2000 miles

Missing my Nickel

I miss you so much. My heart is broken.

He’s gone two thousand miles
Is very far
The snow is falling down
Gets colder day by day
I miss you

The children were singing
He’ll be back at Christmas time

In these frozen and silent nights
Sometimes in a dream, you appear
Outside under the purple sky
Diamonds in the snow sparkle

Our hearts were singing
It felt like Christmastime

Two thousand miles
Is very far through the snow
I’ll think of you
Wherever you go

He’s gone two thousand miles
Is very far
The snow is falling down
Gets colder day by day
I miss you

I can hear people singing
It must be Christmastime
I hear people singing
It must be Christmastime

https://youtu.be/AEyGZlBdkaA?si=:_18yRRPdqC

Dear Nickel

Dear Nickel

I was on my way home from bowling with my grandson. Our song came on my playlist. This was your song to me when you would go to Alaska. It was my song to you when I was in San Francisco fighting cancer with that lunatic by my side. You begged me to come home but I didn’t. What was I thinking?! We had that stupid fight because the Seahawks beat the 49ers at Super Bowl lol. Yet I came home and we reconnected. Life happens. Sadly….We drifted apart again. We may have drifted but you never left my heart. Now you’re gone Forever. Like the song you truly are only in my dreams. I miss you so much. I always have. I look forward to the day we are reunited and we can be together again. Laughing at dumb stuff. Having a ball and loving each other in heavens time and not in our dreams. I cried all the way home tonight. I miss you. I love you and I always have but like our song now you are only in my dreams and I keep hoping I’ll awaken and you’ll be my side. But that’s not reality. All I know is you love me in my dreams. As for me, I’ll love you forever, I’ll love you for always, as long as I’m living my “nickel” you’ll be. 🥲 I miss you so much!

https://youtu.be/fHe9iA1G2AQ?si=GT-EIDWuTjaP4QwQ

The Piano That Attacked Me

I made it to the gym. Not willingly. However, doctors orders! Literally. As those of you who know me, you are aware that on November 6th, 2021, for no reason at all, a piano fell on my leg shattering my fibula and breaking my tibia. A rod through my leg and 6 “Herman the Munster” bolts later, that I should mention protrude out of my ankles and leg lol it appears my leg is still broken. I met with my surgeon the other day and he reviewed my new x-rays. Sure as shit, my leg is still broken. He should me my X-ray from my initial accident. He asked me to look at the area that looked like shattered glass. I did. He said “that was your shattered bones!!

He asked me if I have been going to the gym to use a stationary bike. I said “no but I’ve been in the pool a lot”. Yikes that didn’t sit well with him. Geez give me a break. Lol. Well I mustered up the energy and got myself to the gym. Something about the doctor threatening I may require another surgery! What a meanie.

So Here I am on a stationary bike, listening to Journey and posting on Facebook. My mom asked where I was going as I left. I said I was heading to the gym in the hopes of losing 10 pounds and 14 inches in 30 minutes. Her reply. “Oh brother!” Lol. That poor woman is still putting up with my nonsense after all these years lol.

Any way send good vibes for a 30 minute miracle. As for the piano….well it’s still in my brothers basement. Know one can lift it. Damn the bad luck. If it was outdoors we could’ve used that evil thing for firewood lol. What can I say? Sometimes you just have to find the humor in the challenges we go through.

Hold On For One More Day 12-8-21

Good morning Friends. I hope you have the best day ever. I thought I’d dedicate this song today as our song for today. Chyna Phillips (daughter of the mamas and papas) wrote this song at a time in her life when she was challenged. Bad relationship, battling addiction etc. The lyrics were her reminder to “hold on for one more day” no matter the circumstances. I no at times we may find ourselves lonely. Maybe we are facing a challenging time right now. Maybe the chaos in this country is way too much to bare. I get that. I feel the same way at times and I too have my share of challenging times. With that said if only for today we are able to “Hold On For Just One More Day” who’s to say a miracle will happen. Things will shift and everything will turn around. In my experience, they always do. So why not give today a chance. Strap on your seatbelt and hold on…..just for today.

https://youtu.be/uIbXvaE39wM

The New Serenity Prayer 3-25-21

The New Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the people I cannot change,
which is pretty much everyone,
since I’m clearly not you, God.
At least not the last time I checked.

And while you’re at it, God,
please give me the courage
to change what I need to change about myself,
which is frankly a lot, since, once again,
I’m not you, which means I’m not perfect.
It’s better for me to focus on changing myself
than to worry about changing other people,
who, as you’ll no doubt remember me saying,
I can’t change anyway.

Finally, give me the wisdom to just shut up
whenever I think that I’m clearly smarter
than everyone else in the room,
that no one knows what they’re talking about except me,
or that I alone have all the answers.

Basically, God,
grant me the wisdom
to remember that I’m
not you. Amen

Taken from American Magazine

Ya Mo B There 3-6-21

I went for my first walk in months this morning. It was chilly but absolutely beautiful. On my playlist was Michael McDonald. I love all of his music including his songs when he was with The Doobie Brothers.

