Joy is what happens
“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” ― Marianne Williamson
We don’t tend to think of airports as comfortable or happy places, but this video might change your mind. During my years with USAir, I often thought how the airport gates were a setting that displayed the entire gamut of human emotions, especially during those days when people were allowed to go to the gate to meet or say farewell with those who were traveling. Every day, I would see tearful reunions and farewells, people en route to weddings and funerals, anxious friends and families awaiting a stranded or delayed loved one, travelers dealing with cancelled plans or smooth sailing, customers venting frustration and anger, or bubbling over with excitement, happiness and humor.
I feel obliged to issue a disclaimer: the folks at the Northern Ireland Tourist Board are not even aware I’m sharing this video, let alone paying me to do it. But when watched this video for the first time sitting beside Jeff’s bed in the early evening at the hospital, despite it being a rather sedate and sobering milieu, this clip had me literally clapping in time to the music with a big grin on my face. I hope it does the same for you.
One year ago today:
Consolation brought me joy
Grady meets Father Christmas at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, November 29, 2013
“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” — Psalm 94:19
Here in the northern hemisphere, December is the month of consolation, when the cold and decay of nature’s landscape are offset by the joys of celebration and gratitude. Today we thank you for the cheer and solace of your kind thoughts, prayers and visits here. We wish you a month of happiness, filled with “tidings of comfort and joy,” in festive gatherings, or quiet contemplation, or both.
One year ago today:
Home is not where
It started at Ft. Belvoir hospital, with a ruptured and cancerous appendix.
Here, Jeff gets some fresh air with our sons while recuperating from his first-ever surgery.
We didn’t know then that there would be many, many more. September, 2012
“Home is not where, it is whom.” -Christianne Dettmann
As most readers have figured out by now, I’m no longer posting two weeks in advance, but taking it day by day as I am able. Since my days are mostly spent in hospitals lately, I have a bit of a one-track mind. In any case, this quote seemed appropriate for this week. For the first time in many years, in fact, so many I can’t remember exactly how many, Jeff and I have been able to spend some part of Thanksgiving and our shared birthday with both of our sons. Not in our home, but as Dettman says, home can be anywhere. I hope this finds you feeling at home wherever you may be today!
One year ago today:
Two things stand
This is the post from one year ago today. I forgot to include it in the message I posted earlier. Update: Jeff had his wound vac removed and his incision closed this morning, and has just been moved out of the ICU. We thank God that he appears to be healing well! And thank you all for your kind words and prayers!
Out of suffering
Jeff at Dachau, Germany, August 2005
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” — Kahlil Gibran
This photo is rather odd, but it seems fitting as a symbol for where Jeff is now, in a place of past nightmares and trauma, somehow surviving (thus far) life-threatening complications and tremendous pain, holding on in a position where his strength is likely to fade quickly. His stamina and endurance are unbelievable, but insofar as any human has limits, we have to fear that he is surely approaching his. We continue to need and appreciate your kind thoughts and prayers.
About the photo: when we visited Dachau with our friends in August 2005, we drove around searching for the parking and main entrance. It was quite obvious from the walls and barbed wire that we were at the camp, but we weren’t sure where to start touring. Steve and Aaron got out to inquire, going through a gate that looked too small to be an entrance, and when they did not return after a few minutes, Amy and I convinced Jeff to see if he could find them.
We didn’t mean “look over the wall” but that’s what Jeff did. Instead of going through the same gate Aaron and Steve had entered, he walked over to the wall and somehow jumped to a position where he could pull himself up to look over. Amy and I were in the car cracking up. I don’t remember how long Jeff was up there, but naturally I went for my camera and got a shot of him scanning the grounds of Dachau, looking for Steve and Aaron. Our visit to Dachau was sobering and unforgettable, but this photo survives as the only note of levity of a day spent in a heartrendingly tragic setting; a flash of laughter in a day devoted to the remembrance of seemingly endless tears.
I am comforted today by this reminder of strength and humor in a desolate landscape. Like those who survived Dachau, Jeff will bear forever on his body the marks of what he has endured. May he live many years to reflect on blessings and joy that lie on the other side of his pain.
