picturing Moussie running freely without pain, the wind flapping about his beautiful soft ears, eased my pain. Until I hug you again, rest my sweet, precious Moussie. I love you!!

Granddad with his Beloved Once More

It was a long 2 years without Grandma but she came calling for Granddad in his dreams this week.

 

 

 

 

 

He      He became deaf, and she turned blind just a few years ago, but they always sat beside one another for 60 years, and when she was gone, he lived in silence beside an empty chair in the den. Click here: Is This The End?

Granddad fell in love with Grandma instantly. She was engaged, but that didn’t deter him. He knew she was his only one and promised to love her till the end of her life. They married and he fulfilled that promise day after day.

He was determined like that. He fibbed about his age to defend his country in World War II saying he was 18 when he was really 16.

He was stationed in France, and worked as a specialist sending morse code messages when his communication’s truck was hit by a mortar and his arm was blown off.

                      A female physician – rare to have a female doctor in the war zone in France at that time – sewed it back on…it functioned perfectly!

     

   

  

Granddad was sharp as a tack with very dry humor. Once, he was in the hospital for a respiratory illness that required a chest x-ray. The doctor came into his room looking shocked. “I don’t know how to tell you this,” he said, “but you only have 1 lung and it appears where your other lung should be is a black mark that could be a tumor.” “Oh, that other lung shriveled up years ago,” Granddad answered matter-of-factly, “forgot to tell you.”

Grandma & Granddad gave our little one Tidmouth Sheds for her train table. I put a photograph of them next to it so she could link that the gift was from them. I do that with many special presents so the kids know from whom it came.

Our daughter said she will never give up her piano from Granddad even if she plans for a grand piano in her future. “It will go somewhere special in my house and I will keep it forever!”

Just as Granddads do, he was the explainer of all things.

 

 

No place was better than on Granddad’s knee…

 

 

                                      …& on his back!

Or hanging out grabbing a drink at the pub.

 

Granddad slowly went deaf in his late years. Soon he could only hear female voices. Later, on the phone, he could only hear mine – high-pitched & loud, I’m told. But then came the day when even my voice was inaudible.

 

 

It was crushing for me because I like family to stay connected especially because we are so far away.

Granddad was 88 years old. He wasn’t on a computer. I immediately printed out this website and Phillip had it bound and we sent these 300 pages of family stories and photos to Granddad in book form so he could read them over time at his leisure and keep up with family news he could no longer hear. 

He was kind and sweet and dear and loving. He will be deeply missed by the family. But he’s in his beloved’s arms once again and that gives us great solace. 

The Bright Spot TM –  We did not lose Granddad, for someone is only lost if their memories aren’t kept alive. We’re a picture-snapping, video-taking, storytelling family, so Granddad lives on. Thank you for sharing his story.

My Mom

Thrown off a Connecticut beach for wearing a bikini, my Mom still rolls her eyes at that story & declares the beach keeper a crazy man.

Coming from a country where they play volleyball topless on the beach, they were lucky she even wore the bikini!

My parents met one evening at a beach club & married 2 1/2 months later. So it was no shock when I announced I was getting married after 4 days. “You know when you know,” she said. Phillip & I married after only spending 46 days in each other’s company and she was right.

Mom loves to garden, paint, decorate & read, read, read! She’s like a walking encyclopedia.

She’s an incredible photographer, interior designer, writer & artist. I love her drawings, portrait paintings, and my favorite, this ceramic chess set she painted nearly 40 years ago.

Mom’s a fantastic cook and prepared wonderful, healthy meals for me the entire 9 months I was pregnant!! She made sure I had the best foods when I was a baby and did the same for my kids.

            

Mom & me 1960s                         Little Petal & me 40 years later
                         and, of course, she gave me my 1st chocolates & Easter goodies…yum!

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Folks who’ve met my Mom totally love her. She’s funny, talks straight and is the life of the party. She smokes, drinks, swears and gambles. She doesn’t apologize for any of it. She lives life to the fullest beating to her own drum.

   
           

 

 

When she lost my father 15 years ago, it devastated her. Their love and building a life together for their children was unsurpassed. They were a team in everything they did.

                       

    

    

   

My Mom’s parents absolutely adored her.

 

 

Those were some smoochable cheeks!!

      

                                                             

                    My mother grew up on the water (the Baltic Sea and with Aunties & her Mom above at their beach guest house in Pommern) and could out row anyone. When she was young, she liked to ice skate, bike, dance and travel.

                    And she always loved animals!

Mom was always very close with her parents, as were we all.

 

My mother & father taught me I could be anything I wanted to be. They supported my achievements in school, my activities,      my music, my whims & fancies, my travels, my moves around the country for my career, and my exciting year as Miss Connecticut & all the wonderful memories of representing my native state at the Miss America…
    
…including helping me pack trunks & boxes & shoes and shoes and shoes for the 2 weeks in Atlantic City for Miss America.

My Mom traveled with me to Vancouver to put me on a ship that circumnavigated the globe for 4 months. 

Mom – who saves everything – threw away my clothes after a week’s caving trip…they were really dirty for her to have thrown them out!

We traveled around Spain, Gibraltar, Barbados & Germany together & tons of other places.                   (left with my sister)

Years later, Mom drove with my dog & me across the country & decorated a house I found for cheap…really cheap…only to find out it was a former drug depot…so I left the house a short while later along with all the painting, bordering, curtain-hanging and decorating she had done day & night the week she dropped me off for my new job.

           
Mom sewed countless costumes (above) for me and for my sister & my sister’s students.

       
Mom (her passport pic)                            me (headshot taken by Mom)

She took photographs of my wedding in England when the photographer there slacked off and almost ruined the day. Phillip gave him an earful and my mother took the photographs and she and my sister created a surprise wedding album for me when I returned from England.

My mother also saved hundreds of newspaper clippings, magazine articles and memorabilia from my Miss Connecticut year and painstakingly glued them into several beautiful scrapbooks to cherish always. She did it for a year and I never even knew it. Another wonderful surprise. You can view some of the clippings here: Miss CT in the News.

She’s always there to goof around  and she’s there for all the tears like when we just lost my Uncle recently. He is with Daddy now.  🙁  🙁

                                                                                                     (pregnant with my sister)

Mom has always been great at photography and even gave me her precious long-lens Canon in the 80s on the ship trip. A treasured item, so I was, indeed, very grateful.

She’s developed her own photography and taken headshots for actors & personalities over the years. Definitely helped save a bundle on my own headshots for TV over the years! Here are some snaps from Mom:

                        

Thanks, Mom, for making my life great growing up. Thanks for all you have done for me. I love you!

In tribute to her, I hope I captured my mother’s life in this pictorial. Please say a prayer for her. She had heart fibrillations recently and was rushed to the hospital. It’s been constant testing every day.

Seeing her weak & tired is unnerving. Fragile is not a word I would ever use to describe my mother. Sweet but tough, robust & resilient, soft-hearted but strong-willed.

My mother prides herself on honesty and has never lied a day in her life. She is someone you can trust. She loves her daughters, grandchildren and animals. And we all love her.

The Bright SpotTM  – I believe in the power of prayer. Please pray.

 

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