MANY PRAYERS…

 

DONATE TO THE RED CROSS

IN MEMORY OF DAVID…

                                       

MY younger brother DAVID  has been gone  22 years now. It seems even longer to me  than that. It seems like only yesterday that  I was living in Ca. and had not been back to Michigan in 7 years.  Jobs and money always got in the way of coming back to visit. Life happens you get busy and you lose track of what is important. On that April morning I heard a knock on my door, it was very early in the morning.  I thought that it was odd so early in the day to be awakened. It was my aunt..she had come to deliver the bad news, that my brother had died in a car accident. It was a shock to my soul. I could hardly stand up. I sat on the couch and my body shook all over. I had known he was kinda unhappy in his life and wanted to change things. He never had the chance to do that. The next day I was in Michigan with the help of some relatives, I managed to catch a plane home. The whole thing was a blur to me. I remember seeing my aunt and uncle talking about something that was in the morning paper that day. It was a normal day for them but not for me. Simple things like packing a bag and calling my boss and arranging a ride to the airport seemed like monumental tasks. Everything was moving in what seemed like slow motion. The plane ride was smooth and uneventful I hardly knew when it was time to get off. My mind raced with thoughts of the past and growing up together.  Time had flown by. I was jarred back from my memories when the wheels hit the landing strip.

 It was cold, colder than Ca. for sure. It was April in Michigan..that can be pretty cool to a person who the day before was in 75 degree weather.  Such a shock to my system, to be so upset and see everyone around me the same way. When life gets taken so quickly a person just does go into shock I guess. I wore a heavy coat to the cemetery. The service was packed with people from all over who knew my parents or knew my brother. It was standing room only during the service and the director told my folks he had never seen such a crowd. It was then I knew that my brother had made an impact on people of all ages. He was likeable and left quite an impression on people. I was so sad that I had to catch up on his life like this..why had it taken me so long to get to know him better? He didn’t like to talk on the phone much and so we never chatted about this or that . I remembered the last time I saw him in the airport in Detroit when I had come home for a visit. I had the most awful feeling when I left that day inside me. Something I could not put into words or feelings. I cried on the plane going home, something I had never done before in my life after visiting home. I wonder now if I really deep down knew I would never see him again. I have had some ” vibes”  in my life, but none like I had that day.        David at 7 years old.I learned through my brother’s passing, that I  should really keep my family and friends as close as I can. I always try to do that now..no matter how busy I get or what else is going on. I think I have become a better person for that knowledge.

I therefore pass that on to anyone reading this..Time is SHORT…live it to the fullest that you can..and keep your heart and mind open to every experience that you can hold on to. Keep your loved ones close as you can and never take anything or anyone for granted.

You are missed dear brother…

STILL WHITE..

Well it is still white here in Michigan..many parts of the state woke up to amounts of 1 to 3 inches this morning. Spring is hours away, but for us it might be late April or May before it actually shows up. I saw this scene a few days ago and thought to myself in several months we will wish it was cold again. 

      We will wish for the brisk cool air when the humidity is stifling.   Things go from winter to summer quick here and sometimes SPRING is pretty short. So far I haven’t seen any sign of  these flowers yet…guess I will have to wait until April sometime for these to resurface.. Last year everything was in full bloom by Easter.  No such luck this year.  Oh what a difference a year makes.    HAVE A WONDERFUL SPRING DAY!!

LINKS TO MY PAST…

ROSE.. who was stubborn,cross and demanding.  SALOME.. who was very religious, jolly and caring. HAZEL..who was creative,witty and kind. ADA…who was generous,a teacher and mentor. RUBY…who was motherly and a true friend. BOB… who was demanding,strict,and thoughtful. SHIRLEY…who was a teacher,patient and kind. ED… who was a second father, ARLENE… who was a second mother.  AUDREY… who was caring,insightful and smart.  DEANE…who was loving, supportive,organized,dependable. KATHERINE… who taught me faith and caring.  I could go on and on..those who loved, cared, raised, supported and taught me so much about life. I remember them all  today who helped me along the way. 

BAD BOYS…

OH NO…

Just then.. I heard noises and screeching tires and it was like out of a tv cop show right in front of me. The suspect car sped off with shots fired and cars following him. I could not get to my camera fast enough. It was all happening with lightening speed.  The road ahead of me was long and flat and I could see the cars speeding down it following the suspect. NO police left at my  intersection..I sat there stunned until the lead car in the line decided to leave. The road they went down is the one I usually take out-of-town. A two-lane 55MPH speed limit road, with many curves and hills in it. I could just imagine the trip the suspect was taking. When it came my turn at the intersection, I had to decide to go that way, or go to the interstate.

WHICH WAY TO GO??? Knowing me, I love the excitement and want to know what’s going on. There was someplace I HAD to be though and  I could not just be delayed with all this. In a split second I decided to keep going and see what there was ahead of me on that road. Now everyone who knows me, knows that around Labor Day I get VIBES.. and not so great things have happened in the past. I was thinking the whole thing over in my mind a little as I drove down that road. I couldn’t see or hear any sirens so I knew they had either stopped or were long gone ahead of me. The suspect car was not a junker so he had speed on his side. Many side roads cut off that two lane and some are pretty scary. There are a lot of semi’s and large grain trucks that use them to go to the interstate. The fields are changing color now, corn is turning brown and roadsides are full of early yellow goldenrod all over. That ride out-of-town is usually calm and peaceful. As I rounded the turn in the old road, I saw the suspects car aside the road in a ditch turned on it’s side. At least 4 police cars were all around it.  I stopped my car and started for my camera. The wheels were still turning on the car. I couldn’t see the suspect as the car was facing the other way.  An officer came up to my car and told me to turn around and go back to the nearest side road. Do you think I did? OH YEAH.. I passed the ambulance coming from town as I returned to the side road. My mind raced wondering what went on there on the side of that road. I knew I would hear about it later. That was two days ago..I haven’t heard one word about it. Most of the arrests, in our little town you hear about right away. The ambulance or tow truck drivers will let people know what went on. NOTHING.. so I wait to hear and will let you know as soon as I hear.There was no report of a fatality in the news, at least not yet. Will be watching the arrest reports to see.  It was pretty exciting for this small town that I come from.  Just like cops and robbers when we were children. I was ALWAYS the cop!!

WHICH ONE WERE YOU???

Well, I hope we don’t have any more excitement for this weekend and things are nice and calm.

Sending prayers to all those in the gulf states affected by the hurricane. Stay safe.