One year ago today:
I am grateful
Pasha stands looking out the window as we prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, 2007
“I am grateful for the beauty in the midst of suffering. I am grateful for the treasure hunt through the minefield of life. Dangerous or not, I don’t want out of the minefield. Because truth, and beauty , and God are there.” – Glennon Doyle Melton
As I write this, the day before Thanksgiving, Jeff has not yet awakened from the 14+ hours of surgery he endured yesterday. They had to keep him anesthetized overnight because they knew he would be in the OR again for an emergency procedure this morning (a stent placed to drain a bile leakage from the liver that could result in infection if left untreated). One of the doctors woke me up in the waiting room this morning, after about 6 hours of sleeping for the first time in two days, to sign a consent form for the procedure. I am grateful I was there to sign the form. I am grateful there was a way to solve the immediate problem. I am grateful that this morning’s procedure went “as well as it possibly could have gone,” as the surgeons have just informed me, and grateful for the prayers that will join mine, asking for this complication to heal without further setbacks.
I’m grateful for the many, many doctors from various specialty fields, whose names and cards I can hardly keep track of. I am grateful for the compassionate nurse who gave me kind and reassuring words, along with much-needed blankets and a pillow so that I could sleep last night on chairs that were pulled together in a waiting room. I am grateful both my sons are near, sharing my love and anguish for a man we always knew to be remarkable, but had no idea, until now, how truly amazing his strength and endurance are.
Yesterday’s surgery was far more difficult and long than anyone anticipated, due in part to massive scarring from the first liver resection. Jeff ended up getting seven units of blood (so far) and four units of blood products, and has a long, tough road to recovery ahead. The surgeons were exhausted and disappointed at the setbacks, but were nonetheless pleased to believe that Jeff is now rid of the cancer and very likely to be among the 8% who survive his particular diagnosis, if he is able to survive the post-surgical risks of the coming days and weeks.
Today, on this day we set aside for the gratitude we can rightly feel every minute of every day, I pray your life is filled with the best kinds of abundance. As with those who shared the first Thanksgiving meal on which our celebration is based, we all come to the table with a mixed bag of blessings and sorrows, many disappointments, hurts and griefs, but also countless reasons to rejoice. May we all open our eyes to the providence that surrounds us, making our existence possible. Happy Thanksgiving!
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13
One year ago today:
Nevertheless
Thanksgiving display in a North Carolina shop, September 2013
“The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” — H.U. Westermayer
I was unable to find out anything about who H. U. Westermayer was, though I did find others asking the same question. While they were similarly unsuccessful at learning about the person who originated this oft-quoted thought, many did verify the historical accuracy of the quote. Sometimes our quaint stories about the first Thanksgiving tend to obscure the harsh reality of the context in which it took place. Perhaps our greatest lesson to be drawn from that celebration is the example of people who were able to find reason to be thankful amid circumstances more adverse than most of us can imagine. Whatever you may be facing today, I hope the difficulties will not obscure the blessings.
One year ago today:
A hope
Point Pinos Lighthouse, Pacific Grove, California, December 2002
“Grieve in places the world does not forgive. Rejoice in places the world does not notice. Live with a patience that the culture cannot sustain, and a hope that the world cannot imagine.” – Krista Tippett
Thanks to all who visit this site, and especially to all of you who have grieved, rejoiced, and hoped with us on this journey!
In the brief time I’ve been linking to the blog entries from a year ago, I am often struck by how appropriate they seem on the first anniversary of their online publication. Today is one such time. It’s one of my personal favorites.
One year ago today
Following the paths
Mission San Juan Bautista, California, June 2003
“If you are ill or facing adversity, you can begin to heal yourself by following the paths others have followed. Forgive yourself and others, live with hope, faith and love and watch the results in your life and in the lives you touch. Remember that success and healing refer to what you do with your life, not to how long you avoid death.”
— Bernie Siegel
One year ago today:
Not destroyed
Precarious, but breathtaking: hikers pause to enjoy the Blue Ridge vistas, November 2011
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV)
It’s a bit frightening, being this close to the edge of suffering and death. It’s not territory we chose to explore, but even from here, the view is sometimes more beautiful than seems reasonable. I imagine that you, too, have been (or will be) in places you never sought, or situations you hadn’t planned. I hope you are able to hang on– perhaps gaining a new perspective that will illuminate your less dramatic pathways, and underscore your joy in happier times that surely lie in your future.
