Doing the Right Thing

The other night we were at a college football game.

Luke bought along a friend.

We were sitting near the top of the bleachers.

A group of boys,

around Luke's age

came and sat near us.

After about 20 minutes, one of the boys younger brother came to join them.

He looked about 5, the other boys looked around 10.

He told his brother that he had to sit next to him.

The kid sitting next to the big brother wouldn't move.

The big brother asked him to move.

He refused.

The little bother tried to squeeze in.

The boy pushed the little brother off the bench.

I turned to him told him to cut it and make room for the little kid.

Luke was horrified.

" Mommy!"he said.

About 10 minutes later the bully boy left.

When he returned he had posters for everyone.

Everyone except the the little boy.

He taunted the little boy with the poster.

Luke and his friend got upset.

" That's so mean, " they both said.

Then they started whispering.

A few moments later,

they got up and walked over to the little boy.

" If you want a poster we will go get you one, " they said.

The shy little boy shook his head.

The bully's mouth dropped.

Luke and his friend went back to their seats.

The bully sat there for a few minutes.

Then took the little boy by his hand and brought him down to get a poster.

Nothing like being shamed into doing the right thing by your peers!

What Kids Think

As we near yet another anniversary of September 11th,

I am reminded of something MoMo said a few weeks after.

Gena's sister was dying of cancer--yes, 2001 was another bad year for us.

MoMo was 6 and we decided that we would see Aunt Susie dying.

Gena had taken the lead on this.

I think she knew that one day MoMo would have to watch her die.

MoMo wasn't very close to Aunt Susie.

She did spend time with her at the end.

The day sfter Susie died, I was tucking Maureen into bed.

As I leaned over to kiss her goodnight she suddenly sat up and started to cry.

"If Aunt Susie is dead, and the bad guys from the airplane are dead. Can they hurt Aunt Susie?"

Facebook

I am estranged from my family.

I get an occasional email from my mom but that's it.

It's a long story--one for another day.

As a result of being estranged, I have lost track of many of my cousins.

That was until FACE BOOK.

About a year ago my cousin Joyce contacted me through Facebook.

I was so surprised and thrilled to hear from her.

The last time I had seen her was in high school and now she had a grown son!

We exchanged emails and commented on each others pictures and posts.

She helped me get in touch with more cousins.

A few months ago she was found unconscious in her bathroom.

No one was sure how long she was there.

She remained in a coma for 6 more days.

When she finally came out of the coma she had sustained liver and heart damaged.

When she returned home she asked me to call her.

I did.

We spoke for about an hour--I hadn't heard from her in 20 years.

We got caught up.

A week later she texted me and told she was on her way back to the hospital.

She was bleeding internally.

Somehow she made it through surgery and again was unconscious for days after.

Last week she rallied--a little.

But that was short lived.

Last night she died.

I am feeling sad and a little lost.

She was a connection to my past.

We grew up together.

We shared holidays and

we shared family.

I will miss her posts and her emails.

I will miss that connection.

I feel...... sad......a drift..........

No Nuts Zone

In May of 2009 I discovered I couldn't eat gluten.

It had started out slowly.

I had done "mini fast" in April.

I cut out wheat, sugar and caffeine.

I had been feeling sluggish and my Yoga instructor thought this might be helpful.

After I started the fast, I got SICK!!!

I spent many hours in the bathroom.

But after a few days I started to feel better.

In May I started eating bread again.

I was in P town for the weekend and we went out for breakfast.

The restaurant specialized in homemade French Toast and I couldn't resist!!

The next day I noticed bumps on my hands.

I continued to eat wheat and within a few days my legs were covered in hives.

They itched and were hot to the touch.

I had awful stomach pain , low grade fever and headaches.

After a few trips to the doctor it was discovered that I couldn't tolerate gluten.

It took me a awhile to get used to this idea.

The first months, I was afraid to eat anything.

I lived on eggs.

I managed to get through the first year but still wasn't feeling great.

This summer I discovered that I couldn't tolerate Soy products.

I spent most of this summer learning how to cook gluten free.

I totally embraced it.

I started following blogs, reading cookbooks and trying new recipes.

The most amazing thing was my family liked the gluten free food better than the gluten free food.

I made homemade granola, tomato sauce and lots of salads and stir fries.

School started back up and I was all set.

I had my almond milk, my homemade granola and gluten free bread.

On opening Day the superintendent made an announcement.

We were a nut free school.

No nuts of any kind!

Do you know how much gluten free food is made with ALMONDS!!!

I knew we had kids that had peanut allergies.

I didn't bring peanut products to school.

But no one had reported any allergies to almonds.

But now I am back to square one.

I feeling defeated.

I am trying to find quick, easy food to grab at work that doesn't have nuts, milk, soy or gluten.

Any ideas?

So

Labor Day

Gena always hated Labor Day weekend.

She hated fall.

She said it went back to when she was in first grade and her parents sent her to boarding school.

Imagine that--boarding school in the first grade.

As the fall season would began its descent, Gena would fall into a funk.

She would become depressed.

So it is somehow fitting that it was Labor Day weekend, 2 years ago that she began her final descent from us.

She complained of chest pains and Tom once again took her the hospital.

He called to let us know while we attending the wake of a good friend of ours.

After spending the weekend in a hospital here in the Happy Valley,

she was once again sent to a hospital in Boston.

We were used to seeing her in hospitals in Boston.

Since I had met her she had many stays in Boston Hospitals.

There her heart surgeries, mini strokes, laser surgeries on her eyes and of course,

the biggest stay of all....

the kidney transplant.

This time the trip was different.

There weren't any tricks to pull out of the bag.

No last minute miracle to try.

This time the word was spoken.

The word we didn't want to hear.

Hospice

That was her last trip to a Boston Hospital.

Instead of a new miracle, she began a new journey.

A journey that took her away from us.

A that taught us so much.

So as we reflect on Labor Day, and all the things we labor,

I reflect on Gena's labor of love of life.

How she fought for each moment of it and tried to live it to the fullest.

Gens, I miss you....