As I listened to the lyrics of “Ya Mo Be There” I found a sense of comfort knowing that no matter what I’m going through right now I have a “Higher Power” that will always be there. Sometimes I don’t feel that way but today as I listened to Michael belt out this tune, I had a sense of comfort. Who knows, maybe it was just being outside with a blue sky above me surrounded by hills still covered in snow.

I’m sure many people don’t realize what the meaning of “Ya Mo B There” means or even understand the true meaning of the lyrics.

The actual spelling of the song title is Yah Mo B There. Yah is a shortened version of Yahweh, which means God in Hebrew. So the title literally means “God will be there” and is interpreted as “God be with you.”

Ingram and McDonald spelled things differently so as not to scare anyone away. Good idea! The title has perplexed people since 1983. Another fast fact, the idea behind the song was the religious teaching that nothing can save mankind except our Father in Heaven.

I’m not sure if anyone reading my post believes in a higher power. However, those who do have their own interpretation. For some, higher power is God, for others it’s the Universe. Some refer to their higher power as the outdoors, a sunset, the ocean….regardless what your belief is we can all agree that we have a higher power who can save us, guide us, comfort us and when the world around us is as zany and crazy as it is today, we have a higher power that can even restore mankind.

With that said, Ya Mo B There merits a share today. Happy Sunday.

The Transcending Third 12-9-20

Autumn completes herself as she fades more and more into the dark and quiet of this last month’s hours. It is the way of all living things…A way of living passes. Sacred traditions mark the change. Some celebrate the everlasting evenscent, while others mark great events that punctuate history. Stars, night, silence, and time become the background for musing and meditation, What moves everything?” we ask. It is a question better answered by wonder than by reason…To know the secret of the night, we learn how to sit with the darks inside us until they yield what someone has called ” the transcending third.”

The Baggage We Carry 11-6-20

The Baggage We Carry by Kerry Walters

When we go into the inner desert, we appreciate for the first time just how much unnecessary baggage we carry around. We see and gasp at the incredible artificiality of our old way of life, the flimsiness of our old values, the duplicity of our old self. The process is harrowing because it rips away everything by which we’ve defined ourselves. But this desert dying, this going under, is a necessary condition for the kind of “ineffable joy” and “wonderful light” that suffused Francis at the end of his time in the pit.

—from the book Perfect Joy: 30 Days with Francis of Assisi by Kerry Walters

Long As I Can See The Light 10-24-20

My brother and I grew up listening to Creedence Clearwater. My dad was a huge fan. Anytime we hear a CCR tune we are triggered to reflect on fond memories of my dad. Hey Tonight and Have You Ever Seen The Rain in particular are two songs that definitely have my dads name all over them.

I heard this particular song the other day. Like always I thought of my dad. It’s a really beautiful song. I also found myself reflecting on fond memories but I also pondered the current events happening in this country right now as I listened to the lyrics. In my opinion, we are all on a journey. Some of us our drifters, adventurers or if you’re like me a free spirit. Some of us are trying to find our way in all of this darkness. The good news is there are so many light workers out there spreading that light in all of this darkness helping those lost souls find our way home.

I’m sharing my thoughts and this song as a reminder that we all have to shine our light as bright as possible. In doing so, together we can create a light so bright we will help those who are struggling find their way home.

There are two meanings of this song found on Wikipedia.

John Fogerty biographer Thomas M. Kitts describes the song as depicting a “world-weary figure,” perhaps Jeremiah, who “undertakes an uncertain journey.” The singer is confident as long as he “can see the light.” Kitts points out that the word light has two meanings in the song, a spiritual meaning, such as in “The Lord is my light” from Psalm 27, and “the secular light of love.” Kitts describes the music as having a “hymnal, church-like feel.”

John Fogerty expressed surprise in his coming up with a candle as a metaphor for a beacon guiding the singer home. He stated that the song is “about the loner in me. Wanting to feel understood, needing those at home to shine a light so that I can make my way back.”

Choose the meaning that resonates with you and just for today be a beacon of light and together we will guide this country home. As for me, I will light a candle in honor of my dad. He is no longer with me but who knows maybe he will see the light. I miss him every day.

Life Is What You Make It 9-28-20

Life is what you make it. In life we will experience good times and bad times. Sad times and happy times. In the good and happy times we are on top of the world. It’s in the sad and bad times that we learn what’s important. But more importantly it’s in these times we learn to be grateful for every moment. We find the joy in the simple things letting go of expectations of how we think life should be for ourselves and others. Everyone’s life is a gift and the greatest gift are those who get to share that story with us. When their life doesn’t meet our expectations it’s not the end of the world. Right or indifferent It’s their life and like you and me they might be finding joy in the story they are living. Even when it’s finding the joy in something simple like a beautiful sunset or a starry night sky. 🌹