One year ago today:
It’s the heart
A blissful perfection
George, Jeff and Matt take a ride on George’s Gator. Russellville, Alabama, November 2011
“There is a blissful perfection in even the smallest, most mundane facets of everyday life, and appreciating this is an important source of happiness…Humans adapt to any type of experience, but scholars suggest that we’re less likely to adapt to tiny pleasures because, by their nature, they are unexpected and different each time they occur.” -– Tammy Strobel
So that explains it! I always knew small pleasures were magical, but I didn’t realize that part of their perfection lies in their seeming insignificance. To put it another way, when we’re not expecting anything, we are often pleasantly surprised. I wish you a season of the most blissfully mundane moments of everyday life, along with the recognition of their hidden riches.
One year ago today:
No shortcuts
At the Montreal Botanical Garden, May 2009
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” — Beverly Sills
It may be a long and winding road, but it’s filled with beauty, discovery and enchantment.
Enjoy the journey!
One year ago today:
Children and dogs
Kevin and Molly: two of my favorites. O’Fallon, Illinois, April 2008
“Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” — Harry S Truman
In fact, I’d say they are even more necessary. I’m so grateful for them!
One year ago today:
Pasha, this will be our first Thanksgiving without you.
Now and always, we miss you, but we’re thankful for your time with us!
Peculiar and inexhaustible influence
It’s just too nice outside today to stay indoors. Join me for a stroll!
“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn–that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence…” — Jane Austen
Monday, the day before yesterday, was a hard one for us. We had a long discussion with the liver surgeon, and the full reality of what Jeff is facing was sobering. He had to stay at Bethesda for extensive cardiac testing– a precaution due to the risky nature of his upcoming all-day surgery– and Matt and I went on home, picking Jeff up at the metro station at the end of the day. Despite our worries, it was impossible not to notice what a gloriously beautiful day it was, unseasonably warm and sunny.
On the way home, Jeff and I talked of how stunning the trees looked, despite many of them having lost their leaves. He decided to take Matt to the gym while they still both felt able to go, and I took my walk while they were there, enjoying the perfect weather and breathtaking autumn beauty. The sun was lighting up the colors to almost electric levels. I took my camera so I could bring you along with me on my walk. All these photos were taken within a mile of my home, along my usual routes for daily 2-mile walks. None have been digitally enhanced to improve the color (partly because I don’t have time to fool with photo editing tonight).
The foliage is dazzling, and the sky is a beautiful blue!
The photo above is taken at the corner of our street.
Lots of neighbors and their dogs are out walking, but it’s spacious and quiet.
Sometimes I just stop and stand there, looking up!
I think the leaves even look pretty on the ground.
Almost home! You can see the roofs of our townhome row in the distance.
This trail runs right behind where we live.
Home again. Come inside for a cup of afternoon tea!
One year ago today:
A year later, these are words we still need to keep in mind…
Especially in the autumn
The Bavarian Alps as seen from Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany, August 2005
“He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien
One year ago today:
Only with gratitude
Janet and her daughters prepare yet another Christmas Eve dinner, 2002
“In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Have you ever had a friend who seemed to give you much more than you gave her or him? At times, we feel helpless ever to repay such friends for their many acts of love, and simply bask in the joy of their generosity. Sometimes we’re uncomfortable with this kind of gratitude, because we don’t like to feel as if we “owe” anyone anything. But in close friendship, such issues vanish into the steadfast understanding that keeps us connected no matter what.
Our friends Janet and C.W. are the friends I am thinking of as I write this. While we lived in northern California, we spent every single Christmas Eve with them and their family, and many New Years Eves and other holidays as well. But we never needed an occasion to be invited to their home for Janet’s amazing cooking, which is right up there with my mother’s and grandmother’s in terms of how delicious and well-prepared everything always was. I often say that the nicest thing anyone can do for me is to cook for me. Boy, has Janet done that more times than I could count! And C. W. is no slouch in the kitchen himself!
