Tea & Sympathy (Janis Ian)

[credit to my daughter Sarah for the photo collage!]

I started my day by *finally* receiving the Accident Report, which we'd been waiting a week for.  Oof.  Nothing I didn't know but, as if we needed this tragedy any more final, there it was in black-and-white.  Literally.

I am very tired.  I met up with Rev. Amy this afternoon, and we sat in a coffeeshop for three hours, worth every second.  I've known this dear woman for years, waaaay before she became a UU minister; Amy was of course the first person I thought of to officiate Eric's Celebration of Life and it was through her that we found the perfect venue as well.  She helped with logistical details, and shared much wisdom about the grief process; mostly though, I had the opportunity to talk a lot about Eric, to give her a sense of him... which gave *me* immense peace of mind, so much so that she asked me to call her when I got home.  I hadn't been that relaxed in a while (and it wasn't just the ginger tea... ☮)

I also had a lovely phone conversation with Pam, about tomorrow night's Dar concert, which I'll be missing for obvious reasons.  I asked Pam to share Every. Little. Detail, and I know I'll be there in spirit... 💖

About all I can muster this evening.  Hoping to get a good night's sleep to tackle whatever tomorrow brings, in addition to what's already on The List.

Our daughter Sarah made the above photo collage; I knew she would post the news about Eric on Facebook when she was ready, and she did today.  She has an incredible support system, and they all had such kind words to share.  I hope she sleeps well tonight too... 💤

SONG:  Tea & Sympathy by Janis Ian

BOOK:  Creative Ways to Grieve: A Guided Grief Journal by Y. Y. Chan

POEM:  

give me laugh lines and wrinkles

i want proof of the jokes we shared

engrave the lines into my face like

the roots of a tree that grow deeper

with each passing year

i want sunspots as souvenirs

for the beaches we laid on

i want to look like i was

never afraid to let the world 

take me by hand

and show me what it’s made of

i want to leave this place knowing

i did something with my body

other than trying to 

make it look perfect

~ rupi kaur

QUOTE:  “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” ~ Thomas Carlyle 

Days Like These (Janis Ian)

It's late and I should be in the bed... but I have a hodge-podge of thoughts swirling in my brain, and what better way to purge than to prose.

My house is a wreck from pre- and post-vacation... and I still haven't even fully grocery shopped since we returned home - 2+ weeks away (with four days in between) has me scrambling to catch up and meet beaucoup deadlines.

The threat of Tropical Storm Fay Monday and Tuesday only added to the frazzle/delay - we had bursts of high winds and teeming rains but, in the grand scheme of things, the only damage was minor inconvenience. We did the headless chicken routine Monday morning trying to get E ready to go back to college two days ahead of schedule, so he and his ride could get to Orlando ahead of the storm - they're settled in now and ready to start classes the first of next week...

I've been working like a maniac getting my Labyrinth Cafe concert series schedule finalized, as well as finetuning the MySpace page with song samples, etc. - I'll also be going on Michael Stock's Folk and Acoustic radio show this Sunday at 2 p.m. (as I did last year), giving an overview of our upcoming season and playing songs from the various artists.

My birthday came and went while I was on vacation, and I didn't mind one bit - I had told my dear friend Nancy that I really wanted to play it low-key this year, and I meant it. I was surrounded by family at the beach and I continue to be loved and valued on my home turf the other 364 days of the year - to use the see-it-everywhere T-shirt/hat/totebag slogan, "Life is Good"... even when it's not, you know?... :-)

My sweet daughter Sarah uploaded all the vacation photos she took to a Shutterfly account, and will be making a scrapbook for my mom - I've never posted more than one photo at a time here before, but I'm going to try to put up a handful of some special ones (wish me luck!).

I feel better already - goodnight... <3

P.S. Family photo: top row (left to right): my son Rob, my husband Robert, my brother-in-law Bill, my sister Mari, their daughter (my niece) Julia, my son Eric - bottom row (left to right): my daughter Sarah, my mom Connie, my brother Brad, me... :-)

P.P.S. Not sure why the pictures uploaded blurry... but if you click on each individual photo, it comes up very clearly!

SONG: Days Like These by Janis Ian

BOOK: A Blessing in Disguise: 39 Life Lessons from Today's Greatest Teachers by Andrea Joy Cohen, M.D.

POEM: View #8 (excerpt) by Thomas Centolella

Sometimes
the world is merely
empty, except for its refuse,
and goes nowhere, like a
cul-de-sac. And sometimes
it's empty but wide open,
the fruitless winter vines
dreaming of a vintage season.
You don't need anything
that isn't yours to keep going.
If someone is holding you
inside themselves
the way you're learning
to hold them, so much
the better. Sometimes
there is no difference
between a mind and a mind,
a heart and a heart, a mind
and a heart. Sometimes
the world won't move
unless you move.
Won't hold its course
unless you show it how.
And sometimes, the world holds
the two of you in one moment
and whispers: Yes. Now.

QUOTE: "Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." ~ Walker Evans