There is something so special about a relationship that just doesn't fit the "norm". This movie was an example of that. It was touching, clever and made you root for the spirit of the characters. It was also based on a true story. You had me at "based". Funny, I recently watched a show that highlighted unlikely animal friends. A tortoise was a friend with a hippo. A crow was a pal with a cat. In this French, subtitled film a thug was a soul mate to a wealthy man in a wheelchair.
Why is the unlikely partnership such a draw? Is it because we all crave acceptance? Do we need an extra large acceptance when the difference is bigger? Does it then create even more hope for us all? Does choice over necessity or obligation make it all sweeter? Maybe. Whatever the reason, this film made your heart smile.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Clean Mom's Desk
Today, I made my father some fried eggs and toast for breakfast. This isn't an ordinary morning. Most mornings are a rush to school and work. If I do have a morning off with no children the chores begin almost too immediately. As he finished, I grabbed the cleaning products and headed toward his room. Little by little I have battled the ghosts of their suite. There have been days dedicated to emptying bathroom cabinets and dresser drawers. Shoes have been donated. Clothes have found their way to people who will use them. Her collections have been broken into smaller pieces and found wonderful new owners. Some things are easy to give away because her true spirit was generous beyond measure. If you liked it and simply stated so...it became yours. I carry on her essence by giving things to the people who would want it. Some days I am strong and the mood hits me and I make my way back to the room to tackle another area. Other days I can't even walk through the door.
I have a birthday this week. My birthday meant that she would get a bouquet of flowers to thank her for giving me the chance to have birthdays at all. This year I got creative. I will clean some of the areas that have been to tricky to touch. They will be my gift to her spirit, my heart and to my father. I forget that he has to look at it all on a daily basis. I can avoid the room but he has to live within it.
The desk was a time capsule of who she was. I found photographs of all of the people she adored. Not only did she have some right there on display but more were tucked in other places. I gave them a proper home. My sister would be thrilled to know how many of her there were. My nephews and nieces as well. There were donation forms for the various groups she always managed to give to. I do not carry on this tradition to send money to Native Americans, paralyzed artists and the poor of every country...but I will find ways to follow her legacy of giving. There were cards never written...this year my Dad will already have his Halloween cards for the kids and I think Easter is covered as well. There was even a card written out to Mary to just say hi. She loved her dearly as we all do. A Hallmark coupon sat there for the next batch of cards she would buy. Next to it were the little samplings of handmade cards that she had in the works, too. Her various art supplies were scattered about the entire house at any given moment hoping to find a window of feeling well enough to create something. Her desk was no exception. She also has an odd collection of calculators which made me smile because I swear she was always needing a new one that "worked". The address book is worn and many of the names have been crossed out as we have said goodbye to dear friends and family but I will leave it there for him.
I dusted the desk and emptied the overflowing electric pencil sharpener. It would be much more convenient in a dozen other places but that is its home. I set out some new things that my father could use...not that he will...but it's just a little bit more his now. I took some notepads and post its because I could hear her yelling at me to use them. I didn't cry. Not a single tear this time. I was happy to be doing it for all of us. Some of you have recently lost people and you feel the weight of the grief. To you I say that it does get better. It's never really easy and the moments of despair will fool you like a cruel joke but it will indeed get better. You begin to realize they are with you more now than they ever were...right in your heart. But it is up to the living to honor them properly. Leaving their space a mess because you can't face the hard part is not doing that for them. I smile sometimes as I clean knowing that she is over my shoulder as she always was...only now I imagine what she would be saying instead of actually hearing it. Somehow I think I'm pretty darn accurate though.
Time seems to fly, drag and confuse all at the same instant...and we keep each other on our toes. Today, I felt mature enough to move forward and free enough to stay young all in one day. If I confuse time enough maybe he'll miss my birthday. ;)
I have a birthday this week. My birthday meant that she would get a bouquet of flowers to thank her for giving me the chance to have birthdays at all. This year I got creative. I will clean some of the areas that have been to tricky to touch. They will be my gift to her spirit, my heart and to my father. I forget that he has to look at it all on a daily basis. I can avoid the room but he has to live within it.
The desk was a time capsule of who she was. I found photographs of all of the people she adored. Not only did she have some right there on display but more were tucked in other places. I gave them a proper home. My sister would be thrilled to know how many of her there were. My nephews and nieces as well. There were donation forms for the various groups she always managed to give to. I do not carry on this tradition to send money to Native Americans, paralyzed artists and the poor of every country...but I will find ways to follow her legacy of giving. There were cards never written...this year my Dad will already have his Halloween cards for the kids and I think Easter is covered as well. There was even a card written out to Mary to just say hi. She loved her dearly as we all do. A Hallmark coupon sat there for the next batch of cards she would buy. Next to it were the little samplings of handmade cards that she had in the works, too. Her various art supplies were scattered about the entire house at any given moment hoping to find a window of feeling well enough to create something. Her desk was no exception. She also has an odd collection of calculators which made me smile because I swear she was always needing a new one that "worked". The address book is worn and many of the names have been crossed out as we have said goodbye to dear friends and family but I will leave it there for him.