Janet and C. W. busy in the kitchen, June 2004
The fifth Christmas Eve we spent with them, Drew said (a bit wistfully) “This is the closest I have ever come to knowing what it’s like to spend Christmas with an extended family every year.” That first Christmas in Virginia was very hard for us, missing being with our friends for what had come to be a real tradition — to say nothing of going without Janet’s signature brisket that she slow-cooked all night, or her cheesy potatoes or delicious deserts or…
I would guess that Janet had us over at least ten times as often as we had her over, but she never seemed to be counting, so I didn’t. We liked many of the same places, knew many of the same people, shared lots of joys and sorrows and never kept track of things that didn’t matter. For that, I’m so grateful, and as Bonhoeffer says, very rich.
After such a feast, who wouldn’t be happy? June 2004
Who came to your mind as you read this post? Some of us who are perpetual caregivers rely on people who give us more than we are able to give back to them, and they continue to give with enthusiastic, contagious joy. I hope you have many such people in your life, filling your days with riches that have nothing to do with money.
One year ago today:
Update: Prizes and party favors are in the mail!
For details, click on “Thank you!” above.
What is good
Jeff at Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, Manteo, North Carolina, September 2013
He has shown you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
One year ago today:
(written the day we received the most devastating diagnosis)
Remembering: Beyond all reason
The view from my parents’ room at the Banff Springs Hotel, 1999
“God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reason.” – Dag Hammarskjold
Update one year later, 11-16-13:
There I go again, letting the quote and photo speak for themselves. I should probably do that more often – we get enough good editorial content in the comments and discussion! But since many of our regular readers may feel as if they have come to know something of my family over the past year, I thought I might take this opportunity to share some of the back story of the photo that went with this post.
In 1999, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary, and most of the family were able to travel to Banff to help them celebrate. My brother Al, his sons Aaron and Seth, my nieces April and Cami, and April’s husband Jeremiah were all unable to attend, but the rest of the motley crew had a great time being together and enjoying the stunning scenery. I’ll now bore you with a few photos snapped on that very brief but memorable trip – if you’d like to see them, scroll on! The original post with comments from one year ago can be seen here.
Mom and Dad at a garden in Banff
Jeff, Mom, Eric and Carla (in the front seat of the van) heading out to explore.
Mom and Dad enjoy an album of letters and cards from friends who wrote to congratulate them. Carla contacted people they had known over the past 50 years, and worked hard to put together the album. I learned some wonderful things about my parents from those letters, things I had never known!
Carla, Jeff, Andy, George, Sherry, Drew, Mama, Daddy and Ryan at the anniversary dinner.
Eric and I are taking the photos; Matt is to Carla’s left, not visible.
Remembering: Something in the autumn
Our Yorktown, Virginia neighborhood, November 2008
There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood —
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time. — Bliss Carman
Autumn reminds us of the brevity of life as the lush blossoms of summer fade and die away, replaced by the dazzling final act of foliage that will soon be gone. The coming onset of winter can be depressing, yet somehow fall retains a unique splendor that makes it the favorite season for many of us. That first snap of chill in the air after the summer heat breaks, followed by the excitement of the harvest holidays and winter merriment, help to take the sting out of the months of cold that will follow.
Update for 11-15-13, one year later:
Wow, I’ve sure gotten a lot chattier since I started this blog! I had forgotten how short I kept my comments. I’m thinking of borrowing the concept I saw on another blog – “Wordless Wednesdays” — and having a day for just a photo, no quote, no comments. What do you think? I love Carman’s poem — I say it to myself every fall, having learned it from the old Childcraft set I grew up reading — but really, does a photo such as the one above really need any words? To see the original post with comments from one year ago today, look here.
Remembering: Little advantages
London street scene, 2005
“Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.” —Benjamin Franklin
Just as it’s often the minor irritations that distract us and wear us down, so too the power of small blessings can transform our lives. The trick is becoming aware of them. Sunny weather, fragrant blooms, a cup of hot tea on a chilly morning, the delicious smell of food when we’re hungry…what little advantages are brightening your day today?
