Aging, Funeral

Attended another funeral this weekend.

My friend was 87 years old and died of cancer.

I found out so much about him during the funeral service.  I guess that’s what happens when you put total strangers in a room who know the same person.  They all have different stories, different views of the person and their character.

I can’t forget what one person said: “I know the person he is today, not the one from the past.”

I can say the same thing.

He was a gentle, loving, giving person and had a great sense of humor.

But that was not how he started his life.  He abandoned his children from his first? or second marriage.

Only in the past year had he contacted his son, now in his 50’s, to ask for forgiveness and to reconcile with him.

His grandson, who he never met, was a minister and gave the eulogy.

His adopted daughter spoke of how he was a tyrant while she was growing up.  Never had I seen that in his personality.  Only gentleness.

In the Christian world we would call the change in his life a transformation.  And indeed, he had Christlike qualities that one wanted to emulate.

I hadn’t spoken to him in over 2 years but he was one of those people who when you saw him it was as if no time had passed.

Goodbye my friend.  I’ll see you in heaven.

Visitors

I always like to get visitors when I’m sick.

It makes me think of something other than myself.  A nice distraction.

Why don’t people visit or call anymore?

Especially when a person is sick — it feels good to be remembered.

Otherwise, one could think that if they were to die no one would care.

What a horrible thought!

Anesthesia and Peace


I recently had the experience of getting general anesthesia. Prepped, rolled into the operating room and having a mask attached over my face.

Next thing I know, I’m waking up.  I look around.  I see a man cleaning up and taking things off a table where someone else once lay.  He puts the things in a plastic container.

I look to my right — another person who just woke up from their anesthesia.

What happened to the 45 minutes that passed?  No dreams.  Nothing.  Emptiness.

Can one call this peace if one can’t experience it?

Dictionary.com uses one definition of peace:  freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety.

A second definition:  a state of tranquility.

But if you don’t feel tranquil or free from annoyance are you truly at peace?

Lost are the 45 minutes of nothingness.  And they can’t be recovered.

Such is life as it is.  Every moment on this earth can be useful or wasted.

Time is truly fleeting.  Moments become minutes, minutes become hours, hours become days, days become weeks and weeks become years.

The “lucky” ones age and die.  And then?

Spiders and Webs

Walked out the door with a package, went down the stairs and almost bumped into a spider and its web.

It was furiously working to create its web across my steps.

I was annoyed.  I know spiders are good for the environment but they get in my way.

Over and over again.

I got a broom and moved the spider out of the way.  Oops!  Where did it go?

No idea.  The way was clear and I went on my way.

Life as it is.

Art by R WLK

I was cleaning out the basement and found an old picture that we had inherited when we moved into our home 29 years ago.

It looks like a print but doesn’t feel like one.

I have never been able to figure out who the artist is nor find any other information about the picture.

Now that I’m cleaning out the house to move, I need to find out whether to give it away or have it appraised or ???

Alright you bloggers out there — help me out here.

Ziti with Broccoli and Rosemary Recipe

This is a vegetarian very-easy-to-make recipe.

I have been using it for many years and got it from a book called 1000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles.

Hope you enjoy it.

12 ounces ziti (or other medium-sized pasta)
4 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crumbled)
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Two minutes before the pasta has finished cooking, add the broccoli to the pot.  Continue cooking the pasta until done.  Drain pasta and broccoli.

Return pasta and broccoli to the pot and add butter and the rosemary.  Cook, stirring, until butter is melted.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.


You can purchase the book here if you’re interested: