Varying Veterans Day Observation

We were able to observe Veterans Day a little early this year.
Tuesday we gave a presentation at our granddaughter's school
About the Higgins Boats that Richard holds most dear.
Yesterday we met this class at the World war II Museum;
They were interested in the boats that "won the war."
A Higgins Boat Vet was on hand to greet them.
Captain Don was a coxswain on Higgins landing boats;
He served our country fighting in the Philippines,
Where the Navy taught him how to drive whatever floats.

I spent the day listening to him tell his many tales
He's a mechanic, musician, teacher, and boat pilot;
He doesn't seem to know the meaning of "fail."
He lost his beloved wife to cancer many years ago
But he continues to give his talents to others;
He puts on an interesting and informative show.
Hearing of his life in Missouri with his mother and dad
And of his adventures out at sea in the World War II;
It was the most memorable museum visit I've had.

He is a bit of our country's living history;
I can only imagine him as a school teacher --
How exciting and engaging his classes must be.
Passion put into what we teach is so contagious
The teaching by rote of subjects we don't know
Seems to me to be simply outrageous.
We can learn so much by simply sitting at the feet
Of those who are willing to share their life stories
With everyone they happen to meet.

Cooking, Cookies, and Comfort

Our niece and her wonderful baby boys
Came to visit us at our sons
And play with Uncle and his toys.
One brother who contemplates
All things in his little life;
What a world his fantasy creates!
The other whose joyful abandon
Is an infectious, wild delight --
They're the same parents' sons!

Their mother is extremely careful
To treat them quite differently,
Dealing with their individual bull.
In school, working, and separated
She struggles but continues on.
Her dedication is to be celebrated.
Thankfully, their cousin has much energy
To chase and play with the children
As they run through the house so free.

Granddaughter and I, with one of her friends,
Created the snicker-doodle cookies
On which her older brother depends.
We'd prepared breakfast for his visitors,
Practiced Poppie's presentation,
And Richard had been to the store.
We'd made lasagna for a supper to share;
I wanted nothing more than to observe
From a soft comfortable chair.

Lovely, Loving Little Girl

It's pretty amazing to me how doggedly children insist on spreading their innocent love around. We went to my son's house to be with the pre-teen and teen children of their blended family of our son's family and the family of their best friends while the adults went to a Saints game. As Richard sat at the computer working on a presentation on his work with the Higgins boats for our ten-year-old granddaughter's gifted class, our granddaughter came over and started finger-combing the back of his rather sparse hair.

When Richard commented that fixing his appearance was impossible, she shifted to tweaking his rather prominent earlobes. As Richard is a very staid New Englander, not given to any outward signs of emotion unless you watch his twinkly Irish eyes, he was greatly confused by this behavior. I had to explain to him that this is typical female behavior toward the people we love. We groom them. Several times that day she spontaneously threw her arms around his waist and gave him her skinny little body's equivalent of a big bear hug and then insisted that he build blocks around her friend and herself as he had when she was very small.

As we drove home, I explained to him that he is a part of her safe male group and that she is looking for ways to connect to him. Why else would she have told her teacher about her "Poppie" being involved in the Higgins boat builders and have him invited to come talk to her class? This is also why her big brother helped in formatting the slide show for the presentation and why all the children listened and gave feedback on the practice run.

A friend once told me that her preacher said to his congregation on Father's Day, "Dads, go home and hold your daughters. If you don't, they'll find a man who will." It does seem that we never outgrow the need to connect physically with those we love. I feel so fortunate to be married to a man that is so grounded in his values and boundaries, and is yet so willing to serve the needs of those he loves.

Fall and What We May Have Missed

The fall light on the water has an extra special clarity;
In the autumn it seems that we can much farther see.
The water seems a darker blue and the sky a shade lighter,
As if before the dark of winter we need it to be brighter,
To save up all the memories of nothing but future promise,
Without all the worry about the things we may have missed.

Perhaps clearing out the old in our lives is the reason
That we, as humans, should celebrate the winter season.
It gives us time to look at things in a different light,
And a time to meditate on how to make our wrongs right.
It would be so nice to think that new relationship beginnings
Would happen with the the renewal of the flowers every spring.

Fast Friends

The three amigas have met again, and how the fur did fly!
We're all fiery, passionate women who let no sleeping dogs lie.
We discuss how our values apply to our family and personal lives,
We don't mind pointing out our own and others' lies.

I don't know how the waiter didn't get scorched by our sizzle,
With such passionate opinions from three women of such strong will.
Perhaps we should have tipped him more than his twenty percent;
He may now be requiring therapy to get his psyche unbent.

We are now conspiring to have a working partnership;
When we work together, it's always quite a trip.
We have such different levels and kinds of energy,
But, it does seem that we balance each other perfectly.

At times I've disagreed strongly with a boss;
This has led often to a boss who stays cross.
I hope that coming at this as life-long friends,
Any of our anger with each other would soon end.

If we had a working relationship, it would facilitate
More frequent communication, and at a greater rate.
We've accomplished so much together, working for free;
What joy it would be to get paid for being who we're meant to be.

Looking Less Lady-Like

My physical therapist is teaching me to
Do many things I thought I knew how to do:
Sit, stand, and walk in a less "lady-like" way.
"Lady-like?" Me? I don't know what to say.
It seems that I need a more athletic stance,
Not a pose like I'm preparing to dance.
I was taught to hold up my shoulders and head
But my swayed back gives me the pain that I dread.

The athletic stance may look more aggressive;
This is a trait in me that was never recessive.
So I've tried to appear more delicate
Because I seem to scare some folks a bit.
Those I don't scare seem to want to fight,
So I've tried to stay out of their sight.
Rather than fight 'em, I'll feed 'em again,
As soon as I can manage to stand without pain.

On the Periphery of Passion

What a wonderful thing passion can be; it truly makes life worth living.
My son's passion is his football team to whom lots of love is given.
This same passion he extends to his parents, children, friends, and wife;
He lives his life drawing others into his aura of unbridled delight.
His children, too, are passionate about their family and their friends;
I love to be around them and am saddened when it ends.

This week-end not only had a televised Saints game;
My son's Halloween birthday was celebrated again and again.
He made chicken and sausage gumbo with a side of rice
We: carrot cake and bread pudding with bourbon sauce for each slice.
If I lived near my children, I fear my heart would explode;
All their love of life sometimes seems a heavy load.

The neighborhood thoroughly enjoyed the Sunday Saints game;
Richard and I don't watch football, but enjoyed them all the same,
Playing Rummikub with our granddaughter by the swimming pool.
And visiting with our teen grandson, who with us doesn't play it cool.
Our grandson stopped by several times with hugs and sweet words
Kind words of love from teens are some of the sweetest words heard.

After a week-end of celebration, they must return to work and school;
We will return to our routines with bodies that are over-full.
I will take the memories and tuck them into my heart,
Being ever so grateful that, in their passions, we play a part.
Next week-end we will have more offered opportunity
To take part in these celebrations of life that we love to see.