Update for 11-14-13, one year later:
Those who read this blog frequently will recognize a common theme in this post. I do a lot of blogging about the small pleasures in life and the everyday things we tend to take for granted. I may seem slightly obsessive about it, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that I’ve often thought my sanity has been preserved by focusing on the small (or not-so-small) blessings that are present no matter how bad things get.
Many years ago, I heard a minister begin a sermon with a series of questions that he suggested we answer on paper, just for our own review. He didn’t tell us where he was headed with it. He asked things such as: what is a gadget you use every day? What is the first switch you turn on in the morning? Who is one of your favorite relatives? What school teacher do you remember most fondly? And so on. When he finished, he told us to look over our lists and ask ourselves whether we had ever thought to be thankful for those things. That sermon is one of the most memorable I have ever heard. It made me aware that my Walkman, my lamp, my Aunt Peggy and my fourth grade teacher, among countless other people, memories and things, made me a very rich person indeed.
I hope you will share some thoughts about your own “little advantages” with us today. We might discover more blessings to add to our own lists!
To see the original post with comments, look here.
Remembering: Promises to keep
Muir Woods, Marin County, CA 2003
And miles to go before I sleep…” — Robert Frost
It’s tempting to be drawn into our own ruminations. Trouble can be an isolating experience, and solitude is a seductive force, both healing and dangerous. If we withdraw too long or too often from others, we neglect our responsibility to ourselves as well as to them. Most of us really do have promises to keep and miles to go, no matter how exhausted or discouraged we become.
How can we find the balance between contemplative, wholesome solitude and the daily activities that maintain the connections to others that are so vital to our existence? How can we discern whether a suffering person needs our company, our words or our silence? What are some ways we can be open to the help that others can provide?
Update for 11-13-13, one year later:
Well, I see that I finally started writing some comments, though I’m still briefer and more restrained here than I became as I went along…maybe I should have kept things shorter! Also, I note that the past year has answered my closing questions for me, at least in some ways. Blogs, whether reading or writing them, can often involve a nearly perfect balance between solitude and connection.
We normally sit at our computers alone, or at least focused more on cyberspace than on our immediate surroundings, yet we are connecting with others through words and photos. In starting this blog, I was unaware I was opening the door to help, hope and friendship from so many I didn’t know, and facilitating re-connections with friends I’ve known and loved for years.
Compared to the quicker, more party-like climate on Facebook, blogs offer space for contemplative writing and discussion that goes beyond clever one-liners. In reading the blogs of others, I find much food for thought, identification with ideas and emotions I had held but never expressed myself, and sometimes just happy, light-hearted fun. Not to mention craft ideas, handy hints, humor and many heartwarming or breathtakingly beautiful photos and artwork.
Remembering: How the light gets in
The Statue of Liberty as seen from the Staten Island Ferry, 2007
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in. — Leonard Cohen
Update for 11-12-13: After 365 different posts, this one remains one of my very favorites. I have had that quote on my refrigerator for years. And the photo of Lady Liberty at sunset brings back happy memories of the Staten Island Ferry. I’m sure Edna St. Vincent Millay could identify, as her memories of that same ferry became one of my favorite poems when I was a young girl! To see the original post with comments, click here.
Have you ever struggled with a “perfect offering” that just didn’t turn out as well as you planned? Does it ever seem to you that pretty much everything in life is imperfect? Although the connection between the photo and the quote isn’t as obvious as with many of my photos on this blog, perhaps you will understand why this seemed to me the perfect illustration for an unsettling but paradoxically comforting thought.
Remembering: If you can…
This is our older son, Drew, at Bodega Bay, CA, around 2002.
Lines from one of my favorite poems, If by Rudyard Kipling:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools…
Update on 11-11-13:
I see that I still wasn’t adding any comments to speak of. I suppose Kipling’s words speak for themselves! But I also remember that I was petrified of publishing anything online for the world to see. To see the original post with comments, look here. I see more familiar gravatars on this one! Does anyone identify with some of the situations Kipling describes here? I know I do! But the older I get, the more I know what he meant when he called “Triumph” and “Disaster” both imposters. It’s just that they never seem so at the time…
The envelope, please
OK, the results are in!
