While it has been a difficult transition for the family in many ways, life moves along as it does and summer is now upon us.
If there is anything that the difficulties of life teach me, it is that we need to savor the moments of pleasure and ease when they happen upon us. And as the cliche goes, "not take anything for granted". That includes the sun, the wind, the ability to walk, see, eat breathe and just be in this world and be able to partake in all of it's wonder.
And I think of one of my favorite writings, one that I read remember reading when I was about ten years old. It touched me then, as it does now.
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Grandpa Leonard
It has been a while since I have posted.
Grandpa Leonard went to heaven 13 days ago.
It is moments like these that words somehow fail to convey the depth of feeling and emotions that our hearts hold.
Leonard was an amazing man. If you knew him you know what I mean. Larger than life was the way I and others described him.
And he will be missed. By those who knew him and certainly by Elizabeth
Grandpa was an emotional, loving and caring man. And in spite of his sometimes gruff manner her had an amazingly maternal nature. And nowhere was that more evident than the way he doted on Elizabeth. Of course it was also so apparent in his devotion to Frances and to his much beloved son, Marty. And even to me. Early on, he told me, "I don't want to call you daughter-in-law--that makes it sound like something legal." Leonard was someone who wanted to "connect"--and that he did--with almost everyone he came in contact with.
From the first moment they met, Elizabeth and her grandpa had a special relationship.
Grandpa and Elizabeth had their own their silly games they played together. Grandpa took great joy in explaining things about the world to Elizabeth--everything from how magnets worked to taking her on a tour of his backyard and explaining why green lemons on his lemon tress weren't ripe enough to be picked.
And I still remember the afternoon he fiddled with making homemade lemonade adding just the right amount of sugar--waiting for Elizabeth to declare it "perfect" and ready to drink.
And toys, grandma and grandpa's house is filled with toys for Elizabeth. From her first bike (which grandpa put together when she was barely able to reach the pedals) to a whole set of plastic orchestra instruments. Grandpa would laugh such a hearty laugh when Elizabeth took the role of conductor and directed everyone in the family "band".
And grandpa had a knack for picking just the right gift. There was the mini DVD player which grandpa bought when she was not even two years old. How handy that came in on our drive up to Jules Stein when Elizabeth was having her eye surgery in December 2008. She was kept entertained watching Elmo DVD's while mama and dada nervously paced the hallways.
And then there were the globes, the bubble maker machine, the life size Winnie the Pooh bear, the talking Mickey Mouse, and the list goes on and on and on.
Leonard loved to give Elizabeth rides on his electric scooter. And she loved sitting on his lap scooting all over the place--and especially at the Balboa Bay Club. And in spite of my protests that maybe it wasn't such a good idea (I don't know who I was more worried about) I still have this image of Leonard speeding down the hallway of the Bay Club on his scooter with Elizabeth just beaming.
Every day Marty would talk with Leonard...sometimes multiple times a day. And without fail, Leonard wanted to know what Elizabeth was up to, how she felt, what she was doing in school. He never tired of hearing about her.
And I will remember always the last day I spent with Leonard. He was not well. In fact he was extremely ill--and in spite of his own pain and extreme difficulty in speaking he asked me if I Elizabeth was in school today and you could see the smile in his eyes when I told him of her latest antics.
I think about coming back to Leonard's house after he had passed and looking at Len's IPAD..it seems the last thing he looked at on his IPAD was Elizabeth's blog. And I would bet you good money that Grandpa is up in heaven checking out Elizabeth's blog.
Grandpa got such great joy out of spending time with Elizabeth and watching her grow. And she knew how much he cherished her. I could see in her eyes that she knew how tickled he was with her.
How sad that Elizabeth will not get to spend more time with her grandpa. But what a gift they did get to give one another. And as I explained to her, she may not be able to touch grandpa but he will always be with her. And we will make sure as she gets older that she knows how much grandpa loved her...
And that loves never dies.
Grandpa Leonard went to heaven 13 days ago.
It is moments like these that words somehow fail to convey the depth of feeling and emotions that our hearts hold.
Leonard was an amazing man. If you knew him you know what I mean. Larger than life was the way I and others described him.
And he will be missed. By those who knew him and certainly by Elizabeth
Grandpa was an emotional, loving and caring man. And in spite of his sometimes gruff manner her had an amazingly maternal nature. And nowhere was that more evident than the way he doted on Elizabeth. Of course it was also so apparent in his devotion to Frances and to his much beloved son, Marty. And even to me. Early on, he told me, "I don't want to call you daughter-in-law--that makes it sound like something legal." Leonard was someone who wanted to "connect"--and that he did--with almost everyone he came in contact with.
From the first moment they met, Elizabeth and her grandpa had a special relationship.
Grandpa and Elizabeth had their own their silly games they played together. Grandpa took great joy in explaining things about the world to Elizabeth--everything from how magnets worked to taking her on a tour of his backyard and explaining why green lemons on his lemon tress weren't ripe enough to be picked.
And I still remember the afternoon he fiddled with making homemade lemonade adding just the right amount of sugar--waiting for Elizabeth to declare it "perfect" and ready to drink.
And toys, grandma and grandpa's house is filled with toys for Elizabeth. From her first bike (which grandpa put together when she was barely able to reach the pedals) to a whole set of plastic orchestra instruments. Grandpa would laugh such a hearty laugh when Elizabeth took the role of conductor and directed everyone in the family "band".
And grandpa had a knack for picking just the right gift. There was the mini DVD player which grandpa bought when she was not even two years old. How handy that came in on our drive up to Jules Stein when Elizabeth was having her eye surgery in December 2008. She was kept entertained watching Elmo DVD's while mama and dada nervously paced the hallways.
And then there were the globes, the bubble maker machine, the life size Winnie the Pooh bear, the talking Mickey Mouse, and the list goes on and on and on.
Leonard loved to give Elizabeth rides on his electric scooter. And she loved sitting on his lap scooting all over the place--and especially at the Balboa Bay Club. And in spite of my protests that maybe it wasn't such a good idea (I don't know who I was more worried about) I still have this image of Leonard speeding down the hallway of the Bay Club on his scooter with Elizabeth just beaming.
Every day Marty would talk with Leonard...sometimes multiple times a day. And without fail, Leonard wanted to know what Elizabeth was up to, how she felt, what she was doing in school. He never tired of hearing about her.
And I will remember always the last day I spent with Leonard. He was not well. In fact he was extremely ill--and in spite of his own pain and extreme difficulty in speaking he asked me if I Elizabeth was in school today and you could see the smile in his eyes when I told him of her latest antics.
I think about coming back to Leonard's house after he had passed and looking at Len's IPAD..it seems the last thing he looked at on his IPAD was Elizabeth's blog. And I would bet you good money that Grandpa is up in heaven checking out Elizabeth's blog.
Grandpa got such great joy out of spending time with Elizabeth and watching her grow. And she knew how much he cherished her. I could see in her eyes that she knew how tickled he was with her.
How sad that Elizabeth will not get to spend more time with her grandpa. But what a gift they did get to give one another. And as I explained to her, she may not be able to touch grandpa but he will always be with her. And we will make sure as she gets older that she knows how much grandpa loved her...
And that loves never dies.
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