I dusted the desk and emptied the overflowing electric pencil sharpener. It would be much more convenient in a dozen other places but that is its home. I set out some new things that my father could use...not that he will...but it's just a little bit more his now. I took some notepads and post its because I could hear her yelling at me to use them. I didn't cry. Not a single tear this time. I was happy to be doing it for all of us. Some of you have recently lost people and you feel the weight of the grief. To you I say that it does get better. It's never really easy and the moments of despair will fool you like a cruel joke but it will indeed get better. You begin to realize they are with you more now than they ever were...right in your heart. But it is up to the living to honor them properly. Leaving their space a mess because you can't face the hard part is not doing that for them. I smile sometimes as I clean knowing that she is over my shoulder as she always was...only now I imagine what she would be saying instead of actually hearing it. Somehow I think I'm pretty darn accurate though.
Time seems to fly, drag and confuse all at the same instant...and we keep each other on our toes. Today, I felt mature enough to move forward and free enough to stay young all in one day. If I confuse time enough maybe he'll miss my birthday. ;)
Monday, September 3, 2012
Well, season my skillet!!!
I would love to say that this was a euphemism for something more exciting...but it's not. I have had a little cast iron skillet hanging on a nail in the pantry for years. Waiting. Waiting for the day it would be given a new level of depth. For a frying pan that is. Today it was loaded up with grease and thrown in the oven for hours. Who knows what adventures my little skillet and I will go through together...but nothing says autumn like yummy comfort food on a brisk day. Though just days ago we were pushing 90 it seems as if we suddenly have leaves changing their hues and falling. A new season is upon us...and I have a pan with a new season to celebrate it!!
Pocono Garlic Festival
I have never been to the Garlic Fest since it moved to its current location. I surely have not worked it. This year I got to do both. I had an absolute blast with my buddies while working the show! I also got to sample some new things. I had my first deep fried oreo and some delicious garlic noodles. I wore my bright green festival shirt and helped us sell out of garlic keepers and other themed pieces. My shirt is even the fuzzy background of a shot of a garlic roaster featured in the local newspaper photo collection highlighting the festival. It was a lovely day and I would like to thank JoAnn, Leigh Ann, John, Marq and Hannah for making it so smelly...errr...I mean terrific!!!
Breaking Bad
Enough already...I'll watch! I had heard from enough people that this show was entertaining to say the least. It was indeed. I couldn't help but think back to high school. I was one of the few kids who not only enjoyed chemistry but rocked it. I had a flash to the meeting with the guidance counselor who told me (after analyzing my grades) that with such high scores in chem and math I should think about being a pharmacist. Hmmm. Really? That's all ya got? Not that it isn't a noble profession but sheesh. So... good with chemistry and numbers and went on to be good at sales...maybe I missed my calling. ;)
Service Road Set Up
I love being behind the scenes for any reason. It gives you a fresh perspective and an inside scoop. I also think that our local ski mountains seem so strange in the summer. It's as if they disappear until they are covered in snowy white blankets. It seems odd to walk around signs mentioning "snowboards" and "lifts" when it is hot out. Yet there I was driving down the winding little service road to the back entrance of Shawnee Mountain Ski Area. It was time to set up the booths for the upcoming Pocono Garlic Festival. It was quiet and empty...a stark comparison to what would be just hours later.
To be continued...
To be continued...
Rollover Contest
The love of the demolition derby goes back to the days of the Westchester County Fair and my youth. There is something about a quiet little girl getting to watch cars smash into each other on purpose. It was some sort of stress release or something. Maybe it was the days of watching Pinky on Happy Days...either way I have always loved it. Somewhere around thirty years later I still get a kick out of it. Maybe I'm not so quiet anymore but I need the stress release more than ever. This year they added a twist and a brand new thing. It kicked off with a rollover contest. A single ramp was fastened to the dusty ground. There were extra paramedics around. I watched as a car took its place far from the ramp and then gunned it.....drove up the ramp with just its right tires....and bam...flip...flip...flip. It was crazy. They were given three attempts and points based on the quantity of flips. Each one made me a little frightened. I do believe I even cringed as the men surrounded the car to flip it right side up. Nobody was injured but one maniac won some cash for earning twenty-one points after flipping more than the others. I let out a sigh of relief and then watched the regular event. The voice inside me that wishes it had a car in the derby gets a little quieter each year but there was no voice at all for this event...I'll leave it to the men who are flippin' crazy!
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