I had intended to video the entire drawing and post it here, but this is all I came up with:
Jeff and Matt had agreed to cooperate with helping me film the drawing, and since it’s a beautiful fall day here in York County, we thought it would be fun to film it outside in our back yard, where the bloom-again azaleas were in full celebration mode and our camellias were beginning to sneak out for a peep, too.
Jeff coached me to Be Sure My Camera Battery Is Charged (a frequent oversight of mine, but in this case it was, and I had backups too). I even checked the SD card to make sure it had plenty of space. Half empty; looked good to me. What I should have realized, but didn’t, is that videos eat up the megabytes VERY quickly. At least on a camera they do, and I don’t have a smart phone.
SO, when Jeff said “OK, that’s all!” just when we started to film, I couldn’t believe it. I was sure he must be reading it wrong. But no, the camera said “card full.” Since Jeff and Matt had other plans awaiting, and in any case have only so much patience with this computer nonsense, they wanted me to go with what I had. It then occurred to me that we have a S-L-O-W internet connection here in York County, so I reluctantly agreed to go on with the drawing OFF camera.
Which turned out to be a good thing, because even with a 37-second video, it took almost an hour to load, and longer than that for me to figure out how to get it posted correctly here, and it still looks a bit distorted to me, as if it didn’t download very well. During all that time, my computer was totally unavailable for anything else such as getting email, reading comments, etc., so I apologize if I kept anyone waiting!
I decided to go ahead and post the abbreviated video for comic value, since it cracked me up that Matt could NOT resist looking into the bin before he drew a name out, even though all the slips with names on them were folded over twice so he couldn’t possibly have seen whose he was picking. I am still wondering whether he has x-ray vision, because one of the second place winners is a definite favorite of his.
In any case, here are the winners, none of whom have asked to remain anonymous. If anyone listed here wants to change their minds on that, let me know and I’ll gladly edit you out! You still get the prizes.
Matt drew the names in reverse order, starting with the third prize winners:
Judy Walton
Pat Eastin
John Slingerland
And the second prize winners:
Carla Hutto
Ann Weldon
And the FIRST PRIZE WINNER is:
Jenelle Maloy!
Longtime readers with good memories may notice a coincidence here; in the only other time I awarded any prizes on this website, in an unannounced contest to send a $10 Amazon gift card to whoever could “find the mystery couple” in that day’s photo, Jenelle was the winner in that one too. Jenelle, if I ever announce a contest to give away a Jaguar or $10,000 here, I highly recommend you plan to show up for it!
OK, now for the Defeat Despair Community Activism Award:
For those who read the comments, it will come as no surprise that Sheila, Boomdeeadda, Eric, Michael, Amy Hill and Mary Ann were the six contestants (based on the statistics on the day the contest was announced, as described in that announcement). The WINNER is: BOOMDEADDA! I must say I am happy to have at least one international winner among the prizes I will send out.
Boomdee and Jenelle will need to let me know ASAP what kind of gift card they want (sorry, Boomdee, I could not find a gift card to Auntie’s Aqua Extravaganza Emporium).
Judy, Pat and John will need to let me know what kind of chocolate they like, or if they don’t like chocolate, let me arrange for psychotherapy to find out what is wrong with them tell me what kind of alternative treat they want. Carla, Ann, Sheila, Eric, Michael, Amy and Mary Ann will need to figure out how to use Amazon, or else figure out whom to give a $10 gift card to that won’t get insulted (maybe the mail carrier or paper delivery person?)
Everybody else, your party favors will be on the way to you within the week (I hope!) THANKS AGAIN for coming to my party! It was so much fun, and you wouldn’t believe how low the catering bill was.
Remembering: An invincible summer
“In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”
— Albert Camus
I took this photo in the garden at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, somewhere around 2003.
Update for 11-10-13:
What jumps out at me about this post is its brevity (I was learning to use WordPress as I went along) and the absence of readers’ comments or “likes,” except one from Boomdeeadda, who has been with me from the very early days, and whose blog was one of the first I visited. What a happy introduction to the blogosphere that was! (You can see the original post here.)
I hope this post has more viewers today than it did one year ago, but whether few or many see it, I hope it will add a note of cheer to whoever visits this site today! I will add information about yesterday’s winners later this afternoon, after the drawings.
Defeat Despair 