Happy Birthday “Alan!”

Time sure flies by in a hurry   –  when you’re having fun! I must be having too much fun –  time is going by faster as I am getting, ” older.”  My judgement on this   –  is that my grandson,  Alan Aldrich will be having a birthday,  on   “July 1st, 2013”   – and I sure am glad  that I got his birthday card  in the mail  –   yesterday!

So,   now for  “Alan’s” birthday party  –   should we celebrate all week?  Since the   July 4th, 2013  – holiday  will be Thursday ?   Everybody is going  to start to celebrate the 4th   and carry it forward   –  and then there will be others,  who will  start June 29th and go  forward   and that will include  “Alan’s” birthday  –  I just knew he was a “fire-cracker!”  I always thought he would be born on the  4th  –  but he thought  – why  wait  –  when I can celebrate all week long???

I think,  we should celebrate one’s birthday   –  for a whole week  –  because  a week  will  give us more time to be with the ones we love  –  our family.  And what else is there,   any  more important in life,  anyway?    Than  to be with our family and celebrate  our having a chance to give each other the most important  –  gift  – that one can give.  That  – gift –  is some of our  undivided time!

“Happy Birthday Alan  –  many more  –  and may Almighty God give you all of His best Blessings!”


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Happy Birthday “Kelly”

Happy Birthday to another dear friend, Kelly Uzzetta.  Have a lot of friends who  are having  a birthday all around this time of the year!

Kelly  was looking for a new home when I first met her. I was a real estate agent at the time and we spent a couple of weeks looking for a nice property  –  something with some land and lots of room for their seven (7) children.  We found just the right property and her family moved in  –  and we had struck up such a good friendship,   which was fun for both of us, and our families.

Over the years her children grew up and I was invited to birthdays  and then to  weddings and to children being born, making  “Kelly” a  “Grandma!”  Also, Mr. Uzzetta was in the construction business and I was in need of having a new “bay window” being installed in my house.  Mr. Uzzetta and his son were able to complete this  job, perfectly.  There were   several other jobs we needed and Mr.Uzzetta was able to  do these  as well and at reasonable rates.

There were times when  we had the Uzzettas come over for dinner and  we were also to their home  just as many or more  times. It was just one of  those times when you just  click  into a good friendship,  and  not knowing  what  the future   has in store   –  and we  did  enjoyed many good years  associating!

The time  for an unforeseen accident though is something  – we just could  not comprehend. Kelly had just come  home from work  and   had dinner with her family   –  and was going to enjoy a short time watching TV    –  when without any  warning  and  no way to know –  what would be  happening in just a very few minutes?

Coming down the highway   –  a driver  “drunk” and having been arrested so many times and still had  his  driver’s license  –  crossed over  the highway  –   up and over another road-way  and right into  “Kelly’s” living room window and  “Kelly was there suiting,  on the sofa.

Instantly,   she was killed.  The living room  and front entrance  to the house ,  all damaged beyond belief.  How could this have happened?  The drunk- driver came right between two  (2) very large trees – and he,  without a scratch.  What a night -mare for  my  very good friend, Kelly  and her family. Her funeral followed in a few days.  Such a good life  –   killed by a drunk-driver,  who should have been without a license to drive  –  while he still had to drink???

Kelly  –  you may not be here on earth,   now –  but   you  are in a for greater  place  and that  is   in Heaven  –    I will never  ever   forget you.  You were and always will be,   a “terrific friend to me!”


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“Special Remembrance”

Just looking through some of the old mail concerning    Sister Mary Emeline,  and found  a letter from Sister Mary Cyril  –  letting me know she was to get in touch with me should  something happen to  my friend,  Sister Mary Emeline.

Seems that the  Nuns  at the Sisters of Christian Charity   – have special information   they give to their  “Nun” friends   –  to pass on   –  per  their last request   to  be carried out   -.  Sister Mary Emeline,   wanted me to be notified when something happened to her and also a special remembrance sent to me.   I guess that is a good idea for everyone to do  –  there are always somethings  that   you want someone to know,  and or to receive when  that day comes that you are going on  –   to your reward.    So,  is there  a  better way,  than to make a list   with the things you want distributed   with the names and addresses.

The remembrance that  Sister Mary Cyril sent to me was a  lovely Crucifix, which I have hanging by the door going to the backyard.   Every morning when I open the blinds by that  window  and  pull open the drapes  for the  sliding door  –    I  see and remember   my very special friend.  It was a real surprise to me  when  I first receive this Crucifix  –  it was really something to receive  and with all  the other things  she sent through the years  that I have hanging  in the kitchen.    The memories  of keeping  in touch and becoming  “family”  instead of just  “friends.”

So, again today   –  I am glad and happy to have been a “special” friend to my dear friend,  Sister Mary Emeline!


