Ernie-ism

Saw this....














Reminded me of this...

Those were the days!

The A-Team Returns

When I remember to choose an Angel card - I'll usually pick one in the morning - to consider the 'message' as I journey through my day.

While heading for bed tonight -  I decided to pick an Angel card and "sleep on it".

For some reason...at this brief moment in time tonight...I'm feeling some emotional strength.  I'm not sure why - or if it's even real.  Maybe a transition is in the making...

In light of the 'Patience' card pick a few days ago - I thought to myself - wouldn't it be ironic if I picked the "Strength" card?



I picked 'Power'...



....close enough- says I.

(Not so) FAQ's #3

Have you ever seen a cuter couple named George and Gracie since Burns & Allen?

...me neither!

The A-Team

Lately I've been feeling stressed and impatient about certain aspects of my life.  I want clarity and answers.  I want truth and trust.  I want decisions and closure.  Is that asking too much?


I would have answered a resounding "Yes" to that question..but for one of those wonderful 'goose bump' moments I had this morning.

I hadn't picked an Angel card for a while - so I figured it was time.  There are 53 cards - 50 with pre-printed words and 3 blank cards for filling in with the word of your choice.

As I shuffled up the cards and placed them face down in my angel card dish - I said a little out-loud prayer of sorts.  I just said that I could really use some patience right now.
 
I reached into the stack and proceeded to pull out the card with a picture of an Angel sitting on a stool knitting.  The Angel word I randomly picked out of 53 possible choices was "PATIENCE".

I felt like I had my own private A-Team (Angel-Team) in my corner...

...I love it when a plan comes together!

A Love Story on many levels...

The Good News:
 My wonderful friends Bill and Orienne are moving soon to Portland, OR.

The Bad News: 
My wonderful friends Bill and Orienne are moving soon to Portland, OR.

I've spent the last 10 months getting to know - and love - Bill and Orienne.  They are the dad and stepmom of a friend of mine in Minnesota.  I've had the pleasure of providing Companion Care.  They have often returned the favor.  

Bill is 91.  He is a doctor - who due to the misfortune of contracting tuberculosis as a young man - was required to channel his doctoring energy to teaching and administrative expertise.  One position he held was the Dean of the Tufts University medical school in Boston.

He is a sensitive, caring, and loving person.  In a way - it's a bit of a shame he wasn't able to share those bedside manner gifts with patients.  But in thinking it through - that same demeanor was probably a great asset to the "business" side of the medical field - as is evidenced by Orienne's mission...  

Orienne is 92 - or 87.  I love her admission that starting in her late 40's she began fudging her age.  She deducted 5 years to avoid what she felt was a social stigma and prejudice associated with "matronly" women and careers.
After losing her second husband - also a doctor - to suicide - Orienne started a foundation called Human Dimensions in Medical Education (HDME).  It was born to help medical students and doctors cope with the the immense pressures of college, interning, residency, and practice.

By losing her husband, she had witnessed first hand what the pressures of years of medical school - and practicing medicine - can do to break a person down.  Her goal was to 'humanize' it for the benefit of them all - with a trickle-down benefit to the patients.  She partnered with psychologist Carl Rogers - who had a strong belief in her mission - and the seminars put on by HDME were widely attended and extremely successful.

Orienne has a who's-who list of friends from Arthur Fiedler - Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra - to Dr. Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.

She was professional, vibrant, energetic, and young at heart then - and still is.

She sends and answers her email and regularly checks her bank account online.  Amazing!

They have been a wonderful gift in my life and I will miss them.  But I know it's all good - and they will enjoy their new adventure living closer to Orienne's daughter.  They will thrive anywhere as long as they land there together.

...a beautiful love story - 30 years in the making!

Flashbacks - "72 Woo Woo Woo"

Well - on this my 50th post - I'm pleased to write that I did 'snap out of it' and had a great time yesterday at the All Class Reunion aka Homecoming 2010 at Sierra High School in Whittier, CA.

The tough part was the drive - as I'm still dealing with some back discomfort.  The chiropractic adjustments have been helpful.  There are also some muscle spasm issues and I can't seem to find the right combination of relief; ice vs heat, acetaminophen vs ibuprofen.  Today I added a tight elastic back wrap and a therapeutic magnet.  If something doesn't start working - I may have to resort to wine vs whiskey.  It's getting old....

...Speaking of old...nothing signifies how quickly time passes quite like a class reunion - 38 years in the making.  It's an amazing phenomenon.

There are those who look exactly the same as they did on the day they graduated.

Then there are those who even when you see their name typed next to their yearbook picture - hardly resemble themselves.  It's like they picked up the wrong name tag.  Maybe we were getting "punked" and they were actors only pretending to be Sierra classmates. 

Then there are the majority of people where the connection from past to present is made with just a brief moment visiting our brain spot that stores the long term memory.  Then it all comes back - the smile, the voice, the nuances that made them unique. 

It was a great opportunity to really get to know some classmates on a different and deeper level.  In 'those' days - many factors dictated popularity and status.  Some were in our control - some were not.

We were too young to really understand the complexity of everyone's private issues and circumstances.  We were all busy trying to cope every day - in whatever way worked for us.

Now - most of the pretenses are gone and we're grateful to be alive and be together.  It's a product of time...and of timing.

Then you get to see that special teacher - the one that when you were aged 16 - seemed to be an ancient relic who didn't understand.

You show them the tag adorned with your name and senior picture - and they are gracious enough to say they remember you.

You reminisce - and apologize for any teen-aged angst or wacked-out hormone-induced behaviour - and they comfort you by saying that there is nothing to forgive.  They did understand.
 
The dynamics of time have changed things - and you feel less like a student and more like a peer and friend.

Pretty amazing!  Thanks everyone for making it a great time!  Let's do it again soon!

(Not so) FAQ's #2

Why do I  - more often than not - get the "take an EXTRA 30% OFF EVERYTHING" coupon for Kohl's?

This is a powerful peel-off come-on that gives those of us with Kohl's charge cards - either 15, 20, or 30% off an entire purchase.

And...not just for one day...but for 8 friggin' days!

I don't know if these thingies are random or what.  I haven't used my Kohl's charge card in ages. 

That must be it!  It's rigged to give the 30% off to those of us who haven't been shopping and charging!

It must be a ploy to reel us back in - to get those Kohl's cards swiping again!

Well - it worked.  However I'm pleased to say they reeled in a tiny fish.

...That is - unless I decide to get that new vacuum cleaner...

Curse you, Kohl's!