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Happy Birthday Sister Mary Emeline!

Almost twenty years ago, one of my very best friends went to her Heavenly reward ,   Sister Mary Emeline Gander of the order   –  Sisters of Christian Charity  –  in Wilmette, Illinois.   Sister Emeline’s   whole life was  a continual prayer.  Everything she did   –  was  with  “LOVE!”

I first met  Sister Emeline, while  living at the “Orphan’s Home”  and was assigned to work for her , in the  “BOY’s” dining room. This was in the mid 1940’s  –  and each of our job assignments lasted six months. And, maybe  again a year or two before I was to graduate from the 8th grade I worked for Sister Emeline, another six (6)  months.

Sister Emeline became a good friend right away, because she was so nice to talk  with,   and seem to understand what ever I wanted to say and do   –   more important  to  talk to me as if I was a friend  and what   I had to say  –  made some kind of sense?   She was more friendly  than most of the “Nuns”  –  and that is what  I needed  –  since I missed my own family!

Also, Sister Emeline was one of four (4) sisters and two brothers, who were placed in the same “Orphan Hone ” when her mother died and she was only three (3) years old.  All four sisters  –   joined the  Sisters of Christian Charity, her youngest sister, Sister   Mary Alvira, was my  5th and 6th grade teacher and also became another very good friend  –  that I kept in touch with until she also went to Heaven.

I miss not having such a good friend  – we were always writing and sending stuff back and forth  – always the best of communications  and up-lifting words  –  still have every card and letter. So hard to forget your really  “good friends”  – no matter how long they  are gone  –  but never ever forgotten!

Sister Mary Emeline  –  Happy Birthday!   You will always be “Family”  to me!

 


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“Good Luck” to Moon Viewers!

Did you get a call at 5:30am  and told to go outside and see the moon?  The moon was suppose to be as bright as the sun?  If you go out and look at the moon this morning and again   to night , when the moon comes out  once more   –  you will  see it as bright  as the sun     –  you will receive  “Good Luck!”

Something about this  being the longest day of the year  –  not that you will get more time to spend,   today,   but by doing some things you  will get more  “Good Luck” than if you just did nothing?

So, there I was  in my bight orange color night gown  –  looking for  the  “MOON”  and since I did not see it  from the back side of my house   as  I  was carrying  my phone and talking   –  and looking as I went out the front door and into the drive way area  –  looking like I was some kind of a  “NUT”  –  what can I say about all this silly stuff.

Finally, I said  – “I see  “it ”  and it’s  too bright for me to look at  –  I’ll loose the rest of my eyesight!”   At the same time I’m looking around  –  I do not see any of my neighbors out looking for the  “MOON”   –  but  then   are they looking out their windows –   looking at me?  Probably saying  “Look at our silly old neighbor  –  looks like she  either lost something and  or   is just a little on the “Nutty” side  –  walking around in her night gown!”   “HA!  HA!”

Oh well,  If I can help everyone start their day  off  with a good laugh  –  that’s the same  thing  as some real good medicine   –  that even money can’t buy.

So,  how did you start your day?  Did  you go out  side for the  “Good Luck”   or  did you  just  get a real good laugh?   HA!   HA!


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Daddy the “Master-builder”

In the early  1940’s  –  my  DAD  built  for  my brothers and myself  – a one of a kind  “Swing with  a Water Spray”  –  that we used to swing and sing  –  for the whole world to  hear us.

Back then I remember my  Mom  saying that in the winter time some people left the outside water faucet on all through the freezing weather so that their pipes would not freeze.  Those were the days that for a flat monthly rate you could use however much water you wanted.   Today , you pay for every drop and lots of extra charges.

Anyway,   getting back to our one of a kind swing.  There was a tree in the center of the right side of the back yard  –   so,  I’m  guessing at about the six-foot mark up  –  my “DAD” drilled an inch diameter straight through. Using pipe that  he ran in the hole to be  the top piece for the swing.  On each side of the tree would be a set up for one swing,  making this a two swinger  swing-ser.    He   added fittings on the ends to add  a five-foot length across, with corner fittings to each of the tops to add the four corner six-foot pieces .  At about the four-foot up from the ground, he added  a bracing pipe.  There was concrete footings   at the four corners  –  this swing-set was not going anywhere, ever!

All the pipes in the areas where we would   be  swinging had small holes,    so that when he would turn on the water hose,   he had attached to one corner of the swing-set ,   (this was some kind of special connection)  – We would be singing in the rain!  And what fun we had!  Better than a small backyard  “kid’s pool.” That swing- set lasted till we sold the place almost twenty years later.

Dad was the original  “Handy Man”   –  could fix  almost  anything   –  and don’t forget all around best “Chef!”


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